Category Archives: Main Dish

This would be an entree, the main star of the evening.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken on Sauteed Cabbage

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LemonRosemaryChicken

Ok… so, in my “About Me” I said clearly that I’m not perfect, and my recipes won’t be perfect. They won’t always turn out perfect either! Today’s dinner is one of those examples! I wasn’t sure I wanted to post anything, BUT, I know that if I had changed the cooking time that the chicken would have been really good! So: Here goes!

Ingredients:

8 Chicken tenderloins (still frozen) or 3 Chicken Breasts (frozen)
1 TB olive oil
Juice AND zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. minced garlic (or one clove)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp rosemary (chopped, and then place the almost empty stems into broth)
2 tsp. chives
1 tsp. chopped parsley for garnish

Put into crock pot on LOW for 4 hours. 5 Hours MAX! What I need, is a crock pot with a timer…  🙂 I cooked the chicken for over 7 hours… it was a bit dry! Flavor was great though! 🙂 Better next time.

 

 

 

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And now for the cabbage! I gotta say, you have to like cabbage for this one, but I was sick of the chicken and rice recipes, so cabbage it was! I took about 1/4 of the head of cabbage and cut it into smaller pieces. Then I cut up 1/5 of the onion and chopped and put it into a skillet with 2 TB olive oil with 1 tsp of garlic (minced), or 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Sautee until translucent and slightly browned. YUM! (Season with salt and pepper to taste)

The roll is the Honey Wheat rolls that I’ve made before. The recipe is SOO easy! It only takes 30 minutes too! Here’s the recipe: http://www.ihearteating.com/2013/07/29/30-minute-honey-wheat-rolls/

Homemade Chicken Nuggets!

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Dairy Free, Egg Free, kid friendly… homemade chicken nuggets!

I make these in small batches, because I have a picky eater that doesn’t like “reheated” homemade nuggets. They taste great to me, when frozen, if reheated… but he’s who they are for, so I just do a few at a time.

My recipe for that is below. If you want to do a larger batch, and freeze and reheat, just double or triple the recipe.

(I make these if the Perdue Simply Smart chicken nuggets are not on sale, because those are the only ones he likes/can eat with his food allergies)

Ingredients:

  • 5 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp flax seed meal
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp each salt & black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or sunflower oil for frying

Cut the boneless skinless chicken tenderloins in to little chunks (about 1 inch pieces)

Throw the chicken pieces in to a ziplog bag and add the 1/4 cup of coconut milk.  Marinate it in the fridge for an hour.  After an hour, take out your marinated chicken and pour out any excess coconut milk from the bag.

Grab your dry ingredients (all purpose flour, flax seed meal, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper) and stir them all together in a bowl.  Heat up your cooking oil of choice at medium fire, and while you wait for that to heat up, go to the next step. Place pieces of chicken into bowl with the dry ingredients and toss/stir around so that it gets very well coated. Basically massage/stir it around. Then, start frying your chicken pieces!  Try not to crowd them in the skillet.  It takes a few minutes on both sides to cook thoroughly.  You’ll know when it’s ready when it’s a golden brown color on both sides. 10.  When the nuggets are ready, place it on a plate with a dry paper towels to help remove some of the excess grease from cooking them. Then… dip into ketchup, or a different sauce of your choice… and enjoy!

Steak and Potatoes Revisited

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Steak:

I marinated the steak in the following: (I only marinated it in the fridge for an hour, over night would be best!

Marinade
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  •  3 Tb honey
  • 1 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbls Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • sea salt ground – approx 1/2 tsp

After the steak has been marinating the the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, place on grill, OR the grill pan. Grill for 7.5 to 8 minutes per side for a medium temperature steak. Enjoy!!!

(If you use the grill pan, drain all marinade extra marinade off of steak, and place onto HOT grill pan that has been sprinkled with sea salt)

Let your steak rest for 8-10 minutes on a plate before you cut into it.

Potatoes, Onions & Carrots

Wash and cut 8 potatoes into 8 pieces each. Then peel and cut carrots into large chunks. Then, cut up onion into large pieces. Put them onto a tin foil-lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. spread them out on the cookie sheet and cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh rosemary. (about 1/2 tsp of each). Then cut up 2 TB of butter into small pieces and put over the vegetables. Put into the oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Do this BEFORE the steak!!!!! (or as it finishes marinating!)
Take out when the carrots and potatoes fall apart from the fork.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pot-Pie!

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The above pictures shows the progression of Homemade Pot-Pie! (I didn’t make the crust homemade, because I had one leftover in my freezer. You buy a box w/2, use only 1, and you’ve got an extra in your freezer for whatever!! Pot Pie for me!)

Original Recipe: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/12/chicken-pot-pies.html

COOK TIME: 25-30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes {give or take}

INGREDIENTS:

5 Boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (sauteed in skillet and cooked through, then diced)

2 TB butter

1.5 cup frozen mixed vegetables

2 Celery Stalks, diced small

1/2 sweet onion diced small

1 cup Chicken Broth

2 TB flour

2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, more or less to taste

1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper, more or less to taste

1 teaspoon cumin

1 frozen pie crust, thawed to room temperature

4 ramekins

 

DIRECTIONS:

TO Sautee the chicken: Place all chicken tenderloins into skillet w/1 turn olive oil (1 TB). Season with salt, pepper and a dash of coriander (1/2 tsp). Cook until BARELY cooked through.

TO MAKE THE POT PIES: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease 4 10-ounce ramekins with olive oil cooking spray.

 

Thaw the pie crust out and use a bowl {slightly larger than the ramekin}, trace and cut out 4 circles, using the scraps to make more if needed. Keep the dough circles in the fridge so they stay cold.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.

Add in the onions and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1/4 tsp cumin. Cook until the onions are soft.

Now add in 1 TB olive oil, and the 2 TB of flour to form a roux.

Pour in the 2 cups of chicken broth. Let that simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened 3-5 minutes. Then add the 3 TB of grated parmesan cheese.

Next add in the mixed frozen veggies, cooked chicken and season w/salt&pepper to taste. Stir.

Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray w/ fat free olive oil cooking spray. (At this point, if you wanted to, you could add diced potato to the bottom of the ramekins.

Spoon the pot pie filling evenly, filling the ramekins to the brim. Let them cool down a bit before placing the pie dough over top and crimping the edges. With a sharp knife make slits for ventilation.

Slide the tray of pot pies into a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Remove and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

NOTES:

*For a glossy top crust, try spraying w/cooking spray and sprinkling with sea salt.

Easy Salmon Steaks

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salmon

ok, time for some honesty here. I LOVE to cook, and I feel like most of the time, I’m pretty good at it. But, like most people, I have weaknesses. Fish is one of those weaknesses. I recently learned how to properly cook white-fish (aka: tilapia, dover sole, etc).  Salmon, is a whole other ball game. Seriously. There are so many different thicknesses of  steaks, and cuts etc… so when it comes to cook time, it’s so hard to judge. You also have to time it JUST RIGHT, to take it out of the oven where it’s SLIGHTLY undercooked, and then let it rest in the juices to get just right… and not over cooked.

Tonight… I slightly over cooked it. This recipe is REALLY good… if it wasn’t over cooked. Seriously… I’m working on it! Don’t feel bad if you fail the first time!

Oh, and the dill? Just for the pretty picture… not used in the recipe at all!

original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=322103
Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 15
Number of Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

1/4 raw organic honey
2-3 TB toasted sesame oil
2-3 TB Seasoned Rice wine vinager 
1 tsp minced garlic
12 ounces fresh or thawed salmon
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a gallon-size ziploc bag, shake it up, and then add the salmon. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, turning after half an hour. Pour the salmon and the marinade into a baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. The salmon is done when it flakes easily at the thickest part. Enjoy! Makes (4) 3 ounce servings. Make sure to pull the salmon out BEFORE you see the milky-white substance seeping out! That means it’s over cooked. Right when it’s starting to flake, and let it sit in the marinade for 5 minutes. Double check it’s “done-ness” and enjoy!

Sunday Lunch

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There are a few recipes that need to go in here… so I’ll start with the simple.

Beets:

Fresh beets, cut up and boiled for 20 minutes. Then, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. YUM!

Guacamole:

2 avocados, sliced and diced
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 sweet onion
splash of hot sauce
1 small bunch of FRESH cilantro (about 1/4 cup)
grape tomatoes sliced in half (I used around 10)

Shrimp Caprese Orzo Pasta

Original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2746948

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 10
Number of Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

Orzo Pasta, 1 cup 
Grape Tomatoes cut in 1/2, 1 cup 
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Basil, 1 tbsp
 White Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp 
Salt, 1 dash
Pepper, black, 1 dash
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Juice of 1 lemon, plus the zest
Shrimp, raw, 10 medium
1/4 of a cucumber, sliced
FRESH mozzarella cut into slices
While orzo pasta is cooking according to box instructions, mix the tomatoes, half the garlic, the basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese in a serving dish.In the oven, at 350 degrees, cook shrimp in the remaining garlic and the EVOO. About 8-15 minutes (depending on size and if they were frozen).

Drain pasta and stir together with diced tomato mixture and then top with cooked shrimp.

Serving Size: Makes 3-4 Dinner Portions

Number of Servings: 4

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

 

Greek Chicken:

adapted from this recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/greek-marinated-chicken/

Ingredients
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.08
  • 1/2 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 medium lemon
  • ½ tsp ground himalayan sea salt
  • freshly cracked pepper $0.05
  • ÂĽ bunch fresh parsley $0.20
  • 3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces $6.86
  • Instructions
    1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ÂĽ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
    2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
    3. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
    4. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9×13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

 

 

Tikka Masala

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tikkamasala

Indian food – not spicy!!

my recipe is adapted from this original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=65763

Minutes to Prepare: 20
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 4
6 Chicken tenderloins diced small
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 to 3/4  onion chopped finely
1 tsp ground (powdered) ginger 
2 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup (to 1/2 cup, depending on how thick you like it) tomato puree
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish1/4 cup waterPut the oil into a pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the ground cardamom. Add the onions and cook while stirring, until brown. Add the spices , garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder and stir. Add the remaining ingredients. Add the tomato and puree and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour in the water and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
Add the chicken cubes and mix well into the masala. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and tender. Garnish and serve .Number of Servings: 4

Holy Yum Chicken!

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holyyumchicken

Holy Yum Chicken!!

Ok…. #1, this picture does NOT do this justice. Not at all. My plate is too big. That’s 1 1/2 chicken thighs… seriously. But this chicken… oh man. The name fits it perfectly! I did not change anything in this recipe. I cannot claim it as my own. So… if you want to experience this AMAZING chicken (you MUST like mustard to like this)…. go to this website for the recipe. You’ll be glad you did. Holy Yum chicken… mmmmmm!!!!!

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/holy-yum-chicken/

AMAZING!!!!!

Creamy Dill White-fish

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CreamyDillFish

Adapted from this recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2673535

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

1.5 cup 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried (or fresh) dill
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
6 (3-ounce) fresh tilapia fillets (I actually used Dover Sole. I prefer wild caught fish, and tilapia only had farm raised available.)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 TB grated parmesan cheeseCombine the cottage cheese with parsley, dill, garlic, salt, parmesan cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Arrange tilapia fillets on a foil covered sheet pan. Evenly spread the cottage cheese mixture over each filet. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of panko breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, at the end, broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes until crispy.

Serving Size: 6 servings; 1 piece of fish per serving

Crispy Pan Fried “Mexican” Chicken

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Adapted from this original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=838597

1 pound boneless, skinless frozen chicken tenderloins
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup low-sodium salsa
1 cup coconut milk (or buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine the panko, taco seasoning. cumin and salt in a shallow dish.
Soak the chicken in a bag w/the buttermilk or coconut milk for 30 minutes in the fridge. Then, coat in the seasoned bread crumbs. The original recipe called for you to then place on a sprayed baking sheet, and bake the chicken: Bake for 20 minutes or until the meat reaches 165 degrees. I personally thought it didn’t get crispy enough. I, therefore, heated 2 TB of olive oil in a skillet and pan fried the chicken for approximately 5 minutes per side. Serve with salsa. I also made a salad and corn to go with it. The salad dressing is my recipe as listed in a previous post.

Each serving: 3 ounces chicken and 1/4 cup salsa

#cookinghealthy #500caloriesorless #quickcooking