Category: recipe

Chicken, Green Beans and Asian Noodles

Chicken, green beans and asian noodlesThis dish turned out better than I thought it would. Originally posted on MyRecipes.com, I had to alter it of course! BTW, you really MUST use the mint in this dish. Don’t make it without mint, that’s what ties it all together!

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces Thai flat rice noodles
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 8 ounces yard-long beans (Chinese long beans) or regular green beans, cut into 2-in. pieces
  • 2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (1 lb. total), sliced 1/2 in. thick
  • 1/4 cup Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)
  • 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (Jen’s Note: Reduce to 1 tablespoon for less sweet taste)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai basil leaves, divided (Jen’s Note: Asian grocery stores are great for fresh Thai basil)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, divided
    1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook noodles in boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain noodles and transfer to a large serving bowl.

2. Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Add garlic, long beans, and chicken. Cook until chicken is slightly browned, stirring often, about 4 minutes. (Jen’s Note: You really want to make sure that the wok is really hot so that the chicken
3. Add fish sauce, broth, sugar, ginger, lime juice, and 1/4 cup each basil, mint, and green onions, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil and pour over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining basil, mint, and green onions.

This dish is great with something else on the side – like pot stickers, egg rolls, or egg drop soup. Really tasty left overs too.

I’ll see you at the table!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Butternut Squash

Recipe courtesy of my beautiful and healthy friend, Summer Milkovich of Summer Kaye Fitness.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Butternut Squash is a great recipe that requires little prep, but tastes great and the benefit of using a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 lbs organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 dried figs, chopped
  • 1 cup butternut squash, chopped
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet place the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
  2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet, browning each side for about 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the contents of the skillet to your slow cooker and top with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours.

For a complete meal, serve with brown rice or quinoa and a large green salad on the side.

I’ll see you at the table!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Thanks to Tasty for lots of good recipe ideas. Here’s their Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe, with some modifications of my own.

Ingredients:
6-8 Medium/Large Bell Peppers – ensure they have a flat base so they will stand up when cooking
1 lb Ground Beef (or 2 cups cooked quinoa)
1 Medium Yellow Onion – Diced
1 Can Black Beans – Drained
1 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Jar Medium Chunky Salsa
1 Packet (about 2 Tbsp.) of Taco Seasoning Mix*
1 1/2 – 2 Cups Grated Cheddar/Mexican Blend Cheese

Optional: Guacamole and Sour Cream to finish

*To make your own Taco Seasoning at home: (note: makes more than needed for this recipe)
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Oregano

Directions:
Cut off the top and remove the seeds from each pepper. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350˚F (175˚C).

While the Peppers are roasting – heat oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add ground beef and season with entire taco seasoning packet. Allow beef to brown on all sides. Add diced onion – continuing to cook until softened. Reduce heat to Medium. Mix in the black beans, brown rice, corn, and salsa. Add in 1 cup of cheese and stir until incorporated and the cheese has melted. Remove from heat.

Remove peppers from oven and fill each with the taco mixture. Top with additional cheese and return to the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted. Top each pepper with a generous scoop of guacamole and sour cream. Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Parmesan Crusted Pork ChopI love a good pork chop. I love an easy recipe. Giada provided a great recipe – thank you, you hot Italian mama!

Serves: 4

Ingredients
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs (Jen’s Note: Only need 1/2 cup)
    • 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan (Jen’s Note: Only need 1/2 cup)
    • 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces) (Jen’s Note: I had some really think pork chops from Costco, so I filleted them and am glad I did because the thinner chop allowed for a juicier and more tender dish)
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 6 tablespoons olive oil
    • Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
  • Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. (Jen’s Note: If you
  • Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Jen’s Additional Notes:

1. You HAVE to serve with lemon. The burst of citrus is what really makes this dish. And don’t just supply a tiny little lemon wedge, trust me that you’re going to want to squeeze a healthy size lemon wedge on your pork chop – my husband was dying over how flavorful it was too!

2. Recommend that you serve with mashed potatoes. Rice just doesn’t cut it for this recipe… you really want to serve with mashed potatoes and no gravy needed, just a pad of butter. I’m a salad fanatic too, so I loved this with a big cesar salad with fresh croutons.

I’ll see you at the table!

Vegetable Cheese Tortellini Soup Recipe

This soup is light yet flavorful! Even got the double thumbs up from Becki and Lexi! Thanks ladies for a fun lunch date!

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked dried tortellini (I used spinach tortellini, but you can use any dried variety)*
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
5 oz fresh spinach
1 head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
10 cups water

Directions:
1. Boil dried tortellini for 10 minutes, strain.
2. Using the same pot, water saute onion and carrot for 4 minutes.
3. Add celery, all spices and chicken broth. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the 10 cups water and cooked tortellini. Boil for 7-10 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, add the broccoli and spinach, stir to push under the water. Put lid on pot and let sit for 5 minutes.

Dried vs. Cooked Tortellini* Note: Don’t use more than one cup dried tortellini because it swells up a lot and will continue to absorb water during cooking process. You can see a dried tortellini (in left spoon) becomes quite large after cooking (in right spoon). The first time I made this soup, I made the mistake of putting in two cups of dried tortellini and had to add several cups of water to compensate for the tortellini swell!

Serve with crusty bread. For a little extra love, after ladling soup into individual bowls, add drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole

Biscuits and gravy casseroleThis is an easy to make breakfast casserole. These days, I’m all about easy, tasty, and healthy. I wouldn’t put this dish in the healthy category though! It was a hit for teens, preteen and parents alike.

Ingredients:

1 12-oz tube refrigerated biscuits
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb cooked sausage – I used maple and the touch of sweetness was really yummy
1 cup shredded cheese

For the gravy:

4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups milk

Directions:

  • Cook sausage in pan. Instead of links, I used tube of Jimmy Dean so was crumbly and easy to spread in dish.
  • Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces. Set aside.
  • In a bowl, mix the eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper, and slowly add the 2 cups of milk. Simmer, stirring, until it’s thickened. This can burn easily so keep stirring. Should only take 2-3 minutes.
  • In a greased (I sprayed a light layer of Pan) 9×13 glass baking dish, layer the biscuits, sausage, cheese, egg mixture, and gravy.
  • Bake at 350°F/180°C for 35-45 min, until the eggs on the bottom are cooked.
  • Allow to cool 5 minutes, if you can wait that long!

Serve with Frank’s Red Hot sauce for an awesome vinegar-y kick. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Whole Baked Chicken

image

I love baking a whole chicken because it looks great on the dinner table, tastes great and the left overs are great for making chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
  • 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with onion slices, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
  3. Lift the skin of the chicken and using your fingers, rub butter on the chicken meat. Try to get this all over the breast, thigh and leg meat. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper on the outside.
  4. Place the whole chicken upside down in the baking pan – that way the juices flow to the breast and keep it moist.
  5. Place the onions and carrots around the chicken in a roasting pan. Place any extra onion slices on top of the chicken.
  6. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
  7. Carefully pour juices from pan into gravy boat and serve as well – nice alternative to gravy if you serve with potatoes too.

I’ll see you at the table!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I could probably eat soup everyday of my life! Creamy soups, broth soups, stews and chilis… doesn’t matter what type of soup it is, I just love them!

Here’s a favorite soup from Taste of Home that everyone enjoys in our household, the Creamy Cauliflower Soup. Not cheesy like the Cream of Broccoli version, rather healthier with more veggies. Also, this recipe is easily doubled and makes great left overs.

image

Ingredients:

 

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
2 medium side Russet potatoes, cubed (Jen’s Note: I’ve also added roasted parsnip before and that was a hit with the family!)
1 large yellow onion, small dice (Jen’s Note: or use 1/2 cup dehydrated onion and add 1 cup additional water for broth)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces (Jen’s Note: or use 1 cup dehydrated carrot and add 1 1/2 cup additional water for broth)
6 celery stalks, cut into half-inch pieces (Jen’s Note: I love celery, so often I use 10 stalks and use the leafy tips)
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups chicken broth, may substitute vegetable broth
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
Fresh tarragon, optional (Jen’s Note: I never use this)

 

Directions

  1. In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, sauté the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in 1/4 cup butter until tender. Add cauliflower, potatoes, broth, parsley, salt and pepper, basil and tarragon. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the milk and whipping cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add to cauliflower mixture. Cook for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Garnish with tarragon if desired. Yield: 8 servings (about 2 quarts).
  3. If you want a creamier version, remove 1/3 of the mixture and blend until creamy in a high powered blender. Just remember that hot soup will explode easily in the blender, so cover tightly and only pulse blend.

Serve with rolls and a leafy green salad for a healthy meal. Looks great in bread bowls for a more robust dish. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Beef Stew with Canned Beef

I love a good stew, especially when it’s cold outside. This stew is on the lighter side because there’s a small ratio of beef to other ingredients, no oil and no added salt.

Ingredients:
2 12 ounce canned beef
1 small onion, diced. Or use 1/4 cup dehydrated onion
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 large potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes with skin still on
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 lb tomatoes, rough cut or 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 cup frozen peas (See Note 1)
1 14 ounce can corn, or 2 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1. Using large pot, water saute the onion for 2 minutes then add the carrots and celery and saute another 2 minutes
2. In a separate pot, boil the potato cubes for 10 minutes, then add the potatoes to the rest of the stew.
3. Add corn, tomatoes, canned beef with juice and black pepper, organic no-salt seasoning, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, stir to combine.
4. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. If you want it thicker, make a rue using 2 ladles of hot liquid into bowl. Add 1 tablespoon flour and whisk thoroughly, then add corn starch one tablespoon at a time to thicken – I usually use 2 tablespoons. Add rue to high powered blender with 10 cooked potato pieces and blend until pureed. Pour mixture into stew and mix thoroughly; heat through.

Serve stew with a yummy crusty bread. Freeze left overs for quick meal another day. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Note 1: Peas cook quickly, so I add the peas when I reheat the stew so that they’re still firm and sweet, a nice contrast to the heartiness of the rest of the stew.