Lemon Pepper Chicken with Lemon Sauce

I am so excited about this recipe I found!! I am always looking for sauces that are gluten free and dairy free, but I really struggle to find any that taste good! I finally found one I was interested in trying and it's really yummy!!

I found it in Cooking Light and they describe it as , "the classic Greek lemon-egg soup, avgolemono." The chef stated that this sauce could be put on everything...chicken, fish, mashed potatoes, vegetables, etc. I paired our chicken meal with mashed new red potatoes and steamed broccoli and it was fabulous!

This dish and the sauce is gluten free (if you use a Gluten Free chicken stock) and dairy free. This was a fairly easy dish to make and I will definitely make it again!

Ingredients for Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Pepper seasoning
• Salt and pepper (for taste)

Ingredients for Lemon Sauce

• 2 cups of unsalted chicken stock
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest
• Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Directions for Chicken and Lemon Sauce

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place your chicken breasts in a 9x13 glass Pyrex dish. 
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken for taste.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Lemon Pepper seasoning evenly across the 4 pieces of chicken.
• Bake Chicken for 40 to 45 minutes until done and no longer pink.
• About 20 minutes into your chicken baking, you are ready to start making the Lemon Sauce.
• Heat the chicken stock over medium-high heat in a heavy medium saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edge. Do Not Boil.
• Combine the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk until the eggs are frothy and lighter in color.
• Ladle about a cup of the hot chicken stock into the egg mixture 1/4 cup at a time, while stirring constantly (but not too vigorously) with a whisk.
• Lower the heat on the remaining chicken stock to as low as possible. Wait for 2 minutes, and then add the egg, lemon and stock mixture back to the pot, stirring to combine.
• Warm the sauce gently until it coats a spoon.
• Whisk in the olive oil to finish.
• When the chicken is done cooking, pour the desired amount of lemon sauce on top of the chicken and serve.
• Store remaining lemon sauce in the refrigerator for future use. Use within 3 days.

Lemon Sauce Servings: 10

Nutritional Information:

Calories 39; Fat 2.8g; Protein 3g; Carbs 1g; Chol 56mg; Sodium 169mg; Calc 10mg

Grilled Green Beans

If you guys have a Facebook account, you have probably seen this recipe floating around out there. Everyone claims this recipe is super simple and tastes great, so of course I just had to try it!

And let me tell you, not only is it simple but it also has a really great taste! This has to be the one of the easiest and most convenient recipes for a side dish that I have posted. It's gluten free and you want to make sure you use fresh green beans! I used fresh lemon juice and Parmesan cheese too. This one is a keeper and a great side dish for summer meals!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz green beans
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (optional)
• pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the ends off your fresh green beans and wash thoroughly.

2. Mix all ingredients except the Parmesan cheese in a large Ziploc bag. Let flavors marinate for 10 minutes or so.

3. Put on a grill over medium heat. Turn green beans frequently until crisp tender (about 10 minutes). (Use one of those special grill skillets or a cast iron skillet if you are worried about losing beans through the cracks. I used a grilling basket).

4. Remove beans from heat, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and you are ready to serve. Easy!

Greek Marinated Chicken

I found a fabulous chicken recipe this past weekend and I just have to share it! This one is a Greek Marinated Chicken made with chicken thighs and legs. This one comes from "Budget Bytes". Their website is: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/greek-marinated-chicken/ and I can appreciate the information they place on the site. They give a lot of information about balancing your budget and still having the ability to eat well. That's right up my alley! Check out their site for some great budget information with your grocery list!

This Greek Marinated Chicken recipe grabbed my attention because they posted a picture with the chicken marinating in a white creamy sauce. When I looked at the ingredients, I saw it was made from plain Greek yogurt! YEAH for a healthy marinade high in protein!

This one is really easy to make. You do need to let your chicken marinate for 30 minutes, but this one is gluten free and can be baked in the oven or grilled. Step by step instructions are listed below. This one has a wonderful garlic and lemon taste and was a huge hit tonight in my house! This will easily become one of your family's favorites!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 medium lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 4lbs chicken pieces (I chose thighs and legs)

Directions:

• To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.

• Use a cheese grater or zester to scrape a thin later of lemon zest from the lemon skin into the bowl.
• Add the the juice from half the lemon. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
• Clean and then chop about 1/4 cup of fresh parsley and add to the bowl and mix well with the marinade.

• Grab a gallon sized zip top bag and add the chicken pieces and marinade to the bag. Move the chicken around to ensure each piece is well coated.

• Refrigerate the bag for about 30 minutes.
• After marinating, you can choose to grill the chicken or bake in the oven. If you bake in the oven, preheat oven to 375 and bake for about 40 to 60 minutes to ensure done.
• I chose to grill the chicken and grilled for a total of 35 minutes.

Ensure your chicken is cooked fully through and it is then ready to serve.

                                  

Pesto Sauce

I've had several requests this week to post my homemade pesto recipe. My pesto recipe is dairy free, but has a really nice taste. Sometimes you get tired of using a jar version of pesto. I like to use this pesto recipe for my pesto chicken thighs. So good!

If you really want to add the Parmesan cheese, you can or you could use a dairy free Parmesan cheese. It tastes fantastic without it though. And yes, it's Gluten free :)

Ingredients

• 3 packages of fresh basil
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1/4 tsp olive oil in a skillet.  Lightly toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Place all ingredients except for the oil in a small food processor or blender.
3. Slowly incorporate the oil while the machine is running, until a smooth paste has formed. Continue blending for 15 seconds to thin the sauce out.  NOTE: I sometimes add more olive oil if needed.

Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread

I have been in the mood to bake since Thursday...and this is weird for me because I typically don't enjoy baking as much as I do cooking.  But I ran into a recipe that I have been dying to try so I made it today.  It taste SO incredibly good that I made 3 loaves.  2 regular loaves and 1 gluten free loaf. It tastes like a big Ole blueberry muffin!!!

I found this recipe from a woman by the name of Jenna Weber.  She is a pastry chef and you can read more about here at this site: EatLiveRun.com.

By far the BEST loaf of bread I have ever made and you CAN make this gluten free!!  For the Gluten Free loaf, I used Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix.  For the regular loaves, I used King Arthur Bread Flour.  

I also have to take a minute and tell everyone about a new product I have fallen in love with. The bread came out as well as it did because of the bread pan I used. It will absolutely make your baking experience better.  The company is called Demarle.  You may have heard of this product because Martha Stewart made the silipat famous, but the cookware is amazing.  It's silicone and glass.  It bends and twists and I promise you will NEVER user another 13X9 Pyrex dish once you try this.

I get so sick of using the silver metal bread pans because they rust very easily.  When I found out about this bread pan, I had to try it.  Since it's silicone and glass, you don't have to use any cooking sprays or oils, butters or Crisco.  That makes me SUPER happy because if you read the ingredients in those products (like PAM)...it's a bunch of added preservatives we just dont need.  For my bread loaf, I poured the batter in and let it cook.  Took it out of the over, let it cool for 10 minutes, turned the bread upside down and it came out PERFECTLY!  No sticking, no crumbs, no breaking...it was perfect (see my 2nd picture below)!  The product is from France and I HIGHLY recommend it.  If you need to order one, message me and I can give you my consultant's number.

Anyway - enjoy the bread and remember that the products you use really do help your cooking/baking experience and the quality of the food!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour (Or use Gluten Free flour if you are going Gluten Free)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups blueberries (12 oz)
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• ½ cup vanilla yogurt, regular or lowfat
• Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder and salt. Add the blueberries and lemon zest and toss to combine.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the yogurt then the dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated and being careful not to crush the blueberries.
4. Scoop batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting gently onto a plate.
5. Yield: makes 1 loaf

Roasted Chicken with Fresh Herbs

How horrible am I!  I have not posted in awhile!  Sorry for the delay but life happens and you get busy...

I have a friend who i used to work with (sweet Rachel!!) who shared this wonderful recipe with me and it is so yummy and good for you!  This is GLUTEN FREE and reminds me of those Sunday afternoons when my mom used to cook all afternoon and the house would smell so good!  But this wont take you all afternoon!

Below is the recipe and I used fresh herbs.  HERBS -  you can use ANY combo.  I used thyme and Rosemary but you can do a combo of fresh herbs and it will be fantastic!
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cut up roaster chicken
2 lemons, thickly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, keep peels on and lightly smash so garlic is somewhat broken
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
Fresh sprigs of herbs (see my comment above)
White wine
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Place chicken pieces in glass roasting dish
Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Place garlic cloves and onions in the pan on top of chicken
arrange lemons on top, cover with herbs (keep on stalks so you can remove after roasting)
Drizzle (lightly) with olive oil.

Roast for about 40 minutes. Pour about a cup of wine over the top and turn temp to 400. Continue roasting until chicken is brown and done. (About half hour more).

Below is a picture of the chicken before I cooked it and of course, after I cooked it :)

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken

I have been in New York all week on business travel.  I had never been to New York before but I can tell you the food was just out of this world!  I ate at a lot of French cafes and had food with a lot of French flare and it was just amazing!! I got home yesterday, so I am just now getting an opportunity to post a new recipe! 

I found this recipe on Big Oven and it's full of flavor.  I had this chicken dish with a side of rice and balsamic Green beans with almonds (that recipes is here on my blog).  It left us full but not feeling heavy.  It is a very light dinner, full of flavor and very healthy! 

I use chicken thighs with this recipe but let me tell you up front - this one takes a little bit of time.  It's simple to make but you need to let the chicken marinate for 20 minutes and then the thighs need to cook for 45 minutes.  But it's well worth the wait.  Definitely serve this one with rice or even a side of mashed potatoes.  It's Gluten free (ensure you use a Gluten Free soy sauce) and dairy free! 

I hope ya'll enjoy!!

Ingredients:

10 to 12 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (Use a Gluten Free for those not eating Gluten)

Directions:

Soak the chicken pieces in salted water for 20 minutes (or just rinse if you're in a hurry), then pat the pieces dry and lay them in a baking dish.  They should be a bit crowded, touching each other.

Mix up the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken, then let stand for 20 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Here in the States, it's Labor Day...so Happy Labor Day everybody!!  And what do I do on holiday when I'm off from work?  Yes, I cook :) 

My little girl brought home a book from her school library about Amelia Bedelia.  As my mom was reading this book out loud to my 2 kiddos, she read about all the things Amelia Bedelia does wrong...but the one thing she does right is make a fabulous lemon meringue pie....and I thought, it's been forever since I made a homemade lemon meringue pie!!

So here it is!  I make mine with a graham cracker crust.  If you are Gluten Free, they sell graham cracker crust mix in a box so you can make a Gluten Free pie shell!  Kinnikinnick makes a great one!

For all you non-gluten free folks, if you want to make your own graham cracker pie crust...I have a good recipe for you below or you can buy a premade graham cracker crust pie shell.

This one takes a little bit of time and is in the medium range of difficulty.  See below for the recipe and I hope you enjoy it!!

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust (This one is not Gluten Free):

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 8 whole crackers)
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooked
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon Filling:

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

Meringue:

• 5 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Place oven rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 F.

For the graham cracker crust:

1. Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and mix well.  Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch metal or ceramic pie plate and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Lemon Filling:

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a medium-size heavy saucepan.  Add water and whisk until blended; use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to make sure mixture is well combined.

2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, add butter and lemon zest and stir vigorously until butter is completely melted and ingredients are thoroughly combined.

3. Pour mixture into graham-cracker crust, cover with a round of waxed paper or parchment paper, and let cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue:

1. Combine egg whites and salt in a large, clean bowl and whip with a hand mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

2.Remove the paper from the pie, and spoon meringue over lemon filling.  Spread meringue with a spatula so that it covers the entire surface of the pie, sealing in the filling.  Be sure meringue meets the crust, otherwise it will shrink inward, exposing filling.

3.  Bake until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature on wire rack, the refrigerate until filling is cold, at least 4 hours.  Slice and serve chilled.  Store in refrigerator.