Balsamic Chicken Phyllo Rollups and Salad with Balsamic Garlic Dressing

This is one of my favourite recipes! It is not hard to make, and will make you look like a pro! Be sure to bring some patience, phyllo is very thin and can tear easily. A few little tears won't matter as you layer three sheets of phyllo in each roll. The key is lots of butter that you use as "glue" to keep it all together. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, I welcome any comments and suggestions to make it even better! 


Prep Time: 20 mins  
Hands on Cooking: 20 mins
Baking Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 60 mins

Ingredients
Balsamic Chicken Phyllo Rollups
6 sheets of phyllo pastry, thawed in refrigerator for 4 hours
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar plus one splash
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (I used half yellow, 1/2 orange)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 onion, thinly sliced
3 tsp minced garlic (I use jarred)
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried thyme
4 slices bacon, cooked
salt
pepper
balsamic glaze (optional), I use Unico


Salad with Balsamic Garlic Dressing
3 cups spring mix
1 cup arugula
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cucumber, skin removed and sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp bacon bits
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp honey mustard, I use French's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, heat grill (or bbq) to medium heat.
2. Add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, peppers, shallot, onion, thyme, 1 tsp garlic and bacon to fry pan over medium heat.
3. Cook mixture until vegetables are soft. When cooked remove from heat and set aside and add splash of balsamic vinegar. 
4. Put chicken breast inside ziplock bag and pound with a meat pounder until 1/2 inch thick.
5. Remove chicken from bag and put in a large shallow bowl. Add remaining balsamic vinegar (2 tbsp), remaining garlic (2 tsp) and turn to coat.
6. When grill is heated, add chicken and cook until no longer pink. 
7. Remove chicken from grill and cut into thin slices, then cut into smaller sections.
8. Spread out phyllo on work surface (I do it directly on the clean counter)
9. Tear sheets of phyllo in half as you go, and lay one sheet down, brush on butter, add second sheet on top, brush with butter,  add third sheet and brush with butter. Cover remaining phyllo with damp towel to keep from drying out.
10. Starting 1 inch from one of the short edges, add 1/4 each of grated old cheddar, vegetable mix and sliced chicken. 
11. Fold long edges over, then start rolling from edge you added the cheese, vegetables and chicken.
12. Brush on butter to help close the roll, then place edge side down on a backing sheet.
13. Repeat for three more rolls.
14. Pour remaining butter over top of rolls and drizzle balsamic glaze over top (optional).
15. Put in the oven until phyllo is crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes
16. While chicken rolls are cooking, add balsamic, garlic, mustard and lemon juice to salad bowl. Whisk together until mixed.
17. Add remaining salad ingredients to salad bowl and toss with dressing. Serve on plates 
18. When chicken is done, cut on the diagonal and add four halves to plates with salad.
19. Enjoy!

Notes: 

• If you forgot to thaw phyllo don't worry,  you can wrap it in a damp towel and put in microwave in 2 minute intervals until thawed.
• You can make the chicken rolls ahead of time and cover with plastic wrap in the fridge up to 24 hours.

Messy Avocado Feta Chicken Burger Sandwiches with Homemade Oven Fries and Roasted Cheesy Tomatoes

This recipe is inspired by the Cobb salad, then changed dramatically. It includes some of my favourite ingredients like sour cream, green onion, avocado and chicken. It's a bit of a messy one, but so yummy! I hope you enjoy it too!


Prep Time: 20 mins  
Hands on Cooking: 60 mins   


Ingredients
Homemade Oven Fries
3 baking potatoes, cleaned and sliced into thick fries
1/2 tsp chilli powder
dash of cayenne pepper
10 shakes of Frank's Red Hot
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Messy Avocado Feta Chicken Burger Sandwiches
2 hard boiled eggs, crumbled
1 green onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup sour cream
1 package ground chicken
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp chopped sweet onion
1 tsp minced garlic (I use jarred)
1 ripe avocado
2 dashes of Realime
2 dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce
4 Naan breads


Roasted Cheesy Tomatoes
4 tomatoes
12 slices of white cheddar
sprinkle of dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. While it is heating, hard boil the eggs (if not already done), I follow this format
3. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with chilli powder, cayenne, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt to your preference
4. Spray baking sheet with PAM then transfer potatoes to baking sheet and spread in a single layer, sprinkle with more salt (will help them brown)
5. Cook in oven for 50 minutes, turning when the timer reads 35 and 15 minutes remaining. Add more salt as necessary (I like salt)
6. While fries are cooking, thinly slice green onion and  mix in a bowl with crumbled feta and sour cream. Set aside
7. Turn on grill press, mine is a Breville, or heat 1 tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium heat (but wait until burgers are closer to being ready to cook
8. In a medium bowl add ground chicken, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt and pepper and mix with hands until combined.
9. Shape into 8 small patties.
10. In a small bowl, mash avocado with lime juice and Frank's Red Hot sauce. Set aside
11. Add patties to grill (or fry pan) and heat until cooked through.
12. While patties are cooking, cut tops off tomatoes and cut X slits in them. Insert cheese and sprinkle extra cheese on top. Sprinkle with dried basil.
13. Add tomatoes to baking sheet with fries for last 10 minutes of cook time. 
14. Spread avocado mixture on one side of naan bread, sprinkle with crumbled hard boiled egg and place two patties on top. Spoon feta mixture on top of burgers and fold in half.
15. Serve with oven fries and roasted cheesy tomatoes.

Caution:

This meal is a three napkin dinner. It is messy, but delicious! To cut down on the mess you could substitute naan bread with English Muffins or small dinner rolls, topping with only one patty. 

Liz's Take on Cora's Fudge

Two posts tonight! I couldn't resist having the full breakfast experience tonight. I LOVE Cora's, and recently got a copy of the recipe for their fudge that you get at the counter near the cash. I made it a little different, and below is the recipe I made for delicious fudge for dessert...and for the Bake Sale tomorrow at the office in support of my fabulous colleagues who are raising money for the Weekend to End Women's Cancer. It is really easy to make, and I hope it sells at the bake sale...if there is any left after dinner :)


Prep Time: 5 mins  
Hands on Cooking: 10 mins    
Refrigerate and set: 20 minutes



Ingredients
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of butter
150 mL 35% cream (whipping cream)
3/4 cup icing sugar, plus some to sprinkle on top






Directions

1. Butter a pan or dish (the smaller the dish, the thicker the fudge)
2. In a saucepan, mix dark brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to boil. 
3. Let the mixture boil for around 3-5 minutes, do not stir.
4. Remove mixture from heat and slowly add icing sugar while whipping with an electric mixer (I used my hand blender with the whisk attachment)
5. Beat until creamy (about  2-3 minutes). Pour into buttered dish and sprinkle with extra icing sugar.
6. Chill in refrigerator until firm (it will start to harden right away, the fridge just helps get them out of sight so you don't eat them all!
7. Let come back to room temperature before cutting otherwise they will crack (again, helps prevent eating them all!)
8. Enjoy!

Dinner Breakfast Style (Great for Brunch too!)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love breakfast...any time of day.  My husband works during the evening a few nights a week, so when I am on my own for dinner I try to experiment, and tonight, I tried something new with my breakfast fav's: potatoes, eggs and bacon. This recipe is for one, but you can multiple it by the number of people you are serving for brunch...or dinner :)


Prep Time: 15 mins  
Hands on Cooking: 25 mins (add a bit more time if you don't have cooked bacon on hand)
Total: 40 mins
Serves 1  (multiply recipe by number of people to serve)

Ingredients
3 strips bacon, cooked
1 potato, but into matchsticks  (or 1/4 cup hashbrown cut potato - I used Reser's Hashbrowns)
1 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/4 yellow pepper
3 slice onion, thin
1 green onion
1/8 cup grated cheddar cheese




Directions

1. Heat a dash of oil in fry pan over medium high and, when hot, add onions and peppers.
2. Cook until softened, then remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add more oil and then potatoes, forming a thin layer in a circle.
4. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip...they will fall apart, but reshape once flipped. 
5. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add grated cheese and keep over heat until cheese melts.
6. Let cook until cheese melts and remove pan from heat to cool slightly, until cheese hardens. DO NOT OVERCOOK, no one likes burnt cheese! 
7. Place the pan back over the heat, and crack two eggs. Muddle them with a spatula and add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Once cooked remove from heat. 
9. On a plate, on top of the potato cheese "pancake" top with 1/2 of cooked onion and pepper mix. Top with 2 slices of bacon, then egg, then rest of onion and pepper mix.
10. Spoon a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle with green onion. 

Serve it up!

Serve with sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Chicken Meatloaf

One of my favourite sites for recipes is Le Petit Pierogi. This recipe is a spinoff of the Healthy Turkey Meatloaf on that site. 


This recipe is so easy, your husband will make it (as mine did while I was off getting my hair cut!). Not only is it easy, but healthy too (well without the excess cheese we added)...and delicious! We try to limit eating red meat to once a week, so this recipe uses ground chicken. You could also use Turkey, but we like to eat more chicken, and save the turkey for roast dinners at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. We serve it up with a hearty salad. 


Thanks for making such a great dinner Mike! 


Prep Time: 10 mins      
Baking Time: 1 hour
Let Sit: 10 minutes  
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients
Meatloaf
1 package ground chicken
1 egg white
handful baby carrots
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/2 onion
1.5 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup marinara sauce (we used Olivieri Marinera)
mozzarella cheese, grated
salt
pepper


Salad
4 cups spring mix
1/2 cup dried cranberries (i.e. Craisins)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tomato, cubed
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1/3 cucumber, sliced
Renee's Spring Herb Italian Vinaigrette dressing




Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan with non stick spray. 
2. Finely chop orange pepper, carrot and onion or use food processor or hand blender with attachment
3. In a bowl, combine chicken, egg white, carrot, peppers, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, italian seasoning and a dash of salt and pepper 
4. Mix with your hands until well combined and transfer to loaf pan, be sure to pack it down
5. Pour marinara sauce over loaf and spread evenly
6. Sprinkle as much mozzarella cheese as you want over the whole loaf
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. 
8. While the loaf is cooking prepare the salad, combining all the vegetables together in a large bowl.
9. After an hour, take out the loaf and let it settle on the counter for 5 minutes, still covered
10. Mix the salad with dressing
11. Slice and serve the loaf and side with salad

Creamy Garam Masala Chicken

Recently I picked up some garam masala for a recipe I found online and I loved it. In my search for recipes that include this delicious indian spice, I came across a recipe on All Recipes and I decided to give it a try, but add my own twist to it! You should be able to find garam masala in the ethnic food or spice aisle of your grocery store. This dish is creamy and not very spicy...delicious! Serve over rice with warm naan bread. 


Prep Time: 10 mins  
Hands on Cooking: 20 mins    
Simmer and Stir: 40 minutes  
Total: 1:10mins

Serves me and my hungry husband :)...or about 3-4 regular sized portions

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

1 orange pepper

6 tomatoes (medium sized)

1 vidalia onion

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder

1.5 tsp chilli powder

1.5 tsp freshly ground sea salt
0.5 tsp pepper

1.5 tsp garlic (I used jarred crushed garlic - not as strong flavoured, it's easy and cooks up really well)

1 tsp oil
1 green onion (garnish)
sour cream
naan bread
rice

Directions:

1. Heat a non-stick pot over medium heat with oil
2. Finely chop onion using a food processor (I just use my hand blender attachment), mix with garlic and heat in pot until softened.
3. While heating, puree pepper and tomatoes using the food processor (or hand blender), strain liquid
4. Once onion is soft, add pepper and tomato puree to the mix
5. Add garam masala, salt, chili powder, curry powder and stir until mixed
6. Once mixture is warm, turn heat down to low and add cream and butter and stir
7. Cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes to allow chicken to cook and the flavours blend, stirring occasionally
8. Add pepper and give it a try...add more salt and pepper to taste
9. Turn the heat up to medium-low, uncover and cook for another 20 minutes to let it reduce

Serve it up!

Serve on brown rice (I am lazy and use minute rice) and a dollop of sour cream on top, sprinkle with green onion. Serve with naan bread (I like to heat it up using my Breville Grill). Enjoy!

Short on Time? Don't have an hour or so to cook? 

• Consider using pre-cooked chicken instead, this can cut the prep time and the cook time, but beware the chicken will not take on the robust flavours of this dish
• Or, follow the recipe, but turn up the heat, cook over medium heat uncovered, but remember to stir frequently

Short on Time total time: 35 mins