Archive for the ‘Veggies’ Category

It makes me very happy when I can use all those words describe one single recipe.

This is probably one of my favorite new recipe finds from last month’s Everyday Food. It tastes like spring in a bowl – the lemon, peas, and chicken are simple and fresh – and it is super quick, especially when you let the grocery store cook the chicken! The dish is easily adaptable to handle just about any vegetable you want to throw in to the pot.

Lemony Couscous with Peas and Chicken
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1/2 rotisserie chicken
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white or yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 wide strips of lemon peel, plus additional zest for garnish
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup whole wheat couscous
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Skin and debone 1/2 a rotisserie chicken. Shred meat and set aside. Reserve any drippings from the carton.

Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add broth and drippings to pan and bring to boil. Stir in lemon peel and peas and return to a boil. Stir in couscous and stir and add chicken. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 7 minutes.

Add lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Fluff with a fork. Divide into bowls and serve garnished with parsley and additional lemon zest.

Serves 4
Adapted from Everyday Food, May 2010

Did you watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution? We did. It was pretty eye-opening (I still can’t get over how two bags of chips and a bag of candy are the only things that make it into some lunch boxes). It made me look more closely at our weekly menu to ensure that meals are balanced, fresh, and healthy. Of course with us being new parents, we saw how important it was to set a good example at home. In doing so, we’ve even determined that The Foodie Groom will eat peas! It’s amazing what the tiniest bit of bacon will do to a vegetable

And another non-guacamole plant-thing that he’ll eat? Corn on the cob. He rated this Grilled Corn on the Cob with Basil-Parmesan Butter as “probably the best corn I’ve ever had.” I’d probably agree, too. The flavorful compound butter was a perfect match with the grilled corn. These babies will be making a regular appearance on our menu this summer.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Basil-Parmesan Butter
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4 ears of corn
1/2 stick butter, at room temp
2 Tbsp basil chiffonade
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Shuck the corn, leaving a couple of layers on the corn. Soak the corn in a sink of cool water while heating the grill to high. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, mixing thoroughly.

Grill corn until the outer husks have mostly charred, about 20 minutes, rotating occasionally for even cooking. Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle. Remove remaining husks and slather with the butter. Serve warm. (I actually threw the buttered corn back on the grill for a few minutes to rewarm them because they had cooled too much before lunch.)

Serves 4
Adapted from Weber’s Real Grilling

How do you get a pea hater to give the little green beans another shot? Add bacon. Italian bacon. And a little cheese never hurts, either. Because guacamole shouldn’t be the only green food that a person eats.

Peas with Pancetta and Parmesan
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1 Tbsp olive oil
3 rounds of Pancetta, deli sliced #2, diced
1/4 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
12oz bag of frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in saucepan over high heat. Cook pancetta until crispy, and then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add onion to saucepan and cook until clear and just browning around the edges. Add garlic and cook for 1 minutes. Add peas to pan and heat through. Add pancetta, stir, and remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Yields: 4-6 servings
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride