Savory chicken rolls with ham and provolone cheese

For tonight, not your usual boring chicken dinner.

These chicken rolls with ham and cheese, saute' in white wine,  make a fun and delicious meal for your family

With a busy daily schedule it's useful to have some easy and quick dinner recipes, especially if they can be prepared ahead of time. So here is one for you to add to that list.
I made these chicken rolls with ham and cheese yesterday before picking up the kids from school. I knew what was coming up for me in the afternoon. In addition to the usual homework and violin practice, my kids had a basketball game, and a loooong baseball practice. Two different locations, obviously! Which meant A LOT of driving around in traffic. We made it home really late, all exhausted and really hungry. Luckily I planned ahead of time, so I only had to warm up the chicken rolls, dress the salad and voila', dinner was ready in no time!
My kids devoured these rolls in two minutes. Deliciously filled with ham and cheese, saute' in white wine and aromatic herbs. Savory, quick and homemade.


Ingredients: serving 4

• 8 thin slices chicken breast (total about 1.25 lb, 550 gr)
• 8 slices (4.5 oz, 130 gr) of ham
• 8 slices (6 oz, 185 gr) of provolone cheese
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• a few sage leaves
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) of white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken breast in 8 thin slices. Pound the  slices to make them thinner and more even. I use plastic wrap to cover the chicken, so that you don't get your kitchen counter all messy.

2. Place one slice of ham and one of cheese (cut it in half if necessary) over each slice of chicken.
Roll up starting from the smallest side, and secure with a toothpick.

3. In a large pan, saute' the crushed garlic clove, in a few tablespoons of oil, with the rosemary and the sage.

4. Add the chicken rolls. Cook over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Turn the rolls over and cook for another few minutes.

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5. Salt to taste. Add the white wine. Cover the pan and cook the chicken for another 20 minutes over medium heat.

Remove the toothpick, and if you like, cut in slices. Serve with your favorite veggies.

Buon Appetito!

Pearl Couscous Salad with Chicken and Grilled Peppers

Couscous salad with roasted chicken and deliciously tender, smoky and colorful grilled peppers.

Today's recipe is another of my super healthy, picnic dish ideas to make your outdoor meal memorable. Perfect to take along at the park or at the beach, or great idea for your next barbecue or casual party. I made this Israeli couscous salad yesterday for lunch for my family day at the beach. It was a huge hit with my husband and the kids!
I had some left over roasted chicken from the day before, which wasn't enough for another meal, but plenty to add to the couscous. If you don't have leftover chicken, you can always use a fresh chicken breast, marinate it with rosemary and garlic, cut it thin, and quickly grill it. Just like I did in my couscous salad with chicken and zucchini.
To make this couscous salad a complete, one-dish meal, I add some organic yellow, red and orange peppers that I roasted in the oven: this won't take too much time, nor much work and it's so easy to clean up. Here is my step-by-step, super easy recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 peppers (I used red, orange and yellow)
• 1.5 cups of cooked chicken (about one chicken breast)
• 1.5 cups of couscous (I used Israeli pearl couscous)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 6-7 leaves of fresh basil
• salt 

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the peppers by placing them on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil for easy clean up, in the upper part of the oven. Remember to turn them over every 8 minutes or so. Leave in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the skin all around is dark and soft. Remove from the oven and wrap the peppers in the foil for 5-10 minutes. This way they become soft and juicy. And easy to peel!

Step 2: While the peppers are in the oven, cut the cooked chicken in small cubes.

Step 3: Cook the couscous following the direction on the box. I simmered the couscous for about 11 minutes in salted water. Drain the couscous and run it under running water to cool it off.
Step 4: Unwrap the peppers, peel them (should be very easy!!) and cut in small cubes.

Step 5: In a large bowl, mix together the couscous with the chicken and the peppers. Season with a few tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and basil leaves cup in pieces.

Enjoy!!

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Couscous Salad

Deliciously healthy, perfectly balanced one-dish meal. 

Great recipe for your 4th of July celebration!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday here in Los Angeles the weather was just perfect for the beach: warm and breezy, not too hot and not too windy. Also, the ocean was finally warm enough for me to hit the waves, and boogie board with my boys. Lots of fun!
With all the playing in the water and sand, I always need to be prepared and pack a nutritious and filling lunch. The beach can really make you hungry! What I cooked was a yummy and super healthy couscous salad with grilled chicken and zucchini. A perfectly balanced, one-dish meal. Great for your next picnic, and a must-try for your 4th of July celebration party! Not really Italian, but with strong Mediterranean aroma and flavor. You will enjoy every bite of it!


Ingredients: serving 4

• 3 zucchini
• one chicken breast
• 1 cup of couscous, I used the Israeli pearl 
• extra virgin olive oil
• rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves
• half lemon, juice
• salt, to taste

Preparation time: about 40 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Marinate the chicken breast with rosemary and garlic, and a bit of olive oil.
Thinly slice the zucchini and grill. Season with salt.

Step 2: Grill the chicken: I cut mine in thinner slices so that it would only take a few minutes per side to grill. Season with salt.

Step 3: Follow the directions on the box to cook the couscous. Mine said: boil three cups of salted water. When boiling, add half tablespoon of olive oil and the couscous. Simmer for 12 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool down.

Step 4: In a large bowl combine all the cold ingredients: grilled zucchini and chicken cut in pieces and the couscous.  Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice ... as much or as little as you like! 

Buon Appetito!