Almost done

All week I've been cooking, cleaning and baking, while Mom's been gone. Tomorrow, that time comes to a close. I've enjoyed the challenge, but I'm ready to get back to just helping in the kitchen. It's a lot harder than I thought to actually plan, shop for and cook dinner on time! 


Two of my favorite things to make (not to mention to eat!) were Grilled Chicken Stuffed With Basil And Tomato, and Sweet Potato Ginger Spoon Bread (not served together). Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the spoon bread, so the one used on the website where I got the recipe will have to do. 

Grilled Chicken Stuffed With Basil And Tomato

Ingredients:

Serves 4.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• For the Stuffing
• 12 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Directions:

1. Butterfly chicken breasts: Put halves on a cutting board, smooth sides down, with the pointed ends facing you. Starting on one long side, cut breasts almost in half horizontally (stop about 1/2 inch before reaching the opposite side). Open cut breasts like a book. Sprinkle each piece all over with 1/8 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Transfer to a plate, and coat both sides with garlic and oil. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Heat a grill or grill pan until medium-hot. Place 3 basil leaves on the bottom half of each opened chicken breast; top each with 2 slices tomato. Fold over other half of chicken breast, and secure with two toothpicks or short skewers.
3. Grill chicken breasts, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Place on a clean serving platter; garnish with basil. If desired, remove toothpicks or skewers before serving.

Note from the website:

Before grilling, soak the toothpicks or skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Butterflying the chicken -- splitting each piece in half and fanning it open like a book -- creates two layers. They make tasty "sandwiches" with tomato and basil.

Claire's Tip: Pre-roast your tomatoes in the oven for an even more flavorful meal! How-to can be found here. I served the chicken over gluten-free brown rice and millet noodles. Delicious!

(Credit for this recipe goes to Wholeliving.com) 

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Sweet Potato Ginger Spoon Bread

Serves 8.

Ingredients:
Butter, for baking dish
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, plus more for pan
2 small sweet potatoes (12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (1%) - I used lactose-free milk, or you could use almond milk
2 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses- I used black treacle- the British version of molasses
1 tablespoon grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and dust with cornmeal. Steam sweet potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and mash until very smooth; let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook, whisking constantly until just thickened, 1 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, stir together mashed potatoes, cornmeal mixture, egg yolks, sugar, molasses, ginger, and salt. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir in half of egg whites into cornmeal mixture. Very gently fold in remaining egg whites.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish, place on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and set, 35 to 40 minutes.


(Credit goes to wholeliving.com for picture and recipe)

Enjoy!