A Balanced Meal

These are three of my old standby recipes that are all excellent. Each are good on their own but tonight I made them together for the full meal deal effect. All three are also healthy and easy to make. Definitely crowd pleasers.

Chicken Tenders

1lb chicken tenders
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 T honey
1 T olive oil
11/2 cups panko
1 T dried basil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix dijon, honey and olive oil in large bowl. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Add all tenders to the dijon mixture and toss to coat. On a large plate combine panko & basil and season with salt & pepper. Dredge each chicken tender in the panko mixture. Arrange all coated tenders on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.


Orzo Salad
For this one I use the Harvest Blend from Trader Joes that includes orzo, quinua, couscous & garbanzo beans. Plain orzo will work just fine too. You could also add diced chicken to this salad to make it main course.

2 cups harvest blend
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 T dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T honey
salt and pepper


Cook orzo or harvest blend per directions. Once cooked add 2 T olive oil to the cooked pasta to prevent sticking. Add chopped spinach, basil, tomatoes & artichoke hearts. Add Parmesan and salt & pepper to taste.

Whisk dijon, vinegar, olive oil and honey in a bowl until combined. Pour over pasta and toss to combine.

Can be served immediately warm or refrigerate up to 24 hours and serve chilled.


Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes
These are from the April 2007 issue of Bon Appetit

4 large red skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 T brown sugar
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 t salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. In large skillet over medium heat, bring balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until vinegar thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add butter & olive oil and salt and stir until butter melts. Add potato pieces to skillet; toss to coat. Season potatoes with freshly ground black pepper. Spread potatoes evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer potatoes to large platter or bowl and serve.


Enjoy!