Coconut Cake with Chocolate Chunks and Coconut Drizzle

Published on by Dawn3 Comments

The other day I was talking to someone about coffee cake – and my daughter asked me, “What makes a cake, a coffee cake?”  I thought about it for a minute, and decided it was all about the crumb topping.  Cakes that have a crumb topping are often called coffee cake – and for some reason that gives you permission to eat it in the morning with a cup of coffee.  I guess the crumb topping is usually in place of a sweet creamy frosting, but I have to say, a lot of coffee cakes have a nice sweet glaze on top that to me is even better than frosting.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I love coconut, so I had to give it a try.  With my newly formed definition of coffee cake, this definitely fits the bill.  This moist cake was absolutely delicious – the coconut flavor paired perfectly with the chocolate chunks – and I have to say that the glaze was so good, I was licking the bowl after I finished drizzling it over the cake.  The only change I made to the recipe was to use unsweetened coconut on top as well as in the batter – sweetened coconut can sometimes be too much, and there was plenty of sweetness with the chocolate and glaze.

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons (packed) finely grated orange peel
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate bars (do not exceed 61% cacao), broken into 1/2-inch irregular pieces, divided
  • 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Coconut Drizzle:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) canned unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; dust pan with flour, shaking out excess. Sift 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, and sea salt into medium bowl. Stir in unsweetened shredded coconut and set aside. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and orange peel in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with coconut milk in 2 additions, beating just until blended after each addition. Fold in half of bittersweet chocolate pieces. Spread batter evenly in prepared cake pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate pieces over batter, then sprinkle with sweetened flaked coconut.

Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, tenting with sheet of foil if coconut atop cake is browning too quickly, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer cake to rack and cool in pan 45 minutes.

Coconut Drizzle
Whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk, and vanilla in small bowl to blend well, adding more coconut milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls until mixture is thin enough to drizzle over cake.

Carefully run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto platter, then carefully invert again onto another platter, coconut side up. Using small spoon, drizzle powdered sugar mixture decoratively over cake. Cool cake completely on platter. DO AHEAD Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover cake and let stand at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Coconut Cake with Chocolate Chunks and Coconut Drizzle

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Radish Toasts

Published on by Dawn3 Comments

I feel like radishes are one of those vegetables that people either love or hate.  I fall into the love category.  My favorite radishes are those that are pickled – what I consider to be the “japanese way.”  Adding vinegar and salt to radishes basically turns them into crunchy matter (in a way like cucumbers) that can take on any flavor.  I recently read Molly Wizenberg’s book,  A Homemade Life and there was a recipe for radishes made the “french way.”  I was very intrigued by this recipe – first of all because you don’t see a lot of recipes with radishes as the main ingredient, but also, because I basically love anything french.  We had some friends coming over for dinner, so I decided to make them as an appetizer – these friends love fresh vegetables, so I was sure they would be a hit.  As it turns out, I was the only one of all of us (8 including kids) that liked radishes – but let me tell you – even my husband that wouldn’t eat one if I paid him, loved this preparation.  The sea salt just melts into the radishes and the butter just gives them an incredible flavor – they were amazing, and we ate them all up.  So – for all of you that are not so keen on radishes, you have not tried them the “french way.”

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of fresh radishes
  • 1 loaf of french bread (baguette)
  • Unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • Fine sea salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the baguette into thin slices – a little less than 1/2″ thick.  Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven until crisp on the outside.  I do this in 3 minute increments to make sure they don’t get too brown – it should take about 10 minutes total depending on your oven.

While the bread is cooling, thinly slice the radishes – almost like a wafer.  Take a piece of bread and spread a thin layer of butter.  Layer some radishes on top in a single layer (overlapping slightly) and sprinkle with some sea salt.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Radish Toasts

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Curry Dip for Vegetables

Published on by Dawn2 Comments

I have two kids – one that likes dip, and one that doesn’t.  The one that likes dip cannot fathom eating vegetables without it.  So, the other day as I was scraping the last of the Ranch Dressing out of the bottle – just to get enough out so she would eat 3 measly carrot sticks, I starting thinking about how I was going to stop the madness.  For her – a carrot stick is just a means to get more dip into her mouth.  I decided that I was going to try and create my own dip for her  – a healthier one, and one that even I would eat.  I searched my cookbooks, and found one that I thought might just do it – and also, if I could start her liking curry flavor, it would open up a whole new taste world.  It was worth a try anyway.  I have been using this cookbook a lot lately, but I have to say, there are a lot of good recipes – I have only had success so far.  I found this in Marayana Volltedt’s cookbook, The Big Book of Potluck – and I gave it a try.  I thought it was delicious – not just for vegetables, but on a turkey burger, or grilled chicken, etc…  My daughter – well, she ate it, but I think she prefers her good old-fashioned Ranch Dressing.  What kid doesn’t?

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 green onion, including some tender green tops, cut up
  • 2 parsley sprigs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

Preparation

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended.  Transfer to a bowl or a decorative dish and refrigerator several hours.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Curry Dip for Vegetables

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Tourtière

Published on by Dawn1 Comment

Meat pies – I love them.  I used to have to save them for a weekend though – the recipes just seemed like there were too many steps for a weeknight dinner.  Then, I found puff pastry sheets.  Now homemade is definitely better – and on a Saturday or Sunday, there is nothing I like more than feeling that homemade crust in my hands – but if you want a meat pie after you have worked all day – and you have two starving children – frozen puff pastry sheets are your best friend.  I came home, took one sheet out of the freezer and set it on the counter. By the time the filling was ready, the pastry had thawed perfectly, and within 5 minutes the pies were in the oven.  I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and it called for refrigerated pie crust – but I couldn’t do that to these pies – they deserved better – so I substituted the puff pastry for the crust.  Homemade crust is one thing, but that refrigerated stuff is no good.  I also didn’t have ground pork in the house, so I used lean ground beef instead.  These were delicious pies – a recipe that I will definitely keep for my weeknight repertoire.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 1  pound extra lean ground beef
  • 1  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
  • 1/8  teaspoon  ground cloves
  • 1  tablespoon  olive oil
  • 1  cup  finely chopped onion
  • 1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot
  • 1/3  cup  finely chopped celery
  • 1  (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 3  garlic cloves, minced
  • 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 3  tablespoons  finely chopped chives
  • 1 sheet frozen puffed pastry, thawed according to package

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add ground beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef from pan. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 1 cup onion, carrot, celery, and potato; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return beef to pan. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in chives.

Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Take puffed pastry and cut 6 (5-inch) dough circles. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut an X in the top of each circle; coat lightly with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Tourtière

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Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake

Published on by Dawn4 Comments

When did salt start becoming something you not only douse your savory food with, but also your sweet?  Now, scientifically speaking, I know that salt does something in the baking process to make sure everything works correctly – but salt sprinkled on top of sweets is something more recent.  I don’t remember when I was little eating salted caramel – or salted chocolate.  I do remember loving chocolate covered pretzels though.  My first taste of chocolate covered pretzels was at a store I worked at in high school.  This store sold a little bit of everything – gifts, cards, jewelry, invitations, stickers, and even sweets.  Every once in a while we couldn’t stand it, and we would break open a package of something delicious – for me it was even more of a treat since I was not allowed sweets at home.  Those chocolate covered pretzels were my favorite – that salt with the sweetness of the chocolate was such an interesting combination.  I make chocolate covered pretzels every year around the holidays (rocky rods), but for some reason when I made this cake, I thought of my first taste of salted chocolate.  This recipe came from Cooking Light, and I followed it exactly.  The cake was so nice and fluffy – and the frosting was perfect – just a thin layer of ganache with the salt on top made you keep coming back for more.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 2  teaspoons  cake flour
  • 5.3  ounces  sifted cake flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
  • 1/2  cup  packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4  cup  butter, softened
  • 1  large egg
  • 3/4  cup  evaporated fat-free milk
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 2  large egg whites
  • 3  tablespoons  dark brown sugar
  • 2 1/2  ounces  dark chocolate, divided
  • 1  tablespoon  butter
  • 1/4  teaspoon  sea salt or fleur de sel

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat 1 (9-inch) round cake pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 teaspoons flour.

Weigh or lightly spoon 5.3 ounces flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg; mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy using clean, dry beaters. Gradually add 3 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold half of egg white mixture into flour mixture; fold in remaining egg white mixture. Grate 1/2 ounce chocolate; fold grated chocolate into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Chop the remaining 2 ounces chocolate. Combine chopped chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring every 15 seconds. Spread chocolate mixture over top of cake; sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Cut into 8 wedges.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake

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Sunchoke and Potato Gratin

Published on by Dawn1 Comment

Sunchokes (otherwise known as Jerusalem Artichokes) are such an interesting vegetable.  I would eat them at restaurants, but it was only within the last year that I starting cooking with them – when one week they showed up in my CSA basket.  I searched the internet for recipes, and I hardly found any.  I could make a sunchoke soup – but I wasn’t interested.  Instead, I decided to make a gratin.  I made one that was just too heavy – so the next time I tried it my own way.  It was delicious – the sunchokes add such a subtle flavor to the dish, but it is perfect with the potatoes.  The best part of this dish though is the shallots on top, along with the fontina cheese.  I have made this dish a few times, and each time I do things just a little differently.  In the recipe below, I use 1% milk – although it is also very good made with chicken broth.  If you happen to see sunchokes in the market, don’t be afraid – try this recipe and you will be a big fan!

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 10 sunchokes (about golf-ball sized), sliced thin
  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
  • 2 shallots, sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup 1% milk
  • 1 cup grated fontina cheese
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9×9 ceramic dish with cooking spray.  Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides onto the dish.  Discard garlic.

Layer the potatoes evenly in the dish covering the entire bottom.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Layer the sunchokes evenly covering the potatoes.  Sprinkle the sliced shallots on top of the sunchokes – and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.  Pour milk all over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with the fontina cheese.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for about 45 minutes.  Take the cover off and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Make sure the sunchokes are soft – if not cook a little longer.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Sunchoke and Potato Gratin

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Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Caramel

Published on by Dawn5 Comments

One of the first “fancy” desserts that I fell in love with was a crème brûlée – that vanilla custard with the burnt sugar on top was music to my mouth.  The custard was so silky smooth, I just wanted to jump right in.  Many years later, I tried my first Panna Cotta.  The texture was very similar to the crème brûlée, but the flavor was completely different.  Instead of being on the sweet side, it was a little more acetic.  In contrast to the crème brûlée, the panna cotta was stark white – it didn’t have that yellow hue that the crème brûlée had because of the egg yolks.  I also starting noticing that whenever panna cotta was on the menu, it was served with a fruit compote – which is not usually my preference.  Nevertheless, from time to time I would order it for dessert, and I was never disappointed – until one time…

We were at an Italian restaurant that was noted for being kid friendly (normally our kids do not accompany us when we go out, but this time they did) – usually when a restaurant is kid friendly, you are not heading into a mecca of fine dining, but still, we try to choose places that are at least decent.  When we got the dessert menu, I saw the Panna Cotta, and I urged my older daughter to get it – I told her she would love it, it was like a cross between yogurt and pudding.  When it arrived at the table, it looked different – almost like jello.  She took a bite, and was not pleased.  I took a bite – and it was jello – white jello.  Whoever made it put in a little too much gelatin.  It was unlike anything I had ever had before – which was a good thing.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I was instantly drawn to it since it had a cinnamon caramel topping.  Also – reading through the recipe, it seemed too simple to be true.  This was my first attempt at Panna Cotta, and will definitely not be my last.  It was incredible – and the caramel sauce, OH MY.  This should be a staple for everyone when you need a quick caramel sauce – it came out perfect.  Print this out, and make it tonight – you will thank me, I promise.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (scant) unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon (generous) ground cinnamon

Preparation

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Combine 3/4 cup cream and 1/3 cup sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool until warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in buttermilk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide among six 1/2-cup ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

Combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cream in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and caramel sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Take the panna cottas out of the refrigerator and run a thin knife around the edge.  Take a plate and put it on top of the panna cotta, then turn it over.  If it does not come out, fill a shallow dish with warm water, and let the panna cotta dish soak in it for a minute.  That should help.

Spoon slightly warm caramel sauce over each panna cotta and serve.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cinnamon

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Greek Chicken and Barley Salad

Published on by Dawn4 Comments

Feta cheese – yum.  It is just one of the many cheeses I always try and keep in the refrigerator.  I love making Greek Salads – but truly, my favorite part is the feta.  When I graduated from college, I went back to Europe to travel for a couple of weeks before I started my job – my time in France my junior year gave me such a bug, that I had to go back to visit a few places I had missed.  One of those places was Amsterdam.  I ended up meeting a friend of mine from High School there, and we went to this Mediterranean café for dinner – I normally try to stick to the specialties of the region, but this place was packed – and the food looked amazing.  I had a greek salad that night that I will never forget.  The feta was so fresh and delicious, I finished off the leftovers on my friend’s plate as well – he was laughing at my determination to not waste a single bite.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light – and it happened to win an award – how could I pass it up?  The barley in the salad make it particularly intriguing to me – that is not a grain I have cooked before, although I do love it.  I thought the nuttiness of the barley would go perfectly with the feta cheese – and I was right.  The best part of all though was the lemon vinaigrette – use it sparingly, but boy what a burst of flavor it brought to the dish.  We had some friends over for dinner that night, and it was a huge hit.  I can see why it won an award.

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 2  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 1  teaspoon  olive oil
  • 4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 1  cup  uncooked pearl barley
  • 2  cups  cubed seeded cucumber
  • 1  cup  grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2  cup  cubed yellow bell pepper
  • 1/3  cup  reduced-fat feta cheese
  • 1/4  cup  chopped pitted kalamata olives

Dressing:

  • 3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
  • 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • 1  tablespoon  minced fresh basil
  • 1  teaspoon  minced fresh thyme
  • 1  teaspoon  red wine vinegar
  • 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 3  garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

To prepare salad, sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Add 1 cup broth; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until done. Cool; shred chicken. Discard broth.

Bring 3 cups broth to a boil in a large saucepan; add barley. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Cool. Combine chicken, barley, cucumber, and next 4 ingredients (through olives) in a large bowl.

To prepare dressing, combine 3 tablespoons oil, rind, and remaining ingredients; stir well. Add to barley mixture; toss well. Cover and chill.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Greek Salad and Barley Salad

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Spicy Cocktail Meatballs

Published on by Dawn1 Comment

I am not sure what it is about this time of year – but find myself making a lot of meatballs.  I keep thinking of things I want to make, and they all have meatballs in them – Italian Wedding Soup, Meatball Sandwiches, cocktail meatballs, etc…  My neighbors decided to have a happy hour, and asked everyone to bring an appetizer – so what did I make?  You got it – meatballs.  I found this recipe in one of Maryana Vollstedt’s cook books called The Big Book of Potluck.  She has a way of making very simple dishes that do not compromise on flavor.  I decided on this one because of the spicy sauce – I thought they would go well with the drinks they were serving.  The best part was I made the meatballs in the morning, put them on a cookie sheet and put plastic wrap on top – then baked them in the oven right before we headed over.  When the meatballs and sauce were ready, I put them into a small crock pot, and as soon as I got to their house – plugged it in.  They stayed wonderfully warm throughout the evening – and when it was time to go – there was only one left, which immediately went right into my mouth.  I think they were a big hit.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 to 2 drops of Tabasco sauce

Meatballs

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  •  1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly group pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
  • 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

To make the sauce:  In a large saucepan over medium high heat combine all ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and continue summering, uncovered, until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.

To make the meatballs:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well, using your hands.  Form into 1/2-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.  Bake until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Add meatballs to sauce and simmer 10 minutes.  Transfer to a chafing dish to serve.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Spicy Cocktail Meatballs

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Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Published on by DawnLeave a comment

Every week in my CSA market basket, I end up getting some type of onion – sweet onions, red onions, green onion, cippolini onions, pearl onions – and my favorite, shallots.  In my opinion, shallots are just so delicate in flavor – they make anything taste better.  As I started writing this, I decided to look up shallots in Wikipedia – and this is what I found: 

The shallot is a relative of the onion, and tastes a bit like an onion, but has a sweeter, milder flavor. Shallots are much favored by chefs because of their firm texture and sweet, aromatic, yet pungent, flavor.

I was happy to see I am in good company – that chefs also favor the shallot.  So this week a shallot showed up, and with the peppers I had in the refrigerator already, my dinner was coming together.  I had already decided to get chicken on the way home to make with the peppers and shallots – when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light  – all the stars were aligning.  I was on the shuttle laughing.  This is a work shuttle, and no one talks – in fact, it is silent the majority of the time – the only sound you can hear is the clickity clack of computer keys. So – here I am laughing about food – and no one even looks up, everyone just keeps typing away.  I guess it was only funny to me anyway.

Ingredients

  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 3/4  teaspoon  fennel seeds, crushed
  • 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
  • 1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder
  • 1/4  teaspoon  dried oregano
  • 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 2  cups  thinly sliced red bell pepper
  • 1  cup  thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2  cup  thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

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