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?