Chicken Marsala

In the words of my 2 year-old whenever she likes something: "Yum, yum, yum!" This was something out-of-the-ordinary from our usual dinner fare but I am happy to report it will be making its way onto the regular rotation. I had eaten Chicken Marsala before but never attempted my own, this recipe inspired me since it was so easy to put together.

I'm usually put off by strong wine/alcohol taste in food, and I was concerned with this one while the sauce was reducing because it had such a deep aroma, and was therefore pleasantly surprised at how mild-tasting it actually was. The sauce comes together nicely and is perfect over the thin, crispy chicken. My only change? Doubling the mushrooms, of course! I could just eat those in the sauce and be happy :)

Chicken Marsala
from Savory Sweet Life


Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour or corn starch for gluten-free
up to 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
8 ounces container of mushroom, sliced and cleaned (I used 2 containers)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine (I used dry sherry)
Optional: 2 tablespoons heavy cream (I added a little half-and-half)
Garnish with chopped parsley or oregano

Instructions

1. Split each chicken breast through the middle to make 2 pieces. Place plastic wrap over them and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer/mallet until they are about a quarter inch thick. Season a good amount of salt and pepper on both sides of each piece. Place some flour on a plate and and dredge each piece of chicken in it.

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot fry each piece of chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown (this may require you to do this in 2 batches). Remove chicken and place them on your serving platter covering them with foil. carefully soak up any remaining oil with paper towels and discard. 

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms. Saute mushrooms for 4-5 minutes making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. Add marsala wine, sherry, cream, and chicken stock allowing the liquid to reduce slightly – approx. 3 minutes. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve. Enjoy!

Mushroom (and Sausage) Pie

If you aren't a fan of mushrooms you should probably just stop reading right now. Actually I don't even know if we can keep being friends :). But if you're a mushroom-lover like me, then I highly recommend this dish!

I found this recipe because I had some mushrooms and a pie crust to use up quickly, and luckily I had all the  ingredients on hand for this one. My only changes to the original were using a different cheese (mozzarella vs. monterey jack) and adding some pork sausage to make it a little more of a breakfast treat, but leave that out and you have a yummy, cheesy, mushroomy pie that you could enjoy any time of day.

Original Recipe here

Ingredients
 1 refrigerated pie crust (or be ambitious and make your own)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. sliced mushrooms (I used white button)
 2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
A dash of ground cardamom or nutmeg (optional)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled breakfast pork sausage


Directions

 1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pie crust in a pie pan and line the inside of a pie shell with heavy aluminum foil, pressing it against the side. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil, poke the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork to create air vents. Return crust to oven, bake for an additional 4 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a large sauté pan melt butter on medium heat. Add mushrooms, stir to coat with the butter. Increase the heat to high, stirring constantly until the moisture the mushrooms has released and evaporated, a few minutes. Lower heat to medium, add minced garlic, stir with the mushrooms for 30 seconds then remove from heat.

3. Beat together the eggs, sour cream, milk, and cream. Add freshly ground pepper, a pinch of salt, and cardamom or nutmeg if using. Stir in the grated cheese and chopped parsley.

4. Spread the sautéed mushrooms along the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust. Pour the cheese and cream mixture over the top of the mushrooms. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Mushrooms

This was my first experience with spaghetti squash and I have to say I'm a fan! You really can use it in place of noodles to create endless low-carb dishes. This recipe is a combination of a few I found, was super easy to prepare, and worked great on a night we wanted a light, simple meal.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash (about 3.5 lbs)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper
1 lb. hot Italian sausage (turkey sausage works too)
1 tsp. olive oil
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on a large baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Use a fork to comb the squash into strands, and place in a large bowl. Toss squash strands with parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage until no longer pink. Remove from the pan, and add olive oil to the sausage drippings. Add mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and heat until just wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper, then stir in sausage. Serve the sausage mixture on top of the squash.

Beef and Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

I'm starting to like anything that ends with "Stroganoff". It means you can mix up some broth and a little reduced-fat sour cream and you get a nice, light cream sauce that you enjoy without feeling guilty!

This one, also from Jillian Michaels, was really good. I know a meal is a hit when my husband says "I'd have that again". We both agreed that this would be just as good meatless - all those portobellos certainly hold up enough on their own!

Ingredients

2 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. beek flank steak, trimmed
4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
14 oz. (1 can) reduced-sodium beef broth
2 Tbsp. liqueur, cognac or brandy (I didn't add this)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (didn't add this either)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 Tbsp. fresh chives

Directions
1. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. The meat will be rare but will continue to cook as it rests. (I had a pretty thick piece, so I needed about 6-7 minutes on each side). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut lenghtwise into 2 long pieces, then crosswise across the grain into 1/4" thick slices.

2. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt and pepper adn cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 8-12 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat.

3. Stir in broth, cognac and vinegar (if using) and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mxture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, chives, the sliced steak and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until heated through.

I served over brown rice.

Nutrition
4 servings
Each serving has 404 calories, 19g fat, 14g carbs, 37g protein

Portobello Pizzas

Continuing with the low-carb trend we seem to have going on...I made these last night and I'll definitely be making them again. They were fun and easy, hearty enough for my meat-loving husband, and can be altered in so many different ways. The mushrooms are a good serving vessel and provide texture rather than altering the flavor of the toppings. A vegetarian version would be fantastic with some grilled or sauteed eggplant in place of the sausage.

Portobello Pizzas

adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushroom tops, stems removed and gills scraped

Extra-virign olive oil, for drizzling plus 1 tsp.

Salt and black pepper

3/4 lb. Italian sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp. half-and-half (fat free works just fine)

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Drizzle olive oil liberally over the mushroom caps and season with salt and pepper. Broil 5 minutes on each side until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add sausage; cook and crumble until browned. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes are softened. Reduce heat to low, add half-and-half and stir to combine, then fold in the basil. Remove from heat.

3. Fill the mushroom caps with the sausage mixture. Top with cheese and broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Penne with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Italian Sausage

Adam: "I like this better than that other pasta you made with asparagus"

And there you have it.

Ingredients

12 oz. penne pasta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. fresh crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 - 14 oz. can tomato puree
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, cooked, crumbled into large pieces and drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, then add the asparagus and cook 5 minutes more. Add the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper, and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and the Italian sausage and simmer 10 minutes more. Season again with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Stir the mozzarella and the pasta into the sauce and heat through.