Grilled Chicken and Barley Salad

Ugh....summer cooking. I just....don't. It's so much work. Fortunately, this one was easy, and only seems like it takes a long time. Most of it is just letting things cook while you watch Netflix in front of the fan. This was also the first time I have cooked with barley. It's pretty good, actually, and takes the same amount of time as regular rice. Original recipe here, which I followed with just a few tweaks.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, fat cut off
1/2 cup barley*
1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup fresh or thawed corn
3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup minced red onion
2-3 Tlbs cooked, chopped bacon**
10-12 leaves of basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Vinaigrette/Marinade
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1.5 Tlbs olive oil
1 Tlbs water
1 Tlbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tlbs red onion
salt and pepper

Directions:
Put the marinade ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Put 1/4 of vinaigrette/marinade into a plastic bag, add the chicken breast, and toss it in the fridge. Set aside the other 3/4 of the vinaigrette. Heat the broth and barley until it's boiling, then put a lid on the pan and turn it to low. Let it simmer, untouched, for 40 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and fluff the barley with a fork. Drain well and let it cool. Put the corn, cherry tomatoes, onion, bacon, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl. When the barley is cooled down, add it and the remaining vinaigrette to the bowl and toss well. Meanwhile, grill  the chicken until done, then let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

*I used pearl barley.
**I used previously cooked turkey bacon because I had it, she used 3-4 strips.

This was good, and like I said, really easy. I probably spent 10 minutes doing hands on chopping and prep and it was a good summer dish.

Rating: 4/5
Why? I'm not sure how I feel about the marinade being used on the chicken. I might not do that next time.

Chicken Francese (Lemon Chicken)

Sometimes you look at the chicken and potatoes in front of you on the counter and you just feel uninspired and unmotivated. If I'm not careful, that will end up as a trip to Taco Time, so usually I try to plan my meals at least a week ahead of time (which also makes for faster shopping trips and less $ spent). Sometimes that still leaves me uninspired, or with a recipe that takes more time than I am willing to spend, so I'll browse pinterest, which is where I found this recipe. I've made it a couple of times now, and it's definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1-2 Tlbs whole wheat flour
1 egg white, beaten
olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tlbs white wine vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 Tlbs whole wheat flour
fresh ground black pepper
1 Tlbs fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp coconut oil*

Directions:
Slice the chicken breast in half by laying it flat, putting your hand on top of the chicken breast, and using a sharp knife to carefully slice the chicken horizontal to your hand. This will give you two thinner slices of chicken (cutlets). Put the flour in one small bowl and the beaten egg whites in another bowl. In a third bowl, put the lemon, white wine vinegar, chicken broth, 2 Tlbs whole wheat flour, black pepper, parsley and coconut oil. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, with a small amount of olive oil (if necessary). When the pan is hot, dip the chicken in flour, then in egg white, then saute it for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan, and pour in the lemon mixture. Heat it, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken, then add the chicken back into the pan for a minute or two. Serve by putting the chicken on a plate and spooning a small amount of sauce over the top.

*the coconut oil can be switched out with butter...melt the butter first if you use butter. There is absolutely no coconut taste if you use coconut oil instead and it tastes just as rich.

This is really good and very light. It's even better served with these roasted potatoes (which I've also modified slightly). I changed her recipe a little bit - reduced it by fourths (her recipe is for 12 cutlets), replaced the white wine with white wine vinegar, cut out the salt, cut down the amount of lemon, cut out the lemon slices altogether, and replaced the butter with coconut oil. I like lemon, but this was really strong the first time I made it. It is important to do all the prep first, because this only takes a few minutes from start to finish, once you put the chicken in the pan.

Rating: 5/5
Why? It's fast, easy, light, and filling.

Asian Chicken Salad Pitas

This is the time of year when I have a really hard time staying focused. There are only about 35 days of school left, it's almost May, the weather is warming up, and I am ready for a vacation. On top of that has been some added challenges this year - a new co-worker who requires some extra management, and my co-teacher took maternity leave so I've been supervising two new teachers for the last few weeks. Add to that my general unenthusiasm about cooking in general, and it's been a rough haul. I was (as always) finally inspired by Clean Eating, and picked this week's recipes entirely from that magazine.

Ingredients:
1 Tlbs natural peanut butter
1 Tlbs low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp tamari soy sauce
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp black sesame oil
1 chicken breast, cubed and cooked
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1 small carrot, grated or matchsticked
1 Tlbs chopped cilantro
whole wheat pita pockets

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. In a medium sized bowl, toss the chicken, green onion, cucumber, carrot and cilantro. Drizzle the sauce over the top, then toss it together. Serve in warmed pita pockets.

I'm not a huge fan of cucumber (I've tried to like it, really!) but this was pretty good. I think it would be even better chilled, so I'm going to bring it for lunch tomorrow. It comes together fairly quickly, and would be a 5 minute meal if the prep work was done ahead of time. This made enough for about 4 small pita pockets.

The original recipe called for cashew butter (expensive) and I added the black sesame oil because the sauce seemed a little bland, but other than that the recipe is pretty close to the original.

Rating: 4.5/5
Why? Cucumbers. Nice crunch, but I just don't like the flavor. =(

Asian Noodle Veggie Bowl

A few months ago, I stumbled across the Minimalist Baker (thanks Pinterest!) and fell in love with her recipes, her photography, and the good food. I don't love everything - she's vegan and I am most definitely not - but I do like that her goal is to use as few ingredients as possible and I appreciate the effort she puts into creating really great, healthy, filling food. This recipe popped up a few months ago, and it joined the many other recipes of hers on my pinterest page, until I decided to try it this week. Holy Deliciousness, Batman. This is going in the permanent rotation!

Ingredients:
Thin rice noodles*
1 chicken breast
green onions
1 med-lg carrot
several basil leaves**
2 tsp sesame seeds
(Dressing Ingredients)
1 Tlbs black sesame oil
1 Tlbs honey
1 Tlbs peanut butter
2 tsp tamari soy sauce
1 tsp-ish of lime juice
1/4 tsp chili sauce
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

*I bought these at Uwajimaya. I can't read the instructions. But it's cool. =) These would work too, and you can get them at most traditional grocery stores. Use about a handful.
**I have a deep and abiding love for basil, and I usually triple it, at a minimum. I used probably 10-12 large leaves for this recipe.

Directions:
Heat up the grill, and put the chicken on it when it's hot. While it is grilling, boil some water and put the rice noodles in a dish that is deep enough for them to be covered. When the water is boiling, pour the water over the top of the noodles and without stirring, let them sit for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the carrot into matchsticks and chop the basil. Then whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside. By this time the chicken should be done, so let it rest, then cube it. By this time the noodles should be cooked, so rinse them with cold water and let them drain. This recipe makes two servings, so split the noodles, carrots, basil, chicken and green onions between the two bowls. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the ingredients and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

This is DELICIOUS and super fast. If I hadn't had to cook the chicken, it would have come together in ten minutes, a lovely end to a really busy day. In addition, it was really filling and tasted great. I didn't deviate much from the original recipe, but it would be delicious with edamame or fresh snow peas. In addition, I added sesame seeds to the recipe above because I thought it sounded good, but it wasn't part of the original recipe and I didn't put them in this time.

Rating? 5/5
Why? Fast, healthy, and delicious. Perfect.

Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

I have posted about my love for chicken enchiladas before, but I've had some trouble finding a replacement for the use of cream of chicken soup used in the original recipe. When I started to make this recipe for avodaco chicken enchiladas, I realized it would be much better as a combination of the two recipes. I loathe avocados...I've tried to like them but just hate them, but this recipe was really quite excellent.

Ingredients:
white corn tortillas*
4-5 chicken breasts
2-3 cups grated cheese*
2 avocados
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
3-5 jalapenos*
2-3 tsp lime juice
2 Tlbs butter
2 Tlbs whole wheat flour
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

*I prefer white corn tortillas. The original recipe called for small flour tortillas, but I think the corn ones are better here. However, corn tortillas are a bit brittle, so you might need to treat them differently. In college we dipped them in hot oil for 10-15 seconds before using them. I used pepper jack cheese because that's what the recipe called for, but it is really your choice. We used to use the bags of Mexican mix cheese in college. The number of jalapenos are totally dependent on the jalapenos and your heat preference. Jalapenos vary in heat, so I have put in as many as 6 and it was bland, and I have put in 4 and it was almost too hot. Just taste as you go. In addition, cumin gives me severe heartburn, so I always cut that in half.

Directions:
Bake, cool, and then shred the chicken. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a food processor, process the avocado, jalapenos,  cilantro and lime juice until smooth (the jalapenos can be tossed in whole, just cut off the stems). In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the flour, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add in the chicken broth slowly, whisking constantly, then bring the mixture to a mild boil, whisking frequently. Turn the heat down to low, then add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until smooth. Add the spices and stir again. Then add the avocado mixture and stir again, until it is totally smooth. Keep the heat on low throughout the assembly process to keep the sauce from stiffening up.

Assembly Process:
Preheat the oven to 375. Spread a thin layer of avocado sauce over the bottom of the pan. Take a corn tortilla, and dip it in the avocado sauce to coat it. Take about 1/8 cup of chicken and 1/8 cup of cheese and make a line down the center of the tortilla, then roll it up and put it in the pan with the folded edge on the bottom. Repeat the process, pushing the rolled enchiladas together and filling the side space with enchiladas placed vertically. When the pan is full, sprinkle cheese on top, then bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and browning slightly. Take them out and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

I only made a half recipe because I only had 8 tortillas, but this made an estimated 4-5 cups of sauce. I would estimate a full recipe (this one is a full one) would make an entire 9x13 pan of enchiladas. If you have any extra sauce, just toss it on top of the enchiladas before you add the cheese. I ended up freezing my extra sauce.

Rating 5/5
Why? Hello awesomesauce. Despite the fact that I do not like avocados at all, I do like this recipe. The avocado taste is very mild, almost unnoticeable, and they are incredibly silky smooth when they are processed. I have heard of using avocado in place of butter in cookie recipes before and based on the texture and feel of the processed avocado in this recipe, I am definitely going to try it.

Dijon Crusted Halibut

I love fish, especially halibut, and growing up in the northwest, and now living in Seattle, I have easy access to lots of amazing, fresh fish. Halibut is hands-down my favorite kind of fish, and I recently got a Living Social deal to the fish market in Pike place, so when my aunt and cousin came to visit, I pulled it out and we went shopping for dinner at the market. On the train home I found this recipe and I've used it almost exactly here. It was so good that the three of us inhaled over a pound of halibut at one sitting.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise*
1 Tlbs dijon mustard
1 Tlbs horseradish
1 Tlsb lemon juice
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tlbs grated parmesan
1 lb halibut filet**

1 Tlbs butter, melted
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tlbs grated parmesan

Directions:
Mix together the first set of ingredients (except the halibut) into a paste, then mix the second set of ingredients in a separate bowl. Put a piece of tin foil on a pan, then lay the halibut, skin down, on the foil. Spread the paste on all sides of the fish (except the skin side), then sprinkle the second breadcrumb mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily (it may be longer than 20 minutes if your filet is thick). Let it sit 3-4 minutes before serving.

I used my fingers to spread the paste, as it is quite thick and I was related to all the people eating it, but you could probably use a knife or a spatula if you're squeamish.

*I really dislike mayonnaise, but my mom left some here that I wanted to use up, so I used it in this recipe. I think it would also work well with sour cream, and possibly Greek yogurt, so I will try that next time.

**My dad does not like fish, so I used the same mixture on some chicken for him, and it was delicious.

Rating - 5/5
Why? This is easy and really delicious....it just makes the fish better than it already is.

Chicken Pasta with Buttery Lemon Sauce

I tend to like slightly tart food more than really spicy food (although I will NEVER turn down good Mexican food...) but I wasn't sure about this recipe at first. I was wrong. This is really good, and better than that, really fast. Original recipe here, but I've made several changes.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 cup whole wheat rotini pasta
1/3-1/2 lb asparagus, 1.5" lengths
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tlbs butter
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1.25 cups chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
juice of half a lemon (1-2 Tlbs)
dash of salt
1/4-1/2 tsp ground pepper
dash of red pepper flakes

Saute the chicken in a skillet (or grill it if you are lucky enough to have one of those), then set it aside. Meanwhile, boil the pasta. During the last two minutes, toss in the asparagus and the peas, then drain and set it aside. When the chicken is done, put the butter in the pan and saute the garlic for a minute or so. Mix the chicken broth and cornstarch together, then add it to the pan. Bring it to a boil, then let it thicken, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Take the mixture off the heat, and mix the yogurt, lemon, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes together. Add the yogurt mixture to the garlic/broth mixture, and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the pasta, peas and asparagus. Top with grated parmesan and serve with chicken (this makes two servings).

This was really good and definitely kicky. Also, it is ridiculously fast. Including grilling the chicken, it took me about 20 minutes from prep to serve....just the kind of meal I like after a day of school and meetings. Changes I made were to change the heavy cream to Greek yogurt, increase the amount of sauce and decrease the amount of pasta, increased the amount of pepper and decreased the amount of lemon and salt, and dramatically increased the amount of garlic (although I did have small cloves...there was probably 1 Tlbs chopped).

Rating - 4.5/5
Why? Despite all the changes (I made this on Saturday night with a friend too), I still think it is a little too lemony (I reduced the amount of lemon above). However I do love that it is sooooo fast and easy, relatively healthy, and very filling.

Chicken Paprikash

This is my second time to make this dish, and I have modified the original recipe (from Clean Eating) quite a lot. I am not sure what Chicken Paprikash is supposed to taste like, but I do like whatever it is that I created. =)

Ingredients:
3-4 red potatoes (1 lb)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 chicken breast, trimmed and cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tlbs paprika
1 tsp sugar*
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425. Slice the potatoes into 8 wedges. Place them on a cookie sheet that has been covered with a sheet of tin foil** and sprayed thoroughly with olive oil. Bake the potato wedges for 12 minutes, then spray the top side with olive oil, flip each wedge over and bake another 12-13 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the garlic and onion over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, then add the tomato sauce, chicken, paprika, and sugar. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked thoroughly and the sauce is thickened slightly. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the yogurt and add black pepper to taste. Serve over the potatoes.

* the recipe called for sweet paprika, which I couldn't find. When I made it the first time I used plain paprika and it just wasn't right. I looked online and found that you can simulate sweet paprika by adding a little sugar so that's what I did here. If you have sweet paprika, leave out the sugar.

** the recipe said to use parchment paper, but I don't have any of that, so I used tin foil instead. If you use tinfoil, it is really important to oil it really well, because the potatoes stick to the tinfoil.

I made several important changes to this recipe; the original recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes soaked in hot water, there was 1/4 cup of water in the tomato mixture, and the potatoes were supposed to bake for 40 minutes. I have tried several recipes with sun-dried tomatoes and simply do not like them, although it might be where I get them from, and had to add over of a cup of water to the tomato mixture to get something that vaguely resembled sauce. I used a can of tomato soup, but I think that a can or 1.5 cups of chopped tomatoes would also work well, especially if you let it simmer for 30 minutes or so. In addition, at least in my oven, 40 minutes burned the potatoes to a black crisp, so I shortened it to 25 minutes and they turned out perfectly.

Rating 4.5/5
Why? This is a really good recipe and I definitely licked the bowl clean.

Chicken Tikka Masala

When I first moved to Seattle, the extent of my knowledge regarding Indian food consisted of the fact that I knew they ate curry. And I had never actually HAD curry, I only knew that it was a food and was from India. Then some friends suggested we go to a nearby Indian restaurant before the Open House at school, and I have been hooked ever since. My favorite dish there is tikka masala, also called butter chicken. As you can imagine, it is somewhat less than healthy, in the way that eating a stick of butter is "somewhat" less healthy than eating a carrot. In Clean Eating a few months ago, they had a recipe for Tikka Masala so I thought I would give it a shot on a day I had off from school, since the recipe said it needed 4 hours of preparation. Then I took a closer look at the recipe, and realized that while I had torn out the ingredients, I had neglected to tear out the directions (face --> palm). So this is cobbled together with ingredients from Clean Eating and directions from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp ginger*
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 tsp coriander
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Sauce:
1.5 tsp safflower oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ginger*
4.5 tsp garam masala**
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup low-fat sour cream

*I used ginger powder because I didn't have any fresh ginger. If you use fresh ginger, use 4x as much as dried
**garam masala is a mixture of Indian spices. I had to go to Uwajimaya to find some. You can make your own by mixing together spices like coriander, cumin, pepper, ginger, cardamom, etc. Here is one recipe, and here is another one.

Directions:
Mix together the first set of ingredients and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. I put mine in a plastic bag and let it sit for about 2 hours. Then saute*** the chicken over medium to medium-high heat, and when it's done set it aside. To make the sauce, heat the oil and saute the garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the onions and saute them until translucent. At this point, turn the heat down to low, add the tomato sauce, spices, and sour cream and let it simmer, stirring frequently, for about 45 minutes. I added the chicken back in about half way through, just for kicks. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

***"tikka" is a Hindi word for chunks of meat cooked on a skewer. I was feeling quite lazy (my grill is hard to clean and is stored in a rather inaccessible place) so I sauted the meat in a pan instead. I actually think it would taste a little better if it had been grilled.

My thoughts....I liked this. It was a little spicier than I am used to, so in the recipe above I left out part of the cayenne pepper for next time. It also was not as buttery as what I get at Naan N Curry, but that's ok, since there's no butter in this. In a traditional tikka masala, there is butter and heavy cream in the sauce and I would have replaced those anyway. Also, in the Clean Eating recipe, it called for sour cream, where I would have normally used Greek yogurt. I had some trouble with the yogurt curdling when I was baking at Christmas so I decided to follow their recipe, but next time I think I would use the yogurt instead.

Rating: 4/5
Why? It is not as smooth and silky as what I am used to and the spices are different. It is still pretty good and worth playing with.

Crispy Chicken Quesadilla

Recently, a friend of mine got me hooked on Pinterest, and poof...there went several hours. One of the things I pinned recently was a recipe that looked delicious and consisted of ingredients I already had in my fridge. Those are the best kinds of recipes, in my opinion. I didn't change much, and I found the original recipe here.

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
1 cup cooked rice
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 chopped green onions
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 Tlbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
shredded Monterey Jack
shredded cheddar
white corn tortillas

Mix the rice, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder together (Alternatively, cook the rice with the spices). Stir in the remainder of the ingredients, except the cheese. Warm up a cast iron skillet over medium or medium low heat. Spray one of the tortillas with olive oil and put it oil side down in the pan. Sprinkle some of the Monterey Jack on the tortilla (not too much or it will melt out the sides). Spoon the rice/chicken mixture on the tortilla out to about 1/2 an inch from the edges all the way around. Then sprinkle a small amount of cheddar on top, and put the other tortilla on top. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, until it is toasted, then spray the top tortilla with olive oil, flip the entire thing over and toast the other side. Cut and serve.

A note here...In the original recipe, she rolled a larger tortilla into a burrito style shape and toasted it closed. When I did that, everything fell out. And then I ran out of whole wheat tortillas, which is what I usually use. However, I had some white corn tortillas left over from the green enchiladas last week, so I used those instead and it turned out pretty good. To flip them without spilling out all the ingredients, I lifted the quesadilla off the pan and onto a small plate, then flipped another small plate over and put it on top, then flipped the entire thing, took the top plate off, and used the spatula to put the whole thing back on the pan. No mess. In the original recipe, she used garlic salt and a fresh lime, but I didn't have either one of those. I think I would add corn next time, just because I like it, but this is pretty good as is. This recipe makes a fairly large amount, about 3 cups of mixture total, but it would be really easy to cut it down. In the original recipe, she said she served 6 people.

Rating 5/5
Why? This is super easy to make, and I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand. I like that it will make a relatively large amount that will sit in the fridge for several days and I can use when I want a quick snack.

Green Enchiladas

My friend's mom came up with this recipe, and Kathleen introduced it to us in college. It is now something that we make every time we get together. This is a somewhat healthier variation on the original. This picture is pretty bad, but it will do. It's hard to photograph these.

Ingredients:
** NOTE: all amounts are approximate. Each time I make this it turns out slightly differently, so I add a little of this or that to make it the right consistency or flavor.
2-3 chicken breasts
4-5 cups shredded cheese (Mexican or fiesta mix)
16 oz Greek yogurt (2ish cups), divided
1/8-1/4 cup chicken broth
5-6 jalapenos (or more)
1-2 poblano peppers (sometimes called ancho)
3-4 Tlbs flour
1 tsp salt
white corn tortillas (smallest package has about 25-30)

First, boil or bake the chicken. You could season it if you want, I don't. Let it cool, then shred it and put it in the fridge until you are ready for it. Prep the peppers by cutting the tops off and if you want to, removing the seeds and membranes. In a food processor or blender, put 1 cup or so of the Greek yogurt, 1/8 cup of chicken broth, and all the peppers. Process until smooth. It should be quite green due to the peppers. Pour the pepper mixture into a cast iron frying pan, and turn it onto medium or medium low. As it is heating, add the rest of the Greek yogurt and the salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle the flour in, a tablespoon full at a time, until the sauce is just a little thick (so it will stick to the tortillas). Continue to whisk the flour through until it is smooth each time before you add more. If it gets too thick, add chicken broth a tablespoon at a time. When the mixture feels right, turn the burner to low, and let it simmer for a while (15-20 minutes, or until you are ready for the next step).

The tortillas need to be slightly softened before using, so unless you made your own fresh ones, you need to put them in the microwave between damp cloths and microwave 30-40 seconds. Also spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil and set up a construction line with the green sauce next to the pan, and the chicken and cheese close by. Take a tortilla, dip it in the sauce, then flip it over to get both sides with the sauce. Lay it in the 9x13 pan, then put a SMALL amount of shredded chicken down the center, then top with a slightly larger amount of cheese. Roll the tortilla, then shove it to one end of the pan. Repeat the process, shoving the enchiladas close together until the pan is full. If your sauce appears to be running low, add a little more chicken broth and Greek yogurt to the cast iron pan while you still have enough green sauce to mix. When your 9x13 pan is full, pour any remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas, then top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is totally melted and the edges are starting to crisp. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so before serving or it will be a hot mess.

This is a dish that is easier to construct with someone helping you with the assembly line portion. It is so good, and is very easy to make all kinds of variations - more jalapenos for more heat, beans instead of chicken for vegetarian, fewer jalapenos for less heat. As far as the cheese goes, you can buy the fiesta mix, or I mixed monterey jack, cheddar, and mozzarella together myself. I have also made quite a lot of changes from the original recipe in the interests of making it healthier. However, the original recipe called for:
* the tortillas to be quick fried (dipped in hot oil for 5-10 seconds, then drained on a paper towel). I chose not to do this because I was trying to make them healthier, but if you do this, you will not need to soften the tortillas in the microwave and you shouldn't have any problems with them tearing when you roll them.
* 2-3 cans of cream of chicken soup instead of the Greek yogurt. Again, I was trying to make them healthier and Campbell's has a ridiculous amount of salt in their soup. If you use this, leave out the salt and the flour, and you won't need as much chicken broth.

One final note. These get hotter the longer they are refrigerated and are really good as leftovers.

Rating? 4/5
Why? The original, full-fat, unhealthy version is really amazing, so it is hard to make it healthier and still as tasty. But this comes pretty close...close enough for me, anyway. I think the jalapenos I used were WEAK because it was not hot at all, so that's why in this recipe it is pretty important to taste as you go. I put in 6 jalapenos and should have doubled it, and I am not a person who loves ridiculously spicy/hot food.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

So....it's been a while. The end of the school year was rough, then I went on vacation, and I really haven't been cooking much at all, and when I do I've been making things I am comfortable with. Which brings me to these wraps. I have made these before, but it has been a couple of years at least, and I've been craving them for a while. I apologize for the crappy picture.

Ingredients:
Bibb lettuce
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced or cubed
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tlbs soy sauce (I used tamari)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 Tlbs rice vinegar
1 tsp Thai chili pepper sauce
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
4-5 green onions, chopped
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Brown the chicken in a pan until it is about half cooked. Then add the onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar, and chili sauce and cook for another few minutes until it is almost done. Add the water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil and cook 1-2 minutes more. Take it off the burner, and wash and dry the Bibb lettuce leaves. Using a spoon, put a small amount of the chicken mixture in a leaf and wrap it up to eat.

These are SO good, but be aware that the Bibb lettuce MAKES this dish. I have tried to use other types of lettuce, such as romaine and red lettuce, but for some reason the Bibb lettuce goes with this perfectly. I can go through an entire head of lettuce eating this dish. I also put in more like a tablespoon of chili sauce, but it is really hot when you do that. The first couple of times I made this, I had a hard time finding Bibb lettuce, but it is now at my local Safeway as well as the fruit stand I go to during the summer. Also, FYI, this is really ridiculously messy to eat, which should be an indication of how awesome it tastes.

Rating: 5/5
Why? This is pretty easy to make, especially if you prep everything first, and comes together really fast. It is also relatively healthy and I love the texture of the lettuce as a wrap. It also refrigerates well if you have leftovers, and is a good way to get kids to eat lettuce.

Chicken Carbonara

This is suprisingly easy to make, and has some surprising (for me) ingredients. The original recipe is from Clean Eating, but I have modified it.

1 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 cloves minced garlic
2-3 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a medium skillet, cook the chicken and minced garlic until it's finished, then set it aside in a covered bowl...it needs to stay warm. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water and steam the carrots and broccoli until the color gets bright, but they are still crunchy. When the pasta is almost done, add the peas and peppers for the last couple of minutes. While you are waiting, add the egg, parmesan and black pepper to the bowl with the chicken and stir to combine. Add the steamed vegetables, drain the pasta, and add the pasta as well. Toss everything well and serve immediately.

I had no idea that the magic ingredient in Carbonara was raw egg, although the heat of the cooked vegetable and chicken cooks the egg enough to be safe. The original recipe called for a package of frozen mixed vegetables, but those always have way too many mushrooms and not nearly enough peppers, so I make my own vegetable mix, and add more than the recipe calls for. It also called for 1/4 cup of the pasta water to be added to the mix, but I forgot to do it. When I have made this prevously and remembered the water, it makes it just slightly more creamy.

This comes together incredibly fast, so I recommend making sure everything is cut and measured ahead of time. It is important that the chicken and vegetables are hot when you add the egg, so cover them until you are ready to add it. Also, this does not microwave well as leftovers, so try to make it work for the number of people you are feeding. I haven't managed to make it work for one person yet, so I deal with slightly scrambled eggs mixed in with my leftovers.

Rating - 4/5
Why? I can't make a one serving portion. But it's easy to make and tastes delicious.

Lime Tortilla Soup

Normally, I prefer thick, chowder-like soups, but something about this one really appealed to me when I saw it in Clean Eating last month, and the fact that it came together quickly was a big selling point. It was totally worth it! This soup is completely delightful and super easy! I did change the recipe slightly as I was out of some ingredients and didn't realize it until I was in the middle of prep.

2 Tlbs olive oil (divided)
1 chicken breast, in 1/2" cubes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp cumin
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 shallot, finely minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 10" whole wheat tortilla
1 lime, quartered
low-fat Greek yogurt for garnish

Heat 1tlbs oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the chicken, jalapeno, cumin and green pepper, and cook 2-3 minutes, until chicken is done. Add the chicken broth, water, shallot and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. When mixture is at a hard boil, remove it from the heat and add the tomato, cilantro, and remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the soup and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the flavors blend. While the soup is resting, mist a non-stick pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Using a pizza cutter, cut the tortilla into narrow strips (1/8" wide) and then each strip into 2" lengths. When the pan is hot, toss the tortilla strips in and toast them, turning constantly to prevent burning. When they are crispy, remove them from the heat. Put soup into a bowl, then add a dollop of Greek yogurt and garnish with tortilla strips and squeeze a quarter of a lime into the soup.

This soup is so delicious, I will definitely be making this again. The original recipe called for scallions in place of the shallot and 3 cups of chicken broth instead of a chicken broth/water mixture. It also called for baby spinach and a corn tortilla instead of whole wheat.

Rating: 5/5
Why? So good....perfect flavors, light and filling.

Honey Mustard Chicken

It's been a long week so I am loving the easy, filling recipes. I love chicken, and this was really good. I made simple mashed potatoes and green beans to go along with it. The original recipe is from allrecipes.com

2 chicken breasts

1/8 cup honey

1/8 cup dijon mustard

3 leaves chopped basil

1/8 tsp paprika

a pinch of parsley

Trim the chicken breasts and get them ready to bake. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small ziploc bag and put the chicken in as well. Squish out as much of the air as possible, then seal it and mush the bag with your hands until all the ingredients are mixed and the chicken is thoroughly covered. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 350. Create a "pan" using a piece of tinfoil that is just big enough to lay the chicken flat in the bottom. Put the chicken in the pan and pour all the marinade over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

This is pretty good. I would make a couple of suggestions...go easy on the honey and heavy on the mustard. Use fresh basil and parsley if you can, and I think adding a bit of fresh ground pepper would make it even better.

Rating: 4/5

Why? It was just a little bit sweet, and I like my chicken to have a little more bite to it. I will add pepper next time, but will definitely be using this recipe again as it is very easy.

Asian Pasta Vegetable Salad

Alternative title: In Which I Learn My Lesson About Tight-Fitting Lids.

I love crunchy food, or food with lots of texture. I also love Asian food, bell peppers, and pasta, so basically this is the perfect recipe. I used this recipe from allrecipes.com as a place to start, but did make several changes based on the comments attached to the recipe. This is an excellent recipe to make and leave in the fridge for a super easy lunch.

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup low-sodium tamari soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp black sesame oil
3 Tlbs sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Salad:
4 cups of whole wheat spirals
1-2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 small carrot, julienned
3/4 cup green peas
2 Tlbs sliced green onions
1/4 cup cilantro

Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl with a TIGHT-FITTING LID. This is important. Very important. Then mix all the salad dressing ingredients together in a jar or something else with a tight-fitting lid. Again, quite important. Shake the salad dressing thoroughly until it is all mixed together very well, then pour the dressing over the salad. Seal the bowl and shake it well to coat the salad thorougly and mix all the ingredients. You can eat it warm, but it is pretty awesome cold.

In case you haven't gathered, it is very important to have a container with a tight-fitting lid. I know this, since mine was not, and when I shook the bowl, I decorated my kitchen with a large collection of spots. The oil-base of the dressing will get everywhere if you aren't careful. Other changes...the original recipe recommended using pasta bows, but I couldn't find a whole-wheat pasta version of this so I used spirals instead. You do need a pasta that will hold the dressing. One reviewer recommended adding water chestnuts, and I meant to do that, but forgot, so I would like to try that next time. Also, I seasoned the chicken slightly with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper before I baked and shredded it.

Rating 4.5/5
Why? It is a little oily, I want to cut down on the dressing-pasta ratio next time. Also there are a LOT of sesame seeds in this. But it is super easy to make and quite delicious as a left-over.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I have been rather remiss and very lazy in the cooking arena lately, but I recently got my ducks in a row and figured out how to meal plan in a way that works for me, so hopefully the blogging will be less sporadic. One of the recipes I tried this week was this salad. I love loaded salads, but you have to be careful about the toppings. This salad has a lot of toppings, but they are all good for me, which is the best way to go! I based this off an allrecipes.com recipe but did change it a bit.

Dressing:

1.5 Tlbs hoisin sauce
1 Tlbs peanut butter

1 tsp loose brown sugar

1/2 tso hot chili paste

1/2 tsp ginger

1.5 Tlbs rice wine vinegar

1/2 Tlbs sesame oil

Salad:

1/4 cup shredded chicken

2 wonton wrappers

2 cups shredded romaine

1/8 cup grated carrot

1/8 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup chopped red bell peppers

2 Tlbs chopped cilantro

Heat the oven to 350 and spray a pan with olive oil. Lay the wonton wrappers on the sheet and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut them into narrow strips. Bake for 3-4 minutes, checking often to prevent burning. Take them out and let them cool. While they are baking, whisk together the dressing ingredients. On a plate, layer the salad to your liking, add the dressing, and toss the baked wonton wrappers on top. Alternatively (and this is what I do when I bring a salad to school), put all the ingredients except the wonton wrappers into a plastic ziploc bag or bowl with a tight fitting lid and toss to coat everything evenly.

Rating: 5/5
Why? Like I said, I love loaded salads and this one has lots to love. The dressing has a kick to it and is one of the first dressings I have made myself that I really like.

Quinoa Tomato Mix

I have to confess that I really don't know what to call this. It was one of those nights when I made dinner by throwing a bunch of stuff in the crockpot and crossing my fingers. It's not really a stew, but it's not a casserole either, so I am just going to call it a mix. I generally follow a recipe but tonight I just made this completely by smell - as in I took things out of the fridge, smelled them, and if it smelled like what I wanted dinner to taste like, I threw it in. This, as close as I can remember, is what I put together

By the way, this is a particularly bad picture, but on the other hand, while it tasted really good, I think that red quinoa never LOOKS that good and my camera resents photographing red things.

3/4 cup red quinoa

1/4 cup white quinoa

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into thin strips

3 cups water

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup mirin (rice cooking wine)

1 chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1/4 sweet onion, minced

1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder

a pinch of oregano

a pinch of thyme (I think)

Throw everything into a slow-cooker and cook until it is the consistency that you want. I put mine on high for an hour, then turned it down to low for about 3-4 hours. I am not totally sure about the spices, I added them after the first hour when I tasted it and decided that it needed something.

I am not kidding when I say that I smelled ingredients to see what I wanted to add. It's what works for me. Either the mirin (which I have never used before) or the hoisin sauce gave this just a slight hint of sweetness that I liked but did cut down just a smidge with the spices. I used the mix of quinoa because I wanted to finish up the red quinoa and I used water instead of broth because I didn't have any broth. I used the sun-dried tomatoes because I had them and wanted to use them up. I know that quinoa has a lot of protein on its own, so I didn't need to add the chicken, but I just like this kind of thing better when it has some kind of meat in it, so I added it. I also wanted to see what would happen if I added raw meat instead of cooked and I think it worked well with the water. I think it would have been too salty for my taste had I used the broth instead.

Rating: 4/5

Why? There is something about these sun-dried tomatoes that I didn't particularly care for, I'm not sure why. I did like this dish overall, it was quite filling, and the perfect thing to eat after my first zumba class in over 2 months. In addition, it is quite easy, and I am a BIG fan of that.

Szechuan Chicken Stirfry

I love stirfry, and the more vegetables there are, the better I like it. I have discovered that I like spicy Asian food better than sweet, and this is pretty spicy. Even better, it's fast. From prep to plate, I spent half an hour making this dish.

1 chicken breast, cubed or sliced thinly
1 tsp black sesame oil
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 medium cloves of minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp low-sodium tamari soy sauce
2 tsp water
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 tsp sesame seeds
chopped fresh cilantro

Cook the chicken in a non-stick pan just until cooked through. Set it aside. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the garlic, broccoli, red pepper, and green onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli turns bright green. Add the chicken, red pepper and ginger and let it cook for another minute, then add the tamari soy sauce and the water and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add water 1 tsp at a time if necessary. Serve over brown rice and top with sesame seeds and cilantro.

This recipe originally called for mushrooms (which I hate), regular sesame oil (which I didn't have), black sesame seeds (which I couldn't find) and soba noodles (which I didn't feel like stopping to get tonight) instead of rice. It also called for szechuan pepper, but suggested substituting lemon pepper instead. I meant to do this but totally forgot, so I will definitely add that in next time. Without it, I think this is really good stirfry, but with it, I think it would have that little something awesome.

This recipe was quick and easy, which I like. I try to do as much prep work as possible when I get home from the grocery store - chopping carrots and broccoli, washing all the fruit, etc - as I have found I am MUCH more likely to use it when it is already prepared and very unlikely to use it at all if I don't do it immediately after getting home from the store. Having all the broccoli and green onions chopped cut down on the prep time, but it still went quickly.

Rating: 4/5
Why? I really wish I would have remembered to put in the lemon pepper. This was decent stirfry, but I think it was missing something that would have really made this awesome. I love that this recipe was quite spicy and it would be easier to make it more spicy by adding more dried red pepper.

Chicken Alfredo

I love cream sauces, but try to stay away from them as they are generally full of fat. But in the September/October 2010 Clean Eating issue there was a recipe for Alfredo Cream Sauce, so I decided to give it a shot.

2 handfuls of whole wheat pasta (I used spirals)
1 chicken breast
1.5 cups non-fat milk
3 tsp arrowroot
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the directions and grill the chicken (I did mine on the stovetop on medium heat). When the chicken is about halfway done, start the sauce. Whisk together the milk and the arrowroot and warm it over medium heat until it starts to thicken. It took me about 5 minutes or so. Then turn the heat to medium low, add in the nutmeg and the pepper and stir to combine. Add the parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it is mostly melted. Add the yogurt and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes more until everything is smooth. By this time the chicken should be done. You can either add the chicken into the sauce, or put the chicken on top of the pasta. Also, you can stir the sauce and the pasta together or you can pour the sauce over the pasta.

I had some trouble finding arrowroot, so the first time I made this I used cornstarch instead. I like it a little better with the arrowroot, but the difference is minimal. It works just fine with cornstarch. although you may need to adjust the amount a little bit. This recipe starts out a bit oddly, since the milk and the arrowroot frothed up as I stirred it. But as soon as I added the nutmeg it calmed right down. Which brings me to my next comment...I never knew that nutmeg was the flavor in Alfredo sauce!

Rating - 4.5/5
Why? This tastes pretty close to the real thing, in my opinion, although the texture is just a little different. Good with chicken, and would also be really good with broccoli.