Raspberry Chipotle Marinaded Chicken

Once again, it's been a while since I last updated my blog.  A lot has been going on in my life, so I apologize if some of my posts are a month late on here.  This recipe comes from Penzey's.  It comes from a person named Fran Timme.  The marinade is very versatile, it can also be used on pork tenderloin or pork chops.  Since I don't eat pork I couldn't tell you how it turns out on it.  It did turn out very well though on my chicken.  It was sweet and a little spicy but not overly sweet or spicy, it was just right. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar or wine vinegar (I used wine)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons Raspberry Enlightenment (Penzeys)
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used regular Penzeys, but the recipe calls for Vietnamese Cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Penzeys Minced Garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic (I just used granulated garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Penzeys Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Regular Mustard Powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pour over 3-4 lbs. of your meat of choice and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Grill the meat to your desired level of doneness over medium high heat. 

We live in a one bedroom apartment, so we have no real girll.

Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Chicken

Sorry for the blurry picture, I used my iPad to take it.

This was Friday night's dinner.  I asked my husband to get me some Fage Greek Yogurt so I can put it into my smoothies, I thought he'd buy a few small containers or the next size up.  He came home with 35 ounce container!  That's a lot of Greek yogurt for one person, since he doesn't usually eat any of it.  So I started searching the internet for Greek yogurt recipes, turns out there's more than I thought.  I found a ton on Pinterest alone.  I found a few from food blogs I follow and one new blogger (well, new to me) I found.  This recipe was influenced by Life of Meg's blogspot.  I changed some of the spices since I have a lot of Penzeys' spices, I figured I'd use them. I used Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave. Chicken & Fish Seasoning which consists of salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel, and onion.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 tablespoons Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave. Chicken & Fish Seasoning (Penzeys')

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, cheese, garlic and spices.

  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Coat chicken breasts in the yogurt mixture.  Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken breasts.

Pair it with your favorite veggies or couscous (which would go well with it too).  Enjoy!

Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms

I made this recipe for dinner almost two weeks ago but have had other things on my mind so that's why I'm late in blogging it.  My spring break was this past week and all I really did was go roller skating, study for my second Financial Accounting exam, and help in a roller derby scrimmage.  I know it doesn't sound like much, but I've also been running errands, and reading a book that's been saved on my iPad for a long time, that I didn't have time to get to until now.  So, this recipe comes from my Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals cookbook. The recipe also has a side to go with the teriyaki salmon, orange-ginger sugar snaps, but I chose to use rice instead.   The salmon was delicious and the teriyaki and mushrooms gave the rice an extra flavor, since rice is so flavorful to begin with. ;-) 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup sherry (I used white cooking wine)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 8-ounce package presliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (about 1"-1 1/2" thick)

Combine the first three ingredients in a small bowl;  stir to dissolve sugar.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat;  add mushrooms, and saute 4 minutes or until tender (it took more than 4 minutes for me, I don't remember how long though).  Add 1/3 cup sherry mixture to mushrooms.  Reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates (it will take longer, again, I don't remember how long.

Spoon mushroom mixture into a bowl and set aside.  Heat pan over medium-high heat;  add fillets.  Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned on all sides (depending on how thick the fillets are, it will probably take more than 4 minutes).  Add mushrooms and remaining sherry mixture to pan;  cook 2 minutes.

Transfer fillets to a serving platter, and top with sauce and mushrooms.  Enjoy! 

Kidney-Quinoa Burgers

I know these were probably meant to be eaten the vegan way, but I added some turkey bacon since I hadn't eaten any meat all day. 

This recipe comes from Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon.  This was probably the first vegan cookbook I ever got and I was surprised how easy all the recipes were.  Sure there were some ingredients I've never heard of, but they weren't difficult to find.  I had never heard of things like tempeh or turmeric only because while I was growing up my parents never used these ingredients.  I love discovering new food, recipes, and spices, so when I came across this recipe, I had to try it.  The burgers turned out to be very tasty with or without the turkey bacon.  ;-)

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (granulated)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (granulated)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa with 1/2 cup of water, cover and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until fluffy and all water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash beans with a fork in a mixing bowl until the consistency of refried beans.  Add remaining ingredients in order, plus cooked quinoa, and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet.  Break mixture into 6 equal segments.  Roll each into a ball, flatten it, and shape it into a patty using your hands.

Bake for 8 minutes, flip, and bake for 8 more minutes, then flip again for 5 minutes, but only if necessary.  When the burgers are brown and crisp on the outside, they are done.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

This recipe comes from a back issue of Bon Appetit, I found the recipe on Epicurious.com.  I typed in "chicken and broccoli" and found this recipe to be appealing.  I got to use my new Le Creuset Dutch (or was it French) Oven that I got for my birthday!  I was excited to use it (if you couldn't tell my the exclamation mark) and I like it a lot more than my non-stick cookware.  The only down side to Le Creuset is you have to be very careful when cleaning them (as you would with any enameled cookware), but you can use them anywhere, on top of the stove and in the oven up to 800 degrees.  I don't know what food substances need an 800 degree temperature, or even if my oven goes up to 800, but if you find some, let me know.  I'm very curious.

Anyway, this was our dinner last night, and it was very easy to make, and it came out delicious.  I haven't been eating a lot of pasta lately, so while eating this dinner, I was getting really full fast.  I also think we used brown rice penne, which to me, is more filling.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 to 5 cups broccoli florets (1 large bunch)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 2/3 cups whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 pound penne or mostaccioli, freshly cooked

First cook the penne, while slicing chicken, pepper, and broccoli.  Set aside when finished.

Steam florets for about 3 minutes.  Preheat broiler.  I set mine to high, but I think  lower setting would be better.

Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Working in batches, saute chicken strips until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl.  Add pepper slices and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add whipping cream, 1 cup Parmesan and all Monterey Jack cheese.  Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken, pasta, steamed broccoli and toss until sauce coats mixture, 3 minutes.  Season to taste if you wish.

Transfer to dish and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Broil until just golden on top, about 3 minutes, and serve.

Enjoy! 

Cheesy Herbed Pizza Crust Pizza

Before I tell you how to make this pizza, let me tell you this:  This was the most delicious pizza I have ever eaten!  I have had gluten free pizza in the past and it was never this good.  I have also grown up outside New York City where pizza parlors are on every corner and every Friday night when I was younger, we would order pizza.  So I know good pizza and I know great pizza, and this was beyond great, in my opinion anyway.  Maybe it was the flavoring in the crust, maybe it was because it was homemade, or maybe it was the Penzeys' pizza seasoning I used.  Either way, I highly recommend making this pizza crust the next time you make a homemade pizza.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup sunflower seed flour (buy sunflower seeds and grind them in a mini-food processor)
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (not garbanzo fava bean flour, there is a difference)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup shredded or grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded or grated cheddar cheese
2 egg whites
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Brush the surface of a 12-inch round pizza pan with olive oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the sunflower seed flour, garbanzo flour, baking powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme and whisk until well mixed.

Stir in the cheeses and stir the mixture to distribute the cheese.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and broth together until thoroughly blended.

Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to make a thick sticky dough.

Transfer the dough to the center of the prepared pan.  Using oiled fingers, press it out to evenly fill the pan, making the edges slightly thicker if you like.  Prick the surface every 1 to 2 inches to help prevent bubbles and air pockets during the baking.

Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch, with blisters of melted cheese all over.

You can immediately top the crust with your favorite toppings.

To bake the topped pizza, have the oven at 325 degrees and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted or until the toppings are heated through and cooked to your liking.

Slice and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Peanut-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cilantro-Garlic Sauce

Sorry for the bad lighting in all of the pictures for this post, but I have finally replaced the light bulbs in my kitchen.  For the longest time I was using only one light bulb in the ceiling fixture when I'm really supposed to have three!  I know, I'm lazy when it comes to the simplest of things.  I'd also like to apologize for not posting as often as I'd like.  I'm back in school now, and some of the classes I am taking require a lot of studying, like my Financial Accounting class.  My professor for that class thinks he's such a great teacher, but really all he does is reread from the text, and won't explain things further than that!  As for my other classes, one of them is on-line, and the other is a computer class which I thought I would hate, but so far it's my favorite.  The last class I have I still have not met with due to the class being on a Monday and classes officially started on 1/22 which was a Tuesday.  Also this past Monday, our classes were canceled because of the snow/ice storm.

Now onto the chicken recipe, also another apology, I'm on a diet and you'll probably be seeing a lot of chicken and fish recipes because I need to lose this extra weight I've been carrying for the past four years.  This recipe came from my Robin Takes 5 cookbook.  Each recipe has five ingredients (sometimes six), and they are all very simple and quick to do.

I wasn't a big fan of this chicken recipe, I still ate it all, but I don't think it's a recipe I will ever make again.  I don't know what I didn't like about it, the peanuts or the sauce.  I think it was the sauce, I really hated the texture and the blandness that came with it.  But hey, you might like it! 

Here's what you'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped dry-roasted salted peanuts
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush the chicken all over with the oil and transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish.  Season the top of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Arrange the peanuts all over the top of the chicken.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, combine the broth, cilantro, and garlic in a blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the chicken with the cilantro sauce spooned over the top.

Enjoy! 

Honey-Mustard Salmon with Roasted Asparagus

I made this dinner this past Monday night, and I have never cooked salmon this way before so I was very skeptical on how it would turn out.  It turned out great and I learned that pan-searing is pretty easy to do when it comes to cooking salmon.

This recipe came from one of my Cook This Not That! cookbooks.  If you don't own those cookbooks I highly recommend them because the recipes in the books mimic favorites from chain restaurants.  Only these recipes save you time, money, and calories, and they tell you in the recipe just how much!  For example this recipe mimics The Outback's Salmon Griller listed (when this book was printed) as $13.95, 1126 calories, 25 grams of saturated fat, and 1567 milligrams of sodium! The home made recipe saves you $11.18 and 756 calories.  Wow!  So this salmon was 370 calories, 21 grams of fat (6 grams saturated, the bad kind of fat), and 530 milligrams of sodium.  What a difference!

Here's what you'll need:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets (6 oz. each)

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, until the butter and sugar have melted together.  Stir in the mustard, honey, and soy sauce.  Also while the oven is heating up, cut asparagus, and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper;  toss to coat.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat.  Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the pan flesh side down.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until fully browned and flip.

Brush with half of the glaze and place the pan in the oven until the salmon is firm and flaky (but before the white fat begins to form on the surface), about 5 to 7 minutes.  Also place the asparagus in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender.

Remove, brush the salmon with more of the honey mustard, and serve with the asparagus.  Sprinkle lemon juice over asparagus.

Enjoy! 

Chicken Fajitas

One of my New Year's resolutions was to post more on my blog, sorry that hasn't been happening.  I've been very busy and I'm only going to get busier starting next week when I go back to college.  I'm going to try to blog at least one new recipe a week, whether it's dinner, a snack or even a smoothie.  Between school and my weekly skating/roller derby stuffs going on, my husband might be in charge of dinner most week nights.  I'll be here on the week ends though.

I forgot to mention that one of my holiday gifts that my mom and mother-in-law got me were some attachments to my Kitchen Aide stand mixer.  One is a pasta maker, another is a grinder.  The pasta maker is what I'm most excited about because my mom used to have one when I was a young kid.  She didn't have a stand mixer, but the one time she used her pasta maker, I just remember that being the best spaghetti I have ever eaten.

Now onto the chicken fajitas.  I made these last week for dinner, the recipe comes from one of my Cook This Not That! cookbooks.  I've made them before, they're simple and quick to make.  You just have to remember to marinate the chicken prior to putting it on your grill pan...which I kept forgetting to do.  So if you forget, you'll have to wait at least an hour before cooking it.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons chopped chipotle pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 onions, sliced
8 small flour tortillas, warmed
Guacamole (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Shredded Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)

First, combine the orange juice, chipotle, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper in a sealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken and marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat a grill or stovetop grill pan until hot.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard what's left in the bag.  Grill the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until lightly charred and cooked all the way through.  Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

                                         (My husband handling the chicken.)

While the chicken cooks, heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.  Cook the bell peppers and onions until charred and caramelized on the outside, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the chicken into thin pieces.  For a dramatic presentation, place the chicken on top of the hot peppers in the skillet and bring the skillet sizzling to the table.  Serve with warm tortillas, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.

Enjoy! :-)

Red Pepper Alfredo

Sunday's dinner comes from one of my favorite cook books, Cook This, Not That! The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (the one with the orange cover, Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals) by the same authors of those yearly books, Eat This, Not That! (David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding).  The recipes in this book are always very simple and never take more than 30-40 minutes to make.  Oh, and they always come out delicious!  This recipe combines roasted red peppers to Alfredo sauce to make Alfredo sauce a little healthier.  I think it tastes better than regular Alfredo sauce because it's not heavy.

Here's what you'll need:
10 oz. dried fettuccine (I used spaghetti.)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper to taste

First, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente (should be about 30 seconds to 1 minute less than the package instructions recommend).

While that's cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, until the two are fully incorporated.

(Sorry for the dark pictures, I was using the camera on my phone and the lighting isn't good in the kitchen once the sun's gone down.)
Slowly add the milk and half and half, whisking to help prevent lumps from forming.  Add the red pepper and garlic.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth and uniform in color.  Return to the pan and stir in the Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the pasta is done cooking.

Drain the pasta and add directly to the saucepan.  Toss to coat evenly and enjoy!

Shilpa's Spicy Salmon (Penzeys)

This recipe came from another Penzeys' catalogs.  I love salmon and it's very good for you, and instead of broiling or grilling it, like I would normally do, I tried this recipe out.  It comes out hot and spicy with some smoky flavor to it.  It was also quite salty tasting and I didn't add any salt to it.  I enjoyed it a lot, but I did have to take a sip from my iced tea after every to every other bite.

What you'll need:

1 whole fresh salmon or 1 large filet (2-3 pounds)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons Penzeys Minced Garlic)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger)
2 teaspoons minced green chilies, optional
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Spanish Style Paprika
2 tablespoons Sate Seasoning
1 tablespoon Sweet Curry Powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup cubed red or yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon Sate Seasoning
2 tablespoons White Sesame Seeds
1 teaspoon Dill Weed
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Place the salmon in a glass 9"x13" baking dish.  In a bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, green chilies, paprika, 2 tablespoons sate seasoning, curry powder, soy sauce and orange juice.  Taste and add salt if desired.  Pour the marinade over the salmon, turning to coat thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Brush the foil with a bit of olive oil.  Place the spinach, onion, bell peppers and tomatoes on the tray and sprinkle with the 1/4 teaspoon sate seasoning.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle the salmon with sesame seeds and dill weed.  Cover lightly and bake at 400 degrees until the salmon is golden and firm to the touch, approximately 15-25 minutes, depending on size.  Let the salmon rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

Baked Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

I love mac & cheese!  I have always loved my mom's home made mac & cheese when I was a kid and always looked forward to it when she would make it for dinner.  She usually didn't bake it though.  This recipe came from Penzeys, not the catalog this time, but from their store.  When you walk into a Penzeys spice store they usually have recipes around the store for you to peel off and take home with you.  They change the recipes in the store seasonally.  This recipe was one of them from the summer.  It was delicious!  It also can serve from 6-8 people, but between my husband and I we finished it in two days.  :-)

What you'll need:

12 oz. whole wheat or multigrain elbow macaroni
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 eggs
1 12-oz. can evaporated skim milk or 1 1/2 cups non-fat half & half (this keeps the fat content down without sacrificing the creaminess)
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
1 tsp. Regular Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp. Forward! or 33rd & Galena (both only at Penzyes)
1/2 tsp. Penzeys Freshly Ground Pepper
2 tsp. White Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Granulated Garlic Powder
2 cups shredded low fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
2 TB. dry bread crumbs, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the macaroni to "al dente" according to package directions-about a minute less than fully cooked.  Add the cauliflower for the final 3 minutes of cooking.  While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl combine eggs, milk, butter, seasonings, and cheese mix well.

Drain the pasta and cauliflower well so it is nice and dry, and then add to the bowl with the cheese mixture.  Stir to combine.  Pour into a greased 9"x13" pan or 3 quart casserole dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Stir.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs if desired and bake for 15 more minutes or until the sauce is bubbly.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken a bit.

Enjoy!  I know it looks weird in the pictures, and not like the cheese was mixed well, but it covered everything and came out the way it's supposed to look.  :-)