Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

This is simple.  Looks hard.  Adapted a bit from the Our best Bites Blog.   Great to make when you need to feed a crowd.

Lemon Chicken Skillet Dinner
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2015

Ingredients

12 ounces baby red potatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided - I used more
4 (6 ounce) chicken breast halves, pounded to 3/4-inch thickness*
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered - I Didn't Use
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup whole milk
5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

I didn't use thyme i used everyday seasoning spice blend (margoram, fennel,thyme, ginger, cilantro, anise, sea salt, garlic, onion and dry mustard)

1 can low-sodium chicken broth- divided
6 very thin lemon slices
8 ounces trimmed haricots verts (French green beans)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

*If your chicken breasts are particularly thick, consider slicing them in half instead of pounding.
** If you are using ground thyme, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

3. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Turn chicken over and cook for 1 minute.  Transfer chicken to foil-lined pan and place in oven for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

4. While chicken is cooking, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet. Add potatoes, cut sides down to one side of the skillet, and the mushrooms and garlic to the other. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned, stirring mushrooms and garlic.  Remove vegetables from pan and set on a plate to the side.

5.  Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add  flour mixture and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the skillet and whisk until smooth.  Bring sauce to a simmer, and add beans.  Simmer 2-3 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. Add lemon slices, potatoes and mushrooms, and chicken.  If sauce is too thick, add small amounts of chicken broth to thin.  Reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and then sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information: 1 chicken breast and 3/4 cup potato and bean mixture: Cal: 342, Fat 8.6g, Protein: 46 g, Carb: 23g, Fiber 4g

Over the Top Watermelon Slushie

 It is time to sing my love for this ruby-red fruit. Watermelon.  It simply screams summer my friends!   This is ridiculously easy.  Everyone will ask about it.  It takes zero effort other than cutting up watermelon and freezing it for a few hours.

This is adapted from the minimalist bakers blog.

COCONUT LIME WATERMELON SLUSHIE

 

Prep time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours

 

Super simple, 3-ingredient watermelon slushie with coconut milk and lime juice. The perfect refreshing, naturally sweetened summer treat!

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Beverage, Dessert

Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free

Serves: 2

Ingredients

WATERMELON JUICE

• 1 small seedless watermelon, cubed

WATERMELON SLUSHIE

• 4 cups frozen watermelon (~3/4 of 1 small seedless watermelon)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) watermelon juice (plus more to ease blending)

Some like to add 1 tsp sea salt but I DO NOT

Instructions

1. Halve 1 small, ripe, seedless watermelon and scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts (or cube with a knife). Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. or just throw in a bowl. Freeze until firm - about 3-4 hours.
2. In the meantime, halve another small seedless watermelon and add the fruit (leaving the rind behind) to a blender. Blend on high, adding a touch of water if needed (I didn't), until completely smooth and pureed.
3. OPTIONAL: Drape a large, thin dish towel over a mixing bowl and pour over juice. Then gather corners, lift up and squeeze the juice out leaving the pulp behind - there shouldn't be much, but this makes the juice extra smooth. Transfer to a mason jar, cover, and refrigerate - should keep for 3-4 days, or more.
4. Once watermelon is frozen, add ~ 4 cups frozen watermelon (I found this was about three-quarters of one small watermelon), coconut milk, lime juice, and watermelon juice to a blender and blend on low until creamy and smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides and blend on low to encourage it along. If it has trouble blending, add a bit more watermelon juice, but not too much or it will become too thin.
5. Once the slushie is blended and smooth, taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add more coconut milk for creaminess, lime for brightness, a pinch of salt to enhance sweetness, or 1 Tbsp sweetener of choice to sweeten. Blend and sample again - repeat as needed.
6. Serve in empty watermelon rinds or chilled serving glasses and garnish with a lime wedge.
7. This recipe serves 4 . Best when fresh! TIP: Freeze leftovers in Popsicle molds.