Tomato Basil Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 T. olive oil
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 pint cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme
1 tsp. dried or fresh oregano
2 T. chopped basil
2 cups pasta sauce

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the chicken over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.
Add peppers, onion, and mushrooms to the same skillet and cook until tender. Add in tomato, sauce, oregano, and thyme.
Reduce heat to low and add in chicken. Simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve over rice or pasta.
Enjoy!

Dried Thyme

How to Dry Thyme

Wash and dry the thyme. You can choose to dry the entire stem or remove the tiny leaves.
To remove the leaves, pinch the end of the stem with your thumb and forefinger and pull up the stalk. The leaves will fall off.

Traditionally, many herbs were dried by hanging and this still works today. Take the stems and bundle them together. Tie the bundles and hang them where the temperatures are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is low. Stems may take a week or more to dry.

Once the leaves are separated from the stem you can also just lay them on a cookie sheet. Stir them up after half a day. The leaves will be completely dry in just a couple of days.

Storing thyme correctly will preserve its essence and flavor. Put the dried herb in an airtight container in a dim to dark area. Light and moisture will degrade the herb’s flavor.

From: Gardening Know How

Cayenne Peppers

The cayenne pepper is a hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. It is named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana. The pepper is usually dried and ground to make the spice of the same name. It is generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units. It is also used as an herbal supplement.

17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper
Pickled Hot Peppers

Creamed Swiss Chard with Bacon

Creamed Swiss Chard with Bacon

Ingredients:
1 bunch swiss chard
3 spring onions
Fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
Parmesan cheese
1 lb. bacon

Directions:
Cook bacon until slightly crispy. Set on paper towel when done and allow to cool.
Rinse swiss chard and remove stalks.
Chop chard into thin ribbons and chop onion and parsley.
In a skillet heat butter and add onion. Cook until caramelized.
Add parsely and swish chard and cook until wilted.
Crumble bacon in pieces and add to mixture.
In a sauce pan heat milk until warm.
Add flour to the milk and whisk until it begins to thicken and make a roux. (3-4min.)
Mix roux and parmesan cheese into the swish chard mixture and simmer for 5 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over pasta and enjoy!
From: Smitten Kitchen

                                     

Sauteed Beet Greens

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound beet greens
• 1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Directions:

1 Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2 In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

3 Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

Recipe from: Simply Recipes

Kale, Bacon, and Basil Hash

I made this for breakfast for my parents. It was a big hit. Tasty and filling, a great way to start the day.

Ingredients:
6 medium sized potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
Basil (1/2 cup)
Kale (about 2 cups chopped)
1/2 lb bacon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Chop potatoes into small cubes. Chop onion.
Heat olive oil in a pan and add potatoes and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook bacon until crisp. When done, remove from heat and cool on a paper towel covered plate.
Chop kale and basil. When potatoes are tender and start to brown add in kale and basil. Cook another 6-8 minutes.
Chop bacon into pieces and add to potato mixture.
Place mixture on a plate and add a fried egg to the top.
Serve and enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

This is a no fry variation of eggplant parmesan.

Ingredients:
3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
4 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
6 c. spaghetti sauce, divided
1 lb. mozzarella, shredded and divided
1/2 cub grated parmesan, divided
1 tsp. chopped basil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dip eggplant slices into egg and coat with bread crumbs.
Place eggplant on a sprayed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes on each side.
In a 9x13 baking dish, spread tomato sauce to cover the bottom.
Place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat; sauce, eggplant, cheese, ending with a layer of cheese.
Sprinkle basil on top and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy!