Pan fried chicken with fresh tomatoes

This heat wave is out of control which makes using the oven a terrible option and its almost too hot to even stand outdoors and grill. Pan frying chicken is such a quick and simple way to serve chicken and it always has amazing flavor. When you pound chicken breasts into thin pieces it takes less than 10 minutes to cook and it won’t heat up your entire kitchen.

Fresh tomatoes are finally here! My garden is bursting with so many different varieties of cherry tomatoes. I planted a few new plants and then volunteers from last year sprang up, so I’ll be adding tomatoes to everything for the next two months.

This recipe serves 4 people but will be easy to adapt for larger groups.

What you need:

Two large chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded thin. Smaller pieces cook faster, you don’t need to cut them in half but it will take longer. Here’s some good instructions for how to do this: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-and-when-to-pound-chicken-breast-the-easiest-smartest-method-248169

1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil

1 cup of Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp of Italian seasoning

2 eggs

4 slices of mozzarella (optional)

1 cup of mixed cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup loosely packed julienned fresh basil (thinly sliced basil)

Begin by pounding the chicken breasts thin and giving a light dusting of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, beat two eggs together and pour onto a dinner plate. I think its easier to coat the chicken with the egg on a plate versus in a bowl. Stir in one tsp of Italian seasoning. On another dinner plate, spread out the breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, heat the oil together in a large skillet and warm over medium heat. You can use one oil exclusively but I find olive oil alone to be over powering and it also burns quicker than vegetable oil. Combining the two is a nice flavor combination and gives you a little more wiggle room on the heat.

When the oil is hot (but definitely not smoking…should see an occasional bubble) dip the chicken one at a time in the egg mixture followed by the bread crumbs. Make sure to coat the chicken breast entirely with the crumbs. Slowly add the chicken to the hot oil with a pair of tongs. You can repeat and fit in 2-3 at a time depending on the size of the pan. Do not overcrowd it. Once you have placed the chicken in the skillet, do not move it for at least 4 minutes. Gently lift the side of one breast and see if its golden brown. If it is gently, turn it and cook for another 4 minutes. They should take a maximum of 5 minutes per side, minimum of 3 minutes. Once the chicken is golden brown on both sides, remove from the oil and place on paper towels to remove excess oil. Sprinkle with some more salt immediately after removing from the heat. This is crucial. Set aside.

If you would like to add cheese (why not?) place the cooked chicken on a baking pan and layer with mozzarella. A quick 2 minutes under the broiler should melt the cheese without over cooking the chicken. If you need to keep the chicken warm while preparing other foods, simply place in the oven at the lowest setting until you are ready to eat or save the broiling part for just before serving. On a hot day, this chicken tastes excellent at room temperature.

For the topping, combine tomatoes, oil, and vinegar with freshly ground salt and pepper and half the basil in a bowl. Serve over top of the chicken and add remaining basil as garnish to each slice. We served this with a side of sautéed zucchini, corn, onions, and peppers and the whole meal was perfect.

Enjoy!

Authentic Greek Tzatziki

We ate tzatziki every single day on our trip and learned how to make it from our hotel chef in Kefalonia. The kids became completely addicted and I’m all for it, it’s so healthy. It’s also cold, tangy, and refreshing. You can put it on just about everything, we’ve been putting it on bread, using it as a dip, and slathering it on grilled meats and veggies. As we were told, you can never have enough salt or olive oil, don’t skimp!

What you need:

1 cucumber

1 cup 2%-5% fat Greek yogurt, no fat free that’s just sad

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 clove of garlic

pinch of dried or fresh dill, added to taste

salt

Begin by grating the cucumber on a box grater and straining over a colander. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. Add the shredded cucumber to the colander and add a pinch of salt and pour over a tsp of red wine vinegar. Then squeeze/press out as much moisture as you can.

I actually like to drink the cucumber water after it’s strained, it’s really good for you!

If you really like garlic, you can add raw garlic to the bowl. Grate or finely chop it and mix it with the yogurt. If you prefer a more mellow garlic flavor, heat the olive oil in a small pan until it gently bubbles over low heat and add the garlic to the pan. Gently heat the garlic for 15-20 minutes stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn, then discard the garlic and use the garlic flavored oil.

Combine yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, and another healthy pinch of salt. Mix in about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Add dill to your

liking and taste. Let sit for an hour so that the flavors meld together. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Enjoy for the next several days. Yum!!

**Ive been making with raw garlic and the garlic oil, can’t decide which one I like better. They are both good! You could probably use a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder in a pinch and that would be good too.

Mushroom Ravioli with poached eggs

I love a quick healthy vegetarian meal during the week. We are a very carnivorous family but for a million reasons I am trying to cut back a little. Anytime a meal can come together quickly is an added bonus. It might be summertime but somehow our schedules still feel jam packed.

An added bonus to this dish is that you only need a pot of boiling water and everything cooks in the same pot. If you like eggs and mushrooms, you will love this. The runny yolks make such a luscious topping for the ravioli and the chives cut the richness just perfectly.

This recipe is written for two servings but can easily be adjusted as needed.

What you need:

-A 6 qt stock pot filled 3/4 full with salted water (2 tsp salt)

-2 large eggs

A package of refrigerated mushroom ravioli (around 9-10 oz)

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Begin by filling the pot with water and placing it over high heat to bring it to a boil. Once it’s reached the boiling point reduce it to a simmer. Crack the first egg into a small cup or bowl, I usually use a measuring up because it has a nice handle. Use a spoon to stir the water using large swoops to create a vortex. Once the simmering water is spinning, gently place the egg into the water by lowering the measuring cup into the water. The swirling water helps the egg to stay together versus spreading out. Many people add a splash of vinegar to the water to help the egg coagulate but I never like the taste.

Use a slotted spoon to check the egg around 3 minutes. I like to have a very runny yolk so that’s usually enough time. If you want it more done, lower it back into the water for another 30 seconds. Remove the egg and place on paper towels to dry. Repeat with remaining eggs. Keep warm by placing a lid over the eggs.

When you have finished cooking the eggs use slotted spoon to strain out any left behind egg bits and then add the pasta to the simmering water. Cook according to the package directions, should be around 3-5 minutes. When the ravioli is done remove gently to a dish with your slotted spoon. I prefer not to dump the raviolis into a colander because they will break apart.

Lastly, dump out the water. Add butter and olive oil to the pot to melt the butter. Stir in about 2 tsp chopped chives. Plate the ravioli and poached eggs and then top with the butter and chive mixture and sprinkle over plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!