Mediterranean Chicken - My New Favorite Chicken Recipe

This recipe is from the April 2010 issue of Fitness Magazine (yes, I saved it and just now got around to making it).

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

8-10 skinless chicken thighs, bone in (I used breasts, cut into sections)

1/4 cup white wine

2 garlic cloves, sliced into thin rounds

3-4 springs of fresh thyme

1/2 cup pitted olives such as Kalamata

1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds

Preheat oven to 450*.  Heat olive oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to pan, meaty side down.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Turn and cook 2 minutes more.  Pour out any excess fat.  Return pan to burner, stir in broth and wine, scraping up any brown bits.  Scatter garlic, thyme, and olives on chicken.  Lay one lemon round on each piece of chicken.

Place skillet in oven (I don't have an oven proof skillet, so I transferred to a casserole dish).  Roast for 17-20 minutes, or until juices run clear.

This chicken is fantastic!  Tender and juicy, and so much flavor.  I'll certainly be making it again.

Tomato Pie Recipe

I've had a few people asking for my tomato pie recipe - it is the perfect way to use up garden tomatoes and makes for a very savory dinner dish.  It's one of those recipes I just made up, but I did make some notes so I could pass it along if it turned out well.  I doubled the recipe to make two, with the intentions of freezing one, except we got greedy and ate it.  So apparently I'll need to make more if I want any for the freezer this winter!

Ingredients:
1 9 inch deep dish pie crust (or make your own - I went the lazy route this time around)
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, roughly chopped, and left in a bowl to drain a bit
1 large egg
1/2 tbsp. parsley
1 tbsp. flour (I used seasoned flour, but that's not required)
1 tsp. adobo seasoning (if you don't have this use a mixture of garlic salt, pepper, and oregano)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350*.  If you use a frozen pie shell like me, bake it in the oven about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle bottom of pie shell with chopped onion.  Top with chopped tomatoes (drained as much as possible).  In medium bowl, mix egg, parsley, flour, adobo seasoning, sour cream and cheese.  Spread over the tomatoes.  Bake in oven until browned and bubbly, about 50 minutes. 

Serves 6.

This recipe is linked with Sabroso Saturday at Latina on a Mission and with Fabulous Food Friday on Recipe Lion. 

Squash and Zucchini Vegetarian Burritos Recipe

I am still on my quest to create fun and exciting squash and zucchini recipes!  My zucchini is almost done I think, but my squash has taken over where the zucchini has left off.  I made burritos the other day from a mixture of squash and zucchini, and they turned out wonderfully.

You will need:
2 medium squash, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. basil

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a good simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender.  Remove bay leaf, and use a slotted spoon (it will produce some liquid in cooking) to drain and spread on tortillas.  Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.  Serves 6.

Baked Zucchini Squares with Recipe on Muffin Tin Monday

Happy 4th of July!  I've been really busy and didn't have time to do a July 4th tin, so here's one we did a week ago with some of our garden surplus.  

You know I'm trying to find all sorts of ways to use up the abundance of zucchini in my garden.  I love zucchini though, so I don't really get tired of it.

 Pierce had some sauteed chard (from our beets), cheese, baked zucchini squares, and some cranberry sauce (that I made last November and took out of the deep freezer to eat and make room for new things).

Here's the recipe for Baked Zucchini Squares, from Taste of Home.  
1 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, parmesan, parsley, oregano, basil and salt.  Combine eggs, oil and onion; stir into dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in zucchini.  transfer to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.  Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set.  Cut into squares.

This post is linked with Muffin Tin Mom.  

Costa Rican Chicken Casserole

My family has been making this casserole since I was 15 years old.  It isn't very forgiving in modifications - I've flopped it before by trying to reduce the amount of butter/oil or by trying to use brown rice.  You can, however, substitute tofu successfully for the chicken.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. chicken

5 tbsp margarine

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. sherry

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Cut chicken into small parts.  Heat oil and margarine in large skillet and brown chicken.  Add sherry.  Take chicken out.  Add onion, green pepper, garlic and saute until tender.  Add rice - saute another 2 minutes.  Add broth, bay leaf, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Grease 2 qt. casserole.  Pour in rice mix and place chicken on top.  Cover.  Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.  Saute tomatoes in 1 tbsp of butter and place on top of chicken.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered before serving.

This makes a good amount - we typically have leftovers for freezing.

Today I'm linking up for the first time with Sabroso Saturday, which you can find at Latina on a Mission.It is also linked up with Recipe Lion's January blog hop, which you can find here.

An old family recipe for Meatloaf - Muffin Tin Monday

 

We're getting our use out of this giant egg!  Today Pierce had my grandmother's meatloaf recipe.  I make it several times of year, but I also healthy it up a tad by using ground turkey instead of meat, and this time I also used Panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs.  It was very good.  He also had some bowtie pasta salad I had made, and a bear muffin cup of caramel mousse (by far, the most popular event of this meal).

Dutch Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs 

 1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 can Hunt's tomato sauce  

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. salt 

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 can Hunt's tomato sauce (again!)

1 cup water 

2 tbsp. prepared mustard

2 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Lightly mix first 7 ingredients.  Form into loaf and place in a shallow pan.  Place in moderate oven at 350*.  Combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour over meat loaf in oven, bake for 1 1/4 hours, basting occasionally.  Serves 4-6.

This recipe freezes very well too - I made 4 batches when I was about 35 weeks pregnant with the twins, froze it, and then it made for easy dinners right after they were born.

Want more fun ideas for Muffin Tin Monday?  Go check them out at Muffin Tin Mom.

This recipe is also linked with Vintage Recipe Thursday.

Triple Cheese Broccoli Puff Recipe

This is a great recipe for using a bunch of our hen's eggs, and it turns out beautifully.  It would make a wonderful and impressive brunch recipe, and it's really quite easy.  This is a Taste of Home recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tbsp. butter
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
6 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup biscuit/baking mix
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli, thawed (I used fresh and just steamed it first)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/4 tsp. salt

In a small skillet, saute the mushrooms in butter until tender; set aside.  In large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, eggs, milk and baking mix just until combined.  Stir in the broccoli, cheese, salt and mushrooms. 

Pour into a greased round 2 1/2 quart baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the dish comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Quick and Easy Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders

This is a quick, easy, and healthy dinner recipe and will spice up your chicken.  The kids approved this one too.  It's modified from a Taste of Home recipe.  Last time I made it, I served it with sauteed summer squash and zucchini, plus couscous.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. water

1 pound of chicken tenders

In bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Broil chicken for 3 minutes on each side.  Brush with mustard sauce.  Broil 4-6 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting and turning several times in the process. 

That's it - how simple and quick is that?

Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful mother friends out there, and especially to the best mom I know-- my own Mom!  Hope you all have perfect days!

This post is linked with:

Sneaky Kid-Approved Veggie Calzones

Recently I tossed together these very easy calzones and they were a big hit with the kids.  Some of you asked me to share the recipe.  I just tossed this together, so I'm sorry I don't have exact amounts for you.

Place some fresh broccoli (1 1/2 cups or so) in a microwave steamer and steam for 3 minutes (or you could use thawed frozen).

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet.  Add a clove of chopped garlic.  Saute until softened, add approx. 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms.  Once those start to soften add spinach (couple of hand fulls).

Stir in steamed, drained broccoli, 3/4 cup of marinara sauce, and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Take 1 can of biscuits.  Roll the biscuits out into 6 inch circles.  Place filling in the center and then fold over.

Bake according to directions on the biscuit can.

Obviously, since I just threw this together haphazardly, it could be a very flexible recipe.  I'm sure you could try all different sorts of veggies in the filling - whatever you have on hand would work fine.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie + the Giveaway Winner

So we mostly try to eat healthy and I do a lot of cooking from scratch.  This is not one of those recipes.  This is one of those recipes for when you want some easy winter comfort food, and you don't care if it's partially processed food, because it tastes really, really good.

Crockpot Chicken pot pie


2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 bonesless chicken breasts
salt, pepper, poultry seasoning to taste

Place in crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours. Use a fork to shred chicken in the pot after cooking.

Add fresh veggies (if you have time - they need another hour at least to cook). If you are short on time add 2 cans mixed veggies (drained). Add a can of biscuits to the top of mixture. Remove crock from the cooker and place crock in the oven. Bake according to biscuit directions (usually for 15-18 minutes at 375*.  I typically add a minute or two extra, as they often seem a little slow to bake).
 
Enjoy!

And now, the winner of my giveaway according to Random.org is Comment #7 - Mary from The Englar Fam.  Congrats Mary!  Hope you have fun with all the kid's activities.  And thanks to all of you who entered!

This recipe is linked with the Real Housewives of Oklahoma.

Asian Beef and Broccoli Noodles in the Crockpot

I made Asian style noodles in the crockpot recently, and we all loved them.  Sometimes crockpot food tastes a little washed out, but this meal had loads of flavor, and we had plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Kung Pao sauce (available in the Asian section of your grocery store)

1/4 cup Oyster sauce (also in the Asian section)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup white wine

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp. sesame oil

1/3 cup sliced green onion

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 lb. beef, cut into strips (I just used stew meat)

16 oz. angel hair pasta

1 1/2 cup broccoli

1/2 cup edamame (shelled)

Toasted sesame seeds

In large bowl, combine first 9 ingredients.  Place beef and mushrooms in crockpot and pour the sauce over to coat.  Cover, cook on low for 5 hours.

Cook pasta according to directions.  Steam broccoli and edamame lightly.  Toss pasta and veggies with cooked crockpot sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Italian Bean Soup - Quick to Make, Healthy, and So Delish on Wintry Evenings

I threw together this soup the other night and it was so quick and easy that I wanted to share it with you.  Perfect to warm you on a cold evening, and full of healthy ingredients!

Italian Bean Soup

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 can drained kidney beans

1 can drained cannelini beans

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms

2 cups water

2 chicken (or vegetarian) boullion cubes

1/2 cup orzo

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 finely chopped garlic clove

Place all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan.

Yield:  around 6 1/2 cups, so if you have a large family or want leftovers, you'll need to double the recipe.

We served our with hunks of garlic Artisan bread, and a side of roasted broccoli.

Best Salmon Recipe. Ever.

This salmon recipe is from Prevention magazine (an issue last Spring). 

It is the best salmon recipe I've ever found.

It's quick, easy, and healthy.  And it tastes so amazing.

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground mustard powder

4 salmon fillets (skin removed)

1 tsp olive oil

Stir seasonings. Press fish into rub on both sides. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, place fish in pan. Cook until rub dissolves and darkens slightly (a nice toasty caramelized brown color). About 4 minutes. Flip and cook about another minute or two on the other side.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Shrimp Alfredo

Thanks to all who entered my CSN Stores Giveaway.  MeeYeeHere, commenter #5 won the giveaway.  Congrats!

This is a Taste of Home recipe, and is super easy.  It turns out delicious every time, but as it is calorically dense I usually save it for times when I've been running high mileage.  I've also had good results using 1% milk and reduced fat cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) fettucine

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup butter

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets (I typically use fresh and just steam it prior to adding)

1/2 tsp salt

dash pepper

Cook fettucine according to package dierctions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the shrimp and garlic in butter until the shrimp turns pink.  Remove and keep warm.  In the same skillet, combine the cream cheese, milk, and parmesan; cook until cheeses are melted and smooth.

Cook broccoli and drain.  Stir broccoli, shrimp, salt and pepper into cheese sauce; heat through.  Drain fettuccine, top with shrimp mixture.

I know some of you don't like shrimp, but this could easily be made with chicken instead.  Also, I like to add fresh sliced mushrooms to mine.

I will be linking this recipe with Mere's Foodie Friday.  You can find her blog HERE.

Italian Lentils and Broccoli - Healthy, Hearty, and Vegetarian!

I got this recipe from this month's Prevention Magazine.  Love their recipes - several of my favorites have come from them. 

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp. olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth because it's what I had on hand)

1 cup dried green or brown lentils

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes

6 cups broccoli florets

16 large pitted green olives, slivered

4 tsp shredded parmesan

Combine onion, carrot, garlic and oil in medium saucepan.  Cover and cook over medium heat until veggies soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in broth, lentils, oregano, and pepper flakes.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender - about 20 minutes.

Add broccoli.  Cover and simmer until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in olives (I also stirred in 1/2 can of diced tomatoes that I had leftover).

Serve sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan.

Serves 4, 271 calories per serving, 17 grams protein, 7 grams of fat.

It was easy to make, and the serving sizes were very generous.  Not to mention, it's a very economical recipe.  We'll definitely be making it again in the future.

Have you entered my CSN Stores fitness giveaway yet?  Yoga DVDs for you and your child.  Go enter!  Click HERE!

English Cottage Pie

I was browsing through last month's Cooking Light magazine when I found a recipe for English Cottage Pie.  The name just conjures up cute little cottages down winding lanes, so I stopped to read through.

Now it sounded a bit like shepherd's pie, which I hate.  Hate big time.  But in reading that this was a British pub staple, I decided to give it a shot.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp butter, softened

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 8 ounce package cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

1 pound extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup beef broth (I used chicken)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, divided (I used regular cheddar)

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine flour and butter; stir well.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and carrot (I also tossed in some garlic); saute 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove veggies from skillet.

Add beef to pan, cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.

Stir in tomato paste, cook 3 minutes.

Stir in broth and pepper.  Return veggies to pan, and bring to a simmer.  Stir in parsley, thyme, and salt.  Add flour mixture and cook for 1 minute until thick, stirring constantly.

Spoon meat mixture into an 8 inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, spread evenly.  Combine the potatoes and half the cheese, spread evenly over meat mixture.  Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until bubbly. 

Since I was in British pub spirit, I had one of Paul's home brewed beers.

Course, I don't like dark beers, so I had an American light. 

I was really impressed with the English Cottage Pie.  It had excellent flavor, and Pierce and Paul liked it too.  It'll be a definite repeat!

Veggie Enchiladas - So Easy!

This recipe is so quick and simple, and it's a great way to sneak some veggies into your Mexican food! 

You can use leftover veggies for this (squash, green beans, mushrooms, or peppers would all work well).

In my case, I steamed a cup and a half of fresh broccoli and a cup and a half of cauliflower in the microwave.

Then I stirred in a can of drained black beans and a cup of cheddar cheese, plus some chopped green onions.

Spread 1/2 can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Fill 8 whole wheat tortillas with the veggie mixture, roll them, and place in the pan.

Top with the remainder of enchilada sauce. 

I then sprinkled another cup of cheese on top plus a can of drained black olives.  We are huge olive fans in my house! 

Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5 more minutes to let the cheese get extra melty.

That's it!  Your kids won't even notice all those great veggies snuck mixed in.  I served ours with a side of yellow rice.

The Best Split Pea Soup. Ever.

I confess I'm a soup person.  I love soups!  One of my absolute favorites is split pea soup.  But not just any split pea soup.  Jane Brody's dutch oven split pea soup. 

Ingredients:
1 lb dried green split peas
6 c water
4 c (approx) broth (chicken or beef)
1/4 lb smoked pork or ham; diced
3/4 c celery, with some leaves; chopped
2 leeks; (white part only) thinly sliced
1 lg onion; chopped (1 cup)
2 1/2 c potatoes; diced
1 1/2 c carrots; diced (2 large)
*Although the original recipe doesn't call for it, I often add in a bay leaf*
1/2 ts salt; if desired
1/4 ts freshly ground black pepper
1 dash tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
Instructions
(1) In a large saucepan, combine the peas and water. Bring the water
to a boil, and cook the peas for 2 minutes. Remove the peas from the
heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.

(2) Add the broth, pork or ham, celery, leeks, and onion. Bring the
soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup
for 1-1/2 hours.

(3) Add the potatoes and carrots, and cook the soup for another 15 to
30 minutes (the peas should disintegrate). If the soup gets too
thick, thin it with additional broth.

(4) Season the soup with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

This soup takes time to prepare but it is worth the wait.  The peas completely disintegrate, and the soup is thick and flavorful, if not exactly appetizing in photographs:



Another Favorite Egg Recipe - Chili Egg Bake

This is a great egg recipe (from my All You magazine)!  It's easy, it's delicious, and it uses up lots of our stockpile of eggs.  It would be perfect for a Christmas brunch recipe, because it makes a lot of food.

Chili-Egg Bake


10 eggs
4 oz. shredded mild Cheddar
4 oz. shredded monterey Jack
1/2 cup all purpose flour
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 4 oz can diced green chilis, drained
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 350*; mist a 9x13 pan w/ cooking spray. in large bowl, on medium speed, beat eggs until pale yellow and doubled in volume. Toss cheeses w/ flour and add to eggs. Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Pour into baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes, or until center is firm.
 
Even the twins greedily gobbled this up!  Give it a try - it won't disappoint.

Always Looking for Good Egg Recipes

We're always looking for good recipes that use up our eggs. 

I found this one off the Incredible Egg website, and it was a huge hit.

Not only is it easy and quick (as long as you have a food processor to do your shredding), but it's also healthy.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. vegetable oil (we used olive oil)

1/4 cup water

2 tsp. instant chicken boullion

2 cups coarsely shredded carrots

2 cups frozen Western style hash brown potatoes

2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini

1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed

6 eggs

Saute onion in oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add water and boullion; stir until boullion is dissolved.  Add carrots, potatoes, zucchini and dill; mix well.

Cook, covered, over medium heat until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Press 6 indentations into vegetable mixture w/ back of spoon.

Break and slip an egg into each indentation.  Cook, covered, over medium heat until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, 8-10 minutes.

As you can see, I did overcook my eggs a tad, but with babies involved it never hurts to cook them solid.

Served this with a side of turkey bacon.

A fun, economical new twist to breakfast for dinner!