(Dairy-Free) Zuppa Toscana

I have a friend who makes a delicious version of Zuppa Toscana (to be honest, I've never had it at the Olive Garden!), so I finally decided to try it myself. I decided to try oatmilk creamer in place of the heavy cream. Also, there are versions with bacon as well, which I'm sure is delicious, but I left it out of my recipe (bacon is not a necessity for me most days).

I borrowed ideas and measurements from this tablespoon.com recipe and this one from thechunkychef.com. The Chunky Chef link will give you lots of tips and options, as well as instructions to use on the stovetop, crockpot, and instant pot. I made mine in the instant pot, but used more of the recipe from tablespoon.com. In either recipe, oatmilk creamer could be substituted for the heavy cream - or cream it up, if that's what you like!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 medium (yellow) onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T flour
• 2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 6 russet potatoes (cut in half lengthwise, then in 1/4" inch slices)
• 1 cup oatmilk creamer (can use heavy cream, if not dairy-free)
• 6 cups torn kale (about half of a bunch)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes

Instructions (Instant Pot)

1. Set Instant Pot to saute setting.
2. Drizzle olive oil and add Italian sausage. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is lightly browned (around 5 min), making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.
3. Drain excess grease (I didn't have a lot of extra grease, so I left it, adding a little fat to make up for my oatmilk creamer having less fat).
4. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions become soft (about 3-5 min).
5. Sprinkle flour over mixture, and stir in completely.
6. Add potatoes and chicken broth.
7. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
8. When the pin drops, open the lid.
9. Add oatmilk and kale, and stir together.
10. Serve. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Pineapple Fried Rice

I think that this was my favorite recipe out of the most recent round of meal prepping. I found this recipe on the COOKIE+kate blog, and I think I may have to go back for more! To be totally clear, this is not necessarily a meal prep must. It's actually a skillet meal, and is probably best when cooked as the instructions below. However, I would highly suggest chopping all of your veggies and fruit ahead of time. That simple step will save you a LOT of time on the day of cooking. Also, this one cooks pretty quickly, so there will not be time to chop in between steps.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or quality vegetable oil, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of salt
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• ¾ cup chopped green onions (about ½ bunch)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ cup chopped raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice (about 2/3 c dry), preferably long-grain brown jasmine rice
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 1 small lime, halved
• Salt, to taste
• Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn into little pieces, for garnishing

Instructions:

Heat a large wok, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and place an empty serving bowl nearby. Once the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add 1 teaspoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the empty bowl. Wipe out the pan if necessary with a paper towel (be careful, it’s hot!).

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the pineapple and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is caramelized on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the green onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the cashews and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the rice is hot, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan and stir to combine, breaking up the scrambled eggs with your spoon. Cook until the contents are warmed through, then remove the pan from heat. Add the soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, to taste. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the dish and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Slice the remaining ½ lime into 4 wedges. Transfer the stir-fry to individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a lime wedge and a light sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with bottles of soy sauce and chili garlic sauce or sriracha on the side, for those who might want to add more to their bowls.

For Meal Prep:

Bag 1: 

• chopped pineapple
• red pepper
• green onion
• garlic

Bag/container 2: 

sauce ingredients (there are only a few, so this doesn't have to be done ahead of time, but it can be done

In the Kitchen: 

• eggs
• cashews
• brown rice (can cook several days ahead and refrigerate, minute rice makes this very quick and easy)
• sauce ingredients (if not prepped ahead)
• cilantro
• lime

 

Option: Add Chicken

I love this rice on it's own, but I recently decided to make some teriyaki chicken to go on the side, and it was not a mistake. For the part of the chicken, I just bought a 30 minute marinade (Lawry's is my favorite), and put the chicken on the grill, stovetop, or in the oven. I cook the two (rice and chicken) separately, but the chicken adds to the flavor and substance. You can stretch this meal much further by adding that component.

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

I originally used the recipe from Life with Dee  as my inspiration. However, I like to meal prep... and by meal prep I mean chop and mix and freeze as many things as possible ahead of time, so I can just throw things in make it happen quickly when I have to cook during the week. So, I have made some small changes to the preparation process, which made small changes to the putting it all together part at the end. (If you're wanting to make it all at the same time without the meal prep, you can click on the link above to see how she did it!) Here's how I did it:

INGREDIENTS

1 onion - diced
1 bell pepper - diced
3 stalks of celery - diced
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounce package of Andouille sausage (may substitute smoked sausage for less spicy version)
2 cups chopped tomatoes - undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup long grain white rice
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

PREP

Freezer bag #1: diced veggies: 

• onion
• pepper
• celery
• garlic

Freezer Bag #2: protein

• cut up sausage (I also added a small bag of frozen shrimp - I just love shrimp in jambalaya

Freezer Bag 3: sauce + seasoning

• chopped tomatoes
• chicken broth
• spices
• soy sauce
• worchestershire sauce

In the pantry:

• rice (I used Uncle Ben's whole grain brown rice)
• olive oil (with the option of butter)

INSTRUCTIONS

As you're getting ready to make your meal, keep this in mind: Thaw your frozen bags. I have put some frozen items in my instant pot... but it doesn't usually work quite as well - I have not quite figured out the timing on frozen items yet. I usually pull the items I'm planning to cook out of the freezer and into the refrigerator 1-2 days before actually cooking the food.

Also, I occasionally have a hard time remembering which parts I've taken care of, and what I need to do on the day of cooking... so I've started writing some directions on one of the bags, so when it comes to putting everything together, I don't even have to look back at the recipe... Just a quick hint to try if you have a similar struggle to me in the wonderful world of meal prepping.

1. Turn on Instant Pot to sauté setting, add butter and oil. (I used 2 T of oil, no butter)
2. When hot, add sliced sausage (I waited a few minutes, then added the shrimp as well).
3. Cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly browned.
4. Add the bag of veggies (cook about 3-5 min).
5. Add the bag of sauce and the rice. 
6. Stir well.
7. Put the lid on (make sure it's set to sealing). Set to Manual for 8 minutes.
8. Release the steam, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes. 

My results and thoughts... My first time around was mostly successful. I ended up with Jambalaya that tasted GREAT (I could've enjoyed a little more spice...), but was a bit... soupy. So I have decided to put 1.5 - 2 cups of rice in next time (I'll probably start with 1.5 just to make sure I don't totally overdo it!). For today, I made a little extra quick brown rice to add in to soak up some of the liquid. I will update this recipe once I've tried it again with the extra rice!

Spicy Peanut Chicken

This recipe from Betty Crocker is very simple, and pretty yummy! I keep forgetting to take pictures when I'm cooking lately, so I do not have a picture for you - but you can see it on the Betty Crocker website (just use the link above).

Give it a try!


Ingredients
1/4 cup chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
1 T cornstarch
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T white vinegar
1/4 t ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 t grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)

Instructions

Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper seasoning; set aside.

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat side. Add chicken, garlic and gingerroot; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper; stir-fry 1 minute.

Add broth mixture to wok. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts. Sprinkle with onions.

Verde Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breast)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice from 1 large lime (or 1-2 Tbsp)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (measured prior to chopping), chopped finely
• 12 oz. green tomatillo salsa

Instructions:

• Place chicken thighs/breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Add all other ingredients on top.
• Cook on high for 4 hours (or medium for 6, low for 8).
• Break apart chicken and serve however you'd like (in tortillas, over rice, with tortilla chips).

Zesty Orange Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above. This recipe is pretty delicious. So much so... that I forgot to take any pictures. So you're just going to have to trust me.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 heaping tsp jarred garlic)

Day of Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water 
• Sesame seeds
• White rice

Crock Pot Instructions:

• Chop chicken into 1" cubed pieces.
• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except the water and cornstarch.
• Cook on high for 4 hours.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and heat on medium, whisking often.
• Once it bubbles and thickens, add it back to the slow cooker and mix.
• Let it cook for another 15 minutes and serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot except the water and cornstarch.
• Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
• Let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize for at least 5 minutes.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add the mixture to the slow cooker and mix.
• Set the Instant Pot to saute and cook for a couple minutes until it thickens.
• Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless and also the skinless chicken breast
5 diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 cups of brown rice
1 can of black beans (drain and rinse)
1 cup of frozen corn
2 cups of chicken stock or chicken broth (add day of)

Instructions:

First, combine the chicken breast with the tomatoes, salt, cumin, and the chili powder into a gallon ziplock bag and freeze (make sure that the chicken is covered by the spices).

When ready to cook, remove from the freezer and add the frozen ingredients to crock pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock (add additional stock if you want to). Cover with a lid and cook for three hours.

Remove the lid and add the brown rice, black beans, frozen corn, and the remainder of the chicken broth. Continue cooking for an hour. Check the rice periodically, stir it once or twice to make sure all of the rice cooked. Cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone.

Shred the chicken (or cut into chunks if you'd rather), and stir everything together. Add salt and the black pepper as needed, and serve with your favorite burrito toppings!

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Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is from my meal prepping a few weeks ago (originally from this website). In a pinch, this would be a recipe I would do again. It was tasty. However, I just don't like peppers when they've been frozen or overcooked (which can easily happen in a crockpot. While the peppers were fine, I'd rather make fajitas the traditional way.

Yields: Four servings

Ingredients
1 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and cook on “low” setting for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
3. Shred chicken and serve with cooked onions and peppers.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Crockpot Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

This recipe is from my meal prepping several weeks ago (originally from this website). I made it, and have eaten some of it. It was not my favorite, but I don't know exactly how it was meant to be served. On bread? By itself? That was not specified, so I had a hard time figuring out the best way to eat it. The flavor is not bad, but the peppers were not my favorite (I'm not a huge fan of frozen peppers - we'll see how this goes with the chicken fajitas next week!).

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium-sized bell peppers, cut into strips (I used two green and one red pepper)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 slices of provolone cheese *not needed until day of cooking

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except cheese.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
3. Add sliced cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until melted.

Serve on rolls.

Spring Chicken Soup

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. This recipe is quite tasty. The only things I would consider changing would be using some sort of small pasta rather than the orzo (it was hard to get to, as it sunk to the bottom, and just didn't fill the soup out very much). I also needed to cut my carrots smaller (you can't quite tell in this picture, but they were still pretty long, and not super thin...). I did have to pull about half of the soup into a pot on the stove as I was finishing it up. It was a bit much for my crock pot (which I think is pretty standard-sized). This recipe is quite large (and could be larger if you wanted to add more chicken broth to stretch it a bit) - it will obviously depend on who you're feeding, but I believe that this will give me at least 10 servings.

Yields: 8+ servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (1+lb)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
The juice from one lemon
1.5 teaspoons dill
1.5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup orzo *not needed until day of cooking
48oz chicken broth (6 cups) *not needed until day of cooking
16oz water (2 cups) *not needed until day of cooking

Materials  (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except orzo, chicken broth, and water.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and add chicken broth and water.
3. Cook for 6 hours on “low” or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Shred chicken and add orzo.
5. Cook for additional 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread.

Hawaiian Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. It was fine as-is, but not my favorite. I added some garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little more soy sauce when I heated up leftovers, and I liked it so much better! Next time I make it, I will add those from the start. You can make that choice for yourself!

(The finished product didn't photograph well, so you can see the prepped part)

Each serving shown in the picture was definitely more than a serving. The recipe originally stated 3 servings - I have made 4-5 servings out of it.

Ingredients
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 fresh pineapple, stalk, skin, and core removed and fruit cut into bitesized pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
(add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes if you desire)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli, and enjoy!

Red Pepper Chicken

This recipe is delicious! It is the first of the 7 Summer Chicken Meals that I prepped recently. It has just a little bit of kick - especially when it's not in a tortilla (the tortilla cuts the kick). I am excited to also try it on a salad as well!

Yields: One gallon-sized bag of red pepper chicken with three servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials 
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

If you haven't noticed by now, I have a thing for Asian flavors. So, when I saw this new recipe (from MarthaStewart.com), I knew I'd have to try it. I actually love General Tso's Chicken, but I haven't been able to eat it in years because my body is not a fan of fried foods. So, this lighter, unfried version has me excited.

In line with what normally happens in my life, I bought the ingredients for this recipe, and then didn't have a chance to make it for a few days. So, I prepped and froze it. It still turned out pretty well! I prepped the chicken portion separately from the veggies and sauce, since they're meant to be prepped separately. Then, I let them defrost in the refrigerator for a day, and cooked the next day!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c   long-grain brown rice
1/4 c   cornstarch
1 lb   snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4   garlic cloves, sliced
2 t   fresh ginger, grated and peeled
3 T   light-brown sugar
2 T   soy sauce
1/2 t   red-pepper flakes
2   large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lb   boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 T   vegetable oil (I use EVOO)

Directions:
Cook rice according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Meal Prepping: 7 Summer Chicken Meals

Today, I have branched out and done something that I've never done before. I meal prepped like a boss. I found several versions of major meal prepping, chose one, and did some grocery shopping. Today's choice was a group of 7 chicken meals.

I'll be very clear about a few things... I would say that I spent approximately $100 on all of ingredients that I had to buy. When I think about it, though, $100 for 7 meals that will have several servings each is a great deal! Also, she says "under and hour" - it took me 2-3, but I've never done this before, and I chopped all of my own vegetables (she chose some that were pre-cut). However, I think it was so worth it to spend a few hours all at once, knowing that they're available to stick into the crockpot for the next several weeks!

So, without further ado, here are the meals in this set:

-Red Pepper Chicken
-Lemon Pepper Chicken
-Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
-Spring Chicken Soup
-Chicken Fajitas
-Hawaiian Chicken
-Southwestern Chicken Chili

I will create new post and link to this one once I make some of these and try them! Stay tuned!

Blackened Tilapia

I found this gem on Naive Cook Cooks. I made a few modifications, but I've already decided that it's a new favorite - mostly because of how delicious and simple it is! This is a great recipe that can make 1 serving to probably 6-8 (the recipe says 4, but there is a lot of the seasoning mix there, so I think it will stretch).

In order to make 1 serving, I used a frozen tilapia fillet and about a teaspoon of the seasoning sprinkled on the fillet (about 1/2 teas. on each side was plenty). I think that fish is always better freshly made and not as good left over, so I like to make only as many as I'll eat, and throw a new one in when I'm ready for more fish - this recipe makes that so easy!

Also, in case you're planning to use some of the mix now, and would like to use some later - I mixed the seasonings in a small plastic bag. It was easy to mix, and will be sealed until I need it again.

Blackened Spice Mix:
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
2 - 3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp oregano

Other ingredients:
4 Tilapia fillet, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp butter, melted OR olive oil / cooking spray
Salt & pepper to taste*

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400F.
2. Add all the spices in a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust anything if needed as per taste and keep aside.
3. On a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan, lay all 4 pieces of tilapia (or as many as you plan to use), Brush them with butter or olive oil on both sides OR spray them with cooking spray. 
4. Rub or sprinkle the seasoning on both the sides of the fish.
5. Bake in oven for 7 mins.
6. Flip tilapia after 7 minutes and bake for another 7 minutes. (additional time as needed)

*The spice mix has plenty of flavor, so it is likely that you'll need to add any salt and pepper - but I won't judge if you do! 

**I paired this with asparagus - it cooks for about the same amount of time as the fish, depending on the size of the stalks. 

Jalapeno Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken with Jalapeno Ranch

Via Pinterest {My Life as a Mrs.}

This recipe is something I've been wanting to try for a long time. Here's what I have concluded. yum. The sauce makes the recipe. So in case you're thinking about skipping that part and just using ranch or something, don't. This is so not ranch and so very good! Make it. Love it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
1/4 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (the powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of cayenne
5-6 hot pickles jalapeno slices, finely chopped

For the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 - 2 pounds total)
1 bag Jalapeno Kettle Chips, crushed
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne

Instructions:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
Mix ingredients together (adding additional buttermilk until desired consistency). Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Chicken:
Preheat oven to 375º. Place an oven safe cooling rack in a large jelly roll pan and spray with non-cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, and cayenne. Pound out chicken breasts to roughly 1/2" thickness and add to buttermilk mixture (toss to coat well).
Place crushed Kettle chips in a shallow baking dish. Pull one piece of chicken at a time out of the buttermilk and gently shake to remove some of the excess. Dip into the chips and coat thoroughly on both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken breast are thoroughly coated.
Place into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through (cooking times vary based on chicken thickness and actual oven temperature). Serve hot with jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.

Easy Chicken Tacos

The first time I ever had these chicken tacos was about a year ago (last Thanksgiving, actually), whcn my cousin made them for me. I loved them and decided that I just had to make them... it only took me a year!

This recipe was found on Pinterest (from this blog), but when I told one of my friends what I was making, she told me that she'd been making it for years and that it was wonderful! I was very excited to try it.

Here are the basics:

*6 chicken breasts
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1 jar of salsa
*Crock Pot

Seriously, that's it!

Put all together in the crock pot (I mixed the salsa and taco seasoning, but I'm not sure that you need to), and cook on high for 4-6hrs or on low for 6-8hrs.

My friend even told me that you can put the chicken in there frozen... which I did and it still worked! Here's a little photo tour of what I did:

All 3 ingredients - wowza!

Probably not the most appetizing picture, but I wanted to show that they were, in fact, very frozen when I started.

 

This is actually the next day after it was refrigerated. It looks mostly the same anyway. I'd also shredded some parts already by then.

No extra toppings, just chicken and tortilla.

I have to tell you that I've been ordering chicken tacos from Mexican restaurants for several years now, and I love them. I did not imagine that I'd be able to make them at home. These are very similar in taste, juicy, and downright fabulous.

My lovely friend also gave me some other ideas of how to use the chicken... which will be blogged very soon...

French Bread Pizza

I decided to put the Jalapeno Chicken on hold, hoping that a certain friend (you know who you are) will come make and eat it with me... but I do have a couple of other recipes for you! I'll do one today and one tomorrow.

I had the brilliant idea this evening to make french bread pizza, which I've made several times and was sure I'd blogged. When I looked back and found that I had neglected it, I decided that it was finally the time!

This is a quick and simple recipe that can be easily tailored to different tastes. This makes it fantastic (and fun) to make with friends, but also good for just one or two because you only have to make as much as you'll eat. I'll keep the rest of the bread around for a couple of days, and then freeze it for later use. I've found that bread freezes and recovers pretty well - especially when toasted (or baked).

Start to finish (including clean up), this took me about 20 minutes.

First, I should admit that I love the salad bar at my local grocery store... not so much for the salads (they're good too), but for the already chopped, fresh veggies. I use them for stir-fry meals and pretty much any recipe that does not involve using a whole vegetable (bell pepper, broccoli, etc). Today, I even found a few pepperoni in there - which I was wanting, but not wanting to buy an entire package of 100 (or whatever a package of pepperoni contains). This in inexpensive and cuts down on prep time and waste of unused veggies (today's container cost me a whopping $0.75).

Cut your bread into manageable pieces, and then in half lengthwise. I like to cut mine into four pieces, and then make a total of 8.

I wasn't going to put a shot of this until I had it all together and ready (next picture), but in case you are under the false impression that things are neat and clean when I cook/bake, I wanted to set your mind at rest. This was today's oops!

Once all pieces are cut, you'll want to prepare each piece with as much sauce, cheese, and additional toppings as you like - this is where it's fun to let other people prepare their own. Also, I prepped these on the cutting board and then moved them to the pan for less mess. I also like to put foil down most of the time to help with cleanup... it's so much easier to throw away foil than to scrape off baked on cheese and sauce and toppings...

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes (I got that from somewhere on the internet... I actually baked mine for about 18 minutes, and it was fine. If you're making the whole loaf, you'd probably need the full time).

Plate and enjoy! I like to top mine with a little Parmesan Cheese and Red Pepper Flakes. And, I just like this picture. It turned out so much nicer than the others!

Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili

I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago with my friend, and wanted more of it, so I made my own tonight! We originally got it from here. When we read the comments, we noticed that many people said that it was REALLY HOT, but we followed the recipe... and it was pretty spicy. :) I like spicy, but I found myself choking quite a bit... so it was spicy. Tonight I put a little less cayenne pepper. Just a thought... consider the spicy. Here it is!

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (made me cry like a baby today)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4oz) can diced jalapeno  peppers
1 (4oz) can chopped green chili peppers
2 t cumin
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans chicken broth
3 c chopped chicken breast
3 (15oz) cans white beans (we pureed one of the cans of beans)
1 c Monterey Jack cheese


Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

The only other thing to consider is that I didn't add the cheese until served...  It's yummy and pretty easy - just watch out for those onions! :)

Chicken Florentine Pasta

{The Pioneer Woman}
Start to Finish: about 30 minutes
Serves: she says 10... I got about 8...

This recipe comes from the wonderful Pioneer Woman! Here's the post if you want to check it out - her's is way prettier than mine! I have copied her ingredients and instructions verbatim because... she already wrote it... and I don't feel like re-typing it!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Penne
• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Dry White Wine
• 3/4 cups Low-sodium Broth, More If Needed
• 1 bag Baby Spinach
• 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
• 4 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Shaved With Vegetable Peeler

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Heat butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken chunks in a single layer and do not stir for a minute or two in order to allow the chicken to brown on the first side {I didn't do this... which is probably why her chicken was so much golder and prettier than mine...}. Turn the chicken and brown on the other side. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the skillet.

Turn heat to medium. Add garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning.

After about 30 seconds, pour in wine and broth {I did all broth... no wine - she said that you could just replace the wine with more broth if you wanted to, and I didn't have wine}, stirring to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until it's reduced by at least half (most of the surface of the liquid should be bubbling at this point.)
Turn off the heat. Add spinach,

tomatoes,

chicken,

and cooked pasta to the skillet.

Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you toss everything. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and toss to combine. {I also added more pepper... because I love pepper!}

Serve with extra Parmesan shavings. {First of all... I'm a little annoyed with the focus of this picture... It did not do what I wanted. I also added some more Parmesan and pepper after this photo}

***

This was pretty easy, and pretty tasty. It's not so good for the "cooking for 1... or 2" part of it, unless you're looking for quite a bit of leftovers. I put a little bit in the freezer - I always like to see how that works out! And I've got more left over to feed me for the rest of the week!

On a personal note... I hate cooking with oil... I very much dislike getting burned... so I may have put a long sleeved sweatshirt on just to cook this... and got really hot over the stove, but only got burned once! So... I did cook the chicken with the oil... and I probably would the next time too (because it's also a part of the "sauce" and I think it would change the flavor), but I so don't want to... stinking popping oil!