Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich - Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

What a delicious Mozzarella Chicken sandwich with pesto that I made for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This month our theme is: Light Lunches. It's already September and my three kids are back to school next week. Two at university and one at high school. Since they started kindergarden I made nutritious lunches for them. That way you know what your kids are eating at school. It's a good habit to pack your own lunch and now my daughter packs a lunch when she goes to work in the summer.

Packing a lunch is not only for kids that are going back to school but for working adults also. When I was working I always brought lunch to work. It was healthier and cheaper.


This month our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club made recipes for lunches.

Also I suggest that you visit Cooking Light for more ideas on: Packables Lunches.

Val - Lemony Hummus with Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips
Shelby - Vegetarian Minestrone
Aggie - Lemony Orzo Salad
Hélène - Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich
Jamie - Chocolate Fudge Snack Cake


Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) sun-dried tomato pesto (such as Classico)
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (8-ounce) loaf ciabatta
12 large basil leaves
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl, stirring to blend.

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken to cutting board, and cool slightly. Cut chicken lengthwise into thin slices.

Preheat broiler.

Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Place bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with basil leaves, and sprinkle cheese over top. Place bottom half on baking sheet, and broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, and cover with top half of bread. Cut into 4 equal pieces.



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Bolognese Sauce - Epicure Selections

Tonight's Supper was a thick, rich Bolognese Sauce made with spices that I received from Epicure Selections. I was so excited when I received a box of their products. It was like Christmas in August.

Epicure Selections is a company based in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I love local products. We have access to great cheeses, wine etc. on this Island. I was delighted when I learned that the Founder & President, Sylvie Rochette, is originally from Québec, the province I was borned and raised. This working mother started creating her own spice blends to offer Canadian families a way to prepare quick, healthy, delicious meals after a long day at work. Soon her products where in high demand and she did founded Epicure Selections. This year the company was awarded Business of the Year by the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. This shows that when you have dedication, commitment and work hard you can fulfil your dreams. What an example to follow. I love stories of successful woman.

Epicure Selections offers not only spices but also dip, salsa, salad dressing mixes, peppers, jellies, chocolate, popcorn seasonings, cookware, recipe books just to name a few. You can go to their website and browse their beautiful catalogue.

They even have a great section when you have access to a ton of recipes that featured their products.

On Sunday I am flying to Ottawa in Ontario for a week, with my son Maxime, to moved him in his new appartment. He is starting University on Sep. 8th. When I get back I will run a contest and one lucky winner will win Epicure products. Since I received my box I had made a great chicken souvlaki, while I was camping and a delicious dill dip. More recipes and reviews are coming soon.



Recipe:

Bolognese Sauce

• 1/2 lb (225 g) pancetta
• 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) VE Roasted Garlic
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) tomato paste
• 1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, with juice
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) VE Bolognese Sauce Mix
• 1/8 tsp (0.625 ml) VE Cinnamon, optional
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) whipping cream
• VE Sea Salt, to taste
• VE Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Heat a VE Chef Pasta Pot or large saucepan to medium; saute pancetta or bacon until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove from pot. Drain excess fat and brown ground beef or pork until fully cooked. Remove, combine with pancetta or bacon and set aside.
2. Add olive oil to VE Chef Pasta Pot; saute onion for about 3 minutes. Stir in VE Roasted Garlic and tomato paste and cook a further 4 minutes.
3. Pour in both cans of tomatoes, VE Bolognese Sauce Mix and VE Cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and return meat to pot. Continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency and all flavours are combined.
4. Stir in whipping cream and remove from heat. Season with VE Sea Salt and VE Pepper.

My notes: I did add 10 ml of crushed red peppers, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar and added more cinnamon. Also used half lean ground beef and half ground pork.

Source: adapted from Epicure Selections


Top 12 Collection: 3 Onion Dip Mix, Lemon Dilly Dip Mix, Cheese, Chives & Bacon Dip Mix, Herb & Garlic Dip Mix, Sun-dried Tomato & Herb Dip Mix, Pesto Artichoke Dip Mix, Guacamile Dip Mix, Cheese & Jalapeno Dip Mix, Red Pepper Jelly, Lemon Chiffon Fruit Dip Mix, Summer Berry Fruit Dip Mix


A mix of delicious seasonings & spices
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Cinnamon Buns - Peter Reinhart

Before going on vacation I baked some amazing, delicious cinnamon buns. This is part of the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. The buns are prepared in 1 day. I suggest that you start in the morning if you want to eat your buns at Dinner time for dessert. They were so easy to make and much cheaper than the buns at my grocery store, they are selling them at $4.99 for 4. Mine looked much better and were freshly baked. In Reinhart's recipe you can make either the cinnamon buns or the sticky buns. Next time I may try half and half. Those sticky buns look really yummy too.

If you want to read more about the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge visit Pinch my Salt blog for more details. You can join the fun at any time and bake beautiful breads with us. We are baking all the recipes from Peter Reinhart's book.

Here are more pics for the cinnamon buns:

Cream the sugar, sald and shortening together and adding some lemon zest for flavor.

Add flour, water & yeast.

Mix well until the dough forms a ball. Ferment at room temp for 2 hours.

After fermentation roll the dough in a rectangle and add cinnamon & sugar mix.

Roll the dough into a cigar-shaped log and cut into 12 even pieces.

Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 min. before baking.

After proofing they nearly doubled in size. They are now reading for baking. Preheat oven to 350F and bake for approx. 20-30 min. After you top your buns with a white fondant glaze.

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Going Camping

I am leaving for a camping trip to Seattle & Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon. I will be away for 10-12 days. I may not have access to internet and may not be able to leave comments on your blogs. Hope you all have a great two weeks :)
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Potage Parmentier - Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Julie & Julia movie is officially opening today. That will certainly bring renewed interest in the life of Julia Child and in her cookbooks and shows. That does for me. I'm going to see the movie and fI have been reading her books since couple weeks.

I've always liked Julia's cooking style. Her recipes are so well written and mouthwatering. They are detailed in the extreme. I've never cooked from Mastering the Art of French Cooking until a couple weeks ago. I asked on Twitter is anyone was up to the challenge and did get couple replies. We have been cooking recipes from the book and we do blog and tweet about it on Fridays. What I learned from cooking with Julia is that the dishes that you prepare are tasty, they are laborious and I learn something new each experience. If you want to be successful with Julia's recipes read the recipes through from start to finish before beginning.

This week I made Potage Parmentier - (Leek & Potato Potage). Julia did not let me down. The potage was flavorful.

Julia's Quotes:


"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal."

"Non-cooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet."

See what other bloggers are cooking:


Pâté de Canard en Croûte (Boned stuffed Duck Baked in a Pastry Crust) at Burp!

Cherry Clafoutis at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies


Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stew in Red Wine) at Nose to Tail at Home

Blueberry Clafouti at Foodie Tots

Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée & Quiche Lorraine (French Onion Soup & Quiche Lorraine) at Gratinée

Suprêmes de volaille à brun (Chicken Breasts Sautéed in Butter) at Amanda's Cooking

Oeufs en Cocotte aux Fines Herbes (Eggs Baked in Ramekins with Herbs) at Amanda's Cooking

Poulet poêlé à l'estragon (Casserole-Roasted Chicken) at Kitchen Musings

Recipe:
Potage Parmentier

Oeufs à la Bourguignonne at Confessions of a Cardamom Addict



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Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette - Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is meeting again, this month we are featuring Regional Cooking.

I was born and raised in Quebec. It is a tradition for Quebecers to go to the sugar shack in the Spring and eat a good meal. The meal, also called “Sugar time feast” is compose of the pea soup, ham, omelette, pork beans, the “oreilles de crisse” (salted back bacon), fruit ketchup, and potatoes. For desert, the pancakes & donuts are served with maple syrup. It is served family style, they bring big plates on the table and we served ourselves as we wish.

My parents had friends that had a sugar shack and helped during the Spring to make maple syrup. We always had real maple syrup on our table all year long. Now that I have left home it is a tradition, in the Spring, for my parents to send me a big box of maple syrup. When I open the box it reminds me of so many childhood memories.

I wanted to share my tradition with my 'Virtual Cooking Friends' and decided to bring a dish that would feature a product from the region that I was born.

I made a delicious Spinach Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette. I substituted the spinach for local grown lettuce and apples with yellow plums. All the flavors of the vinaigrette are going so well together. You can add candied walnuts for added crunch.

Below is the type of dishes we made along with a link to each virtual supper club member's blog. Make sure you click on their names to visit their blog and see what they brought to the table.

Appetizer - Val: Herbed Goat Cheese
Salad - Helene: Spinach Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette
Entrée - Jamie: Pan-seared Shrimp Po-boys
Dessert - Aggie: Key Lime Pie
Dessert - Shelby: Double Maple Cupcakes

Recipe:
Spinach Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette - Cooking Light
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