Pesto Chicken and Roasted Veggie Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (medium/large)
• 8 oz. of pesto
• 3 chicken breasts
• marinade: Mojo seasoning (enough to cover the chicken when marinating....around 1-1.5 cups) 
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 2 large tomatoes (or 3-4 Roma/plum tomatoes)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, Italian blend)
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup almond milk

Steps: 

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Cut spaghetti squash lenthwise, remove the seeds, and bake (face down) for about 35 minutes. 
1. The skin should be soft/caving in when you squeeze it. 
3. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Grill the breasts and shred. I used a grill pan. 
4. Once the spaghetti squash is baked, roast the veggies (tomato, onion, green pepper). Make sure they are tossed in some olive oil and seasoned with salt and Italian seasonings. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. You don't want them fully roasted. 
5. Add the spaghetti squash, chicken, pesto, and sundried tomato into a lasagna dish and mix well. 
6. Add the eggs and almond milk. Season to taste.
7. Once the roasted veggies have cooled, spread them over the top of the chicken and spaghetti squash mixture. 
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until the edges are browned.  
9. Serve with parmesan cheese. 

Creamy Penne Chicken Marsala

Creamy Penne Chicken Marsala

About 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 plump chicken breasts

Flour (for dredging the chicken)

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 lb of sliced mushrooms

1 onion (sliced or diced)

5 cloves of garlic (diced)

2.5 cups of marsala wine

1 cup of beef broth (or chicken broth)

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 packet of mushroom gravy/sauce

1 lb of penne pasta

6 oz container of freshly shaved parmesan cheese

1/2 tbsp of cornstarch

Steps: 

1. Cut each (2) chicken breast in half, pound out thin, and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. 

2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter (medium low) in a pan and brown the chicken on each side (until cooked thru). Remove the chicken from the pan, dice, and set aside. 

3. Add 1 tbsp of butter into the same pan and saute the onion until cooked/softened. 

4. Add another tbsp of butter and mushrooms (1lb) - cook together with onion until the onion is caramelized and mushrooms are cooked. Add diced garlic the last 2 minutes. Do not overcook the garlic. 

5. Remove onion/garlic/mushroom mixture from the pan and set aside. 

6. Add the marsala (1.5 cups) to the same pan, bring to a boil and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes add the beef broth (1 cup) and heavy cream (1 cup) and bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it reduce for about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch (dissolved in cold water) and bring the mixture back to a boil once more (for a minute) and return back down to simmer - helps thicken the sauce.

7. Cook pasta according to package and drain. 

8. In a separate sauce pan, make your mushroom gravy (packet), but instead of water, use marsala (1 cup). Once the gravy is beginning to thicken - add to the marsala sauce. 

9. Add the chicken and onion/mush mixture into the marsala sauce. Add 6 oz. of shaved parmesan cheese and stir. 

***Don't forget to taste the marsala sauce at this point and season with salt and pepper to taste!

10. Add the drained pasta back into the pot (over LOW heat) with 3 tbsp of butter....then add the marsala mixture to the pasta, stir and cook for a minute until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. 

Enjoy!

Skinny (kinda) Chicken Parmesan Casserole

I love practicing for a cook-off! Why? Because I try things like THIS:

We're about 4 days out from the annual "Brenner Super Bowl Cook-Off" and I can't get the word 'casserole' out of my mind. Each year, the cooks are challenged to create a "winning" dish within a certain category (past competitions: wings, chili, lasagna). 

I'm pretty sure we have a top contender, but...it is Wednesday and we don't really have plans for dinner. So...what do I do? Get inspired (on Pinterest)! 

Key search word: CASSEROLE. Yep, I found a plethora of ideas...but one stuck. And not necessarily for our entry in the competition, but because I knew I had ALL of the ingredients at home. YAY- dinner plans = done!

Recipe adapted from: THIS SITE

Skinny (kinda) Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into about 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large can of Dei Fratelli tomato sauce

1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

1 to 2 bags of croutons (I used Garlic & Cheese and Salt & Pepper flavors)

Fresh basil (and/or dried basil)

Oregano

Crushed red pepper

Garlic powder (or fresh garlic)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350f.

2. Crush croutons into smaller pieces (I used a rolling pin) in the bag they come in.

3. Place cut chicken, olive oil, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper (EXTRA), and garlic into casserole dish and mix.

4. Top with sauce and bake for 30 minutes (uncovered).

5. Top with: parmesan cheese, half of the mozzarella, crushed croutons, and again, the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

6. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and the crouton bits are golden. (I added crushed red pepper, again, during this step)

This was so good!

EZ Chicken Fajita Dinner

Servings: 2-4

Prep: 20

Cook: 30

Ingredients 

2 Chicken breasts (butterflied)
1 can of black beans

1 green pepper

1 onion

Splash of Dale's Steak Seasoning

McCormick's Fiery 5 Pepper spice

Chipotle chili powder

Oregano

Splash of red wine vinegar 

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Lime or lime juice

Hot/taco sauce

Flour tortillas

Steps:
1. Prepare the chicken; once butterflied, cut in half. You will have a total of 4 thin chicken cutlets.
2. Season the cutlets with the chipotle chili powder and the fiery 5 pepper seasoning on both sides and set aside. *If you are sensitive to the heat, take it easy on the chipotle.
3. Cut the onion and green pepper into thin strips.
4. Heat two pans with oil (I used coconut oil) on a medium to medium-low heat.
5. In the smaller pan, saute onion and green pepper for about 10-15 minutes, until the onion is translucent and green pepper cooked to your liking. Add a splash of Dale's during the last few minutes.
6. Add the chicken to the larger pan, flipping after about 5 minutes. Cook thoroughly.
7. Heat up the tortillas; stove-top or microwave (covered with a wet paper towel).
8. Prepare your toppings: cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, salsa, and anything else you like.
9. Finally cut the chicken into thin strips and you're ready to start building these amazing little fajitas!

Fiery deliciousness.

Stuffed Chicken Portobello Mushrooms

Yields: 4 Servings

Prep time: ~45 minutes

Cook time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 large portobello mushrooms

2-3 chicken breasts (fat trimmed)

1 onion (or 1/2 of a large one) - white or Spanish, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3-5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 eggs

1/2 - 3/4 cups of breadcrumbs (Italian style)

1/2 teaspoon, Onion powder

1/2 teaspoon, Garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon, Chipotle chili powder

1/4 teaspoon, Black pepper
Cheese (shaved parm, mozz, or pepper jack)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375f 

2. Bake chicken breasts, covered for about 30 minutes, until cooked through (you can prepare the chicken with an olive oil, salt and pepper rub, or just top with a thin layer of mayonnaise-yes, that is OK and delicious).

3. Sautee garlic, onion, and red pepper in olive oil until softened.

4. Cut cooked chicken into small cubes.

5. Mix: chicken, beaten eggs, veggies, breadcrumbs and all spices (taste to make sure flavor is good) in a large mixing bowl.

6. Rinse portobello caps and trim the stem.

7. Stuff each mushroom (cap down) with chicken mixture and top with a sprinkle of additional breadcrumbs.

8. Bake, uncovered, at the same heat level as above for 30 minutes (until chicken is browned)

9. Top the stuffed mushrooms with cheese, and continue baking until melted.

Serve immediately.

Favorite pairing: Sweet potato (mash) and baked asparagus.

These are easily microwavable for leftovers, and STILL delicious.

Pepper jack cheese on the left, shaved parm on the right...

Enjoy

xox

Sara

Creamy Chicken Jalapeño Supreme

This recipe was adapted from: http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenrecipe1/r/chixsupreme.htm.

Servings: 3

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 hours in crock pot

Ingredients:

3 hearty chicken breasts (fat trimmed)

7-8 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

½ onion, diced

4 jalapenos, sliced into rings with seeds

4 slices of your favorite spicy cheese (I suggest jalapeno havarti; we used Monterey Jack with jalapenos this first time)

1-2 sliced portabello mushrooms

2 cans of condensed cream of chicken (I will be switching it up and using one cream of mushroom and one cream of chicken next time)

Egg noodles (or rice)

Salt, pepper and garlic salt

Steps:

1.       Cook bacon until crispy and refrigerate until 10 minutes before serving dinner.

2.       Brown the chicken breast in the bacon grease on medium high heat, about 10 minutes.

3.       Dice onion, slice jalapenos, and chop mushrooms.

4.     Warm soup on the stove, add salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste (it's ok if its a bit salty, the juices from the chicken help with this).

5.       Place chicken, soups, onion and mushroom in crockpot, cover, and cook on low for 5 hours (there is no need to drain the juices from the chicken).

6.       After five hours, add jalapenos (if you submerge them in the soup they will cook faster) for 10  minutes.

7.       Once jalapenos have softened to your liking, cover each piece of chicken with cheese and top with bacon pieces.

8.       Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

9.       Scoop chicken with sauce over egg noodles and enjoy this delicious creation.

Browned chicken in crockpot.

Chicken, soup, mushroom, onion in crockpot.

Added jalapenos after 5 hours.

Cheese and bacon topped over chicken.

After 10 minutes of melting!

Bon Apetit

-SS

Publix Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Garlic and Herb Pasta

Thank you Publix!

Followed this recipe pretty closely (had to make up for having plain breadcrumbs).

Link: http://ww2.publix.com/aprons/meals/AllRecipes/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=7431&mealGroupId=1000

This is most definitely not a 'light' meal, however we enjoyed the heck out this when paired with a fresh garden salad! Simple + Savory = Satisfied!!!!!

P.S. you can see how patient I was...couldn't wait to take a bite before snapping a photo!

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

Blackened Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

with mushrooms, multi-colored mini bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, & scallions
 

 

(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

1. Pasta
2. 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
3. 4 tbs parmesan cheese (maybe more...)
4. 2 thick chicken breasts
5. 4 tbs butter (unsalted)
6. blackening seasoning (you can make your own)
7. Baby bella mushrooms sliced (one small container)
8. 5-7 multi colored mini bell peppers diced
9. Scallions (3-4 stalks)
10. 2 tbs olive oil
11. 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes (small peices)

 

Steps:

1. Slice each breast in half lenthwise to create a total of 4 thinner cutlets.
2. Brush each peice of chicken with 2tbs of melted butter
3. Sprinkle each slice with blackening seasoning, pat/rub each to make sure it sticks.
4. Heat skillet over medium heat, spray with Pam, and place two breasts in the center.
5. After a few minutes of blackening, turn the chicken over (don't forget to spray the Pam before the other side of the chicken touches the skillet; prevents burning/smoking).
6. Repeat with the 2nd two  breasts.
7. In the mean time begin boiling water for pasta (follow instructions on the box).
8. Heat oven to about 400 degrees F (for garlic bread* and also chicken).
9. Once each cutlet is seared and blackened just enough, place on an aluminum lined baking sheet in the over for about 5-8 minutes until cooked through. Flip once, once you see the juices flowing, the chicken should be ready. It never hurts to cut through and double check.
10. Now we begin the veggies; heat two tbs olive oil in the same pan (I washed mine).
11. Add mushroom, scallion and sundried tomato. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until softened.
12. OPTIONAL: Add sliced chicken (I did this; however when I make this again, I will add the chicken as the final step before serving).
13. Stir in heavy 2 tbs butter, whipping cream and parmesan cheese. Heat should be at medium. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes and patiently wait as it thickens...(I was becoming worries, so I added a few dashes of corn starch to thicken...and maybe a few extra dashes of parmesan cheese).
14. Once thickened, you're ready to serve over pasta!

Tips & Recommendations

• Serve with side salad and garlic bread.
• Crushed red pepper flakes OR fresh ground black pepper is always a plus.
• Trust me, you DON'T need any more parmesan cheese.
• Go crazy with the veggies, broccoli would have been an awesome addition!
• Why not add a splash of your favorite red sauce; everyone loves PINK SAUCE!

What a comforting meal :)

 

Enjoy.

 

The Famous: Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is probably my favorite thing to make. What started as an experimental dish, now is a staple in our home! The "go-to" meal for dinner parties!

It's a bit of a process, but worth every second of work. And don't get me wrong, I've managed to come home at 5:30 and have the meal ready by 8pm!

I've made this recipe a number of times by now. I have followed several different recipes, and still don't have a SET recipe I will use each and every time. However, for the sake of this blog and sharing with friends, I found one recipe that I think is a great start!

Link: http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-tikka-masala-25587

 Tips:

• Serve with GARLIC naan
• Over rice is good, but in my opinion QUINOA is the way to go!
• USE garam masala, it's amazing.
• Don't be scared to play around with the spices, if it doesn't taste right, add some curry powder, just not too much. When in doubt, I add garam masala!!!
• I also double the sauce, everytime - love dipping the naan in it! This will change the amount of spices you need- be mindful of this...it's a tasting game!
• If you don't have a grill, broiling the skewered chicken works just as well. Don't skip the skewering part.
• I always add an extra pepper or two...jalapeno, poblano, and/or serrano!
• Double or triple the garlic; it won't hurt!

MARINATION

and the sauce....





Wonton Lasagna

Chicken-Spinach-Pesto Lasagna

Inspiration: Trey sending me this link - Healthy Recipes

Above you see a photo of the finished product

This recipe is so LIGHT & TASTEY! 

If you are watching the calories or the clock this is a perfect option! Half the calories of a traditional lasagna with minimal prep time!

My grocery shopping totaled only $13 for this meal (enough to feed 5-6); I was lucky to have about half of the ingredients at home!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of part skim ricotta

2 or more cups of shredded chicken

6 tablespoons of your favorite pesto (I used sun dried tomato pesto)

1 cup of mozzarella

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

5 oz. of baby spinach

1 8 oz. jar of roasted red peppers

One large egg, beaten slightly

1 package of wonton wrappers (I used about 30-40 pieces)

Garlic salt or your favorite Italian seasoning - I use a parmesan garlic bread dip seasoning

Before baking...

STEPS:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F

2. Marinate (Italian dressing), grill, and shred chicken - we used a Foreman

3. Prepare the cheese by combining ricotta, 1/2 of the parmesan, 2 tablespoons of pesto, egg, garlic salt

4. Cook spinach in a large pan with 1/4 cup of water on medium high...a few minutes until wilted

5. Cover the bottom of your favorite lasagna dish with the remaining pesto. If you don't have enough, add more!

6. Layer wonton wrappers, slightly overlapping, to cover the entire bottom

7. Layer 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the wontons

8. Add sliced roasted red pepper and chicken

9. Layer with another layer of wontons, then ricotta cheese mixture, chicken, remaining peppers, half of the spinach and parmesan cheese

10. Now add the final layer of wontons topped with the remaining spinach, mozzarella cheese and your favorite seasoning

11. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 20 minutes

12. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes or until melty and starting to brown around the edges.

My slice! 

Conclusion

Success.

-Cutting into this wonton lasagna was surprisingly easy; everything stayed in place and I was able to cut perfect slices and serve each in tact! :)

-Each bite was better than one before. The difference in texture wasn't very noticeable.

-My cheesy, saucy, Italian craving was fulfilled...without feeling weighed down and ready for bed! 

What I may try next time:

1. Add fresh minced garlic in the layers with the chicken

2. Add crushed red pepper before baking

3. Experimenting with different veggies...just not too many as that may become too soggy

Wohoo!

I highly recommend this light dish, especially if you're trying to impress a light eater...or even a vegetarian (just don't add the chicken...follow the original recipe).

I love making something I've never attempted before and hearing "this is SO GOOD", "OH MY GOD SARA, YOU DID IT AGAIN", "I've never had anything like this before, and I love it!". 

(The person responsible for the above quotes is my one and only, Trey)

**Wonton wrappers are found in the produce section, refrigerated area, near the tofu

ENJOY!

Slow Cooked Pulled Chicken Dinner

Pulled BBQ Chicken, Light Cole Slaw, 5 Bean Salad & Corn

My first attempt to "slow cook" anything in a crockpot turned out to be a huge success!

I found a few simple pulled chicken recipes, shared with Trey, and we decided on one...and I went with it!

The prep and starting the crockpot was quite a scene; all done within 20 minutes on my lunch break! The sides were all prepped with a glass of red in hand AFTER work!

The Chicken

Link: http://www.food.com/recipe/pulled-chicken-sandwiches-crock-pot-242547

I followed this recipe very closely. Tobasco sauce was the only ingredient I subbed out with Stubb's Wing Sauce (this was a new buy, thanks to Tim, and I was just really excited to use it; plus it was very spicy, in a peppery way!). 

A few reviews of this recipe say how the sauce may get watery. This is true when you begin the shredding...however, if you let it sit on the warm setting and stir every 10-15 minutes, it will eventually be absorbed by the chicken.

The Slaw

1 Bag of shredded cabbage
Greek Yogurt - 2 tbs 
Mayo - 1 tbs (generous)
Sugar - 2 tspn (flat)
Apple cider vinegar - 2 tbs
Cumin - 1/2 tspn
Salt/Pepper - to taste

Mix the above, cool and serve

Delicious, light, crispy! Much better than a store bought/traditional wet, soggy, mayonaissy cole slaw.

5 Bean Salad

Link: http://www.food.com/recipe/five-bean-salad-608

Big Bill says I should get Pam's recipe ;)

Yes, it was still good, actually very good.

I used a quarter of the sugar this recipe calls for and omitted the green pepper.

Corn

Boiled :)

Feast

We prepared our toasted rolls open faced; one topped with slaw and the other topped with JALAPENOS. 

All in all, we were all very satisfied, even the Carolina boys! I was blown away, so goooooooooooooood!

Chicken Lasagna!!

Roasted Garlic, Multi-Colored Peppers, & Chicken Lasagna!

This was just dreamy!

MUCH lighter than traditional lasagna...

I followed this recipe: http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2009/10/chicken-and-roasted-garlic-lasagna.html

In the making...

I grilled the chicken the same way I do for the enchilada recipe:

1. Marinate in Mojo for at least 1 hour

2. Grill

3. Shred

ALSO. I only have two layers of ricotta, first layer: spread ricotta mixture sparingly, 2nd layer, plopped the rest in there and spread to even out!

And the final product!

THIS WAS SO GOOD....

Greg's Fajitarritos

Fajita + Burrito = Fajitarrito

Greg, the roommate, has introduced our household to this phenomenon. This is definitely a house fave! FILLING, DELICIOUS, & just so darn awesome! Thank you Greg for making these :)

List of ingredients:

chicken breasts (2 lb)

black beans- 2 cans

yellow rice

honey

salt/pepper

ground red pepper/paprika

peppers (multi colored, 3-4)

large onion

peach or mango salsa

regular salsa (your favorite)

flour tortillas (large burrito size)

toppings (optional, choose to your liking):

shredded cheese

sour cream

jalapenos

hot sauce

Now the steps:

1. wash and trip the chicken breasts

2. Cover with honey, salt, pepper, and ground pepper seasoning; cover and let stand for about 30-60 min

3. Pan sear the breasts on medium high, until the honey and spices have nicely browned onto the chicken

4. Remove chicken and slice (notice the chicken is not fully cooked)

5. Chop the peppers and onions (slice or bite sized)

6. Toss into the same pan and cover with a jar of peach salsa

7. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently

8. Add chicken and mix well

9. You may add more salsa at this point

10. Cover and simmer until chicken is fully cooked

MEANWHILE....

1. Your rice is on the stove with a timer ON

2. Melt some butter and cook two cans of black beans

Now a demonstration of how to assemble the Fajitarrito:

Throw some cheese onto a warm tortilla

 Then beans

 and rice...

 now chicken!

Top off with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce/taco sauce, and whatever else your heart desires!

YUM.