Baked Panko chicken tenders with Basil Aioli

            I am always looking for new ideas for chicken. I am not a big fan of fried food. I like the way it tastes but it does not like me...so I prefer to bake the food that traditionally is fried. I tried this recipe and was quite impressed with the taste. I loved the aioli with it. I have tried over the years to make my own mayonaise..Most of the time it doesn't taste good or it doesn't set right.  I served this with a salad and sliced the chicken after it was baked and placed it on top of the salad. I used the aioli to dip the chicken in. You could also use it for salad dressing but I think you need to make more. 

Makes 3-4 servings (ish).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or breast tenders
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
Cooking spray

For aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350?F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and lightly spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl or shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper, and lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with basil, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

If using chicken breasts, prepare by putting one breast in between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of approximately 1/2". Remove plastic and slice into strips.

Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time.

To prepare aioli, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Here is the link for the recipe

http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2009/02/baked-panko-chicken-tenders-with-basil-aioli.html

Baked Eggplant parmesan

     We love eggplant at our house. Last year and the year before we had eggplant coming out of our ears from our little garden. This year we only yielded one. I don't know why..We planted 3 plants and they all got real bushy but no eggplants except one. I have tried many different ways to make eggplant. This one by far was the easiest to make.

Baked-Eggplant Parmesan

Choose firm, smooth eggplants. We bake rather than fry ours for less mess and less fat.
Ingredients

• Olive oil, for baking sheets 
• 2 large eggs 
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs 
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper 
• 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 
• 6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky tomato sauce or homemade chunky tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.
3. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Source

Everyday Food, December 2003Ba