Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

WOW, I had totally forgotten about this meal :) If I remember correctly, I made it the night before the TSUNAMI of 2010 :) We had some friends over for dinner, so I was trying to make something that all four kids would eat, but that WASN'T macaroni and cheese, or chicken nuggets, or hot dogs. You get the picture. Anyway, I settled on this little recipe out of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2 (hint: it did NOT take 30 mins!...although there was wine and plenty of conversation involved, so that could have contributed to the time lapse...)
I thought this was really great and easy. The ingredients are items that I usually have on hand also, so that will make it a go-to recipe for me! In the photo, there are no capers in the pasta...as I added them separately at the table in case anyone didn't care for them. I used to HATE capers, but love them, now. They added a great salty contrast to the tart lemon taste of the Piccata. I used whole grain pasta and skipped the chopped chive garnish.  I'm excited to try this once Kevin's home, he loves lemon and capers :).


Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss
makes 4 servings

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked al dente to package directions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 & 1/4 pounds chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the chicken to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, and brown until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and set it in your serving dish while you complete the sauce.  Return the skillet to the heat, reduced to medium.  To the skillet, add another tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and the shallots and saute, 3 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes.  Whisk in wine and reduce liquid, 1 minute.  Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce.  Stir in capers and parsley.  When sauce comes to a bubble, add remaining tablespoon butter to give it a little shine.  Put chicken back in teh pan and heat through a minute or two.  Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Top with fresh snipped chives and serve.

Chicken Stir-Fry

Procrastination station, recipe number 2! Another case of making something up, but not writing it down! And it was so scrumptious! I guess I'll have to try again another time. I'll post what I do remember, again, with the exception of measurements. All i remember is that I could NOT stop eating this.

Chicken Stir-Fry

marinade/sauce
soy sauce
sesame oil
garlic, minced
fresh ginger, minced
honey

boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced (raw)

jasmine or brown rice (cooked)

sesame oil
onions, chopped
carrots, chopped
zucchini, chopped
celery, chopped
red bell pepper, chopped
mushrooms, chopped

And now for the fun!

Marinade chicken breast for as long as a day, but at least an hour.

Heat sesame oil in LARGE skillet (or wok) over medium high heat. Add veggies and cook until slightly tender, but still crisp. Add the chicken WITH the marinade (it will become the sauce, which is FINE because we're cooking it :), just make sure you see the sauce bubbling, if it's not, turn up the heat!) Once the chicken is cooked through, which should happen relatively quickly, serve over rice and your done! The most time consuming part of this meal is obviously all the chopping, which can be done ahead of time if you're into that kind of thing. I like to live life in the fast lane and STRESS myself out :) ENJOY!

Chicken Noodle Soup

What happens when you procrastinate? You FORGET how you made the above soup :) I have a picture, though! LOL! I made this for the girls when they were sick during (the whole month of) February. They actually ate it! I wasn't sick, but still thought it was really good, and easy enough to make if I WERE sick. So, without writing anything down, I'll try to recreate this from memory...although I won't use amounts because I have NO idea. I'm actually pretty bummed that I didn't write this down (Mom, stop saying I told you so!  I can hear you all the way from here! Ha!). I've made a bunch of Chicken Noodle Soups through the years and for some reason, this one really hit the spot.

Chicken Noodle Soup

olive oil (once around the pan...ish)
onions, chopped
garlic, minced
carrots, diced
celery, diced
zucchini, diced
salt
pepper
ground thyme
water
chicken broth or boullion
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
whole grain thin spaghetti noodles

So basically, it went a little something like this!

Heat olive oil in a stock pot, add chopped veggies and spices and cook until soft-ish. Add water and broth/boullion to taste. Add chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat and add noodles. Reduce heat to medium and cook until noodles are tender. TADA!

Quesadillas (with Butternut Squash) and Santa Fe Rice Salad

i never really try to trick my kids into eating anything.  well, i may call couscous "rice" or call canteloupe "orange watermelon".  but, as far as hiding veggies in meals...i've just never tried it.  and tonight's meal was an attempt at that.  at least, that is the point of the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  i was more focused on the "new" recipe that was different and healthy.  and it sounded fun to make.

i thought the quesadillas were really good!  kaia gagged down one sixth of one.  layla pretty much ate all of hers, picking out the chicken along the way.  so, i suppose, in all honesty, i wouldn't make them again.  i'm relatively certain that kevin would balk at a quesadilla with beans and butternut squash instead of cheese as the filling (sorry honey!).  and there's nothing quite as enjoyable as watching your 4 year old literally gag while eating the dinner you just spent however long making.  of course, layla was not able to weigh in verbally, but i imagine if she could have she'd have said something along the lines of "what's wrong with the warm cheesey goodness that we usually find in our quesadillas?"  so, you see where my motivation to repeat tonight's meal might be lacking.  slightly.

also, a lot of prep for this recipe (i know!  they're just quesadillas!)  i did it all earlier this morning, so putting the quesadillas together tonight was relatively quick.  but, you do have to cook and puree a butternut squash and also cook some chicken to slice up (or puree, you know, if you're feeling really masochistic).


the santa fe rice recipe is a repeat for us.  it comes from allrecipes.  i love it.  the kids picked out the avocados and the rice and left the rest.

Quesadillas

serves 4 people

nonstick cooking spray
1 T olive oil
1/2 pound chicken cutlets or boneless chicken breast, rinsed and dried
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
4 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup bottled salsa

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the oil.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and chili powder, add it to the pan, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side for cutlets.  For chicken breast, cook 5 minutes per side, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 9 to 10 minutes longer.  Cut the chicken into thin slices, or puree it if necessary.
3. In a small bowl or mini-chopper, mash the beans with the sour cream.  In another bowl, stir together the butternut squash puree and the cheese.
4. Spread the bean mixture over two of the tortillas, then arrange the chicken slices or spread the pureed chicken on top.  Spread the cheese mixture over the other two tortillas and press one of each together to form sandwiches.  Place on the baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are crisp, 5 to 6 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

my notes:
*i just cut 2 chicken breast in half horizontally to get "cutlets" (one was enough for both quesadillas for us)
*i don't use reduced fat anything

Santa Fe Rice Salad

6 servings

2/3 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 T diced jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp white sugar
salt to taste
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and chill.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the rice, beans, tomato, cheese and green onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, peppers, sugar and salt. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate salad for 30 minutes. Top with avocado just before serving.

my notes:
* i use brown rice and cook according to package directions
*no need to seed tomato
*decrease cheese to 1/2 cup
*decrease vegetable oil to 1/4 cup
*i used diced green chiles for the girls instead of jalapeno
*only used 1/2 avocado, but it was huge

Garlic Oregano Chicken & Couscous

hi!  i'm finally back to planning regular meals and cooking.  when kevin's gone, it's way too easy to just throw something together for the girls and myself for dinner.  but, i enjoy cooking, so i'm back at it.  the most disconcerting is when i spend the time to plan the meal, go shopping for the meal and then cook the meal...and then the girls don't like it!  but, cooking is good for my soul and healthier for all of us.  so, i'm back!

tonight's dinner was super duper easy.  it's a recipe that i got from my mom a while ago, although i'm not sure where she got it.  mom?  it's crazy fast.  i got home from target at 5:20pm and dinner was on the table by 6pm.  and when i'm cooking and taking care of my girls by myself, fast and easy become indispensible.

Garlic Oregano Chicken & Couscous
makes 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 T & 1 tsp. olive oil
One package (5.8 ounces) NEAR EAST Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous Mix
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets

1. Pound chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap until 1/4 inch thick.  Place on a plate or in a large shallow casserole.
2. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with oregano, lemon juice and garlic.  Rub into chicken.
3. In large skillet, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes each side, turning once, until no longer pink inside.
4. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water, 1 tsp olive oil, contents of spice sack, tomato and broccoli to a boil.
5. Stir in couscous.  Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff lightly with fork.

my notes:
i use less chicken (1 breast for me and both girls was enough)
i don't pound the chicken, i cut the breasts in half horizontally to make cutlets
i use whole grain couscous
i use frozen broccoli

Chicken Carribean

tonight's meal was a repeat.  we love it and it is in my regular rotation.  super easy.  it comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Grilling.

Chicken Carribean
makes 4 servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1/2 cup purchased unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel (optional)
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. Rub both sides of chicken with Jerk seasoning.  Grill chicken.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine coconut milk, orange juice and 1 tablespoon of the basil.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup.
3.  If desired, stir the orange peel into cooked rice.  Serve chicken and sauce over rice.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of basil.

my notes:
double the sauce
drizzle chicken with olive oil and extra jerk seasoning before grilling
slice the chicken breasts after grilling and serve on top of the rice