Food Therapy

The past 2 days have been a complete beat-down. I have been working some crazy hours, which, I have to be honest, I am not used to anymore. But, no excuses, a girl's gotta eat, right? And when I am stressed, I want something GOOD, not fish, not a lame salad...I want something that is going to make the soul sing. So I look in the big cold box (for the 30th time today) and all I see is CHICKEN...let me tell you, I'm not hearing any songs from boneless-skinless chicken breast...uh uh, no way. As a matter of fact, that would be last on my list for "soul singing" food, but I poured a glass of wine and worked with the hand I was dealt. I looked through my recipe box (BTW - everyone needs one) and it hit me...chicken filled with ricotta cheese. On the side I made some yummy green beans with bacon and onions (not nearly as bad for you as it sounds).

Honestly, with my energy level I could have done a good batch of toaster waffles, but why should everyone else suffer for my inability to handle work, right?

So, here we go...

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Roll-Ups (adapted from Rachael Ray)
2 lg. eggs
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 - 2 tbsp. sun dried tomato paste (the recipe called for 1 c. sun dried tomatoes in oil. I hate the texture so I went with the paste)
4 chicken breasts - pounded. (Instead of pounding them flat, I butterfly them first, then pound them)
1/2 lb. provolove cheese
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ricotta & sun dried tomato paste. Dip chicken in egg then breadcrumbs. Place a slice (or 2) of provolone and a heaping scoop of ricotta on the narrow side of the chicken. Roll up and secure with a toothpick if necessary. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

This chicken recipe is awesome. It is kind of like chicken parm, kind of like chicken fingers and a whole lot of yummy! I have substituted frozen, thawed spinach or roasted red peppers or even pesto for the sun dried tomato...this recipe has the flexibility of a Chinese gymnast!

Green Beans with Bacon and Onions
1 lb. green beans
2 slices of bacon - chopped
1/4 med. onion - diced
pepper

Boil the green beans for 7-10 minutes in a 10 in. skillet. Drain water and set green beans aside. In same skillet brown the bacon over medium high heat. When the bacon is half-way cooked, add the onions to the skillet. Cook until bacon is crisp. Turn down to medium heat and add green beans back in. Toss and keep warm over medium low heat until chicken is cooked through.

I have gotta say, this recipe is a new one but I will definitely use it again. It made 4 servings of veggies and I only used 2 slices of bacon! Me...I would be happy with a half-pound of bacon and a cup of green beans ratio, but this on still cured my "soul singing" craving.

Tomorrow night we are going out to dinner for Morgan's birthday (happy 23rd little sis) so I am definitely not cooking...and if I do, there won't be a recipe for nuking a hot-dog while intoximicated, so I will see you later! Have a good weekend and push yourself to cook something new...

Ahhhh...Food therapy complete.