Recipe of the week: Moroccan Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen, I've been eating there since the late 80's when they first opened in Beverly Hills.  I lived by the one in Marina del Rey when I was first married and it and The Cheesecake Factory were our go to places for dates.  One of my favorite items on their menu is the Moroccan chicken salad, it's full of rich flavors and hearty vegetables and very easy and affordable to make at home.  I used left over chicken tonight but if I were to make some for this I'd grill or bake 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with some Moroccan spices.  Or I'd use a little olive oil, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Just make sure the chicken is cooled off a bit when you add to the salad so it doesn't wilt.  I added the chicken and hard boiled egg after I served a plate to my hubby since he doesn't eat those....this is one of those recipes that's easy enough to modify for a vegetarian or a vegan.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 bag of mixed organic salad greens (most bags are 8oz)
1 large head of romaine, chopped
16 oz or 2 cups butternut squash, diced and roasted
2 -3 large beets, diced and roasted (or 1 can of beets drained and diced)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 to 2 avocados, diced (depending on size)
1 large carrot shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 large dates chopped depending on size
1/3 cup toasted almonds
2 hard boiled eggs diced
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



Toss everything (minus the chicken and egg if you're making it vegan) in a very large bowl.  In a small bowl add the vinegar, mustard, and honey, drizzle in the oil add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the salad is toss you can add the dressing and toss or dress on your individual salads, that's what I usually do in case I have leftovers....I don't want it soggy.

Recipe of the week: Homemade apple chips

Panera Bread has a salad called the fuji apple chicken salad and I love it.  On the top it has fuji apple chips and it makes the salad.  Unfortunately most apple chips have sulfur dioxide, corn syrup, and some kind of oil in them.  Trust me, I've read all the labels.  So after the last time I had this lovely salad and Panera, I came home and tried making apple chips, they came out pretty good (they must have if they were gone in less the 24 hours).  The key to getting them crisp is slicing them really thin.  I have a mandolin slicer and set it to the thinnest setting.  Be careful with these, they are wicked sharp!  You could sprinkle a little sugar or drizzle a little honey on the apples if you like, I didn't and they were plenty sweet for me.  You can use any kind of apple you like, I used a couple of red delicious, granny smith, and fuji.  I sprayed my cookie sheets with coconut oil spray (available at Trader Joe's). Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

4-6 apples of your choice thinly sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)

In a large bowl toss the apples with lemon juice and cinnamon (sugar if you're using it).  Arrange the apple slices on cookie sheets without over lapping.  I used 2 cookie sheets, bake for one hour.  Flip the apples over and switch the cookie sheets so the top one is now on the bottom and the bottom one is on the top.  Bake for another hour.  Turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven, they will crisp up faster that at room temperature.  Take the apple chips off the cookie sheets and store in an airtight container (if they make it that far!)  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Lemonade Cookies

I love all things lemon, especially in the summer, even though lemons are typically ripe in the winter.  I whipped up a batch of these last night and they were definitely a hit.  You could use pink lemonade as well and they would a pretty color.  Let me you think.  A Votre Sante!

Lemonade Cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated or raw sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 and 3/4 cup flour (I used unbleached)

In a large bowl or your electric mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in the baking powder and baking soda.  Beat until well combined.  Add the egg and the lemonade concentrate.  Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition.  If the cookie dough is sticky put it in the frig for about 30 minutes.  Drop the cookies by tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet (12 fit perfectly on mine).  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool before frosting.

Frosting for lemonade cookies

2 Tbsp salted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
4-6 tsp of lemonade concentrate (start with 4 then add more if the frosting is too thin, I used 6)

Beat the butter and powdered sugar together.  Mix in the lemonade concentrate.  If your frosting is too thin add more powdered sugar, too thin more lemonade.  Frost the cookies when they are completely cooled.  This made about 2 dozen, if you use a teaspoon your cookies will be smaller and it will make more.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Homemade pizza

I love homemade pizza, it's so much better than store bought or delivery.  It is time consuming I admit that...one way to cheat is by buying Trader Joe's already made pizza dough, you still have to roll it out but it's still less time than making your own.  When I make my own I use this recipe, I've been making it for years and it comes out every time.   I've made bbq chicken pizza with this crust, caprese pizza, pineapple jalapeno, mushroom olive and onion, the possibilities are endless.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


Tonight I made two pizzas one with just cheese, I used mozzarella and parmesan.  I used jarred pizza sauce from Trader Joes.  The other one I made was a Greek pizza, same sauce, spinach, sliced red onion, artichoke hearts cut into pieces, tomatoes, kalmata olives, mozzarella and feta cheese, baked in deep dish stone pie pans at 450 degrees for 12-17 minutes.  (The Greek pizza took a full 17 minutes).  Enjoy.


Plain cheese.....(I served this with extra marinara sauce and big salad)

Greek....(I served this with tzatziki and hummus)

Recipe of the week: Chicken with artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes.

This past weekend a friend of my dad's sent me home with homemade dehydrated apples and sundried tomatoes.  Heaven!  If you're lucky enough to have some of these tomatoes on hand use them otherwise you'll have to make do with store bought.  I served mine with a salad, you could add rice, pasta or potatoes if you like.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1.5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons juiced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
a dash of basil
a dash of mint
a dash of red pepper

I can of artichoke hearts drained
1/2 cup-1 cup of sundried tomatoes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all of the spices with the lemon juice and olive oil...pour over chicken breasts.  Marinate in a dish or a large plastic zipper bag.  Marinate for at least an hour, the longer the better.  Bake in covered pan at  375 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Add artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes and cook uncovered for another 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Chinese Chicken Salad

I think I've tried every Chinese chicken salad out there and I like my homemade version the best. It's super easy especially if you use bagged salad or coleslaw mix, prepared dressing and left over chicken. If I don't have time to make my own dressing I usually use Newman's Sesame Ginger dressing or Trader Joe's sesame soy ginger dressing. The great thing about this recipe is you can double it or triple it depending on how much you want to make, it's a great recipe for parties or bar-be-ques. I don't usually add wontons or dried Asian noodles, but you can if you want. As always if you try it let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

3 cups of sliced or shredded chicken breast
1 head of romaine lettuce cut or torn into pieces
3 cups of shredded cabbage or a bag of coleslaw mix, no dressing
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
cilantro leaves, to taste I usually use about 6 sprigs
sliced green onions to taste, I use about 3 full onions
Sesame ginger dressing to taste
Dried Asian noodles or wontons if desired

Toss everything into a large bowl and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Cranberry Bread

I love baking for the holidays!  Cranberries are only in season this time of year so I try to buy a few bags and freeze them.  This is one of my favorite recipes and I'd say, hands down it's the one people ask me for the most.  It's great by itself or with cream cheese on it.  I love to put it on holiday goodie platters because it's pretty.  I usually use one cup of unbleached and one cup of whole wheat flour.  Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp orange rind
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix the dry ingredients together into one bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir egg with orange rind and orange juice.  Blend mixture into flour mixture, stir until just moistened.  Fold in cranberries, raisins and nuts.
Spoon into 2 small greased loaf pans or 2 large one.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes.  Sixty  minutes for 2 loaves and 75 for 1...or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for at least 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack.  Store wrapped, wait 12-24 hours before slicing.

Recipe of the week: pizza crust

I figured since I posted pictures of the pizza I made last night, I should share the recipe for the crust.  I've been making this crust for many years.  It always comes out good.  I make all kinds of different pizzas.  Plain cheese, bar-be-que chicken, pesto pizza with vegetables.  We had a pizza night and I doubled the batch and then made small balls of dough so each person could make their own individual pizza and we cooked them on the grill.  As always, I recommend you play with your food and make it fun.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Pizza Crust

2 3/4 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour or a combo of unbleached and whole wheat
1 pk dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tea sea salt
cornmeal (optional)

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cup flour, yeast and salt.  Add warm water and oil.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape constantly.  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, using a spoon stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.  (6-8 minutes)  Divide in half and cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.  Roll into 13" circle.  Transfer to pan.  Top with sauce and toppings.  Bake 15-20 minutes at 425.