Asian Pasta Salad

Photo courtesy of Week of Menus

I pinned this recipe forever ago on Pinterest, and was excited to finally try it! I got the recipe from Week of Menus. I made a few changes, but love how it turned out. I made it for dinner and we ate it hot, then the next two days we ate it cold for lunch. It was so sweet and savory. 

Asian Pasta Salad

1 lb. bowtie pasta

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 red pepper, julienned

1 yellow pepper, julienned

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

3 cups coarsely chopped spinach

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1. Boil and cook pasta according to package directions. 

2. In a saucepan, combine the oil, soy sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar and heat on low until the honey is completely dissolved. 

3. Put a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and cook the peppers for about 2-3 minutes, don't let them get flimsy and soggy, they still need a bit of a crunch. 

4. In a large bowl combine the pasta, sauce, chicken, peppers, cilantro and red pepper flakes. Toss in the spinach once the other ingredients are completely combined. 

Light Cajun Chicken Pasta

I had the most tasty dinner tonight. Thanks to Skinny Taste, I made this Light Cajun Chicken Pasta. I love this site, she has so many delicious low fat recipes. I have a no, quick and easy go-to recipe.

Photo from skinnytaste.com

I made a few changes so my little munchkin would eat it. It was a hit. It was creamy, light, and oh so tasty. 

Light Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 oz. whole wheat linguine

1 large chicken breast

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 yellow pepper

1/2 red pepper

1/3 cup milk

1 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp. cream cheese

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the linguine according to package directions. 

2. Cut chicken breast into stripes. Also chop the peppers in stripes. 

3. In a non-stick skillet, add the olive oil. On medium heat, place the chicken in the skillet. Also add the Cajun seasoning. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet. 

4. Place the peppers in the same skillet (there should still be some of the oil and seasoning). Saute for about 3-4 minutes until soft but still crisp. 

5. Blend the milk, flour and cream cheese until smooth. Add to the skillet. 

6. Add the chicken back into the skillet. Cook until the sauce begins to boil. Then add the chicken broth. 

7. Let it simmer for a few minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken. Add the noodles. 

8. Have it sit for a few minutes to cool and thicken. 

Enjoy!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas - Skinny Version

A couple of months ago I posted the recipe and picture from my cousin's blog http://boycheesesandwich.blogspot.com, for Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas here. I have made them several times since then because we love them so much. Since then I have adapted a few healthier changes to the recipe. 

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1-1/2 lbs. shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken and use every ounce of chicken from it). 

1 (10 oz.) can of green enchilada sauce

Whole wheat tortillas (about 8)

1 cup skim milk

Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese

Marinade:

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice (the juice of 2 limes)

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1. Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk until completely combined. 

2. Put all of the shredded chicken in a gallon size bag, pour the marinade over the chicken and mix it around until covered. Put in fridge. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. 

4. Put a tortilla in the dish, place some chicken along the center of the tortilla, add some cheese, and roll up tight. Continue for the remaining tortillas. 

5. Pour remainder of marinade over the tortillas (I actually use a basting brush). Sprinkle cheese over top. 

6. Put in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the tortillas start to turn golden brown. 

7. In a small sauce pan heat up the green enchilada sauce and skim milk. Bring it to a low boil. Once the enchiladas are done, we serve up the enchiladas and let everyone put on their own sauce. 

This was the tortillas are CRISPY! Also, this means that you're not using as much sauce, but just enough.

Light Summer Pasta

A nice low calorie and fresh chicken pasta. There's no sauce, but the lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper give it just enough flavor to savor. It was so delicious, I'm so glad I have left overs for lunch! I got the idea from here. 

Light Summer Pasta

8 oz. bow tie pasta

6 strips of turkey bacon, chopped

2 medium zucchini's

1 cup of shredded chicken

1 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 gloves of garlic

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp. ground sea salt

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

1. Wash and cut zucchini in little spears. Place on a greased baking sheet, spray with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper. Put in the oven under Broil for about 10 minutes, until they get a little golden brown. 

2. Cook bacon until crispy, but or break into little pieces.

3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. 

4. In a small pan, put in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and simmer for 1-2 minutes. 

5. In a large bowl, put in the pasta, add the oil and garlic. Also add the bacon, zucchini, shredded chicken, chopped avocado and basil.

6. Slowly stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper and Parmesan. 

Quick easy dinner, and will keep you wanting more! Enjoy!

Easy Lasagna

Looking for a simple and simply delicious meal for the fam!? Well this is my mother-in-law's recipe that I have grown to love - especially since my husband and daughter love it so much!

Easy Lasagna
8-12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (26 oz.) can of your favorite pasta sauce (Ragu)
1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 (16 oz.) carton of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
2. Cook the ground beef until it is completely cooked and no longer pink. Add the jar of sauce, and heat through.
3. In a small bowl combine the cottage cheese and Parmesan.
4. In a 9 x 13 greased dish put a layer of noodles (slightly overlapping), a layer of the cheese mixture, and a layer of the meat mixture. Repeat layers. Top with Mozzarella.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese begins to turn a golden brown and the edges start bubbling.
6. Let it sit for up to 10 minutes, to cool down, and to keep it from being too runny.

(You can also freeze the lasagna before you cook it. Just cover with tin foil and mark the directions. The day you want to eat it, let it thaw in the refrigerator and bake according to directions.)

Enjoy!!

Honey Glazed Salmon with Mango Salsa

My husband said that this meal was "way dope". It was so full of flavor, so healthy, and so yummy. I'm so glad there was plenty of left over salsa. Maybe we'll do the same meal with chicken instead of salmon in a few days :) 

Honey-Glazed Salmon

2 fresh salmon fillets

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. brown sugar

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the fillets flat next to one another. Spray or drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and glaze the salmon with about 5 minutes left of the baking time. The salmon should flake, and not be opaque at all inside. 

Mango Salsa

1 large mango, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced

1 small green pepper, diced

1/2 of an onion, diced

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

The juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients. Place in the refrigerator and let the flavors marinate for a few hours before serving. Place on top of the salmon. Enjoy with some tortilla chips as well! 

Served suggestion: quinoa, and green beans.

Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

(Photo courtesy of Lindsay on tastykitchen.com)

Thanks to pinterest, I found this lovely recipe, and it is to die for! I've been wanting to try a Thai Peanut recipe for some time. This was absolutely wonderful. The leftovers are a perfect lunch too. Even my toddler loved it and wanted more. I was inspired by this recipe. It looks like a lot of ingredients but I was able to whip it up in no time. Less than 30 minutes for sure. Here is what I did (not that much different): 

Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

Salad:

1 Julienne Red and/or Yellow pepper

3 medium sized shredded or julienne Carrots

2 medium sized shredded Zucchinis

1 bunch of fresh broccoli, chopped

2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped or shredded

8 oz. whole wheat linguine noodles, cooked

Fresh cilantro as a garnish

Dressing:

5 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1/2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. sugar

1 whole jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed

1/2 cup peanuts

Combine all of listed salad ingredients. 

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor, except for the peanuts, and mix until nice and smooth. 

Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix until combined. Add the peanuts, and garnish with cilantro. 

De-lish!

Coconut Chicken

(recipe inspired from Best Bites)

Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders

12 chicken tenders

1 cup chopped coconut

1 cup shredded Parmesan 

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Combine the coconut, Parmesan, Panko bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and curry powder. Set aside in a small bowl. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Put the flour out on a plate. 

Prepare a foil-lined and greased baking sheet.

Put about a cup of the coconut and bread crumb mixture on a plate. (You don't want to dump out the entire mixture because the Panko bread crumbs are super absorbent and after a few chicken tenders is won't stick. So dip a few chicken tenders, and then pour out more crumbs as you go along). 

Dip a chicken tender in the flour, shake off excess. Dip in the eggs. Place the chicken tender in the crumb mixture, make sure to cover both sides. Place on the baking sheet. 

I used my Misto to spray some olive oil (or just drizzle some olive oil) over top the chicken to create a more crispy coating. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is no longer pink inside and the coating has turned a nice golden brown. 

Try this dipping sauce! It was perfect with the chicken. 

Dipping Sauce

1 cup of apricot-pineapple preserves

2 tsp. Soy sauce

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. pineapple juice

Turkey Chili

On a stormy, rainy, and "chilly" afternoon, this is a perfect, quick meal to dish up. 

Turkey Chili

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce (no salt added)

1 small can of green chilies

1 can of black beans

1 can of pinto beans (you can use red kidney beans if you like those better)

1 can of whole kernel corn

1 lb. of ground turkey

½ cup of chopped onion

1-2 gloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of water

2 Tbsp. of chili powder (or more – the more the better!)

¼ tsp. of black ground pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cilantro

Add salt and pepper to taste 

In a large sauce pan, brown the ground turkey. When it is no longer pink, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Also add in the chili powder and black pepper. Once the onion starts to soften add in all the canned ingredients (diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, beans, and corn), and water. Bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Top it off with a little cheese and cilantro. Delish! It makes enough to feed 6 – 8 people, or left overs for lunch!

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Green Dinner

Last year I made a green dinner and we loved it. I love a good excuse to do something silly, like put green food coloring in everything. *(See noted recipes below) 

Our meal consisted of:

A green baguette with Parmesan cheese

 Green pasta, 

with a *Mushroom Parmesan Sauce, and shredded chicken,

naturally green broccoli,  

green grape and kiwi fruit salad (recipe here)

 lime-ade,

 and *Mint Oreo Ice Cream Cake.

Mushroom Parmesan Sauce
1 can of reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup fat-free plain Chobani yogurt
1/2 cup skim-milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Empty can of cream of mushroom soup into a medium-size sauce pan. At a medium-heat slowly whisk in the Chobani yogurt and skim milk. When it comes to a soft boil add in the Parmesan cheese, stir until the cheese is completely melted. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Either pour on top of your pasta, or fold your pasta in and completely cover.

Mint Oreo Ice Cream Cake
1 package of Oreo's (about 36 Oreo's)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
2/3 cup hot fudge, melted
3 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened

Take your ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften while you're doing the other first few steps.
Crust:
Take 2 of the 3 sleeves of Oreo's and crush them up (I actually did it in the blender so that the crumbs were very fine, but I've also smashed them by hand for a more chunky crust). Melt the butter. Add the butter and sugar to the crushed Oreo mix. Stir until well combined. In a greased pie dish, pat in the Oreo crust.

Filling:
For an extra chocolatey cake, you can do a layer of fudge after the Oreo's, a layer or ice cream, fudge, and ice cream. Otherwise you can just spread out half of the softened ice cream over the Oreo crust, a layer of fudge, and the rest of the ice cream.

Crumble the rest of the Oreo's and sprinkle over top. Put in the freezer for at least 1-2 hours before serving so that it will solidify.

Enjoy!

French Dip Roll-Ups

French Dip Roll-Ups

1/2 lb. freshly sliced roast beef (get from a deli)

Crescent Rolls (8 pack - reduced fat)

2 slices of swiss cheese (cut one slice into quarter pieces)

1 Au Jus mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Lay crescent roll flat, layer the roast beef and then cheese. Roll up with all of the goodies inside. 

Bake for 11-13 minutes. 

Make Au Jus according to package directions. 

Dip the roll-up in the au jus, and enjoy! Quick, easy, delicious. 

Bruschetta Chicken

I was in need of something fresh for dinner. Something not fattening, or heavy, but delicious and delightful. So I decided to go with a bruschetta chicken. It turned out so delish. It's a definite do-again. 

Bruschetta Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey

(Bruschetta)

4 small tomatoes, diced

6 oz. of Mozzarella, cubed

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Chop, dice, cube and combine all of the ingredients for the bruschetta. I made it in the morning so the flavors could all marinate together all day long.

Combine the honey and balsamic vinegar and put in a bag with the chicken to let it marinate. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. My hubby is the perfect grill-master, so we had perfect juicy chicken. 

Serve chicken with a sliced baguette. Enjoy!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

*Photo courtesy of Natalie DeMill

* Recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook

You need to make these. So much flavor - sweet, but a little spicy. Seriously the best homemade Mexican food I've had in quite some time. I can't wait to make them again! I got this recipe from my husbands cousins' blog Boy Cheese Sandwich. They have some of the yummiest recipes. The only thing I would do different next time to this recipe is cook the enchiladas for about 15 minutes, and then pour the sauce over them, that way the tortillas will crunch up a bit and not be as soggy. Regardless, the were delicious! I also made them with this Cowboy Caviar.

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. lime juice (I used 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded

Stir together honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder until combined. Add chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes (I usually do longer).

2 (10 oz,) cans green enchilada sauce
1 c. half & half (I found some half & half that was fat-free!)
flour tortillas
shredded colby jack cheese (or monterey/colby mix)

Mix enchilada sauce with half & half. Spread roughly 3/4 c. of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and shredded cheese, roll-up, then place side by side in dish. Pour remaining sauce on and top with more cheese. Bake at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana

4 Chicken breasts

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup of fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups tomato pasta sauce

4 slices of Mozzarella 

12 oz. of uncooked pasta

1. Pour the oil in a saute pan and turn to medium heat. While the oil is heating through prepare the chicken breasts. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Dip each chicken breast in the flour, pat off excess. Dip in the beaten eggs. Cover in fresh bread crumbs (take a slice of whole wheat bread and use a cheese grater to get your fresh crumbs). 

3. Softly lay the chicken breast in the hot oil. It shouldn't be hot enough to "spit" back at you. Let your bread crumbs brown and your chicken begin to cook. Turn after 3-4 minutes, and let the other side brown for another 3-4 minutes. Once your chicken has browned let it rest for a minute on a paper towel to soak up some of the oil. 

4. Pour the pasta sauce into a greased baking dish. Lay your browned breaded chicken breasts in your baking dish. 

5. Bake for 20-23  minutes. While the chicken is cooking, cook your pasta.

6. Pull out the dish and place a slice of Mozzarella on each piece of chicken. Place back in oven and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes. 

7. Serve your chicken on top of your pasta with any excess pasta sauce.

 It's a delicious meal, and one of my husbands favorite!

BBQ Chicken Pizza



BBQ Chicken Pizza
Pizza Dough
1 - 1 1/2 breasts of chicken
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup Mozzarella
1/3 cup Sharp Cheddar
3 or 4 strips of turkey bacon
1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook chicken. Bake in an oven at 350 for 25 minutes. Shred and combine with about 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce. Cover and store in your fridge until the rest of your pizza is prepared.
2. Cook the bacon, but not all the way. Chop and set aside.
3. Prepare the pizza dough. You can either do a refrigerated pizza dough, or you can use this recipe:
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 1/2 cups of flour
Place the sugar, warm water and yeast in a mixing bowl. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until the yeast gets bubbly. Add the salt. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Once well combined mix in another 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add more flour until the dough comes away from the edges of your bowl (a little sticky, but not too sticky). Put the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise for 30-45 minutes. Roll out in a circle and place on your greased pan.
4. When putting the pizza dough on the pan, roll up the edges to create a crust. Spread out the BBQ sauce. Spread the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon.
5. Bake in a preheated oven set to 425 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on the cooked pizza. And enjoy!!!

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chicken Pasta

16 oz. Penne pasta

8 oz. sour cream

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup onion

3 gloves of garlic

3 Tbsp. flour

2 breasts of chicken, cubed

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried basil or 1 Tbsp. of fresh chopped basil 

Saute the chicken in a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan. Saute the onion for about 2 minutes and add the garlic for another 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan.

Cook the penne until al dente (cooked, but still a little firm).

While the pasta is cooking, begin making the sauce. In another sauce pan mix the sour cream and chicken broth on medium heat. Whisk in the flour, continue to whisk until the sauce thickens.

Mix in the penne and sauce in with the chicken. Add the cheese and basil. (If using dried basil I usually mix it in directly to the sauce - if using fresh I would mix it in at the end).

Asparagus

Several spears of asparagus. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of your spears and how firm you like it).

I just check on it every few minutes by stabbing your fork into the asparagus, your fork should go into the asparagus with ease, but take a little effort to get out. They shouldn't be soggy, but they also shouldn't be too crunchy.

If you have some left over shredded Parm, I would sprinkle some of that on in the last minute of cooking. Delish!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Paella

This is a Spanish (as in from Spain) delicacy, and one of the few dishes from Spain that actually appeal to my taste buds!

Shrimp Paella

Prep: 25 min. Cook: 20 min.
Yield: 8 servings

1 medium sweet red pepper; chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) vegetable broth
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (or cilantro)

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté red pepper and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add onions; cook 2 minutes longer or until red pepper is tender.

Stir in broth and seasonings; bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook for 2-3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Return to a boil. Stir in the couscous and peas. 

Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley (or cilantro).

*Recipe Note: You can substitute chicken for the shrimp, but if you're a seafood eater I strongly recommend the shrimp. 

You can also use cooked shrimp which might be a little easier, just throw them in when you pour in your vegetable broth. 

You also are supposed to garnish the dish with fresh parsley, but I do fresh cilantro to give it an extra little kick! 

This time I actually used Authentic Israeli Whole Wheat Couscous - it was delicious but just took longer to cook.