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Tag: balsamic glaze

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Tomato Salad

I am in a summer roll- this is an amazingly easy yet delicious, light recipe to make any evening or for company. I used one of my favorite ingredients- balsamic glaze. If you don’t have it in your pantry- it is a must. It is great for marinades, salad dressing, etc…. It has an amazing sweet and tart flavor…

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 to 3 cups mixed greens

Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt and pepper to a salad bowl. Mix well and let sit in room temperature for an hour. Right before serving, add the greens and toss well.

  • 4 to 5 pieces chicken cutlets (chicken breasts pounded thin)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the balsamic glaze, garlic, olive oil and salt in a small bowl. Transfer the chicken and the marinade to a zip lock bag and marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Take out half an hour before grilling. Grill till done, careful not to over cook. Take off grill. Serve with tomato salad on top.

 

Roasted Onion with Balsamic Glaze

I served this side dish with the chicken yesterday. I saw a Nigella Lawson show where she made a side dish with roasted onions. She served lamb chops for dinner with these yummy onions…

  • 4 to 5 red onions, cut into quarters and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Transfer the onions to a lined oven pan. Add the olive oil, fennel seeds, salt and red pepper. Mix well and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or till the onions are soft and caramelized. Take out and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve with chicken and potatoes.

Grilled Steak with Tomato Salad

This is a great recipe for the season- tomatoes are everywhere and grilling is the thing to do. It takes no time to whip this up…

  • 2 to 3 grass fed rib eye steaks
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Drizzle the olive oil all over the steak and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate for an hour or two. Grill the steaks to desired doneness. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Tomato Salad

  • 2 to 3 heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Drizzle of balsamic glaze
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Transfer the tomatoes to a medium bowl. Add the oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and let marinate for an hour. Right before serving with the steaks, drizzle some balsamic glaze.

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Simple summer salad!

  • 1 cup small mozzarella balls, sliced in half
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic glaze
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ cup basil, chopped

Add the mozzarella balls, tomatoes, garlic, balsamic glaze, oil, salt, pepper and basil in a medium bowl. Mix well and check for seasonings. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Pancetta and Balsamic Roast Chicken

Pancetta and Balsamic Chicken This is a delicious way to make a one pot meal. It all goes into a big roasting pan and you are done! I started with leg quarters- if I am not roasting a whole chicken, I like to cook leg quarters. Dark meat has a lot of flavor and is very forgiving as it doesn’t over cook.

When using very few ingredients, it is important to use very bold flavors. In this case, I used garlic, pancetta and balsamic glaze. I cooked the pancetta and then mixed it with the garlic, thyme and the glaze. I then slathered the chicken with the yummy mixture and roasted it.

To make things more interesting, I lined the roasting pan with slices of delicious sour dough bread and some potatoes. The potatoes and the bread come out deliciously crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I especially love the bread- all the flavors absorb really well.

I served this delicious meal with a green salad and a delicious glass of red wine. I love simple, delicious food with very good quality ingredients!

  • 4 leg quarters with skin
  • 6 to 8 slices of sour dough bread
  • 4 to 5 small potatoes, peeled and cut in half
  • Salt

Marinade

  • ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
  • 5 to 6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Cook the pancetta in a hot frying pan until the fat is rendered on medium heat- it should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn heat off and take out in a bowl.

Pound the garlic, salt and thyme in a mortar and pestle till smooth. Add the olive oil and balsamic glaze. Mix well and add to the cooked pancetta. Mix well and keep aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the bread slices in a medium, lined baking sheet (9X13). Smear some of the marinade on the bread. Add the chicken quarters and the potatoes. Rub the marinade all over covering all the surfaces. Sprinkle salt generously all over. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil and finish roasting till the chicken is done. Serve a piece of the chicken on top of the cooked bread with potatoes on the side.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage with Herbed Polenta

Butternut Squash and Sausage with Polenta

I saw this dish on Rachel Ray’s show. I can’t remember exactly what she did but it definitely inspired this recipe. I love buying the already cut up butternut squash from Trader Joes– I can’t help myself- I just pick it up. The problem is, my daughter is not a big fan- she doesn’t care for the texture. I get it- everyone has something they don’t like.. so I don’t push it.

I love the healthy, orange vegetable. I especially like it with sausage. I roasted the squash and an apple chicken sausage I got from Trader Joes as well. In case you didn’t guess, I am at TJs almost everyday.

I made herbed polenta which is the easiest starch to make. Try this dish- very easy to make…

  • 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 pound cooked chicken sausages (apple and chardonnay), sliced into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sage, chopped
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Transfer the squash, sausage, garlic, rosemary, sage, salt and olive oil to a lined cookie sheet. Roast till the squash is tender and sausage is warmed through- about 40 minutes, while tossing one time in between. Drizzle the balsamic glaze, mix well. Keep aside.

Herbed Polenta

  • 1 cup fine polenta
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons sage, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Salt
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Add the milk, broth (you may need to adjust quantity according to your polenta package instructions), sage, rosemary, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil and cook according to instructions. Once the polenta is done, add salt and cheese. Serve with the roasted squash and sausage.

Sole Filet with Balsamic Glaze and Tomatoes

Sole Filet with Balsamic Glaze If you are trying to incorporate more fish into your diet- this is a great dish to make. I usually buy my fish from a local store in our town. I love the freshness and variety they have. I sometimes buy the frozen variety from Trader Joes. It is cheaper and as long as I pick the wild caught kind, I am happy with my choice.

I bought a pack of frozen sole from there. I had never cooked with it before and thought it looked really good. My family prefers mild, white fish and this seemed to fit the bill.

I brought it home and decided to cook it in a very simple way. I wanted to make a balsamic glaze and pair it with tomatoes to top the fish. Balsamic glaze is super simple to make- all you have to do is cook down some balsamic vinegar with garlic, salt and pepper. The trick is to stay close to the stove while the vinegar is cooking down as it tends to get super thick almost instantly.

I paired the delicious fish with simple broccoli and roasted potatoes. To keep the carbs down, I had just a few of the potato pieces. Honestly, the fish was so yummy, I really didn’t miss the carbs…
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