Garlic Fries and Greek Dressing

Since the new year has started, I've been trying to find some healthier recipes online. I ran across this one by Ellie Krieger today on the Food Network website. I make roasted potatoes all the time, usually with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder or italian seasoning. But this recipe calls for minced garlic. So I decided to make these fries tonight to go with the chicken and green beans I was already making. These are definitely better than my regular roasted potatoes. The slightly crunchy bits of garlic are a nice surprise when you bite into the fries.

Garlic "Fries"

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 large baking potatoes, 12 ounces each
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used 1 tsp dried parsley since I didn't have fresh on hand.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat the garlic and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil with a small mesh strainer. Set both garlic and oil aside.

Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks. In a large bowl, toss the oil, potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the potatoes onto it in a single layer. Bake until golden and crisp, about 35 minutes.

Remove potatoes from the tray with a metal spatula. Toss with parsley, reserved garlic, and additional salt, to taste. Serve immediately.

I also had some greek dressing in the fridge that I made the other day. I found the recipe in a cookbook I received for Christmas, Christmas with Paula Deen. I thought it would be great as a marinade for chicken breasts also. I marinated the chicken for about an hour in the dressing and then pan seared it for a few minutes in a skillet with some olive oil. Then I finished cooking it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It turned out so good!! I highly recommend this dressing for a salad or as a marinade. It was delicious both ways.

Greek Salad Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp sugar (I added a bit more because the lemon juice was a little too acidic)

Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, allow the dressing to come to room temperature and shake well. Makes a little more than 1 cup.

Feta Stuffed Chicken and Cheesecake

I love Sundays because I have so much time to cook and bake and not feel rushed. Today was the perfect day to try two new recipes that I've been wanting to try. One was feta stuffed chicken. I had a recipe for this in mind, but then I saw a post on another foodie blog, Cara's Cravings, and decided I liked her ideas better! I made a couple alterations to the recipe based on what I had on hand. Thanks Cara, these turned out so good!

Feta Stuffed Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 large basil leaf, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tomato, chopped into small pieces
Ground black pepper (I just added a couple grinds)
2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the feta, basil, garlic, tomato, and black pepper. Take a small pearing knife and carefully cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, being careful not to cut all the way through. Spoon the feta mixture into the pocket. Sprinkle the tops of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add 1 tsp lemon juice over each one. Bake for 25-30 min.

I served these with a salad made with romaine lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, romano and parmesan cheeses. I also made a balsamic dressing for the salad. It's recipe from Emeril Lagasse but I made some alterations.

Balsamic Dressing

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp brown sugar
Couple dashes salt and black pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Emeril's Recipe


The other recipe I made today was the dessert recipe of the week on the WC Blog.
It's a chocolate caramel nut cheesecake. It was my first cheesecake too so I was very excited to make it! I have one word to describe it-heaven.















Chocolate Caramel Nut Cheesecake
(Source: Allrecipes)


3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (2.16 ounce) bars chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat candy, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

3. In a large bowl, cream the 3/4 cup of sugar and cream cheese together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Stir in chopped candy bar, and pour into baked crust.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Let cool and carefully remove the springform pans side.

*I used a store bought graham cracker crust since I don't have a spring form pan nor a suitable pie pan that would work. So I skipped the first step. I don't think it took away from the end result at all. I also put the pie pan in a water bath to prevent the cheesecake from cracking.