Italian Inspired Farro Salad

Ketchup packets are on my list of the worst things ever. I've never actually made that list, because I feel it would be largely depressing and I find it unnecessary to subject myself to that kind of torture, but if I did ketchup packets would be on there. Right next to computer mouses (mice?) with no scroll-y thing in the center.

Packets deter from maximum ketchup usage. How many packets can a person really open in one sitting without feeling awkward (or getting tired?)? You can't even really use the whole packet because the ketchup won't come out. And forget using them in the car.

But last night, I found the coolest thing to happen to the world since ketchup was invented (which, interestingly enough, was a lot longer ago than one might have thought). The dip and squeeze packet.

And apparently I'm behind the times. These delightful little packets have been around for quite some time now. Dear Heinz, Thank you. I love you.

I just thought I should share. 

Hey! I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's a delicious salad. So make it, maybe? 
(I'm sorry)

If it means anything, this farro salad was devoured by everyone I live with. We all loved it, a lot. It's easy and highlights basic, simple and tasty Italian flavors.So you really should try it. Farro is a little more expensive, but as the heart and soul of this dish, trust me it's worth it.

Note: To dice grape tomatoes, add in small batches to a food processor or chopper and pulse until just diced, but not pureed. Drain liquid before adding to recipe.

Soundtrack: Can you hear me now?

Italian Inspired Farro Salad
Serves 4-5


8 oz farro
1 tbsp EVOO
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 leeks, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3/4-1 lb of hot Italian sausage (or poultry sausage), casing removed (~3 large sausages)
1 1/2 c diced fresh grape tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cannelloni beans, drained
1 small zucchini, julienned (the best way to do this)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 c Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
salt & pepper


Cook farro according to package directions (mine took 35 minutes, so start this first).


In a large pan, heat EVOO over low heat. Add bell pepper, leeks and garlic. Saute over low for 10-15 minutes, or until leeks are softened. Remove to a bowl and set aside.


Wipe pan clean with a wet paper towel (careful!) and warm again over medium-low heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking apart with the side of your utensil and stirring frequently. Remove from heat once meat is thoroughly browned.


Combine in a large bowl the sauteed vegetables, Italian sausage, tomatoes, cannelloni beans, zucchini, parsley, basil and cheese. Toss together until combined. Add farro and season with salt and pepper to taste.


Serve warm.

White Chicken Chili

How ironic that I am posting a white chili the day after watching one of my best-est friends try on wedding dresses...

And being the first to cry (go me!), I have to say, the dress shopping thing was a little overwhelming. Maybe it's because I can't even fathom the fact that this is where we are in life now and I'm just not ready to grow up. Or maybe it's just because my purse was full of mashed pear and I spilled coffee all over myself, but being so close to things so white and delicate and expensive totally freaked me out at first.

So hard to imagine that just a few short years ago we were bowling
in our prom dresses... and now we are shopping for wedding dresses...

(PS Being overwhelmed always reminds me of one particular Hollywood moment from 10 Things I Hate About You. PPS I have no idea what the second part of that youtube vid even is, but it's all I could find..)

But omgosh, watching her face light up when she found the right dress was a moment that I'm really glad I was able to share. And I finally met her fiance (so now that doesn't have to be an awkward pre-wedding moment). And now I'm really excited for her.

Eek!

I also got to see three of my other favorite people in the world this weekend! Two of which told me they've never even read my blog, so I'm definitely crossing them off the list soon. Losers. Jessica on the other hand, I can't wait to walk down the aisle with you, boo.

But yea, totally worth eight hours of driving in two days. Poughkeepsie, I love you. You have my heart forevs.

Our "21st" Birthday

Anyway... chili...

Soundtrack: Some interesting Christmas music that I found.... Carol of the BELLZ, yo.


 

White Chicken Chili

Serves 4-5


1 medium onion, chopped (I like to chop half and leave the other half in bigger pieces, because I like big pieces of onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into strips
2 medium red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
20 oz chicken broth (this is about most of a 32 oz container, you can eye it out if you don't have a scale)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Juice of 1 lime
Muenster cheese, shredded
EVOO, salt & pepper




In a medium stockpot, heat a small drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions just begin to soften; about 3-4 minutes.


Add chicken, red peppers, jalapeno, chili powder, and chipotle to the pot. Saute over medium heat until chicken is cooked through; about 5-10 minutes. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken strips from stock pot to a cutting board. Add broth, kidney beans, chickpeas and corn to the pot. Stir in remaining seasonings (oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, mustard and coriander). Raise the heat to high.


Meanwhile, using two forks, shred the chicken strips to bite-sized pieces. Once shredded, return to stockpot.


Once chili begins to boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot. Allow the chili to simmer at least 20-25 minutes. Can be simmered longer to thicken. Before serving, add lime juice to pot.


Serve hot and garnish with cheese.

See? Some small onions, some large onions.. I have issues

Chickpeas. Love.

Imagine you were a giant, and used a giant spoon?

Bahaha. I took a whole bunch of pics of the chili,
then noticed something a bit off...

Millet Stuffed Red Bell & Poblano Peppers

Millet. Remember that stuff? We tossed it in these breakfast cookies. It added a nice crunch and some healthy stuff... and then we dreamed about all the other quick breads and breads and muffins we could add it to. 

No? That last part was just me? Huh... funny. 

Well, we definitely debated how to pronounce it. Mill-ette or mill-ay... or something else? 

No? Just me again? Huh...

Interesting.

The genius idea to stuff it into peppers came from this recipe, on A Couple Cooks (just an adorable blog that I follow that shares lots of healthy and tasty recipes). It's a fabulous recipe if I do say so myself! Not only delicious, but quick and easy too! I customized according to what I had in my fridge and pantry, and you could do the same.

I actually declared this the most delicious thing I've made in the past couple weeks, if that entices you at all! It should.

Speaking of enticing, roasting peppers in the oven fills the air with such an amazing aroma. By the end of the 30 minutes, I had already been asked twice what the delicious smell was (and I only live with 2 people) and I'm fairly sure we were all drooling in anticipation.

.... No, that definitely wasn't just me.

Soundtrack:


Website Feed by Little Dragon  


Millet Stuffed Red Bell & Poblano Peppers
Inspired by Quick Stuffed Bell Peppers by A Couple Cooks

3 red bell peppers
3 poblano peppers
1 1/2 c millet
3 c water
4-5 green onions
1 jalapeno pepper
1 can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c freshly grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
dash of Chile powder
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt, Pepper, EVOO

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut bell and poblano peppers in half, trim the edges and remove seeds. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay the peppers insides facing up on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes. (This smells amazing, btw.)


Meanwhile, prepare the millet. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast millet for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 1/2 c of warm water, 1/2 tbs EVOO, and about 1/4 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until grain is soft and the water is absorbed.


While millet and peppers are cooking, dice the green onions and jalapeno peppers. Combine in a large bowl the onions, jalapenos, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and cheese.


Once millet is finished cooking, fluff with a large spoon. Add to the bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients and stir until combined and cheese is melted.


Stuff each pepper with a heaping spoonful of filling, squeeze lime juice over stuffed peppers, and serve immediately, while hot.

Halved.

Cleaned.

Stuffed. (Ok, ok, I skipped ahead)

 

Zucchini Ribbon and Black Bean Topped Chicken

I've been in this mood lately where I just don't like to follow directions. I haven't picked up a recipe to make dinner in weeks. It feels good. Liberating, if you will. Not to say I don't browse for inspiration, but my measuring spoons would be rusting if I wasn't trying to record everything for you all. So they thank for for that; rusty spoons are no good (Sorry, that video actually gives me the heebeegeebs, but I had to.) I've felt particularly creative lately, which is nice because I really never thought of myself as a particularly creative person. So, go me! And go everyone reading this too, I love you mans. Group hug/kumbaya. 


Sorry folks, that was as much emotion as I'll ever torture you with (I actually can't promise that though). Let's get back to the real subject at hand here: foods. Mmmm.

Enough already, damn.

So, as you've probably inferred by now, (ooooh foreshadowing) this chicken dish is an on the fly mash-up. It was inspired by some leftover beans (if you're interested in how you too can acquire some leftover beans, please refer to Sunday's breakfast adventure) and an aging squash. I had originally wanted to make a mock pasta dish using the zucchini, but there just wasn't enough (more on that idea at a later date though!). So I ended up just plopping everything on top of the chicken breast and serving with a salad. The result was an appealing balsamic flavored chicken dish, slightly acidic with a tiny bite of heat, yet sweetened by sun-dried tomatoes. It's a quick throw-together and a healthy weeknight meal. 


One note on cooking the chicken: I mock "pan fried" mine in a grill pan in a little-bit-more-than-a-drizzle of olive oil. By cooking it in the grill pan, the chicken won't be fully saturated in oil because of the ridges, but you still get a pan fried chicken taste. I like the crisp flour coating on the chicken and I also tend to find that if I feel like I'm eating something that is bad for me it's more satisfying. So that's the scoop on the chicken preparation. Let's get started shall we?


Soundtrack - Bob Dylan - Modern Times  (Just love his voice... so. so. much)


Zucchini Ribbon and Black Bean Topped Chicken (serves 4)


4 med. chicken breasts, cleaned of fat and pounded (flat breasts, if you will)
1/3 c. whole-wheat flour
2 med. zucchini, cut into thin ribbons (using a vegetable peeler)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 c. chicken stock (or broth if that's what you have on hand)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to your tastes, I used 1/2)
1 tsp oregano
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper
EVOO


In a grill pan, heat a drizzle of evoo over medium heat. In a shallow dish (I use a pie plate for this) combine the ww flour, salt and pepper. Coat chicken breasts in flour and place onto the grill pan. Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.


Meanwhile, heat another drizzle of evoo over medium heat in a saute pan. Once oil is heated, saute the zucchini, garlic and a little salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Add in stock, vinegar, beans, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in SDT's. Plate chicken and serve with zucchini and black bean topper. 

The A Team

Use a vegetable peeler to create ribbons!

Ingredient shot!
PS check out that recipe card I'm writing on to the left (<3 Becca!)

Sauteeing (sp!?) the ribbons!

Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer!