Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Recipe Exchange

A dear friend of mine passed along a Recipe Exchange email.  How fun! According to the email, after forwarding it to twenty people, I should get thirty-six recipes back.  The email asked that I pass along my favorite weeknight dinner.  I'm really looking forward to see what recipes my friends come up with and will definitely share the winners.

For my recipe, I chose my adaptation of Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms that I found on the Whole Foods website about a year ago.  It reminds me of chicken cacciatore, only better.  I've modified it a bit to add more veggies and I serve it with whole wheat pasta (I bet it would be great over polenta).  It's easy, delicious and a great go to dinner on a cold evening.  Enjoy!

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms




Photo courtesy of WholeFoods.com




Ingredients


2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 cup flour 
Salt to taste 
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces 
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed 
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, drained 
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 
2 tablespoons butter 
1 package of sliced portobello mushroom 
Juice of 1 lemon 
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn 
1 bag of baby spinach leaves
1 pound of wholewheat pasta of your choice

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. In a gallon size plastic bag mix together flour, salt and red pepper flakes then coat chicken with flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer chicken to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned; transfer to a large plate and return pot to the heat. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add tomatoes, broth and browned chicken and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add mushrooms and cook until tender and golden. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside. 

Add cooked mushrooms, basil and spinach to pot with chicken mixture and continue simmering just spinach begins to wilt.  Serve over wholewheat pasta of your choice and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  





Method



Friday, January 27, 2012

A Quick Trip To China

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”  
              - Ansel Adams


I am an explorer.  I am capable of turning a trip to the grocery story into a two hour voyage.  Whether it be taking a new route to Starbucks or a vacation abroad, my explorations invigorate my soul.  While I live and work in the suburbs of New York City, my work frequently takes me to different places.  For the past couple weeks I've been working in Manhattan in an area known as the Civic Center area.  Nestled between Tribeca and Chinatown, the lunch options are pretty bland - how many days in a row can a girl have a chopped salad?!?!  I had standing lunch plans with an old friend and was tasked with the decision of choosing a place.  


Being that it is a dreary Friday I was craving something out of the ordinary and suggested that we take a quick walk to Chinatown.  So we grabbed our umbrellas and less than five minutes later we arrived in a different world.  I haven't been to Chinatown in years and it was exactly what I needed.  



We started out at Wo Hop City and split the 3D Chow Fun and Beef with Broccoli.  The portions were huge and the food was good, but it was nothing special and they didn't have soup dumplings (huge strike against them).  After lunch, my friend had to run back to the office so I took the opportunity to walk around and do some exploring.  


I forgot I was in New York! 


I love me some Bok Choy.


Beautiful Buddhas!

While walking around I truly felt like I had escaped to the East.  The sounds, smells and colors were so different than the sea of grey, black and navy suits that I'm surrounded by on a daily basis.  There are tons of restaurants, tea houses, specialty food shops, jade and jewelry stores, florists with bonsai and bamboo in every size, and spas with really inexpensive and intriguing treatments.  After a long week it was a perfect change of scenery.

Chinatown is easily accessible for those who live along the New Haven line.  Street parking is limited but there are plenty of garages. For those of you who want to take the New Haven Line to Grand Central take the 4/5 train to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall or the 6 train to Canal St. 

It's supposed to be a mild weekend so get out there and enjoy! 


Monday, January 23, 2012

A New Year!

Welcome to the New Haven Line! With a new year underway, I thought it would be a good time to begin my first blog, centered around some of my favorite things and places, and share them with all of you. I love cooking (and eating), exploring with my puppy, hanging out with friends and family, staying active, reading and traveling. I was born and raised in the NYC suburbs and recently returned to the area. I plan on using this blog to share my favorite finds and adventures, daily rants and raves, memorialize some of my cherished memories and become a little more technologically savvy (more on that later)!

I look forward to hearing and learning from all of you!