Greek-Style Chicken Cutlets

Crunchy chicken. Salty feta. Juicy tomatoes. Crisp cucumbers. Fresh herbs. Sweet balsamic reduction. Mouth watering.

This dish is truly a party on a plate. Colorful and fresh, this meal is going to be on rotation again and again this year! It is indulgent enough to get us through the long winter, but cool enough to eat again and again this spring and summer! You're absolutely going to want to give this a try.

My recipe for Greek-Style Chicken Cutlets is a quick but flavorful meal that everyone in your family will love. I start by breading my chicken cutlets with panko breadcrumbs - these Japanese-style breadcrumbs keep the chicken extra crisp with a light and airy crunch after a simple pan-fry in olive oil.

For the topping, a greek salad, sans any lettuce, is essential to keep this dinner fresh and juicy. Diced cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, parsley and a shallot get the party started. Feta can't be forgotten, because - CHEESE. Lastly, all the vegetables get tossed together with a glug of olive oil, a squeeze of lime juice and a spritz of white wine vinegar. Too good!

The icing on the cake, the cherry on top if you will, is the rich, thick drizzle of balsamic reduction. P.S. I used a store-bought reduction this week, but way way back in the early years of GSG, I made a somewhat similar recipe and made my OWN reduction. Instructions here.

My life lately, as told by food

Hey, hi, howdy! Everyone have a good Fourth of July?! I'm still digesting. I should probably be doing some kind of detox or juice cleanse after eating all the burgers/sausages/cookies and drinking all the beers/wines/gin+tonics.

I have recipes that I want to share with you! Really yummy, tasty recipes. There are pictures on my camera and recipes in my brain but it feels like there is no time to bring it all together. It's no excuse! I know that! 

In the meantime I thought I would do a round-up of what my life looks like, in food. It's my way of showing you that yes, I still LOVE food and yes, it is still a big part of my life. So here it is! Everything I've been eating + growing + cooking! With a few cat and dog pictures for good measure :-)

WHAT I'VE MADE

I whipped up this roasted pork tenderloin with a fire-roasted tomato sauce and it. is. everything. This is absolutely a blog-able recipe and I hope to get it up by the end of the week!

These amazingly patriotic cookies are homemade lofthouse-style cookies with a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting. I used Wilton brand food coloring spray and red sand sprinkles to give these cookies a fun face-lift! They were the perfect dessert for those 4th of July cookouts.

These pretty cherry tomatoes came right from my front porch! I bought a single potted plant on a whim at Home Depot a few weeks ago and thought for sure it wouldn't live long enough for me to eat a single one. Boy was I wrong! Cherry tomatoes everywhere!!

WHAT I'VE EATEN

Wedding cake samples!! I, of course, chose the maximum number of samples possible. My favorites were vanilla cake with chocolate pudding and chocolate cake with cherry filling. My mom said I was boring for liking those best, but there is a reason those are classics!

Committee Boston is a new restaurant located in Boston's Seaport that features Mediterranean small plates and fabulous craft cocktails (notice the candied bacon garnish--my mouth is watering just thinking about it). I could not stop eating the dishes here! Everything was incredibly flavorful, fresh, and unique. I strongly recommend the zucchini crisps and the lamb pita pizza. The restaurant itself is spacious with a big bar and just-opened outdoor seating. I couldn't recommend it enough! 

Right near our apartment in Roslindale Village is a great local eatery called Birch Street Bistro. I had the grilled salmon with crispy shrimp. This shrimp was ADDICTING, I could have eaten a whole pound of that alone! Under the salmon was an equally addicting coconut cilantro sauce, which I could have eaten by the spoonful. Another gem in the greater Boston area that I would strongly recommend!

PET PICS FOR GOOD MEASURE

Star was EXHAUSTED after all the Fourth of July excitement! She passed out as soon as we got in the car! Luckily, she didn't react strongly to the noise of the fireworks and was able to stay outside with us while we watched them.

Dot continues to rule as the king of the castle. Here he is giving me his best "Judging You" face. He's the most photogenic creature on the planet (a totally 100% unbiased opinion)!

What are you eating or cooking that has you excited?! Leave a comment below!

Avocado Breakfast Toasts

It seems silly calling this a recipe. Maybe I should call this "a glimpse into my weekend breakfast." No matter what we call it, just know that these cute little toasts are a perfectly simple and wonderfully tasty breakfast.

I totally love avocados--me and guacamole have a special love language. We get each other. Avocados are tasty whether you enjoy them with breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are smooth and creamy and, let's face it, soooo dreamy. Their soft texture make them the perfect replacement for butter, jelly, or whatever condiment you usually put on your morning toast.

This breakfast doesn't feel like "just toast" though. Oh no. We are upping the toast ante. It starts with a toasty piece of whole wheat or multi-grain bread. This is a no-fuss toasting process...I just popped the bread in my toaster. I happened to have a clove of garlic on hand, so I cut it in half and rubbed the warm toast with the garlic. This is something we should do always. Flavor Nation.

On to our garlicky toast goes a ripe and mashed avocado. Avocado begs for flavor, and we will answer these wishes with a bit of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. A little spice in the morning will awaken our taste buds and get our day started on the right foot. I love tomatoes with avocado...must be a guacamole thing...so I place a few slices right on top of our 'cado mash. To finish off the breakfast thing, a sliced hard boiled egg seemed all too appropriate. For step by step instructions for perfect hard-boiled eggs, see this post.

I may be dwelling on this silly easy breakfast treat, but there are so many great things happening here. This breakfast is fulfilling and packed with flavor, and perhaps even better than that it is healthy for you! Forget the pancakes and the waffles and the cheesy omelettes. These Avocado Breakfast Toasts are your new "not-so-guilty" breakfast pleasure.

Red Pepper Tomato Meat Sauce over Zucchini Ribbons (Paleo Friendly)

I have this weakness for pasta. It has this hold over me, one may say I'm crazy for it.

I can't say exactly why I have this undying love for pasta. Perhaps it's the way I feel so (un)flatteringly full after a large plate of it. Or maybe because the carbohydrates comfort me like no man could.

Because I put such an emphasis on pasta dishes in my food life, I'm always so impressed by people who are on low- or no-carb diets and aren't in some kind of carbohydrate deprived depression. For example, I know many people who have tried or are still on the Paleo diet--which is a diet high in fats, vegetables, and protein. Read more about it here.

This delicious recipe can easily be catered to my friends and family out there who are on such a diet but need some kind of "pasta" fix--and believe it or not, it doesn't involve cheating on your diet and actually eating pasta!

I prepared a Red Pepper Tomato Meat Sauce and served it over blanched Zucchini Ribbons. A heaping pile of crisp zucchini topped with a sweet and smokey homemade sauce. I packed my sauce with fresh herbs and bright lemon juice for a flavorful, rustic feel. Making a quick homemade sauce can be especially important if you are on a diet because you know exactly what's going into the pot, and therefore you can control the flavor and salt content while eliminating any preservatives.

Disclaimer -- I am not a dietary or nutrition expert. This is most likely not a TRUE Paleo recipe, but I am sure that it can be catered to that diet. And even if your not on a diet but just watching your carb intake, this quick and tasty meal can cut out days worth of calories! This meal was the perfect weeknight dish that really got me over the mid-week hump.

To make the zucchini ribbons, use a traditional vegetable peeler to "peel" the zucchini down to the seeds. I did not use the core of the zucchinis as they carry a lot more moisture. Place in a colander in the sink to drain slightly.

Meanwhile, gather up your sauce ingredients.

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, lean ground turkey is browned and crumbled then removed from the pan using a slotted spoon. Next, a vidalia onion is sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil. Garlic joins this party soon after.

A can of crushed tomatoes, a jar of roasted sweet red peppers, and a small can of tomato paste become quick friends in this sauce. Use a little bit of chicken broth to thin out the mixture. I flavored my sauce with chopped fresh thyme and parsley, along with some dried oregano.

Next, grab your handy dandy immersion blender and pulse the sauce until the tomatoes, peppers, and onions become smooth and combined. Very few lumps should remain.

Add the juice of one lemon, a few teaspoons of sugar (or other natural sweetener for Paleo), salt and plenty of cracked black pepper. Boil the sauce. Reduce to simmer. Stir in the turkey and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Take in how good it smells.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the zucchini ribbons and remove after 1 minute with a slotted spoon. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and keep the zucchini crispy. The crispiness of the zucchini is what makes you forget about that whole pasta thing.

Plate the zucchini and top with a GENEROUS helping of the sauce. And, I still couldn't resist freshly grated Romano cheese on top. It's totally optional.

Quick tip -- if you are cooking for someone who is not on any sort of dietary restrictions, you can use the water that you blanched the zucchini in to cook them up a box of pasta. Top the pasta with a few zucchinis and your red pepper sauce. After all, this sauce is delicious on top of anything!

Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup

Boston is cold.

If I haven't lost your attention with that really riveting opening, I'm glad you have decided to continue on this journey. It's going to be warm, and fuzzy, and totally comforting.

Ok, it won't be fuzzy...that would be weird.

Because I'm talking about soup! If you haven't caught on yet, I'm a total soup junkie. Something about building new, unique flavors and creating an inspired pot of hot goodness gets my kitchen gears going.

This week, in the wee hours of my morning commute, my trusty iPhone weather app told me it was 7 degrees, but it felt like -3 degrees. -3!!!

It was right then and there that I decided my body needed some hot nourishment. It needed some sweet tomatoes, salty parmesan, rich butter, and light basil heated through to perfection.

This Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup is totally elegant and playful. I plated it on a bed of Orzo (rice shaped pasta) and sprinkled each dish with fresh parsley and more parm. Duh.

It starts with the basics: carrots, celery, and a small onion. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, pop in a bay leaf and let them do their thing.

I want to be more honest in 2013. So I have a confession to make. I HATE carrots. Raw carrots, cooked carrots, those little carrot shavings in bags of salad. YUCK!! But they are OK if they are SUPER soft, swimming in tasty broths.  So I cooked my veggies for much longer, as I wanted them as soft and negligible as possible.

Also, isn't this new notebook from my friend, Maria, the cutest? It's personalized for my recipe notes. Love it!

Soup. Right.

The liquids go in. 2 cans diced tomatoes with their juices and some chicken broth (would probably also be OK with vegetable broth, but the chicken is so light it is always my first choice). Toss in a leftover parmesan rind to enhance that cheesey flavor (optional, if you have it on hand).

Simmer away, simmer away.

Create a rue. That is, butter and flour whisked vigorously. Add it to the soup--thick and creamy!

Melt in a whole cup of parmesan cheese, along with some warmed skim milk. Add some dried italian herbs. Swoon at the delectible fragrance.

This is a fairly rich soup, although not a total calorie monster. If you're feeling like a naughty boy or girl, cook up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. Dunk away....I won't tell!

Ground Lamb Lettuce Wraps

Happy New Year, blogloves!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I spent an whole week home in NY and it was a ton of fun. If I could place a theme on the 2012 holiday season, it would be generosity. I'm so lucky to have great family and friends!

Yesterday marked my first day back to work in quite a few days (and my first day in 2013!)...and if i may. Someone needs to warn us young professionals just how hard it is to get back in a routine after being away for a week-plus. Alarm clocks. E-mails. Public Transportation?! Yikes!

I hope to get back on a regular blogging schedule too, once my body re-adjusts to the 9 to 5 grind.

For now, I wanted to share this simple and light recipe I made for dinner last night. It is packed full of flavor, with crunchy veggies and tangy feta to bring it all together.

DISCLAIMER: My pictures here are very sporadic. I was experimenting with my new camera (thanks Mom!!!) and, well, just go with it. Now that I have an idea of what setting works the best, I can be more focused on logically photographing the food.

Ok, back to dinner.

Do you like lamb? I thought I hated it, but after trying it out a few times while out to dinner, I realized I was so wrong. It is actually DELICIOUS. I am still a little timid when it comes to big pieces of the meat, but at Whole Foods I was able to find ground lamb. What a perfect transition - not too intimidating, yet very versatile.

Last night, I made Ground Lamb Lettuce Wraps, inspired by a recipe I saw in Cooking Light magazine this past summer. Lamb begs for meditteranean flavors, and I oblidged.

This setting is way too yellow!

Let's start with toppings -- chopped cucumber and tomato are mixed with fresh parsley, mint, and feta cheese. Nothing wrong there.

Next, since every good wrap should have a condiment, I mixed together equal amounts of plain non-fat greek yogurt and hummus. I had a spinach and artichoke hummus, and boy was it good.

Now all we have to do is cook the meat and build our own wraps. Super simple, but the whole dish feels very sophisticated.

1 medium onion, diced and sauteed with a little bit of EVOO, salt, and brown sugar. We want to get a slight caramelization on these bad boys.

Toss in the lamb, break it up, and cook until browned.

Wilt in 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach. Then the kicker -- 2 whole tablespoons of ground cinnamon mixed in.

For lettuce wraps, I highly recommend a head of boston lettuce. These leafs have a great bowl shape and have a nice, fresh flavor. (P.S. for the carb lovers in your life, like my boyfriend, you can get pita bread, warm it up, and serve everything on top of that). To make your wraps, start by spreading the yogurt hummus on the lettuce. Top with a generous amount of the ground lamb. Sprinkle the tomato cucumber salad on top of that!

Oh, and how could I forget...the crunchy element. Toasted pine nuts! Totally!

This is a great low-carb meal and is actually super fun if you are entertaining. I made a similar dish for some friends a few months ago, and it's totally worth it to let everyone get involved and make their own meal the way they like.

Meghan, Ryan, and Cory enjoying lettuce wraps and grilled vegetables