Chicken, pasta and vegetables anyone??? 🙂 Only my favorite mixture to a recipe EVER. This one I had to make the sauce 2x. I messed it up the first time… whoops! HA! It’s light and creamy, and definitely crave-worthy. Added protein with a couple of chicken tenderloins added to the top, and voila! My sweet hubby hinted that it was like a restaurant dish! Alright!!! 🙂

So, let’s see if I can remember this recipe… I made the mistake of not writing anything down because I was planning on blogging this last night, and it didn’t happen… I had to watch the finale of Bachelor in Paradise. Yeah, I said it. Don’t judge.. 😉

So, here goes!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces orecchiette or some other short pasta (3 cups)
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• 6-8 chicken tenderloins (I sauteed 2 per person)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp 21 Seasoning Salute (By Trader Joes)
• 1 1/2 lemons
• 1/2 cup Half&Half
• 1/4 onion diced
• 12-16 grape tomatoes (or similar)

Directions

1. Heat 1 TB olive oil in large skillet and place chicken tenderloins (if using TJ chicken tenderloins like me, no need to thaw before cooking) into hot oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper, and 21 seasoning salute (like Mrs. Dash). Add the diced onion, minced garlic and the grape tomatoes. Once the chicken has cooked through (about 5-6 min per side) remove the chicken and put on a plate to the side and cover. Add juice of 1/2 lemon and zest to the skillet and stir. Then add 2 TB butter. Cook until tomatoes start to burst. Once all of that is well incorporated, remove skillet from heat and slowly stir in the Half&Half.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. With orecchiette, occasional stirring will help them not to stick together.
3. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli, olive oil, garlic salt, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and the juice and zest of 1 lemon.
4. Roast, tossing once, under the broiler on LOW for 8-10 minutes.
5. Toss the pasta with the broccoli mixture, and add the sauce from the skillet and stir.
6. Sprinkle with the cut up fresh mozzarella before serving.

ENJOY! This was a favorite of mine… probably can’t make it too often seeing as how it has butter and half&half in it… but it will be a “indulge” meal. YUM!

And now, for the quote of the day:

So… I got new pots and pans!!! AND KNIVES!! WOOHOO!! I was having serious issues with my glass top oven, and it cracked, and now the glass is falling down inside of it, and I have 2 good burners… it was time to get a new stove! So, we got an electric induction stove! We found out afterwards, I had to get completely new cookware… oh darn! Right?! So, I wanted to make something tonight that I could use one of my new pans, and some of my knives… chopping necessary… SOOOO, southwest quick chili it is! And, it was DELICIOUS! To me, it was a bit spicy, but didn’t stop me from enjoying every drop in my bowl. Now, my father in law and husband were saying they had no clue there was much spice to it… so… if you like it FIERY… add a jalapeno… ??? 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 can “rotel”, or TJ Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilis
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• dash of hot sauce
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 yellow and 1 red mini bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar (2 ounces)
• 2 scallions, sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, mini bell peppers and can of tomatoes and green chilis and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute.
4. Stir in the beans, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, ground cumin, hotsauce, 3 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
5. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the corn.
6. Divide the chili among bowls and top with the Cheddar and scallions and pieces of avocado… sour cream if so desired.

Seriously good. This will be repeated this winter FOR SURE! We had this with some Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips from Trader Joes and it was just so good. I thoroughly enjoyed my new cookware, and my new knives made cutting carrots and peppers seem like I was cutting butter… amazing. Seriously. I enjoyed cooking AND eating this one! 🙂

And now, for the quote of the day:

This is a lighter meal… but still filling, and FULL of protein! It has carbs, but good carbs. It’s a quick one… from start to finish will only take about 20 minutes, AND will feed 5-6 people depending on serving sizes! Delicious, light, and easy… WINNER! 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 nitrite and nitrate free kielbasa
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground yellow curry powder
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups Trader Joes Harvest Grain Blend
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
• 1/2 cup frozen vegetable medley
• 2 TB butter
• 1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the kielbasa into slices and set aside. Chop the onion and place into the heated oil along with the frozen vegetables. Once the onion has started to become clear, add the kielbasa, 1 TB butter and 1 TB water and put lid on and let simmer on low.
2. Meanwhile, bring 1 3/4 cup of low sodium chicken broth to boil in a sauce pan.
3. Once boiling, add 1 1/4 cup of Trader Joes Harvest Grain Blend to the pot and follow directions on cooking. Add the paprika and curry powder and cut up dried apricots into here before you place the lid on. (this blend has Israeli couscous, baby garbanzo beans, red quinoa, orzo pasta and dried bell pepper)
4. Once the couscous is done according to directions on package, put 1 TB butter on top, stir, and serve under the kielbasa mixture that would be done by now.

I served this with pineapple… you can serve with any fruit to make it a well rounded meal. We all really enjoyed it! I will probably save it for a busy day when I need a quick and easy meal! So good!

And now, for the quote of the day:

Ingredients

• 4 whole wheat bagels, split and toasted
• 2 tablespoons garlic aoli
• 8 chicken tenderloins
• 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash or 21 Seasoning Salute (TJ)
• 1 tsp shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 slices sharp cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
• 1 cup arugula (or similar lettuce)

Ingredients for the Garlic Aoli:

1/2 cup organic mayonnaise
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper

Put into a small dish and whisk together. That’s it! Perfect for a sandwich to add that extra zing!

Cooking Instructions for the chicken tenderloins:

Place chicken tenderloins in a heated up skillet w/1 Tb of olive oil. Sprinkle with lemon zest, parmesan cheese, seasoning and salt and pepper on both sides. Cook until heated through – about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness of the tenderloin. I put mine in the pan frozen, so I am cooking from frozen. (I LOVE the Trader Joes chicken tenderloins. You NEVER have to thaw them before tossing them in the skillet, and they always come out amazing!)

Directions for assembling the sandwich!

1. Top the toasted whole wheat bagel. tops and bottoms, with the aoli. Then place 2 chicken tenderloins, and cheddar. If you want the cheese to melt, you can broil in the oven for 3 min on broil LOW..
2. Top with the arugula or lettuce and bagel tops.
3. Enjoy!!!

And now, for the quote of the day:

So I decided to try fish again… Salmon this time… I did a couple of things differently this time. 

 1. I thawed my fish. Yeah, that should be obvious. I, for some reason, did not think of this before. Ha! So, that’s a must if you freeze your fish if you are like me and shop 2 weeks in advance.

2. I followed a recipe EXACTLY. Since I am not yet “fluent” in fish cooking, I followed exactly what they said. Exactly. Because then, I can blame the recipe and not myself. So, until I get a bit better at this, I will continue to follow recipes.

So, the Salmon. I was actually so proud because, even though it did come out slightly over cooked because my salmon steaks were slightly thinner than in the recipe, they tasted SOOOO good! A LOT of flavor, and just tender and delicious. I HIGHLY recommend this recipe! I mean, it’s Ina Garten, you can’t really go wrong!! Here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/panko-crusted-salmon-recipe.html

Ingredients
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
4 (6- to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the panko, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and stir until the crumbs are evenly coated. Set aside.

Place the salmon fillets, skin side down, on a board. Generously brush the top of the fillets with mustard and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each salmon fillet. The mustard will help the panko adhere.

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or large heavy, ovenproof pan. When the oil is very hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, without turning, to brown the skin.

Transfer the pan to the hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes until the salmon is almost cooked and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the salmon hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.

As for the steak… YUM! I just “winged” it. I used a Tri-Tip Steak from Trader Joes. It was about 1.75 lbs total, and already in 3 pieces. (There were 3 of us eating). I heated up about 1 TB olive oil in my 12″ skillet and then sprinkled salt and pepper on all sides of the steak. Then, I took spicy brown mustard and spread it on all sides of the steak. Then I seared/cooked the steak for approximately 5 minutes top and bottom. Then, to cook through, I did 2-3 min per side. This time makes it a “medium” temperature. Perfect for us! Just increase the time for a more well done steak. Then, I just topped the steak w/ a small slice of butter to melt into it, and serve! Easy and delicious!

Serve with a garden salad and some homemade vinaigrette! YUM!

Enjoy! Post any comments or questions if you wish!

And now, for the quote of the day:

So this is an easy one… honestly. When regular couscous is involved… it’s pretty easy! And, if you want to go vegetarian, just take out the cheese and chicken and you’ve still got more than 10g of protein per serving!! Whole wheat couscous has 8g of protein per serving, and I added some flax seed meal to this and it has 6g of protein per serving! Good way to get a large amount of your daily needs in one meal!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups whole wheat couscous, uncooked
• 1 TB flax seed meal (I used Trader Joes)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 TB butter
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lemons (I used the zest AND the juice from the lemons)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• parmesan to sprinkle on top
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add in 1 TB olive oil and the 2 TB of butter. Stir in the couscous, and the mixed vegetables and flax meal. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and let stand for five minutes. 
2. While the couscous is sitting, cook the chicken. I brought 1 TB of olive oil, and 1/4 up of chicken broth to simmer and added the chicken. I sprinkled salt and pepper onto the chicken, and a bit of garlic salt onto the chicken. I then added lemon juice from 1 lemon to the pan and added the zest to both sides of the chicken. Cook until both sides are browned and the liquid is reduced. (About 5 minutes per side). Remove and let the chicken rest. After about 5 minutes, cut into slices.
3. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice from other lemon, lemon zest, garlic, and salt and pepper, and pour over the couscous mixture and toss.
4. Add the chicken to the couscous mixture and then sprinkle with the chopped basil and stir lightly. 
5. Serve and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. (I served mine with pineapple so that we’d get a bit of each food group!

It was light, but still really filling!!! 

Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day:

Ok, so I had my brother and dad eating dinner with us tonight… PLUS my husband and father-in-law… and Me… SO… I had to make sure I had something quick, easy, not a ton of dishes that I had to clean up, and that would feed everyone and be satisfying… what do I make?? SOUP! I know, it’s like 90 degrees out today, but it was honestly really satisfying, and tasted soo good! I was surprised! But it probably helped that I basically ate this with chips. 

All of the guys gave it a thumbs up too, really good and filling. And, I’ve got a bit of leftovers too! YAY for me! 🙂

So, in the mood for a slightly spicy tortilla soup? Eat it will tortillas in it, or scoop it up with chips (if you’re like me and would like to skip the whole soggy tortilla idea)…

Chicken (sans-tortilla) Soup!

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
About 1 1/4 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper
One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups organic tomato sauce
1 can organic black beans (rinsed well)
1 cup frozen corn
3 tablespoons cornmeal
5 small corn tortillas (or a large bag of tortilla chips as I preferred)

Directions

Start by mixing together the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Set the rest of the spice mixture aside. Put into the bottom of a large pot (like you would boil potatoes in) that’s been coated in 1 TB olive oil and cook until browned on both sides (about 3-5 min per side). Next, throw in the onions, red bell peppers and garlic. Throw in a tablespoon of the spice mixture used to season the soup. Add a little extra chilli powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) for heat and a dash of cayenne pepper. Stir to cook the vegetables, about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, juice and all. Add the chicken broth, hot water and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Shred the chicken while in the sauce and then continue to cook. Add the drained black beans and the corn. Next, mix together the cornmeal with 1/2 cup water. Add the mixture to the pot, and then simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes. Give it a taste and add salt or seasonings as needed; be sure to not under salt it!

Cut the tortillas into uniform 2- to 3-inch strips. Stir most of them into the soup just before serving. This is what makes tortilla soup tortilla soup! Turn off the heat and get ready to serve it up. Ladle the soup into a bowl, then add avocado, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and extra tortilla strips to the top. The more toppings on tortilla soup, the merrier. 

**** The above paragraph about the tortillas I copied from the original recipe (That I made a few changes to) so that you could see how she added tortillas to her soup. I personally did NOT. I just ate the soup with tortilla chips… up to you!

Here is her original recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Enjoy!!!

And now, for the quote of the day: 

Ok… so picture is from a cell phone and not edited… but that’s ok! We had friends over!! Our sweet friends came over for dinner as a “farewell” since they are moving far, far away…. so we had to have them over! I made the above meal… something on the more simple side… pasta with chicken and vegetables… my favorite theme!!! And then I made a fruit crisp as dessert. I did NOT take a picture of that, and I definitely should have because it actually turned out really yummy! Oh well, another day and another crisp…

So, as my friends got here I was elbow deep in a large pot of pasta… had to make sure there was enough pasta for us all!! I made 2 lbs… lets just say I have leftovers… HA! Oh well, better to over prepare then to not have enough for hungry guests, am I right!!??? 

So, here is the recipe!

Bowtie Pasta with Basil and Parmesan with a Light Tomato sauce

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb Bow Tie Pasta (Or your other favorite pasta) – yes, I reduced it to 1 lb for your sake… 😉
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• ½ Onion chopped
• 1 can Italian fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can Rotel, or similar
• 2 tbs chicken broth
• 8 chicken tenderloins cooked and cut into bite size pieces
• 10 leaves Fresh Basil chopped
• Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat a large pan over medium high heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. As the pasta cooks, add the oil to the pan and add the chicken tenderloins. Season with salt and pepper and a bit of ground cumin on each side. Cook through and remove from the pan. Add then 1 TB oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions start to get translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Next add the tomatoes and cook until they start to simmer. Add the chicken broth and bring back to a simmer.
4. Toss in the chicken and basil, bring back to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper. Serve over the pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

I served this with sauteed zucchini and it went quite well!!!

Enjoy! I know we did!!!

And now, for the quote of the day:

So I needed something not too complicated because I had a LOONNNGG day today. Left the house at 8a, and didn’t get home until 4. Now, I know what you are thinking… working moms do that every day! You are right… I shouldn’t complain… but I wanna!!! 🙂 Anyways, that’s my reasoning. I made something Italian… carb free! That seems like an oxy-moron doesn’t it? It was delicious though! So much flavor and freshness packed into each bite! Recommended for sure!

My recipe is adapted from none other than Giada’s recipe: Roman-Style Chicken by Giada

I changed more than 3 things… this version below is mine… but for those of you who want to check out the original version… Giada’s recipes are always delicious!

Ingredients
9 boneless/skinless chicken tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1 tsp. 21 seasoning salute (TJ version of Mrs. Dash)
1/4 cup olive oil
6 sweet mini bell peppers (I used 3 red and 3 yellow)
1.5 oz pancetta, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilis (like rotel)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/4 onion sliced rough
2 tablespoons capers WELL RINSED
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 21 seasoning salute (or Mrs. Dash) and lemon zest. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve. 

I served this with green beans and a mixed-greens salad. Very light and just filling!

Enjoy!!!!

And now, for the quote of the day: