Birthday Celebration

Brian turned 29 today, so we celebrated with a wonderful home cooked meal. We started with a mixed green salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I'm not sure if you have drifted into the wonderful world of homemade salad dressings, but if you haven't, please do. It is well worth the 5 minutes it takes to make them. This dressing is slightly tangy and with a hint of heat. I added some chopped tomatoes and buttery black olives to our salads as well. You will love it!

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tbls sweet hot mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup walnut oil

1/2 cup canola oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mixed salad greens (I prefer spring mix)

Combine all ingredients together (except the greens of course) and whisk until fully emulsified. I like to pull out my magic bullet for this...so easy! Toss lightly with your greens and serve!

Next we dove into a beautiful roasted chicken breast over a bed of lentils. I made a quick garlic paste and mixed it with some unsalted butter. I rubbed the mixture all under the skin of the chicken and some on the outside so it would crisp up and become golden brown. I also added a basil leaf under the skin for added flavor, but you could use any herb, I just had basil on hand. The bone in the chicken really helps to hold in the moisture and keep the chicken juicy. Use a thermometer if you need to, pull chicken out at 160 degrees. 

I used Emeril's recipe for the lentils from his new show Emeril Green. He has easy and healthy recipes that really bring out the natural flavors of the fresh ingredients he uses. 

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

2 bone in chicken breast halves

1 clove garlic, minced and made into a paste

1 tbls unsalted butter, room temperature

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mince the garlic and form a paste by adding a little bit of salt and running your knife over the mixture back and forth until a paste forms. Mix this with the butter. Pat the chicken dry and spread the garlic mixture under and over the skin of each chicken breast. Add a basil leaf under the skin of each breast and sprinkle salt and pepper all over. Place chicken in a baking dish and roast for about 25 minutes in the oven, until chicken is no longer pink. 

French Green Lentils

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

Salt and Freshly ground pepper

1 cup French Green Lentils

1 cup Chicken Stock

Saute the carrots, celery, and onion in a medium sauce pan until tender. Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes until lentils are tender. Serve warm.