Baked Parmesan Chicken Caprese Recipe

baked parmesan chicken caprese | pamela salzman

I hope you all had a lovely Fourth of July and that you had a day off of work at the very least.  If there’s one thing I think many of us need more of it’s a little rest and relaxation.  We had a nice mellow day with friends and no work all day at all.  Nice.  In fact, I even watched a little tv while I was putzing around the house before going out.  Computer time has wiped out my tv time in the last few years, so watching tv is a real treat for me.  Although it’s funny that when I have time off from work (i.e. cooking), I choose to watch the Food Network or the Cooking Channel.  I have my favorites to be sure, but some of the really popular shows I just don’t get.

Can anyone explain the appeal of “Chopped?”  I’ll tell you one thing — it’s not “reality” tv.  What’s reality about being given a bunch of ingredients not normally found in a regular person’s pantry and being forced to have to make something tasty out of it given the resources of an unbelievably stocked pantry?  I have learned so much from watching Ina and Giada and Tyler, but there isn’t much I get out of seeing what three chefs can do with graham crackers and squid in 30 minutes.  Does that show talent?  What do you think?

Let me tell you what I think takes some skill — making dinner for my family on a typically insane weeknight.  You think the judges on Chopped are tough.  Ha!  They eat everything, even cheese, unlike Mr. Picky.    Try making dinner for Daughters #1 and 2 and Mr. Picky under a time constraint.  During the girls’ finals week earlier last month, I had a day that did not go as planned and I found myself in a dinner prep predicament.  We always eat dinner together every night around 6:30/6:45 and I thought this was one of those nights, but no.  Daughter #1 had a study group at 6:30 and Daughter #2 switched her music lesson without telling me and she would be coming home at 6:15.  I found all of this out at 4:30 and I had soccer carpool to do.  Oh sure, easy, right?

Do the contestants on Chopped have two teenage girls yelling at each other about the last ugly photo one posted of the other on Instagram?  They do not.  And Mr. Picky is not bouncing a basketball in the kitchen while the chefs are trying to figure out what to make for dinner very quickly with the contents of a very basic pantry.  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  Ok, think.  Do some prep now, then you have 15 minutes when you get back from soccer drop-off before driving to music.  “But the picture you posted of me was much worse than the one I posted of you!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  I have chicken, tomatoes, white rice is fast, thank goodness I washed lettuce yesterday.   “Mommmmmmm, did you see what she’s getting away with?  So many people liked that picture already!”  “Really?  They liked it?  That’s good, right?”  “OMG, Mom!  No they didn’t like it!  Make her delete it!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  I can bread the chicken now and bake later.  “I am NOT letting her drive me to school anymore.”  Whoa there, missy.  Now you’ve got my attention.  “Delete it this minute!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  “STOP PLAYING BALL IN THE HO– USE, MR. PICKY!!!!”  Can you imagine doing this sober?  Why don’t I drink?  I need to rethink that.

I know this isn’t just my house, or maybe it is and I am deluding myself.  But I think a lot of home cooks have skills that you just can’t learn in culinary school or by watching some pros on tv.  I managed to pull something together that night that we ate at exactly 6:15 and we all liked it!  I would have likely gotten “chopped” on tv for something so unoriginal, but this is the kind of food we like to eat and it’s reasonably healthful.  One of the reasons this worked for me that night is because I was able to bake the chicken instead of sautéing/frying it.  I didn’t know if it would work, but I learned the technique of getting crispy breading by greasing up the chicken with some fat before dredging it from an old Gourmet magazine recipe.  That way, I didn’t have to babysit it on the stovetop, plus baking is more healthful than frying and MUCH less messy!  This would also be a great method to use when cooking for a crowd.

Speaking of cooking for a crowd, for the next episode of “Chopped,” I’d like to see a challenge where the chefs have to prepare a dinner party for 12 guests in Los Angeles.  “Oh, sorry, no gluten for me.”  “If you don’t mind, I don’t eat dairy.  Or meat.  Or eggs.”  “I’m easy.  I eat everything except nuts.  I am deathly allergic to all tree nuts.  Deathly!”  Now that’s something I would watch!

 

Baked Parmesan Chicken Caprese

Pamela
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 4 -5

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella cubed (about 4 ounces), optional
  • 2 -3 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil plus more for coating chicken and pan
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 large leaves of fresh basil chopped
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt divided
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Pecorino-romano or Parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking sheet generously with olive oil. You can line your baking sheet with parchment paper if you want and then brush the parchment with oil.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, basil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  • In a shallow dish (such as a pie plate), combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and paprika. In another shallow dish, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil.
  • Slice the chicken crosswise in half so that you have two thin cutlets. Check out this post for a visual on what I'm referring to. You can remove the tenders if you wish and coat those separately. Sprinkle one side of the chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. This is the total amount of salt and pepper for all the chicken.
  • Dip the seasoned chicken first into the olive oil and turn to coat. Then dip chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and press to coat both sides completely.
  • Place the breaded chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn chicken with a spatula, not tongs which might break the breading, and bake another 3-5 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
  • Remove garlic cloves from tomato mixture and discard. Spoon tomato mixture on top of chicken.

Notes

This serves our family perfectly with no leftovers, but we're not big meat-eaters.  If one chicken cutlet is not enough per person, then increase the chicken and breading ingredients.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Apricot, cherry and almond crisp recipe

apricot, cherry and almond crisp by Pamela Salzman

I was racking my brains thinking of something to post today for July 4th that would be red, white, and blue.  But really I’m not nearly as creative as all the people I pin on Pinterest or fave on Foodily and I’ll be honest, I couldn’t come up with something you haven’t already seen.  Although for 5 minutes I thought was a genius — potato salad with red, white and blue potatoes!  Until I googled it and saw that this was not an original idea.

crisp topping

But then I was thinking that I don’t ever make anything red, white and blue for the 4th, so why the pressure?  Our friends Melissa and Adam usually invite us to their beach house for a party where they serve the most delicious Tex-Mex food.  Not ribs or barbecue or anything cut into the shape of stars.  But it’s all crazy delicious and everyone is so happy.  I often bring a dessert or appetizer.  Last year Melissa asked me for Peach and Blueberry Crisp.  It was so yummy, but not red, white, and blue and I didn’t hear anyone complain that I didn’t have spirit.

beautiful apricots

A few weeks ago, I taught a 4th of July menu for Jenni Kayne and her friends.  Jenni asked me for a fruit crisp and I knew she would love this one with apricots and cherries.  When I was prepping for the class that morning, I asked her if I should throw in blueberries to add some blue to the red, and she responded, “Only if they would make it better.”  She’s so right.  Of course.  Who cares if it’s red, white and blue?  You want to know what I said?  I said, “They won’t.  This crisp is so insanely delicious already.  Why mess with it?”  That’s really what I said.  This crisp is so darn good, I have dreams about it.  I made this same crisp for some friends a few weeks ago and I could swear I heard moaning.  In a good way, naturally.

cherries!

pitting cherries is easy with the right tool

I have a theory that fruits and vegetables that grow in the same season taste good together.  I saw cherries and apricots sitting next to each other at the farmers market and voilà!  A new crisp.  I also read somewhere that the Prunus family of stone fruits also includes almonds.  An almond looks like an apricot pit, don’t you think?  I find all of that to be so interesting….and delicious!  Now the addition of almonds did make this crisp better.  Of course, leave them out if you have an allergy or substitute something crunchy like sunflower seeds.  Crisps are so easy to adjust for allergies, in fact.  You can make the topping completely vegan by using coconut oil (more natural) or Earth Balance.  For a gluten-free crisp, I used half GF oat flour and half King Arthur Multi-purpose GF Flour (which is free from cornstarch unlike some other very popular GF flours, like Cup4Cup — sorry Thomas Keller.  Love your food, though!)  Rice flour works well, too.

fruit ready to be topped

apricot, cherry and almond crisp | pamela salzman

I think you should make a fruit crisp for the holiday.  Absolutely everyone loves them.  There are no blue food dyes involved.  It’s mostly seasonal fruit.  They are sooooooo easy.  You can make your topping right now.  Yep.  In fact, you could have made it a month ago and frozen it.  You can make 10 times the recipe for crisp topping, freeze it and make a crisp every week for the rest of the summer and into Labor Day.  Or if you’re making a crisp for Thursday, make your topping today and keep it refrigerated.  Just sprinkle it on top of your prepared fruit and bake away.  No coming to room temp or any of that nonsense.  But if you just can’t make a dessert for the 4th that is missing one of the colors of our fair flag, then by all means add some blueberries or blackberries.  Or, dig deep and find your spirit of independence and make what you think you’ll love the most.  Hope you all have the best weekend!

apricot, cherry and almond crisp by Pamela Salzman

Apricot, Cherry and Almond Crisp

Pamela
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 6 -8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/3 pounds of ripe fresh apricots, pitted, quartered if large
  • 2/3 pound of dark sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted (I love my cherry pitter which I haven't seen anymore at Williams-Sonoma, but this one looks similar.)
  • ½ Tablespoon pure Grade A maple syrup or cane sugar
  • ½ Tablespoon flour whole wheat pastry or gluten-free flour
  • less than 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract
  • Topping:
  • ¾ cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 cup flour whole wheat pastry or for GF a combo of GF oat flour and King Arthur Multipurpose GF Flour
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats for GF, look for labeled GF oats
  • ½ cup chopped raw almonds
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 8 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter or Earth Balance cut into 1-inch pieces or unrefined coconut oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
  • Toss the fruit with syrup or sugar, flour and almond extract. Transfer to an 8- or 9-inch baking dish or pie plate.
  • Add all topping ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend until the mixture resembles small peas. This can also be done by hand with a pastry blender. Squeeze with your hands to create small clumps.
  • Arrange topping over fruit to cover.
  • Place baking dish on a cookie sheet and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Notes

For the crisp in the photographs, I doubled all the ingredients and used a 13 x 9-inch pan.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Individual baked oatmeal cups

Individual Baked Oatmeal Cups by Pamela Salzman

I’m down one child for the next six weeks since I dropped Daughter #1 off far, far away in upstate NY for a summer college program.  There were some tears before I left.  I know how most of you think, but no, those tears were not mine.  I love my daughter to pieces, but hear me out.  If you were 16 years old and had the opportunity to study architecture at one the best universities in the US, on one of the most beautiful campuses, meeting interesting kids from all over the world, without your parents telling you what to wear or eat or when to go to bed, would you CRY?  Hell-oooooo?  I am so excited for her!  I think back to when I was 16, and I would have given my right eye to get the heck out of sleepy Stony Brook, Long Island, where I am from and do what she’s doing.  Cry tears of JOY maybe.  I guess Manhattan Beach, California is much more fun than Stony Brook when you’re 16.  But just so you’re not worried about her, a mere 24 hours later there were no more sad texts, only pictures of cute boys, usually South American.

dry ingredients

Ironically, I am with Mr. Picky visiting my family in Stony Brook, the place I lived for basically my entire life, but the place that I thought was the most boring town on the face of the planet.  It is about 60 miles away from New York City, arguably the most exciting place on the planet, although I didn’t get there too much, and especially not without my parents.  Stony Brook is absolutely darling, but there was not much going on here when I was a kid, except for a few small beaches which are also very quiet, a lovely (and quiet) duck pond, a carriage house museum (totally true) and a cute ice cream shop.  So of course when it was time for college, I needed excitement!  A big city!  So I left for Philadelphia where I attended college and then moved to Los Angeles after graduation.  Many, many years later, after much excitement, I cannot believe I am saying this, but I so look forward to my visits to Stony Brook.

mixed with the wet ingredients

Have I mentioned how quiet it is here?  I woke up in the middle of the night last night because I didn’t hear anything.  How weird is that?  Perfect silence.  Actually, it’s AMAZING.  I am thrilled beyond words to be in a quiet, sleepy town for the week where I don’t have to battle traffic or stressed out motorists or all the noise that goes with them.  And the fresh air is a huge bonus.

It's so hot here, the coconut oil is liquid at room temperature!
It’s so hot here, the coconut oil is liquid at room temperature!

Mr. Picky and I are having a ball with my parents and my sisters and their kids.  I am always appointed head of the kitchen when I’m here which is fine as long as someone else is head of dishwashing.  Honestly, I don’t mind cooking for a crowd every day.  It’s actually easier than cooking for two.  And my sisters’ kids which range in age from 3-7 are all fantastic eaters which makes my life very easy.

mixture in the muffin liners

top with your favorite fruit, nuts or chocolate chips

I heard that all the kids liked the baked berry oatmeal recipe I posted a few months ago, so I thought I would do something a little different and bake the mixture in a muffin tin to make individual portions.  Also, my sister’s son leaves early for lacrosse camp every day, so it’s nice for him to be able to take a couple for the road.  I made the oat mixture with a few nuts, but then used different “toppings” for each cup just to mix it up a bit.  I used blueberries, strawberries &  mini-chocolate chips, and mini-chocolate chips & walnuts.  The kids all gravitated towards the ones with chocolate, naturally and I’ll admit, a few of them were wondering why there were no chocolate chips throughout the cups and only on top.  Next time I’ll throw a few into the mixture as well.  The oatmeal cups were popular enough that they were finished off in the afternoon after the kids worked up an appetite after a few hours in the pool.

ready to be baked!

Keep in mind, these oatmeal cups are the equivalent to having a portable mini-bowl of oatmeal.  They don’t have the light, tender texture of a muffin, so don’t expect that.  I ate two blueberry ones and felt very satisfied until lunchtime.  Remember that oats have a lot of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, making you feel full for a good long time.  But I do find that I need to have some good fat with my oats, so the addition of walnuts was perfect for me and also added some nice crunch.  No doubt you and I will have some fun with this recipe and find a way to add apples or pumpkin in the fall or bananas, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  My summer just got started and I plan to make it go as slowly as possible.

individual baked oatmeal cups | pamela salzman

individual baked oatmeal cups | pamela salzman

update 7.3.13:  I just made these again, but with my own muffin pan which only yielded 9 cups instead of the 12 I originally wrote.  I think my mom’s pan is smaller than mine, which is standard, so I updated the recipe to 9 oatmeal cups which I think is more accurate.

 

 
 
 

 
 
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Individual Baked Oatmeal Cups

Pamela
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats look for labeled gluten-free oats to make this a gluten-free recipe - Do NOT use steel cut oats
  • ¼ cup walnuts almonds or pecans, chopped + extra for topping (optional)
  • 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup I like ¼ cup is just fine, but my family preferred 1/3 cup
  • 1 ½ cups milk of choice cow, almond, hemp, etc.
  • 1 large egg or ½ cup mashed banana or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons melted unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • toppings: fresh blueberries sliced fresh strawberries, chopped nuts, mini-chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with 9 unbleached parchment liners.
  • Combine baking powder, salt, oats and nuts in a large bowl.
  • In a separate medium bowl whisk together maple syrup, milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla (or combine them in a blender.)
  • Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine. You can certainly add chocolate chips or fruit to this mixture if you want all the cups to be the same.
  • Ladle the oat mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ full. Sprinkle any additional nuts, berries or chocolate chips over the tops of each.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set and wet ingredients are fully absorbed. Eat warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten straight away or warmed in a toaster oven at 350 until heated through.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Beet Green Crisps Recipe

Beet Green Crisps by Pamela Salzman

Daughter #1 is lucky enough to be attending a great high school summer program at an East Coast university for the next 6 weeks.  My daughter, Mr. Picky, and I are currently en route to get her there and settled before he and I spend a week on Long Island with my family.  Because Daughter #1 had finals up until yesterday afternoon, there was no packing done until…last night.  So not my style to do things at the last minute, but I needed to supervise what went into that bag.  I love the idea of letting the kids take responsibility for themselves, but there is a certain amount of guidance that I needed to impose offer in this situation.  Clothing that looks like something I use to mop the floor should stay home.  Outfits can most definitely be repeated during a 6-week time period.    Not every single pair of underwear that one owns needs to be packed.  Repeat after me, “I can do laundry.”

fresh beet greens

It’s a huge contrast to when I will prepare Mr. Picky for 2 weeks at sleepaway camp next month.  Most of the clothes we pack him will come back unworn.  And even though he showers every day at home, I doubt he will shower at camp more than twice.  “The lake gets me clean, Mom.”  Whereas my daughter brought a separate carry-on bag just for toiletries, including her straightening iron, hair dryer and several brushes, Mr. Picky packs a toothbrush and toothpaste and a body wash that doubles as shampoo, which, like I said, he probably won’t use.

unrefined coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl which I stick in the oven while it's preheating

Both scenarios make me chuckle and say something about each of them.  I was thinking about that late last night when I finally got around to packing for myself.  It seriously took me 15 minutes to pull my personal items together for my week at my parents’ house.  I need very little as I keep some basics there and I do laundry regularly.  But I do spend A LOT of time packing food.

 

First there’s the food I bring to my parents’ house, like homemade granola, dried persimmons from the farmers market for my dad, truly raw almonds and my nut milk bag so I can make almond milk, and a few ginormous lemons from my tree just to show off a little, among other things.  And then there’s food to eat on the airplane because I just cannot deal with boxed “snack packs.”  Cannot deal.

melted coconut oil

I always pack a lot for long flights because I am a total crankypants if I get hungry.  So I swear I spent more time yesterday prepping for a hot breakfast at home, as well as lunch and snacks on the plane than I did packing for all three of us combined.  No joke!  I made pancake batter and fresh blueberry sauce for breakfast.  Then I put together containers of raw veggies and cut fruit, sushi rice and edamame for Mr. Picky, quinoa, roasted vegetables and salad dressing for my daughter and myself, as well as trail mix and these awesome beet green crisps.

beet greens before cooking

Can you believe it took me all this time to get to the fact that this post is about beet green crisps?  Anywaaaaaay, I was having lunch at my friend Marta’s last week after I had a Panchakarma treatment which I promise to tell you about soon.  Lunch was dal, basmati rice, roasted beets, green beans and these crispy greens which I thought were Swiss chard.   You’ve heard of kale chips, so think that but with Swiss chard leaves instead of kale.  SO AWESOME!!!!!  Light and crispy with a little sea salt and not quite as strongly flavored as kale.  Addictive.  I couldn’t stop thinking about them.  Then it hit me that the leaves were much smaller than Swiss chard and she had made beets for lunch, so they were obviously beet greens.  By the way, beets and Swiss chard are related and the leaves from both taste very similar.  I use them interchangeably, but normally if I buy a bunch of beets, the greens aren’t enough to make a side dish for all of us for dinner.  I just found my new favorite way to use them!

Beet Green Crisps by Pamela Salzman

You know you should be eating more dark green leafy vegetables, as they are among the most healing foods on the planet.  This is a great way to enjoy your greens and these crisps would have made the perfect snack for traveling if I literally had not eaten the entire platter after I photographed them.  Literally the entire platter.

Beet Green Crisps by Pamela Salzman

Beet Green Crisps

Pamela
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch fresh beet greens washed and dried well
  • unrefined coconut oil melted or olive oil for coating the greens
  • fine sea salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
  • You can trim the stems off the leaves and just roast the leaves if you want.  I did a mix of both.  The stems become very tender, but not crispy.  Place the greens in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with a little coconut oil.  You only need enough to lightly coat the leaves.  Rub a little coconut oil on both sides of the leaves and arrange the greens in one layer on the prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with a little salt.  Be conservative with the salt since beet greens are high in natural sodium.
  • Bake for 5 minutes and then turn the leaves over and bake for another 5 minutes or until dry and crispy.  Oven temperatures vary wildly, so if your oven runs hot, you may want to check the greens after 3 minutes.  They won’t taste good if they’re burned!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

Why is the best hummus always in restaurants, especially Middle Eastern ones?  I think I make a delicious, flavorful hummus that has a great consistency and is better than the ones you find in the supermarket.  But, it doesn’t compare to the silky, light and creamy hummus that I’ve had in restaurants.  I want that kind.  The kind that will drip, not plop, off your pita if you’re not careful.  The kind you can suck up with a straw.  You know what I mean.

cook the soaked, drained chickpeas with a little baking soda before boiling

skim off the skins

I got into bed with a book the other night, because reading helps me wind down and relax from my typically crazy day.  But of course, I read cookbooks in bed before I go to sleep which is an absolutely terrible idea because that does nothing to quiet my overactive brain which doesn’t stop thinking, thinking, thinking!  Regardless, I was reading Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s not-so-new, but gorgeous book , “Jerusalem.”  So many recipes, so little time, people.  I turned to their recipe for “Basic Hummus” and I swear I almost flipped the page without so much as a glance, because like I said, I already have a perfectly great hummus recipe which I have actually turned into four different flavors.  But then I thought “have some respect, you never know.”

drain the chickpeas and process to a chunky paste

love this raw tahini

The word “supersmooth” caught my attention immediately and then I knew I found it — the hummus of my dreams.  Let me jump to the chase.  The Ottolenghi hummus is the kind I love at restaurants and they tell me all their secrets.  Most importantly, the chickpea skins are removed after cooking and before pureeing.  I know!!!  Why didn’t I think of that?  But before you think I have the kind of time to sit around peeling chickpea skins, think again.  After soaking and draining the chickpeas, they are cooked with a little baking soda and then water is added to boil the beans.  Most of the skins float to the top of the pot and you just skim them away.  I know!!!  Brilliant.  They also add a lot more tahini (sesame paste) than I do which makes the hummus so creamy.  And water.  I would never have thought to add water, but it really makes the hummus lighter and cleaner than adding the chickpea liquid which is how I do it.  “Better late than never,” is what I was thinking.

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

I wouldn’t say that my first attempt came out quite as smooth as Ottolenghi’s primarily because not all the chickpeas lost their skins and I was not about to go peeling them, but it was really, really good and very smooth.  You can see the image of that below.  I also tasted the hummus after adding 2/3 cup of tahini instead of the recommended 1 cup + 2 Tbs. and I thought it was divine.  I made it a second time and did take the time to pull off any skins that didn’t come off during the boiling process and the hummus was a tad bit creamier, but I’m not sure it was worth the extra 12 minutes it took me to do that.  You should do whatever makes sense to you and if you have the time, feel free to pick out every last skin.  For that matter, you can buy canned cooked chickpeas and pull off the skins and proceed from there.

This is the one I made first where I did not remove every single last chickpea skin.
This is the one I made first where I did not remove every single last chickpea skin.

I served this to friends the other night, friends who have had my hummus a million times and they all said “where did you get this?  This is so good.”  I know, a tad insulting since the implication was that I could not have made it, but I was totally fine with that.  Since then, we’ve enjoyed this immensely with pita bread and raw veggies (wow, I could actually hear you yawn through the computer), slathered on a baguette with grilled veggies and slow roasted tomatoes (my recommendation), and dolloped on a Greek salad with chicken souvlaki (we had this for dinner the other night — major hit!).  There is an insanely beautiful picture in the book of the hummus topped with whole cooked chickpeas, pine nuts, chopped parsley, cooked lamb and the whole thing drizzled with olive oil.  A-mazing.

Grilled veggies, slow roasted tomatoes and hummus on baguette | pamela salzman

No matter how you make it, hummus is rather nutritious and especially high in protein and fiber.  It’s one of the more healthful spreads and dips, provided you don’t go to crazy on the pita bread or chips.  I have even used it in place of mayonnaise in chicken salad.  I have even eaten it with a spoon.  I have even dreamt about it.  You will too, until you make it!

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

jacked up hummus | pamela salzman

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus

adapted from "Jerusalem" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
4.70 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas garbanzo beans*
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ½ cups water
  • 1 cup light tahini paste Ottolenghi recommends 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons, but I thought anywhere between 2/3 and 1 cup was great
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 medium cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 6 ½ Tablespoons ice cold water
  • Unrefined olive oil and sweet paprika for finishing if desired

Instructions
 

  • Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 4 inches of cold water. Allow to soak 6-8 hours.
  • Drain the chickpeas. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the drained chickpeas and the baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming off and foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas cook faster this way and may only need from 20-40 minutes to become tender, but possibly longer. You know they’re done if you can squish a chickpea in between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Drain the chickpeas. You will have about 3 2/3 cups. Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until you get a stiff paste. With the machine running, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Lastly, slowly drizzle in the ice water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes until you get a really smooth and creamy paste. I actually set my timer for 5 minutes and washed the dishes in the meantime.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and allow the hummus to rest for at least 30 minutes. If not serving right away, refrigerate until needed. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. If desired, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Notes

*Or you can use 2 15-ounce cans of cooked chickpeas, drained, and peel the skins manually. Place the peeled chickpeas in the food processor and proceed with Step 3.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Slow Cooker Pulled Barbecued Chicken

Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Chicken by Pamela Salzman

You’ve heard of Meatless Mondays and Taco Tuesdays, but in this house we’ve had “Slow Cooker Thursdays” for the last two months.  It doesn’t have the  same ring as the other two, but it has made my life way easier.  Mr. Picky had baseball games every Thursday (and Sunday) since March and they were conveniently scheduled at dinnertime.   Scrunchy face.  Picture hubby and me sitting at a little league game until 7:00 or 7:30 (gotta love extra innings!) while my daughters were texting me from home “We r starving!  When r u coming home?  Can we eat without u?”  Then of course I actually had to assemble dinner in record time once I finally returned home.  That happened once, until I figured out that Thursdays would have to be “Slow Cooker Night” unless I wanted to let the girls eat acai bowls for dinner (because that’s about all they would take the time to make even when “starving”) or allow Mr. Picky to eat hot dogs or microwaved canned chili on top of Fritos from the snack stand at the field. Um, no.

homemade BBQ sauce

I work really hard to make sure we eat together every night.  It’s actually more important to me than what we eat.  I’ve always said that breakfast might be the most important meal of the day from a nutritional perspective, but dinner is the most important from an emotional perspective.  However, getting the five of us at the table at a reasonable time for dinner can be a challenge, especially during Little League season.  And no matter how hard I tried to get Mr. Picky to find baseball boring, he just wouldn’t see it my way.  So if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em and that’s where I found myself every single blessed Thursday night.  Deciding to make something in the slow cooker on Thursdays was my ticket to freedom so I wasn’t stressed out every time a player was walked or someone got a hit, both of which keep the game going on and on and on.

Chicken, BBQ sauce and seasonings in the slow cooker

When I first started using this slow cooker in December, so many people asked me for good slow cooker recipes.  I was honestly surprised since one quick search on Foodily turned up thousands.  But as I’ve experimented, I have realized what everyone else already knows — that not every slow cooker recipe is a good one, and certainly not a healthful one.  Never said I was a quick learner!

shred the chicken in a separate bowl

add more BBQ sauce

I recently invested in the book, “Slow Cooker Revolution” by America’s Test Kitchen and it looks promising.  I tried their recipe for barbecued chicken and we all loved it!  I have been experimenting with making my own barbecue sauce and I’m super close to posting it, but not quite.  I did use one of my homemade BBQ sauce experiments and the chicken turned out super tender and flavorful.  We had it the first night on cracked wheat buns with homemade cole slaw — super delicious.  And the next day I put it into quesadillas for the girls’ lunch.  They asked for it again the day after that, but sadly it was all gone.

pour braising liquid in a fat separator

shredded chicken in bbq sauce | Pamela Salzman

I thought to share this recipe with you this week for a possible Father’s Day menu item or for a July 4th party.  It’s also a good time to remind you why grilled animal protein isn’t that good for you.  Check out an earlier post on that here.  Slow cooking with low heat cuts way down on carcinogens from forming.  It’s a win-win!  Even though Little League is over, my slow cooker is staying and so is this chicken!

shredded bbq chicken | pamela salzman

Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Chicken by Pamela Salzman

 

Slow Cooker Pulled Barbecued Chicken

Pamela, adapted from "Slow Cooker Revolution"
5 from 2 votes
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (or use all thighs)
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle powder or cayenne
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Place chicken pieces in the slow cooker.
  • Mix together chili powder, paprika, chipotle powder, salt and pepper and rub all over chicken.
  • Pour ½ cup barbecue sauce over chicken and toss to coat.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender 4-6 hours on LOW.  (5 hours worked great for me.)  The slow cooker can also go to the WARM setting if you are not ready to eat the chicken after cooking 4-6 hours.
  • Transfer chicken to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.  With two forks, shred meat into bite size pieces, but not too fine.
  • Pour the liquid that remains in the slow cooker into a fat separator (or leave the liquid in the slow cooker and try to skim the fat off the top with a large spoon.)
  • Heat the remaining 1 cup of barbecue sauce in a small saucepan until hot.  Toss shredded chicken with hot barbecue sauce and 1 cup of braising liquid.  You’ll have extra liquid if you need it.  Serve warm either by itself or on toasted whole grain buns or in a quesadilla.
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(A more healthful) chocolate chip cookie recipe

(a more healthful) chocolate chip cookie by Pamela Salzman

One of my students asked me the other day if I had a good chocolate chip cookie recipe and I instinctively said, “Sure, just check my website.”  To which she replied, “I did.  But all you have on there is your Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.”  And then it hit me.  I have neither taught in a class nor posted my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Gasp!  Coincidentally, Mr. Picky had been asking if we could make homemade ice cream sandwiches, so I got to work lickety split!

beat butter and sugars until smooth, then add eggs, baking soda and vanilla

In my defense, there are good reasons I haven’t posted my chocolate chip cookie recipe.  First of all, I do use refined white sugar because it just makes the best cookie.  But it isn’t exactly clean and healthful and I want this site to be your destination for high quality recipes.  However, even with the white and brown sugars, I use whole grain flours and everything is organic so these will be waaaaaaay better for you than bakery cookies or packaged (really now?) ones.  It’s all about balance and moderation!

next add the flours, baking powder and salt

The other issue is that I keep changing my recipe when I learn something new to make them even better than the last time.  And this has happened often.  Many of you are so in the know about food trends that you might think my ah-ha chocolate chip moments are sooooo 2005, but I never said I was an early adopter.  Let me first make it clear what kind of chocolate chip cookie I love, because that’s what you’re getting here — my favorite.  If you love the thin and crispy kind, hmmmm, today’s not your day.  Cakey?  Yeah, not me.  Milk chocolate?  Don’t waste my time!  Friends, I like a cookie with some heft and substance, something that you can sink your teeth into.  But I also don’t want a greasy cookie which makes me feel like I’m sucking on butter.  Slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with chunks of semisweet or dark chocolate is the way I roll.  Sometimes I’m feeling fancy and I’ll add a pinch of flaky sea salt on on the tops and that is just heaven.

chop chocolate from a bar for nice chunky pieces

Something I learned to achieve my perfect cookie is to use cold butter instead of room temperature, which is a trick I learned from Mrs. Fields (not that I met her, but that’s how she makes her cookies.)  The combination of cold butter and  a low oven temperature help to keep the cookie from spreading out too thin and too fast.  I also started adding a little oat flour after I saw this Neiman Marcus cookie recipe which I found out later was not the official recipe but the oat flour stayed in mine.  The oat flour makes the cookie a little nuttier and dense.  Ina Garten taught me (via television, of course) that a chocolate bar cut into pieces is much more satisfying than chocolate chips, although I do use those often.  And every fancy restaurant in the last several years has added a pinch of flaky sea salt to the tops of their cookies — a smart and delicious move.

using an ice cream scooper gives you uniform, round cookies

add a pinch of flaky sea salt for a grown-up twist

I grated some of the chocolate into the batter
I grated some of the chocolate into the batter

It may have taken me a while to bring it to you, but I’m sure with certain special occasions coming up, like Father’s Day or end-of-the-year parties, it’s never too late to try a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Of course, if you have the latest and greatest twist on chocolate chip cookies, I’m always open to improvement!

freshly baked | Pamela Salzman

(a more healthful) chocolate chip cookie by Pamela Salzman

 

 
 
 

 
 
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A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pamela
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 2 sticks cold unsalted butter or organic Earth Balance, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ¾ cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar or Muscovado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup oat flour you can take a cup of rolled oats and process them in the food processor to make your own oat flour
  • 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 18 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate bars chopped coarsely or use chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans optional
  • flaky sea salt optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mats.
  • Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of stand mixer and blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
  • Add the baking soda, eggs and vanilla to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and sea salt. Add to the butter mixture and blend on low speed until just combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate and nuts.
  • Scoop the dough with a 1 ¾ -inch ice cream scooper onto the prepared baking sheets or use a tablespoon. Space them evenly apart. I was able to get 12 on each sheet.
  • Bake 18-20 minutes or until just set. The cookies will be slightly soft in the center. If you like them crispier, bake them for up to 23 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Notes

Raw cookie dough can be frozen, but it’s a great idea to scoop the dough into balls first and freeze those so you can just pull out as many as you want to bake instead of having to defrost the whole batch of dough.  I have even baked cookies in the toaster oven!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

Feta and Cucumber Dip Recipe

Feta and Cucumber Dip | Pamela Salzman

To me, Memorial Day weekend signifies nearing the end of school/beginning of summer — an easier pace, a lighter workload, more time to relax with family and friends.  I am especially relieved for Daughter #1, who is a junior in high school and is over most of the big hurdles for this year.  I don’t know if you have or had or know kids in high school, but junior year is brutal.  My daughter regularly goes to bed well after I do and she is often bit stressed out which I think is a real bummer for a 16 year old.  These kids work so hard, often taking more than one AP class, which is basically at the college level.  I consider myself a smart person and when my daughter asked for help with her AP History reading at the beginning of the year, I looked at her and said, “I can’t believe I am saying this, but I have no idea what I just read.”  This stuff is tough!  But she/we have gone through ACTs and AP exams and we’re in the home stretch until the end of the year.  Group exhale…….

feta

I am ready to focus more of my energy on entertaining at home, which we do much more often in the summer and one of my great pleasures is coming up with an assortment of great menus for the months ahead.  Believe me, I still stay in my comfort zone of simple, fresh and tasty food.  Even though I have more time in the summer, I’m not about to complicate my life with fancy recipes.  I love to start a summer dinner with one or two light hors d’oeuvres or bites, preferably with a bottle of chilled rosé.  There’s something about rosé that makes me feel like I’m in Capri or the South of France, even though I’m really just in little old Manhattan Beach!

fresh ingredients

One of my favorite super simple noshes is this Eqyptian feta and cucumber dip that my friend Cheryl made for me a few years ago.  It’s fresh, salty and very cooling.  Because the star of the show here is the feta, it is ultra-important that you buy a really good one.  I much prefer fetas made from goat or sheep milk, or a blend of both.  The fetas made from cow milk are too dry and rather flavorless.  Also goat and sheep milks are much easier for us to digest than pasteurized cow dairy.  You want a feta that is crumbly, but creamy and a little tangy.  If you are vegan or dairy-free, I have seen vegan feta in my local natural foods markets, but I haven’t tried any yet.  I’m very curious to know if they are any good since, except for a little ghee, I haven’t had any dairy in a few months.  Let me know if you have a favorite brand.

mix it all together

The easiest way to serve this is just as a dip in a bowl with some great pita chips.  If your friends like feta, they’ll love this no matter how you serve it.  But if you have a few extra minutes, it’s always nice to include some washed endive spears or wide strips of sweet bell pepper, just for a nice, more healthful change from wheat/flour-based foods.  And if you’re really feeling your inner-Martha (love her!), dollop a little of the dip inside a hollowed-out cherry tomato (place the stem side down and slice a bit off the top which is actually the bottom of the tomato, and hollow out with a grapefruit knife or something small) — fabulous!

hollowing out cherry tomatoes

Feta and Cucumber Dip | Pamela Salzman

Here’s to slowing down this summer, friends.  Cheers!

Feta Cucumber in cherry tomatoes | Pamela Salzman

Feta and Cucumber Dip

Pamela
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Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces feta cheese preferably sheep or goat, drained
  • 4 Persian cucumbers seeded and minced
  • ½ cup finely chopped mild white onion green onion or shallot
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves or more to taste, chopped
  • sea salt if you need it and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Pita Chips
  • Whole wheat pita bread
  • Unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • Zhatar* or sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • Crush cheese with a fork in a bowl. Add onion, lemon juice, olive oil and cucumber. Mix to combine.
  • Add mint, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pita on a large cutting board. Split pita in half so you have two large whole thin rounds.
  • Pour about ¼ cup olive oil in a small bowl. Brush olive oil on both sides of pita bread. Stack rounds and cut into eighths or sixths, as you like. Arrange in one layer on a large baking sheet or two.
  • Sprinkle with Zahtar* or sea salt and bake until crispy, about 10-20 minutes.
  • Serve dip with pita chips and/or raw veggies.

Notes

You can leave out the cucumber and serve the dip in hollowed out cucumber “cups.” You can also put some of the dip in seeded cherry tomatoes as shown above.
*DIY Zhatar:  ¼ cup sesame seeds (raw or toasted), ¼ cup sumac, 2 Tbsp. dried thyme, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!