Not sure what to call this dish, so I researched other recipes that claim they are “oven cooked herb chicken” but most of them incorporate flour or breadcrumbs, and a stick of butter and/or olive oil. They didn’t seem all that healthy too me and took too much time in the oven. I decided to stick with my tried and true herb crusted chicken breast, coated with my own fresh herbs that I cut from my garden, from start to finish it took all of 15 minutes to prepare and cook. Yes, my chicken breast is “sautéed” in coconut oil I feel it is so much healthier than the alternative. This recipe is for an individual 7oz chicken breast, if you have two chicken breasts to add to the pan, you should probably increase the cooking time by one minute on each side or until done. My recipe does not use flour, breadcrumbs or an colossal amount of grease, oil or butter to cook with and it only takes 8 minutes to cook, so I consider this “fast food” for dinner.
Ingredients
7oz chicken boneless, skinless
¼ cup of chopped fresh herbs, I used a combination of: parsley, sage, oregano, rosemary
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of butter
Directions
Place chicken breast inside a plastic quart bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet begin to gently pound the chicken on both sides until all the same width
Take half of the chopped herbs and spread on one side of chicken breast, sprinkle with salt and gently pound the herbs into that side of the chicken breast
Turn chicken over and spread remaining herbs and salt on other side of breast and pound into the chicken breast.
Melt coconut oil and butter in a heavy pan or non-stick pan over medium high heat, when oil is hot place the chicken in the oil and cook uncovered for 4 minutes each side.
Turn the heat down to medium if it looks like it is browning too fast. When the chicken is ready to flip to the other side after 4 minutes, be careful not to splash yourself. Cook the second side for 4 more minutes. Slice the chicken breast to be sure the meat is white (cooked) before serving.
*Note: Melted oil must be hot before adding the chicken breast or it will absorb the oil as it is cooking. Hot oil will sear the meat as it hits the pan.
Pounded chicken breast cooks relatively fast, prepare your salad and vegetables while it is cooking.
The humble meatball, its beginnings tell early meatballs would have been made from leftover meat dishes and hand-shredded or pounded with a heavy object and minced with primitive tools. Food history tells us that meat was rare across the world and was enjoyed mostly by the rich. It was precious, so it can be assumed that it was never wasted, and no parts of a cut of meat or the leftovers would have been thrown away. Simply put, the meatball was a way to utilize this extraneous meat and squeeze another days’ meal from it, not to mention another days’ nutrition.
Italian immigrants brought along their own meatball (polpette) recipes, many of which had evolved according to family tradition. The polpette were not initially served with spaghetti. Spaghetti was typically served alone. The two forces came together in order to appease Americans who frequented Italian restaurants and wanted meat served alongside their pasta dishes.
The meatball was recorded in a 1754 Swedish cookbook by Cajsa Warg. The k”ttbullar were served with a cream-based gravy and loganberry preserves. Buttered noodles also became a popular side item, and nowadays are thought of as the expected accompaniment for Swedish meatballs.
There are meatball recipes from 25 AD. The Romans, as evidenced in an ancient recipe book written by Marcus Gavius Apicus (aka Apicius) called “De re coquinaria libri decem (Cuisine in Ten Books)”. Book II is devoted to “minces”, or mixtures of meat and other ingredients.
So to conclude, where did the first meatball come from? No one knows for sure. Every country has their own version of the meatball dating back in time throughout history using different meats, vegetables, and ingredients.
This is Kitchen Moxy’s version, I hope you enjoy these little morsels as they are a favorite of mine served with traditional spaghetti sauce or brown gravy. In this day and age we are all trying to watch our nutrition, fat, and calorie intake. Beef can be substituted with veal, venison, elk, which ever red meat you desire. The pork adds moisture and flavor, so your meatball does not end up dry. Eat well and rejoice.
½ pound of ground pork
½ pound of veal (or other meat)
½ pound of beef chuck (or other meat)
½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 teaspoons of kosher or sea salt
¼ to ½ cup of grated onion (food processor works great)
3 cloves of grated garlic
1 large beaten egg
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil for frying. See methods of cooking below
1 cup of breadcrumbs, if using seasoned, dry breadcrumbs toss with 1/3 cup of milk to re-hydrate.
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together with your hands just until the mixture comes together.
Form meatballs with your hands, rolling into golf-ball sized balls. Do not pack the meat into tight balls or they will become tough.
May be refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point.
Cooking Methods:
Method #1: Drop raw meatballs into your sauce. By the time your sauce is finished cooking, your meatball will be too. This is the easiest way, no prep, no mess. But no crusted sides. But it does flavor the sauce. Both my mom and I used this method many times. We were making our own marinara sauce from scratch. So cook time was long enough to cook the meat.
Method #2: Bake your raw meatballs in the oven at 350F. for 15 minutes. Your meatballs are done when no longer pink in the center. The internal temperature of a meatball should be 160F. You can finish cooking your pink centered meatball in your sauce.
Method #3: Fry your meatballs in olive oil. This is the traditional method. Your meatballs are crusted on all sides as they simmer in hot oil. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Drain the oil and wipe out the skillet, return to the heat, and repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs.
Notes:
Great meatballs contain Parmesan cheese! Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is tasty, but you can use any hard Italian cheese like Grano Padano, or Pecorino Romano.
Fresh Parsley: Use fresh parsley either Italian parsley or common parsley. Use a food processor to mince fine or mince your parsley the old-fashioned way with a chef’s knife. But do not skimp on the parsley
Garlic: You need to smell the garlic in the meat! Use fresh garlic use a press, mince, or grate. Do not skip the garlic. You can also add a teaspoon of garlic powder with your fresh garlic.
Onions: Do not skip the onions! They add so much flavor. You can use either Yellow, white or sweet onion. they all add a different note of flavor.
Be sure to rehydrate your breadcrumbs before adding to the meat mixture. Add 1/3 cup of milk to 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Meat: I find that using 85% lean ground beef is the perfect amount of fat. If you do not eat beef, you can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, venison, or veal. You can also add Italian sausage to the mix for a different flavor note.
I’ve seen many recipes for this fruity dessert. I think this one is tastiest. It uses refrigerated sugar cookie dough for the base. Just roll the cookie dough out, bake and add the rest of the ingredients. You can also make individual, miniature fruit pizzas using shortbread cookies. Make them the day before, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator. The next day, the cookies will become soft from the filling and fruit, serve as is, delicious. Consider using all kinds of berries, sliced peaches (fresh or canned), bananas, canned mandarin oranges, strawberries, kiwi, passion fruit. A light ending to your meal.
These smoky treats are really easy to prepare, and you may even have most of the ingredients hanging out in your fridge already:
Smoky Jalapeno & Bacon Poppers
12 fresh jalapeno peppers
12 slices of bacon
24 little smoky links
1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Sweet barbecue rub
1.To start the construction of these treats you’ll first want to wash and trim the jalapeno peppers. I highly recommend wearing plastic food prep gloves during the trimming portion to keep the jalapeno oils from soaking into your skin.
2.Trimming jalapeno peppers is a relatively simple task. Simply chop the stem off and slice the pepper lengthwise to expose the seeds and vein. Using a spoon, scrape out the white vein and rinse under water to wash away the seeds.
4.In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, paprika and cayenne pepper. Fill a pastry bag with mix.
5. Using a pastry bag, fill each jalapeno half with a generous portion of the cream cheese mixture.
6.Top each one of the filled peppers with a little smokey sausage link.
7.Wrap each of the smoky links topped jalapenos with a half slice of bacon, making sure that the seam is directly on top.
8.Secure the wrap by inserting a toothpick straight down through the overlapping edges of the bacon. Stop just short of going through the pepper, this will ensure the cream cheese will not melt through the hole.
9.Mix ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper. Season the treats with the sugar-based rub.
10.Bake at 325 degrees for an hour or until bacon is crisp. Do not overcook – the peppers will become too soft and the cream cheese will melt all over your oven.
11.Remove from oven, spread with a raspberry chipotle sauce, or brush on a sweet jam while hot. Let cool for about 10 minutes to set.
My mom used to make a variation of this cucumber salad when I lived at home. Made with a vinegar/sugar combination, its finish is fresh, sweet, light, and full of flavor. This is perfect at a barbecue with hamburgers and hot dogs, and goes perfect with pork, or chicken. A refreshing summer salad.
INGREDIENTS
2 large cucumbers
2 sliced scallions or thinly sliced sweet onion
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh, minced parsley
Bunch of fresh Basil, chopped fine (Optional)
1 tsp fresh minced dill (Optional)
3 tablespoons of white vinegar and water
2 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Mix the sugar, vinegar and water together and let sit
Peeling your cucumber is optional, I prefer to leave the skin on and wash it to remove any wax. Grate the cucumbers into paper thin slices.
Kick off Wonton Week with our baked version of vegetable dumplings – they’re packed with cabbage and carrots. Your guests will never know they’re light! These make great appetizers!
Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup(s) (finely shredded) green cabbage
1/2 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded
2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
2 medium scallion(s), minced (separate into 2 piles)
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
24 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), half of a 12 oz package
1 tsp sesame oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic and 1 minced scallion: sauté until cabbage wilts, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce.
Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Drop vegetable mixture by teaspoonfuls onto center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over one corner to make a triangle and press sides together to seal.
Transfer filled wrappers to prepared baking sheet and coat surface with cooking spray.
Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
To make Sauce: In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce, remaining minced scallion and sesame oil. Mix well and serve with wontons.
Yields 4 wontons and 1 tablespoon of dipping sauce per serving.
These pierogi-like dumplings are easy to make—don’t let the wonton wrappers scare you. It’s as simple as stuffing, folding and baking.
Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 medium uncooked potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic clove(s)
2 oz low fat cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp sour cream
24 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), round (about 6 oz total)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine potato and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and set pan over high heat. Bring to a boil and boil until potato is fork-tender, about 8 minutes.
Drain and transfer potato and garlic to a large bowl; add cheese and 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Mash mixture together with a fork until lumpy.
Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Drop potato mixture by tablespoonful’s onto center of each wrapper.
Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over one side to make a half circle and press sides together to seal. Transfer filled wrappers to prepared baking sheet and coat surface with cooking spray.
Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Cooking with wonton wrappers, is a new experience for me. I was looking on-line for a low calorie ravioli recipe and discovered won-ton wrappers work great for ravioli. Just use like you would traditional pasta ravioli by placing a teaspoon of filling off center, wet the edges with egg wash and bring the corners together and seal for the perfect ravioli. Gently boil in water for 4 minutes, drain and eat immediately.
There are typically four ways to cook wontons—steaming, boiling, baking and frying.
To bake a wonton wrapper – Spritz both sides of wonton wrappers with refrigerated butter-flavored spray. Press into mini-muffin cups and bake at 350° for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned, then add filling and bake 5 minutes longer.
You can also steam filled wontons, but they won’t have the same crispy texture as the baked ones. Simply steam 3 to 5 minutes in a steamer basket lined with lettuce leaves (to prevent them from sticking).
To boil, simmer stuffed wontons for the same amount of time in a pot of water.
One thing to remember when using wonton wrappers is that they are delicate and dry out quickly. To avoid having them dry out and crack, place a clean damp towel over the opened package of wontons while using them…and an additional damp towel over the finished wontons until serving.
What a tasty dessert. Use good quality dark chocolate chips and enjoy. The time-honored combination of sugar-sweet bananas and creamy chocolate provide the filling for this mouthwatering dessert.
Serves: 6
Chocolate and Banana Wontons
Ingredients
2 spray(s) butter flavor cooking spray
1 large banana(s), diced
6 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
24 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), half of a 12 oz package
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine banana and chocolate chips; mix gently.
Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface.
Drop banana mixture by teaspoonfuls onto center of each wrapper.
Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over one corner to make a triangle and press sides together to seal.
Transfer filled wrappers to prepared baking sheet and coat surface with cooking spray.
Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
I have made this delicious, moist, Bacardi rum cake on many occasions. It makes a dramatic ending to a holiday dinner or any meal. Use dark rum for this cake. After the cake is baked and cooled, spoon about a cup of rum glaze onto the cake. Continue to spoon and spread on cake until absorbed.
After the glaze has had time to soak into the cake, add about a cup of confectioner’s sugar to the remaining glaze to thicken. Drizzle the thickened glaze over the cake for a beautiful presentation. This cake is like eating a big glazed doughnut.
Ingredients • 1 package yellow cake mix (You just use the cake mix as is, do not add other ingredients listed on cake box.) • 1 small package of vanilla instant pudding mix. • 4 large eggs • 1⁄2 cup cold water • 1⁄2 cup cooking oil • 1⁄2 cup dark Bacardi rum
Ingredients for Glaze • 1⁄2 cup butter • 1⁄4 cup water • 1 cup sugar • 1/4 cup to ½ cup of dark Bacardi rum
Directions: 1. Stir together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and rum. 2. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-cup Bundt pan 3. Bake at 325 in oven for 1 hour. 4. Cool 10 minutes in pan. 5. Invert onto serving plate and prick top with a skewer.
Make Glaze 1. Melt butter in saucepan. 2. Stir in water and sugar. 3. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 4. Remove from heat. 5. Stir in rum. 6. Brush glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. 7. Allow cake to absorb glaze.
Icing
1. Add a cup of Confectioners’ sugar to the remaining glaze. 2. Drizzle on top of cake until all the icing glaze is gone. 3 Sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts (optional).
Not sure what to call this dish, so I researched other recipes that claim they are “oven cooked herb chicken” but most of them incorporate flour or breadcrumbs, and a stick of butter and/or olive oil. They didn’t seem all that healthy too me and took too much time in the oven. I decided to stick with my tried and true herb crusted chicken breast, coated with my own fresh herbs that I cut from my garden, from start to finish it took all of 15 minutes to prepare and cook. Yes, my chicken breast is “sautéed” in coconut oil I feel it is so much healthier than the alternative. This recipe is for an individual 7oz chicken breast, if you have two chicken breasts to add to the pan, you should probably increase the cooking time by one minute on each side or until done. My recipe does not use flour, breadcrumbs or an colossal amount of grease, oil or butter to cook with and it only takes 8 minutes to cook, so I consider this “fast food” for dinner.
Kitchen Moxy 