Chicken Scarpariello

 Every so often Chris gives me a cooking "challenge".  I was laid off from my job a few weeks ago so I have some spare time and have been doing some cooking.  He saw this dish on one of the Beat Bobby Flay episodes on Food Network and thought it would be something we would both like.  I scoured the internet to find a recipe I liked and was close to what he saw on the show.  I could have gone straight to foodnetwork.com but I rarely do things the easy way.

This recipe came from a website called Serious Eats.  I made a few tweaks along the way and will note them in the recipe.  I also completely forgot to take any photos so I guess I will have to make it again!

2 1/2lbs. bone in skin on chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs)-->I used 2 large chicken breasts, each piece cut into 3 smaller pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 to 4 links sweet or hot Italian sausage--> I used sweet

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 larged red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. finely minced fresh sage leaves-->use fresh, the aroma is amazing!

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced-->did I mention the aroma?

8 hot or sweet pickled cherry peppers, thinly sliced along with 1/4 C. of the pickling liquid from the jar-->I used sweet here too.

1 C. dry white wine-->all I had was Prosecco, so in it went!

1 C. homemade or store bought low sodium chicken stock

2 tbsp. sugar

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering.  Add chicken skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned and crisp.  I browned the chicken breasts until they were golden; about 8 minutes total, lowering the heat if pan starts to smoke.  Flip chicken and brown lightly on second side, about 3 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a large plate and set aside.

Return skillet to heat without draining it and add sausage.  Cook until well browned on the first side, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Flip sausage and cook on second side until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.  I cut the sausage on the bias into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces when it was done.

Return pan to heat, add onion and bell pepper and cook stirring and scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon until veggies are softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes.  Add sage and garlic, stir to combine, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add pickled cherry peppers and their liquid stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Add wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and sugar, and stir to combine.  Return sausage to pan, toss to combine then return chicken pieces to pan skin side up unless you are using boneless/skinless; nestling them down among sauce vegetables and sausage.

Transfer to oven and cook until chicken is done; about 30 minutes.  Serve immediately, spooning sauce, vegetables and sausage around chicken pieces.  I served this with roasted potatoes.

Chicken Parmesan Slider Bake

 This is another recipe from Taste of Home Feb/Mar 2024 issue.  I did my own spin on it.  I’ll note where I made changes.

24oz. frozen breaded chicken tenders—> Instead of tenders, I put 4 chicken breasts in my Instapot with a cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup of marinara sauce, 1/2 tsp. ea. onion powder and garlic powder, and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning.  Set the instapot to poultry and let it go.  When it was finished the chicken was easily shredded

2 pkg. Hawaiian rolls 

14 slices provolone cheese—>I added in shredded mozzarella as well

1 jar marinara sauce

Topping 

1/2 C. butter, melted 

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. red pepper flakes 

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. minced fresh basil

I also added a tbsp. of parsley flakes 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you are using the chicken tenders, prepare them according to package directions. Meanwhile without separating the rolls, cut them horizontally in half. Arrange bottom half in a greased 13x9 pan.  Place 8 cheese slices over roll bottoms, overlapping as needed.  Bake until cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes.

Layer rolls with half the sauce, chicken, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.  Replace the top half of rolls.

For topping, microwave butter, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, covered on high, stirring occasionally until butter is melted.  Pour over rolls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered until golden brown and heated through, 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle with basil and parsley flakes before serving.

Classic Braised Beef

 This recipe called for a chuck roast.  I am going to try it using short ribs.  We’re supposed to get the first real cold weather of the season next week.  This might be on the menu.

3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck roast 

1 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

4 tsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped 

1lb. cremini mushrooms, halved

1 head garlic, peeled and halved

1 C. red wine

3 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves 

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 C. low sodium beef broth, plus more as needed 

3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces 

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season beef roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat oil in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over high heat; add beef. Reduce heat to medium high and cook until beef releases easily from bottom of pot and a golden brown crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Turn meat and repeat, cooking until brown on all sides. Transfer meat to a plate.

Add butter, and mushrooms to drippings.  Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook stirring constantly, about 1 minute.  Add wine, then use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from bottom of pot. Return meat and any accumulated juices to pot.  Add thyme, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour in beef broth. Bring mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat and bake, covered, 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Add carrots to pot.  Cook until meat is very tender and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaves before serving. Garnish with parsley.

Rachael Ray's Spicy Chorizo Sloppy Joes

 I was home last Tuesday prepping the pasta salad I was taking to my sister's July 4th celebration when I saw this on a rerun of the Rachael Ray show.  I watched a lot of her shows while I was recovering from chemo back in 2015.  I still make a few of the recipes from back then.  I made this the other night and of course took no photos.  I made a couple of tweaks and we liked it a lot.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red field pepper, seeded and chopped--I used red and yellow bell peppers
  
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped; can sub a Fresno or any chili
  
• 1 rib celery with leafy top, finely chopped--I skipped the celery
  
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
• 1½ pounds 85% ground sirloin or plant-based beef substitute
• ½ pound fresh beef or pork chorizo or soy-based chorizo substitute

 

For the Joes, heat oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and celery, season with salt and pepper and soften a few minutes. Add garlic and stir a minute. Add beef and chorizo and brown and crumble, then stir in the sauce, reduce heat to low and simmer a few minutes for the flavors to combine.

    For the sauce

 

• One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• ½ cup beef stock or bone broth
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce (Rach likes Frank’s RedHot)--I used Smoked Chipotle Tabasco
  
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

 For the sauce, whisk the ingredients and set aside. 

Toppings:

• Finely chopped white onion
• Sliced bread and butter pickles--I served with kosher dill chips
  

Serve the sloppy Joes with a pile of rolls and the toppings.

Slow Cooker White Bean Spinach and Sausage Stew

 This recipe calls for apple and feta sausage but I think it can be made with just about any kind of sausage.  We have lots of choices in our area for really delicious Italian sausage...traditional and sausage made with turkey or chicken.  I also think this can be made with canned cannelini beans to shave 13-14 hours off of preparation time.

2 C. dried cannelini beans

5 C. unsalted chicken broth

1 plum tomato, stem end trimmed

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tap. black pepper

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

6oz. spinach and feta chicken and turkey sausage, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices

5oz baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/4 C. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Sort and wash the beans; place in a large Dutch oven.  Cover with water to 2in above the beans, cover and let stand for 8 hours.  Drain the beans.  Place the beans in a slow cooker.  Add the stock, tomato, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary sprigs.  Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, about 7 hours.

Lightly mas the bean mixture with a potato masher, breaking up the tomato and garlic.  Add the sausage to the slow cooker; cover and cook on low until thoroughly heated 20-30 minutes.  Add the spinach and parsley, stirring just until the spinach begins to wilt.  Discard the rosemary sprigs.  Ladle the stew into bowls; ; drizzle evenly with the oil before serving.

Guinness Beef Stew

 This is a recipe we had before Christmas at the home of friends.  It was good to get together; almost normal after almost 2 years of pandemic ruined gatherings.  This is delicious and hearty; a perfect winter meal with some crusty bread.  A word of warning early in the cooking process, this smells terrible.  Don't worry, the bad smell goes away quickly and then your house smells amazing while it simmers.

4 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces (do not skimp on this, it adds great flavor)

2 1/2lbs stew beef; marinated in salt and pepper

2 onions; rough chopped

4 cloves minced garlic

1 14oz can Guinness

1/4 C. tomato paste

4 springs fresh thyme

3 carrots; rough chop

2 stalks celery; rough chop

2 1/2 C. chicken stock

Bay leaves (I used 2 large), salt and pepper to taste

Potatoes (I used Yukon gold roughly 3lbs) cut into large pieces

In a stock pan fry bacon, remove and set aside.

Brown beef, remove.  Soften onions for 5 minutes.  Add minced garlic for 1 minute.  Deglaze with Guinness.  Scrape with wooden spoon for 2 1/2 minutes.  Add tomato paste, thyme (I tied the sprigs with butcher's twine), carrots, celery, bay leaves and potatoes.  Add stock, cook on high until mixture comes to a boil and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork tender.  Uncover and raise heat to reduce and thicken.  Add a cornstarch slurry for further thickening if desired.

Weeknight Lemon Chicken Skillet Dinner

This will take much less time than my regular lemon chicken recipe and it will be heartier than my regular recipe as well.

12oz. baby red potatoes, halved

1 tbsp. olive oil, divided 

4 6oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 3/4 inch thickness 

3/4 tsp. kosher salt divided 

1/2 tsp. freshly grounded black pepper, divided 

2 thyme springs

4oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered 

1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 C. whole milk

5 tsp. all purpose flour

1 3/4 C. unsalted chicken stock

8 very thin lemon slices

1 8oz. pkg. trimmed haricots verts

2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 tsp. oil to pan.  Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Add chicken and thyme sprigs to pan; cook 5 minutes until chicken is browned.  Turn chicken over.  Place pan in oven; bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken from pan.

Return pan to medium high heat.  Add remaining oil. Add potatoes, cut side down; mushrooms, and 1 tbsp. thyme; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring once. Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add remaining salt, pepper, flour mixture, stock, lemon and beans to pan; simmer 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until beans are crisp tender.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Per serving: 342 calories, 9g. fat, 43g. protein, 23g. carbohydrates, 642mg. sodium

Mini Teriyaki Turkey Sandwiches

 Anything on a Hawaiian roll is delicious.  

2 boneless skinless turkey breast halves; 2lbs each

2/3 C. packed brown sugar

2/3 C. reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 C. cider vinegar 

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger root

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. cornstarch 

2 tbsp. cold water 

20 Hawaiian sweet rolls

2 tbsp. Butter, melted 

Place turkey in a slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and pepper; pour over turkey.  Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove turkey from slow cooker.  In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking liquid.  When cool enough to handle, shred meat with two forks and return meat to slow cooker. Cook, covered on high until sauce is thickened, 30-35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Split rolls; brush cut sides with butter. Place on ungreased baking sheet, cut side up.  Bake u til golden brown, 8-10 minutes.  Spoon 1/3 C.  turkey mixture on roll bottoms.  Replace tops.

Honey Balsamic Vinegar Chicken

 I make a similar recipe with espresso balsamic vinegar which is outstanding.  We could probably grill these.  Looking forward to breaking out the grill again.  Right now it’s covered and in a snow drift.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 5oz. each

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

2 tsp. canola oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 

1 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. dried basil 

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and pepper.  In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in oil until juices run clear, 4-7 minutes on each side.  Remove and keep warm.

Add the vinegar, honey and basil to the pan; cook and stir 1 minute. Return chicken to pan; heat through, turning to coat with glaze.

Kung Pao Sloppy Joes

 The Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2021 has several things in it that I want to try.  This recipe is written for ground beef but I bet it would be good with turkey as well.  

1lb. lean ground beef (90%)

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

4 green onions, chopped and divided 

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root 

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce 

1/2 C. reduced sodium soy sauce

6 tbsp. rice vinegar, divided

1/4 C. water

3 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. cornstarch 

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 pkg. broccoli coleslaw mix

1/2 C. chopped unsalted peanuts 

6 hamburger buns or flour tortillas 

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

In a large cast iron or othe heavy skillet, cook the beef, red pepper, and 2 green onions over medium high heat until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, 6-8 minutes, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain.  Add garlic, ginger and chili sauce; cook 1 minute longer.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, 4 tbsp. vinegar, water, 1 tbsp. oil, cornstarch, and brown sugar until smooth; stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes.

For the slaw, in a large bowl, combine coleslaw mix, remaining 2 green onions, 2 tbsp. vinegar and 2 tbsp. oil; toss to coat. Spoon 1/2 C. of the beef mixture onto the bun bottom, top with 1/2 C. slaw and peanuts.  If desired, top with cilantro leaves.

Turkey Bolognese with Penne

 I have a really good Bolognese recipe but when your daughter doesn’t eat beef you need to improvise.  We thoroughly enjoyed it when I made it.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1lb. ground turkey 

3/4 C. chopped carrots 

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/2 C. chopped celery 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. ground thyme (I will use a bit less next time)

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 C. dry white wine 

2 C. tomato sauce 

1/2 C. tomato juice 

2 tbsp. dried parsley 

1 8oz. pkg. penne pasta 

1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add ground turkey and cook until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add  carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes.  Cook and stir until vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard grease, if needed.  Add wine; cook and stir until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, tomato juice, and parsley.  Reduce heat and simmer until sauce reaches a thick consistency, about 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.  Drain and return to the pot.  Add the sauce and Parmesan; mix well.  Season with salt and pepper.

Per serving: 365 calories, 24g. protein, 38g. carbohydrates, 13g. fat, 62mg. cholesterol, 678mg. sodium   

Angry Bird Bar-B-Cue Chicken And Sausage

 I tried this recipe when daughter was home from college.  She doesn’t eat beef or pork so I am always looking for new recipes for chicken and turkey.  This was a hit with her and her brother as well. I used chicken andouille sausage and Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce.  I left out the cilantro.

1 pound andouille sausage 

1 red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 3lb. rotisserie chicken, boned and shredded

1 20oz. bottle barbecue sauce

1/4 C. water

1 C. chopped fresh cilantro 

Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Place the cooked sausage in a bowl and set aside. 

Return the skillet to the stove and stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the peppers, chicken, sausage, and barbecue sauce.  Pour in the water and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add he cilantro just before serving.  

Per serving: 538 calories, 33.7g. protein, 31.6g. carbohydrates, 29.7g. fat, 117.2mg. cholesterol

Chicken with Mushrooms, Carrots and Thyme

 This looks like an easy, delicious winter evening meal.  I am sure it would pair nicely with mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.

1 1/2 C. unsalted chicken broth

3 tbsp. all purpose flour 

12oz. carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 8oz. pkg. cremini mushrooms quartered

4 fresh thyme sprigs plus 2 tsp. thyme leaves

1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

3/4 tsp. salt, divided 

3/4 tsp. pepper, divided 

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. sherry vinegar 

Whisk together broth and flour in a 5-6 quart oval slow cooker.  Add carrots, mushrooms, thyme sprigs, and garlic.

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to skillet, cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to cooker. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender and cooked through, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker.  Stir in sherry vinegar and remaining salt and pepper.  Serve chicken with vegetables and sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Serves 4–316 calories, 8g. fat, 43g. protein, 17g. carbohydrates, 638g. sodium

Meatball Flatbread

 We eat a lot of pizza and flatbreads.  I also make homemade meatballs which I may use in this recipe.  I found this recipe in the Aug/Sept issue of Taste of Home.

1 can Italian tomato sauce

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

3 fresh basil leaves 

1 garlic clove, halved

4 naan flatbreads

2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

14 fully cooked frozen Italian meatballs, thawed and halved

Dash each of salt and pepper, dried parsley flakes and dried oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place tomato sauce carrot, basil, and garlic in food processor until puréed.

Place flatbreads on ungreased baking sheet.  Spread with tomato sauce mixture; top with cheese and meatballs.  Sprinkle with seasoning.

Bake on lower rack of the oven until cheese is melted; 12 to 15 minutes.

1/2 flatbread—228 calories, 10g. fat, 46mg. cholesterol, 835mg. sodium, 21g. carbohydrates, 14g. protein 

Asian Beef and Vegetable Quinoa Bowls

I found this recipe in Giabetic Living’s Eat Cheap Eat Healthy.  You could probably sub it ground turkey for the beef, if beef isn’t your thing.

1lb. 93% lean ground beef
2 C. matchstick cut carrots
3 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 C. biased sliced green onions
1 1/3 C. hot cooked quinoa
1/4 C. chopped salted dry roasted peanuts

In a 10 inch non stick skillet, cook beef over medium high heat until browned.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in the next 6 ingredients.  Cook and stir 5 minutes or until carrots are crisp tender.  Stir in green onion.

Serve beef mixture over quinoa.  Sprinkle with peanuts.

Per serving—1 1/3 C. beef mixture + 1/3 C. quinoa 357 calories, 14g. fat, 71 mg. cholesterol, 574mg.  sodium, 28g. carbohydrates, 30g. protein

Pineapple Shrimp Fajitas

So I have a funny story to tell.  I took my niece to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago the other day.  We ate lunch in the food court at the Aquarium.  One of the choices was a nacho bowl.  I am a fan of nachos.  You could have the nachos with seasoned beef, seasoned chicken, or “fajita vegetables”.  I thought the veggies might be a good choice.  When I got to the front of the line, I was dismayed to find that the Aquarium’s idea of “fajita vegetables” included broccoli and cauliflower. FAJITA VEGETABLE FAIL!!!

Need less to say, I had my nacho bowl with chicken.

The recipe below is a Hungry Girl recipe and does not include cauliflower. 😉

2 C. sliced bell pepper
1 C. sliced onion
1 8oz. can pineapple tidbits, packed in juice, lightly drained
1 tbsp. fajita seasoning mix
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro...I am nut a huge cilantro fan, so I may skip this.
8oz. (about 16) raw large shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine veggies, pineapple, 1 1/2 tsp. fajita seasoning and cilantro. Toss to coat.

Spread mixture onto the center of the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine shrimp, lime juice, and the remaining seasoning.  Toss to coat.

Flip veggies and arrange shrimp on top.

Bake until veggies have softened and lightly browned and shrimp are cooked through, about 8-10 more minutes.

Per serving: 219 calories, 1.5g. fat, 610g. sodium, 28.5g. carbohydrates, 3.5g. fiber, 22g. protein

Mushroom and Beef Ravioli Soup

I realize this isn’t exactly soup season.  But, I will want to make this while my thyme plant is still flourishing.  I could also see swapping out the beef ravioli for cheese or chicken; I would change the broth to chicken too, if using chicken ravioli.

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
6oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 miniature red sweet peppers, stemmed and sliced
1 32oz. container mushroom or beef broth
1 20oz. pkg. frozen beef ravioli
Fresh thyme leaves
Black pepper

In a 4 quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onion, mushrooms and sweet peppers.  Cook and stir 4 minutes or until tender.  Stir in broth; bring to boiling. Stir in ravioli, return to boiling.  Reduce heat.

Cook, uncovered, 5 to 8 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with thyme and pepper.

Per serving: 357 calories, 12g. fat, 64mg. cholesterol, 645mg. sodium, 45g. carbohydrates, 3g. fiber, 16g. protein

Barn Mi Lettuce Wraps

This looks like a delicious weekday work lunch. I may use the ready made rotisserie chickens they have at the store or save tim.

1/3 C. shredded carrot
1/3 C. shredded daikon radish (regular radish will do)
1/4 medium cucumber cut into matchsticks
1 tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 C. shredded cooked chicken breast
4 small romaine lettuce leaves

In a small bowl, stir together carrot, radish, cucumber, cilantro, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Divide chicken among lettuce leaves.  Using a slotted spoon, top with carrot mixture.  Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 70 calories, 1g. fat, 30mg. cholesterol, 132mg. sodium, 3g. carbohydrates, 1g. fiber, 11g. protein

Turkey Enchilada Stack

This is another recipe from the April/May issue of Simple and Delicious.  I think this is something everyone at our house would like.

1lb. lean ground turkey
2 cans 8oz. each no salt added tomato sauce
3 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
4 whole wheat tortillas
2/3 C. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook the turkey over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, minced onion, garlic powder, pepper, and salt; heat through.

In a 2 1/2 quart round microwave safe dish coated with cooking spray, layer one tortilla, about 3/4 C meat mixture and a scant 3 tbsp. of cheese.  Repeat layers 3 times.  Cover and microwave on high until cheese is melted, 4-5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with tomatoes, onions, additional cheese, avocados and sour cream if desired.

1 piece- 404 calories, 16g. fat, 103mg. cholesterol, 582mg. sodium, 31g. carbohydrates, 29g. protein

Tomato Braised Rotisserie Chicken

I am always looking for new and easy recipes.  I can see this becoming a summer time favorite for everyone. Of course we’d use turkey bacon for those who don’t eat the real thing.

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
4oz. bacon, sliced crosswise
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 C. dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1 C. low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 2 1/2lb. rotisserie chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into bite sized pieces

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet with a lid over medium heat.  Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and bacon is brown and crisp, 8-10 minutes.

Increase heat to high and add wine, garlic, and rosemary to pot.  Cook, stirring, until wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes along with their juices, broth, salt and red pepper flakes and bring liquid to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, nestle in chicken, skin side up.  Top with ka,e, cover pot, and cook until kale is wilted, 5-7 minutes.  Stir kale into sauce and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes more.