Chicken and Pea Pod Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2.5 cups cooked and cubed chicken 

1.5 sliced carrots

1 zucchini  sliced(optional)

2 c  fresh snow or sugar snap  pea pods

1/4 c diced onion or green onions

2 tsp  fresh ginger or  grated ginger root 

Sauce :

2 T cornstarch

1T sugar

1 c water

1 T low salt soy sauce( liquid aminos)

peanuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Cook chicken in  1 T oil.  Put cooked chicken aside.  Then cook carrots in oil for 3 minutes  cover and stir.  add pea pods , onions, zucchini and ginger.  Cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in sauce mixture and cooked chicken.  Cook stirring until mixture thickens and is thouroughly heated.   add peanuts(optional)  Serve over rice.

Chicken Ratatouille

 INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium green pepper
• 2 - 3 medium zucchinis  sliced
• 1- 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

• Start by heating up oil in large saucepan. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink.
• Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and cook for 2 more minutes. This way you chicken will be flavorful. Remove onto a plate and set aside.
• Heat up more oil in pan, add garlic, onion and green pepper and saute until the onion is almost translucent.
• Add zucchini,and chopped tomatoes. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until tender.
• Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and cooked chicken, stir well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with rice , mashed potatoes, pasta and or cauliflower rice. 
• opt add  t of sugar to cut acid if needed.

Julie's Guacamole

Julie's Guacamole

4 avocados
1/4 purple onion, finely diced
1 small tomato, finely diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of cumin
Squeeze of resh lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients. Mash together but do not overmix, I like chunky guacamole. Taste with a chip and add salt and pepper to your liking.

You can really adjust any ingredients to taste. If you like a lot of onion, you can go up to 1/2 of an onion and if you like a lot of garlic, you can increase the garlic... you get the picture :) This is just my basic starting point.

Great addition to any party, meal, or mexican feast :)

Kerry's Jerky

Kerry's Jerky
2 lbs lean ground beef

2 Tbs sweet basil

1 Tbs Salt or Season Salt

1 C brown sugar

1 to 2 Tbs liquid smoke depending on how much flavor you want(dehydrator)

1/2 Tbs cracked black pepper (or course ground)(more for spicier)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 C  Heinz 57 or barbeque  sauce

To make hot you can add Ghost Pepper or Cayenne pepper or  Habanero
Also add any flavors like Teriyaki , what ever flavor you like.

Mix well in kitchen aide with paddle

Roll it out, cut it up and dehydrate it.

If using a smoker, omit liquid smoke

Orange Chicken

YUM!  Need I say more?

 

Time: 1 hour
Serving Size: 8
Note: Heathy version is posted below

Fried Chicken Bites:
4 lbs chicken, cubed
1 1/2 c corn starch
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2-3 c bread crumbs
4 eggs, well beaten
oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
3 c water
1/2 c orage juice
2/3 c rice vinegar
5 T soy sauce
2 T orange zest
2 c brown sugar
1 t minced ginger
1 t garlic
4 T green onion (optional)
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
6 T corn starch
4 T water

Combine corn starch, salt and pepper in one bowl.  Place beaten eggs in a second bowl.  Pour bread crumbs in a third bowl.  Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs, set aside.  Heat pan with vegetable oil on medium to 360 degrees.  Fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.  (2-3 minutes)

In a large saucepan combine 3 c water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.  Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.  Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 T water and cornstarch and mix thoroughly.  Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.  Pour sauce over breaded chicken and garnish with green onions.

* Healthy option:  Prepare chicken by dicing it into bite sized pieces, salting and peppering it, and cooking in a skillet with 2 T oil.  Make sauce and add to chicken.  Less sauce may be needed.

Sweet Potato Fries

Doug found this recipe and I am SUPER glad he did. We make these at our house 4-5 times a week right now. We are hooked. They are not crispy like french fries from McD's...because they are healthy. They are lightly coated in EVOO and delicious spices, then baked. Each time I think I have made enough. When they are all gone someone says, "Next time, you should make more!" It's really the spices that make these so good. (I haven't ever gotten mine to crisp up) Try these and let me know what you think!

 Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes or yams
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar** (optional - I omit)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I reduce to 1 tsp - it's plenty for us)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven while it preheats and while you prepare the potatoes (about 10 minutes). Peel the potatoes and slice the potatoes into about 1/4- to 1/2-inch strips or wedges. Try to keep most of the pieces the same size so they bake evenly.
Place the potato strips/wedges in a ziploc bag or bowl. Toss the potatoes with the oil. Add the seasonings and mix until the potatoes are evenly coated.

Carefully remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and divide the potatoes evenly among the two sheets, taking care the potatoes are not touching so they have plenty of room for the air circulate to circulate and bake evenly. Also, try to leave any excess oil in the bag or bowl so the potatoes don’t get too soggy while they bake.

Bake the potatoes for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, if desired, until they are tender and well-browned. Serve immediately.

 

Eliza thought these were done. She was ready to have some. :)

**Even though I omit the sugar, the original recipe says this about the sugar: "The purpose of the sugar is to help caramelize and brown the outside edges of the potatoes. Combined with the salt and other spices, you are left with a tender sweet potato fry infused with a sweet and smoky flavor. Preheating the baking sheets also helps the outer edges get a nice little crunch." I have made these with and without the sugar, and they are just as soft (but oh so delicious), either way.

Recipe Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe

Breakfast Burriots

I found this recipe not too long ago and I make excuses to eat these multiple times a week. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. It doesn't matter, they are great any time of day. Try one and you'll never eat a breakfast burrito w/o roasted tomatoes again! Delicious.

 Breakfast Burritos

1-2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
salt/pepper

4 large whole wheat tortillas
8 eggs
2-3 Tb milk
salt/pepper/red pepper flakes

grated pepper jack cheese/cheddar cheese
baby spinach leaves
fresh avocado slices

Start out with tossing the tomatoes and onion in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 oven for 15 minutes. This step is a MUST! It makes the burrito superior to any other :) They will look like this when they are done:

While these are cooking, scramble the eggs. Crack all the eggs in a bowl, add your seasoning and milk and whisk until well combined. pour into a saucepan and cook slowly at medium heat. When the eggs are almost finished cooking remove from heat and they will finish cooking while you get the tortillas ready.

Heat the tortillas in a fry pan on the stove with a teeny tiny bit of butter (I don't use butter, just heat), for just a few moments on each side. Put the warm and toasted tortilla on a plate, then lay the spinach down the middle. Spoon on some of your roasted tomatoes and onions, scrambled eggs, top with cheese and avocado.

I fold mine up like a taco b/c I don't' think their is a burrito shell big enough to contain it all. If you can roll it like a burrito, do so. If not, get a fork and enjoy what falls out after your breakfast burrito/taco is eaten.

Double Broccoli Quinoa

This is delicious. It's light, healthy and packed with all the good stuff. Enjoy!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
Printable Version

3 cups cooked quinoa
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream

Toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado
crumbled feta or goat cheese

Cook the quinoa according to it's package's directions. Set aside. (I successfully made it in my parent's rice cooker. 2 parts water 1 part rice... same ratio... turned out great)

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

Serves 4 - 6.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.

Recipe from 101Cookbooks

Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken

This recipe is by far my favorite for grilled chicken. It's not a chicken that will need BBQ sauce or any other condiment that doesn't belong on chicken. This chicken is delicious. Even though a full breast is shown in the picture, I usually cut them into tenderloin sized pieces. Marinate the tenderloins to increase the delicious lemon/garlic flavor.


Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken
Printable Version

Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (Cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better - I trimmed and cut the breasts into tenderloin size pieces)

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. (I only marinaded my thawed tenderloin sized pieces for 2hrs - worked great! I put them in a 9x13 and covered it with cellophane) Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe.

Double the marinade and chicken and grill it all up and freeze the extras to use later. It would be great chicken for a salad, aunt renees, Hawaiian haystacks, pizzas, pastas, fettuccine alfredo etc... really any dinner that needs cooked chicken.

Recipe by MyKitchenCafe

Pasta Italiano

This dish is good when you are in the mood for a light dinner. Serve with green veggie and bread. It's fast, easy and delicious.


Pasta Italiano
Printable Version

3 garlic cloves
2 t olive oil
28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 t crushed red pepper**
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked
mozzarella cheese, to taste

Sautee garlic in oil. Add tomatoes and pepper. Simmer about 40 minutes. Toss with penne. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cheese before serving.

**(Julie note: I only add 1/4t of this and a couple of my family members were "burning their faces off." Hehe... just for anyone out there that is "heat" conscience)

Taco Chili

Taco Chili
Printable Version

1 can of kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 1.25oz pkg taco seasoning mix
1 1oz pkg ranch salad dressing mix
3 T dried minced onion
1 t chili powder
1/4 t ground cumin
2 c water
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 16oz can tomato sauce
1 lb ground beef

Brown and drain beef. Add seasoning packet, water, diced tomatoes and green chiles, tomato sauce, and drained beans. Heat. Serve with corn or tortilla chips.

Spice Level 6 Option: For the taco seasoning mix use "HOT Taco Seasoning Mix".

Aunt Amy's Chili

Aunt Amy's Chili
Printable Version

1-2 lb. ground beef
2 cans chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar

Do Not Drain Beans! Brown beef, add remaining ingredients. Heat 15 min or until warm. You can use any kind of beans. Serve with sour cream, green onions, cheese, avacadoes, chips, crackers etc.