Sticky Orange Chicken Thighs

 My mom used to get the Everyday Food magazine and we'd always make lots of recipes from each edition. It's such a good magazine. Since we've moved, I have subscribed and I'm so excited to cook from it. Super easy and healthy recipes.

These sticky orange chicken thighs from the June 2012 edition of the magazine aren't too healthy but they are easy and tasty!

Here's the recipe with my changes/notes:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
4 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (make sure your oven is clean or it will get very smokey in your kitchen with or without a smoke detector going off!), with rack in upper third. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange, skin side down, on a parchment paper covered rimmed baking sheet. Bake until deep golden brown and cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes, flipping halfway through (mine were done at 40 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 1 teaspoon salt, juice concentrate, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture has thickened, 15 minutes.

Heat broiler. Transfer chicken to a large bowl, add glaze, and toss to coat. Drain off fat from sheet, throw away parchment paper and replace with a new sheet (really helps with clean up). Return chicken to sheet and broil until sauce is bubbling and chicken is dark brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes.


We ate our chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower.

Balsamic Chicken Caprese

Last night we made one of our favorite dinners. This is only the second time we've made it but I'm sure we'll be making it a lot this summer - it's easy, quick, healthy and tastes super fresh. It comes from my friend, Jamie who shared it in Hope In The Kitchen Wedding Edition.

The recipe is not very specific - you can make it according to how many people you are serving.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast - I prepared 4 thinly sliced breasts for the 2 of us
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Tomato
Fresh mozzarella
Basil leaves
Olive oil

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken a large resealable plastic bag. Add balsamic vinegar - a few tablespoons just to coat the chicken. You can let the chicken sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to marinade or put in the refrigerator for an hour. You will be surprised how much great taste is infused into the chicken in such a short time.

Meanwhile, slice the tomato and mozzarella into rounds.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add some olive oil to the pan, then cook the chicken until done.

You can then stack the tomato, mozzarella, basil and chicken into the desired arrangement. Drizzle all with olive oil and serve.

Chicken Broccoli Noodle Casserole

I have been thinking about making this for quite sometime. It sounded hearty and filling on a work night when we get home and are ineditably starving! I roasted the chicken in the morning while we were getting ready for work so it was already to incorporate in the casserole when I got home.

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This recipe is from Skinny Taste, with my changes. Plus I don't stick to the low-fat ingredients like Gina does.

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6 oz egg noodles
2 tsp oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
12 oz fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1-3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup 1% milk
12 oz cooked shredded chicken breast - I used 2 bone-in, skin-on split breasts, roasted for 40 minutes at 350 degrees
4 oz shredded cheddar
cooking spray
3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

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Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

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Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook on medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and a little salt, sauté and cover the broccoli for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the broccoli begins to soften. Set aside.

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Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 9 x 12 casserole dish with cooking spray.

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In a large pot, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

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Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined over medium heat; whisk well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes).

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Remove from heat and add cheddar and 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese; mix well until the cheese melts.

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Pour into a casserole dish and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top and bake for about 20 minutes. Place the casserole under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp and golden (1-2 minutes).

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Source:khttp://www.skinnytaste.com

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Beer Brats

These sausages are delicious. And so easy to make. They were so good that as I was preparing dinner the next night, all I could think about was how I wanted more of these sausages! The onions in the dish taste sweet. Make sure you have some with each bite of sausage!

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We ate them as is but they would also be good in a roll with mustard.

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2 teaspoons olive oil

6 bratwurst sausages (I used Johnsonville)

1 large sweet onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings

1/2 bottle beer, preferably dark but I used a lager

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Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Brown sausages until deep golden brown (do not puncture sausage). Remove to a platter.

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To the drippings, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and the onion rings. Toss onions to coat with oil. Cook, stirring often, until onions are limp and golden but not brown.

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Return the sausages to the onions and add the beer. Cook over medium heat, turning midway through, until beer has cooked down to a syrupy sauce, about 15 minutes.

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Recipe from about.com that I found while searching for a way to use these sausages.

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Balsamic Chicken with Cannellini Beans and Wilted Spinach

On Saturday I was looking for an easy and healthy dinner. I was going through my Rachael Ray cookbooks (she's been on my mind since we've been watching Rachael vs. Guy) and came across this recipe. I love beans and spinach for their great nutritional value. And any meat marinated in balsamic will definitely be good! Even though Adam wasn't crazy about the wilted spinach, I loved it. This is so easy and has bold flavor. And we ate some sweet potato fries with it!

From Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals.

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon grill seasoning (McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut or pounded to the same size

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, drained (you can use great northern beans in a pinch)

1 (12 oz) bag baby spinach

handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the grill seasoning. Coat the chicken breasts in the mixture and set aside to marinate while you start the white beans and spinach.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are a little brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock, bring up to a bubble and cook for 10 minutes.

Heat another large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the chicken breast and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

Add the beans to the skillet with the onions and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the beans are heated through. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach, parsley, and lemon juice. Toss and stir until the spinach wilts.

To serve, place a portion of the beans and spinach on each serving place. Thickly slice each chicken breast on an angle and arrange over the beans and spinach.

Stuffed Cabbage & Bolognese

Going back to the post I did a few days ago, here are the photos from Skinny Taste recipes.

This is the Stuffed Cabbage and Beef Casserole:

Ravioli with Crock Pot Bolognese:

I know I make a lot of things from Skinny Taste so I am going to try to go on a break. Yes, she has lots of great recipes but I too have tons of cookbooks that I need and want to be using. I am just usually planning our meals in front of the computer, away from my cookbooks, so it is just easier to find recipes online. I have meals planned from now until Tuesday but after that I plan on making some recipes from my favorite cookbooks. Stay tuned.

Pesto Pasta with Broccoli & Chicken Sausage

It is a technological miracle! I just had to download Google Chrome and now I'm back in business!

So for dinner last night I made a delicious pasta dish. Adam even said "it's been a long time since I've gone back for seconds". ha! That's what happens when I am experimenting with meals all the time.

This pasta dish was inspired by Gimme Some Oven's Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Instead of the sprouts, I used blanched broccoli. I had some Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Sausage from Wegmans with a very delicate casing that would not allow me to slice the sausage into coins as recommended in the original recipe. Instead, I just removed the casing which doesn't look as pretty but I'm sure tastes just the same.

1 pound of broccoli, rinsed and chopped into bite size pieces

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. (16 oz.) pasta

4 links or 1 pound chicken sausage, removed from casing

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1/3 cup pesto (jarred Wegman's brand is great)

Parmesan cheese for serving

Fill a large pot with cold water, add a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add broccoli and stir. Cook for 3 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up as you stir. After 6-8 minutes, add the garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and save 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. In the large pot the pasta was cooked in, add the pasta, broccoli, sausage, pesto and pasta water. Stir until combined.

Serve with grated Parmesan.

Oh and can you tell I had a lovely day last Friday at Wegman's?! It was heaven, I tell you! I can't wait so long to go back again.

Crispy Chicken Thighs

The other night we had some chicken thighs and legs to use up. I know lots of people say thighs are the best becauase they are so flavorful but I just haven't gotten on that ban wagon yet. I still prefer boneless skinless breasts. It's just neater and more appealing to me. But we had this chicken on hand - thanks to Adam's winnings at the gun club - so we wanted to prepare it for dinner.

I was looking around for a basic recipe and came across a method for baking bone-in, skin-on thighs and getting a really crispy skin so that's what we tried. I had some legs to bake too but they didn't turn out as crispy - don't know why.

But those thighs were so crispy!! The skin turned out so well and so delicious!!!

I found the recipe from this website - The Kitchenista.

Chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (you can use other chicken pieces too)
Olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Pour a tiny bit of olive oil on the baking sheet and spread it all over the pan.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit for awhile to get the chill off. You can place the chicken on a plate in single layers between paper towels. Then use the towels to dry off the chicken the best you can. Next, drizzle the pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Place on the baking tray skin side up.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells

And I made Pumpkin and Ricotta Stuffed Shells!

After a little hesitation from both me and Adam, we actually enjoyed the pumpkin twist on the old classic! The flavor was much more complex than the typical ricotta and mozzarella filling. And when you think pumpkin, don't think sweet. Think dimension and savory. Although I think I would serve it as a side dish with some meat, just for texture.

And if you us low fat ricotta (of course I did not - I used whole milk ricotta. yum!), this dish has less calories (and more flavor!) than the traditional recipe!

My Aunt Donna mailed me this recipe (thank you!!). It's from October 2011 Country Living magazine.

24 jumbo pasta shells
1 tablespoon olive oil
22 ounces ricotta (2 1/2 cups)
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
2 1/2 ounces pecorino Romano, grated (3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1 large egg white
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (I omitted)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (26 oz.) jar marinara sauce

Cook pasta shells according to package instructions; drain. Transer to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pumpkin, 3/4 cup pecorino Romano, and remaining ingredients, except marinara sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sauce in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with about 3 tablespoons ricotta-pumpkin mixture and arrange in the pan. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle shells with remaining pecorino, and bake for 15 minutes.

Or you can do what I did and stuff the shells the night before and refrigerate overnight in an airtight container, in between layers of plastic wrap; arrange shells on sauce right before baking.

Evening Prep

What happened last night was something rare. I did something that I always want to do, at least a few times a week. I began preparation for dinner the night before. It felt so good! To know that all I have to do when I get home is pop something in the oven and 40 minutes later, it's dinnertime without all the prep and tons of dishes! And what are we having tonight?? You'll just have to wait to see tomorrow! Hint: think a fall twist on stuffed shells.

Creamy Macaroni with Spicy Sausage

As I previously mentioned, this is the other recipe I have made from my new cookbook, homemade by Clodagh McKenna - Mac and Cheese with Spicy Sausage.

Now the original recipe is called Creamy Macaroni with Smoked Bacon but as I was reading the notes with the recipe, Clodagh suggests using spicy sausage in place of the smoked bacon. So I did because it seemed more heartier than just bacon for a main course dinner. I just used spicy Italian sausage.

Here is the recipe with my moderations:

1 box (15 or 18 oz) macaroni
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced smoked thick-cut bacon OR a pound of spicy sausage cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup bread crumbs (or you can grate a few pieces of stale white bread)
1/3 stick butter

Cheese sauce:
2/3 stick butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups milk
1 3/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes until it resembles a small piece of dough. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring all the time. Stir in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Season with salt and pepper, add the Dijon mustard, and stir.

Turn down the heat and cook until the sauce starts to thicken (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon). The cheese sauce should be creamy in texture; if it becomes too thick, add more milk.

While the cheese sauce is simmering, add the pasta to a large saucepan of salted boiling water and stir for about 30 seconds so the pasta doesn't stick together. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain.

Place another skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until done.

Pour the pasta into a 10 inch baking dish, followed by the cooked sausage, followed by the cheese sauce, making sure the sausage and the cheese sauce is evenly distributed over the pasta.

Place the sausage skillet back over medium-high heat. Add the butter and once melted, stir in the bread crumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the cheesy macaroni and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the top is golden.

Guest Post - Asian Turkey Meatballs

A few years ago I stumbled across a cooking blog called The Culinary Couple. It is written by a very charming couple living right here in Pennsylvania! Together we have chatted online about local places as well as Germany - they too have a big love of the country and food! I even used posts from their past trip to Munich as inspiration for places to visit on our honeymoon.

The Couple has recently welcomed a son to their family so they reached out to me to do a guest post on their blog. I was, of course, excited to contribute!

Go here to check out my Asian Meatball Recipe on The Culinary Couple.

Thank you to Emily and Nick for this opportunity and I hope you're enjoying time with your new addition!

PS - Can't wait to see pictures of the baby in his tiny Lederhosen!

Bucatini

Last night for dinner I was planning to make plain, ole spaghetti. Nothing special. Then I remembered that I bought a package of bucatini at a DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia (gourmet food shops sprinkled through the city) when we were visiting my sister for the PSU v. Temple game.

I have come across a few bucatini recipes and read about the unique long, hollow noodle. I was very intrigued. But I could not find it in any grocery stores around me (the story of my life). I was so excited when I found it in the amazing DiBruno Bros. store. See, we originally went into the store because my husband told me to get him something while we were shopping and he was at the Phillies game. I knew he was teasing but when we walked by DiBruno, I knew I had to get him what he REALLY wanted.

Not a shirt.

Not undies.

But some meat and cheese!

So my mom, sister and I browsed the delicacies and found him the perfect treat while I got myself some sea salt chocolate and bucatini.

And you know this bucatini is authentically Italian because there were was no English on the packaging. Love that!

Here you can see the pasta before it's cooked:

And here is the bucatini with some delicious Prego Three Cheese and ground beef. Yum! (I forgot to do the fancy Instagram finish on this pic. Darn!):

Wild Mushroom Risotto

For my birthday my mom got me this book, "homemade" by Clodagh McKenna. It's full of great entertaining and decorating ideas as well as recipes. And the photos are so beautiful and inspirational. I highly recommend this book!

So far I have made 2 recipes from it. Today I will talk about one and tomorrow the other.

Yesterday for dinner I tried my hand at mushroom risotto for the very first time! And I think it came out quite well. Adam wasn't fond of the taste - I think it was too starchy for him. But I was proud of it - maybe because of all stirring that goes into making the dish.

Here's the recipe from homemade:

scant 1/2 cup (just over 3/4 stick) butter

1 onion, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided

1 1/2 cups aborio rice

1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons dry white wine

4 cups hot vegetable stock (I made mine - recipe to follow)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

9 oz mixed wild mushrooms (I only used a 4 oz mix prepackaged and sliced in produce aisle)

sea salt and pepper

sprig of fresh sage, finely chopped (I omitted)

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt 2/3 stick butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and 1 chopped garlic clove, and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until softened.

Add the rice and stir for a minute or so to coat it in the butter. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

Every couple of minutes, add some stock, stir and allow the rice to absorb the juices. Repeat until all of the stock has been absorbed and stir continuously.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the remainder of the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the wild mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When the rice is tender and all the stock has been absorbed, remove from the heat and let rest for 30 seconds.

Stir in the mushrooms, the remaining butter, the sage and Parmesan cheese.

Season to taste and serve immediately.

Vegetable Stock Recipe (modified from allrecipes.com)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion

1 shallot

2 large carrots

2 stalks celery with leafy greens

5 garlic cloves

1 bell pepper

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme

1 teaspoon salt

2 quarts water

**These are the ingredients I had on hand - you can add so many others: green onions, potato, mushrooms, parsley or other savory herbs, corn cobs, the list goes on. **

Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Mince garlic.

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add all ingredients except salt and water. Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring frequently.

Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits

First of all, look at that picture. Cute, huh? Artistic, even. Well it was taken with my phone by the Instragram app. I think the photos turn out great with this app and I'll be using it quite a bit from here on out. And the best part is that it's easier than using my camera. A lot of times I won't post a recipe just because it's such a pain to find my camera, take the photo in good lighting and in a nice area and then get the photo on my computer. It's much easier using my phone so that's what it'll be for awhile!

On to the chicken stew recipe! This is really a guest post by my mom. She made this for my birthday dinner and it is so delicious! It's Ina Garten's recipe.

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in skin on

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

5 cups chicken stock

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

2 onions, chopped

3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 carrots, medium-diced, blanched for 2 minutes

1 10-oz package frozen peas

1/2 cups fresh parsley, minced

For the biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat overn to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a foil-lined, PAM-sprayed sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. You will have 4 to 6 cups of chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring until thick. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the heavy cream. Add the chicken, carrots, peas, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10x13x2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half and half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out 12 circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Remove stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with the egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubly.

Balsamic Chicken

This is a delicious and easy recipe from my friend Jamie. It is in the cookbook I got for a shower gift, Hope In The Kitchen: Wedding Edition.

I ate my chicken just as pictured - over a slice of tomato, a slice of mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and topped with basil leaves. Adam ate his over a salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Both ways are delicious! The balsamic vinegar infuses so much flavor into the chicken.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade on top. Let marinade for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Now you can either grill the chicken until done or saute it in a pan. I added some oil to a large pan and pan seared the breasts until done (you can cut the meat into smaller pieces for quicker cook time).

Coconut Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Last evening for dinner we had Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. It was quite tasty and we were both sad that I didn't make enough chicken! We loved the sweet and savory taste of the coconut and chicken so I will definitely make this again as a main course instead of a salad topper.

As my obession with skinnytaste.com continues, I found this recipe there and adapted it a bit.

This is for 2 salads:

6 chicken tenderloins

6 Tablespoons shredded coconut

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons corn flakes, crushed

1 egg

pinch salt

olive oil spray

5 cups lettuce, chopped

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 carrot, ribboned with a vegetable peeler

Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil spray.

In a shallow bowl, add the egg and beat it. In another bowl, add coconut, panko, corn flakes and salt. Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip each tender into the egg and then the breading mixture. Place on the prepared baking. Spray with more olive oil spray.

Bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 more minutes or until cooked through.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm dressing.

Arrange lettuce, cucumbers and carrots on dinner plates. Top with chicken and then with the warm vinaigrette.

Note: You may have to make more dressing if you chose to have more lettuce and vegetables on your salad.

Taco Chicken Salad

Last night for dinner we had a very tasty salad! It was a wonderful meal that filled us up and made us feel healthy (except for the cheddar biscuits I made from Skinny Recipes). This salad recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you Our Best Bites for a great salad recipe!

Salad:

4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (I used a bag of the romaine salad mix with carrots)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, cubed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 3/4 oz.) can corn, drained and rinsed
Taco grilled chicken (recipe below)

Dressing:

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I didn't mix in with the dressing because Adam doesn't like it so I just sprinkled it on top of my salad)
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons (or more if you like extra heat) adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more for taste)

In a big bowl, toss all salad ingredients together except the chicken.

In a small bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together. Test taste to see if you need more adobo sauce or salt.

Plate salad on individual plates, top with chicken and then dressing.

Taco Chicken Recipe

1 pound chicken tenders (you can use boneless skinless breasts or thighs if you want)
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place chicken in a plastic marinading container or a large Zip Loc bag. Add the lime juice, vinegar and garlic. Move chicken around to coat. This will not completely cover the chicken so just move the chicken around every once in awhile as it marinades. Marinade for 4-8 hours.

Heat the grill. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. In a small dish, combine chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over chicken.

Grill about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Remove from heat and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Apple & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

Adam's mom gave me the latest issue of Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee. There are so many decorating ideas and recipes in the magazine which got me so excited for fall! Just last night I put out a navy blue and hunter green plaid tablecloth and orange pumpkin placemats and lit a spicy candle.

Anyway, on Saturday I made one of Sandra's fall-time recipes for lunch. The recipe is Apple and Havarti Stuffed Chicken Breasts but since I couldn't find havarti in Pine Grove, I used extra sharp cheddar and it turned out very well. We ate the chicken with honey carrots and fries (not much color in this meal but we were trying to use up what we had on hand). Here's Sandra's recipe:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 very thin peeled apple slices
1/4 cup shredded havarti or cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a knife, cut a slit about 2 inches long in the thick side of each chicken breast to form a pocket (do not cut in half). Sprinkle inside pockets and out side of chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff each with 3 apple slices and 1 tablespoon cheese. Pinch edges to seal; secure with 1 or 2 toothpicks.

In a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until done, turning once.

Once done, remove chicken from skillet (be careful with that skillet handle! I have a bad burn on my palm because I've just started using oven-proof skillets and I'm not used to those hot handles! ugh!) and place on a serving platter. Discard wooden picks.

In a small saucepan, pour skillet drippings through a fine wire-mesh strainer; discard solids. Stir in cider and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes until mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup. Serve apple cider mixture with chicken.

Chicken Satay with Cucumber Mango Rice

Chugging through my Cuisine at Home magazine, I came across this chicken satay recipe and let me say, it was my favorite meal from this magazine yet!

So many flavors are in the chicken paste and all flavors I love - lime, ginger, coconut! Mmm!

This recipe uses cashews and cashew butter instead of the traditional peanuts. I assume you could also use peanuts and peanut butter and have the same results. According to Cuisine at Home, cashews are "richer" and have a "lighter flavor" for the sauce.

For the Paste:
1/3 cup coconut milk
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 Tablespoon minced lime zest
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled (2-inch)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground tumeric

12 chicken breast tenders, cut in half lengthwise, seasoned with salt and pepper (1 1/4 lb)

For the dipping sauce:
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup cashew butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with oil.

For the paste, puree all of the paste ingredients listed above in a mini food processor until smooth.

Toss chicken with paste and thread onto 12 pre-soaked wooden skewers; set aside (Can be made and refrigerated up to a day ahead).

For the dipping sauce (use amounts as listed above), head oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cashews, garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in water, coconut milk, cashew butter, brown sugar, chili garllic sauce and soy sauce, simmer 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in lime juice. Divide into little bowls for each person dining.

Grill satay, covered, until chicken is browned, 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve with a side of the cashew dipping sauce and cucumber mango rice.

We loved this rice so much! We even took some to work the next day for lunch and it was just as good then!

3 cups coconut water (I used 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups water - either works)

1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups half-moon sliced cucumbers

1 mango, pitted, peeled and diced

chopped cashews

Boil coconut water in a large saucepan.

Stir in rice, butter and salt. Return mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook rice until tender, 15 minutes.

Add cucumber and mango, season with additional salt if needed and garnish with chopped cashews.