Experi-bread

I have been all over the country lately, and I am very, very tired.  Thankfully, in a few more weeks my semester will be over! I won't have to take classes any more, ever!  Unless I decide to go back for a PhD, but that is a decision that Future Sam will make.

As you may have noticed, I try to share my cooking adventures on this blog because that's where I feel most adventurous.  I'll start with my success story from last week: Lemon-Cumin Chicken with a Spinach-Mint Pesto.  I know this sounds like a mashup of strong flavors that will be terrible, and I felt trepidation initially.  However, the marinade and pesto came together easily, and grilling chicken isn't difficult.  The one caveat I will list here is that this dish is not for the faint of heart!  The flavors, while not at all overwhelming, are bold--it's the cumin, really.  If you normally like things with cumin, you should absolutely cook this.  I'll put the recipe and link below.

Now it's time for my not-quite-a-success story...it turns out baking things with yeast poses a greater challenge than I anticipated (much more difficult than my delicious German apple cake!).  I got the hankering for adventure and experimentation today and decided to try my hand at homemade bread (hence experi-bread!).  I've always wanted to make it, and I was just sitting at home writing up homework all morning, so why not?  I used this simple 5-ingredient recipe I saw from a friend on Facebook.  Unfortunately, I used whole wheat flour and my bread didn't quite rise.  It tastes delicious though!  I'll have to use only part whole wheat flour next time, now that I've learned my lesson.

Bread.

Lemon Cumin Chicken with Spinach Mint Pesto

Ingredients

• Marinade
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2/3 of a lemon)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Pesto
• 1/2 c. packed fresh mint leaves (the recipe originally calls for three times this amount...if you really like mint, go for it, but I thought this was the perfect amount)
• 1.5-2 c. packed spinach leaves
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/3 c. walnuts (toasted if you like)
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 t fresh lemon juice (the rest of that lemon you had earlier)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Make the marinade: whisk together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Add the chicken and coat with marinade.  You can put this in a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate; I put the chicken in a gallon-size Ziploc, pour the marinade in, seal the Ziploc securely, and smoosh it around with my hands.  Whatever works for you.  Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight it.
2. Make the pesto: blend the mint, spinach, cheese, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor.  The mixture will be chunky.  With the machine running, add the olive oil slowly and process until smooth.  If you don't have a food processor like me, you can put it all in the blender.  My blender is not that great, so it took forever and a lot of smashing leaves down towards the blades.  I highly advise using a food processor.
3. When you're ready to eat, heat a grill pan, George Foreman, panini maker, or your regular old outdoor grill to medium-high.  Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Serve the chicken with the pesto.

A note: this recipe is actually super healthy; one serving (according to the website) is only 240 calories, and it is very tasty.