Tomato Greek-y Tuscan-y Chicken over Quinoa

I am having a hard time appropriately naming this meal... it has a greek/tuscan flair to it, I suppose. The original recipe called for ground lamb, which I am dying to try. I added a bunch of veggies to this recipe that the original didn't call for for either, but I think the sauce makes a great base for anything!

Source: Inspired by Company's Coming: 30 Minute Weekday Meals
Serves: 6 large servings

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces and cooked
• 1 tbsp of oil (I used the oil of the sundried tomatoes for extra flavour)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 pkg of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 10 sundried tomatoes, sliced (about 1/2-3/4 c.)
• 1 can of asparagus
• feta

Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• s&p

Instructions:

1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Put the quinoa on, following the instructions on the package.
3. Cook the chicken in the skillet until browned on the outside and a tiny bit pink in the centre. Set aside.
4. Heat the oil. Soften the red onion and add mushrooms after about 5 mins. When the mushrooms release their liquid and are soft, deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and cook stiring continuously until the vinegar cooks down.
5. Add the sundried tomatoes, asparagus, sauce and chicken.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes and until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Serve over quinoa and top with crumbled feta.

Comments:

This was a big hit, especially for a quick week night meal. I was just kind of making it up as I went, so I was glad it turned out! The spices give this thick, hearty dish an interesting flavour. The original recipe called for spinach wilted in at the end instead of asparagus. I wanted to use up the asparagus, so I added it and cooked spinach as a side with some evoo and garlic. But, it would be great with spinach or even black olives (bleck, olives, one of the few foods I hate!) I can't wait to try this with ground lamb.

Salmon with Mango Sauce

Source: Company's Coming: 30-Minute Weekday Meals

Ingredients:

For salmon:

• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 4 salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Mango sauce:

• 1/2 can of mango in syrup, drained and juice reserved
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Combine the lime juice and sweet chili sauce together in a bowl. Brush it onto the salmon fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet. Add fillets and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, continuously brushing with the chili/lime sauce. I doubled the sauce recipe.
2. Mango sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Serve over salmon.

Comments:

This was SO GOOD! The salmon was crispy on the outside, but nice and moist on the inside. I served it with jasmine rice and snowpeas. I used the reserved mango juice to cook the rice and added the remainder of the mango (chopped), sliced green onion and chopped cilantro to the rice.

Chili Coconut Pork

Source: Company's Coming: 30-Minute Weekday Meals

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp cornstartch
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced against the grain
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 peppers, julienned
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger root (or 1/2 tsp ground)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed chilies
• 1-14 oz (398mL) can of light coconut milk
• 1/2 c. mango chutney
• 1 c. frozen peas

Instructions:

1. Stir water into cornstartch in a small cup/bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook the pork until slightly pink. Set aside.
3. Add more oil, vegetables and spices. Cook for a couple of mins, until the spices are fragrant and the veggies are starting to soften.
4. Add the coconut milk and the chutney. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 mins.
5. Add the pork, peas and cornstartch mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of mins, until the sauce thickens and the peas are cooked.
6. Garnish with sliced green onion, serve and enjoy!

Comments:

I served this over brown rice with a side of broccoli. It would be delicious over basmati or jasmine rice. The broccoli side wasn't really necessary, as there were enough veggies in the dish, but I needed to use it up :) The flavour was very nice and light. I might use spicier chutney instead of mild next time or some red pepper flakes, because I did find it a teensy bit bland. Over all, this was very good and a quick weeknight meal.

Old-Fashioned Raspberry Squares

OLD-FASHIONED RASPBERRY SQUARES

Source: Inspired by www.skinnytaste.com
Servings: 24


Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• Raspberry jam (any kind of fam or pie filling will do!)
• Icing sugar (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in.
3. Add the flour, one cup at a time.
4. Pour the batter into the greased, rectagular pan. It will be quite thick and you will need to use a spatula to spread it around a little. "Score" it into 24 squares (4 x 6). Scoring basically means to take a toothpick or a small knife and mark off the 24 squares on the top of the batter, so you know where to put the filling.
5. Put a tsp of jam or filling in each square.
6. Bake for 30-35 mins. Remove from oven. Cool, cut, serve and enjoy :)

Comments:

We have coffee hour after Church every Sunday and I wanted to make something to bring. I saw this recipe while browsing one of my favorite cooking websites, "Skinny Taste". The squares reminded me of something my grandmother made, so I decided they fit the bill perfectly. The original recipe called for cherry pie filling, skinny taste used strawberry pie filling and I used raspberry jam! Basically, you can use any pie filling or jam. I am looking forward to trying blueberry.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

CROCKPOT SALSA CHICKEN
Source: My variation of a popular internet recipe

Ingredients:

• 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 jar of salsa

Instructions:

1. Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot and top with the salsa and the taco seasoning.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Shred.

Comments:

This mexican flavoured shredded chicken can be used in so many ways... for taco's, burritos, to top salad or my favorite, in Mexican Rice and Beans.

Mexican Black Beans and Rice

MEXICAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Source: Moi!
Servings: A lot, probably 8?

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. uncooked brown rice (cooks up to about 2.5 cups)
• Crockpot salsa chicken (or ground beef/chicken/turkey, cooked in taco seasoning)
• 1 jar of salsa (if you don't use the crockpot salsa chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Possible toppings:

• Low-fat shredded cheese
• Fat-free sour cream
• Guacamole
• Shredded lettuce (to make a salad)
• Chopped green onion
• Black olives
• Tortilla (to make a burrito)

Instructions:

1. Make the crockpot taco chicken or ground meat. Make the brown rice.
2. In a skillet, cook the onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic in the olive oil until the veggies are soft.
3. Add the corn, black beans, chicken (or meat and salsa) and diced tomatoes. Cook until heated through.
4. Add the rice and mix everything up. Cook, stirring regularly until heated through.
5. Serve with toppings, over rice or in a tortilla as a burrito.

Comments:

This recipe is very flexible. We jokingly call it "mexican dump" because you can dump in a variety of ingredients and use them up. Sometimes, I use the crockpot salsa chicken, other times I use ground beef cooked with a packet of taco seasoning and sometimes I leave out the meat altogether. You can also use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Best Ever Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
Source: Me!
Servings: 8 (or 6 big ones :)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 c. brown rice, cooked (or whatever 1 c. uncooked makes)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 can of mushrooms, drained (or 1 package of fresh sliced mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp jarred garlic
• 1 can of Campbell's low-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. milk (I used 1/2 the soup can)
• 1 c. fat-free or low-fat sour cream
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• salt and pepper (I like lots of fresh ground black pepper in this)
• 2 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook diced chicken and rice, if you aren't using leftovers.
3. While they are cooking, dice carrots, celery and onion (mushrooms too, if using fresh). Cook the vegetables in a pan until they are soft. Add garlic and the canned mushrooms at the end and cook for about a minute.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the chicken, rice, vegetables, soup, sour cream, milk, dry mustard, s&p and 1 c. of the cheddar.
5. Pour it into a large greased rectangular pan, like your lasagna pan. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 mins if ingredients are already warm, 30-40 if cold.

Comments:

I have a cold and had a hankering for creamy comfort food. I had chicken breasts thawed and the other ingredients are things I always have on hand. The KEY to this recipe is the dry mustard. It might sound crazy, but it doesn't make it taste mustardy at all, trust me, because I LOATHE mustard. It just gives it it a nice kick. Using all low-fat and fat-free ingredients, due to the vegetable content, this is a pretty light recipe too!

You could totally use leftover chicken or turkey too. I would keep the onion/carrot/celery veggie base, because it gives it a nice flavour, but you could definitely add chopped peppers, corn, broccoli, etc...