Chicken Paillard with Arugula, Tomatoes and Parmesan Dressing

I love me some chicken paillard. It is an absolute favorite! If you have never made or tried a paillard, I definitely encourage you to pound up some chicken and get your frying pan hot! This recipe involves panko bread crumbs, which are another favorite in the Cunningham household. Please, please buy some panko and slap it on some chicken or add it to your pasta! You'll love it, I promise!

This recipe inspiration comes (again) from my celebrity chef crush...Tyler Florence. The chicken paillard is an exact recipe of his, while the dressing is my take on his recipe. If you don't feel like making the dressing, feel free to get a good bottled dressing to cut down on time. This is actually a great family meal! If topping the chicken with the greens and dressing freaks you out, then I encourage you to make the salad and serve alongside. I tell you though...nothing beats a good chicken paillard topped with a creamy dressing and greens.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded flat

1 cup flour

4 eggs beaten with a bit of milk

2 cups panko bread crumbs

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

4 big handfuls arugula or spinach

24 cherry tomatoes, halved

lemon wedges

Dressing:

1 cup mayo

juice from 2 lemons

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup arugula

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Splash of olive oil

Splash of Frank's Hot Sauce

Begin by making the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and thick. If you'd like to thin the dressing down, add a bit of water until it is the consistency of your taste. Refrigerate the dressing for at least 30 minutes before dressing the greens and chicken. The dressing will save for up to 3 days.

For the chicken, begin by placing each breast in a ziplock bag or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Then, how can I say this, pound the daylight out of the chicken until it is as flat as possible without actually being holey. I like to cut the breasts in half, butterfly style, to make the job fast and uber efficient. Pound the heck out of those and then set up your breading station. On 3 plates, place flour, eggs, and panko. Place the plates in a row and season each station with salt and pepper. Next, coat each breast and lay out on a baking sheet to make the crust really crispy. Let sit for 10 minutes or so.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a frying pan or (as I prefer) a large stock-pot. By using a stock pot you ensure that all the oil popping and mess stays in the pan and not on you or your stove/counters. Good idea, huh?? So... heat the oil one at a time cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side., depending on how thin you pounded the chicken. I usually get mine super thin and cook each breast about 1 minute per side, give or take a few seconds. (Super fast, I tell ya'!!) As each piece finishes lay out on baking sheet and keep warm in an oven set at 200 degrees.

To serve place greens and tomatoes directly on top of the chicken. Drizzle dressing over the chicken, garnish with lemon wedges and serve with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio.

Have you tried Roasted Kale Chips!?

Photo Courtesy foodnetwork.com

I know what you're probably thinking. Roasted kale?? But, I can attest roasted kale chips is waaay better than you could possibly imagine or predict! These were so good, that now I actually notice kale at the grocery store and I crave these instead of regular chips. This recipe is from Tyler Florence's Family Meal, which I adore. I have heard lots of stories of people who have attempted to make kale chips to no avail, but this recipe is fail-safe. It is Tyler time tested method. Please try them. If you don't like them (but you will) bring them to me!!

Roasted Kale Chips, Tyler Florence

3 bunches of Kale, (or you can buy pre packaged kale that has been cut and separated from stem

EVOO

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you have bunches and not pre packaged cut kale, start by washing and drying the kale. Cut the kale into chip size pieces, cutting away from the stem and tossing out the meaty stems. Lay out kale on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your hands. Sprinkle salt and pepper of kale. Toss again. Bake for about 35 minutes.

Crazy Good Chicken Tacos

So, I don't really love Martha Stewart for plenty of reasons but I do have to hand it to her for all her domestic goddess-ness. Somehow, I started receiving Martha Stewart Living when we moved to Denver and I have found that although Martha is neither personable, relatable or endearing...Girl can cook!! She has a great feature in the magazine where four recipes are printed on card stock and tear-outable! I am always tearing pages out of magazines an stuffing them into my recipe baggy. Yes, I keep prized recipes for inspiration in a ziplock baggy.

Anyway, a while back I used a recipe of hers for inspiration for a new and different kind of taco. We all know how easy it is to throw ground beef or turkey into a skillet with a little taco seasoning...I am not talking about these kinds of tacos. Those can be good, but I am talking crazy good chicken tacos!! Her recipe is a bit different as it is a "veggie" taco but the theory is the same: Tacos don't have boring.

Crazy Good Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa (inspired by Ms. Martha May 2011)

For the salsa:

8 tomatillos, rinsed and quartered

3-4 garlic clove, whole and UNpeeled

3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

In a cast iron skillet cook tomatillos and garlic until charred on all sides. After cooking, let cool. Peel the garlic and chop tomatillos and garlic. In a small bowl mix garlic, tomatillos, chipotles, sugar and a dash of salt. YUM!

For the Tacos(8 tacos):

8 tortillas, I use store bought hand-made style La Tortilla Factory Handmade Corn

3 large chicken breasts, roasted and shredded

2 medium yellow onions

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 can navy beans, drained

5 handfuls romaine lettuce

1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Begin by roasted chicken breasts on baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked thru, about 30 minutes When finished, let chicken cool and shred with a fork and knife. While chicken is roasting, heat butter in pan. Caramelize the onions over low heat. After about 10 minutes add a dash of oil and the brown sugar. Continue to caramelize until soft and brown for a total of 30-40 minutes. Remember to caramelize you must cook slow over very low heat. Add garlic and beans after onions are brown, keeping them separate but in the same pan. Cook for a few minutes. Then add lettuce and cook until wilted. Again, keep the onions, the beans, and the greens separate. Season the entire pan with salt and pepper.

Heat tortilla in a non stick skillet for 30 seconds. Spoon on fillings: chicken, beans, greens, onions, queso fresco and tomatilla salsa.

What Happened on Colfax Avenue

Something happened the other day. I cannot get over it.
Colfax Avenue is this giant street that runs from Aurora to Golden.The Safeway I visit is off Colfax. On Tuesday, after stocking up on a few groceries I hopped in my orange car and exited the parking lot with my right blinker clicking away. My light was red and approaching my direction was an old beat up car with it's blinker clicking away. It appeared as though the beat up white car was just about to turn right onto the street where I was coming from. So, I turned right.
BUT, instead of turning right like the blinker on the beat up car suggested, the car blasted through the light just barely missing me, changing lanes in the process. The man started honking his horn as he swerved to avoid me. Mind you, this wasn't a James Bond swerve it was a typical everyday swerve. He sped up to get up next to me just as I was about to make a U-turn. He pulled up closer on my right side. Closer. Closer. The man was inches, if not centimeters from my car.
The driver and his passenger were hanging their whole bodies out the driver's side window. I made eye contact only once. I was trapped. I was afraid if I made the U-turn my car would scrape against the fake-out blinker man's car. He was yelling obscenities at me. Words that start with F and B and C!!! He also referred to me as white(at least he got one thing right), as a whore and other horrible, terrible, terrible things that I cannot repeat. He kept screaming and I kept inching my way forward trying to get out of there. Finally, as I peered to see his status, he lifted his arm and throw a small metal box at my car. It hit the roof of the car(which is all glass) with a giant thud. He continued to yell. I pressed the gas and did a U-turn that Jason Bourne or James Bond or any other bad ass would have been proud of. Then, I started crying. I turned down neighborhood streets, peering out my rear view for a view of the scary man in the crappy car. I lost him, I don't know if he was following me. I was crying as I tried to call Brian. He didn't answer. I finally got a hold of my mom and told her what happened thru my sobs. It wasn't the fact that I almost got into an accident. Because, I didn't. An accident didn't happen and it was pretty far from happening minus the man having to change lanes because he was unaware his blinker was telling other drivers he was turning right when he was not. What I can't get over is the way he spoke to me. No one, ever, has said any of those things to me. At least not to my face. No one has yelled with their fists in the air and their face full of fury that I was a "F*&$# White Bitch" (and that was the nicest thing he said to me.) I have never in my life seen someone full of so much hate and anger over NOTHING. I started to think about all the times I have had to switch lanes or slam on my brakes. I imagined Brian or my Dad or my brothers after such an incident, hanging out of their cars yelling and screaming and harassing a woman.
I was thinking even if I had caused an accident, even if whatever happened was my fault, there was no excuse for the man and his passenger to speak(if you can call it that??) the way they did. Now, I feel sorry for those men. I feel sorry for the way they live their lives, the way they speak to strangers, to women. I feel sorry for all the issues they will face because of their diction and their behavior and their anger. I feel sorry they are absolutely unaware of their freaking blinker clicking away because their car is so junky. I pity them because they probably don't have insurances or licenses and certainly not girlfriends. I pity them because karma, actually, is the one whose the bitch.

Pappa al Pomodoro

Although the name makes it seem fancy, stuffy or difficult Pappa al Pomodoro is basically just bread and tomato soup. It is a rustic Tuscan soup that is hearty and filling and more delish than you could ever guess. It is also one of very few soups that is typically served in Spring and Summer. I made this on a whim, crossing my fingers that Brian and I would actually like it. I think the end product and the recipe I came up is exceptional. So so so good. Another great "Meatless Monday" alternative.( Except it is made with chicken stock) You can eat this as a main dish, side dish with a roasted chicken or grilled Italian sausages, or a hearty appetizer. Whenever you eat it, I assure you it will be better than you imagined. I promise.
Serves 3
Pappa al Pomodoro Ingredients
1 pint organic grape tomatoes
2 cups organic chicken stock, plus more to taste if desired
1 14oz can organic Muir Glen stewed tomatoes, crushed with fork
1 demi-baguette, (no larger than 5-6 inches) cut into cubes and roasted
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Leaves from 4 small oregano sprigs
Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
Thyme
Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 c Romano cheese, shavings or grated
Basil, for service

Start by heating a saute pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Once the pan is hot, add the pint of grape tomatoes. Roll them with a wooden spoon being sure to coat the tomatoes in the olive oil, herbs and spices. Cook over medium heat until the skin on tomatoes start to wrinkle and they are popping to the touch.
Turn on your broiler. Place the cubed baguette on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and thyme. Place under broiler until golden brown on outside and still soft on the inside. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium sized saucepan heat the chicken stock. Add the canned tomotoes and crush them with a fork in the stock. Add the chopped garlic, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp thyme, the oregano leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer about 10 minutes to marry the flavors. After 10 minutes add the cubed bread and stir constantly to break bread down. If the grape tomotoes are wrinkly and have begun popping, add them to the stock as well. Breaking them against the side of the pan with a fork. Scrape the bits from the saute pan into the soup pan. Let the soup simmer over low heat for another 20-25 minutes. Taste test while the soup is simmering, adding extra seasoning if required. Serve in soup bowls with a good sprinkling of Romano and basil.

Shroom Straff

My elliptical is downstairs in our basement. We have a TV down there, but only with a few channels. So I try to only go workout when there is something good on TV or else I will want to quit the elliptical. That usually means I will be elliptical-ing away with Oprah, Nate, Matt Lauer or Rachael Ray. I try to avoid working out to Rachael Rays much as I can, because then the whole time you are sweating you also are hungry. Which is just stupid. I did however, get caught in a Rachael Ray workout session a few weeks ago and I could not resistmaking her Mushroom Stroganoff for dinner that evening. I did change the recipe slightly, but since I did not write it down as I was preparing it...I don't remember what I did differently. This is an easy meal that is great for "Meatless Monday."

Rachael Ray's Mushroom Stroganoff

Meatball Subs

I can't even begin to tell you how crazy busy it has been around here. Sorry I have been a lame(once again) poster!! I have a ton of pics of recipes I have yet to upload. The good news is I just got a call from the Buddhist Monk (seriously) that fixed my Mac and I should have it TODAY!! YAY! Can't wait for my little white laptop to come home and for iphoto and everything else Apple related. I am so thankful for the nice monk who repaired my "Failing" hard drive and recovered all the lost data! Posting should be better and more frequent in the coming weeks! I also apologize for how BORING the blog has been lately. I am going to be adding funny stories from my kitchen and my life and recommended products to the site. :)

On to cooking, if you can call it that. I try to have a few "make ahead" meals in my freezer for quick un-thawing and dinner making when I don't feel like cooking or I am short on time. A while back I froze meatballs and marinara sauce. I didn't feel ike making the usual spaghetti and meatballs so I thawed the meatballs and marinara, cooked 'em up and served it all atop demi-baguettes with melted provolone and fresh basil. Such a quick and filling meal!!

For the Meatballs (turkey)
For the Marinara
Additional Ingredients:
demi-baguettes (1 per person)
provolone cheese(1-2 slices per person)
1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped or left whole

Prepare the meatballs and marinara or use previously frozen meatballs and marinara. If you are in a big time crunch a reputable jarred marinara (Mario Batali's brand is a good one) will do.

Slice 2 demi-baguettes (Smalller single serve baguette) in half. Place 3-4 meatballs on the subs. Spoon marinara over the meatballs on the baguettes. Place 2 slices of provolone on top of sauce and meatballs and place basil on top. Place in broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Note: If you are on a diet I would not suggest making this:)