I’m guest posting over at With Food + Love! It’s my first time doing this sort of thing so I’m super excited. Sherrie’s blog is like a breath of fresh air; she’s a Board Certified Holistic Health Coach “specializing in digestive wellness and clean-eating lifestyles.” Doesn’t that sound refreshing? Her blog is packed with feel good recipes that will leave you inspired.
When she asked me to join The Spring Dish {Plant Power} series, I wanted to create something extra special. Spring has finally arrived and I can’t even begin to express how thrilled I am to work with fresh produce again. It’s a much needed change after a long winter! I came up with this light and flavorful salad using some of my favorite spring finds; strawberries & mache.
Join me over at With Food + Love for the full story and recipe. I hope to see you all there!
A simple baked chicken dish packed with Mediterranean flavors. Everything cooks in one pan so that all of the ingredients can happily infuse. I like to brown the chicken first and then roast it alongside plump cherry tomatoes, red onions, and white beans. It comes out of the oven all sticky and caramelized.
I have 2 secrets- the first is to use marinated artichoke hearts and bocconcini (bite-size mozzarella balls). The garlicky/vinegary marinade adds incredible flavor without having to do a thing. The second trick is to toss in plently of fresh herbs right before serving. I like to use chopped basil and parsley. The smell in your kitchen will be out of this world!
If you can marinate your chicken beforehand, this dish will taste even better. If you’re pressed for time, just skip it. It will still be very good. I like to serve this with homemade bread and a nice green salad. Any leftovers are great mixed through with pasta.
*Make sure to use a baking dish that is larger than 9x 13 inches. A large roasting pan is ideal. Overcrowding will cause the ingredients to steam rather than caramelize. Use 2 pans if necessary.
1½ lbs. chicken breast or thighs (bonless & skinless)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. marinade from artichoke hearts
4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves stripped
Bake
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, left whole
1x 14 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts
1x 14 oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed (I used northern white beans)
½ c. Kalamata olives, pitted
1 small tub marinated bocconcini
olive oil
salt & pepper
Garnish
fresh basil & parsley, to taste
Instructions
For the marinade, drain the artichoke hearts reserving its juice in a small bowl. Pat the artichokes dry with a paper towel and set aside. To another bowl, add 2 tbsp. of the reserved artichoke juice, garlic, and oregano leaves. Cut the chicken into 1½ inch strips and add to the bowl. Mix well to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, maximum 3 hours.
When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 400 F.
To a large roasting pan, add the sliced onions and tomatoes. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook (stirring occasionally) until the onions are soft and the tomatoes begin to burst, about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet warm 1 tsp. of olive oil over moderate heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches. The chicken will be slightly undercooked.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. At this point, the onions should be soft and sticky. If not, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
To the pan, add the chicken, artichoke hearts, beans, and olives (not the bocconcini- if you add the cheese too early it will melt all over the place). Roast for about 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Roughly chop a large handful of both basil and parsley.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Now add the bocconcini and herbs and toss gently to combine. The heat from the pan will melt the cheese. Drizzle with a little good quality olive oil.
Serve immediately with crusty bread and a nice green salad.
Notes
*If you prefer, feel free to substitute chicken legs, thighs, or breast (skin on, bone-in) for this recipe. Your cooking time will vary according to size.
I made it for my high school graduation party (because that’s what normal high school graduates do…) and every time I think of it, I laugh.
I laugh because of Laura. Laura is my best friend of 27 years and also my proof editor for this blog (I was going to say ‘editor at large’ but she’d kill me if I used the word ‘large’ and her name in the same sentence!) She volunteered herself for this position, and has become quite obsessed with my over usage placement of commas, ( ), and … ‘s. She was an English major, you can’t blame her.
So, what’s so funny about Laura and the cake?
To make a long story short (and a short story funny) it ended up in my face, OK? Yeah, that’s right- cake in the face. While her mouth was full, she tried to tell me that it was ‘sooooo moist’ but instead, spewed cake crumbs with military precision all over the place, like into my eyes and everything! It didn’t help that I was only inches away from her. It was really funny. We laughed hysterically. You had to be there.
I need to digress for a second- isn’t this bag of blueberries so pretty? I’m a total sucker for packaging, especially when brown craft paper is involved!
It just so happens that the texture of these cupcakes reminds me of my graduation cake. They’re super moist and fluffy, just like back in the day. My grandmother taught me that cornstarch (and sifting no less than 3 times) is the secret. I used to use cake flour to achieve the same effect, but when I found out that it was bleached I freaked out and never used it again. Bleach is for laundry, thank you very much. Cornstarch works just fine.
If cupcakes are not your thing, this recipe makes a beautiful cake too (see recipe notes). You can even change up the fruit toppings as well- let your imagination run wild!
* To achieve light and fluffy cupcakes, make sure to sift all of the dry ingredients no less than 3 times, 5 times is best. Also, using small apples for this recipe will ensure that the slices will fit snugly into the cupcake molds. I bought my tulip baking cups here.
Author: The Clever Carrot inspired by Fast Fresh Simple by, Donna Hay
Serves: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
1½ c. flour (2 tbsp. removed)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1½ tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tbsp.) softened
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. buttermilk
Toppings
1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 small red apples (unpeeled), thinly sliced
2 tbsp. sanding sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
Measure out 1½ c. of flour, making sure to remove 2 tablespoons.
In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Sift no less than 3 times, 5 times for best results! Set aside.
In an electric stand mixer, add the softened butter and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time and beat until well incorporated.
Add the vanilla.
Working in batches, and the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
Fill each baking cup about ⅔ full. Top with blueberries and about 3 apple slices, tucking them gently into the batter.
Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
* To turn this recipe into a cake, lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Many moons ago, there was this cake…
To make a long story short (and a short story funny) it ended up in my face, OK? Yeah, that’s right- cake in the face. While her mouth was full, she tried to tell me that it was ‘sooooo moist’ but instead, spewed cake crumbs with military precision all over the place, like into my eyes and everything! It didn’t help that I was only inches away from her. It was really funny. We laughed hysterically. You had to be there.
It just so happens that the texture of these cupcakes reminds me of my graduation cake. They’re super moist and fluffy, just like back in the day. My grandmother taught me that cornstarch (and sifting no less than 3 times) is the secret. I used to use 
