boneless chicken recipes: April 2011

Bowtie Spinach Salad

Just a few words about my new favorite salad. It is easy to put together and oh so DELICIOUS!! I found this recipe over at Moogie and Pap. She is always making some amazing things!! I love that you really don't need to measure the ingredients and the dressing is so good!!

Bowtie Spinach Salad
adapted from Moogie & Pap
1 bag baby spinach
8 oz. mini-bow tie pasta
1 package bacon cooked crisp and broken into small pieces.
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into about 1 inch cubes
4-6 strawberries cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup almond slivers

Dressing
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sweet onion
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
*Optional 1 strawberry
Update: This is my new favorite dressing for this salad:
Sweet Vinaigrette Dressing
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (optional) Mix well. Shake before serving.Boil pasta as directed on the package. Rinse under cold water and set aside. Combine dressing ingredients in the blender. I always add 1 strawberry to make it a pretty pink color and it add great flavor.
Combine salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss gently to combine the ingredients.

OH YUM!!

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Ryan's Bean Casserole

My brother Ryan is an amazing cook. Today, I am sharing with you one of his signature dishes! It may not look beautiful, but it is delicious and I love the bean mixture. He adds, "to make sure you have a bottle of 'Beano' on hand!!" (Did I mention his great sense of humor!) On with the recipe....

Ryan's Bean Casserole
All beans are the 15 oz. cans
1 can Pork & Beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can red beans
1 can black beans
1 can great northern beans
1 pound hamburger
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons mustard
1 small onion, chopped (or about 1/2 cup)
1 Polska Kielbasa or beef smoked sausage
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 package bacon
Brown and drain hamburger. Cook bacon until crisp and break into pieces. Cut sausage into small pieces. Drain and rinse beans except the pork and beans. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Pour into a 13 x 9 casserole dish and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

My lazy version: Place it all in a crock pot. Mix together and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

YUM!!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can use the kind of beans you like.

Linked to What's on the Menu Wednesday

How to Make a Roasted Beet Salad ♥ Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad

Today's beet salad recipe: Just roasted beets with a little cheese (feta or goat or blue) but somehow, so much more. So rich and full of satisfaction, just one (Old Points) or two (PointsPlus) Weight Watchers points.

Never met a beet salad I didn't love, nope, nary not a one. If there's a beet salad on the menu, odds are high (as in 99.9%) that I'll be chomping at the beet bit. I recall one memorable beet salad at the Snake River Grill in Jackson, Wyoming three years ago, another at Brasserie here in St. Louis just last week and dozens in between. I love how chefs vary a simple roasted beet salad, some times dressing up the beets, but often just letting them stand alone almost-black and all aglisten.

But it was our friend Maxine Stone – the Maxine I call her now, she of Missouri's Wild Mushrooms, the guidebook to foraging for mushrooms commissioned by the Missouri Department of Conservation plus the Hot 'n' Sour Chickpeas everyone's loving – who's had me lusting for one beet salad after another. At dinner one relaxed and unseasonably warm April Friday evening, she laid out a simple supper, mushroom and butternut squash ravioli (St. Louisans, watch for these in the freezer at Viviano's On the Hill, they were fabulous) sauteed with tiny bites of morels and asparagus; roasted beets with goat cheese; and a simple salad and good bread. Among friends, what a feast!

My version starts with roasted beets served at room temperature for the most flavor, with a few chunks of good feta – which, at room temperature, also turns as creamy as goat cheese, but with fewer calories. A good stinky blue cheese? Yes, that would be dreamy too. I use just a teaspoon of olive oil to make the beet cubes slickery, a touch of lemon juice to brighten it all, a quick chop-chop of fresh dill (or chive or basil or tarragon or ...) for contrast, a sprinkle of salt and a dash of pepper. That's it. Sublime.
Keep Reading ->>>

Tried & True: Leftover Ham Recipes

As I was searching through my recipes looking for meals to use up my ham I came across one of my family's very favorites: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. Oh yum!! This is a go to recipe when I need to take dinner into someone. I always get a call wanting the recipe. It is best when you use real ham in it so it is the perfect dish for the leftover ham.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Once again the picture does not do it justice.

It also makes a great freezer meal.

Another of my favorites is:

Skillet Ham & Pasta

Last but not least idea for leftover ham or should I say your ham bone is:

Ham & Bean Chowder

YUM!!

I hope these help a bit!!

Menu Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!! A huge THANKS to everyone for letting me vent about my son and for all the sweet words. Just a quick update: His bloodwork came back normal and just as a precaution we will see a cardiologist in a week. So far so good!!
I have a ton of ham leftover from Easter dinner. Does anyone else? So my question is what do you do with it all?? I have a few great recipes, but my family gets tired of it real quick. Any ideas?
Now on to my weekly menu: 7 days of HAM! Just kidding, although I am thowing in a few ham meals.

This Week's Menu
Monday: Ham Fried Rice
Tuesday: French Dips
Wednesday: Skillet Ham & Cheese Pasta
Thursday: Tex-Mex Casserole
Friday: Beef & Cheese Manicotti
Saturday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza
Sunday: Tacos

Have an INCREDIBLE week!!

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Friday Faves #9

Your recipes that I can't wait to try out on my table!!

Greek Pasta Salad

Meatless Meals for Meat Lovers

Fruit Topped Angel Food Squares

The Cookin' Chemist

Mango Salsa
Only Fish Recipes

Bacon Ketchup
Moogie & Pap

Hula Girl Blondies
Sinful Southern Sweets

Garden Cheese Ball
Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters

Pork Chops O'Brien

This is the perfect meal to satisfy my meat and potatoes hubby. I love it because it is easy and an all in one deal!! It is delicious and there weren't any leftovers.

Pork Chops O'Brien
6 pork loin chops about 1/2 inch thick
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1+ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups french fried onions
24 oz. frozen hash browns
seasoning salt
Over medium high heat, brown the pork chops and set aside.
Melt butter. In a medium sized bowl combine the soup, sour cream, butter, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 cup onions. Fold mixture into the potatoes.
Spread mixture in a lightly greased 9 x 13 dish.

Arrange pork chops on top and sprinkle them with the seasoning salt.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the pork is tender. Remove cover. Sprinkle with the remaing french fried onions and cheese.

Return to the oven uncovered for 5-10 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.

YUM!!

*The original recipe calls for O'Brien hash browns. I have always just used what I have on hand. Don't worry about thawing your hashbrown. It turns out just fine.

*You can substitute the soup for Cream of Celery.

Now the winner of the Cheerios Spoonful of Stories prize package, drawn by random number generator:

Congratulations to Miriam of Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters!

General Tso's Chicken

This was a quick, easy and delicious meal!! It is supposed to be a lower calorie version. I left out the pepper flakes so that my kids would eat it. They loved it!! You can add more vegetables or leave them out. The only thing I will do different next time is I need to double the recipe, they ate it all and I think leftovers would be tasty. I served it with steamed broccoli on the side.

General Tso's Chicken
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch (3 Tablespoons 1 1/2 teaspoons)
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup minced onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
*1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
*1/2 cup unsalted cashew pieces
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into about 2 inch pieces.
*3 medium mushrooms, sliced
*2 stalks of celery, sliced
Cooked rice (I cooked 3 cups.)
*optional ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; Set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic and pepper (if desired) and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes or until browned. If desired stir in the mushrooms and celery.

Add sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through. About 5 minutes. If desired stir in cashew pieces.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

YUM!!

Bourbon-Glazed Roasted Carrots ♥ Recipe

Bourbon-Glazed Roasted Carrots

Today's vegetable recipe: Pretty spring carrots roasted slowly, then drizzled with a caramel glaze flavored with bourbon or another good-tasting liquor.

Thank my sister for this recipe. She's a serious fan of Serious Eats – me too, actually though new posts come fast enough that I miss many. Luckily, my sister's got an eagle eye for more than editing and often forwards some gotta-make-it-NOW recipe from there. Like making pancake syrup out of leftover wine. (Wait. Is there a theme going on here? These carrots, after all, are sweetened with a caramel glaze flavored with bourbon.)

Chances are, these are special-occasion carrots, even if I've "Alanna-sized" the recipe with less fat and less sugar, if only because carrots sold in bunches with their tops on are more expensive albeit ever so pretty. They'd be nice for Easter (aren't carrots somehow perfect for a spring celebration?) but I can also imagine them as a side with steaks on the grill some Saturday, some meal where the meat is lean and the plate needs color and liveliness.
Keep Reading ->>>

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

My family loves meatloaf, but I needed a bit of a change. A combination of sweet and sour sauce and meat. A perfect change. It was delicious!! The sauce is AMAZING!! Sorry this is the only picture I took. We got too involved in eating it that it was all gone before I thought about taking more pictures.

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
3/4 cup uncooked oats
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix hamburger, oats, onion, salt, pepper, egg and 1/2 can of the tomato sauce together. Place in a loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan over medium heat combine the remaining tomato sauce, the sugars, vinegar and mustard. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat.
After meatloaf has cooked for 45 minutes remove from oven and drain the grease. Pour sauce over top of the meatloaf and return to the oven for 25 more minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.
*You can replace the oats with breadcrumbs or corn flakes. You could also shape it into a loaf and cook in a 9x13 casserole dish. Then the sauce could cover the sides a bit better.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday!

Saturday at the BIG track invitational, my son ran the 3200 and collapsed at the finish line. It was so scary!! They did not permit parents on the field, but that didn't stop me. Nothing was stopping me from getting to my son. It was a really scary time. They had an ambulance at the meet but no one there to staff it. (Is that stange to anyone else but me?) They had a medic tent which had a doctor and he said he needed an IV but, they had no way to give him one.(Ok there is an ambulance and a doctor what is wrong with this picture?) Finally after about 1/2 hour the dr. said we needed to get him to the ER. Kody perked up and was determined he was not going. Luckily it all worked out and he was able to walk out on his own. Now we just got to figure out what is going on with him. So question for everyone. No matter how much he drinks he cannot stay hydrated. No other issues, but when this happens during the race his body just shuts down. This was the worst episode yet. Does anyone have any ideas? We have got to get it figured out because I can't take it happening anymore... Thanks for listening to me. It was an extremely emotional weekend. Now it is time to pick myself up and get on with life...

This Week's Menu
Monday: Chicken Spaghetti
Tuesday: Ryan's Bean Casserole
Wednesday: Pork Chops
Thursday:Teriyaki Chicken Salads
Friday: Tex-Mex Casserole
Saturday:Pizza
Sunday: Easter Dinner

Happy Eating!!

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

How to Eat More Vegetables: Tip #10

How to Eat More Vegetables:

We all know we should eat more vegetables. But how, how do we do that, really? What real-life tips and ideas work? How can we build our lives around the healthiest of all foods, vegetables? Every Saturday, the 'veggie evangelist' shares practical tips and ideas from her own experience, her readers and other bloggers.

And now for this week's tip:

Keep Reading ->>>

Italian Chicken Pockets

Lately I have been in a bit of a dinner rut! So I turned to a good friend and asked if she had anything she would share with me. A few minutes later, she tapped me on the shoulder and handed me this recipe and it is DELICIOUS!! It was a hit with the whole family, even the picky eater. Unfortunately, the pictures do not do it justice, so you will just have to trust me on this one. It is simple, quick and tasty!!

Italian Chicken Pockets
1 pound chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onions
4- 6 oz. sliced pepperoni, cut in half
3 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper diced
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)
pita pocket bread
Marinate the chicken cubes in the Italian dressing for at least 2 hours. Drain off the dressing. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned.

Add mushrooms, onions, peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the pepperoni and sauce. Stir to combine.

Heat until everything is hot and the veggies are tender.

Serve in half of a pita.

The trick is to not overfill them!

YUM!!

*I did not use the green pepper. I added the Mozzarella cheese to the recipe afterwards because it would be a great addition. I marinated the chicken in creamy balsamic dressing this time.

Thank Amy for another great recipe!!
Enjoy!!

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Foodie Friday
Prairie Story's Recipe Swap
Friday Favorites

Cheerios New Author Contest & A Giveaway!!

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To enter the contest be a follower and:

Tell me your favorite Children's book or
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Winner will be drawn by random number generator
on April 21, 2011!

Happy Writing!!

The prize pack and information were given to me from Cheerios through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.

Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad ♥ Recipe

Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Say hello to my latest salad obsession, a hearty salad that's full of crunch and color. It looks like – tastes like – bites like – summer in a bowl! But it can be made any time of year, delivering the sense of summer all year long. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real" and just 1 Weight Watchers point!

My friend Chris first brought this to a Mardi Gras shindig. All the food that night was extra fabulous but a few of us all kept going back for more black-eyed pea salad! A few days later, I made the salad myself, nixing the bacon entirely and cutting the oil by half. Again – SO good! Those extra calories weren't in the least bit missed.

And then I made it again – didn't I say this salad is my current obsession? – cutting the oil by three-quarters. Chris and her husband were back for another little gathering and all three of us went back for seconds! So good! So fresh! So flexible!

This is a great dish to carry to a potluck, a family dinner, a church supper. It would be a great dish to deliver to a family where people are gathering for a funeral or where someone's sick or ... to make a meal of, all by yourself, just yourself and a spoon. (Obsession, you say? Uh huh.) I hope you like this salad as much as I do!

TESTIMONIALS
"... smitten by the results. Such a beautiful dish!" ~ Charlie
"... it was fabulous!" ~ Tina

Keep Reading ->>>

Ranch Enchiladas Creamas Verdes

You all know my famiy's love of Mexican food and my love of trying new things. So when I saw this recipe over at An 'A' for Effort I just knew it would be amazing because she makes the best things!! It did not let me down. Due to my lack of certain ingredients I adapted it a bit and loved it so much! The added ranch dressing brings added flavor. I will be making these again and soon. Everyone loved them.

Ranch Enchiladas Creamas Verdes

adapted from An 'A' for Effort

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups green enchilada sauce, divided
1 small can diced green chilies
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup ranch dressing , divided
flour tortillas
1 C half and half or heavy cream
3C shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; Saute onion 5 minutes. Add chicken, 1 cup enchilada sauce, cream cheese, 1/2 cup ranch dressing and chilies. Reduce heat to medium; stir, melt cheese and blend mixture well.

Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture. Sprinkle the top with a little shredded cheese. Roll up tightly and place in baking dish, seam-sides down.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup ranch dressing with cream; pour over enchiladas and top with remaining shredded cheese.

Cover lighlty with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or unitl the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

If desired garnish with chopped tomatoes, onions or salsa.

Oh YUM!!

Thanks Abby for a incredibly delicious recipe!!

Menu Plan Monday

I have a little glitch in this week's menu. We are waiting to hear if my son qualified for a big race out of town this next weekend. Don't they get that this mom has to PLAN!! (deep breath). So I am planning like we will be going and if not, I guess I will just have to plan some more.

This Week's Menu
Monday: Italian Chicken Pitas
Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Wednesday: Chicken Ole
Thursday: S&S Meatloaf
Friday: Out of Town
Saturday: Out of town
Sunday: Pork Chops

Wishing you a delicious week!

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