The Best Chicken Parmesan

FOR THE SAUCE 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

FOR THE CHICKEN

2 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally, and pounded 1/2 inch thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup torn fresh basil

FOR THE SAUCE: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant (I find this happens very, very quickly, about 15 seconds). Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.

FOR THE CHICKEN: Sprinkle each side of each cutlet with 1/8 teaspoon salt and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Combine mozzarella and fontina in bowl; set aside.

Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element (this is the top rack in my oven) and heat broiler. Whisk egg and flour together in shallow dish or pie plate until smooth. Toss together Parmesan, panko, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper in second shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge cutlets, one at a time, in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides in Parmesan mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere. Transfer cutlet to large plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.

Heat vegetable oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place 2 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until bottoms are crispy and deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip cutlets and cook on second side until deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to paper towel–lined plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.
Place cutlets on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over cutlets, covering as much surface area as possible. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes, rotating baking sheet as necessary for even browning. Transfer chicken to serving platter and top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.

Spent Grain-ola

Another recipe that puts homebrewing spent grain to use.


2 cups oats, steel-cut or rolled
2 cups spent grain, wet
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1 cup dried apricots, sliced

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the dried fruit; mix thoroughly. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with nonstick spray, and spread the mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Place back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Allow to cool and add dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Chicken Miso Soup with Ramen Noodles

Because miso is heat sensitive, be sure to keep the soup at a simmer. If it is boiled, it looses some of its flavor and health benefits. Makes six servings (9 cups).

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
6 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup red or white miso
8 ounces shredded rotisserie chicken
1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 can baby corn, drained
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 package ramen noodles, no packet
2 cups baby spinach

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat; add scallion whites, ginger and garlic. Cook mixture until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

Add broth and simmer, about 10 minutes. Pour 1 cup warm broth into a small bowl; whisk in miso until dissolved. Stir broth-miso mixture back into saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low and keep broth at a simmer.

Stir in chicken, bamboo shoots, corn, carrot, and noodles; cook until chicken and vegetables are heated through and noodles are tender, 3-5 minutes. Off heat, stir in spinach. Garnish each serving with scallion greens.

Per serving: 211 calories, 10g total fat (2g sat); 32mg chol, 694mg sodium, 19g carb, 3g fiber, 14g protein.

Tarragon Beef Tournedo Salad

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar 

FOR THE SALAD
4 cups spring mix salad greens
8 cheery or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 thing slices baguette
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound beef tenderloin cut into 4 slices
2 large eggs

Combine vinegar, shallots, olive oil, tarragon, Worcestershire, Dijon, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Divide salad greens, tomatoes and olives between two plates. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to simmer over medium heat to poach eggs. Drizzle each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon olive oil. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, toast bread on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Remove to salad plates. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add remaining olive oil to skillet and saute steaks for about five minutes on each side. Place steaks on toast. Poach eggs in gently simmering water until whites are firm, about 3 minutes. Remove eggs with slotted spoon. Briefly dry poached eggs by carefully rolling them in a paper towel. Top steak slices with egg. Drizzle each salad - green mixture, baguette, steak slices and egg - with 2 tablespoons of the tarragon vinaigrette.

French Chocolate Granola

4 1/2 cups rolled oats (sub half spent grain if desired)
3/4 cups raw almonds, chopped
3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mild honey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
½ cup, or more, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, and salt. Stir well to blend.

3. In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally – watch out! the oil will want to splash - until the honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.

4. Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Set a timer to go off halfway through the baking time, so that you can give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely. Bake longer if using damp grain.

5. When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar, or zipper-lock plastic bag. Add the chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) to mix.

6. Store in an airtight container. Serve with milk.

Chocolate Chunk Spent Grain and Coconut Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 1/8 cups spent grain
1 1/8 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled
3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375∞F.

2. Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, cherries, and almonds. Depending on how damp your grain is, you may need an extra tablespoon or two of flour.

3. Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on 2 lightly buttered large baking sheets (about 8 cookies per sheet), then gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position and rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes total.

4. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.