Garlicking Up The House!

Tonight, I found some gorgeous locally-grown garlic at Dorothy Lane Market, so of course I couldn't resist picking it up, knowing I'd be making 2 garlic-heavy dishes for tonight's dinner. For the main course, I cooked up some plump, beautiful chicken breasts with artichokes, carrots and plenty of garlic. Then, I added a couple of twice-baked potatoes from DLM (they were kind of bland and dry, but I added some skordalia to them and they perked right up) and steamed green beans with skordalia, a fabulous Greek yogurt & potato sauce starring garlic. It's good on all kinds of things, from meats to steamed veggies. I suspect it would make a delish dip for crackers, as well. We enjoyed our dinner on the deck, then my cousin and I continued the conversation about religion and history in the ancient far east while my auntie got on a webinar.

Sauteed Chicken & Veggies

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 lb. chicken breasts (I opted for skinless, boneless and used slightly less, weight-wise)

Salt & pepper

14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained & cut up

2 carrots, peeled & sliced

1 onion, chopped (oops, I forgot this!)

10 cloves garlic, sliced

A sprinkling of thyme

1 c. dry white wine

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 c. Italian parsley, chopped

Several halved kalamata olives (I think I tossed in about 10)

Heat oil in pot. Season chicken and brown on medium-high heat. Cook about 10 minutes, turning once. Set aside. Add a little more oil to the pot if you need it. Add veggies, garlic & thyme. Cook about 15 minutes. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Cook until greatly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add chicken. Cover & cook on med-low about 15 minutes. Add parsley & olives & heat through. Serves 4-6.

Skordalia

1 lg. potato, peeled & diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled

6 oz. Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. chopped dill

3 chopped scallions, white and light green parts only

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook potatoes and garlic until tender. Mash with yogurt until smooth. Add the rest and serve over veggies or meat. Yum!

Lemony Fish for a 98 Degree Day

It's been so hot this week and I am so grateful that it was cool last week for our Habitat for Humanity mission trip! Tonight, I made lemon-crumbed halibut, parmesan rice (see recipe in a previous post) and Vancouver spinach salad, the recipe for which I got on a lesbian cooks list years ago from a woman named Brenda who lived in Vancouver. Dessert, in celebration of my auntie's first RDI presentation, is a beautiful mini fruit tart from Dorothy Lane Market.

For the halibut, I picked up a half-pound at the seafood counter, cut off the skin and cut it in half. I mixed some dry bread crumbs with lemon zest, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Then, I mixed some lemon juice with some dijon mustard. I dipped the fish in the mustard mixture, then dredged it in the breadcrumbs. I put it on a baking sheet that had been greased with cooking spray, sprayed the fish and popped it in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Delicious!

For the salad, I put baby spinach in a couple of bowls. I sliced some strawberries and chopped some red onion and tossed them in, then sprinkled with sunflower seeds (I used dry-roasted, salted ones because that's what I found at the store...I imagine raw ones would be equally good). Then, I mixed up olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, a few tablespoons of maple syrup and a smidge of Dijon for the dressing.

What I'm Cooking in July

-Lemon-crumbed halibut, parmesan rice, spinach & strawberry salad with maple dressing
-Roast beef sandwiches, chips, salad
-Chicken ragout with potatoes & olives, salad, watermelon slush
-Steak, French baked potatoes, salad, fruit a la Suisse
-BLT wraps, zucchini ribbon salad, chips, raspberry with citrus sauce
-Artichoke chicken saute, steamed veggies with skordalia, boiled potatoes
-Super veggie sandwiches, chips, sandia ochumare
-Fish with salsa ajillo, rice, chevre salad
-Cumin-crusted pork soft tacos, black beans & rice, avocado salad
-Tagiolini al pesto amato, salad, bread, orange cornmeal cake with berries & whipped cream
-Cajun steak salad, fruit, bread
-Potato chip chicken, zucchini fritters, fried green tomatoes
-Salmon burgers, hummus, pita, sugar snaps, spinach salad w/grapefruit & mint vinaigrette
-Mexican rice, chips & guacamole, salad, fruit
-Goat cheese sandwiches, spicy orange broccoli, fresh corn salad
-Fritas, plantain chips, fruit
-Chicken & avocado sandwiches, homemade chips, salad
-BBQish chicken, rice, green beans