Coloring The City

This recipe came from my friend, Devon. She made these Pulled Chicken Fajitas for us while we were in LA, and they were amazing. I’ve never used chicken thighs for any recipe before, so I was so totally in awe, asking her questions every step of the way as she cooked. I contributed to the meal mostly by playing with her 5 month old puppy, making dessert and drinking Skinny Girl Margarita…things I don’t have a problem doing.

First thing’s first…Skinny Girl Margs – thank you, Bethenny Frankel for inventing this fabulous drink.

It’s not a fiesta without Guacamole.

Maggie agrees.

Pulled Chicken Fajitas

• 1 lb Chicken Thighs (boneless/skinless)
• 1 package Lawrys Fajita Seasoning
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 to 8 corn or flour tortillas
• salsa
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• shredded romaine lettuce
• guacamole

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a skillet (one with a lid) on medium high. Pat dry chicken thighs then season with salt and pepper
Once pan is hot, add the clove of minced garlic and chicken. Brown for 4-5 minutes on each side
Mix seasoning with1/2 cup water. Once chicken is browned, pour in the seasoning and water mixture
Coat chicken (flip over) and turn heat to low. Cover the pan and let simmer for 25 minutes (the longer, the more tender)
Use a fork to pull chicken apart and let all pieces simmer for 5-10 minutes to absorb sauce

In a separate pan, while the chicken is simmering, Heat the rest of the oil. Slice the peppers and onions. Add to the skillet and cook until onions are clear and peppers can be easily pierced with a fork.

Once the chicken is done, place a generous amount of chicken, peppers and onions on a warm tortilla. Top with as much cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and guacamole as you like! Enjoy!

And for dessert we had strawberry shortcake for which you can find a recipe here. It doesn’t really go with the Mexican theme, but deep fried ice cream, although Paula Dean says it’s a easy, seemed a little too ambitious.

So far, it’s been particularly cold this April in New York, which makes me sad. Luckily, the food that is in season in our area this month is hearty and warm, which cheers me up a little. But only a little. Sunshine and flowers would make me much happier. But let’s move on the vegetable line up: (drum roll pleeeaassee)

Potatoes, Turnips, Carrots, Onions.

So we have A LOT of root veggies going on here. My first thought for our April recipe was a turnip and potato soup…but I’m not going to let Winter win like that. I’m a pretty firm believer in eating and dressing like it’s Spring to make it come faster. Yes, I’ve been freezing since Mid-March.

I finally settled on a sauteed dish – still warm and filling, but I don’t need a spoon to eat it. Take that, Winter. I also managed to use all 4 seasonal ingredients in one dish, for which I’m giving myself a giant pat on the back.

Sauteed Rosemary Turnips and Potatoes

• 2 large turnips
• 3 Russet potatoes
• 3-4 carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 bunch of scallions
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the turnips, potatoes, and carrots, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the turnips, potatoes and carrots to the pan, then pour in the chicken stock. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork, but do not fall apart. While the vegetables are cooking, chop the onions and scallions, then add to the skillet with the rosemary, salt and, pepper, and cook until onions are clear. Remove from heat and serve with wild rice and Panko-rosemary breaded Chicken cutlets.

Rosemary-Panko Breaded Chicken Cutlets

• 6 chicken Tenderloins
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pan. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs. Put the flour in another dish. In a third dish, mix together the rosemary and Panko. Pat dry each chicken tenderloin and coat with flour, then egg and finally coat with Panko mixture. Add all of the chicken to the pan and fry 5-6 minutes on each side.

I hope you get a chance to try this month’s seasonal recipe. I’m really excited for next month when radishes come into season, because I’ve never cooked with them before. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any radish recommendations or even if you have more ways to use April’s vegetables!

If you have been reading my blog lately, you probably think I have got to weigh at least 500 pounds by now with all the cookies and cupcakes I’ve been posting. But in all honestly, I try to eat a very healthy and balanced diet. The unhealthy food just seems to make it on the blog more often for some reason :) I think it’s about time to share another healthy dinner option with you, so we can take a much needed break from the sugary mess that has been Coloring the City for the past week.

This recipe is for Warm Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad that I got from an old, family friend. It checks off all the boxes for meal requirements: healthy, easy to make and delicious. Recipe is as follows:

Warm Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad

(serves 4)

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 pound of whole wheat pasta
• 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus

Balsamic Marinade

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Wash the chicken breast and pat dry with a paper towel, then set aside. In a bowl, mix the all ingredients for the balsamic marinade. Place all the chicken breasts into the bowl and make sure they are completely submerged in the marinade. Pre-heat oven to 425. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides. This should only take about 3 minutes per side. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when you cut into it.

While the chicken is baking, bring water to a boil then cook the pasta. Strain the pasta when it is soft and set aside. Add the chopped pepper, tomatoes and asparagus to the pan that you used for the chicken. You may need to add another tbsp of olive oil. Cook until veggies are soft. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and veggies. Make one more batch of the Balsamic Marinade, and pour over the pasta, and toss to combine. When the chicken is done, cut it into bit-sized chunks and add to the pasta. Serve warm.

This recipe is great because it is very versatile. Don’t like asparagus? Use broccoli or snap peas instead. I like to use less pasta and more veggies than the recipe calls for to get a double dose of green. I’m also 95% sure that you could use the marinade that you made for your chicken on the pasta, but I never take chances with raw chicken, so I made another batch to use as dressing. Please let me know if you try the recipe, and if you tweak it to make it your own! I’m always open for new ways to change recipes.

BONUS RECIPE!!

I was feeling like I needed A LOT of vegetables when I had the balsamic chicken pasta salad the other night, so I also made a side of boiled kale. The picture is not at all appetizing, I know, but I promise that it tastes wonderful. I only add salt and pepper when boiling kale because it has so much spicy flavor of it’s own, it really doesn’t need anything else.

Boiled Kale

• 1 large bunch of kale
• 3 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil. Coarsely chop the kale, removing the bottom, thick part of the stem. Add the kale to the water with the salt and pepper. Let the kale boil in the water until the remaining stems can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, about 15 minutes. Remove from water and serve with a splash of fresh lemon juice squeezed.

If you are not really into eating greens, I would recommend this recipe for preparing kale because it is so delicious, you might forget that kale is a vegetable. However, most of the nutrients boil out of the kale into the water while it cooks. To get the full nutritional value, you might consider saving the water and using it in smoothies or home made juices. It will have a very faint kale taste but it will most likely be overpowered by whatever else you choose to put into your smoothie.  This is a trick I learned from my health coach months ago, and have been doing it ever since. The best way to cook kale, or spinach or even collard greens to retain all the nutrients is by steaming it. If you are looking for a veggie side that is extremely healthy, steaming is by far the way to go.

So there is you go. A good, old-fashioned dose of vegetables to brighten your week!