Braised Chicken with Zucchini, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes & Corn....

This is a quick dinner that I just whipped together tonight using all the extra vegetables I had in my fridge: zucchini, cherry tomatoes, carrots. I even through in a bag of frozen corn that I found buried in my freezer. I love cooking chicken on the stove top because it cooks so much faster than it would in the oven and it never dries out. By simmering pieces of chicken, with or without bones, in a sauce over a stove top, you are essentially braising the chicken. This cooking technique is hard to mess up- and it's simple. First, I chop and saute any vegetables that I have on hand. Then, I add the chicken and pour over a simple, fragrant tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer on medium-low for about an hour. The result is always flavor-packed, succulent, and perfectly cooked. This is a great, tried and true recipe. It works with any vegetables and any cuts of chicken.  You can even use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips. The beauty of this recipe is that it actually is beautiful too. A perfect dish to serve at a family-style dinner party. 

Summer Stove Top Chicken with Vegetables

Serves 4-6 

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 zucchinis, diced small

3 carrots, peeled into ribbons (use a peeler to peel ribbons strips of the carrots until you can't peel anymore)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup frozen corn kernels

6 pieces of chicken, cut of your choice, rinsed and patted dry

(I used chicken thighs and kept the skin on)

1 cup simple tomato sauce

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon dried basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saute pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about ten minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and corn, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Grate the garlic clove into the veggies- (grating the garlic directly into the pan releases the most authentic garlic flavors and oils into the dish).  Pour the tomato sauce over, and stir in. Place the chicken in a separate bowl, and sprinkle the paprika, turmeric, and basil over the chicken and use your hands to rub the spices into each piece. Season with some more salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces into the saute pan, and scoop the veggies and sauce over until well coated. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for about an hour. Serve the chicken with the veggies spooned over. Done. Works just as well in the winter with heartier vegetables like : squash, sweet potatoes, fennel...yum.

 Dice the zucchini

 Peel the carrot into ribbons

 Grate the garlic into the pan

 Cut the cherry tomatoes in half

 Bring to a boil before covering with a lid

 The final product

 Serve alongside a bed of rice

Layered Summer Citrus Salad

I apologize for the hiatus! Been busy with family, traveling, eating, and working on my cookbook!

My dinners this summer have been a rotation of simply grilled chicken, fish or steak, and instead of serving them with rice or carbs, I've found that the best way to lighten things up is by serving a large, beautiful salad that's overflowing with color and favor, alongside. This recipe has become one of my favorites. The bright and bold heirloom tomatoes look gorgeous tossed over a mixture of bright greens. I mix together some spizy mizuna lettuce (my favorite!) with torn up basil and mint leaves. The combination is so refreshing. A juicy orange cut into segments and then chopped up into bite sizes creates a sort of dressing on its own. A simple drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil is all it needs. The combination of mizuna, basil and mint leaves really create layers of flavor and dimension- it's not your average salad, though you might want to eat it every day!

Layered Summer Citrus Salad

Serves 4-6

5 cups mizuna

1 cup basil leaves, washed & dried

1/2 cup mint leaves, washed & dried

4 heirloom tomatoes of your choice, cut into wedges

1 orange

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil- please use a good one

2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss together the mizuna, basil and mint. Place into a large bowl, and add the tomatoes over. Cut the ends off a seedless orange just far enough to expose the flesh. Place orange cut end down and cut away the peel. Cut away as little of the peel as possible by following the orange's shape. Using a sharp knife cut along the inside of the membranes that separate the orange segments. Slice only down to the center of the orange. Continue around entire orange cutting out each section, leaving the membrane. Cut the orange slices into smaller, bite-sized pieces, and add to the salad. Drizzle the olive oil, and balsamic vinegar over, and season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss it all together. If you love olives, now would be a great time to throw some in.. Beautiful and delicious.

 Fresh basil

Fresh mint

 Juicy orange

 Use a sharp knife to cut away the orange peel

 Slice into segments

 Chop into smaller pieces

Place the tomatoes over the greens

Drizzled with balsamic vinegar...