DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert


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Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini and Corn

chicken with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn and arugula | doughseedough.net

Folks, we are up to our ears in tomatoes. Still. It’s been week after week of a million tomatoes. I did one round of canning and got 7 jars out of it. I think I’m all canned out for the season. It’s just not worth all the work.

Unfortunately, that leaves me with about 40 pounds of tomatoes to eat. Every week. I cook with them as much as I can. I bring them to work and try to pawn them off on my coworkers. I lure friends into my home and then won’t let them leave until they take some tomatoes.

Is it bad to say that I’m actually kind of sick of tomatoes? Even worse, a lot of the delicious tomato recipes I’m seeing are filled with my most recent nemesis – cheese (insert sobbing here).

Fortunately, there are recipes out there that are easily adapted to be cheese-free. This recipe happened to not only use up a decent amount of tomatoes, but I was also able to sneak in a garden zucchini and some of our garden hot peppers as well. Win!!

chicken with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn and arugula | doughseedough.net

Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Corn, and Zucchini

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 lemon, zested and juiced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn or frozen)
2 medium zucchini, quartered, seeded, and cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 bunch green onions, whites sliced
2 small fresh red or green chile peppers, finely chopped
3 cups cherry tomatoes
4 cups arugula
1/2 cup parsley

  1. Butterfly each chicken breast by cutting it in half horizontally and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 3 – 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.
  3. Add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in corn, zucchini, green onions, and green chiles. Cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 4 – 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and parsley and remove pan from heat.
  4. Top each chicken cutlet with a handful of arugula and a healthy scoop of vegetables.

adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine, September 2013


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Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

Well, I’m now closer to 30 than I am to 20. At first, I was distraught over this realization. Looking back on it, though, 26 is off to a pretty dang good start. I got to celebrate with my family over the weekend and then the actual day of my birthday was fabulous. In fact, my 25th birthday sucked in comparison.

Sushi!

 

This birthday was pretty great.

  • I had a good day at work (have I mentioned I love my job?)
  • Went for a nice run with Mike (instead of going out for drinks – how grown-up of me!)
  • Went to Takumi for a sushi dinner (totally amazing)
  • Annnnnd best of all – I was surprised with a dairy-free cheesecake by Mike. I melt a little every time I think about that cheesecake. Excuse the cell phone pic, but it’s the best I can do at the moment!

dairy free cheesecake | doughseedough.net

A little background: I’ve recently cut dairy out of my diet because I’ve been developing some not-so-fun reactions to it. I’m really struggling because I’m a dairy-lovin’ gal. Cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, cheese… you name it. After all, I do live in Wisconsin! Going cold turkey on dairy was hard. It’s still hard…

That delicious dairy-free cheesecake with raspberry sauce made everything better, though. It was so good – I still can’t believe that it was dairy free! I’m going to get him to remake it someday so I can blog about it. Yummmm.

So, while I don’t have the cheesecake recipe to share with you today, I do have some snickerdoodles! These cookies were one of three types of cookies that I brought in to work for my birthday treat. All three were delicious, but these turned out the prettiest. I don’t know about you, but I definitely “eat” with my eyes first. I’ll beautify the other two cookies and get those recipes up as soon as possible. Promise 🙂

soft & chewy snickerdoodles -- no shortening! | doughseedough.net

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles
makes 2 dozen cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

for rolling:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or use a hand mixer to beat butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
  4. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for the topping.
  5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the prepared cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  6. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until puffy and soft. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction


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Easy Japanese Chicken and Rice Soup

Here I am again, yelling from the rooftops about easy dishes. It seriously doesn’t get easier than this. Broth + leftover rice + chicken = dinner. Nice, huh? Simple enough that even Mike could make this 😉 I used leftover rice from the California Rice & Beans and that cut down on cooking time considerably. Brown rice takes about 40 minutes for us to cook, but the broth for this dish was ready in about 10 minutes. Having the leftover rice meant that I didn’t have to putz around for another 30 minutes waiting on the rice to finish!

Easy Japanese Chicken Rice Soup | doughseedough.net

Easy Japanese Chicken and Rice Soup
adapted from Eating Well

2 cups cooked brown rice
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
4 eggs, beaten
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced
4 green onions, sliced and divided

  1. Heat broth in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour in sugar, soy sauce, and mirin and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and squash to the broth. Gently pour in eggs and let cook for 2 minutes before gently stirring with a pair of chopsticks or a spatula. Stir in 3 of the green onions and allow to cook for 1 – 2 more minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
  2. Divide rice between 4 deep bowls and top with the chicken mixture. Garnish bowls with remaining green onions and serve immediately.


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Couscous Salad

It’s recipe swap time again! This month’s theme was Summer Salads and I got a couscous salad recipe from Nicole over at Cookies on Friday.

I was super excited to get this recipe because I love couscous. Specifically, pearl couscous. There’s just something really amusing about the shape and size of it to me. Unfortunately, the only place that I could find it before was at Trader Joe’s two hours away from home. Whenever I was in Madison, I would stock up on couscous.

Now, Trader Joe’s is a lovely 20 minute drive across town for me. I no longer have to be that crazy lady in the checkout line with 8 boxes of couscous in my arms.

If you can’t find pearl couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) you can use normal couscous instead! Nicole also noted that you can use whatever combination of mayonnaise and yogurt that you would like. I opted to use less mayo and subbed in a Greek yogurt instead of using a plain yogurt or sour cream, but feel free to use what you have on hand!

Couscous Salad | doughseedough.net

Couscous Salad
recipe adapted from Cookies on Friday via All Recipes

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/3 cups pearl couscous
1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds
1 – 15 ounce can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  1. To prepare the dressing: combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add couscous and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Let simmer for 12 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, combine couscous, onion, bell pepper, parsley, raisins, almonds, and chickpeas. Toss to combine. Stir in dressing until evenly incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Thanks to Taste of Home Cooking for organizing! Make sure to check out the other recipe swap posts!

 


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California Rice and Beans

My favorite part of traveling for work is getting to eat at different restaurants. My first business trip meal was at Mona Lisa’s in Eau Claire. I had their gnocchi with sausage and peppers, and it was phenomenal. The downside to all this eating out is… well, it’s a lot of eating out. I got home and just needed an easy, home cooked meal. I saw this recipe in the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and knew it would be perfect after being on the road.

I’m still trying to find a balance between my new work life, working out, and cooking. Before, I was able to run before work. I opted to work 7 – 3:30 at this new job, so running before work just isn’t going to happen! I’m a morning person, but waking up at 5:15 is as early as I can manage. Running before work would mean getting up an hour or more earlier than 5:15, depending on my distance. Nope, no thanks!  So, now I’m running after work and racing the clock to get dinner on the table at a decent time. Simple dishes are good right now since I don’t have a fully stocked pantry like I’m used to and I’m limited with my cooking tools as well.

California Rice & Beans | doughseedough.net

California Rice and Beans
adapted from Food Network Magazine, September 2013

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 – 15 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
5 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 green onions, sliced

  1. In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, bell peppers, squash, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
  2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Place vegetables into pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place beans in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Place hot rice on 4 plates and top with vegetables and mashed beans. Top beans with sliced almonds and green onions. Serve immediately.


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Shrimp with Mango, Lime and Radish Salsa

I’m happy to say that I survived my first week of work. The best part is that I really, really like my job so far and I think it’s only going to get better!

I am also happy to report that we are 90% moved in. Madison is finally starting to feel like home. We have a bed, our laptops, and most importantly – internet. The hardest part of having two homes is not having access to all of my cooking gadgets all the time. I had a difficult time deciding if I wanted to bring my stand mixer or my hand mixer (hand mixer won, due to space), a blender or a food processor (blender… but I think that I might end up getting the food processor anyway), what pots and pans to bring… I’m still not 100% satisfied with my decisions, but that will eventually get figured out, too.

The downside to this move is I haven’t been cooking a lot. We’ve been living off of sandwiches, salads, and pasta mixed with ground turkey and the tomato sauce I canned last summer. Nothing too exciting. I do have a shrimp dish that I made pre-move, though! The whole time I was eating this I was thinking about Scott Conant, a judge on Chopped, who hates raw onion. If you haven’t seen him on the show before, you will just have to trust me when I say that this man hates raw onion with a passion. He tears apart every.single.chef that uses it in their dish. If you are like Scott and hate raw onion, this dish probably isn’t for you. If you do like raw onions, then continue on!

Shrimp with Mango, Lime and Radish Salsa | doughseedough.net

Shrimp with Mango, Lime and Radish Salsa
slightly adapted from Food Network

1 1/2 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lemon, juiced
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

for the salsa:
3 limes
2 mangoes, diced
4 radishes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Toss with shrimp until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 45 minutes. Heat remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until they turn pink, turning once.
  2. Remove segments from the limes by cutting off both ends. Place lime on one cut end and with a small, sharp knife, cut off the pith and peel. When all peel and pith is removed, carefully cut between the membrane to remove the lime segments.
  3. Place lime segments in a large bowl. squeeze juice from the lime membranes into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Place cooked shrimp on top and serve immediately.


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Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine

Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine | doughseedough.net

Being split between two cities is going to be difficult for me. I have to learn to live without my fully-stocked pantry and fridge, my stand mixer, endless pots and pans, and my million different cake, cupcake, bread, and cookie pans. I’m going to have to adjust to cooking with the bare minimum.

This dish will have no problem in my “new” life. It requires no special equipment and can be tossed together in no time. The leftovers make for a pretty great lunch the next day, too.

I lightened up this dish by making my own Alfredo sauce. The canned stuff (or worse, the packet stuff) scares me and has no place in my kitchen! This homemade Alfredo also passes on the heavy cream and copious amounts of butter. Trust me, this sauce is delish and you won’t even miss the cream or butter!

Lightened Up Chicken Pesto Florentine | doughseedough.net

Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine
adapted from All Recipes

8 ounces dried whole wheat penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 3/4 cup lightened-up Alfredo sauce, recipe below (jarred will work as well)
2 tablespoons pesto
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in chicken strips and cook until no longer pink on the inside, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in spinach and tomatoes and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
  4. Mix together Alfredo sauce and pesto and pour into cooked pasta. Stir in chicken and spinach and mix well to combine.
  5. Serve immediately.

Lightened Up Alfredo Sauce
makes 1 3/4 cup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until soft.
  2. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.
  3. Whisk in cream cheese and Parmesan cheese until smooth.


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Salted Fudge Brownies

Holy smokes, I can’t believe it’s August already! Life is a little crazy right now. We have the Big (-ish) Move on Saturday to prepare for and our house is a disaster. I can’t figure out what I want to bring down to Madison and what I want to leave in Appleton. I have a new job starting on Monday. Don’t get me wrong – my life is hectic, but I love it.

After speaking with a friend recently, I realized just how blessed I am. I got into a dietetic internship on my first try. I passed my RD exam the first time I attempted it. I landed a job right away. And now? Now I’m moving on to an even better job. Best of all, I have the most amazing and supportive husband next to me. I have so much to be thankful for.

I haven’t been cooking much because we have very little food in the house and I don’t want to buy more before the move. Stupid me didn’t prepare for this move very well. If I had any sense, I would have stockpiled some posts and scheduled them for the next few weeks. Instead, I have nothing. So DSD might be a little empty for a couple weeks while I rebuild my life in Madison.

That brings me to these brownies. Mike asked if I could make a treat for him to bring in to work. I heard several rave reviews about these salted fudge brownies and I decided that those were definitely the treat I would make. It worked out perfectly because I already had all the ingredients at home. The results are definitely rave-worthy. I’m a little sad that I had to give them away because they were so good. So good that I snagged a piece for Mike and I to share and sent 15 instead of 16 brownies to work. Oops 🙂

I plan on stocking up on more unsweetened chocolate soon because I need to make more of these. I have even heard that these are perfect for freezing individually and then microwaving for 15 seconds later on for a magnificent, fudgy treat.

Salted Fudge Brownies | doughseedough.net

Salted Fudge Brownies
very slightly adapted from Eva Bakes, via Food and Wine

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 metal pan with foil, draping foil over the edges. Generously butter the foil.
  2. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate, whisking occasionally, until completely melted.
  3. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. One at a time, whisk in sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle salt on top and gently swirl into batter using a toothpick.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until edges are done but center is still slightly gooey. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a little batter.
  6. Let brownies cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 more hour.
  7. Life brownies from pan by grasping the foil overhang and place on a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.


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Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been craving cookies like crazy lately. On Sunday night the craving was so bad and I (sadly) didn’t have any cookies in the house. Wait, I take that back. I had Girl Scout cookies, but those weren’t going to cut it.

I decided to experiment and whip up some peanut butter cookies. Then I decided to make them better with mini chocolate chips and some chopped peanuts. Mini chips are my newest baking fave. I don’t know why I don’t use them more! They are perfect for cookies because they distribute more evenly in the batter than big chips. You’re pretty much guaranteed chocolate in every nibble!

If you’re a fan of soft, cake-y cookies, these are for you. They are so light in texture and absolutely delish. I was a bit hesitant to use the word “healthy” for this cookie, but this is probably one of the better-for-you cookies that I’ve made. After all, there is not a trace of added oil or butter in this recipe. And no butter or oil means I can eat more cookies, right? Right.

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies | doughseedough.net

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together peanut butter, applesauce, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until smooth and well combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and peanuts.
  4. Wet hands with water* and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 12 – 14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

*I had to wet mine with water because this dough is really darn sticky. Alarmingly sticky. But don’t fret. Wet your hands, roll the dough, and the cookies will bake up perfectly!


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Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I know I did! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen… like 8 hours a day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And, surprisingly, the majority of that time was not spent on cooking or baking! You see, last Tuesday morning Mike and I were out for a run. While on this run, I saw a hideous/beautiful dresser on the side of the road. We ran past it once, then twice, and then a third time. The final time I stopped and inspected it. It was in good condition, the drawers appeared clean and the construction was solid. We called my father in law and he came right away with his trailer and helped us drag it home. At 6 in the morning. Bless him.

So, that became my weekend project. The dresser got moved into the kitchen and I disinfected the whole dang thing twice and then got to work. I spent all weekend sanding, priming, painting, sanding, painting, sanding… You get the picture. As I type, all 9 dresser drawers have been painted an amazing shade of blue and have their first coat of polycrylic on it. They need to be sanded and coated with 2 more coats of polycrylic. The dresser itself has been primed and painted, but needs a third layer of paint. Then it will get the same polycrylic treatment as the drawers. Then the hardware needs to get spray painted. All this needs to happen before we move to Madison in 2 weeks.

The other highlight of my weekend was going to the farmers’ market. It’s one of my favorite Saturday morning activities. We usually walk away with one thing: kettle corn. This weekend, we walked away with a bit more: kettle corn, fougasse, and some eggplant. I tend to do my menu planning on Sunday or Mondays and then go shopping on Wednesdays. I think I need to rethink my timing so I can incorporate some more farmers’ market goodies into our weekly meals. There is seriously nothing better than eating market goodies for dinner 🙂

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread | doughseedough.net

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread

for the roasted vegetables:
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ x 3″ pieces
3 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ x 3″ pieces
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large red onion, chopped
3 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 1/2 tablespoons Arizona Dreaming seasoning or other seasoning of choice
salt and pepper
olive oil

for the goat cheese yogurt spread:
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

8 large whole wheat tortillas
4 cups baby spinach

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss vegetables with seasoning, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well combined. Spread into an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender. Set aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, make the goat cheese yogurt spread. Combine all spread ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
  3. To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of the spread onto a whole wheat tortilla. Lay down 1/2 cup of baby spinach and 1/8 of the roasted vegetable mixture on one end of the tortilla. Roll up tightly. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Slice in half and serve.