Organic Chicken Piccata & Heirloom Tomatoes

Years ago, when Jon and I lived in Atlanta, a friend introduced me to the chicken piccata at the Cheesecake Factory.  I've been hooked every since!  Seriously, I don't think I've ever had anything else there.  For some reason I never really tried to make it until the other night.  I picked up this recipe at Whole Foods at the same time I picked up the Tarragon Chicken one.  I didn't do the tomato portion of it only because I didn't have any but I will certainly do it next time.  Again, it called for flour so this time I used Coconut Flour.  What a great flavor!!!!

Chicken Piccata & Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves 4

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup flour (I used Let's Do...Organic Coconut flour)
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 TBSP butter or butter substitute, divided
6 TBSP olive oil, divided
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers, rinsed
1 cup heirloom tomatoes seeded and diced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Slice the chicken breast, into 1/4 inch thick medallions. Season with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

Heat pan over medium-high heat, pour in 3 TBSP oil and 2 TBSP butter.  When butter has melted and stops foaming place medallions into pan and saute for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Pour lemon juice, stock, and capers into pan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in remaining butter. (I didn't use all the butter it called for.)

Return chicken to the pan to coat the chicken with sauce.

Arrange chicken on a platter.  Put tomatoes into sauce, gently stir and pour over chicken.  Garnish with parsley.

Bacon N Veggie Pasta

I've turned into such a pasta lover.  I have no clue why!  This is another that is really good.  I paired it with a Sweetheart salad and it was a nice, easy meal.

2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cups brocolli florets
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
4 bacon strips, diced (I used 5 pieces of turkey bacon)
 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until brocolli and carrots are tender.
2. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 TBSP drippings. (Since I used turkey bacon, I didn't get a lot of drippings so I added a little olive oil to the pan.)  In the drippings, saute the mushrooms, green pepper, onion and garlic until tender;  add to tomato mixture and heat through.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place in a serving bowl; top with vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle with bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Turkey Macaroni

Are you surprised when I say this is from my Fix it and Forget it Lightly cookbook???  I'm always on the go with the girls so when I plan my meals I almost always have at least one crockpot recipe.  It's just so easy to throw the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and not to mention the smell when I walk in the house after being gone for hours.  Love it!!!!

1 tsp vegetable oil (I omitted)
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed low sodium tomato soup, undiluted
16 oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 TBSP ketchup
1 TBSP prepared mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups dry macaroni, cooked and drained

1. Heat oil in medium skillet.  Brown turkey.  Drain.
2. Combine all ingredients except macaroni in slow cooker.  Stir to blend.  Cover.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 4-6 hours.  Stir in cooked and drained macaroni 15 minutes before serving.

Swedish Meatballs

This was the first time I've made these and it was pretty good.  This is another recipe from my Fix It and Forget it Lightly cookbook.  I love my crockpot!!!  It only calls for 1/2 pound of ground meat so today I'm making another batch to freeze.  Bailey just loved them!  Taylor, on the other hand, didn't even want to touch one.  Oh my picky child!!!! 

3 slices bread, cubed
1 cup evaporated skim milk, divided
1 TBSP low cal margarine
1/4 cup shallots, minced (approx 1 shallot)
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper, according to your taste preference
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1. In a mixing bowl, toss bread cubes and 1/2 cup milk.  Let stand 5 minutes.
2. In a skillet, melt margarine.  Add shallots and cook 2 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add shallots, meat, egg, salt, and pepper to bread and milk mixture.
4. Mix well; then shape into equal-sized balls.
5. Place 1/4 cup flour on waxed paper.  Roll meatballs in flour, coating evenly.
6. Place meatballs in slow cooker.  Add chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Cover.  Cook on low 4-6 hours.
8. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp flour with remaining 1/2 cup milk (and a small amount of water if desired) until smooth.  Remove meatballs to warm platter.  Stir thickened milk into cooking juices until smooth.  Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes, or until juices are thickened.
9. Stir meatballs back into sauce and heat through.  Serve over noodles or rice. (I use No Yolks.)

Chicken Pomodoro

I found this recipe years ago on the Body for Life website.  Its really good and healthy for you.  I love the crust the seasonings make on the chicken.  Jon and I also did fish this way and it was very tasty and satisfying!

8 oz angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat pasta.)
2 egg whites
4 tsp Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Seasoning
1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb chicken breasts
2 TBSP olive oil
3 tomatoes, diced (or one 15 oz can)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3/4 tsp Italian herb seasoning
4 Tbsp red wine or chicken broth

1. Prepare angel hair pasta according to its package directions.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg whites.  In a pie plate, combine the Mrs. Dash seasoning and Parmesan cheese. (I actually put my seasoning into a gallon sized zip lock bag, threw the chicken in after dipping in the egg whites and smooshed together to coat.  Easier and less of a mess!)
3. Dip chicken into egg whites then into the seasoned Parmesan, coating both sides.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Place chicken breasts in skillet; cover and cook for approx 6 minutes; turn and cook for 6 more minutes until no longer pink in the center.  Then reduce heat to low.
5. Lightly coat another large skillet with cooking spray; saute tomatoes and bell peppers over medium heat until the peppers begin to soften, approx 3 minutes. (It took me a lot longer than 3 minutes!)   Stir in Italian seasoning and red wine, continue to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add pasta to the skillet with sauteed tomatoes and peppers; mix gently.
7. Remove chicken from skillet, let cool slightly, then slice. (I cut my chicken in slices before I put in the egg whites and seasoning and cooked them in the strips.)
8. Put over the pasta and Enjoy!!!!

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

This is such an easy and delicious recipe!  Its a Giada de Laurentiis that my neighbor discovered.  The lemon oil gives the shrimp a wonderful flavor.  I feel like I've rediscovered shrimp again.  You would think that being from South LA I'd be in love with shrimp but thats just not the case.  It's almost as if I had too much growing up that I've gotten tired of it.  In other words, it's not like me to order shrimp in a restuarant.  Well, after eating this recipe I realized how much I do love shrimp and can't wait to have it again!  In fact, after eating it with her I made it the same week for Jon. 

Ingredients

For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced (I used 1)
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp (I used extra jumbo shrimp.  Next time I may use more extra jumbo or smaller shrimp so we'll have more.)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups) (omitted. couldn't find in the grocery store.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the lemon oil:
Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.  Add the remaining cooking liquid. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Granny's Chili, Chicken Spaghetti.....What Could Be Better!

One of my BFF's from high school, Blair, gave me some fabulous recipes that are favorites in her house. 

Lets start with Granny's Chili.  This is her husband's grandmother's recipe....you seriously couldn't get easier.  There are very few ingredients in this chili and you just throw it together and let it simmer on the stove for an hour or more.  I seriously kept looking at the recipe thinking, "There isn't much to this but if Blair says it's good it must be good."  Sure enough....it's wonderful!!!

2 lbs ground meat (I used turkey)
1 lg. onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper chopped
1 can tomatoes (Rotel if you like some spice)
1 can tomato paste
1 can beef broth (I used chicken broth since I used ground turkey.)
3 T chili powder
2 T oregano
1 T cumin
1 T salt
2 cans pinto beans

Brown meet. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, saute and drain off fat. Add all other ingredients and simmer 1 hour. (Of course, the longer you simmer, the better it tastes, but in a pinch, 1 hour works great)


Now onto the chicken spaghetti.  This was really, really good.  She told me about this spaghetti she had at her supper club but said she can't seem to duplicate it and that something was missing.  On the other hand, her friend Anne has also remade the same recipe and still really liked it.  I think we figured out that it's b/c of the types of tomatoes and sauce that we used.  You see, it calls for the big can of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Both of us used the generic cans, whereas Anne bought the name brand, and you know how some things you just can't buy the "off brand"....well, this is that case.  When I opened my can of crushed tomatoes, it was sauce.  Seriously, nothing crushed about it.  The next day it was even better.  Jon actually added a little Italian seasoning to it and shredded the chicken (he's the king of adding ingredients to things that aren't supposed to be there and it drives me insane!) and it was even yummier.

Chicken Marinera
saute together:

1 cup olive oil (you can only use 1/2 cup and it'll be fine)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley (fresh)
1/4 cup sweet basil (fresh)
2 tbs oregano (dried)

Add:
1 lb 12 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 lb 12 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup tomato paste
bag of raw chicken strips (I used 8 chicken breasts cut into strips. Next time I'll probably shred too.)
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup sugar

Simmer for 1 or more hours.

Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti

Last week I must have been in the mood for spaghetti.  In my mind I was trying to think of good freezable foods so I made my list of two recipes and headed to the grocery.  Came back home only to realize it was for two spaghettis!  One is one that I make quite frequently and is my Mom's favorite.  It's a tomato base spaghetti out of Paula Deen's "Paula Deen & Friends" cookbook.  It is very easy, very good, and makes a ton.  Perfect for freezing! 

The other spaghetti is a chicken spaghetti casserole that I found on My Recipes.  This is turning into one of my new favorite websites.  The one thing that caught my eye is this recipe is prepared to make two casseroles in 8 in casserole dishes.  Perfect for me....Tay and I can eat one and I can throw the other in the freezer.  Turned out that Jon was home for dinner this one particular night so I threw it all into an 11x13 dish.  My one suggestion for this dish is to cut the veggies up finely.  I don't know if it's cause I put it in a bigger dish than what it called for but the veggies were a little crunchy.  It was still delicious though!



Chichen Spagetti

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used a rotessirie chicken from the grocery)
2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces (about 7 ounces)
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine broth, salt, pepper, and soup in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add soup mixture to chicken mixture; toss. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (8-inch) square or (2-quart) baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over each casserole. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Alice Jo's Spaghetti Sauce
 
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
 
 Brown the beef in a large, heavy bottomed pot, then drain off the fat.  Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, 1 cup water, and seasonings.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Let cool.  The sauce will keep for several days, covered, in the fridge.

Chicken Mediterranean Pasta

This recipe makes a ton! It says the serving size is 6 so they must mean 6 Jonathan's!!! Taylor had soccer yesterday so I made it around 3 so it'll be ready when we got back. I think the pasta soaked up all the juices but it was still really good. Anything with capers in it is yummy to me!

Chicken Mediterranean Pasta
Holly Clegg

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 (10 oz) can diced green chilies and tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (3 1/2 oz) bottle capers, drained
1 (2 1/4 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I omitted these; I love them but Jon doesn't)
1 (16 oz) package linguine pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely minced parsley

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add the basil, thyme, chilies and tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken. Season with the salt and pepper. Simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the capers and olives. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions, omitting any oil and salt. Drain and toss with the Parmesan cheese. Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 BIG servings

Calories 503 Fat 10.4

Chicken Lasagna

This lasagna was soooo good and I bet you can guess where I got this recipe. Yep...Mandi. Let me explain on why I have all these recipes if I haven't already. Mandi made a cookbook for everyone in her family and yes, I'm an extended part of that if she likes it or not, so she emailed it to me too. I need more Mandi!!!

Lasagna brings back memories of high school. My group of friends and I used to go to Blair's parent's house and make the best lasagna. (Blair you still have that recipe???) We would invite the group of guys we hung out with and try to win their hearts over. LOL You know they say that food is the key to a man's heart so we just started a little early. What great fond memories!!!

Chicken Lasagna

4 chicken breasts
3 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp Tony's seasoning
1 cube chicken broth or 1 cup
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes (blended in food processor)
2 cans 6 oz tomato paste
1 small can tomato sauce
1 package lasagna noodles
1 (10oz) Monterrey Jack cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese

Boil 2-3 cups water; add chicken and first 4 ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes covered. Shred chicken and add next 6 ingredients to meat and simmer uncovered until thick (45-60 minutes) stirring occasionally. Cook noodles, drain and rinse in cool water. Combine Monterrey Jack cheese with milk and next 4 ingredients. Place 1/2 the noodles in the pan, spread 1/2 cheese mixture, ass 1/2 mozzarella cheese and 1/2 meat mixtures. Repeat layers. Bake 375 for 10 minutes.

Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni

One of my favorite websites to go to for recipes is Kraft Foods. On their website you can sign up to get magazines sent to your house with wonderful recipes in it. Here's one that I cooked the other night and it was really good. It calls for Italian sausage. For people who are like me and don't like sausage and never tried Italian sausage before just try it. It has a sweet flavor to it and is really delicious.

4 cups rigatoni pasta (8oz) uncooked
1 lbs Italian sausage, cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing (I couldn't find this so I used Red Wine Vinaigrette)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta as directed on package
2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in large nonstick skillet; drain. Stir in onions and tomato paste; cover. Cook 15 minutes or until onion are tender and sausage is cooked through (170 F), stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing.
3. Toss sausage mixture with pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups

Comfort food week

One of the things I love about moving up here is the fact that I feel like a "semi" normal wife. When Jon travels so much I rarely cook b/c it's just Tay and I. It's such an awful excuse b/c I need to be cooking for the both of us. I blame myself for Tay being such a picky eater. I'm praying to break the pickiness with lots of home cooked meals! Now that Jon is home for dinner every night I've been cooking a lot more. At the beginning of the week, since it was kind of chilly, I cooked a White Chicken Chili from a low-fat cookbook called "Body for God". Good thing I've been trying to cook low fat b/c the meal I made today is nothing but fat....but boy is it delicious!!! (isn't everything fattening delicious!!!) This was a Shrimp Pasta...or "cheesy noodles" as Meredith calls them....that came from Mandi's family of WONDERFUL cooks. You can put shrimp, crawfish or chicken in it so I put chicken. WOW...it's good!!!!

So here are my two new recipes of the week....

White Bean Chili

1 lb dried large white beans soaked overnight in water, drained
6 cups chicken broth (you'll need more to add while beans are cooking)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
3 cups low fat cheese (cheddar or Monterrey jack)

Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and 1/2 the onion in a large soup pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more. Add more chicken broth if necessary. In a skillet, saute remaining onion in oil until tender/ Add chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and continue simmering 1 hour. Serve topped with grated cheese.

For buffet, serve with these condiments: chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, chopped scallions, fat free sour cream, salsa.

Serves 8-10


Shrimp Pasta

3 lbs shrimp (peeled)
1 lb tri-color spiral noodles (cooked)
16 oz Velveeta
1 cup Margarine (yes, I said 1 cup!)
1 TBSP Worcestershire
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1 TBSP salt & pepper

Melt margarine and mix in all herbs, Worcestershire, lemon juice & BBQ sauce. Pour over the shrimp in casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Melt the cheese with a little milk. Mix melted cheese, cooked pasta with the shrimp and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Dream Spaghetti

This is a Homemade Gourmet recipe that I tried last night. Boy Oh Boy was it delicious!!!!

8 ounces your choice spaghetti noodles/pasta
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I use the HG Spaghetti seasoning to make my sauce)
1 1/2 pounds cooked ground beef
8 ounces cottage cheese
4 ounces sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook your choice noodles/pasta following package directions and drain.
2. Combine sauce and cooked beef.
3. Combine cottage cheese and sour cream.
4. In 9X13 pan, layer bottom with cooked pasta, spread on cheese mixture, top with meat mixture, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes

Serves 6-8