Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

You know, one pot meals just seem like my go-to's these days. With the busy schedule, I usually make a one-pot meal a week- I save half in the fridge and half in the freezer. Then, I rotate my freezer "inventories" each week to the fridge, so I have different things on hand each week. Get it? no? It's ok, it's not that important.

Anyway, this week I made chili, seen here, so that's nothing new. However, last week, I took on Giada's Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino, and I must say that it was a success!

Spezzatino? What is that? No worries, it really just means "stew" (thank you, Google translate) This recipe was oh so easy and fast! Plus, I love chicken and artichoke (can't say the same with beans, but I was able to tolerate them in this dish.) so you must try it too.

I made very few alterations from this original recipe - I skipped pancetta! I did not have it on hand, and I did not want to go out and buy it. Honest? yes, I think so. Also, I used dried basil instead of fresh, and lastly, I used chicken thigh instead of breast. No biggies!

So here is my version of the spezzatino!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, halved

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

2(14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon of dried basil leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 bay leaf

4 pieces of boneless chicken thigh, cubed

12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:
Add oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in saucepan in medium-high heat. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, basil, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the chicken and press down to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, turning the chicken over and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add the artichoke and the cannellini beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season the spezzatino with salt and pepper, to taste.

And that's it... Thanks Giada, you are too awesome.

Trader Joe's

Let's talk Trader Joe's, shall we?

picture via

I first came around Trader Joe's in California years ago, before they expanded to the Northeast. I was amazed by the enormous amount of products that they carried. I loved the fact that they are super health conscious too.

Now that there are a few Trader Joe's around me, it's pretty much the only place I get my groceries. Let me correct that, I don't tend to buy fresh produce or fruits at Trader Joe's, I usually buy them from my local farms. However, everything else in my pantry, and I have pictures to prove this statement, I purchased at my dear Trader Joe's. It's so wonderful.

You may think, "why is she posting this random post on Trader Joe's?" "She getting paid to write this?" "This is boring!", I am sorry! It's none of the above! I really don't have a legitimate reason to why I am writing this post, I just feel like sharing the world my love for Trader Joe's. That's all. It's beyond the delicious and affordable products that they carry, the friendly staff they have in every location, or the funny descriptions for every single item. I just love it. Stop judging me.

Please tell me that you love Trader Joe's too, in the comments below. Please...

Easy Chicken Souvlaki

Looking good, eh?

I recently made this dish for dinner not once, but twice because it was so darn delicious. Did I mention that I made it within 30 minutes? Yup, I did. It was so simple!

I got this recipe from an old Real Simple book called Real Simple Meals Made Easy.

Ingredients:
4 pieces flat bread or pitas (I used Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Whole Wheat Flatbread)
2 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano (living the poor grad student life, I used 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano instead)
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme (again, 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme)
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 small red onion, sliced
3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
1 small cucumber, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill (I used 1 tablespoon of dried dill)

Making the Salad & Chicken Marinade-
Combine 1 1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Slowly add in the oil. Pour half of this mixture into tomatoes, onion, Feta, and olives. Pour the other half as chicken marinade.
Heat up the grill or sauté pan on high heat. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally until cooked through.

Yogurt Sauce-
While the chicken is cooking, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining vinegar in a bowl.

Wrap the bread in foil and place in 250 degree oven to warm.

Place the chicken on top of the bread. Pour the yogurt sauce over the chicken, then put the salad next to the chicken. ** There really isn't a rule of how you should place or eat this dish. Do as you wish.

Ta-Da!

Delicious. Next time, you can try the traditional way- lamb!