New Ways with Chicken: 20 Minutes to Easy Chicken with Olive Tapenade

One of my Birmingham friends, Adelaide, made my day on Sunday when she told me that she cooks her way through my blog every week. I appreciate that more than I can say, and I know since she is a mother of 4 girls, it’s not always easy to get dinner on the table. This simple recipe for Chicken with Olive Tapenade is so good and only 20 minutes start to finish. If you don’t feel like going outside to grill, use a grill pan or large skillet over the stove. My youngest son, Zachary loves olives, so this is one of his favorites. Use the leftover tapenade to top crostini, a salad or on shrimp, pork or a burger.

Low-Fat Asian: Easy Thai Noodle (Pad Thai)

My kids love Thai food, and one of their favorite restaurants in Birmingham is Surin West. They love to order the Pad Thai (or Thai noodle) which is flavored to perfection. This is a light variation that is similar to their recipe. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list. This recipe is low-fat and healthy and a great weeknight dinner choice.

Moo Shu Chicken on Daytime Alabama

This recipe for Moo Shu Chicken has been a hit ever since I posted it a few months ago. I will be preparing it Thursday, October 1st on NBC 13 “Daytime Alabama” at 11:30 a.m. Tune in and try this low carb awesome dish.

Easy Summer Weeknight Dinner: Chicken Cutlets with Greek Salsa

I know I have been on a Greek kick lately, but this recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. My kids love Greek-style ingredients: feta, kalamata olives and fresh herbs so this is perfect served alongside chicken cutlets. You can grill these outside or use a grill or saute pan if you wish. This Greek Salsa is also great served with fish, shrimp, steak or pork.

Light, Simple and Budget Friendly: Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

I love cooking in a skillet, especially a grill pan such as this. It’s so easy and quick, and dinner comes together in under 25 minutes. Using chicken cutlets works great in this recipe because they cook so quickly. If you can’t find chicken cutlets at your local store, just slice a boneless chicken breast so it is half the size in thickness. I love this fresh combination of the chicken with grape tomatoes, olives and fresh basil and parsley. It’s perfect this time of year, and my kids love it too. See me preparing this recipe on “Talk of Town” on News Channel 5 in Nashville, this Thursday at 11:30 a.m.

Skillet Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

This recipe is a breeze, and it’s bursting with flavors from paprika, cumin, olives, parsley and tomatoes. If you don’t like cumin, you can omit it and double the paprika. Using chicken cutlets cuts down on the cooking time so you will have this to your table in about 25 minutes or so. Serve with a big green salad, roasted asparagus or some rice, and that’s all you need for dinner tonight.

Skillet Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

11/2 pounds chicken cutlets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup white wine or low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup sliced green olives

Preparation

1. Sprinkle chicken with first 3 ingredients; drizzle with lemon juice. Heat oil in a large lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is golden.

2. Remove chicken from skillet and pour white wine into skillet, stirring to scrape the bottom solids. Add shallots and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat; add chicken back to skillet; simmer 5 minutes.

My Television Appearance Recipes From January 11th

Yesterday, I did a cooking segment on my favorite station Fox 6 News in Birmingham, Alabama which was so much fun! Television work has been an added dimension to my business as I taped eight television cooking segments last month in Massachusetts. Back to yesterday, I have had enormous reponse to the recipes I made on the show, so I thought I would run the recipes one more time. For all of you loyal subscribers, I hope you will forgive me for seeing them again. Hopefully, you will be able to use them this time of year as they are so healthy, flavorful and delicious.

Here’s the link if you want to see my video: http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=8230072&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.2.1

Spinach Apple Salad

Prep: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach

4 small Granny Smith apples, chopped

3/4 cup cashews, toasted (pecan halves may also be used)

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large salad bowl.

2. Whisk together sugar and next 4 ingredients until blended. Serve dressing with salad.

Note: You can chill dressing up to 1 day; whisk well before serving.

Lemon Herbed Chicken

This recipe is also fabulous when grilled.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use chicken cutlets)

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well. Pour lemon marinade over the chicken in a zip-top resealable bag; marinate 1 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Place chicken on a lightly greased grill or saute pan over medium-high heat; cook 2 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Garnish with with the lemon slices.

Note: You can also cook these the oven by placing them on a baking sheet (or cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup). Broil 51/2 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially open) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until tender;