Chicken & Mushroom Pizza With Tomato Confit

Chicken & Mushroom Pizza With Tomato

Ingredients

• 1 large Portobello mushroom whole
• 1/4 tsp grape seed oil
• 1/2 cup mixed bell peppers diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 7 oz ground chicken
• 1/2 cup tomatoes oven roasted
• 1/2 cup tomato coulis
• sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven at 375°F

Place Portobello mushroom on a small baking sheet and place in oven for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a hot non-stick pan with grape seed oil, add peppers and garlic; let cook and set aside. 

Once the peppers have reached room temperature, in a bowl, mix together with ground chicken. 

Now, take the mixture and spread on cooked Portobello mushroom; return mushroom to the oven until chicken is cooked. 

Lastly, place on a plate with the roasted tomatoes and tomato coulis. 

Ready to serve! 

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup boiling water

For the frosting:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¼ cup cocoa
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to combine well.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat butter until fluffy. Carefully add the cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla; beat until no lumps remain. Beat the milk into the frosting.

Parmesan Chicken Alfredo with Peas

Parmesan Chicken Alfredo with Peas

12 ounces thin spaghetti
2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups cream
1 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, add the peas during the last 5 minutes of cooking. While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream and bring to a low simmer. Add 1 cup parmesan cheese and stir until melted into the sauce. Add cooked pasta and peas to the Alfredo sauce and toss until coated.

While pasta and sauce are cooking, whisk the egg in a shallow bowl. Set aside. In a second shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Dip each chicken breast into the egg and then the bread crumb mixture. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Pan-fry chicken until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Slice the chicken and serve overtop of the pasta.

Shrimp Fajita Salad

Shrimp Fajita Salad

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups lettuce, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ red onion, peeled and diced
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced

Whisk together the lime juice, oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in the shrimp and allow to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.

While the shrimp are marinating, prepare the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice, sugar, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the oil in a small stream while whisking constantly.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add the shrimp and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are pink.

Toss the lettuce, corn, bell pepper, onion, avocado and cooked shrimp with the dressing. Divide among four plates and serve

Coq au Riesling

Coq au Riesling

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 chicken pieces on the bone (I used 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)
1 onion, finely chopped
½ pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
¼ pound bacon, cut into lardons
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups Riesling (or dry white wine of your choice)
1 cup cream
salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter and oil together in a large pan over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces all over and remove from the pan. Add the onions, mushrooms and bacon and sauté until the bacon is rendered. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and allow to come up to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Turn down the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Turn up the heat to medium and add the cream, simmer for 10 minutes more.

Salmon Club Sandwiches

Salmon Club Sandwiches

8 slices bacon
½ pound salmon filets
6 slices sandwich bread
½ avocado
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 roma tomato, sliced
½ cup baby spinach

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until cooked through. Remove to a paper towel and drain all but two teaspoons of the bacon grease. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove any skin from the salmon and flake into large chunks.

Toast the sandwich bread.

In a small bowl, mash the avocado with the sour cream, garlic and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon ¼ of the avocado mixture over one slice of toast. Layer ¼ of the flaked salmon over top, then two slices of bacon, then add a couple tomato slices and a layer of spinach leaves. Top with a second slice of toast, spoon ¼ of the avocado mixture, then salmon, bacon, tomato and spinach. Top with a third slice of toast. Secure with two toothpicks and slice in half. Repeat for the second sandwich.

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

Crust:
1 ¼ cups graham-cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
3-8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1-8 ounce container of sour cream, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
6 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
3 eggs, room temperature

Sour Cream Topping:
1-8 ounce container of sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Lemon Glaze Topping:
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon water
1 drop yellow food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham-cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Mix well. Mix in the melted butter until well-moistened. Press mixture into a springform pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on low speed until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl as needed ensure even mixing. Add the Meyer lemon and mix just until smooth.
Finally, add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Again, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed to get the mixture uniform.

Pour the filling into a springform pan and gently smooth the top of the filling. Place cheesecake in the oven, and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Do not open the oven again until the cheesecake is cooled. Turn off oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven for 2 hours (without opening oven). If the cheesecake doesn't feel 100% cool after 2 hours, allow to continue cooling, up to another hour or so. Once cool, remove the cheesecake from the oven, spread on the sour cream topping, and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, water and food coloring. Unmold cheesecake, drizzle it with lemon glaze, slice and serve.