Finally an Uninterrupted Sunday Dinner

Happy Sunday! I cannot believe that February is almost over and Spring will be here before we know it. Spring means flowers, melting snow, and fresher fruits and vegetables.

Today we were able to actually have a Sunday Dinner. The last few weeks have been crazy for all of us and we have not been able to coordinate a Sunday Dinner. It felt great getting back into the kitchen a preparing a new dish. I spent the morning scouring my new foodie magazine that included on of my favorite, Cooking Light. In every issue I can find at least 3-4 recipes that I end up using and whipping up for the family. Today was no exception. I share with you an excellent chicken dish that has a plethora of flavor combinations that will wow any hungry crowd. I did modify the recipe a bit as I was making it to suit my taste and ingredient preferences.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop. I used a food processor to help finely chop the tomatoes.

 

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

 

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. (My camera must have been shy for this cooking shot.) A great red sauce simmered out while the chicken was cooking. I added some fresh rosemary and shallots to thicken and add flavor to the sauce.

 

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)
CALORIES 296 (23% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 105mg; CALCIUM 62mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.3g; SODIUM 787mg; PROTEIN 43.8g; FIBER 0.9g
Cooking Light, MARCH 2004

Everyone who attended dinner tonight raved how good this chicken tasted. The sauce had a very unique flavor and I should have made some brown rice to help soak up its loveliness. Us shameless folk just licked the plate clean

It feels great getting back to a routine! This week is looking pretty “normal”. My plan is to get back to the gym and stick to my menu plan.

What are your plans for the week? Do you have any great recipes or workouts planned?

CSN Kitchen Pre-Giveaway Announcement

I love giveaways! Jason from the CSN store contacted me about a unique opportunity for both myself and for all of my loyal Mom on the Run readers. The CSN stores has so many unique items including kids furniture. If you have not visited this site, I recommend you do for the many great deals it offers.

Jason offered to let me review a Proctor-Silex Rice Cooker for the many dishes that I prepare that require rice.

As soon as my new kitchen gadget arrives, I will be sure to review how it works.

Now it would not be fair for Mom on the Run to be the only blogger to benefit from a CSN store giveaway. Stay tuned on Monday for a giveaway announcement that will be opened to both US and my Canadian readers

A Lenten Take Out Fake Out

TGIF!!!

Today was a great day. It started with me feeling 90% better. I figured out that I have been suffering from allergies. I have no idea what has triggered my allergy symptoms, but I am on the right meds now and now feeling human.

We also had a half day of work due to the wacky weather. All I have to say is that this girl has loved working only 2 1/2 days this week, especially when trying to recover from lack of sleep and trying to get back in the flow of my routine. With my extra time today I was able to create a new recipe that is so tasty I could not wait to share it. I was inspired by both Joanne from Eats Well With Others who made a very yummy Southwestern Pizza and Biz from Biggest Diabetic Loser who creates a different pizza every weekend. Thanks for the foodie inspiration ladies

I needed to create a pizza tonight that went beyond the the typical meat-free vegetable pizza. I remember last year my husband had a pizza that had shrimp on it from Pizzeria Uno and I thought how odd that was. That was until I had a bite and I was completely sold. Tonight I decided to re-invent this great pizza creation that was a nice Friday Night Gluten Free Lenten Treat. I will warn you this is not figure friendly

Mom on the Run’s Jambalaya Pizza

Ingredients:

For Spicy Cheese Base:

5 tablespoons of butter (I used Earth Balance)

4 tablespoons of Flour (I used Gluten Free Flour)

2 cups of milk or milk substitute (I used soy)

2 tbsp of Cajun Seasoning

8 oz of Jalapeno Cheese (I used the reduced fat block)

Pizza Crust (I used a pre-made Gluten Free Crust that I found at Whole Foods- Against the Grain)

1 pound of peeled and divined Shrimp

1 tbsp of butter

1 large Red Bell Pepper Chopped into Bite Sized Pieces

1/2 cup of Cheddar Shredded Cheese

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.

Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

 Add the milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.

Add cheese chunks. Whisk until cheese is melted. Season cheese mixture with Cajun seasoning, and set aside until ready to use.

As cheese sauce is cooking, prepare shrimp.

Add 1 tbsp of butter to a skillet on medium heat.

Add garlic and mix consistently so that garlic does not burn.

 
Add shrimp to butter/garlic mixture and cook through until shrimp is pink and opaque about 5-8 minutes. Remove shrimp for heat.

I may or may not have added a little bit of white wine for an extra kick

Time to prepare the Pizza:

Start by spreading cheese sauce on the pizza crust.

 

Place Shrimp on top of cheesy layer.

Top Shrimp with Red Bell Peppers.

Add a layer of cheddar cheese.

Place finished pizza into a hot 400 degree oven. Let pizza cook until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.

Slice pizza and enjoy!

This pizza was so delicious. The cheese sauce bottom layer added flavor to the shrimp and peppers. I will also have to say that the crust was soooo good! Most people probably would not have known it was Gluten-Free.

Time to start my weekend. My plans include laundry, gym, making my weekly menu, and getting through the many magazines that have come to my mailbox this week.

What is your favorite foodie or healthy living magazine?

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