Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

This yummy Chinese dish I found on a new food blog I follow, Life as a Lofthouse. Check out the fried rice recipe too for a a great side to this dish. I will have to say it was a bit of a process to make everything. For me, this would be a great dinner for the weekend versus a week night!

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1/4 c canola oil
1 c corn starch
2 eggs, beaten

Sweet & Sour sauce:
3/4 c sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1/2 c distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash and pay dry chicken. Cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip each piece of chicken in corn starch to coat and then dip in egg. When all pieces are covered, heat oil in skillet. Brown both sides of chicken pieces. Don't worry is meat isn't cooked through. Place in a greased 9x 12 baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Pour over chicken evenly. Bake for 1 hour but turning chicken every 15 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Life is a Lofthouse blog.
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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Chicken Salad


 


Here's a great summer dish for an easy lunch, light dinner, or even a snack!

Ingredients:
1 lb of Chicken breasts
Mayo
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Wheat Thins toasted chips Great Plains Multigrain

Directions:
1. Boil chicken in a pot of water. When cooked, shred with fork. Cool in fridge.

2. Add mayo, chopped cilantro, and a good amount of salt and pepper.

3. Mix well. Chill for several hours or over night.

4. Serve with Wheat Thins Toasted Chips.

Recipe courtesy of Gina Stetka





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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Baked French Toast

This is a wonderful figure friendly dish that was a major hit for Easter brunch and Friday morning treats. I am also planning on making it for Mother's Day. You prepare this dish the night before. Pop it in the oven the next day. You WON'T regret it! It went well with fresh strawberries and blackberries! 
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions
1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup

Recipe courtesy of Rach's Blog via Pinterest
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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Quinoa with Carrots, Celery, and Pecans

Have you tried quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wa')? It is very similar to rice and it is packed with protein and super healthy for you! Don't be afraid to try it. You might like it! You can make it for a side dish or just add a ton of veggies and call it a meal. This dish is served warm and I adapted it from a recipe that had mushrooms in it. I'll attach both recipes. Hope you enjoy. I'm on a hunt for more quinoa recipes because it is so easy to make and very filling and healthy!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed or rinsed
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp EVOO, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 small carrots sliced
2 celery stalks chopped (or 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced)
3/4 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/3 c chopped pecans, toasted if desired
1/4 c chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and thyme and cook until the carrots are just tender, 5-7 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, along with celery (or mushrooms) and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetable are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
3. Add cooked quinoa to vegetables and stir in pecans and chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or warm.
 
Recipe found seriouseats.com

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

Have you ever had a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonalds? I had the pleasure of having one a few weeks ago for breakfast and have been hooked every since. I then tried to recreate this dish to have at home. It wasn't hard at all!

Ingredients
low fat vanilla yogurt (I like Dannon Light and Fit)
1/4 c of granola
cut up fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries

Directions
Mix together and enjoy!

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Fresh Salsa

LinkI came across the FANTASTIC fresh salsa recipe on a blog I follow, Unexpected Delights.

Ingredients
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (I like Rotel)
¼ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped cilantro (add more if you like cilantro! I did!!)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp cumin
1 jalapeño sliced (I did 2 for a spicy kick!)
Half a lime (squeeze the juice)

Directions
Combine all the ingredients in to a food processor (do not drain the
tomatoes) blend and serve!

Recipe courtesy of Kerry Amato via Unexpected Delights
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Another Pinterest inspired dish that will leave your taste buds so happy! This spicy rigatoni was not your usual rigatoni recipe with its peas and crushed red pepper.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbs chopped garlic
  • 6 oz chicken, sliced
  • 3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 1/4 cup peas
  • 1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions
  • additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.

2. Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

3. Drop cooked pasta in boiling water for 3 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.

Tastebook's Notes:Instead of buying alfredo and marinara sauce separately, Bertolli makes a Parm Rosa sauce you can use instead. Use 1 1/2 cups of it when the recipe tells you to add the marinara and alfredo sauces.

Recipe from http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2423433-Spicy-Chicken-Rigatoni


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