Pizza Pizza

These were such an easy and tasty dinner. I've been thinking of making calzones for a while and I was at Trader Joes the other day and picked up some pre-made whole wheat dough. I was so surprised when it was tasty and chewy. The dough really made these work. Of course you could use any kind of pizza dough you can find or make your own. I stuffed these with whatever I could find in the fridge. Be creative and use your favorite pizza toppings.

Artichoke heart, Chicken, Sun dried tomato and Pesto Calzones

1 package pre made pizza dough

1 can chopped artichoke hearts

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast - cooked, cooled and diced

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Toss diced chicken with marinara, set aside. In small food processor, add basil, parm. cheese, garlic and olive. Process on high until a pesto is formed, set aside. Break pizza dough into 3rds and flatten each section out into about a 5 inch circle. On 1/2 each circle spread prepared pesto. Top with chicken, 1/3 of the the artichoke, 1/3 of the sun dried tomato, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Fold the other half of the dough over top of the ingredients and seal the edge with your fingers. Place on a greased pan and place in oven for approx. 20 minutes.

Bourban Chicken

Bourbon Chicken
(Source: RecipeZaar.com)

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until medium heat until well mixed and lightly browned. Remove Chicken.

Add remaining ingredients, heating until all is dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. (I added 1 T flour toward the end to thicken the sauce)Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

Mojito Chicken

I spend a lot of time at our local Trader Joes and have become very familiar with their products. I've started doing most of my weekly grocery shopping there. If they don't have it, I usually omit it from a recipe. Other than a monthly trip to Costco (they have the cheapest organic chicken and my husband is obsessed with buying things in bulk) Trader Joes is basically the only store I go to. Their products contain the most natural ingredients, no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup, limited preservatives and often they are organic. With that said, they have some great pre-made sauces that come in very handy when making a quick, healthy dinner. I always keep a few of them on hand and this Mojito Sauce is no exception. This was a great, easy, nutritous meal.

Cuban Mojito Chicken

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1 can Cuban Mojito Sauce

1 T jerk seasoning

1/4 cup light rum- if you don't have this on hand you can omit it

1 T olive oil

2 T onion, chopped

1 T garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach

1 can Black beans, drained

1 cup TJ's frozen succotash (another TJ's item I can't live without. Frozen shelled edamame, red pepper and corn. Obviously substitue whatever frozen veg you would like)

3 cups brown rice, cooked

Place cubed chicken, 1/4 jar of the Mojito Sauce and the jerk seasoning into bowl and mix. Let marinade for 10 minutes, up to an hour.

Heat large skillet over med-high heat. Add marinaded chicken and saute 5 minutes. Add the rum (be careful, it may flame) and cook an additional 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Return skillet to the heat and saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add the black beans and saute 1-2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, spinach and the remainder of the sauce. Saute 5-7 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan. Serve over brown rice.

Enjoy!

The Cheese is Sad...

Or maybe it's just blue! I've been eyeing this Blue Cheese Walnut Cole Slaw for a while now. We had lunch for dinner and I decided it would work perfect with a buffalo chicken panini. The cole slaw was amazing and super easy to throw together. For the panini (since I know people will ask) I just sauteed up chicken and put it between 2 pieces of bread with mozzarella cheese, blue cheese crumbles and a generous helping of bar-b-que sauce. Then I toasted on the panini maker and it was ready! Very easy dinner :-)

Blue Cheese Walnut Cole Slaw

1 head Napa or Savoy Cabbage, shredded
1 shallot, sliced super thin
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 t white sugar (I used honey instead)
1 t white vinegar
1/4 cup candied walnuts, chopped
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
salt and pepper

Combine the mayo, sugar and vinegar. Season generously with pepper and a touch of salt.

Pour the mixture over the shredded cabbage and shallots. Toss to coat. Add the walnuts and blue cheese. Gently incorporate. Let rest for at least 15 minutes and serve.

Stuffed

This is a tasty and easy weeknight chicken recipe. I'm a big fan of goat cheese so I use quite a bit of it. I make my own pesto with whatever I have on hand. Sometimes it's cilantro and pine nuts, this time it was basil and walnuts but you can be creative and use whatever kind of herb and nut you have. If your in a time crunch or don't feel like creating your own you can also use store bought pesto. I also use a small Cuisinart mixer for both the cheese mixture and the pesto. If you don't have one of these, chop all ingredients finely and combine or use a blender. Tonight I served this chicken with sauteed spinach and baby tomatoes (just sauteed in olive oil and s&p) and baked fingerling and sweet potatoes (recipe below).

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken w/ Pesto Crust

4 boneless/ skinless chicken breasts

6 0z goat cheese

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (I used oil packed but just dried will work also)

1t dried Italian seasoning

1T olive oil (if using oil pack tomatoes, use 1T of the oil in jar)

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup walnuts

1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the largest portion of the chicken breast cut a pocket about 2 inches long and 1 inch deep. Make sure the cut does not open to the other side of the breast. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

Combine goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning and olive oil in the food processor. Pulse the ingredients on high until combined. Stuff the goat cheese mixture into the pocket of each of the chicken breasts, pressing the cheese far enough in that it won't fall out while cooking. Set aside.

Again using the food processor combine basil, olive oil, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese. Pulse on high until all ingredients are combined and pesto is formed. Spread the pesto on top of each piece of chicken, coating the entire breast.

Cook chicken in pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Baked Fingerling and Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips

1/2 lb fingerling potatoes, not peeled, cut in half

2T olive oil

2T butter (I use Smart Balance, non dairy butter substitute)

1t blackening seasoning (if you don't have this you can use Chile seasoning and cumin)

1t Italian seasoning

s&p

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large saute pan heat oil and butter over med-high heat. Add the potatoes and begin to saute. Add all seasoning and combine well while continuing to saute for about 2 minutes. Turn potatoes out onto a greased baking sheet and cook in oven for about 15 minutes or until they become crispy.

Enjoy!

The BEST Quesadilla Ever

I decided to mix quite a few yummy flavors in between a couple of tortillas and came up with an excellent quesadilla. The sweetness of the potato and the melted cheese with chicken were very tasty. The ingredients may seem like an odd combination but trust me...they work! You could omit any of the items or add anything to this and I'm sure it would be just as good. I cooked this on my Cuisinart Griddler but just on the stove in some olive oil would work. I also used some whole wheat wraps from Trader Joes for my tortilla but whatever you have or pick up will do.

The Best Quesadilla Ever (Sweet Potato, Chicken Quesadilla)

4 large size tortillas

3 boneless/ skinless chicken thighs

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 can black beans, drained

1/4 onion, diced

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup Pepita's (pumpkin seeds)

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 t cinnamon

2 t cumin

2 t chili powder

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken thighs with 1 t chili powder and 1 t cumin. Place in an oven safe dish and cook for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and chop into 1/2 inch think cubes. Set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potato and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Strain potatoes and mash with a whisk until smooth. Add 1 t cinnamon, 1 t chili powder and 1 t cumin to mashed potatoes, set aside.

Drain beans and place in a bowl. Add chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add chopped cilantro, Pepita's, garlic and olive oil into food processor and grind until a pesto is formed. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small skilled heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Set aside.

To assemble:

Lay 1 tortilla flat on clean work surface. Spread 1/2 of sweet potatoes in an even layer on tortilla. Top with 1/2 of the wilted spinach. Top spinach with 1/2 of the bean mixture. Top the bean mixture with 1/2 of the diced chicken. Top the chicken with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. On the 2nd tortilla and spread 1/2 of the pesto mixture on 1 side of the tortilla. Place the tortilla pesto side down on top of the other tortilla.

Repeat with the other 2 tortillas.

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat or heat grill over medium heat. Brush olive oil on the outside both sides of the tortillas if using grill.

Place Quesadillas in oil or on grill, flip after about 5 minutes or when browned if in pan. Remove when heated through and crispy on both sides.

Cut into 6 triangles and serve with sour cream.

More chicken...

We really like chicken at our house...can you tell? Anyway, this is a really simple chicken salad with a very tasty/tangy dressing I came up with. We had it for dinner with soup but it would be a great salad for lunch as well. With no mayo it makes great left overs to take to work.

Cranberry Chicken Salad w/ Ginger Sage Dressing

3 chicken breasts, baked & diced (I season mine with poultry seasoning & garlic salt)

1 cup pecans, toasted & roughly chopped

1 cup cranberries, dried

Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing.

Ginger Sage Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T honey

2 T dried sage

2 T minced ginger

1 1/2 t cinnamon

Salt & pepper

Wisk all ingredients together and toss with Chicken mixture. Serve over romaine lettuce.

Enjoy!

Garlicky Bean and Chicken Enchiladas

I found the recipe for the Garlicky Bean Enchiladas in the March '08 issue of Rachel Ray. I decided to add shredded chicken to them and they were excellent. My husband said "we could have gone to a mexican restaurant and our meal wouldn't have been nearly as good"! I have to agree, they tasted like they came from a gourmet mexican restaurant. I put my chicken in the Crock Pot with 1 packet of taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and let it cook about 4 hours until it shredded on its own. I made homemade spanish rice to go along with this and used brown rice to make it a bit healthier. Boxed spanish rice would also work.

Garlicky Bean & Chicken Enchiladas

2 chicken breasts, shredded

1/2 cup plus 2 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans cannelloni beans, drained

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

12 6 in. round corn tortillas

2 cups store bought salsa verde

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 T oil over medium heat. Ad the garlic and cook until just golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 1 minute. Season w/ salt and pepper and mash with the back of a fork while continuing to cook for about 7 minutes. Take off heat and add the cilantro. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a small skillet heat 2 T of oil. Fry tortillas 1 at a time for about 5 seconds per side until starting to bubble. Add more oil as needed. Transfer fried tortillas to paper towels to drain (I tried to skip this step but the tortillas crumble if they are not fried first). Place about 1/4 cup of the beans and 1/4 cup of the chicken on 1 tortilla and roll to close. Transfer to a prepared 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining beans, chicken and tortillas. Pour the salsa over the filled tortillas Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and the salsa is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.

Spanish Brown Rice

1 T olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups brown rice

1 package taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes w/ liquid

2 cups chicken broth

In a medium pot heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until they become opaque. Add rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add taco seasoning and mix. Add tomatoes w/ liquid and the chicken broth. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is tender, approximately 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Dumpling Soup

I have to admit, this meal was better the 2nd day. It was great on day 1 too but on day 2 it kind of turned into a stew and it was delicious with a little dollop of sour cream on top. For the chicken in the soup, I put 2 chicken breasts in the crock pot for about 5 hours on low with a package of dry chicken gravy and about 1/2 cup of chicken stock. When they were done they fell apart and easily shredded. You could also just use cooked, diced chicken breasts if you don't have the time to slow roast them. Rather then real dumplings I used large gnocchi which are potato dumplings. I used pesto & cheese filled frozen gnocchi from Trader Joes and they were soft, plump and flavorful.

Chicken & "Dumpling" Soup

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 T olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 bay leaf
2 T poultry seasoning
2 T Italian seasoning
2 T all purpose flour

1 qt chicken stock

2 cups water

5 small yellow potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 package fresh or frozen gnocchi
Salt & Pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes until vegetables start to become tender. Stir the bay leaf, poultry seasoning & italian seasoning into to the vegetables. Mix in the flour until combined. Add the chicken stock and water and mix well. Add potatoes, corn and green beans and simmer soup for about 30 minutes until all vegetables are cooked. Season soup with salt and pepper. Depending on whether you are using low sodium chicken stock or not, it may need quite a bit of salt. Add gnocchi and basil and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

Enjoy

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!

Green With Envy

Green is my favorite color and I decided I would make a meal with everything green I could find in my kitchen. I probably should have waited until St. Patricks Day for this one but it was so good I think I'll make it again then! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs but breasts would also work fine. I served the chicken with baby bok choy and spinach sauteed with sesame oil and soy sauce and some couscous. The greens accompanied the chicken perfectly.

Green Chicken

1 cup cilantro

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used lite)

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 of a jalapeno (seeded for less heat)

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic

1 T olive oil

1 pound skinless boneless chicken (thighs or breast)

In a blender liquefy the cilantro, coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, jalapeno, spinach, chicken stock and garlic.

Salt and pepper chicken. Place in a large bowl and coat with the cilantro mixture. Marinade for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Heat olive oil medium heat in large saute pan. Remove chicken from the green sauce. Saute chicken in olive oil until starting to brown on both sides. Add the cilantro mixture to the chicken and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with greens, rice, couscous, etc...

Enjoy!