Sweet Love and Ginger

Quick & Easy

3 Amazing Chicken Sandwiches

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Hello Random Late Summer Heat wave!!

I don’t know about you but when I get into my car after work and it tells me that it’s
104 outside you can bet the idea of cooking in my tiny, super hot kitchen is
nowhere near appealing to me at all. This summer I have become a big fan of
sandwiches, burgers and grilled veggies. Anything that means I don’t need to
turn on the stove. I’ve been posting for you some of my favorite burgers from
this summer, here, here, and here. Now here is a couple of my favorite chicken
sandwich recipes.

Caprese Chicken Sandwich

¼ cup balsamic

2 tbsp extravirgin olive oil

1 tsp garlic podwer

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tomato, sliced thin

10-12 large basil leaves

1 tbsp preferred Spread

4 whole wheat rolls, or buns

Combine balsamic, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper in a
shallow pan. Cut chicken in half length wise and place into the pan tossing to
coat. Cover the chicken and allow it to marinade for at least a half hour or
overnight. On a preheated grill cook chicken for 5-6 minutes a side or until
cooked through. 2 or 3 minutes before the chicken has finished top with
shredded cheese and allow it to melt. Place chicken on a toasted bun and top
with tomatoes, basil, and preferred spread.

Personally I really like this sandwich with Lemon Aioli,
but it is also good with pesto, regular mayo, Italian dressing, or you could
even take the left over marinade and reduce it a little on the stove top.

Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Chicken Pannini

2 boneless, skinless chicken Breasts

1 can artichoke hearts, packed in water

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil

1 clove of garlic

Splash of olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts

4 whole wheat, rolls or buns

1 cup of baby spinach

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese


Cut the chicken breasts in half length wise, and season well
with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook for 5 or 6 minutes a
side, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile in a blender combine artichoke hearts,
sundried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and oil, pulsing until well blended, and
maybe a little chunky. Spread roughly a tablespoon on each side of the buns. Place
cooked chicken on one side and top with spinach, and cheddar cheese, and the
top bun. Place the entire sandwich on the grill for 2-3 minutes a side. While
it is cooking take the flat part of the spatula or a oven proof pan and push down
on the sandwich to flatten it some. Or if you are lucky enough just put it on a
Panini press.

 Note: I just use my Foreman grill, it works just fine.

A classic Monte Cristo Sandwich typically uses turkey and is
dipped in an egg wash before it is pan fried, but as I said I was trying to
avoid the stove, and chicken is cheaper, so this is my spin on the Monte
Cristo.

Quick Chicken Monte

2 boneless, skinless chicken Breasts

8 thick slices of bread of choice

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/3 lb thick sliced smoked ham

¼ lb sliced Swiss cheese

¼ cup pure maple syrup

Cut the chicken breasts in half length wise, and season well
with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook for 5 or 6 minutes a
side, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile Spread the mustard on one side of
each slice of bread, then on half of them layer smoked ham, cheese, the fully
cooked chicken and finally another slice of bread. Place the sandwich back on
the grill to toast for a minute or two, and to allow the cheese to melt a
little. Serve warm with a side of maple syrup to dip in.

D4One: Some Days & Single Pan Pasta

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Some days I feel like I just need to cook.

It helps me distress, and let go for a few moments, where
the only thing that matters is throwing my heart into my cooking and putting it
on a plate.

I cook what feels good, what tastes delicious, and it all
comes from my very own finger tips.

Half the time I feel like the only place I know what in the
hell is going on in my life is when I ‘m in the kitchen, because well I know what
I have in my cupboards, and what I can make with them, outside of the kitchen I
have no idea what exactly I have to offer, or what to do with it, or what I want
for that matter.

I always had a plan, I knew where I wanted to be, and I thought
it was all doable, and of course things don’t always turn out the way you plan,
unless of course you are one of THOSE
people. Instead I am in a totally different place, and my goals, well I don’t
know if I have any because I can’t make up my mind, and a solid half of the
things that I think I may want are kind of out of my control, so what in the
hell am I to do?

For now tomatoes, green beans, corn, and about a million
other delicious vegetables are in season so I’m going to continue to cook. That
I can handle.

At least now my garden is going good. After a slow start I seem
to have more green beans and tomatoes than I can eat; it even looks like we
will be getting some kohlrabi soon.

I made this particular recipe on a whim one night last year,
and have repeated it several times since. I have found that it’s always better
with fresh garden tomatoes, as opposed to the mid winter store bought ones.

One Pan Tomato Pasta

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp

1 small onion, chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic (I LOVE GARLIC)

1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1-2 cups fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup of dry white wine

1 cup pasta

1 cup water

Salt & Pepper to paste

Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese for garnish

In a thick bottom pan heat oil, butter, and onion for 2-3
minutes, or until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add garlic, thyme, and
tomatoes, and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The
mixture should begin to become very aromatic. Deglaze with white wine, and
allow it to simmer until it has reduced by half. Stir in pasta so that it is
well coated, and immediately add 1 cup of water. Continue to cook until the
pasta is aldente, and liquid has again reduced, stirring occasionally. You may
also want to use the back of your spoon to crush a few of the tomatoes to
release their juices. Finally add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm,
topped with parmesan cheese.

Dinner 4 One: Linguine with White Clam Sauce

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Some days you just need a little loving.
Or maybe you just need to love yourself.
I firmly believe that good food feeds your heart, mind, and soul.
Last Minute Linguine with White Clam Sauce
I take so many comforts in the food that I make; Chicken and Dumplings when I’m sick, tea, for just about anything, and homemade chicken parmesan or pizza melts my heart every time. Out of the box mac & Cheese is the best thing ever for hangovers, especially when its topped with taco meat, tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese, or chili. Seafood lifts my spirits, and aids with my celebrations.
It’s truly shocking that I have never learned to make  with clam sauce. I mean if you were to ask Chuck what my favorite food was he would probably say that because I order it every single time we go anywhere it is offered.
I don’t know why but in my mind it was far beyond my capabilities, and to be honest to make it good from scratch with whole real clams can be quite a big undertaking, but from a can on the other hand, that’s definitely possible.
 Last Minute Linguine with White Clam Sauce
You probably know cooking anything (aside from beans or tomatoes) out of a can for me is a little unnerving, but I saw a can of clams in clam juice at the store next to the tuna, and I’m pretty sure my heart stopped. They actually can this sh!t!? Hell Yes they do. I brought them home that night and after reading through the classic recipe for Linguine with clam sauce that I had I decided to make a similar version using the canned clams.
After the rough and hectic day that I had this was just what my soul required, and now you will always find a can of clams hanging around the house, for those days when I need a little loving.
Last Minute Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients
  • 1-2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2-3 clovs of garlic, sliced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 can clams, with juice
  • 2 oz linguine, cooked aldente
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
Instructions
  1. Coat the bottom of a skillet with garlic, and sauté the smashed garlic cloves over medium-high heat.
  2. When the garlic becomes golden and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes, remove it from the pan and discard.
  3. Add the sliced garlic, butter, pepper and red pepper flakes to the pan, also add additional oil if necessary. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic just begins to brown.
  4. Stir in the canned clams with juice, and cook for 5-6 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly, and the clams to cook.
  5. Add the cooked pasta and toss, while still over the heat, this will help the sauce adhere to the pasta.
  6. Remove from heat and top with parmesan cheese, oregano and Parsley.
For those of you who may not like the “green things” on top of the dish, in this case I strongly suggest that you give them a shot; mix them in with the cheese and the pasta, they give it another dimension of
flavor. I’m telling you!!

Related Recipes:

Scallop Carbonara

Scallop Carbonara

Tomato Sauce From Scratch

Tomato Sauce From Scratch

Shrimp & Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Shrimp & Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

My Healthy Back Pocket Meal

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

 

Tuesday’s run had an almost overwhelming affect on me. For starters I hadn’t run in almost 6 months, and definitely not since we moved. We live just off a very busy road that I’m not entirely comfortable running down, but on google I found an old snowmobile trail that I could get to a side street on. So I took it, not entirely thinking about how wet and gross it would be, since it had after all rained all day, I was able to keep a good pace through the much and more that destroyed my shiny, still newish running shoes, and was out on the open road.

Then I wanted to DIE. I was coughing, and sneezing, and my nose was dripping like crazy, and of course I didn’t bring tissues. I looked at my phone and realized that I had barely ran a mile. My goal was 2.62 in honor of Boston. And I was going to run it even if it did in fact kill me. So I switched the ipod to some skillet (your welcome) and pushed through it.

I made one stop at my turn around point to get my bearings and figure out how to get home then started off again, this time uphill (that was great). I did have to walk when I came back across the swamp, which I now noticed had a posted sign, whoops! I was mostly afraid for my sprain prone ankles and tired legs, but after getting out I jogged for the last .2 miles home, only of course to realize that I was short by .3 miles so I did a few laps on our little street in front of the house, I bet our neighbors think I’m crazy.

I’m honestly shocked by how well it all went. In the end I was fairly soaked, mud caked, and covered in snot (TMI? Sorry, it’s true my face was leaking like a faucet), but I could finally breath. After 3 days of congestion the run knocked it all out of me (Hell yeah), and this morning I only felt a slight twinge of discomfort going down the stairs, so my legs didnt even mind the shock. I know that a half hour for 2.62 miles is friggin awful, but hell I feel good about it, I actually
feel great about it.

I’m proud of my run, that I pushed myself when I really didn’t want to. I did it for something other than myself, for something bigger than me. For Boston.

Post run I was not in the mood for cooking so I pulled out one my super lazy day, back pocket meals.

Clean Sausage & Bean Stew

This one is one of my favorites because not only is it super quick and easy, but it’s clean and there is always leftovers, because lazy days sometimes last for more than one day. I also really like it because unless there is a vegetarian in the house nearly everyone likes it, so you can’t go wrong. This meal can be made in one pan, it can easily be multiplied for more people, or halved for fewer; and the flavor profile can easily be changed by simply changing the type of sausage. This is why I have voted it one of my favorite back pocket meals.

Tomato, Sausage & Bean Stew
Author: JC
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb precooked chicken sausage, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 ( 15 ounce) cans unsalted cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 8oz can tomato paste
  • 1 large bunch fresh spinach (5-6 oz)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet heat 1 tbs of oil and cook sausages on medium high heat, until they begin to brown, 2- 3 minutes.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
  3. Stir in the beans, tomatoes water and tomato paste until well blended. Cook, stirring occasionally for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
  4. Gently fold in spinach and allow it to wilt.
  5. Adjust seasoning and serve warm.
Note: I have been known to on very lazy days to skip the onion and garlic altogether and just toss in a can of low sodium tomatoes with onion and garlic added already. It really just depends on my mood.

 

For another version of this that’s similarly easy, but with 1 or 2 extra steps to change it up I will skip the beans and put it over pasta, much like this recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.

D4One: Sherry Mushroom Chicken

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I know you have heard me say that I don’t like mushrooms,
but it’s like Momma Chuck says “you have to try something 17 times to know for
sure if you don’t like it”, so I’m still trying them; lately with success.
On our recent trip to NYC for my birthday we went to Butter Restaurant. Inside this
wonderfully chic and intoxicating establishment I ordered homemade ravioli that
came with mushrooms, parsley and pecorino cheese. And let me tell you it was
fabulous! I ate everything on the plate, and like an Italian would I used the
table bread to scoop up the last little bits of goodness. Now I’m on a mission
to try more mushrooms, starting with this recipe.
I was browsing through some chicken and mushroom recipes and
came across this one about a million times, so my guess is that everyone knows
about it, and it’s some sort of classic somewhere, but I had never heard of it,
probably due to my past mushroom aversion. Any-who I decided that since I like Sherry Butter Sauce so much on
its own, that this one was probably a good recipe to start with and surprise,
surprise it was.
Sherry Mushroom
Chicken & Egg Noodles
1 tbs Oil
1 chicken breast, pounded thin
1 tbs organic unsalted butter
1 small shallot, chopped
1 (8 oz) package mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ chicken broth
1-2 cups egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish

In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat, cook add
chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes flipping once, until all sides are golden and
chicken is cooked through. Set aside. In the same pan add shallot butter and
mushrooms. Sauté until the shallot and mushrooms become soft, roughly 2-3
minutes. Deglaze with sherry, and broth and cook until thickened add parsley,
and noodles, tossing to coat. Add chicken to warm and adjust seasoning. Serve.