Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast

This isn't exactly your "light summer chicken" recipe. It doesn't mess around. I ate mine with a simple side salad, and that's just what it needed. I also think it's not quite as bad for you as the ingredients list will make it sound- most of the fat cooks off when you bake it. Also, the low/no fat version of everything works fine. This recipe is surprisingly quick and easy, and produces very few dirty dishes, which is always nice. What you'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, fat trimmed (A note about chicken breasts- I have always found that the most tender chicken I cook is from the frozen aisle. It's counter intuitive, but has never failed me).
• 1/3 c pesto (store bought or home made, if you're into that sort of thing)
• 1/3 c mozzarella cheese
• 1.5 tbl mayo
• 1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced* (I only recommend this if you share my boundless infatuation with garlic)

Preheat your oven to 375. You need to pound the chicken breasts flat. If you've never done this, just place one between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound away with a kitchen mallet, or just something flat and heavy. Go ahead and release a little aggression. You want it as flat as possible without demolishing it- no more than 1/4 inch thick. Now mix the mozzarella, mayo, and pesto together. Spread this on the more raggedy side of the chicken, then roll it up. You may need a toothpick to hold it together, but this has never been an issue for me. Place the chicken in a baking dish, coated with cooking spray. Take that Parmesan and coat the chicken, pressing it in so it sticks. Top the chicken with the sliced garlic, if you're so daring. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes, although you'll want to check on it around 40 minutes, and it might take a little longer. It all depends on how big the chicken breasts were that you purchased. You want the chicken to be firm to the touch. The garlic and cheese will be starting to brown. If you're not too concerned about calories, drizzle some of the cooked off sauce over the top.

Next time I make this, I think I'll add some chopped mushrooms to the filling. I think that would be a really nice touch.

Multicultural Stuffed Portabello

If you're low-carbing it, and find yourself in the grips of a pizza desperation, this is a more than adequate alternative. It's pretty damn good no matter what you're dietary status is. You'll need:

1. portabello mushroom caps- I recommend the biggest you can find
2. 8 oz Italian sausage- I use turkey for calorie/fat sake, and I really can't tell the difference
3. 1 small onion, chopped
4. 3 cloves garlic, crushed*
5. 1 poblano pepper, chopped*****
6. mozarella cheese - here's where the extra calories are probably worth it. If you can't bring yourself to get the real stuff, at least avoid the super skim milk version.
7. 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped*
8. cooking spray/olive oil
9. salt and pepper

*****A word about poblano peppers: I'm a huge fan of the seasonings in Italian sausage, but poblano peppers have this incredible smokiness that I cannot get enough of. I do my best to weasle poblanos into every recipe I can, and this is no exception. It is, however, a somewhat tricky ingredient. First of all, I HIGHLY recommend using gloves if you're going to be slicing them open. Trust me. I've cooked some up, showered, dinner partied, then attempted to take out my contacts, only to end the evening in writhing agony, all Polyphemus-like. Second, there's a lot of variation in the strength of flavor in these guys. Sweetness, heat, flavor are never the same in poblanos, and I am not aware of a method to deduce this without tasting them. I say 1 poblano for this recipe, which is usually correct, but I recommend taking a taste test to see just how much you want to add.

On with the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 400, and start prepping the mushrooms. Cut the stems so they're equal in height to the walls of the mushroom, then with a spoon, carefully shell out the gills. Put all this byproduct in a medium-sized bowl- you'll use this for all the stuffing. Spray a glass pan with cooking spray, or brush it with olive oil, and put the mushroom top side down on the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them to stem side down and bake for another 5 minutes.

While this is happening, work on the stuffing. Brown the Italian sausage in a frying pan, breaking it up with your spatula. Once that's done, scoop it out of the pan and onto a papertowl to absorb some of the grease. I use the grease left in the pan to fry up the onion, garlic, and poblanos, but feel free to drain it off if it seems like too much (especially if you're using non-turkey sausage). Fry the veggies until they're tender and the poblano tastes more sweet than hot. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Now put all the veggies, the cooked meat, and parsley into your bowl previously designated as the stuffing container. Add about 1/4 c mozzarella cheese. Mix everything up, then stuff it into your cooked mushrooms. Fit as much as you can, packing down if necessary. You'll probably have a lot leftover, but this stuffing makes a KILLER omelette the next morning. Top each mushroom with a thick coat of cheese, I'll say about 1/4 cup each. Put everything back in the oven for another 5 minutes, then flip it over to broil. Broil your meal for a few minutes until you see that golden-brown color. I like mine pretty crispy...

Heavenly Sole and Damn Good Broccoli

Heavenly Sole

I'll bite it off with one of my Mama's famous recipes. I feel good about myself when I get my fish from the local "fresh off the boat" fishery on Harborside, plus it tastes good and is super cheap. This recipe is really fast, almost impossible to screw up, and will make people who don't like fish beg for more. Really, any white fish will do, but I'd recommend thinner fillets.

I'll give amounts for 2 fillets, which should feed 2...

Squirt some fresh lemon on a couple fillets of fish, sprinkle some salt and pepper as you wish, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then broil it in the oven until it flakes... 10 minutes or so. In the meantime, mix together:

1. 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2. 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3. 1/4 cup chopped green onions
4. a couple drops of your favorite hot sauce to taste
5. more salt and pepper, if you feel like it.

When the fish is flaky, pull it out of the oven and just smother it with this mixture. Really. It might seem like you've got way too much, but you don't. Use it all. Glob it on, and you'll still wish you had just a bit more. Put the fish back in the oven for another 2 minutes or so, until the sauce is starting to get that pretty brown color.

Damn Good Broccoli

Now for the side, and not just any side. 3 entirely seperate people have mentioned this recipe to me, claiming it's the best broccoli they've had in their life. For some insane reason, I only just now made it for myself, and probably won't stop making it. Ever. I put this second, but you should get started on it first- it takes longer, and can stand to be reheated while the fish is broiling, if necessary.

You'll want 3-4 heads of broccoli. This is more than enough for 2 people, but you'll want leftovers. The only tricky thing is that it's critical that you make sure the broccoli's dry. Completely. Preheat your oven to 425.

On a cookie sheet, toss the broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and 4-5 sliced cloves of garlic until it's good and covered. Oven it up for 35-45 minutes until the broccoli's starting to brown.

Diversion: I once saw on Alton Brown that when you crush garlic, you release enzymes that stimulate the creation of the burn associated with garlic. If you don't crush it, the flavor is more sweet. For this recipe, I'd say slice, don't crush.

Once you take out the broccoli, toss it with a few more ingredients:

1. another tablespoon or so of olive oil
2. the zest and juice of 1 lemon
3. 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
4. some chopped basil*
5. toasted pine nuts*

*4 and 5 are definitly optional... if you really want to treat yourself. But if you're cheap and start making this broccoli every other night for dinner, they can be cut.

Lustful.