Friendly Food Snobs

easy chicken parmesan

/ supper / 0 comment

Super easy chicken parmesan. My kids call it “pizza chicken” and love it. The chicken is flavourful, gluten free and takes about 20 minutes to come together.

I serve it with anything! Broccoli or green  salad works well. A Caesar salad would be good, as well as rice or potatoes.

You will only need about 3/4 of the can of diced tomatoes for this recipe. So just  freeze the rest for a soup or chili.

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 chicken cutlets
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • one 14 oz can Italian diced tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all spices and salt and pepper.  Heat an oven safe pan like a cast iron to medium heat. Coat with olive oil.

Season each side of chicken generously with spice mixture. Sear chicken in pan a few minutes each side until golden.

Spoon a few tablespoons of tomatoes onto each piece of chicken. Top with parmesan cheese and bake for ten minutes. I like to reserve a little cheese from the 1/2 cup to plate with. After ten minutes your house will smell amazing. Top with fresh basil and enjoy.

summer chimichurri

/ appetizer, supper / 0 comment

Summer weather is in full swing here in Toronto. Trips to the island, the beach and long, gorgeous days. My herb garden is blooming and chimichurri this is the perfect dip to make with fresh basil and cilantro.

Okay truth, I am terrible at growing cilantro, so that is store bought! But my basil growing skills are on point.

Bright green, aromatic and delicious, my family loves this chimichurri drizzled over roasted potatoes, oven fries, grilled steak or chicken as well as eggs. It’s also delicious blended with a bit of mayonnaise and used as a sandwich spread.

The chimichurri is simple to make. Just toss everything in the blender, let is sit in the fridge for an hour or so to left the flavours blend and enjoy. Be sure to use both the stems and leaves from the herbs, as it all get blended up.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey/maple syrup
  • pinch chili flakes
  • 1 tsp dried mint/dried oregano

Pour the oil and vinegar in your blender. Add remaining ingredients, and blitz until almost smooth. Freezes well too. Can be kept in the fridge for up to five days.

Spanish inspired chicken thighs

/ supper / 0 comment

Summer is beginning to peak through here in Toronto. Birds chirping in the morning and longer sunny days. These chicken thighs are easy to throw together for a weeknight supper that feels special. My husband and kids devour these, even my youngest son Dashel who can be picky!

The spices are simple – paprika, thyme and oregano, and one red onion and one red pepper that caramelize in a hot oven with the juicy boneless chicken thighs.

I serve this for dinner with rice or a simple salad. The next day, I chop up the leftovers and scoop them into warm corn tortillas with avocado and lime for lunch.

Don’t skip the addition of the red wine vinegar (balsamic would work too) in the last bit of cooking, it really adds a lot of flavour and helps you flip the chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 red pepper chopped into large chunks
  • 1 red onion peeled and quartered
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry. Mix the salt and pepper and spices in small bowl. Pour the olive oil into an oven safe dish – I love to use a cast iron pan. Layer the chicken thighs in the pan and sprinkle half of the seasoning. Flip the chicken over and sprinkle the remaining seasoning. Tuck the red onion and pepper around the chicken. Bake for 40 minutes, remove from oven and drizzle the red wine vinegar over the chicken. Flip the chicken thighs over and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy. Enjoy!

Buckwheat Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ sweets / 0 comment

The perfect November cookie to see you through until holiday baking. Crispy on the outside, with enough dark chocolate to satisfy. I love the nutty flavour tahini brings (1/3 cup so not overpowering).

I began baking with buckwheat flour since being gluten intolerant after having my second son, Dash. I often substitute a 1/4 cup of buckwheat flour in place of regular flour in pancakes or muffins. As with most gluten free flours, once open, store in the fridge. Bob’s Red Mill GF buckwheat flour is my favourite as it’s ground quite fine. Hope you love these as much as we do. Recipe makes 12 large cookies (or 24 small).

Tahini Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup gluten free baking flour or all purpose white flour
  • 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup (50 grams) 70% dark chocolate bar coarsely chopped or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Additions: extra chocolate to top each cookie before baking and flaky salt for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl combine the room temperature butter, tahini and maple syrup using a spatula until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients, adding the dark chocolate last.

Using a teaspoon scoop small balls onto the baking sheet. They will flatten and spread as they bake. Top with an extra chunk of chocolate – I love the way this looks!

Bake for 15-17 minutes until bottoms are lightly brown. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Sprinkle with salt if using. (I like the salty addition, my husband and kids prefer without.)

Cookies freeze well too. Pop me a comment or tag me @rachelbarbaro if you make these. Happy holiday baking!

blueberry lemon zest baked oatmeal

/ breakfast, sweets / 1 Comment

It’s July and summer is in full swing. After a so many months of having the kids home, I find we are now rushing to get out the door! What a shift. I started making this blueberry lemon zest baked oatmeal once a week for a quick weekday breakfast, or an afternoon snack (for me with a hot cup of tea) and it’s delicious, filling and gluten free. I also love that this is one bowl, because who needs another bowl to clean?

The blueberry lemon zest combination is a classic for a reason. This baked oatmeal leaves me feeling full and the ingredients are good – I use gluten free large oats and only sweeten with a little maple syrup.

You can have fun with the combinations. I did fresh raspberries (instead of blueberries) with sliced almonds on top. Later this summer I want to try zucchini with walnuts (if I can get any zucchinis from my garden before the squirrels!) and maybe peanut butter, mashed banana with chocolate chips for upcoming road trips.

Recipe makes 9 large squares or 12 small ones. Be sure to let the baked oatmeal cool completely before you cut it.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups large oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup almond milk (dairy works too)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (1/3 cup if you want sweeter)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce
  • zest of one large lemon (equal to 1 tsp)
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8×8 or 9×9 pan with non stick spray, butter or coconut oil. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, syrup, oil and apples sauce. Sprinkled over the dry ingredients, adding the zest and blueberries last. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 35 minutes, checking to make sure the center is set and not wobbly. Let cool for one hour and dive in. Stores well in the fridge for up to one week. Hope you love it!

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