Pomodoro Salad & Simmered Italian Rice

These are 2 new side dishes we made with dinner last night.  They were delicious!  I paired them with some baked Salmon and was surprised how well it went together.  I am always looking for new side dishes, especially since my son will not eat mac & cheese or mashed/baked potatoes.  The Pomodoro salad
recipe comes form a wonderful cooking show I DVR everyday called "Mad Hungry" on the Hallmark channel.  The chef, Lucinda Scala Quinn has some great recipes.  Look her up on the web or buy her cookbook of the same name, it is a good addition to my library.  The rice recipe came from a Swanson chicken broth recipe ad in a magazine that my mom tore out and brought to me.

Pomodoro Salad

4 fresh, ripe tomatoes
1 Tsp coarse salt
1 small red onion sliced thinly
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 tsp fresh thyme or oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.   Drop the tomatoes in and boil for 10-15 seconds
2. Remove and immediately put the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water, this will loosen the skins for easy removal.
3. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and slice into thin wedges.
4. Place in a medium size bowl and add salt and mix
5. Add onion, parsley, garlic, basil, thyme or oregano and olive oil
6. Stir until well combined
7. Chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Simmered Italian Rice

1 3/4 cups Chicken broth

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3/4 cups uncooked long grain white rice (we used brown rice)

1 cup fresh chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Heat broth and Italian seasoning to a boil
2. Stir in rice and spinach, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 min or until rice is tender.
3. Since we used brown rice it took longer and we did have to add more broth.
4. Once rice was cooked we boiled the excess liquid off.
5. Add parmesan and stir until blended

Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

When I went home last week my Mom made this one day and it was so good I ate it for lunch and dinner.  It came from the January 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine.
It is super easy and uses fresh herbs (which I love!).  I am making this for dinner tonight after I pick up my chicken from the farmers market today. Try it one night this week for dinner and let me know what you think.

Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

2 15.5oz canned cannellini beans
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano
2-4 cloves garlic smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
2 bone in, skin on chicken breasts

1. Heat ove to 425
2. In a large baking dish add rinsed beans, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, garlic, 1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Toss together.
3. Pat chicken dry and place on top of bean mixture skin side up.  
4. Rub with remaining oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
5. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 35-45 minutes.

Oven Fried Chicken

I found this recipe in one of my books filled with recipes that I have either ripped out of magazines or found online somewhere. This particular one came from an old Parade magazine clipping.  Funny,  I have hundreds of old recipes that I always thought looked good but never cooked them.  Well, I finally cooked this one and it  is now my new favorite!  You must try it...it is easy, quick and delicious.  We paired it with a cucumber salad and baked sweet potatoes.

Oven Fried Chicken

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders - washed and patted dry
1/4 cup Smart Balance lite melted
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan
2 tbsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 500
2. Mix melted margarine, Dijon mustard and garlic in a bowl
3. Add chicken to bowl and toss around until fully coated on both sides
4. In a separate bowl combine Panko, Parmesan and parsley
5. Now, coat only one side of the chicken in the crumb mixture.
6. Place on a baking sheet or pan crumb side facing up and bake for 15 minutes.
7. If you have thicker pieces of chicken and they are browning on the outside but not fully cooked on the inside, after the 15 minutes turn oven down to 400 and check every 10 minutes until cooked.