Chicken

Chicken Sausage with Fusilli Pasta

Posted by Rachel Ashley on May 31, 2012 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Italian, Meat, Pasta | 0 comments

Ingredients:
1 can of organic tomatoe sause
1 large jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1lb of Fusilli Whole Wheat Pasta
3 or 4 cooked chick sausages
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of fresh dill
2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper taste

Recipe:
Cook the chicken sausages thoroughly (I precooked the chicken sausages the day before). Once cooked, slice the chicken sausages a quarter of an inch thick (similar to thick pepporoni slice).  Set the chicken aside.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, once the water is bubbling add fusilli pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, until al dente.  Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat.  When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, but still translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add organic tomato sauce and chicken sausage to the cooked onions and garlic, cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Add the marinara sauce and warm through.  Strain pasta and reserve about of cup of pasta water, in case the sauce is to thick for your liking.  Ladle the pasta into the marinara sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste, fresh herbs and stir thoroughly, reserving a tablespoon of fresh basil for garnish.  Pour pasta into a large serving dish, garnish with a few basil leaves and the remaining thinly sliced basil.  Freshly grate parmigiano reggiano on top and serve!

Enjoy!
XO,
Rachel Ashley

Waldorf Chicken

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 3, 2012 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Meat, Side Dishes | 0 comments

This yummy salad is perfect for Easter brunch or a bridal or baby shower!  The recipe is very simple and you will have the dish ready  in under 30 minutes!  I love that such a simple salad can be so elegant and the presentation can be just as amazing too!  To be honest, I made this for myself one night.  The night before I had grilled extra chicken breast and because I don’t like to reheat chicken, I asked myself what I could make with cold chicken… a Waldorf Salad was the perfect choice!

Ingredients:
2 celery Stalks
1 cup seedless red grapes
2 grilled chicken breast
1/2 cup of organic light mayonnaise
salt and pepper – to taste
Italian seasoning (optional)
rice crackers (optional)
butter lettuce (optional)

Recipe:
In a strainer rinse your grapes and then make sure to rinse the dirt off the celery stalk too.  On a cutting board halve each grape. Take the two celery stalks and cut long ways down the center and then chop into bite size pieces.  Take the grilled chicken breast and cut into bite size pieces, as well.  You want to make sure all the ingredients are similar in size.  Then in a big bowl mix together the grapes, celery and chicken.  Add 1/2 cup of organic mayonnaise to the same bowl and mix thoroughly, making sure each piece gets coated with the mayo.  Add 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt and mix.  You can add more salt and pepper if needed.  Store the ingredients in glass Tupperware in the refrigerator, until ready to serve.  You can present the Waldorf salad on crackers for an appetizer or an even healthier option is to make lettuce wraps filled with the Waldorf chicken, instead of a sandwich.

Enjoy!
Xo,
Rachel Ashley

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Brown Rice Pasta

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Oct 13, 2011 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Grilling, Pasta | 0 comments

Ingredients:
2 – 3 whole Organic Chicken Breasts
1 pound Brown Rice Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
1/2 stick Butter
3 whole Lemons, Juiced and 1 zested
1 cup Half-and-half
1-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
1 tsp of Herb de Province
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Recipe:
Take your chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and Herb de Province place in an oiled grill pan over high heat and cook chicken for about 8 minsutes on each side (if need be put the lid on the pan to make sure chicken is fully cooked through).
Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.
In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Serve with sliced bread drizzled with EVOO and a glass of wine (my preference is a sweet wine like Moscato)  and you have yourself an excellent and healthy dinner!

Enjoy!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Easy Cheesy

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jul 29, 2011 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Pasta | 2 comments

Happy Friday!

Today’s recipe is inspired from my trip to Colorado.  Some of you may know, I went to Colorado a couple weeks ago, for my husbands family reunion. We were there for four days and three nights in a beautiful cabin set back among pine trees and green grass.  Each day had its own designated activities and Friday was one of my favorites – we had a cook off.   This cook-off wasn’t your normal cook-off.  We had just finished playing kick-ball in a park, with our designated kick-ball teams we were assigned a portion of the meal and given $100.00 and an hour – the key to all of this was we didn’t have a kitchen we could use and if we needed utensils we had to buy them.  My team was given the main dish and it had to feed at least 30 people.  I knew we had this in the bag!  There was myself and two of Kyle’s cousins who love to cook as well.  We had boys too, but they were the drivers…lol.  Anyway, I knew that the stores were not close to the cabin and we wouldn’t have time to go to the store go back to the cabin and prepare it, so we had to prepare it in the car if we were going to be done in time.  We ran to Whole Foods, because it is healthy and they have amazing prepared food.  We picked up a massive portion of Whole Foods home-made macaroni, steamed vegetables, flat leaf parsley and 2 roasted chickens.  The prepared food was next to the bread and I set my eyes on two bread bowls and thought those would make a beautiful presentation, so we got two bread bowls as well.  I asked the baker to cut a hole in both bread bowls, so myself and the girls could rip the insides out and put our pasta dish in them.  Meanwhile the men were over at Wal-mart trying to gather serving utensil and platters for us to display the food on.  Kyle’s cousin Eric happened to buy a picnic basket which worked perfect, because we were able to place the two bread bowls in the basket and sprinkle the falt leaf parsley around the sides.  Needless to say, the dish turned out great!  We pulled the chicken apart in the car, with clean hands of course, torn the insides of the bread bowls out, mixed the shredded chicken, vegetables, and macaroni together finished with a sprig of flat leaf-parsley on to and there you had and amazing under 30 minute, car made meal!  We were grated on taste, presentation, and creativity – WE WON BEST OVERALL!

Topped with our team ribbon!

The reason for me telling you that whole story, is because two nights ago I decided to recreate our culinary concoction with  shells and white cheddar macaroni, broccoli, basil and shredded chicken.  Although, this meal was not prepared in the car!    It is an easy meal, full of nutrients, if the right products are used, and you can get it on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes.  Please don’t use the crappy mac & cheese that we had as kids, buy a more healthy brand or make from scratch.  One of my favorite brands is “Annie’s” – the macaroni iss made with organic pasta, no artificial anything and 0 grams of trans fat!

Ingridients:
Annie’s Shells and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups broccoli
4 tablesppons of freshley chopped basil
1 roasted chicken (1 breast)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup of milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe:
Begin cooking the macaroni as indicated on the box. Take the chicken and begin shredding 1 breast of chicken and set aside.  In a seperate suase pan steam or blanch the broccoli.  While the pasta and broccoli are cooking take a small bunch of basil and chop up into fine peices.  Finish cooking pasta and drain, add 1/4 cup milk, the cheddar cheese and then 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Drain the broccoli and add to the pasta, add shredded chicken and salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jun 24, 2011 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Meat | 0 comments

A very dear friend of mine’s, husband went into the hospital to have an aneurysm removed.  She has a very large family and I wanted to make sure when she got back home she didn’t have to worry about cooking.  My mom was also nice enough to join me and one night she made her famous goulash and then I made these delicious and incredibly easy enchiladas a few days later.  These enchiladas got rave reviews from her family and the best part is this recipe is super easy!

What you will need….

Ingredients:
Corn tortillas – 1 package
Salsa – 1 jar of your favorite
1 can green sauce
1 can organic black beans
1 can organic pinto beans
1 can of whole kernel corn (no slat-packed in water)
2 12oz cans chicken (or a roasted chicken)
2 cups cheese (grated or cubed)
2 cups crushed organic blue corn chips
2 tsp of dried cilantro
1 tsp of Mexican spice blend
Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take a can opener and open the green sauce, beans, corn, and chicken.  Drain and rinse the beans and pour into a large pot.  Drain the can of corn and add it to the beans. Next, add the chicken and its juices to the pot. Then pour in the can of green sauce and the jar of salsa. Place the pot over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until your ingredients have reduced by half. While your enchilada filling is cooking cube the cheese until you have about 2 cups. Next, take the package of corn tortillas and tear or cut them into fourths. Once the enchilada filling has reduced by half add salt and pepper to taste. Then add 2 tsp of dried cilantro and 1 tsp of Mexican spice blend and stir until mixed thoroughly. Coat the bottom of a 3-qt (9″ x 13″) Pyrex dish, and begin layering your tortillas, cheese, and enchilada filling and then again – tortillas, cheese, and enchilada filling. To add a crunch to the top of the enchilada’s break about 2 cups of blue corn tortillas chips and add to the top of the enchilada filling and sprinkle with cheese. Cover the Pyrex with foil and place in oven for 35 minutes.  Remove the foil and broil on high for about 3 minutes or until a golden cheesy crust forms.

Baked Chicken Tenders w/ a Kick!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 17, 2011 in Appetizers, Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Meat | 2 comments

Do you ever find yourself craving some of your childhood favorite foods?  As a kid, I remember always ordering chicken fingers when my family went out to eat.  What American child doesn’t eat chicken fingers?  But the problem with the chicken fingers we ate as kids and the chicken fingers kids are still eating today is, they are deep fried, coated with white flours and who knows what else, and overall are not good for our bodies or a child’s body. What can we do to twist and recreate a childhood favorite, but not damage our waste line or add to the childhood obesity epidemic?  It takes preparation and a little research to learn how to properly recreate traditional American favorites!  Be willing to think outside the box, for example -  instead of frying – bake, instead of using white flours – use whole wheat flour, instead ketchup (which is laden with high-fructose corn syrup and corn syrup) – use organic ketchup or mustard.  We can still enjoy some of our favorite childhood meals, we just have to twist the recipes to make them more nutritious!

Recipe:
Organic Olive Oil Spray

Honey-Mustard:
1/3 cup organic honey
1/3 cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard

Breading:
1 1/2 pounds organic chicken tenders, halved lengthwise
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
3 large organic eggs, at room temperature, beaten
3 tablespoons organic hot sauce
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Organic Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions:
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with foil and spray an organic olive oil to make sure chicken figures don’t stick. Set aside.

Honey-Mustard: In a small serving bowl, mix together the organic honey and mustard until smooth. Set aside.

Breading: In a medium bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon salt. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the organic eggs and hot sauce. In a third medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Dredge the organic chicken in the whole wheat flour and then into the egg mixture. Allow any excess egg mixture to drip off and coat the chicken in the cornmeal mixture. Arrange the breaded chicken in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with organic olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Arrange the chicken on a platter and serve the organic honey-mustard alongside.