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Creamy Lemon Chicken

February 9, 2010 by Geek Baker

I was in the mood for lemon chicken and after seemingly exhausting the internet for recipes, I decided to come up with my own version of Creamy Lemon Chicken. I took a simply seared chicken breast well-seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and topped it off with a creamy and tart lemon sauce.  Add a little rice and broccoli and you’ve got lovely dinner.  :)



Creamy Lemon Chicken

Ingredients –

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • olive oil
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup sour cream  (Note:  I think 1/2 cup creme fraiche would be lovely instead, but this is what I had on hand it and turned out very well.  You could also easily just use all sour cream if that’s what you have.)

Directions –

1. Generously season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Sear chicken in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until completely cooked.  (I seared mine until completely cooked because I like when my chicken gets a bit charred and crispy on the outside.  You can see the dark spots in the picture below.  If you don’t like it that done, sear the chicken until its golden brown and put in a glass dish or roasting pan.  Finish cooking chicken by placing in a preheated oven at 390 degrees for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until done.)

2. Remove chicken from pan and drain all but a tbsp or 2 of the oil/fat mixture.  Return pan to medium heat and add lemon juice, greek yogurt, and sour cream.  Stir over medium heat until completely combined.  Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

3. Drizzle lemon sauce over chicken and garnish with lemon zest.  (Drizzle is key here. This is a very lemony sauce…which I like.  If you want it less tart, use the juice and zest from half a lemon.)




I served my chicken with broccoli and rice (I’m all out of brown…ack! Lord knows how old that white rice I used was…. :S).

Posted in Poultry | 2 Comments »

snow blows. running. oikos greek yogurt.

February 8, 2010 by Geek Baker

We’re expecting 6-10 inches here in the Chicagoland area over the next couple of days.  I know this is nothing compared to the crazy white nightmare the east coast has been living, but still….snow blows.

I grew up in a very small town in northwestern Minnesota.  I know what cold, snowy, and windy winters are like.  But just because I lived and breathed them for 22+ years doesn’t mean I like them.  No sirree.  I’m not saying I want to move to Mexico or some other place stuck in perpetual summer.  But a climate where snow was more an aberration than a weekly given? Where one could get away with mere heavy sweaters instead of 6 inch thick parkas?  Where I could actually run outside without fear of slipping on ice or acquiring a frost-bitten nose?

Yes, please.

So, with the threat of being somewhat apartment-bound for the next couple of days I’m thinking about what I should be picking up at the store after my 6 mile post-work run.  With my food processor out of commission (I’m hoping there will be a little extra cash in March’s budget to allow for a replacement…), homemade cream of tomato soup is sadly out of the question.  Though I may give Mark Bittman’s Squash Soup a try.  Yes, it too calls for pureeing – but he says it can be done in a blender.  Plus, I’m much more okay with the idea of having squash chunks in my soup rather than chunks of tomato.

Because I’m still 6 years old like that.




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** Check out my new Geek on the Run page at the top of the website! **

I thought I’d post my training schedule in case anyone was interested.




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And finally…..Oikos




I had read Kath and RhodeyGirl talk about the delicious virtues of Oikos Greek Yogurt for ages.  Since I’m trying to become much more nutritionally aware of what I put into my mouth, I decided to try some.  It is jam-packed with protein (13-15 grams compared to the measly 5 grams in regular yogurt) and probiotics and I knew the plain varieties had the same tangy-ness that I adore in kefir.

Verdict: A.Freakin.Mazing.  Its thick so you won’t gobble it down in two bites like a Yoplait.  Its low calorie at just 80 kcals per 5.3oz serving (which is a nice generous size for this thick of a yogurt).  And it pairs fabulously with fruit, granola, chocolate, peanut butter, jams, flaxseed, nuts, and coconut…..  I even used it as a substitute for creme fraiche in my creamy lemon chicken with good results!

I also tried the Fage 0% and thought that was very good, as well.  But Oikos is my choice of the week since its on sale at Wholefoods for $1 a piece!


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And weekend recipes are soon going to be posted!  I made Coconut Bread (both plain and with bittersweet chocolate) and Creamy Lemon Chicken…


Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

the ONLY chocolate chip cookie you will ever bake again. period.

February 5, 2010 by Geek Baker

I have mentioned these most wonderful cookies before…they are THE definitive chocolate chip cookies.  I originally saw the recipe in the New York Times as their reporter, David Leiti, went on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie in the city.  He of course, chose Jadques Torres’ cookies and Torres graciously provided a recipe.

Yes, this is an expensive cookie to make.  You need two different types of flours and as with the Salted White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies you need to use high quality ($$) chocolate.

But its worth it.  Oh my, is it ever worth it. Wherever I bring these cookies I hear the same thing: 


These are the best cookie I’ve ever eaten.


So, go on….make these and feel like a master baker.




Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

Ingredients –

  • 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
  • 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
  • (Yes, cake and bread flour really do make a difference, use them!)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (sea salt or the like)
  • 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.) (I use Ghirardelli 60% dark baking bars and chop them up. I sometimes also add in a few semi-sweet Ghrardelli chips…)


  • Sea salt

Directions –

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. (We all know I don’t have a paddle attachment…I just use a regular mixer and it works fine.) Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.

3. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.  (I try to let mine chill for around 36 hours.  Chilling for 36 hours makes the dough significantly drier.  It crumbles a bit when poked but holds together well when shaped. 36-hour cookies bake up more evenly and are a deeper shade of brown than even 24-hour chilled cookies.  They have an even richer, more sophisticated taste, with stronger toffee hints and a definite brown sugar presence….this is all according to the very very knowledgeable David Leite.)

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

5. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. (I make my cookies by combining two cookie scoop sized dough balls.  They must be smaller than what this recipe calls for because I only need to bake mine for around 15 minutes.)

6. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

*swoon*

Posted in Cookies | 1 Comment »

White Chocolate Madness

February 5, 2010 by Geek Baker

My friend Henna recently sent me some of her favorite recipes…both sweet and savory.  Of course I wanted to try a sweet one first! ;)   Below you will find her recipe (with my adaptations) for a white chocolate oatmeal cookie.  Normally, a recipe like this would not catch my eye….I thought myself to be somewhat *over* oatmeal cookies.  But if Henna, a natural in the kitchen, adores a recipe….well, I need to get over what I *think* I know and try it.

And thank goodness I did:  This cookie most certainly does not disappoint.



Cripsy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

adapted from Henna

The original recipe didn’t have white chocolate in it, but it really works wonderfully in here. Even if you’re a dark chocolate fan. Watch out, use the good stuff and this may even convert you.

Ingredients –

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 6 oz good-quality white chocolate chips or chunks (Henna is very right to say that you must use REAL white chocolate to get the best results.  Almost all bags of white chocolate ‘chips’ will NOT be made with real cocoa.  You need to look at the ingredient list.  Most likely you will need to buy bars of good quality white chocolate and chop them up. I was lucky enough to find chips with real cocoa at the second fancier market I looked at.)
  • sea salt

Directions –

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.  Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.  (I sifted all these items and used sea salt instead of table.)

2.  Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated (less than a minute). Stir in oats and white chocolate by hand until they are even distributed throughout the dough. (I actually chilled my dough for about 30 minutes after this to make it easier to work with. Because my dough was cold, I had to increase my baking time a minute or two.)

3.  Make generous golf ball-sized balls of dough.  (I used this cookie scoop and made even size scoops, scraping off excess dough on the top of the scoop to create a flat side on each scoop of dough.  I then combine two scoops together to create a large, golf-ball sized ball.)

4.  Place balls on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart.  Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.  (I LOVE cookies with sea salt sprinkled on them.  The sweet/salty combo is perfect.)

5.  Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13-16 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  (But eat a few warm…there are delicious after about 3-5 minutes!)





Verdict: A really wonderful cookie.  I was surprised by how light and airy these cookies were.  I was expecting something a lot heavier and can now see why Henna prefers to put white chocolate in these…a bittersweet chocolate would just be too over-powering.  They got put in my dad’s birthday cookie gift box and I’m sure he’ll greatly enjoy them!


Thanks for the great recipe, Henna! :)


Posted in Cookies | 1 Comment »

Dry-Fried Tofu

February 5, 2010 by Geek Baker

The tofu in my fridge was just crying out to be eaten.  So ate it, I did.  Well, first I needed to find a way to cook it.  I decided to try frying it in a dry, non-stick pan….a method akin to what Melissa Ray Davis suggests here.

1. I started with some organic firm (non-silken) tofu.

2. Partially open the tofu and drain it over the sink.  (It comes packed in water.)  After that cut up the tofu into squares/triangles/strips/whatever you like.  (I think next time I’ll cut mine into smaller pieces.  I like them a bit more bit-sized.)

3. Pressed down on the tops of the tofu with a soft cloth to remove moisture.  Flip over to press cloth and soak up excessive water on the other side as well.  (You need to find a balance here: press hard enough to soak up something but not so hard that you squish your pieces.)

4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and place tofu in it.  You want to cook your tofu slowly so that the water in it will have more time to evaporate before the outside gets browned.  (I hate watery tofu.) You can also gently press down on the tofu pieces as you cook them to squeeze out a bit more water.  Flip over to brown both sides.

5. After flipping my tofu I then added some peanut satay sauce.  Play around with various sauces and marinades….tofu goes with just about anything!

My finished tofu pieces…

I ate my tofu stacked on top of some freshly made black beans (I always start with dried beans) and sweet potato american-style fries.  Not a lot of color going on in this meal, but the flavor was great!

I’ve also read about freezing your tofu before cooking it to get a more dense, chewy texture…which I like.  I’ll let you know when I try that method!

Posted in Tofu, Vegetarian Cuisine | Leave a Comment »

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