Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Chicken

Good morning everyone! Well it’s Tuesday and it’s going to be a big day for our little blog. As I said yesterday I will be working with a web consultant for a few hours today, making many improvements to the site. Let’s hope you enjoy them and you find it more useful. Today’s recipe is for my sister in-law; she loves Chickpeas so this one is right up her ally. This is another healthy one with a 20 minute cooking time. It will be my last salad for awhile, due to the fact that I was looking through the recipes and found a lot of salads, which is fine for the summer months. But I think we need to expand our horizons going into fall and winter. Have a great day everyone!!

Thank You
Paulie

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Chicken

Whole wheat couscous- 1 cup (uncooked)
Cinnamon- 1/8 Teaspoon (ground)
Olive Oil- 3 tablespoons
Lemon Juice- 3 tablespoons (fresh)
Garlic- 1 tablespoon (fresh, minced)
Mint- 1/3 cup (fresh, chopped)
Green Onions- ¼ cup (sliced)
Paprika- 1/8 teaspoon
Chickpeas- 1 can (15 ounce)
Tomato- 1 large (chopped)
Feta cheese- ¾ cup (crumbled)
Chicken-2 six ounce pieces
Salt & Pepper- to taste

Method to the Madness
1) Pre-heat the oven to 425; Place chicken on a baking dish season with salt & pepper and bake for 12 minutes or until done. Let cool, dice and refrigerate.
2) In a sauce pan bring to a boil 1 cup of water. In a mixing bowl add couscous, cinnamon and salt & pepper stir in boiling water and cover for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3) In another bowl add the oil, juice, garlic and stir; add to the couscous and stir in the mint, green onions, paprika, chickpeas, chicken and tomatoes. Garnish with the feta cheese.
4) ENJOY!!

Sautéed Salmon and Arugula Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

Monday not-so fun day, well another weekend has come and gone and I hope everyone had a good one. I always work all weekend so Monday is the start of my days off, with Sunday night being my Friday. I had a great time last night with my wife and in-laws, nothing crazy just relaxing at their house enjoying some adult beverages, and great conservation. Good times, but it makes for a slow start this Monday at least I’m not going to work. I have the next three days off, however I have lots to do mostly blogging and chores. Tomorrow I will be working with a web consultant for 2-4 hours, and we are going to make lots of improvements to our little blog. So if you have any suggestions on functions or anything else you would like to see please feel free, just leave me a comment in the space provided or send me an email. Don’t be shy; I really just want to make it a more enjoyable experience for you guys. That being said, let’s get started on today’s recipe. As usual I like to go healthy for the first few days of the week, so I can enjoy some indulgences during the weekend. Have a great week everyone.

Thank You
Paulie

Sautéed Salmon and Arugula Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

Salmon- 4 six ounce pieces
Balsamic vinegar- 1 tablespoon
Olive oil- 2 tablespoons
Sweet Onion- 1 tablespoon (minced)
Grape Tomatoes- 1 pint (halved)
Basil- 2 tablespoons (fresh, chopped)
Arugula- 5 cups
Pine nuts- 3 tablespoons (toasted)
Salt & Pepper- to taste

Method to the Madness
1) Season the fillets with salt & pepper; in a nonstick sauté pan over med-high heat add some Olive oil (thin coat will do). Add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes or until browned, flip fillets and cook for another 3-4 minutes or desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan and wipe pan with paper towel.
2) In a mixing bowl add vinegar and slowly whisk in the oil; add the onion, basil and season with salt & pepper. You can do this while fish cooks. Watch the salt you add I find Balsamic is a little salty to begin with.
3) In the same pan you cooked the fish, return to med-high heat and add the tomatoes; sauté until soften about 3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper then add to the vinaigrette, toss with the arugula and plate, top with the salmon garnish with the pine nuts.
4) ENJOY!!!

Grilled Striped Bass with a Mango & Peach Salsa

FRIDAY!!! Well another week is in the books, and I’m sure it was super busy with all the kids going back to school. I hope it went smooth for all of you. It’s off to a beautiful start here in the mid-west and is shaping up to be a perfect day & night. I’m thinking grilling and sitting outside with some friends and family and some adult beverages. Perfect way to end the work week, have a great weekend everyone! Don’t forget to enjoy the time you have with the important people in your lives.

Thank You

Paulie

Grilled Striped Bass with a Mango & Peach Salsa

Water- 2 cups
Sea Salt- 1 tablespoon
Sugar- 2 teaspoons
Striped Bass- 4 six ounce pieces
Peaches-1 cup (medium diced)
Mango- 1 cup (medium diced)
Sweet Onion- 2 tablespoons- (sliced thin)
Lemon Juice- 2 tablespoons (fresh)
Olive Oil- 2 tablespoons
Salt & pepper- to taste
Mint Leaves-2 tablespoons (fresh, torn)

Method to the Madness

1) Heat the grill to medium-high. In a shallow dish combine first three ingredients, stirring until salt & sugar dissolve; add fish. Let rest for 20-30 minutes, drain and pat fish dry.
2) In a large mixing bowl combine, peaches, mango, onion, lemon juice and Olive oil and season with Salt & pepper; chill. Before dinner stir in the mint
3) Brush the fish with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place on the grill skin side down cook for 3 minutes and turn; lower heat and cover with the grill lid, cook for another 10-12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
4) Plate fish and top with the salsa
5) ENJOY!!

Roasted Chicken with Bell Peppers and Mashed Potatoes

Happy Wednesday everyone! Well its hump day and here in the mid-west the kids are going back to school today. I’m not too sure how everyone feels about this, but I do know everyone is going to be a lot busier. So I’ve been looking for quick and healthy recipes, which is not that easy to do due to the fact that most of the recipes I have are old school Chicago style; think meat, potatoes and butter. But the good news is that I found a few, and they are quick, easy and on the healthy side. I will try and give you a nice balance of protein; vegetables and starches (don’t be afraid of the carbs) for a complete meal and let’s keep it under 40 minutes of “working” time. Anyway; Have a great day everyone, and remember only two more days and it’s the weekend!! As always just enjoy yourself and the quality time you have with friends and family.

Thank You
Paulie

Roasted Chicken with Bell Peppers and Mashed Potatoes

Salt- ¾ teaspoon
Black Pepper- ½ teaspoon
Garlic Powder- ¼ teaspoon
Oregano- ¼ teaspoon (dried)
Basil- ¼ teaspoon (dried)
Chicken Breasts- 4 six ounce (boneless, skinless)
Olive Oil- 3 tablespoons
Red Peppers- 1 cup (sliced thin)
Green Peppers- 1 cup (sliced thin)
Yellow Peppers- 1 cup (sliced thin)
Onion- ½ cup (sweet, sliced thin)
Rosemary- 2 teaspoons (fresh, chopped)
Chicken Broth- 1 cup
Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tablespoon

Method to the Madness

1) Preheat the oven to 450. In a large sauté pan heat over medium-high heat add a tablespoon of oil the salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Cook until fragrant; Brush the rub over the chicken. And cook the chicken for three minutes on each side or browned. Remove chicken and add to a baking dish; cook in oven for 10 minutes or until done.
2) Heat remaining oil in the same pan. Add the peppers, onions, and rosemary; stir in the broth, scraping the pan to loosen the brown bits on the bottom, add Balsamic let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Ready; Place the chicken on a plate and top with the peppers, serve with mashed potatoes.

Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes

Red Potatoes- 1 ½ pounds (cubed)
Milk- 1/3 cup (or heavy whipping cream)
Mascarpone Cheese- 3 tablespoons
Salt & White pepper- to taste

Method

1) Boil potatoes until fork tender; strain and return to pot; over low heat add the milk, mascarpone and Salt & pepper. Mash to desired consistency.

• Quick tip; I almost always use Red skinned Potatoes for mashed. You don’t have to peel them, just chop and cook. This really cuts down prep time. If you don’t like the skin on, no worries just peel them. You don’t like Red skinned Potatoes; Yukon gold works great, or use your favorite.

Steak with Mushroom Sauce and Penne Pasta

Happy Monday morning everyone!! Well another weekend has come and gone and I hope everyone is doing well, let’s get the week off to a running start. I know here in the mid west school is starting this week, and everyone is going to be busy. So I thought I would do some recipes that are really easy and super fast, they are for the Mom’s out there that are going to be really busy. My wife and I don’t have any kids at this point, so I can’t imagine how busy you Moms and Dads are. But I know through talking to my friends that are, that it's a crazy time and you are looking for simplicity to get dinner on the table.
On a side note my beautiful wife has returned from her trip to Nashville, so the whole family is back together which is always a good thing. I was happy, Lucy was happy; it’s good to have everyone under the same roof again. She had a wonderful time down in the south, and said it was a great place to visit and maybe live??? Maybe there will be a move in our future, who knows. Anything can happen. Anyway let’s get started on Today’s recipe; Steak with Mushroom Sauce and Penne pasta. Have a great Monday!!!
Thank You
Paulie

Steak with Mushroom Sauce and Penne Pasta

Penne pasta- 1 pound
Olive oil- 2 tablespoons
Sirloin Steak- 1 pound (cut into ½ inch pieces)
Butter- 1 tablespoon
Onion- 2 tablespoons (minced)
Wild Mushrooms- 8 ounces (pre-sliced, package)
Garlic- 1 tablespoon (minced)
Soy sauce- 1 tablespoon
Flour- 3 tablespoons
Beef broth- 1 ½ cups
Salt & pepper- to taste
Thyme sprigs- 4
Parsley- 1 tablespoon (Flat-leaf, fresh, chopped)

Method to the Madness
1) In salted boiling water cook pasta according to directions on the package; see the tip below. Drain and set aside.
2) Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat add the olive oil and cook steak for about 5 minutes, browning on all sides, remove from pan set aside.
3) Melt the butter in the same pan, add the onion, and mushrooms and cook until they get soft about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, add soy sauce and combine and then sprinkle in the flour cook for another couple of minutes and start to slowly add the beef broth. Add the thyme, and salt & pepper bring to a boil and return beef to pan. Toss with the cooked pasta
4) Remove the thyme sprigs and garnish with the parsley and serve.
5) ENJOY!!!

• Tip; whenever I cook pasta I always cook it in salted water until AL dente then strain it and toss it with salt & pepper and a little Olive oil. You can finish cooking the pasta when you toss it with the sauce. They used this method in every Italian restaurant I work, four very different places in Chicago.

Flank Steak Tacos

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great week and have a better weekend. Well it’s Lucy and me alone for the first full day without Shannon (my wife), so far so good. I’m not too sure how Lucy feels about all the travel her parents are doing lately, she seems to be a little needier than usual. She has not left my side yet this morning, right under the table on my feet as I write this. Anyway; let’s get started on today’s recipe. I thought I would do another Mexican dish, my second favorite food group right after Italian. Today we are going to have Flank steak Tacos with Mushrooms and Poblano Peppers; this is another super-fast and super easy way to go, 20 minutes and done. So it makes for a great Friday night meal after a busy week. Have a great weekend everyone. As always just have fun and spend quality time with your loved ones this weekend!!!

Thank You
Paulie

Flank Steak Tacos with Mushrooms and Poblano Peppers

Olive oil- 2 tablespoons
Flank steak- 8 ounce (Trimmed and diced)
Onion- 2 cups (thin sliced)
Garlic- 2 tablespoons (fresh, minced)
Coriander- ½ teaspoon
Cumin- ½ teaspoon
Wild Mushrooms- 8 ounces (thin sliced)
Poblano Pepper- 1 large (thin sliced)
Jalapeno Pepper- 1 large (minced)
Corn or Flour Tortillas- 8 six inch
Chihuahua Cheese- 1 cup
Cilantro- ½ cup (fresh, diced)
Salsa- ½ cup
Salt & Pepper- to taste

Method to the Madness

1) In a sauté pan heat the oil over medium high heat and add the steak season with Salt & pepper, cook for 3-4 minutes and remove saving the juices and oil. Add all the veggies, coriander and cumin, and garlic to the pan season with salt & pepper, and sauté until the veggies become soft. Put the steak back in the pan and cook until desired temperature.
2) In another pan heat over low heat and warm the tortillas and wrap them in a clean cloth until service. When you are ready for dinner time take the meat mixture and add to the tortillas and top with the cheese and salsa. Add some fresh cilantro as a garnish
3) ENJOY!!!!

Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

Good morning to all!! It’s Thursday and we are almost done with the work week, not that I’m complaining I was after all just on a small vacation. But I’m sure you folks are ready for the weekend, and all the fun and excitement that it brings. Today my wife left for her own small vacation, she is headed down to Nashville for a girl’s weekend, and I’m wishing her safe travels and the best of times!! So it’s just me and Lucy (our dog) for the weekend with lots of work for me. Lucy is not that into working she’s more into napping, eating and napping again, it’s a dog’s life after all but that is why I love her. More than likely I would love that lifestyle; once again I see I have veered off track but it is fun for me to give you little tid-bits about my life, hope you don’t mind. So today I thought we would do something really quick and easy; Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas. If you buy the rotisserie chicken the recipe calls for, it will take you no time at all 10-15 minutes. Let’s get started, have a great day everyone.

Thank You
Paulie

Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

Avocado- 2 (diced)
Tomatoes- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons
Onion- ¼ cup (small diced)
Garlic- 1 tablespoon (minced)
Cilantro- 2 tablespoons
Jalapeno-1 tablespoon (more if you like it hot)
Lime Juice- 3 tablespoons (fresh)
Chicken-2 cups (rotisserie, shredded)
Salt & Pepper- to taste
Corn Tostada shells- 8 (six inch)

Method to the Madness

1) In a mixing bowl add the avocado, 3 tablespoons of the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the onion, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the garlic and season with salt & pepper and mash.
2) In another mixing bowl combine the remaining tomato, onion, lime juice, cilantro, chicken and jalapeno season with salt & pepper and mix well.
3) Lay out the tostada shells and spread the avocado mix evenly, top with the chicken mix, and garnish with some fresh lime juice and cilantro.
4) ENJOY!!!