Now this is my kind of food!

A simple baked chicken dish packed with Mediterranean flavors. Everything cooks in one pan so that all of the ingredients can happily infuse. I like to brown the chicken first and then roast it alongside plump cherry tomatoes, red onions, and white beans. It comes out of the oven all sticky and caramelized.

I have 2 secrets- the first is to use marinated artichoke hearts and bocconcini (bite-size mozzarella balls). The garlicky/vinegary marinade adds incredible flavor without having to do a thing. The second trick is to toss in plently of fresh herbs right before serving. I like to use chopped basil and parsley. The smell in your kitchen will be out of this world!

If you can marinate your chicken beforehand, this dish will taste even better. If you’re pressed for time, just skip it. It will still be very good. I like to serve this with homemade bread and a nice green salad. Any leftovers are great mixed through with pasta.

*Make sure to use a baking dish that is larger than 9x 13 inches. A large roasting pan is ideal. Overcrowding will cause the ingredients to steam rather than caramelize. Use 2 pans if necessary. 

5.0 from 1 reviews

dinner tonight: mediterranean baked chicken

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Author: The Clever Carrot

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1½ lbs. chicken breast or thighs (bonless & skinless)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. marinade from artichoke hearts
• 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves stripped

Bake

• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, left whole
• 1x 14 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 1x 14 oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed (I used northern white beans)
• ½ c. Kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 small tub marinated bocconcini
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Garnish

• fresh basil & parsley, to taste

Instructions

1. For the marinade, drain the artichoke hearts reserving its juice in a small bowl. Pat the artichokes dry with a paper towel and set aside. To another bowl, add 2 tbsp. of the reserved artichoke juice, garlic, and oregano leaves. Cut the chicken into 1½ inch strips and add to the bowl. Mix well to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, maximum 3 hours.
2. When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 400 F.
3. To a large roasting pan, add the sliced onions and tomatoes. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook (stirring occasionally) until the onions are soft and the tomatoes begin to burst, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet warm 1 tsp. of olive oil over moderate heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches. The chicken will be slightly undercooked.
5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. At this point, the onions should be soft and sticky. If not, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. To the pan, add the chicken, artichoke hearts, beans, and olives (not the bocconcini- if you add the cheese too early it will melt all over the place). Roast for about 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Roughly chop a large handful of both basil and parsley.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven. Now add the bocconcini and herbs and toss gently to combine. The heat from the pan will melt the cheese. Drizzle with a little good quality olive oil.
9. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a nice green salad.

Notes

*If you prefer, feel free to substitute chicken legs, thighs, or breast (skin on, bone-in) for this recipe. Your cooking time will vary according to size.

3.1.09

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I made it for my high school graduation party (because that’s what normal high school graduates do…) and every time I think of it, I laugh.

I laugh because of Laura. Laura is my best friend of 27 years and also my proof editor for this blog (I was going to say ‘editor at large’ but she’d kill me if I used the word ‘large’ and her name in the same sentence!) She volunteered herself for this position, and has become quite obsessed with my over usage placement of commas, ( ), and … ‘s. She was an English major, you can’t blame her.

So, what’s so funny about Laura and the cake?

To make a long story short (and a short story funny) it ended up in my face, OK? Yeah, that’s right- cake in the face. While her mouth was full, she tried to tell me that it was ‘sooooo moist’ but instead, spewed cake crumbs with military precision all over the place, like into my eyes and everything! It didn’t help that I was only inches away from her. It was really funny. We laughed hysterically. You had to be there.

I need to digress for a second- isn’t this bag of blueberries so pretty? I’m a total sucker for packaging, especially when brown craft paper is involved!

It just so happens that the texture of these cupcakes reminds me of my graduation cake. They’re super moist and fluffy, just like back in the day. My grandmother taught me that cornstarch (and sifting no less than 3 times) is the secret. I used to use cake flour to achieve the same effect, but when I found out that it was bleached I freaked out and never used it again. Bleach is for laundry, thank you very much. Cornstarch works just fine.

If cupcakes are not your thing, this recipe makes a beautiful cake too (see recipe notes). You can even change up the fruit toppings as well- let your imagination run wild!

* To achieve light and fluffy cupcakes, make sure to sift all of the dry ingredients no less than 3 times, 5 times is best. Also, using small apples for this recipe will ensure that the slices will fit snugly into the cupcake molds. I bought my tulip baking cups here.

5.0 from 2 reviews

blueberry apple cupcakes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: The Clever Carrot inspired by Fast Fresh Simple by, Donna Hay

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 1½ c. flour (2 tbsp. removed)
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• pinch of salt

Wet ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tbsp.) softened
• ¾ c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ¾ c. buttermilk

Toppings

• 1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 small red apples (unpeeled), thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
2. Measure out 1½ c. of flour, making sure to remove 2 tablespoons.
3. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Sift no less than 3 times, 5 times for best results! Set aside.
4. In an electric stand mixer, add the softened butter and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time and beat until well incorporated.
6. Add the vanilla.
7. Working in batches, and the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
8. Fill each baking cup about ⅔ full. Top with blueberries and about 3 apple slices, tucking them gently into the batter.
9. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
10. Bake in the center of the oven for about 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

* To turn this recipe into a cake, lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

3.1.09

The post blueberry apple cupcakes appeared first on The Clever Carrot.

So this is what we’re supposed to do with strawberries, right?

I thought so.

Call it seasonal drinking if you will (or a good excuse to make margaritas…) made with spring’s finest strawberries. Oh, how I love myself a juicy, ripe strawberry.

My kids made me buy some of this strawberry lemonade that we sampled at the store. I don’t buy juice that often, but I was swayed by this one. It was mouthwateringly tart and I’m a total sucker for lemonade. Bonus points for the fact that it was all organic and sweetened with agave. Yum.

As they were slurping it down, my mind drifted to the land of icy cold margaritas and a lap pool somewhere. This would make a darn good margarita I thought. Was it 5 o’clock yet? (nope…9:45 AM actually).

Best friends…

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, these festive cocktails will definitely be on the menu at our house. They’re crisp and refreshing, just how a margarita should be. It’s a good excuse to use my overpriced designer pink salt from Williams Sonoma too. We’re gonna light up the grill, make some fish tacos, and get our party on!

5.0 from 1 reviews

strawberry lemonade margaritas

 

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Author: The Clever Carrot

Serves: 1

Ingredients

For the drink

• 2 oz. good quality tequila, (I used Patron Reposado)
• ½ oz. cointreau
• 5 oz. strawberry lemonade
• fresh lime juice

Garnish

• Kosher salt (optional)
• fresh strawberries
• lime slices

Instructions

1. Add salt to a shallow dish. Cut a lime wedge and run it around the rim of a glass. Gently dip the glass into the salt, twisting back and forth to coat. Fill with ice and set aside.
2. In a martini shaker, add the tequila, cointreau, and strawberry lemonade. Shake well.
3. Pour over ice and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste (if desired).
4. Garnish with thinly sliced limes and strawberries.

#version#

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