Chinese Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Here is another great light flavorful salad from Weight Watchers.

Chinese Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Weight Watchers

3 (5 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 star anise
5 whole black peppercorns
1 quarter-size slice fresh ginger
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 medium head (about 1 pound) Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
1/3 onion, very thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

Combine the chicken, broth, water, star anise, peppercorns, and ginger slice in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is nearly cooked through-about 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered for 7 more minutes.
Drain the chicken, reserving the liquid for another use.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized strips.
Meanwhile, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, jalapeno pepper, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and minced ginger in a large bowl.
Add cabbage, onion, and bell pepper and toss.
Add the chicken and toss again.
Serve immediately, or cover and chill for up to 2 hours ahead.

Per serving (2 cups)=3 points

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

This was my recipe for our cooking group the Summer Weekend Wizards. My mother-in-law gave us lots of fresh vegetables from her garden, and I knew this was a perfect recipe to use them.

The recipe comes from Cooking Light. You can view the recipe here:
Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Chinese Orange Barbecue Cashew Chicken

I saw this recipe on the Rachael Ray Show. It looked quick, easy, and full of flavor. It was right on the money!!

Chinese Orange Barbecue Cashew Chicken
from Rachael Ray

2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (added)
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cashews
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add oil to the pan.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken to the pan and stir fry for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add the pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan and stir fry for 4 minutes.
Mix the hot sauce, soy sauce, hoisin, marmalade, and stock together in a small bowl.
Add the chicken, sauce, and cashews to the pan.
Heat for 2 minutes.
Serve over white rice and garnish with the scallions.

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup

This recipe is from the Weekend Wizards cooking group. The original recipe is to be made in a crock pot. I am afraid to leave mine on when I'm not at home (I had one crack once), so I just made this soup on the stove. This is a great, fast, and flavorful soup. I added some extra spice and some lime juice to give it a nice kick and it was perfect!!
The original recipe can be found here http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/salsa-chicken-and-black-bean-soup.html

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup
with my changes

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb chicken breast
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen corn
16oz jar salsa
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 fresh cilantro, chopped
optional toppings:shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips

Heat dutch oven on medium heat and add oil and chicken.
Cook about 8 minutes, then flip breast over and cook for another 8 minutes.
Remove chicken from the pan.
Add bell pepper and corn and saute for 3 minutes.
Dice chicken and add back to pan.
Add cumin, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and salsa.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

I topped each bowl with cheese and crushed blue tortilla chips.

Chicken Jalfrezi

I hate Sandra Lee from the food network (think tablescapes, matching kitchen decorations and her clothing to the food for some elaborate theme). She has a program that uses store bought ingredients and she adds something to make them more special. I had to post this recipe because it is something that I can throw together quickly for a weeknight meal when I am craving Indian food (which is almost anytime).

Chicken Jalfrezi
1 tbsp oil
1 lb chicken breast
1 green bell pepper
2 roma tomatoes
2 scallions ( I normally use 1/2 of a large red onion)
1 15oz jar Patak's Jalfrezi cooking sauce
pinch of cumin
pinch of coriander
pinch of tumeric
pinch of garlic powder
5-6 red chilies (we like things spicy)
salt and pepper
steamed white rice

Heat large skillet or wok on medium heat.
Dice chicken into bite size chunks and season with salt and pepper.
Add oil and chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
Dice green pepper, tomato, and onion and add to the pan.
Cook for 3-4 more minutes.
Add cooking sauce, spices, and chilies to pan.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve with steamed white rice.

Penne with Chicken, Artichokes, and Peppers

This is a pasta dish that I used to make all the time, but I had forgotten about it. It is quick and easy for a weeknight and makes great leftover for lunch the next day.

Penne with Chicken, Artichokes, and Peppers

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb penne noodles
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
14oz can artichokes hearts
12oz jar roasted red peppers
1 & 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet on medium high.
Dice chicken into 1 inch chunks and saute for about 5 minutes and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in same skillet.
Dice onion and mince garlic and add to skillet.
Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Drain red peppers, dice and add to skillet.
Saute for 1 minute.
Add chicken broth to skillet and cook for 2 minutes.
Add pasta, chicken, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat and add cheese.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This is a quick meal that I don't feel guilty about eating. It is flavorful and the lettuce gives this dish a nice bit of crunch.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 lb chicken breast

1 red bell pepper

1/4 red onion

1 jalapeno

2 cloves garlic

2 scallions

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup garlic hoisin sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

head iceberg lettuce

Bake chicken breasts in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, and then cut into small dice.

Dice red pepper, onion, garlic, and jalapeno and saute on medium with the red pepper flakes for about 3 minutes (leaving the vegetables still crunchy).

Add chicken and vegetable mixture to mixing bowl and add chili sauce, hoisin, and soy sauce.

Dice the scallion and add to the chicken mixture.

Stir to evenly coat with sauce.

Serve chicken in individual iceberg lettuce leaves.

Place 2 spoonfuls of chicken mixture on lettuce and wrap and eat.

Green Tortilla Soup

I wanted another dish to use up some of the beer can chicken I made, and since it's fall I wanted a fast soup to make on a weeknight. I saw this soup on the Rachael Ray Show. It looked fast, easy, and delicious!!! The soup is "green" from tomatillos. On her show, she said you could use fresh tomatillos or salsa verde. I show salsa verde. Here is a link to the recipe. http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mean-green-tortilla-soup/

I am submitting this recipe to Joelen's blogging event Tasty Tools-Dutch Oven. Here is a link to her great blog with lots of blogging events to enjoy. http://joelens.blogspot.com/

Green Tortilla Soup

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

15oz can corn

4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

cooking spray

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb precooked shredded chicken

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp cumin

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

16oz jar salsa verde

2 cups cilantro, chopped

zest and juice of 2 limes

2 cups shredded jack cheese

1 avocado, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the tortilla strips onto a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Bake strips until crispy for about 8 minutes.

Preheat a dutch oven or large pot on medium-high heat.

Add oil, onion, garlic, and cumin to pot and cook until soft about 3-4 minutes.

Add corn and jalapenos.

Add salsa verde, stock, water, and chicken to pot.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and add cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.

To serve place some tortilla strips into bowl, add soup, and top with cheese and avocado.

Beer Can Chicken turned into Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

This week was my week to choose a recipe for our cooking group the Weekend Wizards, and we are following a fall theme this round. I chose to do a savory pumpkin dish. The recipe comes from Everyday Food from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living's cookbook Great Food Fast. Here is a link to the original recipe. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-enchiladas-with-pumpkin-sauce?autonomy_kw=enchiladad%20with%20pumpkin&rsc=header_15

Whole chickens were on sale at my grocery store this week, so I decided to make 2 beer can chickens and use the chicken in 2 dishes this week. Here is a link to my previous beer can chicken. http://courtcooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/beer-can-chicken.html

I changed to rub on the beer can chicken to 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic, and 1 tsp chili powder.

I made a terrible mess in the kitchen when I was preparing the pumpkin sauce!! I used my food processor to make the sauce (the recipe says to use a blender-guess I didn't read it good enough) and adding 2 & 1/2 cups of water was too much liquid for it too handle. Orange liquid filled my kitchen counter, and onto the floor. After cleaning up, I poured the remains into a BLENDER, added more chili powder, pumpkin, and water.

My husband loved the dish!! I had tried the pumpkin sauce before baking and was sure the dish was going to be a disaster. After cooking the sauce, it really complimented the chicken.

This dish can be assembled up to eight hours ahead of time; refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to bake (add a few minutes to the cooking time).

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

1 whole chicken-about 3-4 lbs (skin removed, and meat shredded)

6 scallions, thinly sliced

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

15oz can pumpkin puree

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 jalapeno chilies, quartered

2 tsp chili powder

8 corn tortillas (8")

1 & 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, scallions and season with salt & pepper.

Set mixture aside.

In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 & 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.

Pour 1 cup of the sauce into a 9x13 baking dish.

Spoon a mound of the chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla, and roll into a log and place seam side down in the dish.

Pour the remaining sauce on top, and cover with cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden brown, and sauce is bubbling-about 25-30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Peach Salsa and Mango Salsa

Here is another recipe from my Weekend Wizards group. It's Rachael Ray's Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa. I made grilled pork tenderloin and grilled chicken. I also made our favorite mango salsa. We had plenty of choices. I think the mango salsa would also be delicious on fish.




Here is a link to her original recipe http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/beef-pork-lamb-recipes/grilled-pork-chops-with-peachy-hot-salsa/article.html


Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa
by Rachael Ray
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
June-July 2008

Adapted by ME

3 peaches, peeled and halved
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 avocado, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 serrano chili, diced
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

Dice peaches and place in medium bowl.
Stir in avocado, onion, chili, parsley, sugar, and lime juice.
Grill pork tenderloin on medium high heat for 8-9 minutes on each side.
Check to see that the internal temperature is about 155 degrees.
Let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with peach salsa.

I would wait to add the avocado until the last minute, because the texture can get slimy if it sits too long.
I also served this with some grilled chicken.
I grilled to chicken breasts on medium high for about 9 minutes per side.
I also served this with my mango salsa.



Mango Salsa

2 mangos, diced
1 serrano chili, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
handful chopped cilantro

Combine above ingredients.

Green Curry Chicken with Zucchini

I found this recipe on Liz's Cooking Blog. She has many great recipes. I have been craving some good Thai food, and the idea of using zucchini sounded great. This dish really hit the spot!!

http://lizscookingblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/green-curry-chicken-with-zucchini.html

I also used some fresh basil from my mother-in-laws herb garden (now only if I could just get mine together).

Green Curry Chicken with Zucchini

1 14oz can lite coconut milk
3 tbsp green curry paste
1 lb chicken breast, cut in large pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks
6 Thai chilies, finely diced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
small handful of fresh basil

Serve with cooked rice.

Add curry paste to large wok over medium-high heat, and stir until fragrant.
Add 3/4 of can of coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil.
Add chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth, the rest of the milk, fish sauce, sugar, zucchini, and chilies to wok.
Continue to boil for 7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini are tender.
Stir in basil leaves, and serve with rice.

Curry Chicken Salad

I purchased some chicken breasts on sale, and wanted a nice way to spice them up. I grilled up two packages and used one for the chicken salad.

Curry Chicken Salad

1 lb chicken breasts
1 stalk celery
1 scallion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup grapes
1 cup mayo (I used fat free)
2 tsp curry powder (use more or less to taste)
serve on buns or on lettuce

Finely dice celery, scallion, and walnuts.
Slice grapes in half.
Dice the chicken into small chunks (use may also just shred the chicken by hand). Add chopped ingredients to mixing bowl with mayo and curry powder.
Mix until uniform.
I prefer this to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours so the flavors blend together.

Beer Can Chicken

I have been wanting to make this forever, and whole chickens were on sale this week so I knew I had to do it. We don't really drink beer in a can, so I pored a Smithwick's into a pop can!!

Beer Can Chicken

1 4-5 lb chicken
1/2-3/4 can beer (use Smithwick's)

spice rub of choice (here is close to what I used)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Take 3 big gulps of beer (so it is 1/2-3/4 full). Remove giblets from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle spice mixture inside and outside of chicken. Put any excess spice mixture in beer can. Roast at 350 degrees for 1 to 1& 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 165 at breast area & 180 at thigh. Rest bird for 10 minutes. Carefully remove bird from can and enjoy!!!

My Take on Red Robin's California Chicken Burger

I am addicted to Red Robin's California Chicken Burger, so I though it would be pretty easy to make my own version at home. I made it a little healthier by not adding the cheese and bacon. The avocado wasn't as ripe as I would have liked it to be, but it still hit the spot.

My California Chicken Burger

3 wheat buns
3 chicken breasts
1 small vidalia onion
1 avocado
romaine lettuce
mayonnaise
salt, pepper

Preheat grill on medium high. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken breasts about 9-10 minutes per side ( until reaches 165 degrees with meat thermometer). Also grill onion for about 5 minutes. Toast the buns for about 1 minute on upper grill rack. Assemble sandwich with chicken, grilled onion, lettuce, mayo, and mashed avocado.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

I am very happy that we are able to get the grill out and start enjoying some of our favorite grilled foods. I used a bottled honey mustard sauce, and marinated the chicken for about 30 minutes. The flavor was great!! I love grilled chicken. It stays so moist and juicy on the inside. It can't be beat.



Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

3 chicken breasts
1 cup honey mustard sauce (and some extra for drizzling over chicken)
pinch and salt and pepper

Combine the honey mustard and chicken breasts in a food storage bag, and marinade for 30 minutes. Preheat grill on medium high. Place chicken on grill (discard any excess marinade), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on each side for about 10 minutes (these breasts were huge). Check with meat thermometer to make sure meat is about 165 degrees. Let meat rest for 5 minutes. Then drizzle with some extra honey mustard.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

Here is a quick weeknight curry dish. It was colder and rainy today in Ohio, and I wanted a meal with some spice in it to get us through the evening.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 can bamboo shoots
1 15oz can light coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
5 thai chilies

Roast the chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Meanwhile dice the green pepper into 1 inch pieces. Saute green pepper, and curry paste in large skillet for 3-4 minutes. Add half the can of coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. When chicken is ready, dice and add to pan. Add the rest of the coconut milk, chilies, and bamboo shoots and heat through. Serve with steamed rice.