Cilantro Chicken

picture source taken from recipe source

 

Easy.


Delicious.


And get this...I hate chicken left over...I loved this one the next day as much as I did straight off the grill.


I didn't pound the chicken breast flat...I just left them the way they were.  I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl and then put it in a large ziploc bag with the partially frozen chicken breasts and left it overnight.


I didn't measure...surprise surprise.


Seriously...so good!


Recipe Source

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

picture source same place as recipe source

I was craving these for a few weeks and since no one wanted to make them for me, I decided that the only way I'd be satisfied is to suck it up and do it myself.



I did make the meatballs from scratch with ground turkey.


I added mini corn when I added the green peppers and garnished with green onions.  I served mine over brown rice.


Next time I think I would maybe double the sauce just because I love my sauce!  I'm saucy....what can I say.


Taste Of Home always comes through!

Soft Chicken Taco with Avacado Salsa

Like I said....me and my knock off Mexican food....it really is my favorite. 



That and greek food.  I need more greek food in my life.


I need to go back to trying new things...that's what I need.  The lack of recipe posts totally reflects my lack kitchen time.


Anyways...this one was really easy.


I love these kind of recipes because they are so easy to change up and make your own to what you have on hand.


I cooked the chicken in my slow cooker with broth and salsa during the day while I was at work.


When I got home I shredded it and put it back in the slow cooker to keep it warm while I prepped the rest of the food.


I made an avocado salsa...which is just like my pico de gallo but with avocados and a little less tomatoes.


I warmed up the tortillas, put the chicken in with shredded cheese and lettuce and then served it with the avocado salsa.


Perfect.


And easy.

Fried Tacos

 

picture from Pioneer Woman

I was in Kelowna this past weekend and I was craving tacos.  Since I try to get my way as much as I possibly can, I pushed for these to be made on Saturday night.

I didn't have to push very hard....everyone was up for it.

In her instructions she says it's best if you can do an assembly line type thing with these....ummm...yes...you want that.  They were easy to make, but would have been near impossible or highly stressful to do on your own.  We had 3 of us and it was perfect.

Also, Ree is correct....they are VERY messy to make, however....worth every little bit of mess.  They were delicious!!  I loved them.

We used her suggestion with wrapping them in paper towel to shake out the grease and it totally worked...they were not greasy at all!

Our only changes were we used flour (instead of corn) tortillas (small...you definitely want small or medium) and we used a pico de gallo instead of having just tomatoes and Tracey made a guacamole to go with them....oh and we skipped the hot sauce.

I highly recommend these!

Go to Pioneer Woman to print it off for your next group dinner!

Broccoli and Alfredo Stuffed Potato

A match made in heaven.  This was so good!  It's worth every calorie!!


This one is brought to you by Tasty Kitchen...of course.


I baked my potato in the oven, because I love the crispy skin you get from doing it directly on the oven rack.  I steamed my broccoli on the stove top and I also heated up my alfredo sauce in a small pot....yes....I bought the jar stuff.   I hardly ever have alfredo, so I've never really learned how to make a good sauce from scratch.  The jar stuff was perfect!  I pretty much followed the recipe.


I served it with grilled chicken breast that I had marinated in a honey mustard rosemary marinade that I sort of just made up and threw together....really easy...

- dijon grainy mustard
- honey
- lemon juice
- rosemary
- garlic
- slowly drizzle olive oil while beating

marinate.  easy peasy.


Delicious meal!!


PS...took my own picture...again! Loving the longer days!

Chicken and Cheese Tostadas

Can you tell I love Mexican food?  I'm pretty sure I make something like this once a week.


This one is super easy and pretty quick too....and guess what...it's not from Tasty Kitchen.


I can thank Kraft Canada for this one.  I love the seasoned baked tortillas with the topping...it makes for the perfect crunch needed.


Here are the changes I made...

First...please stop wasting your money on buying the taco flavoring packs.  You probably have most of the ingredients in the cupboard...so make your own.  I used a taco seasoning recipe I posted awhile ago, but left out the flour this time.

You don't need to measure out how much to sprinkle on your tortillas..just lightly sprinkle some on.

I used 3 chicken breast halves and that made enough for 5 good size servings.

I only had 2 large tomatoes...which seemed to be enough.

Don't be a sucker and go buy the "kraft shredded cheese"  shred your own.  I had monterey jack, so that's what I used.

The chicken took longer than 5 minutes...but it still was a quick dinner.


If you have any questions...just ask!


I loved this one!!  Loved it!

Fast Chicken Quesadillas

Here is what you need...

I use the same cooked chicken and pico de gallo that I use when I make my burritos.



Put a good layer of cheese on your tortillas

Then add your chicken, corn and beans

Scoop some pico de gallo on 

Top with more cheese...and yes...I did end up adding cheddar (I ran out of Monterey Jack)

Put another tortilla on top

Grill or fry or bake and serve with sour cream

Delicious!

Sesame Chicken

I feel like such a fraud....another picture I did not take.  Here's the thing...When I'm making dinner, it's dark outside and we only have flourescent lighting in our kitchen...not good, right?  I think I need to build myself a light box or something.


Anyways...I made this for dinner last night.  I loved it! Of course, I love all things sesame...unless it's sesame pie...I don't like pie.  Is there such a thing as sesame pie?


Okay...that is not the point.  I found this recipe on good ol' Martha Stewarts page. You can go there to print it off.


The changes I made were pretty small.  I used white rice instead of brown, because that's what I had.  I also read in the comments to double the sauce, which I did and I'm glad I did...so good on the rice!  I also used toasted sesame seeds.


Some of the comments said it lacked flavour, but I didn't find that.  Maybe the ones who said that, didn't double the sauce...I don't know.


Anyways...super easy perfect weekday meal.

Easiest Chicken Burrito

A perfect busy night meal.  You don't need sides with this, because it is filling all on it's own....and delicious as leftovers.


I've been craving Mexican a lot lately so I decided to step out of my taco/quesadilla comfort zone and do something different.


I totally cheated on this one and bought some boxed products...I never buy boxed products...however, when I'm out of the house for 10 hours a day 5 days a week, I figure it's okay to do this from time to time.


Okay...are you ready?  It's super easy...it goes quick so pay attention.


In the morning throw some chicken breasts into your slow cooker with chicken broth and salsa.  You can add some taco seasoning if you want.  I added cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and onion salt.  I left it alone for the day and shredded it when I got home.

Follow the box directions to make some Mexican rice...or make your own from scratch, if you're like that.

Then heat up some refried beans...

Clean some chopped up lettuce....and if you're classy like me, serve it in the salad spinner.  I keep it real around here.

Shred some cheese.  I would of rather done some monterey jack, but cheddar is what I had.  Also....if you're serving your lettuce in the spinner, serve your cheese in the container you grate it into....it helps with the effect of it all.

Make some pico de gallo....I love pico de gallo.  You can add jalapenos to yours but I didn't have any.

Put the hot chicken, rice and beans in a warmed up tortilla wrap.  I added way too much here...

Add your lettuce, cheese and pico de gallo...

and enjoy. 

You can totally serve it up with sour cream, if that's how you roll.


This was so good!  I loved it!


Let me know if you try it.



Linked this post to...
Beat The Winter Blues - Comfort Food

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

Yes, I have them in a pasta bowl.  Yes, it is sitting on a desk.  The pictures I took at home the night I made it looked horrible due to dark lighting (my kitchen really needs some better lighting).  Since I always have my camera in my bag and I made these at work for lunch one day, I decided to use that picture.  We have great lighting at work.  I have them in a bowl because "someone" in our office never cleans his plates, so I'm stuck using the dishes he doesn't....which means...bowls.


Anyways...that kind of complaining and what not is for my other blog.


I love Mexican food, however, I get tired of the old standby typical food, so when I find a new way to try out some tacos or something, I'm all for it.


I got this one from allrecipes.  You can go there to print it off.


I follow don't alter the recipe too much.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is not going to win you any culinary awards and it isn't the most beautiful dish you have ever prepared, however...it has flavour...and it's easy.


Embarrassingly easy....but we all need dishes like these.  Especially on busy nights or "I don't feel like spending lots of time in the kitchen" nights...


Yeah...you know what I'm talking about.


There is no "printable" version of this because there is no real recipe.  I have no idea where I got this idea from, but I've been doing this for years....I probably read it somewhere.

You start with some cooked chicken (this was about 2 breasts) that are just seasoned with salt and pepper.

Then you add some slightly undercooked potatoes...or potatoes that have completely cooled.  Mine were actually still warm and a bit mushy, so I didn't mix them in with the mixture...I put them in the crust first, then poured my mixture on top.

Because when I make this I'm extra lazy, I just use powdered versions of these...look....I'm so lazy I can't even refill the garlic salt...no wait...it's powder....apparently I'm cheap too...

Add some veggies.  I use a frozen vegetable mixture that I've thawed out....and by thawed out, I mean let hot water run over them until they are not frozen.

Then I added a can of cream of chicken soup and I added a can of cream of mushroom too, but it was no name brand and I was too embarrassed to take a picture of it....but then I told you anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter now.

Get one package of this...

Pour your mixture into one of the crusts.  Sometimes when I'm feeling extra naughty, I'll add shredded cheese at this point.  I did not deserve it tonight...so no cheese.  I put it on a cookie sheet to save my oven from spillage.

Take the second crust out of the tin plate and put it over top....pinch the edges.  You can try to make it look pretty, but I didn't feel like it.  Pierce some holes in the top

I baked mine at 400F for 40ish minutes.  You want to know the inside is hot and bubbly and the crust is nicely browned...

and if you're fancy like us, you just scoop it out with a serving spoon...

Enjoy!!

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade - This was so good! I just dumped all the ingredients into a large ziploc bag, cubed the chicken and dumped it in the bag and put it in the fridge for a bit. You don't have to marinate it very long if you don't have time. I didn't measure anything, but I'll type out what the recipe calls for. Quantities should vary according to how much chicken you use.

2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves (I just crushed 2 or 3 garlic cloves and then rough chopped them and threw them into the marinate)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
chicken breast meat, cubed

Put all ingredients into a ziploc bag and shake until chicken is coated.

Use soaked bamboo skewers (unless you have metal ones) and grill (we actually did them in the oven because the bbq wasn't in commission). Cook until chicken is no longer pink.


Here is a link to the printable marinade recipe.

Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Salad

I made this last week and it was so good and so easy that I can't help but share it with you. I got the recipe off the internet somewhere (not my usual allrecipes.com) and tweaked it into my own.

It's nice and light for summer. It doesn't require heating up your entire house by using the oven and you don't need to slave over the stove top either. I love these kind of recipes for when the weather gets nicer.

Things You'll Need:
2 boneless skinless chicken breats
1 small jar of artichoke hearts, drained
3 tbsp parmesan cheese (not that powder crap you find on the shelf)
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1 tbsp of grainy mustard
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup italian dressing (I make my own, which tastes way better than store bought...you can find that recipe here)
spring salad mix
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 large bottle of favorite wine (or box if you're into that)

1. open bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass and drink it
2. butterfly chicken breast, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
3. preheat grill to medium high heat
4. grill chicken...keep an eye on it. it's a thin piece so it shouldn't take too long and you don't want dry chicken. so just stand over it and have another glass of wine.
5. when it's done, remove to a plate to let cool a bit.
6. sit down and have another glass of wine
7. julienne red pepper, cut the artichoke hearts in quarters (unless the pieces in the jar are small enough)
8. in a large bowl combine italian dressing, parmesan, dijon and grainy mustard. whisk together until completely blended.
9. slice the chicken in strips and add to dressing
10. add peppers and artichokes to chicken mixture and toss to coat
11. put salad on plate and add chicken, pepper, artichoke and dressing mixture on top
12. enjoy with the rest of your wine

It's perfect isn't it?

Let me know if you try it or have any versions of it.

On another note, tonight's dinner was DEEEEEEEEEEE licious. Stay tuned for that recipe!
Print it from here.

Lemon Ginger Chicken

I made Lemon Ginger Chicken with rice and beets. I've gotten so sick of chicken that I can't eat it anymore. Tonight, however, I loved it. It was so good!! I decided to share the recipe with you. Let me know if you try it and how it turned out.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp. olive oil (I had to skip this because I'm not allowed fat and it totally worked)

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. finely grated gingerroot (I didn't have this, so I just used ground ginger)
1 tsp. lemon zest (skipped because I didn't have it and it was plenty lemony enough)
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Pound chicken to about 1/4 inch thickness. Combine flour, salt and pepper on a large plate. Press both sides of chicken into flour mixture until coated.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan on medium high. Add chicken and cook 2-4 minutes on each side until it's no longer pink inside. Put on a plate and cover. Reduce heat to medium.

Add chicken broth, lemon juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, lemon zest and mustard to the same frying pan. Heat and stir, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of pan, until boiling.

Stir the second amount of broth into cornstarch in small cup. Add to lemon juice mixture. (I found I actually needed to use a bit more cornstarch and broth to get it to thicken). heat and stir until boiling and thickened. Reduce heat to medium low, add chicken, turn to coat both sides and cook for just a couple of minutes more until heated through.

And that's it! Easy easy!


Print from here.

Roasted Chicken with Risotto and Caramelized Onions

Sounds fancy but super easy...


It was so freakin' good. Worth the time (and it does take lots of it...and lots of patience) and worth the effort. Michelle and I made this for Ben on Friday. I have leftovers in the freezer and I'm hoping it tastes as good for lunch tomorrow. I dream about this dish. It comes to me in my sleep and tries to entice me into eating it in the middle of the night.


I'm not going to type out the whole recipe because you can find it here and print it off yourself.


Here are the changes I would suggest...

First...it takes way longer than it tells you. Give yourself a good 1 1/2 hours from start to finish. Be patient, don't try to cut corners or make short cuts. It's worth the sore feet at the end. Only add more broth to it as the previous amount is totally absorbed. It goes from looking sticky and weird to creamy and delicious, so use the full 7 cups of hot broth.

Second...don't buy a roast chicken, unless you have left overs. Just grill, fry, bake up some chicken breasts and chop 'em up. If you're going for a "pretty" looking dinner, I would suggest keeping it out of the risotto and just grill up some breasts and serve them sliced over top of the risotto.

We added broccoli to our mixture...I probably would leave it out next time and serve it on the side. Some grilled or steamed chopped asparagus would be really good to add to it.

We added some parmesan at the end with the butter.

I think that's it.

Seriously though...this was shockingly delicious. I will for sure make it over and over and over again....but probably on a weekend or for guests because it's time consuming for a weekday dinner for just Ben and I.

It is easy though...so don't be afraid to try it.

Strawberry Pork (but I use Turkey) Salad

I will be making this salad every week for the rest of my life.


Yes...I love it that much.

It's in the "Meal Salads" cookbook by Company's Coming. If you are going to go out and buy a cookbook...I HIGHLY recommend this one. There are so many great recipes...and such a variety of ones too.


This one is super easy, super quick and super refreshing for summer.


Super.


Super super.


Yes...that.


3/4lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat (I used turkey...you could also use chicken)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp strawberry jam, warmed
2 tbsp white balsamic (or white wine) vinegar (I used regular dark balsamic vinegar)
1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper

8 cups spring mix lettuce, lightly packed
2/3 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (I did not use these...most of you know my opinion of nuts)
1/3 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup thinly sliced sweet onion (I only had regular onions, so that's what I used)
3 oz goat (chevre) cheese, cut up (I just used feta...love feta)


The first step in the cookbook tells you how to cook the meat and grill it and all that stuff. It gives instructions on how to do it in the oven if it's too cold to bbq. I'm going to skip that paragraph and just tell you to cook it up until it's done. Season it with salt and pepper, and grill it. Easy...right? You don't need me to tell you how to cook the meat.


When it's done, slice it thinly.


Whisk next 4 ingredients in small bowl.


OR...this is what I do....so easy and mess free...
When I make dressings I put all the ingredients in a canning jar, put the lid on tight and shake it.


Shake like you've never shaked before.


It's best when done with music and you shake your whole body with it. Sing too...makes the food taste better.


Trust me.


I know these things.


Now where was I? Oh yes...recipe.


Toss remaining 6 ingredients and pork in an extra-large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil mixture. Makes about 10 cups.


I actually skip that step. Since it's just Ben and I and we always have left overs, I don't like to pre mix salads because then they get soggy for the next day. I just get all ingredients ready and put them in separate bowls and then Ben and I each build our own salad. It works perfectly and that way he can leave out all the extra feta I would add to mine....I love feta.


Mmmm....feta.


Now go make it.


You can thank me later.



Print it from here.

Summer Spinach Salad

Fresh! Easy! Delicious! Colourful! Perfect in every way....not unlike myself...


This was so so SOOO good! Yes...yes it was. And you guessed it..."Meal Salads" by Company's Coming. Can you tell it's my newest cookbook??




1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (I really have no idea how much a pound of them are...I generally use 1 chicken breast half per person and that turns out to be more than enough)
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

6 cups fresh spinach leaves, lightly packed
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese
1/4 cup pistachios (let's not talk about how I had to take the shell off them...it traumatized me. I can't seem to find them with the shell off...do they come like that anywhere?)

3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard (I used grainy mustard)
2 tsp liquid honey
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until done (yes the recipe goes into great detail to tell you how to grill....I'm going to assume you know how to grill chicken). Transfer to cutting board. Cool. Cut into 1/2" slices. Transfer to large bowl.

Add next 6 ingredients.

Whisk remaining 7 ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle over spinach mixture. Toss gently. Makes about 9 cups.


Here's the thing...if the weather isn't nice to grill outside, we just fry or use a grill pan inside...or put it in the oven. As long as the chicken is cooked, I don't think it matters how you do it...in any recipe. Grilling just has the best flavour....mmm.

Also, I never wait for it to cool. I like the warm chicken with the cool salad.

I also always keep the dressing separate from the salad mix and let us each add our own. Most of the time, I do that with the chicken or whatever meat I'm using....I leave it to the side to let us add how much we want.

Because I'm cooking for only 2 of us, I never measure and use the quantities in recipes. Most of the time it's easy enough to eyeball and figure it out.


Go try it now...You can thank me later!


Print it from here.

Sweet Thai Chili Chicken

Years ago at Cactus Club I had a version of these and I loved them. So I went home at attempted them and they turned out perfect. Then I went to Joey's in Kelowna and they had a different version of it, theirs had cucumbers in it....so so good. So that's how I started making them at home. Well, last year at Phoenix in Abbotsford, I tried a whole other version, theirs had wonton crisps...exactly what my recipe was missing. So you can probably guessed what I did next.

I made it for dinner last week and took on the challenge of photographing each step to make it easy for you. Yeah...so dinner takes twice as long to cook this way and my camera is covered in flour. I don't think I'll try that very often....it's just too hectic.

Anyways...here it is for you. I don't have quantities because I pretty much made up the recipe from just trying it at random restaurants.


Preheat oven to 350 or 375ish....somewhere around there.

This is how you make your wonton crisps (which make a great snack on their own)...

get a stack of wonton wrappers

and cut them into strips

line a cookie sheet with parchment paper


I always start by trying to make them look pretty by curling them

then I get impatient and end up just ripping them and putting them on there flat

spray the wonton wrapers with Pam

then sprinkle them with seasonings of your choice...I find sesame seeds and salt work well with this recipe, but if you're just making a snack, you could do garlic, parmesan, dill...anything you want really...you also wouldn't need to cut them into strips, you could leave them whole for snacking

bake them about 5-8ish minutes...check them frequently, they burn quick...some of these turned out a little too brown. I was too busy snapping pictures to notice my house filling up with smoke. You want them a nice golden brown

now onto the chicken part

get a bowl or plate of flour ready

chop your chicken into bite size pieces and coat them in the above mentioned flour

heat oil in frying pan

fry chicken until crispy and golden brown

meanwhile chop up some green onions...don't worry...different cutting board from the one I used for the chicken

and cucumber

get out your sweet thai chili sauce...I don't like this brand as much as the one I normally buy, but they didn't have my "normal" stuff so I got this one

dump it on your chicken...add as much as you want according to the level of spice you like. I don't like anything spicy so I add just enough to coat it. When it's all heated through...

toss it with your crisps, green onions and cucumbers and serve...mmmm...

See...easy! Let me know if you try it or if you have some other version of it!


Printable and not very detailed version here.