Stuffed Chicken Hotpot

This is so simple and quick on a cold night after work!

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breasts
• Tomatoes
• Mozzerella
  
• Baby Spinach
• Potatoes
• Salt, Pepper and Rosemary
• Olive Oil

1. Peel some potatoes and chop them in half.
2. Cut the Chicken breasts in half, and stuff with sliced mozzerella, slices of tomato and pieces of spinach.
3. Coat an oven dish in soe olive oil, and place the stuffed chicken breasts in a row. Place the potatoes in the dish around the chicken.
4. Pour a little more oil over the potatoes and season the dish with salt, pepper and rosemary.
5. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 45 mins.

Bacon Wrapped Tilapia

Everything Tastes Better with Bacon Right?

I don't eat red meat but I do love turkey bacon. So here goes a tasty meal in minutes:

You Need:

• 1 piece of tilapia per person
• 1 slice of turkey bacon per person
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Sprinkle Fish with salt, pepper and cayenne
3. Place fish on baking sheet
4. Place bacon on fish
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes (above picture is after baking)
6. Place under broiler for 4-5 minutes (until bacon is crispy, did this but forgot to take the picture...oops)
7. Wrap bacon around fish and serve with salad.

Roast Chicken Dinner

Ingredients:

• One whole chicken
• Olive Oil
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper
  

Stuffing:

• Breadcrumbs
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Onion
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter

Roast with:

• Potatoes
• Whole onions
  

Serve with:

• Carrots
• Peas
• Gravy
  

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. While the oven is heating, prepare the stuffing. Dice the onion, and put into a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Season with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Finally, mix with some butter to bind it all together.

2. Peel some potatoes, and boil some water. Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes only. (This will make them softer when they are roasted).

3. Wash the chicken, removing all rope binding, and any pins. Lay in an oven tray and spoon all the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken with butter, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. If you have them, leave fresh sprigs of rosemary here and there as well.

4. Take the slightly boiled potatoes, and cover with olive oil. Place them in the oven tray around the chicken. If you don't have any room then just leave them in another oven dish. But when they are in the same dish as the chicken, all the juices soak into the potatoes, it's really tasty. Also include one or two peeled onions.

5. Put the chicken, potatoes and onion into the oven and cook for 90 minutes.

6. Relax for an hour with the paper and a glass of wine! But every now and then, check the chicken, and spoon the juices and oil all over the chicken and potatoes to make them crispy and moist. Do this as often as you feel like, the more times the merrier.

7. When there are about 30 minutes left, prepare the carrots and peas or whatever other vegetables you would like to have. Peel, chop, and boil for a few minutes. Set table etc.

8. Prepare gravy. I just used instant here, sorry! Am pretty crap at making it myself.....next time.

9. When the chicken is ready, take it out of the oven and let it stand for 10 mins before carving it.

10. Carve the chicken, distribute all the potatoes, onions and veg etc, and enjoy!

kitchen katastrophe: homemade bbq chicken pizza

welcome back my lovelies! kit kat is back! one might think that there have been no kitchen katastrophe posts in a while because there have been no kitchen katastrophes. if only that were the case... alas, i have not improved in the kitchen. this makes me avoid cooking more and more. but i shall prevail! or, more accurately, attempt to prevail and record my misadventures here.

to begin, i thought i would write about a recipe i made that was so perfect until literally the last second.

at the lovely hornbachers grocery store (yes, that's really the name) in fargo, north dakota, where my parents live, i found a fun pre-made pizza crust. it was whole wheat, which makes me feel like i'm eating healthily, so i bought it wondering what i could make with it. and then it hit me: homemade pizza! possibly one of the easiest things ever - how could i screw up? if you are short on time and want to throw something easy together, use this recipe for a delicious barbecue chicken pizza:

"Homemade" Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Ingredients

1. two chicken breasts
   
2. shredded cheese - i prefer colby jack blend
3. pre-made pizza crust (e.g. boboli or whatever hornbacher's sells)
4. barbecue sauce (i recommend hunt's original)
5. jalapenos, onions, or other veggies you like
   

Directions

• Cook the chicken breast in oil with some salt and pepper to taste. Cut into pieces about the size of a quarter
  
• Spread barbecue sauce on the pizza crust - use as little or be as liberal as you like - depends on how much barbecue you like
• Place the chicken on the barbecue sauce, cover with cheese and any veggies you like
• Follow baking instructions on the pizza crust label
• Enjoy!
  

i call this "homemade" in quotations because nothing is really MADE per se - you could make your own crust, but i don't know how to do that.

bbq chicken pizza is quite possibly my favorite food if done correctly. i LOVE it. so on the night that i was making this for my mom and i, i was quite excited. i splurged and bought organic chicken (which is really expensive in remote fargo), all natural cheese and put jalapenos on half of the pizza since my mom doesn't like them. we were so hungry waiting for it to bake. the directions suggested i bake it on a cookie sheet, which i did. i took it out of the oven and let it cool on the counter for a bit. i grabbed the rolling pizza cutter and starting cutting - not realizing the cookie sheet was not fully on the counter. as i drew the cutter towards me, it tried cutting pizza that wasn't balanced on the counter and all of a sudden, before i could blink - the pizza was all over my shoe, the floor, the shelves below the counter... my mom was standing next to me and we stared at each other with mouths agape. after picking it up, here is what it looked like:

of all my kitchen katastrophes, this was the one with which i was the most disappointed. we were shocked and dismayed and hungry. in the end, it was arby's roast beef for us. such a sad compromise.

what is your backup dinner?

Ouzi: National Dish of Jordan

For those of you who aren’t aware I’m having a love affair with middle eastern / african food, and wanted to share my recent introduction to a wonderfully flavorful new dish from Jordan I had while enjoying live Belly Dancing, Shisha and microbrews: Ouzi, sometimes referred to as Mansaf. At its core, the dish is just your basic chicken and rice, but with all the flavors, it is truly much more. Enjoy!



Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
• 8 Chicken thighs
• ½ cup low fat, plain yogurt, divided
• 2 tbl Four Spice mixture (equal parts Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg and Black Pepper)
• 1 cup brown rice
• Pinch of Saffron
• ¼ cup each almonds and pine nuts
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
• ½ bunch parsley, chopped and divided
• 2 tbls Lemon Juice, divided

Directions:

Prep ahead:
1. Prep the Chicken: Wash and clean thighs; marinate 12 - 24 hours in a combination of ½ yogurt, ½ garlic, salt and pepper
2. Toast and chop almonds and pine nuts: prep a medium skillet over medium heat, add almonds and pine nuts, watching carefully. As soon as they start to brown, remove pan from heat, cool and store up to 3 days.
3. Make the Dressing: Mix 1/4 cup yogurt, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley well, and store up to 3 days.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Prepare brown rice as directed, using low sodium chicken or veggie stock for extra flavor.
3. Preheat a medium skillet with 2 tbls of olive oil, wipe excess yogurt and garlic from chicken thighs. Dust skin side with four spice mixture.
4. Put thighs skin side down in skillet until crispy, turn over, dust with spice mixture and repeat. Remove excess fat and place in oven while remainder of dish is prepared.
5. Mince onion and garlic, sauté until translucent in butter. Add rice, 1/4 cup of stock, saffron, and remaining lemon juice, mix well, simmer for 2 - 3 min. Add in carrots and peas, mix well, remove from pan and let cool 2 - 3 min. Add in toasted nuts and remaining parsley.
6. Serve on a platter with chicken on the bed of rice and drizzle with yogurt dressing.

Alternatives: traditionally, ground lamb is added into the rice mixture; remove chicken skin for lower fat alternative; use ½ water, ½ stock for lower sodium; add feta to the rice for some extra tang and creaminess

Easy Earthy Chicken and Spinach

Minimum Effort---Maximum Result---Satisfaction guaranteed

Truly this is not a fling. The love affair with my slow cooker continues with this earthy spinach and chicken dish.

Serves 6 with plenty left for lunch the next day.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours - 7 Hours (in the slow cooker)

Ingredients
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 cups carrots chopped (use the baby ones, they are already peeled)
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 3.5 Tbs garam marsala (if you can’t find this spice mixture use yellow curry powder)
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 Tbs chopped garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 pounds boneless skin less chicken of your choice (legs, thighs, wings, breasts---I used breasts)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Onion Powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1/3 cup red wine (optional)

Directions

Dump onion, carrots and spinach into a slow cooker. Add garam marsala (or yellow curry powder), nutmeg, red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Season chicken with salt, pepper and onion powder then place on top of vegetables.


Dump tomatoes on top of chicken and pour in wine.

Cover and cook
Dark Meat: low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
White Meat: low 4-5 hours or high for 2.5-3 hours


SERVE WITH SILKY COCONUT COUS COUS

Hot and Bothered Chipotle Chicken and Silky Coconut Cous Cous

Minimum Effort---Maximum Result---Satisfaction guaranteed

Low-Fat---Higher Fiber--- Delicious

I have a confession (baby I know you read this don’t get jealous) I’m falling in love with my slow cooker. I just dump a bunch of stuff in then head out come home take 5 minutes to make some whole wheat cous cous and serve a plate of deliciousness. This chicken will have you all hot bothered in the best way possible.

Serves 6 with plenty left for lunch the next day.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours - 6 hours (in the slow cooker)

Chicken:
* 1.5 cups sliced onion
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 1.5 cups chopped carrots
* 5 pounds boneless skin less chicken of your choice (legs, thighs, wings, breasts)
* Salt
* Black pepper
* Onion Powder
* 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1/3 cup lime juice
* 2 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with 1 teaspoon sauce from can
* Dash Chili powder
* 1.5 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
* Fresh Cilantro Leaves


Directions

Dump onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken with salt, pepper and onion powder then place on top of vegetables.

Mix together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, chili powder and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook
Dark Meat: low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
White Meat: low 4-5 hours or high for 2.5-3 hours

Cous Cous
I use whole wheat cous cous as it has plenty of fiber and protein. You can use regular

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

* 1.5 cup light coconut milk
* .5 cup water
* 1 bullion cube (veggie or chicken)
* 2 cups whole wheat cous cous
* ¾ cup chopped tomatoes
* ¾ cup chopped scallions (green onions)



Boil coconut milk and water in a medium pot. Once boiling add bullion and stir until dissolved.

Next, turn off heat and stir in cous cous, tomatoes and scallions.
Then cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Finally, fluff with a fork (stick the fork in and flip the cous cous around) and serve with Spicy Chipotle Chicken

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberry, Sage & Shallots

So this isn't so much an exact recipe as an improvised riff on something I've had at a local restaurant, but it came out well, is super easy, and definitely worth repeating.

For this recipe, I was pressed for time, and didn't feel like trying to peel and cube a whole butternut squash, but if you feel so inclined, please do. I used 2 packages of pre-peeled and cubed squash, 2 packages of fresh sage, chopped, about 3/4 cup fresh cranberries (cut in half), about a 1/3rd cup dried sweetened cranberries, about 5 shallots (you can use a mild onion, cubed, instead, or some garlic - but I like the milder flavor of shallots) and liberal application of salt and pepper.

Basically, just heat the oven to 425, place all the ingredients in a baking/roasting pan, coat with some EVOO and toss to mix it up, and pop in the oven. I was worried about the fresh cranberries being too tart, but when you bake them they turn into molten berry sweetness. I think I do like the addition of the dried sweetened kind too, though if you wanted you could use just one or the other. The combo of sweet and savory with the sage and the shallots and s&p is lovely, it looks impressive, and goes amazingly well with poultry. I tried this again on Sunday night and roasted a whole chicken in the pan with the squash (stuffed with cranberries, celery, lemon and garlic) and it was AMAZING.

oh yeah, leave the stuff roasting for about 45mins to an hour, depending on your oven, but check it at the 30 min mark and give it a toss with a spatula.

(spatula is the word of the day. use it. love it. )

Workout Queen's Colorful Plate

They say that a colorful plate, in a happy plate. And a happy plate is also a healthy plate. As I'm sure you know by now, I'm all about healthy eating, so check out a colorful, yet delicious meal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Red, 1/4 green, and 1/2 yellow peppers
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
• 1 Boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 packet of Sazon Goya Seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic
• garlic powder
• other seasonings

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in pan
2. Slice peppers to desired sizes and add them to the oil
3. Leave peppers there for 15 - 20 minutes. Flip them several times. Cover the pan to ensure that the peppers are SOFT!
4. Add garlic gloves to oil while peppers are on heat
5. Sprinkle peppers with garlic powder and any other seasonings you enjoy
6. While the peppers are on the heat, add sazon Goya seasoning to chicken on a separate plate
7. Once peppers have started to soften, add chicken pieces/slices to hot pan. Cover pan
8. Chicken only requires 7 - 10 minutes cooking.
9. Once chicken is cooked, and peppers are soft, sprinkle feta cheese on the inside of the peppers.
10. Place chicken pieces/slices on top of the cheese.
11. Carefully remove filled peppers from the heat and place on plate. Add a touch more of feta, as garnish. ENJOY!

Sometimes I feel like I eat the same things over and over, and that gets a little boring. But this plate made me really excited because it was a twist on the same foods. It was actually an experiment that I just threw together. I'm a girl of quick meals, and hate lots of preparation, so you'll notice that most of my recipes will require minimal or no preparation, and can be made on the fly. The feta cheese on this dish made the peppers creamy which allowed the different textures to blend together. This meal, as you can see, is full of color and is fun to eat. You can use your hands, and just grab the pepper. I ate it in 5 minutes and feel like I ate plenty. For all you calorie counters out there, just look at the meal. Veggies - CHECK, chicken - CHECK, small amount of cheese - TERRIFIC! If this were on weight watchers, it wouldn't be more than 4 points...so go on girl and EAT IT UP!!

Check out my yummy dessert...coming out next!!