The busier and busier I've become, the more I seem to have developed this compulsion for organization. After all, I reason, the better organized I am, the better I can function and the more I can accomplish in the same time frame. Right? Right.
Well, technically, I guess that remains to be seen, since I'm still actually in the organization stage, and not yet the accomplish-so-much-within-the-same-parameters phase. Yet, I plod on.
My first step, blog-wise, was to add some pages for functionality. Thus, the See It!, Lose It!, Knit It!, and Cook It! links on my sidebar over there. Hopefully, these will help me stay on top of my weight loss/fitness progress, provide easily found links to my finished knits in Ravelry, organize some of my favorite recipes and shoppings lists, and encourage more photos. Some of it may be overkill and, in time, may need to be pruned or edited, but I'm playing around for now. (Note to readers - it WAS overkill.)
With that introduction, here's the first recipe. The basic recipe is from the Whole Foods Cookbook, but I've modified it somewhat to suit our needs and tastes. I hope you like it as much as I do:
Versatile Chicken Toscana
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup or so of chopped, fresh herbs - I use Italian parsley and basil, typically, but you could substitute oregano, thyme and/or rosemary (reserve a pinch to sprinkle over dish before serving)
5 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced (use more or less to your liking, but I find this amount gives the best flavor)
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil (this will vary depending upon the quantity of cannellini beans used)
juice of 1 lemon
1 sliced red onion
1 to 2 cans cannellini beans (your preference)
Salt, pepper and additional olive oil/lemon juice to taste
Step 1
Dice chicken breasts, add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
Step 2
Peel and press Garlic.
Step 3
Chop herbs.
Step 4
Add herbs and garlic to chicken mixture, salt and pepper, and refrigerate in marinade anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.
Step 5
Remove marinated chicken mixture from refrigerator and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes so that the marinade will drain properly. Meanwhile, preheat large skillet. Depending on the type of skillet used (I use a seasoned cast iron pan) it may be necessary to add a tablespoon of olive to keep the chicken from sticking. Once pan has heated and chicken has reached near room temperature, drain and add chicken mixture to brown. It's best if you let it sear for a couple of minutes before turning.
Step 6
Once chicken has browned, I typically add the cannellini beans and red onion. However, on this particular day, I had my head up my hoo-ha and accidentally picked up garbanzo beans from the grocery store. So I went with it, adding a can of garbanzo beans, red onion and a chopped poblano pepper.
However, to maintain the texture that the cannellini beans bring to the dish, I rinsed and added a can of kidney beans instead the second can of garbanzos that I mistakenly bought.
Step 7
Add salt and pepper to taste, warm the beans and let onions wilt. If you want a bit of a sauce over the mixture, add a little olive oil, fresh lemon juice and pinch of fresh herbs prior to serving. Be careful if you are sensitive to acidity - too much lemon will put you on the wrong side of this dish (and I love me some lemon!). The final mixture can be served over a bed of spinach, piled onto crusty French bread for a tasty sandwich, or even tossed with pasta (although if you pick this option, you may wish to add a little extra olive oil and lemon juice to coat the pasta).
Bonus recipe - Balsamic chicken
Usually, when I make the Chicken Toscana, I buy a four pack of chicken breasts and use the remaining two in the following easy recipe that I make at the same time for dinners throughout the week.
This recipe is so easy, it doesn't really require steps. Just throw two chicken breasts into a tupperware container, add 2/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup olive oil, a handful of whatever chopped herbs you used in the Chicken Toscana recipe, salt and pepper and let marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Then, drain marinade and brown or grill chicken breasts. We usually either slice the chicken and use for chicken wraps with hummus and roasted red pepper or chop up and use in soups or chicken salad. Take your pick!
Edited to add - The chicken may look burnt, but it's really just the balsamic vinegar candying (I'm pretty sure that's not a real word).
