These are roasted vegetables. Carrots, onions, broccoli and red potatoes are lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, then tossed in a bit of olive oil and plucked from the oven after about 20 minutes on 425.
These are succulent pieces of chicken breast that have been stuffed, then sliced. We crammed a healthly portion of spinach and asiago cheese inside. The outside we coated with grated parmesan and seared on the stove before finishing them in the oven.
These are my signature mashed sweet potatoes and pork tenderloin.
They’re good.
I mean stop-talking-to-me-while-I-eat-this good.
Here it is again from another angle. It’s my go-to entertaining meal.
I taught my students how to make these pleasures on Saturday.
Read more for the recipes.
Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Broccoli
Mushrooms (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
1. Dice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
2. Spread the veggies out into one even layer in a cookie sheet, but make sure it has a lip on it. We don’t want the food slipping and sliding onto the ground.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies, you want to pour a small stream up and down the length of the cookie sheet about 3 times.
4. Now sprinkle all of your spices over the veggies
5. Dig your hands in and toss them all together. Everything should have a light coating of oil and spices. If you really don’t wanna get dirty, you can push them around with a spatula.
6. Toss them in the oven for about 20 minutes on 425. When the potatoes are fork tender, they’re done.
Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 cups Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 cup shredded Asiago Cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
1. Clean your chicken, wash off any filmy membrane and cut way any fat.
2. Make the hole. Lay each breast flat on a cutting board, take a small knife and push it into the center of the thickest part of the chicken. The knife should be parallel to the cutting board, we’re creating a pocket for the goodies.
3. With the knife still inside the chicken, flip it over then slide it to the left, flip it over again and slice a little to the left. Set the chicken aside.
Spinach Filling
4. In a small saucepan, heat the frozen chopped spinach until it defrosts.
5. After the spinach is warmed, add the Asiago cheese. Fold in the cheese until it’s all melted. Let cool.
7. Once the spinach is cool enough to touch, lovingly, stuff it into the chicken.
8. Coat the chicken on both sides with grated parmesan. You can pour the cheese onto a plate then press the chicken into the cheese.
9. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and sear each side of the breast for 2 minutes.
10. Place the skillet (if it’s oven safe) into the oven on 350 for about 10-15 minutes. If you do not have an oven safe skillet, transfer the chicken to an oven safe dish.
11. After they’ve cooked, let them rest a few minutes, then slice and serve.
Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
1 Pork Tenderloin
Lemon Pepper
Garlic Powder
1. Mix seasonings of your choice in a small ramekin-sized bowl
2. Rub the spices into the skin. Be sure to coat the entire loin on all sides.
3. Allow the spice-covered pork to sit for at least 30 minutes in a refrigerator. You can cook it immediately, if you don’t have time to wait, but the best flavor develops if you have time let the spice rub permeate the meat a bit. I’ve even let it sit over night.
4. Remove the pork from refrigeration about 20 minutes before cooking it. Let it rest.
5. Heat a skillet, or grill pan. Add olive oil. Let the pan get really hot.
6. Place the meat in the pan. Leave it alone for about 2-3 minutes. When you see the meat on the bottom tighten up and brown, you can turn it over and repeat. Sear the pork on all sides until the spices set up, it will look somewhat like a crust or skin on the meat.
7. Move pork into a 350-degree oven and let cook for about 20 minutes.
Savory Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients
1lb Sweet Potato
1 Bell Pepper
1/2 Onion
1 link of Kielbasa Sausage (pork or turkey)
1. Peel then cut sweet potatoes into quarters and boil.
2. Dice the meat, peppers and onions finely.
3. Sautee the sausage in a pan. Until it’s crispy. Then toss in peppers and onions, cook until tender. Set aside
4. When the sweet potatoes are fork tender, drain them.
5. Start to mash them as you would white potatoes, add salt, pepper, garlic powder. Add a little milk or cream to work it into the consistency you like. Toss in butter. Start with half a stick and taste.
6. Add the meat, peppers and onions
7. Mix it all up and taste. Add more of anything that’s missing (butter, milk, spices)
7 Comments
Lovey
These dishes were so tasty and the classes are proving to be most helpful to me as a cook! Monday I cooked the sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables and today I made the stuffed spinach chicken breast and everything was so delicious!!! My husband was so impressed! He said that the stuffed chicken was the best he’d ever had!!! Thank you teacher 🙂
Tam
So sad I missed the class, but I will be at the next one. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to trying out a few of these recipes on my own.
Stephanie
After struggling several times with searing chicken in a stainless steel pan, I finally listened to my friend/office roomie/culinary master and won the battle. Thanks for your flawless instructions! I can now make pan-seared chicken that doesn’t look like it’s been mangled by a pack of wild dogs before it gets to the plate!
James
Stephanie you are funny! Yay for cooks!
Vanessa Sharp
Chaundra, I made the spinach stuffed chicken breasts over the weekend, and my family loved it! Thanks for the wonderful instructions, and sharing the recipe.
Ingrid
I heard about this site from one of my coworkers who attended and told me about the stuffed chicken breast. I actually went home and made it and IT WAS SO GOOD. I overstuffed the chicken but it was still good. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
LifeinDishes
Thank you, Ingrid!