Tag Archives: food

Easy Peasy Chicken Caprese

Posted on June 28, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is one of those recipes that I make that is so super easy. Very few ingredients and other than cutting tomatoes and mozzarella balls, there is very little prep. You gotta love meals like this, especially in the summer when these beautiful heirloom tomatoes are abundant. I really only make this in the summer . It is light and delicious and makes for a beautiful salad as well and you can serve it at room temperature. I made this last night with burnt brussel sprouts on the side . You’re not going to believe how easy this is. It’s amazing!

Follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 container marinated bocconcini ( mozzarella balls) you will need the oil from the container to marinate chicken ( it comes in an olive oil marinade with spices)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , I buy them pounded thin or use chicken tenderloins –you just don’t want them too too thick

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 pint heirloom ( if you can get them) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

*a little cut up basil is always a good idea!

Directions:

Take bocconcini balls out of the marinade. Cut bocconcini balls in quarters. Transfer about 1/2 of the marinade from bocconcini to a medium size baking dish , add the chicken , salt and pepper the chicken and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. If you’d like you can refrigerate , and take out and bring to room temperature before grilling.

Put cheese in a bowl, add the remaining oil marinade and add the cut tomatoes to this bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste, give it a good stir and put in refrigerator till you’re ready to cook chicken. I removed from fridge about 1/2 hour before I cooked the chicken. Just bring it to room temperature.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat , till you get nice grill marks, probably about 8 minutes. You can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and mix with tomatoes and cheese. I just plated up the chicken and put tomato/cheese mixture on the plate. Perfect summer meal.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and String Beans Sheet Pan

Posted on June 23, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is an easy dinner with perfectly seasoned roasted chicken with lemon flavor , potatoes and string beans all on one sheet pan. This recipe is good for 3-4 people depending on your eaters. Feel free to double up and make more and you can even use 2 sheet pans — just adjust oven racks accordingly.

If you don’t have a rimmed sheet pan you can use a 13 x 9 baking dish.

We loved the flavors and the chicken cooked up perfectly . I used smallish thighs so it cooked perfectly in the time frame I wrote up. If you have larger thighs you’ll want to cook a little longer till meat thermometer reads 160- 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 small bone-in skin on chicken thighs — app. 2-3 lbs.

1 1/2 lbs. small potatoes ( I used a medley of colored potatoes) cut into bite-sized chunks — see pics. If you have a larger potato just cut into chunks– I used small ones so I cut in 1/2 and placed cut side down

1/4 cup Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon for string beans

1 average size lemon zested and juiced

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 average sized lemon sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 small yellow onion cut into chunks — or 1/2 a large sized onion

3/4 lb. green string beans trimmed

Salt and Pepper for string beans

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Spray a rimmed large baking sheet with cooking spray

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary , oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Pat chicken pieces dry first ( this is important for a crispy skin) Arrange chicken and potatoes on the prepped baking sheet. Pour the olive oil mixture over the chicken and potatoes and gently toss with clean hands. You can also place in a larger bowl and pour mixture over and coat chicken and potatoes.

Place potatoes cut side down, tuck the garlic cloves under the chicken pieces, place lemon slices and onions around the chicken

Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, I prepped the green beans . Toss clean trimmed green beans with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

After the initial 20 minutes I added the green beans and roasted for an additional 20 minutes or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 – 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken. Veggies and potatoes should be tender.

*depending on the size of your chicken thighs it could take longer .

Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Perfection on a plate .

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Cowboy Caviar

Posted on June 20, 2024 | 2 comments

I made this for the first time and really enjoyed it. It’s a great dip as an appetizer with chips but I served it as a side dish alongside my chicken fajitas along with some chips. Ingredients can be swapped out to use what you like or don’t like just try and keep the quantities the same. I couldn’t find black eyed peas so used pinto beans and it was fine. I love a bit of spicy so used a jalapeño and I love cilantro but so many people don’t like it so I left it out this time. It ‘s very delicious and other than a bit of chopping up veggies which can be done ahead it’s super easy! You can add some fresh avocado chunks at the end right before serving and you can make a day ahead and maybe drain some of the liquid before serving, it’s almost better the next day since flavors meld overnight. A squeeze of fresh lime would also be nice. I wouldn’t omit the sugar as the amount is so small in relation to the whole recipe that health concerns are negligible. The sugar adds overall flavor and adds a balance between the acidity and the saltiness flavor. Have fun with this recipe no matter how you do it — no right and no wrong here do it your way. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

for the dressing:

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3-4 garlic cloves -minced

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Kosher Salt and black pepper

For the Salad:

3 plum tomatoes, cored , seeded if desired and diced — you can also use halved cherry tomatoes and use about 1/2 pint

1/2 red onion, finely diced — app. 3/4 up

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz. can black eyed peas , rinsed and drained– I used Pinto because I couldn’t find black eyed peas out here in CO whatever beans you like you can even use 2 cans of black beans

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels ( about 3-4 cobs) or thawed drained frozen sweet corn about 8 oz. or even roasted corn ( Trader Joes) if you like it and can get it– I used 4 cobs of fresh corn which is so abundant right now

1 red, green, or orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced *

*1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves plus more for garnish — totally optional

1 scallion, white and green parts, added at the end before serving for garnish

*tortilla chips, for serving also optional

Directions:

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to combine– set aside

Add the tomatoes, red onion, drained and rinsed beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, and if you’re using cilantro, Toss to combine with dressing and season for salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving or even overnight.

To serve, take out of fridge, toss well and taste for seasonings. Sprinkle with scallions and if you’re serving as a dip or even as a side dish it’s great with tortilla chips. ( everything is better with chips)

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Cucumber Avocado Salad

Posted on June 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Light and easy — Cucumbers and Avocado Salad with a light lime dressing. This side salad will disappear very quickly and you’ll be wanting more.

I made it without the green onion so feel free to add it or not it was just as yummy without. Just happen to have avocado and cucumber in the house but next time I will make sure to add a little green onion!

Ingredients:

2 English Cucumbers –Slice Cuke in 1/2 — scoop out seeds and slice or use any cucumbers you like I just like to remove seeds and cut smaller cukes into smaller pieces — it really doesn’t matter how you slice them up– if I use kirby type cucumbers (as pictured) I cut into smaller pieces — totally up to you– it’s all good — small Persians work well here and you’ll probably need 3 or 4 — I don’t scoop out seeds from the Persian cucumbers

1 large avocado pitted, peeled and cut into chunks or slices whichever you prefer

*1/3 cup green onion , chopped

2 Tbsp. Lime Juice from 1 medium lime

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Kosher Salt or Sea Salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a medium sized salad type bowl, combine sliced cucumbers , avocado and if you’re adding green onions.

Drizzle with lime juice, olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. I sliced cucumbers and dressing earlier than right before I served it added the avocado so it wouldn’t brown. The lime juice should prevent it from turning brown though.

That’s it and very delicious side salad .

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Chicken thighs with Hot Honey and Lime

Posted on June 12, 2024 | Leave a comment

I used bone-in skin on but you can easily make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs just watch your timing it may vary. Chicken thighs pack a lot of flavor and this was a perfect weeknight meal using a few pantry staples. This is a spicy chicken recipe and if you don’t like it “hot” and spicy it’s not for you. Original recipe is from. Vallery Lomas on NYT cooking site. I made a few changes to suit myself but basically followed the recipe. I would maybe try olive oil instead of butter next time but this was delicious. I would also double down on the sauce —

You can serve hot out of oven with rice/potatoes a vegetable or Cole Slaw or any salad to compliment this tasty dish.

Ingredients:

3lbs. bone-in skin on chicken thighs

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce — I used Cholula Hot sauce

1 lime for zesting and juicing

2 Tablespoons mild honey

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. I sprayed a baking sheet with Pam cooking spray for easier clean up or you can cover with foil whichever you prefer.

Pat chicken thighs dry and then season all over with spices — Salt , Pepper, Onion Powder and Garlic Powder — fresh garlic will burn here as oven is very hot

Arrange the chicken skin side up then post until browned for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting, combine the melted butter and hot sauce and whisk to combine.

transfer 1/2 of it to a separate bowl and set aside for later. After the chicken has roasted for 20 minutes, brush the chicken all over with the butter mixture. Continue to roast until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, probably 10-15 more minutes — keep an eye on it after 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven when done.

Zest the lime, then cut in 1/2. Add the honey and zest to the remaining butter-hot sauce mixture and whisk to combine, then brush over the hot chicken thighs and squeeze the lime over the chicken.

Serve immediately.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Salmon with a Mustard Glaze

Posted on June 5, 2024 | Leave a comment

Here is another delicious Salmon recipe and so super easy. This is a light easy to make dinner perfect Spring Time Meal.  I made this for dinner last night and it was ready in no time and tasted truly delicious.It is light and easy, it doesn’t get much easier than this. The whole recipe took less than 1/2 hour to prep and cook! Depending on how thick your salmon is it could take no more than 10 minutes to fully cook right in the oven. Very few ingredients and a perfect dinner casual enough for just you and your family and can be bumped up to serve to guests. This is a winner.  Almost any side dish will do alongside this.

Roasted Brussels on another night were also perfect.

img_3593

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (app. 1 average size lemon)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper ( about 1/4 tsp. of each)

4 pieces Salmon fillets ( app. 6 oz. each) with skin on

*sprinkle a little fresh thyme if you’d like!!!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray to facilitate removal of fish not to mention clean-up.

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I used a mini whisk and it came together beautifully.

Place Salmon, skin side down in a baking dish , and spoon mustard glaze over each piece of fish. Bake until salmon is just cooked through and no longer red, 6 – 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet. I added a sprinkle of some fresh thyme right before I cooked and it added some more delicious flavor, this is totally optional.

*also now that I am an air fryer convert I would use that for this recipe as well. Probably 7-8 minutes as well –check on it after 7 depending on your air fryer and depending on thickness of salmon.

Voila! done and enjoy. I served this time with a delicious lentil side dish.

Leave a comment

Posted in Fish, Healthy Cooking with Candi, seafood

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Corn

Posted on May 31, 2024 | Leave a comment

I saw this recipe on the New York Times cooking site by Ali Slagle. One of my most favorite cooking sites. I made a few changes to recipe and would highly recommend checking out this recipe. Sometimes I serve with rice but this recipe stands on its own as a meal. You can use pasta or bread as well. If you love shrimp and corn and tomatoes this one’s for you.

Perfect in the summer months with all that sweet fresh corn out there. Grab some fresh corn and use it in this wonderful dish.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined — I used under 12 ( meaning 12 to a pound) Mexican White Shrimp– this is the shrimp I prefer but use what you can get and like

Kosher Salt and Pepper 

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes — there are so many variations out there now– I used these tiny little grape tomatoes but would use different colors as well ( heirloom grape / cherry tomatoes)

2 cups fresh or frozen corn– app. 4 ears fresh corn

5 garlic cloves–minced

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes — we like the heat use at your own discretion– this was not spicy

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

*extra lemon wedges and cut up fresh basil for serving–totally optional

Directions:

Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, app. 1 – 2 minutes on each side. Remove with slotted spoon to a plate and set aside. You will finish cooking through at the end and you don’t want shrimp to over-cook.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, you can season with a little salt and pepper if you’d like and cook stirring a few times just till the tomatoes to start to blister, 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring a few times to incorporate. Tomatoes will start to burst and the corn is golden , another 3- 4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook stirring another few minutes. 

Reduce heat to medium and add the wine and lemon juice, stirring any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted . Add back the shrimp and stir until warmed through and shrimp is fully cooked , another 2 minutes or so. Stove was on medium-low.

Taste for Salt and Pepper . Add some fresh Basil if you’d like and you can serve with some extra lemon wedges .

Leave a comment

Posted in seafood, shrimp

Tagged , , , , ,

Air Fryer Salmon in 15 Minutes

Posted on May 29, 2024 | Leave a comment

Last night I made this salmon and I have to say it was so delicious — served it up with a side salad and Trader Joe’s vegetable fried rice — easy peasy and delicious — all you need is an air fryer and some very basic spices. Perfect and quick and delicious! This is a very loose recipe so use as much or as little of the spices as you like. You can use whatever spices you like as well– the paprika gives it a nice color though.

Not much more to say so here’s what I did.

Ingredients:

I used 3 Salmon Fillets because I like to have a piece left over for the next day so as many filets as you like

Dijon Mustard or you prefer a different mustard use what you like I love Dijon and I slather it on

Paprika

Garlic Powder

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper — I prefer freshly ground but use what you have

Olive Oil Spray

Directions:

Pat salmon filets dry – this is important so that toppings stick to the salmon

I place salmon on a small cookie sheet and slather the salmon tops with dijon mustard use a flat knife or brush — see photo

I then sprinkle each of the spices over the salmon — eyeball it and don’t go too crazy with any one spice but be generous with garlic powder and paprika. Easy on the kosher salt just sprinkle and a few grinds of the black pepper. I then finish with a quick spray of olive oil on top to keep the salmon moist .

I like to pre-heat my air fryer so I set it to 400 and pre-heated for 5 minutes ( optional)

I can only get two filets into my air fryer at a time — I cooked the first two skin side down at 400 for 8-10 minutes depending on how you like your salmon, 9 minutes should be perfect but every air fryer is a little different. Then repeat with the rest of the salmon. Salmon doesn’t have to be served piping hot so you can wait another 9 minutes to serve. The salmon skin gets crispy when you pre-heat the air fryer which I find perfect. Pre-heating is really optional and you can remove the skin after cooking if you prefer — I don’t. The salmon gets a beautiful crust and the mustard gives it delicious flavor.

*obviously the size and thickness of your salmon will impact cooking time so always best to undercook the salmon and add time rather than over cook the salmon.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

My Version of the famous La Scala Salad

Posted on May 21, 2024 | Leave a comment

La Scala is a restaurant in Beverly Hills, Ca. that is famous for their chopped salad. The ingredients are yummy and so so easy to make. It’s like eating an Italian Hero in salad form and what’s wrong with that?

It is full of delicious ingredients — lettuce, garbanzo beans/chick peas , cheese and salami and the vinaigrette is savory and perfect. It’s an old school recipe from the 50’s that still holds up by today’s standards. The best part of this salad is you can substitute and add whatever you like I always add tomatoes, if you don’t like salami or pepperoni use turkey or chicken, cucumbers would be good, pickles or artichokes instead of garbanzo beans, some banana peppers or olives and of course romaine instead of iceberg or combine the two. I love a good chopped salad and love iceberg as the base just be sure and chop up good so there are pieces in every bite. I like the salad as is but feel free to experiment. It’s basic and very simple and rumor has it that it’s Kim Kardashian’s fav salad but honestly this salad has been around for around 60 years.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Salad:

this is what I used

1 head iceberg lettuce finely chopped

1/4 lb. Italian salami , thinly sliced — julienned or just chop it

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can chick peas/garbanzo beans ,rinsed and well drained

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil – EVVO extra virgin olive oil always

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ( around 1/4 tsp.) a few good grinds of the pepper mill

1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano

Directions:

I used a glass measuring cup to make salad dressing because I wasn’t dressing whole salad for the two of us. I have 1/2 the salad left over for tomorrow and was storing dressing and salad . If salad is dressed it will wilt and I don’t like it like that. So I dressed our salad separately . This salad will serve 4 nicely.

Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard , salt and pepper with a small whisk if you have one . Add in the cheese and continue to whisk. If no whisk a fork will do.

Dressing will last a few days in fridge and I will eat the salad again for lunch tomorrow so that’s just perfect!

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pastaa

Posted on May 7, 2024 | Leave a comment

Since it’s truly Springtime here in NY I think about lightening up the menu. Asparagus is so very beautiful this time of year and shrimp is always my go-to. This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me  and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish and if you leave the pasta out you have a super light dish!   I also used linguine in this recipe because it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect) but any spaghetti will work here.

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 pint size containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 16-20 oz. of tomatoes)  I cut tomatoes in 1/2.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional

3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)

1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly) scoop out a little pasta water after cooking about 1/2 cup to 1 cup and keep it handy if pasta is too dry, you can add water to it a little bit at a time.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app.  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes at least 5 minutes . You want the tomatoes to start to burst so they make a delicious sauce.  Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .

Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine.  You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.

This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.

*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.

Leave a comment

Posted in pasta, seafood, vegetables

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,