Making the Most of Leftovers

So tonight I was cooking just for myself and didn't really feel up to exploring new recipes, so I turned to what was left in the fridge: a frozen chicken breast, some lemon basil ricotta, a fennel bulb, and a tomato. Doesn't sound like much does it?

Or does it?

Looks pretty tasty doesn't it? It was. And it was a Teresa original! Although I took a few notes from the stuffed chicken recipe I did a few weeks ago, the salad is a complete first--and turned out fantastic! I'd make both again.

The Ricotta Stuffing is originally from a Health Magazine. I made it again last week as a quick dinner, but had extra ricotta that worked perfectly as a quick stuffing for chicken as well. Did I mention everything tonight came from leftovers in the fridge?!

Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Ricotta 

• 2 Chicken Breasts, butterflied to create a pocket
• 1/4 c. Chicken Stock

Stuffing

• 1/2 c. Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 t. lemon zest
• 1/2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. Basil leaves, thinly chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the stuffing together, and add a heaping spoonful into the butterflied chicken breasts. Secure with toothpicks.
3. Heat an oven-safe skillet (cast iron if you have it) with a little oil and add the chicken breasts when it's reached a medium-high heat. Brown both sides of the breasts (3-4 minutes), remove from heat, and add chicken stock. Let the steam die down, then cover and place in an oven for 15 minutes.

Fennel Salad with Tomatoes and Parsley
The Salad could have been just a bunch of ingredients thrown together, but I decided to saute the fennel for a few minutes first. Not only did it loosen up some of the stronger liquorice notes, it also helped the fennel grab on to some of the other flavors in the salad.

• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. garbanzo beans, drained and rinse
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 T. Parmesan cheese
• Dash of salt/pepper

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet to medium heat, and add in fennel. Saute for a few minutes until slightly tender. Remove from heat and add in garbanzo beans. Cool to room temperature.
2. Combined remaining ingredients with fennel in a bowl, add a little more lemon juice as needed, and serve!

I Challenge You To Make It Better: Sugar Snap Salad

For last week's dinner, I choose to make this Sugar Snap Salad recipe I found in July's Bon Appetit.  Unfortunately for us, it did not turn out the best. I feel there was too much dressing, and not enough of something. But I'm not one to give up on a recipe that has potential, and I do feel like the following salad could be made great, with a few minor tweaks.

So I'm challenging you, the reader, to make it better and share with the rest of us! Give the following recipe a try this week and share your tweaks in the comment section. Maybe it's need additional ingredients? Maybe a few less? Experiment, and report back:

Snap Pea and Radish Salad in the back

Sugar Snap Salad

• 1.5 lbs Sugar Snap peas, trimmed, stringed, and cut in half on diagonal
• Kosher Salt
• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. white wine vinegar
• 1/2 t. sumac, plus more for garnish
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 4 oz. ricotta salata or feta, crumbled
• black paper
• 2 T. coarsely chopped fresh mint

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water, set aside. Cook peas in a pot of boiling, salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, transfer to bowl with ice water to cool. Drain and transfer to a kitchen towel to dry.
2. Whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and sumac in a small bowl. Toss peas, radishes, and cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing, season with salt/pepper/and more lemon juice. Garnish with mint and sprinkle with sumac.

Healthy Meals by Land and Sea

I added another rule to my diet: One Bad Thing a Day. I really can't go without things like cheese or Dr. Pepper forever—but if I can try to keep it under control. Monday and Tuesday, I had a soda, and today I indulged in pizza (thin crust). So far it's working out pretty well.

I also made these tasty dried tomatoes my sister told me about with some cherry tomatoes I picked up at the farmers market.  They were a great snack, and I used the rest of them in the couscous I served with tonight's chicken.

But on to the recipes--here's a check in with two fantastic dinners I made myself. One fish, one chicken, but both really easy to make and great for someone looking to feed one or two. Both had a side dish too!

Eggplant and Chickpea Salad

Eggplant & Chickpea Salad
Two major changes from the original recipe: I cut the feta cheese to 1/4 cup (that's plenty), and I only cooked the eggplant for 10 minutes, until it was just starting to get tender. This recipe was also even better the next day for lunch, when the flavors had really meld together.

Panko & Mustard Crusted Salmon

Panko & Mustard Crusted Salmon
Took no time at all---the mustard and salmon worked really well together. A .8 pound filet gave me two nice servings, too.

Stuffed Chicken with Couscous

Stuffed Chicken with Feta, Spinach & Pine Nuts
Cooking Light

• 5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; press until barely moist. Wipe pan clean.
3. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, juice, and garlic. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 3 tablespoons filling into each pocket. Seal with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Add broth, and cover pan. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until done