Chicken Piccata with Picholine Olives

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Today, I’m sharing an update to a a recipe that’s been on the blog for quite a while (since 2014!). This updated version still calls for olives, which is not a typical Piccata ingredient, but if you ask me, olives are rarely a bad idea.

When I think of chicken piccata, I don’t think of anything too bold or fancy. It evokes mental images of chain-style Italian restaurants. But that’s not quite right, because fresh home-style chicken piccata is bright. It’s surprising what a single lemon can do, and how briny capers awaken any dish. Bring an old classic back to the table—why not? Classics are classics for a reason, and this one is ready in under 30 minutes.

Chicken Piccata with Picholine Olives

Published April 21, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 pound chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins

Salt

Black pepper

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, plus additional slices for garnish

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup pitted picholine olives or castelvetrano olives

1/4 cup minced parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken, on both sides, with salt and pepper.
2. Put flour on a plate. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off excess.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When oil is glistening, place chicken in pan. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, undisturbed. Chicken should be white around the edges and golden on the cooked side. Add garlic to pan. Flip chicken to second side, and cook for 3 more minutes or until golden.
4. Using a spatula or tongs, transfer chicken to a clean plate. Pour broth into pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Using spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan, scraping up the brown bits for added flavor.
5. Add chicken back to pan, and coat in sauce. Add capers and olives.
6. Serve chicken on plates, and sprinkle with parsley.

Tomato Basil Soup from Canned Tomatoes

This tomato soup uses canned tomatoes, which means that even before spring’s flowers have started to show, you can zip it together.

It goes without saying that there is a lot going on in the world right now, which means that even though spring officially started last week, comfort food is still in order. This recipe is the epitome of comfort and is easy to make with supplies you have on hand.

P.S., I have gotten very in to making homemade sourdough. I started with this recipe, which I highly recommend, and have been tweaking and exploring as I go. When you have a fresh loaf sitting around, it’s hard not to want soup for dinner, just because of the bread-dipping action.

Tomato Basil Soup from Canned Tomatoes

Published March 19, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 3-4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons flour (optional, makes a thicker, creamier soup)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 28-ounce (or 2 14-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2-3 cups vegetable broth

4 sprigs thyme

Salt

Pepper

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Optional: 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut chiffonade, with one tablespoon reserved for garnish

For serving: grated Parmesan, grilled cheese, croutons, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced onion, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
2. Add flour to the pot, and continue to cook, stirring, until onions are coated and just starting to brown. Add tomato paste, and stir to incorporate. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add canned diced tomatoes, thyme, and broth. Season with a generous pinch of salt, a few cracks of freshly ground pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
4. Place lid on pot, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes to incorporate flavors.
5. Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove thyme from soup. Discard.
6. Purée the soup: if you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup until puréed. If you have a countertop blender, ladle soup into blender jar in batches, and purée. Ensure the lid is on very well!
7. Stir sliced basil (reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish) into soup. Taste, and season as needed with additional salt, and/or pepper.
8. Ladle into bowls, and serve to your preferences (i.e., topped with parmesan, with croutons, a grilled cheese, etc).

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Our local grocery store (Alfalfa’s) has a smoothie bar and every once in a while they’ll set out samples. Recently they had not one but three flavors to sample, and I debated which brightly-colored mini cup to take. I finally landed on tangerine, even though orange is not typically my favorite flavor. Immediately, I was reminded of a story about Orange Julius I post to this blog years ago. It was creamy, with citrus punch and a touch of vanilla. It was a throw-back, a reminder of orange cream soda and orange creamsicles and childhood. It was nostalgia. But, flavor-wise, even better, because it was made with tangerines at peak citrus season. So, I took that inspiration and ran with it, adding a little coin of ginger because I couldn’t help myself.

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Published February 20, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 1-2   |    Active Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tangerines, 2 minneola tangelos, or 1 sumo citrus, peeled

1/2 cup plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 banana, peeled and roughly chopped

5-6 ice cubes

1 nickle-sized slice of ginger

Optional: 1 scoop plain, unsweetened collagen or whey protein powder

Optional: 2 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut

Optional: Small drop vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and secure lid on blender jar. Puree until completely smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and enjoy cold.