i suppose this dish was inspired by pf changs lettuce wraps...but mostly because me and sis didnt want to fill up on carb loaded fajita wraps!
most simple dish ever! and SO flavorful!
ingredients:
chicken breasts, each breast cut into 4 pieces (however many you need...we used three chicken breasts and that provided a LOT of shredded chicken)
a packet of reduced sodium taco seasoning
guacamole, store-bought or homemade
refried black beans
large romaine lettuce leaves
extras:
reduced fat sour cream
reduced fat mexican shredded cheese blend
to prepare the chicken, toss the pieces of chicken in about half a packet of taco seasoning. put some EVOO into a skillet and heat on high. add the chicken, brown it on one side and flip. brown the other side, add some chicken stock, reduce to medium heat, and add a lid on the pan. cook through, flipping occasionally, about 5ish minutes! (i suck at timing, i just check every few minutes)
to shred the chicken, use two forks to pull the meat, or use a handy dandy choppy choppy from pampered chef like i did!
wash your romaine lettuce, and layer all the ingredients as you wish!
seriously delish, and if you omit cheese and sour cream - superrr healthy! :)
When the pasta is ready, toss it with the leeks, add the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with the prosciutto as a garnish.
I apologize for not having a picture, but it really is identical to hers from her French Women Don't Get Fat website :) go look at her recipes, they are delicious!!!!!!!
This is a very simple, VERY filling recipe! For a healthier version, go for reduced fat cheese and whole wheat pasta! :) I can imagine fresh peas or asparagus would also taste great in the dish!
1. For the dipping sauce, mix the honey mustard and sour cream in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed. This sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients; set aside.
3. Cut each chicken breast into large cubes. Place the cubes into a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag. Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken, and close the bag. Then flip the bag a few times to ensure that all pieces are coated with marinade, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Heat up a deep skillet on high and add the chicken, including the marinade. Once chicken is almost cooked, sprinkle breadcrumbs over the chicken and put it in the oven to broil on High for 4-5 mins.
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Combine couscous, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Sorry for the bad, unedited pictures in terrible lighting! this meal is really so delicious and soooo super easy :) I hope you enjoy it! the chicken has the perfect amount of spice to it!
Ingredients: 2 cups water 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled reduced fat or fat free feta cheese 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I skipped this) 2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425°.
Drain and slice tomatoes into thin strips. Combine tomatoes, cheese, 2 teaspoons chopped basil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. (I added way more basil)
Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Cut a horizontal slit through one side of each chicken breast half to form a deep pocket. Stuff 1/4 cup tomato mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Fold 4 (16 x 12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half crosswise. Open foil; place 1 1/2 teaspoons butter on half of each foil sheet. Lay one stuffed chicken breast half on top of each portion of butter. Place 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind on top of each stuffed chicken breast half, and drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon chicken broth.
Fold foil over chicken, and tightly seal edges. Place packets on a baking sheet (add a THIN layer of water to just cover the bottom of the pan so the foil doesnt burn). Bake packets at 425° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. Unfold packets carefully, and thinly slice each chicken breast half. Garnish each serving with 1/2 teaspoon sliced basil, if desired. Serve immediately.
I served this with orzo cooked to package instructions :)
i had a few extra minutes today to meal plan for this week! this is always my goal, but i always get sidetracked or end up doing something stupid like stopping at subway on the way home because i'm too lazy to go to the store.
alright friends.........I know I ALWAYS say this........but this recipe is the BOMB.COM!!! Seriously, I'd eat this every day! My dad sent me an amazing recipe for Peruvian chicken....and my roommate Ktbo has been requesting it ever since!
I finally decided to make it for our final roomie dinner at current 5501 roommates - and omg, I'm so glad i did! Let me add that it was not without struggle, I went to FIVE stores to find these ingredients! I went in and out of creepy Latin stores, with no luck. Finally, I found them at Grand Mart - a hugeee international market store at Seven Corners (for you Arlington, VA people). So, my advice you would be to A)if you live in an area with a lot of Latin people, call your local Shoppers B) find an international market nearby!
Here is the recipe:
Peruvian Chicken (for use on bone-in chicken, boneless/skinless chicken, wings, steak...anything really)
Either in a Large Ziploc Bag or any container - combine the ingredients below (feel free to add more or less where you feel necessary!)
**I made 8 boneless/skinless chicken breasts - so I added a lot more of each**
2 Table Spoons - Aji Amarillo - Yellow Hot Pepper Paste (more if you want them spicier)
2 Table Spoons - Crushed Garlic
1 Table Spoon - Huacatay Pasta - Black Mint Paste - THIS IS THE KEY INGREDIENT, and naturally, this elusive paste is by far the hardest to find!!!! 1 Table Spoon - Montreal Steak Seasoning - I forgot this ingredient.
1 Tea Spoon - Cumin Powder
1 Tea Spoon – Oregano - I forgot this ingredient, too.
Cup - Olive Oil
Cup - Goya Mojo Criollo (you can get this at most international isles (Teeter, Shoppers, Giant)
below are the three super-latin ingredients:
Marinate overnight for the best flavor.
Grill the chicken for the best flavor! be sure to put foil underneath (not sure why, but my dad said its necessary.) I'd give you grilling advice, but I have none. I have ZERO grill skills, my roommates did this for me. Look it up.
Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers (a la Chef Kate - my roommate! I live with a chef, be jealous)
Ingredients:
14 Jalapenos
10 or so sweet small peppers (I forget what they are called, sorry!)
4-6 oz shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1 small container reduced fat plain cream cheese
1 small container reduced fat (if possible) goat cheese
4 or 5 chopped sundried tomatoes
chopped basil
1 pkg of bacon
Combine ingredients 3-7 and stir into a thick paste.
Use a knife to open the jalapenos vertically as shown in the picture. remove ribs and seeds (so necessary). Insert mixture into a piping bag (or for those who dont have that, cut the tip off of a ziploc, works the same) and pipe into the jalapenos. Wrap each jalapeno in bacon (also so necessary). Place 4 or 5 at a time on wooden or metal skewers. Grill for about the same amount of time as the chicken. Be sure to place foil down so the cheese/bacon fat doesn't melt into the grill/catch on fire. Get a good char on the outside of the peppers and Enjoy!
chef kate all ready to put those babies on the grill!
Lessons learned:
cheese melts into the grill
jalapenos are hit or miss - some were too spicy to eat - even for the more adventurous roomates - stick with the sweet peppers in the future
bacon fat causes fires, and reduces down too quickly, use foil
and for those who like dippy sauce for your chicken and french fries and literally anything you can get your hands on:
Peruvian dipping sauce (my way):
4 tbsp of lowfat mayo
2tsp aji amarillo
juice of 2 or 3 lemons
1/2 tsp of cumin
s&p to taste
Clearly, I had to make something special. Little did I know, not only would this be special, it would be THE EASIEST THING EVER!!
If you have a 24-tin muffin tray, you're golden! So Simple, seriously!
I found the recipe here* on Gimme Some Oven and eyed it (by eyed it, I mean DROOLED over it) for days! Seriously, EVERYTHING I see on that site makes me hungry! I just love her blog!
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs Recipe (Adapted from GimmeSomeOven)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) - I used 4Cheese Italian, delish!
4 oz. mini turkey pepperoni, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely diced.
Method:
Preheat oven to 375o. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and oregano; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Warm the pizza sauce, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.
so many amazing salads have been in my life recently - summery and refreshing :)
This one is one of my own creations including everything I loooove:
package of frozen corn (you can also use corn cut off the cobb, grilled corn....your choice!) 1 or 2 packages grape tomatoes, halved (or you can use a normal tomato, diced) 1 or 2 red onions, diced 1 bunch of basil, in a fine chiffonade, or just roughly chopped in my world lemon juice of 3 lemons 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (you can also use rice vinegar!) s&p to taste optional: fat free feta on top!
place all ingredients in a bowl and toss! so simple!
this was sooooo refreshing! I suggest you make this yourself for a crisp, healthy snack or salad!
Snap Pea, Radish and Goat Cheese Salad adapted from *here
A package of frozen sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly cut on a slight bias A couple radishes, shaved thin A handful of mint leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade A small package of goat cheese (i used low fat) A few tbsps of rice wine vinegar A tbsp or two of evoo s&p to taste
disregard my spelling of avocado- how embarrassing.
Obviously, when there is a sale, I take advantage, especially with produce because it's so dang expensive! So I had two avocados and had to use the second, since I used the first one here. Ginger Salmon (for 2)
Ingredients: 2 filets of salmon (mine were about 8 oz each) 1 jar of ginger dressing (Makoto is a great brand)
place filets in a baking dish and pour the dressing over them so that there is dressing almost covering them. marinate for about an hour in the fridge (optional, it has great flavor either way!!). preheat the oven to 375 and bake for 18 mins or until cooked to desired temperature. SO easy! Cucumber and Avocado Slaw Ingredients
2 1/2 cups English cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 scallions, white and green parts, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Preparation
Combine cucumber and scallion together in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour vinaigrette over cucumber mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Add avocado just before serving, and toss gently to mix. (You can make this salsa ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve, but add the avocado just before serving.)
one of my favorite meals to date! SO simple and so fresh and sooooooo delicious!
i got back from a week of eating and drinking non-stop in florida so i've been trying to go light on meals...and at least make an attempt to "healthy-fy" things. this meal does NOT taste light, but when you look at the ingredients, the only real fat is in the cheese. woop!
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, pounded
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
chili powder
cumin
red pepper flakes
s&p
2 tsps fat free cream cheese**
2 tbsp tomatillo salsa, already prepared (i use harris teeter brand)
spray deep skillet pan with cooking spray. heat pan on high. add ingredients through s&p to pan. add as much or as little spice as you'd like. i like spicy. so a lot. wait until chicken browns on one side, flip. add chicken broth, and cover to steam/cook through.
while that is cooking up, in a small pan, add softened cream cheese, tomatillo salsa, a pinch of shredded cheese and about a tbsp of chicken broth. heat until all ingredients are all melted together. add more chicken broth if you want a thinner sauce. season with s&p.
once the chicken is done, serve with veggies. top with cream sauce and add that extra pinch of cheese to melt on top. garnish with cilantro.
a;sldfjal;fajkfl;ajk LOVE THIS. making it again soon.
** i used cream cheese because my fat free sour cream expired in january. woops. next time i'll use sour cream for a more smooth sauce.
2 tablespoons butter or margarine - i used more b/c butter is awesome - i used light
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus a few sprigs - i used more b/c i love it
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons whipping cream - i used more because i used too much lime, woops
Lime wedges
Place mahi mahi filets in a baking dish, preheat the oven to 450. drizzle evoo and liberally S&P the fish. Cook for 15 mins and continue to check for an opaque middle.
Add onion to pan and stir just to wilt, about 30 seconds. Add cilantro, lime juice, and cream, stirring until it boils vigorously, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bread crumbs to thicken the sauce, if desired. (I LOVE thick sauce) Divide fish among 3 dinner plates. Pour sauce equally over fish. Garnish each plate with a lime wedge and cilantro sprigs.
more on the Tomato, Corn & Crab Salad coming later...:)
photo from the website - we gobbled ours up to quickly!! woopsies!
Pasta with Arugula and Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 pound pasta (i used a shell type pasta, and for the life of me can't remember the name) 3 cups cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound), rinsed (i used regular tomatoes for extra juice) 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tsp (at least) chili powder 1/2 pound arugula 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano salt
Procedure
1. Chop the tomatoes up into half-inch pieces. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes until they have softened, about five minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of salt. When boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the direction on the box.
3. Turn the skillet with the tomatoes back to medium high, and then toss in the pasta.. Stir together, and cook for a minute or so, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it is too dry. Add the fresh arugula and toss, coating the arugula with the mixture. Season with extra salt and freshly grated cheese.
Shrimp and Scallop Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes and Romano Cheese adapted from here**
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta) ** i used a box - feeding lots of hungry shovelers
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound Sea Scallops, halved **bay scallops work fine too, i just dislike them
1 chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic ** i used way more, like usual
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 *container cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil ** i used way more
Preparation
Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat (or don't omit...whatevs).
While pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper evenly over shrimp. Add shrimp to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Do the same with the scallops. instructions how to pan sear them here**.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, and cook 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in pasta and shrimp; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, cheese, and basil.
some comments received:
"omg mads, this is UNREAL"
"mads, seriously, this is the best thing you've ever cooked"
"mads, make this again. tomorrow"
1 lb cod filets chili powder juice of 1 lime s&p evoo
Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly coat a roasting pan with vegetable cooking spray. Arrange the cod fillets skin-side down. Sprinkle with the chili powder, s&p, and drizzle evoo. Roast 5 to 7 minutes or until the cod is just opaque and flakes when tested with a fork.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling constantly, just until the butter begins to brown. Add the cumin and lime juice and continue to cook, swirling 1 minute longer.
Remove the cod from the oven. Set aside half the cod for another use. Drizzle the cumin-lime butter over the remaining cod. Serve.
Garlic Asparagus
1 bunch of asparagus (skinny or fat, doesnt matter, longer cooking time for fat) 1 bigass tbsp of garlic (i use more, cause i'm garlicky like that) 2 tbsp evoo s&p
heat evoo and add garlic. when fragrant, add asparagus. s&p as desired. stir up to make sure aspragus is covered in evoo and garlic. cook for 5 mins!
while i hate following directions (with a passion), i have to admit that i followed this one pretty closely, minus the spices. they are the only thing i changed (added way more), besides adding more beans.
1 cup prechopped red onion ** i used yellow, it was what i had in the fridge 1/3 cup chopped seeded poblano pepper (about 1) -- ** i used ancho chili powder instead, my safeway is ghetto 1 chopped seeded green pepper ** i added this 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic ** at least 2. at least. 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey 1 tablespoon chili powder **2-3 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin **2-3 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 can chili beans, rinsed and drained 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (i prob used more) 6 lime wedges
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add first 5 ingredients; cook for 6 minutes or until turkey is done, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in chili powder and next ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
so now that i read all my changes...i guess i just followed a general guideline. but whatevs. :) The final product looks exactly like the photo above, just add sour cream :)
