i love… chicken parm

What are the usual rules for a Valentine’s Day meal?

No garlic?
No stinky cheese?
Nothing with too many little green bits that get stuck in your teeth?
No sauce that gets all in your gums and stains you fluorescent?

Whoops.

It’s hearty and easy to make (especially if you cheat like me and use sauce out of a jar). I love chicken parmigiana. And how can anyone not love me on a day that I fry up some garlic, herb, and cheese infused chicken? Matériellement impossible!

Yum.

Chicken Parmigiana
Adapted from Ina Garten

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 extra-large egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I stuck a day old slice of wheat bread in a food processor. Fresh bread crumbs! Incredibly easy)
1 clove of garlic
1/4 freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 slices of soft white cheese (mozarella, Jarlsberg, really anything you like)
Good olive oil
1/2 pound pasta, cooked al dente (I used organic whole wheat penne)
Your favorite marinara or tomato basil sauce

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. (I used a frying pan covered in saran wrap LOL)

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Grate garlic into into bread crumb mixture. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Turn heat on very low and place a slice of cheese on top of each chicken breast and cover. Cook for about 30 seconds until cheese is melted. Serve with pasta and sauce on the side.

Eat! Get sauce on your face, cheesy garlic in your breath, and orange tomato stained teeth. :)

Yay.

Meatless Mondays – Week 2

I never have time for breakfast. Typical.

I’m usually pouring coffee frantically into a tumbler and tossing a little plastic container of yogurt into my bag while I brush my teeth. On my luckier days, I can give myself indigestion scarfing down a piece of toast while running down stairs in my building.

Today in my moment of zen (what do you do when you have five extra minutes in the morning?), I noticed two huge tomatoes in my fridge. When I say huge, I mean one is the size of my two fists put together.

So. Tomatoes and breakfast. First of all, it has to be something I can eat in the car without crumbing everywhere. Second of all, no cooking involved means cutting down on time that you would spend toasting bread, heating oil, cracking eggs, etc. Third, HEALTHY HEALTHY HEALTHY! I allow myself an everything onion bagel covered in full fat cream cheese once a week, but I’m trying to start the day off right with some vegetables, some good protein. Maybe one day I’ll actually eat my organic oat cereal with milk and not by the fistful out of a plastic bag.

But back to today’s breakfast. Tomato Smoothie! I decided to experiment so I know breakfast is good before I try it out tomorrow morning.

Delicious and healthy and has a ton of good for you antioxidants. If you’re a lady, tomatoes are great for your bones and will help you fend off osteoporosis. If you’re a dude, especially important to incorporate more tomatoes into your diet because it helps lower bad cholesterol and will boost heart health. Just in general, tomatoes are a super food that help fight cancer!! So. Go eat some damn tomatoes. (It’s proven that cooked tomatoes are even better for you as long as you don’t load up the marinara with processed sugars and preservatives, so if you don’t like raw tomatoes, go eat some tomato sauce or tomato basil soup or bruschetta.)

Tomato Smoothie 
1 large serving (or 2 if you don’t want 16 oz of tomato smoothie)

2 large tomatoes (3-4 regular sized tomatoes)
1/2 cup ice
1 container vanilla yogurt
I like to throw in a splash of blackberry vinegar or some other sweet and tart berry juice

Just throw everything into a blender and LIQUEFY.

Yum. :)