2 recipe reviews Popcorn balls and Sage Chicken

These 2 recipes are not CSA ingredient recipes but one's our family recently enjoyed so I thought I would share. Both came from Cooking Light Magazine.  Sorry i did not take pictures.

Popcorn balls

This has a huge hit when we brought it for soccer team snack!

1 Tbs canola oil

3 Tbs unpopped popcorn kernels

2 Tbs unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup honey-nut toasted oat cerea

liter 1 ounce pretzel sticks, broken into pieces

1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts, salted

1. Preparation

2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add kernels; cover and cook 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently. When popping slows, remove pan from heat. Let stand. (We have a hot air popper and just popped 3 tbsp of kernels.)

3. Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add marshmallows; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 3 cups popcorn and remaining ingredients; stir. Cool 2 minutes. Form into 10 (3-inch) balls. Cool 5 minutes.

We omitted nuts for soccer in case of allergies.  Can also add favorite candies  like mini M&M's or candy corn for Halloween. We made them balls bigger than 3 inches.

Sautéed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbs butter

1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth

2 sage sprigs

1 Tbs minced shallots

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 Tbs lemon juice

Fresh sage leaves (optional)

1. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan.

2. Add butter and sage sprigs to pan; cook over medium heat until butter browns. Discard sage. Add shallots and thyme; cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; cook for 30 seconds. Serve with chicken. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Servings: 4

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

This is a simple chicken dish with lots of flavor.  We have fresh thyme and sage in our herb garden so that is a bonus!  Kids love this. Only complaint was I did not make enough for seconds.  You could make this a pasta dish by doubling the sauce, adding 1/4-1/3 cup of reserved cooking water and serving on top of linguine. Rice or quinoa make a nice side with some veggies.Make sure to ound thin- makes a big difference in cooking time and flavor.  Also don't have any shallots than simply use 1/3-1/2 cup of finely chopped onion.

Moroccan Chicken with Fennel

CSA Ingredients: fennel, mushrooms and red onion

This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe I found at:

 http://www.food.com/recipe/moroccan-spiced-chicken-and-fennel-184880#ixzz2056ooOO9

I love fennel!  I have often used it raw in salad but it is so good cooked.

Chicken and Fennel

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups fennel, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fennel leaves, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed but not neccessary)  

Couscous

• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. Combine spices with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Season chicken to coat both sides.
2. Preheat large nonstick skillet, add olive oil. Cook chicken breasts about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken and keep warm.  Chicken might be slightly pink inside at this point. 
3. Add the fennel and onions to the pan and saute for 7 mnutes or so. The fennel should be tender but not mushy.
4. Boil two cups of water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add couscous to water and turn off heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the grains before serving.
5. Add juice bring to a boil for about 1 minute.  Stir until it just begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add chicken and chopped fennel, cover the pan with the lid cook 2 more minutes.  Chicken should be cooked until fully cooked but do not overcook so your chicken is moist.
7. Spoon coucous onto plate, with chicken and fennel and onions. Spoon portion of sauce on top.

In the photos I had added some mushrooms I had in my CSA box but their delicate flavor was lost with the rich spices so I would not do it again.

Kitchen tip: we don't drink much juice but it sometime's nice to have some OJ for cooking.  I take OJ and put into ice cube trays and freeze.  I keep a freezer bag full of the OJ cubes and when I want to use it to cook I can use just the amount I need.  I also do this with broth.

This recipe had 5 stars from everyone!!