Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Fried chicken is all the rage. But the New Year is still fresh. My resolve should last at least a few weeks before I need to start frying things.

So today, we're baking our chicken. Low-fat boneless, skinless chicken breasts are healthy, but—let's be honest—they can be a little boring. Not so when you bake them with a crisp crust of pecans and drizzle them with a flavorful honey mustard sauce.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Curried Honey Mustard Sauce
Adapted from Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast
Serves: 4

Pecan-Crusted Chicken:
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts

Curried Honey Mustard Sauce:
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons apricot preserves
1/8 teaspoon curry powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes, just until they are very lightly toasted. Remove pecans from the oven and increase the temperature to 475 degrees. Finely chop pecans.

In a wide, shallow bowl combine chopped pecans and breadcrumbs. Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl. Season pecans and eggs generously with salt and pepper.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Grease foil with a light drizzle of olive oil or a mist of cooking spray.

Dip chicken breast in eggs and allow excess to drip off. Dredge in pecan mixture, pressing to help the pecans adhere. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle chicken with olive oil. (Or if you have one of those handy olive oil misters, you could mist the chicken with oil.) Bake for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken rests, stir together ingredients for Curried Honey Mustard Sauce. Serve chicken with sauce.

Halibut with Tomato, Orange & Olives

My husband has hit on an eating plan (thanks to a story he heard on NPR) that is working wonders for his weight maintenance. The program involves fasting twice a week and eating no more than 500 calories on those days.

With my DH back down to his fighting weight, I do my best to make light dinners that he can eat on his fasting days.

This halibut dish is one of my go-tos. The ingredient list is short, the prep time is quick and it is one of the most flavorful things I know how to make. I usually cook this in summer when tomatoes are plentiful – and available in a variety of colors – and I can grill the halibut outside, but my local market had some especially nice cherry tomatoes this week. And since I wish I were back to my own pre-holiday figure, eating healthfully is top of mind for me, too.

In the past I've used capers in the sauce, but my boys don't like them. This time I tried Kalamata olives. The vinegary zing of the olives added just the right contrast to the sweetness of the tomatoes. And let's be honest – this tomato sauce would be great on pasta (think Angel Hair) too!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Halibut with Tomato, Orange & Olives
(Note: You can easily double the sauce recipe in the same size skillet)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes or 1 12 ounce container of "gourmet medley" tomatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pitted and sliced Kalamata olives
1 or 2 teaspoons brine/vinegar from the Kalamata olive jar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound halibut fillets, skin removed
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian leaf parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they begin to break down. This should take about 20 minutes.

Once most of the tomatoes have burst, add orange juice, olives and olive brine, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until sauce thickens, between 5 and 8 minutes.

As the sauce thickens, heat remaining olive oil in a skillet or grill pan. Season halibut with salt and pepper to taste. Grill halibut filets about 3 or 4 minutes per side. You can also sear the halibut in the grill pan to get those pretty grill marks, and then finish cooking the fish in the oven at 375 degrees, which I sometimes do.

Top halibut with tomato sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Amy's Mom's Egg Strata

Growing up, instead of a traditional Christmas dinner we had a standard breakfast -- my mom's egg strata, which she assembled overnight and put in the oven while we unwrapped our gifts. Now I make strata for my family on Christmas and on other special occasions when we have company.

I tweak my mom's version ever so slightly by cooking the onions with the sausage, because my family doesn't like raw onion and Mom layers uncooked onion into her strata. Also, I think Mom uses butter spread, whereas I use softened butter.

Whether the strata is made by Mom or me, it's a crowd pleaser.

XOXO,
Amy

Amy's  Mom's Egg Strata

1 (16 ounce) tube of breakfast sausage
1 medium onion, diced finely
10-12 slices white bread, lightly buttered on each side
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (or Colby Jack or Mexican blend)
5 eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cups milk

Fry sausage -- with diced onion if you don't want to add in raw onion. Cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain sausage and set aside.

Mix together milk and beaten eggs and set aside.

Make a layer of bread in the bottom of a 9"x 13" baking pan. If your pan is curved, you will likely have to cut the last two slices a bit so they fit in the pan.

Sprinkle sausage, onions and cheese over the bread slices. Top with another layer of bread slices. Pour egg and milk mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, bake the strata uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Place foil on top when the bread starts to get brown.

Serve immediately. Leftovers, should you have any, are tasty, too.

Taco Pie

The husband is the middle child of three boys. Needless to say, my mother-in-law spent a lot of time in the kitchen when they were growing up. (It's no surprise that she's a fantastic cook.) Taco Pie was one of the fast and easy meals she relied on to quell their endless appetites. The boys loved it. No...they love it. Present tense. And so do I.

Whenever the husband has had a particularly rough week, Taco Pie makes its way to the dinner table. If I'm going out of town for a few days, I'll leave a Taco Pie in the fridge for him to heat up. Whenever I need a fast, easy, delicious dinner, it's time for Taco Pie.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Taco Pie

1 tablespoon oil
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/3 cup chopped onion (optional)
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning (or make your own with Andrea's recipe)
1/3 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 can refrigerator biscuits
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Saute beef and onion (if using) until the beef is cooked through. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and olives (if using) and remove from heat.

Press biscuits into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Add taco meat on top of biscuits. Spread sour cream on top of meat and sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips. Bake for 20 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese is melted. Allow taco pie to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Black Bean Tortilla Lasagna

We love lasagna and Latin-inspired food at our house. This Black Bean Tortilla Lasagna is a fun vegetarian take on our usual tacos or Italian fare.

This recipe is a spin-off of the Layered Tortilla Tart from one of my favorite cookbooks, America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. When I went to make the meal, I realized I didn't have several of the ingredients, so I improvised with what I had on hand.

The results were quite yummy. I see lots of versatility in this recipe, such as using pinto beans instead of black beans, or subbing out a can of beans for a can of corn. I hope some of you will experiment and tell us how you finesse this dinner in your own happy kitchens.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Black Bean Tortilla Lasagna

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper (red, green, orange or yellow), chopped
2 15 ounce cans of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (omnivores can sub chicken broth)
4 10-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
3 plum tomatoes, cored, chopped and divided
1 bunch green onions, sliced and divided
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Sliced black olives, guacamole for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until pepper is softened, stirring often. This will take about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add black beans, lime juice, cumin, chili powder and chicken broth to pan. Stir to combine and heat through. As the broth absorbs, mash some of the beans so that they break apart and form a paste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place tortillas in the oven two at a time, directly on a middle rack. Cook just 2 or 3 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp around the edges (The tortillas may puff up. This is OK as they will deflate.) Remove from oven and set aside.

Now you are ready for assembly. Place one tortilla in center of lined cookie sheet. Spread one-third of the bean mixture onto the tortilla. Top with one-fourth of the green onions, tomatoes, cilantro and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

Repeat two more times, ending with the fourth tortilla. Sprinkle remaining tomato, cilantro, green onion and cheese on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and let rest about 5 minutes. Slice and serve garnished with black olives, guacamole and additional cilantro.

Brie Cranberry Pizza

I got this recipe more than 15 years ago from a coworker, Sally, at the Kentucky newspaper where I met my husband. The original recipe calls for canned whole berry cranberry sauce, but in recent years I have instead used my homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce, leftover from Thanksgiving.

Brie Cranberry Pizza is the perfect holiday party or book club gathering nosh -- either as appetizer or dessert. I last made this on New Year's eve as a precursor to our main meal -- a twist on the French classic coq au vin, which you will read all about very soon.

XOXO,
Amy

Brie Cranberry Pizza

8 ounce tube of crescent rolls (I typically used the reduced fat kind.)
8 ounces of brie, rind removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, canned  or Amy's Spiced Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray bottom of 12-inch pizza pan or 9" X 13" glass baking dish. Unroll dough and press into pan or dish by tips. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Spoon cranberry sauce over dough and cheese. Top with pecans. Bake for 6-10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce

First of all, Happy New Year!! I hope 2016 is treating you well so far.

Now that the over-indulgence of the holidays is behind us, I think it's time to start eating a bit more healthfully. By that I mean my pants don't fit. Ugh.

Until I can zipper my skinny jeans again, my weekly menu plan will be featuring lean proteins like boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pork tenderloin. And maybe I'll try to cut back my ice cream intake. Maybe...but no guarantee on that one.

Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce is simple, but it feels special. And the recipe begs for customization depending on what you have on hand. No white wine in your fridge? Use chicken broth. Out of mushrooms? Skip them. Love garlic? Add a chopped clove in with the shallots.

Pop Roasted Green Beans in the oven while the chicken is cooking, and you'll have an easy, healthy meal on the table in no time. Your New Year's resolutions are totally attainable, folks.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce
Serves: 2

2 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 shallot, peeled and chopped fine
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

If chicken is thicker on one end, pound it out so it's an even thickness. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 12-15 minutes (depending on how large your chicken breasts are), flipping halfway through. Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add butter to now-empty skillet. Once it's melted, add mushrooms to skillet and cook until they're beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until mushrooms and onions are tender.

Stir in wine and cook until it begins to reduce, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan so they're incorporated into the sauce. This takes about 2 minutes. Add chicken and any accumulated juices back into the skillet. Turn so that the chicken is coated with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.