Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

I made this for the second time and am reminded just how good (and easy) this is! The first time I followed the recipe to the "T" except using breast. This time I had frozen tenderloin so I thawed some in the microwave. I also used onion powder instead of fresh onion and dried rosemary instead of fresh sprigs. I couldn't tell a difference. Best part, I had all the ingredients on hand!

Taken from: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/easy-honey-mustard-baked-chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup of grainy, course mustard (aka Grey Poupon)
1/4 cup smooth dijion mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced (or onion powder)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
salt and pepper
3 - 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. (I forgot about the olive oil the second time and didn't notice a difference)

In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet (if you don't have a cast iron yet...get one!), add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant. (I just did the garlic here)

Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture, or if the pan you cooked the onion and garlic in is not oven safe, transfer the onion and garlic to an oven safe dish and add the chicken to it. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference. (I sprinkled on the onion powder with the salt and pepper)

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan. (Or sprinkle the Rosemary. Tip: if you rub the dried rosemary with your hands as you sprinkle on, it releases the fragrance...or so I've read)

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes (I used aluminum foil to cover). Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through (it only took 20 min for me). 

It is delicious served over rice! I pour some of the sauce over the top for extra moisture and so it soaks into the rice. This is also paired well with greens like asparagus, broccoli, or spinach salad. 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

In the last post for Zucchini Parmesan, I mentioned how I wanted to find more uses for zucchini. I found this recipe and, OMG, soooooo good! At first, I was just going to make it easy on myself and just buy marinara sauce but I decided to try out theirs and I'm so glad I did! It was very easy, especially since I had all the spices on hand, and tasted amazing. I even used the leftovers later!

Taken from:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2015/04/stuffed-zucchini-boats.html 

4 large zucchini (makes 8 boats)

1 lb lean ground beef 

1 lb ground sausage

2 tsp crushed garlic (I just minced by hand)

2  cups grated Mozzarella cheese (I just used shredded from a bag)

¹/₂  cup Parmesan cheese (calls for grated from the can, but I used shredded that I get at Trader Joes)

2 tbsp coconut flour (use this for sure because it helps to soak up the moisture from the zucchini)

Easy Marinara Sauce:

14 oz canned, finely diced tomatoes, OR fresh, chopped tomatoes 

1 tsp salt

¹/₂  tsp dried basil 

¹/₂  tsp dried oregano 

¹/₂  tsp dried thyme 

¹/₄  tsp black pepper 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp.  Chop pulp finely and set aside.

Marinara Sauce:  In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper. 

Boats: In large frying pan, over medium heat, cook ground beef, sausage meat and garlic until browned and cooked through.  Pour off fat, if necessary. Stir in ¹/₂  cup Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, plus 1 cup of the reserved zucchini pulp and coconut flour.  Now stir in the Marinara Sauce. Use the remainder of the pulp in a veggie stir-fry, if desired.  Stuff the zucchinis and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake 40 minutes.  Cover with 1 cup Mozzarella cheese.  Bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and zucchini are getting quite soft.  Cover with the remaining ¹/₂  cup Mozzarella cheese and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the zucchinis are completely soft to the tip of a sharp paring knife.

Zucchini Parmesan

I've been wanting to find ways to use zucchini since I know it's good for us but I'm just not clever enough to buy some some and cook it up. But this was really good and didn't need a lot of prep work.

Taken from: http://acozykitchen.com/zucchini-parmesan 

3-4 zucchini

Coarse salt

1 cup flour

Olive oil

2/3 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

1 large ball fresh mozzarella (I just cut up some string cheese we had in the fridge!)

Small handful of basil leaves, roughly torn (I bought a small container of fresh leaves)

3/4 finely grated Parmesan (it's not finely grated but I love the containers they sell at Trader Joes)

Slice the zucchini into about 1/3" discs. Sprinkle slices with a small pinch of coarse salt on each side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly dredge the zucchini slices in the flour. Heat 1/4″ of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles on contact, add the zucchini slices in a single layer, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side or until dark golden brown. Drain the zucchini on paper towels and repeat in batches until all of your zucchini it is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

In a 13″ x 9″ baking dish (or cast iron skillet), arrange as many slices of zucchini as can fit snugly in a single layer. Top each slice with a small spoonful of tomato sauce, a few small pieces of torn mozzarella, a bit of basil and a dusting of parmesan. Continue the layers, evenly distributing all the ingredients, until everything is used up.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melting and bubbling and the house smells divine