Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Garlic Rice Pilaf

One of my favorite blogs is Annie's Eats.  Her food is delicious and simple, and her photography is beautiful.  Last week I discovered two new recipes on her site and - lo' and behold - a new meal was inducted into the Dinner Hall of Fame.  I made two tiny tweaks to these recipes. Here are my versions with links to the original below the titles.  I served this with Oven Roasted Parmesan Green Beans.  The memory is making me drool.  Please forgive my badly lit photo, and make this soon!

Lemon-Thyme Chicken
from Annie's Eats

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 handful white whole-wheat flour
1½ tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp. butter

Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes per side, and an instant-read thermometer reads 160˚ F in the thickest part of the chicken.  (Keep in mind that pieces of different sizes will finish cooking at different times to avoid overcooking.)  Remove the chicken pieces to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.

Add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan and sauté  just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  (If necessary, add an additional small drizzle of olive oil if most of the oil was absorbed by the chicken.)  Off the heat, add the wine to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.  Return the pan to the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Reduce until the sauce has thickened, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the lemon juice to the pan.  Add in the butter and whisk until completely melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately, spooning the sauce over the chicken.


Garlic Rice Pilaf
from Annie's Eats adapted from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

1 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup brown white rice
2½ cups chicken broth, divided
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice 

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Pour the mixture into a covered casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 1½ cups chicken broth and bake, covered, for another 45 minutes.  About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus (2 P+)

Last night was a milestone.  It was the first time I cooked asparagus.  I'm not sure why it took so long.  I think I was afraid.  But I don't really know what I was afraid of.  This recipe is so simple and elegant.  It was the perfect compliment to the Skillet Rosemary Chicken, and it would be fantastic next to a steak marinated in Savory Garlic Marinade.  Yum!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus spears trimmed

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lemon juiced

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp lemon juice just before serving.

Serves 4.

2 WW Points+ per serving

Slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com

Baked Mushrooms (2 P+)

Sam and I wanted mushrooms tonight.  But we didn't want anything typical.  The mushrooms needed to be flavorful and light, but they also needed to hold up well against a hearty New York strip steak.  And I didn't have a recipe that looked appropriate.  It was a pretty serious situation. 

So I made up this recipe.

Sam liked it.  He kicked me a lot. 

And all was well in the universe.

Ingredients

1 pound mushrooms, quartered

1 cup green onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

2 tablespoons parsley

1/4 cup white wine

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet melt the butter and cook the onions and garlic until fragrant and sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, wine, parsley, and seasonings. Heat until the liquid is bubbling and the mushrooms are well coated, about 3 minutes. Pour into a 1 quart baking dish and cover.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 4
2 WW Points+ per serving

Cilantro-Lime Rice (5 P+)

We've talked before about the situation at my house where a Mexican meal is not complete unless some form of black bean is involved.  There is a similar situation with this recipe.  My hubby requests it over and over again. 

"Will you make that rice tonight?"
        Again?
"Yep, I really like that rice"
        We've had it about 10 times in the last two weeks.
"But I really like that rice."
        You understand that variety is the spice of life, right?
"Blah blah blah.  Make the rice woman!"

And being the meek and gentle spirit that I am, I quietly retire to the kitchen and make the rice.  After bashing him in the head with my stainless steel pot.

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
1 lime, juiced
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Bring the chicken broth and lime juice to a boil in a small pot.  Add the rice, stir, cover, and lower the heat so the broth stays at a simmer.  Cook covered for 15-20 minutes until the moisture is absorbed.  Gently stir in the cilantro and serve.

Bashing your husband in the head with the pot is optional.

Printable Recipe
Makes 4 servings
5 Weight Watchers Points per serving

Zucchini-Mushroom-Tomato Saute (1 P+)

Easy? Yes.

Cheap? Absolutely.

Delicious? You betcha!

Next time you're looking for a fast, flavorful, healthy side dish give this one a try. You won't regret it.

Unless you don't like zucchini, or mushrooms, or tomatoes. If that's the case this post will be of no use to you and you'll want to move on.

Here's what you need:
2 medium zucchini
1/2 pound white mushrooms
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

Here's what you do:
Slice the top and bottom off of the zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; then cut each half in half again. Slice the quarters unto wedges about 1/2 inch thick.

Wash the mushrooms and cut them in half. If you got some really big ones you should probably quarter those. The goal is to have everything cook evenly, so you'll want the mushrooms to be about the same size as the zucchini wedges.

Slice the grape tomatoes in half. They will be smaller than the zucchini and the mushrooms. That's okay. You want them to get a little mushy.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the veggies are as tender as you like.

Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Confession: Sometimes I grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. But only if I'm living dangerously.

The End.

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1 serving = 1/4 the veggies = 1 WW Point
Source:  My own creation

Parmesan Steak Fries (4 P+)

If this recipe doesn't cause you to jump up and down and thank God for Ellie Krieger I don't know what will. I bit into these and I died. Then I came back to life and bit into a few more.

Here's what you need:
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 large russet potatoes, unpeeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Here's what you do:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Lay the potato flat side down and slice into lengthwise again into 4 "wedges". Slice off the rounded edges so each wedge will lay flat on the baking sheet. Toss the wedges with oil, lay them on the sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes pull 'em out, sprinkle them with the Parmesan, and stick 'em back in. Don't turn them. You'll want to turn them. I know I did. But I fought the urge because Ellie said to. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Pull 'em out and add salt to taste. Serve immediately with Steak with Grainy Mustard Sauce. And if you decided to have a salad with blue cheese dressing I would not be in a position to judge.

Enjoy!

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Nutritional Information
1 serving = 4 wedges = 4 WW Points