Ashley's CSN Giveaway! by Cheryl

My friend, neighbor, and workout buddy, Ashley has an amazing cooking blog at www.asheyscookingadventures.blogspot.com. She has made things from Spanish flan with blueberries to smoked whitefish dip to chicken alfredo fettuccini, and since I live right next door I've had the pleasure of trying a few of these delicious dishes!

CSN Stores is helping Ashley host her first giveaway... a $35 giftcard to use on anything on their website. All you have to do is click on the link below and you can enter to win! Afterward, you can check out all of Ashley's great dishes and her beautiful website!

http://ashleyscookingadventures.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-giveaway.html

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Beans, by Cheryl

This is a very simple dish which had a lot of flavor to it. I could eat this with or without the beans; they didn't make much difference to the overall taste. A great recipe for a quick meal! Yum!

Ingredients:

Pasta (I used whole grain rotini)
2 cups grape tomatoes
olive oil
4 garlic cloves, cut into pieces
fresh oregano (I used dried)
salt, pepper
small can of white beans
red hot pepper flakes, optional
fresh basil (I used dried)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle of top

Directions:

1) Slice tomatoes in half, place them on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cut pieces of garlic and oregano and place on cookie sheet. Add salt and pepper and toss together, making sure the tomatoes are coated.

2) Place in oven at 350 and cook for about 15-20 minutes, using a spatula to turn once or twice.

3) Meanwhile, boil the pasta and drain. Drain a small can of white beans. Toss everything together in a bowl, then add the red pepper flakes if desired. Toss in the minced basil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Vietnamese- Style Chicken Salad, by Diane

Yet another delicious chicken recipe from my awesome chicken magazine, Fine Cooking. This recipe requires a lot of ingredients that aren't normally found in a pantry (well, mine anyway!), but the ingredients keep and you won't have to buy them again for a while since you use such small amounts. The recipe states that you should grill the chicken, but I chose to bake it so it would be moister and easier to shred. I also omitted the jalepeno. This dish came out really tasty, but I have to admit that the first few bites were....interesting. There are so many flavors going on in this dish that they kind of hit you in layers, and at first my family and I didn't know what to make of it. But, after the first few bites- we couldn't stop eating it!!! It also keeps really well in the fridge for the next day. So there you go, another delicious and healthy recipe! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 small shallots, coarsely chopped to equal about 1/2 cup
1 fresh jalepeno, chopped (and seeded if you want less heat)
1 tbs. granulated sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbs. fish sauce
1 lb. thin chicken breast cutlets (1/4-1/2 in. thick)
kosher salt
1 6 oz. package coleslaw mix
1 cup fresh mint leaves (torn if large)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped


Directions:

1. Ground the shallots, jalepeno, sugar, and 1/8 tsp. pepper until the shallots are very soft and their liquid is released. (I didn't have a mortar and pestle and just ground the ingredients with the back of a spoon in a small bowl or on the cutting board).

2. Transfer the shallot mixture to a large bowl and combine with vinegar and fish sauce.

3. Season the chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper, and cook until just cooked through.

4. Let the chicken cool, then shred it with a fork following the grain into thin strips.

5. Toss the coleslaw mix into the mixture, then add chicken, cilantro, and mint. Combine well.

6. Top the mixture with peanuts and serve at room temperature.

Apricot Balsamic Grilled Chicken, by Diane

It's been a while!!! It's good to be back cooking, and I'm hoping this recipe is the first of many more to come in the next few weeks. I got this amazing cooking magazine with a highlight on chicken (my fave food), so be forewarned that my upcoming recipes might all be chicken related!! Tonight I picked Apricot Balsamic Grilled Chicken, since it was a perfect night for grilling and the recipe was looked easy and delicious. It came out amazing, although I added more apricot preserves and rosemary than the recipe called for because I thought the balsamic flavor was just too strong. I nearly doubled both. Anyway, this is a perfect dinner for when you are craving grilled chicken but are tired of the usual flavors (bbq, teriyaki, etc.). It's also really easy, goes well with grilled veggies (tonight I made grilled asparagus brushed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grilled sweet potato fries), and you can make the glaze a day ahead if needed. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup apricot preserves
3 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 large pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

1. Melt the butter first in a small sauce pan over medium high heat, then stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir often until glaze thickens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Grill chicken on both sides until nearly done, then brush each side with glaze and flip until chicken is cooked and has a nice golden color. If you are like me and want even more glaze, it makes an awesome dipping sauce for the chicken as well!