Chicken with double roasted tomatoes and leeks

I spent the better part of last week eating my way through a refrigerator of leftovers from a dinner party I threw over the weekend.

So this weekend, it was time to try something new to rejuvenate my palate. I walked through the Manhattan Fruit and Vegetable Exchange on Saturday looking for some inspiration.

There were some nice fairly (I stress fairly) inexpensive leeks so I grabbed a bunch and then saw that grape tomatoes were on sale (2 pints for $2.99). The tomatoes looked decent and even though I stay away from them in the "off season" I thought some time in the oven would give them some depth of flavor.

I came home and after washing all the sand off the leeks, sliced them in chunks and filled a cookie sheet with the leeks, the grape tomatoes and some unwrapped cloves of garlic. Some olive oil spray, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme and my work was done. After a good half hour of roasting time the vegetables were tender and my apartment smelled amazing!

The next day, I preheated the oven while preheating my Le Cruset on the stove top. After seasoning some chicken breasts, I placed them in the Le Cruset to sear on both sides.

When that was complete, I added the leeks, tomatoes, garlic, some chicken stock, tomato paste as well as few large capers and olives for good measure. A light mix and it was off to the oven for about twenty minutes.

What came out was juicy chicken in a rich salty sauce. I probably added a bit too much kosher salt but that's nothing a little extra stock won't take care of when I reheat it for lunch this week; making what is going to be a very busy week at the office a little easier to handle.

Real Simple: Mustard Roasted Chicken with Veggies

My November into December eating-and-drinking-with-reckless-abandon has led to my New Year's Resolution to get back on track with meal planning and trying to shake a few pounds.

I loathe that I have the same resolution as basically everyone else on the planet, but honestly, this is my resolution all year, every year. I simply fall off the wagon now and then (most notably around the holidays) again basically like everyone else on the planet.

So while perusing the latest issue of Real Simple, I found an easy low-calorie recipe that I could make and bring as lunch for the week.

I chose the mustard roasted chicken with vegetables recipe featured in the magazine's January issue. It was so easy and many of the ingredients listed are my pantry staples.

I did substitute boneless chicken breasts for the whole chicken to help lighten the caloric load and did not use their "recommended mustard" since any quality mustard would work just fine. I also decided to kick it "old school" and bust out Mom's CorningWare but I think next go-around I might see how it comes out in my beloved Le Cruset.

If you are looking for something quick, easy and guilt free take this recipe for a spin!

Golden Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives - It's Real Simple!

I knew that this week was going to be a busy one. That being said, I spent my Sunday preparing some healthy quick meals for the week. For an easy, low-cal meal I decided to try one that recently caught my eye in Real Simple magazine called Golden Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives.

1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thirds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large yellow or other kind of onion, thinly sliced
1 cup large pimiento-stuffed olives, quartered
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

If using, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, 5 minutes. Add the olives, garlic, and tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken to the skillet, add the wine, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Divide the chicken among individual plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve with the rice.
Makes 4 servings.

This "sauce" would also work very well over a firm white fish, shrimp, pasta or even some lean pork. A nice little trick to have these pantry ingredients on hand to liven up what would otherwise be an everyday boring meal.

I substituted olive oil Pam for the oil to shave off a few calories and used a sweeter Italian white that I had on hand versus the suggested Sauvignon Blanc. I was surprised how tasty this dish was and how the salt of the olives was a perfect complement to the sweet of the onions (I used yellow) and tomatoes. I continually seasoned the dish throughout the cooking process as well, which is my usual method but otherwise pretty much stuck to what is written above.

This dish came out so well; that I offered some to Piggytails for lunch. When something is this good; it is hard to keep to yourself!

Don't you wish you sat near me at work?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Apologies for the lack of entries but this week has been filled with mostly uninspired nourishment and more mindless eating than I care to admit. And to add insult to injury I haven't stocked up on my usual staple of fresh fish & produce so this week I have concentrated on eating my way through my fridge and stock pantry items.

Tuesday night's dinner and subsequently Wednesday and Thursday's lunch consisted of the following "not-so-original Foodie original":
Sauteed chicken, white onions, garlic, cured olives and marinara sauce over whole wheat pasta.

All in all, this was a pretty good wholesome dish. I sauteed some white onions with some garlic. When I can get good ones, I prefer white onions over red or yellow for their sweetness. Once the onions began to soften, I added about 4 oz of thinly sliced chicken breast and cooked until no longer pink. At that point, I added pitted cured olives and a can of crushed peeled tomatoes. After seasoning with my usual repertoire of salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and nutmeg; I let the sauce simmer while the pasta cooked.

After a quick drain in the colander, I added the pasta to the sauce and gently mixed. A generous sprinking of grated cheese and voila! Dinner, lunch and lunch...done, done and done.

Having to overcome a bit of caloric guilt for eating such a carb-filled lunch I decided to make what Seinfeld's Elaine would call a "big salad" for dinner. I decided to splurge a bit on a small head of radicchio (7.99/lb at Garden of Eden), baby arugula, cucumber, walnuts, cured olives that I was too lazy to pit (see above pantry cleaning reference), and some lovely chevre goat cheese I picked up on a recent hellacious trip to Trader Joe's. After my salt, pepper and garlic powder trinity I added a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and called it a day.

Yeah, yeah, a real gourmand would make her own vinaigrette but when it comes to dressing a salad I am a bit lazy. Plus, I really think it is tough to go wrong with the classic balsamic/olive oil combo. When you are looking for a quick healthy meal after a long day can you blame a girl for taking a few short cuts?