What's for Dinner? Italian Chicken in Envelopes, Quinoa Salad with Beans and Pralines Salad

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

What you'll need:

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 medium cooking Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 large Tomato, chopped 

2 stalks Celery, chopped

1 tsp dried Oregano

10 fresh Basil leaves, cut into ribbons

4 Bay Leaves

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Cut 4 (10-inch) pieces of aluminum foil; grease with 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place Chicken Breast in center of each piece of foil.

Combine: onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Spoon mixture over each Chicken Breast.

Add one Bay Leave to each envelope.

Fold foil into neat sealed envelopes.

Place on cookie sheet.

 Bake at 425F for 40 minutes

Serves 4 (you can serve from envelopes!)

Quinoa Salad with Beans

Quinoa Salad with Beans

What you'll need:

 1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 cup Green Beans, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

 1 can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

 2 Green Onions, finely chopped

1/2 English Cucumber, diced

2 Tbsp fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar

3 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice

How to cook Quinoa:

In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup Quinoa, bring back to a boil, cover, cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until Quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Yields about 4 cups.

The Salad:

Steam Green Beans for 2 minutes. Soak in ice water bath and drain well. Set aside.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl or casserole dish with lid (I use this....no clean-up involved. Leftovers straight into refrigerator)

Refrigerate salad for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4 (leftovers can be kept in refrigerator for 3 days! Hello, lunch!)

Pralines Salad

What you'll need:

1 cup Stevia

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

1 cup Whole Raw Pecans

To make the Pralines:

Combine: 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Heat sunflower oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir in pecans and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

Continue to saute, stirring frequently until the sugar has caramelized and the pecans turn golden brown.

Remove from heat and toss the pecans in the spice mixture until completely covered. 

Sift pecans with hand strainer.

Turn onto baking sheet to cool.

You can serve the nuts warm or store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. 

To make the Salad:

Combine:

8 cups combination of Leafy Green Lettuce, Kale, Spinach and Arugula

1 cup sliced fresh Strawberries

1 small Red Onion, finely sliced

1/2 cup soft Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 cup Pralines (see above recipe)

Dressing:

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar

Salt and Pepper to taste