Thai Noodle Bowl

If you follow my blog you know that I love all things Thai. Growing up in Pennsylvania I never had any exposure to this wonderful cuisine. It wasn’t until I moved to California that I was introduced to it and now I cannot get enough! There is so much flavor and interesting mixes of spices that I’ve been inspired to try my own recipe. Here is my first “on-a-whim- recipe” that was an absolute hit.

Serves: 6    Calories: 395 (depends on how much chopped peanuts and peanut butter you decide to use. Keep that in mind)

Ingredients: 

• 1 pkg whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (more if that suits your taste but remember how many calories that adds)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1/2 cup of frozen shelled edamame beans
• 1 bag of frozen stir fry veggies (Perry will not eat broccoli so I substitute with frozen mixed peppers)
• 2 tbsp chopped peanuts
• 4 scallions, sliced

Directions:

1.) Boil water and cook spaghetti

2.) Heat skillet over med-high. Saute peanut butter, lime juice, garlic, and ginger for one minute.

3.) Add edamame beans and stir fry veggies. Cook for 10-12 minutes until veggies are tender. Don’t forget to stir frequently because smoked peanut butter is not a good taste for this dish 😉

4.) Spoon veggie mixture over pasta and top with chopped peanuts and scallions.

5.) Enjoy!

*Photo is an original taken by me

**Recipe was a whim

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Chicken Piccata

 

I grew up eating chicken all the time and love chicken. My husband on the other hand could live the rest of his life without ever eating chicken again. Because of this my chicken recipes  have to be worth five stars for Perry to even poke his fork at it. This one is totally worthy with the flavorful sauce and semi-crunchy-lightly-crusted chicken. Being totally honest I made the sauce a few nights after initially making this just to drizzle over asparagus.

Serves: 4-6 (depending on how much chicken you buy. We got 4 breasts)   Calories: 160  

Ingredients:

– 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

– 4-6 thin chicken breasts

– 1/8 tsp salt

– 1/8 tsp pepper

– 2 tbsp olive oil

– 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and dried (more depending on your taste)

– 2 medium garlic cloves, minced ( I used 3 large cloves because I love garlic)

– 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth

– 1/2 cup of dry white wine

– 4 strips of lemon zest (fairly long I would say the whole length of the lemon if you can)

– 4 tsp fresh lemon juice

– 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

Directions: 

1.) Put flour on a large plate or in a shallow bowl.

2.) Rinse chicken and dry. Season with salt and pepper. Coat only one side of the chicken with flour in bowl/plate. Shake off the loose flour. (we are cutting back calories by only coating one side with flour.. If you want to coat both keep in mind the calories will not be accurate with what I have posted on this recipe.)

3.) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Lay the chicken flour side down and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and continue to cook until no longer pink, approximately an extra 2 minutes. Repete with remaning chicken. When cooked move the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

4.) Add garlic and capers to the same pan and return to medium heat. Cook until fragrant (20-30 seconds) Stir in a pinch of flour. Whisk in the broth, wine, lemon zest. Cook until thickened, approximately 10 mins

5.) Uncover the chicken and add to the sauce coating the breasts and heating it through for no more than a minute. Remove chicken again.

6.) Turn off the heat and take the strips of lemon zest out of the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and butter.

7.) Drizzle (or as Perry says “pour”) the sauce over chicken breasts and enjoy!

*Photo is an original taken by me

**Recipe belongs to my long line of ancestors with some edits to lower the fat/calorie content.

Walnut and Rosemary Baked Chicken

I know what you are all thinking, “KELSEY FRIED CHICKEN!? WHAT THE?!” Don’t fret my friends this recipe was actually found at a cooking light website and are worth only 292 calories per serving. I love chicken and I especially love crunchy chicken. I found this recipe and absolutely had to try it. Not only does it have a great flavor (I didn’t even have to dip the chicken in sauce) but it was super simple to make. That’s what I like simple and tasty. My son even had a few bites which says a lot because he is the king of picky eaters. I modified the original recipe a little but it certainly did not take away.

Serves: 4    Calories: 292

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 4 (6oz) chicken cutlets (We used 1 lb of chicken breast tenders)
• 1/3 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (No need to buy a huge bag as that can be expensive so just get a small single serving bag in the baking aisle of your grocery store)
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Extra rosemary leaves for garnish if desired.

Directions:

1.) Remove top rack of oven and coat with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425

2.) Combine milk and mustard in a medium bowl. Add chicken to the milk mixture and turn it to coat.

3.) Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan and cook for approx. 3 minutes or until golden, stir frequently as to not burn the breadcrumbs.

4.) Combine panko, nuts, parmesan, rosemary, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Remove the chicken from milk mixture and discard the milk mixture.

5.) Dunk chicken in panko mixture to coat well on both sides.

6.) Place chicken across oiled oven rack. Coat chicken with cooking spray. At the bottom of oven place a cookie sheet to collect any pieces of panko mixture that may fall off the chicken. (this makes for an easier cleanup of your oven. Bake at 425 for 13 minutes or until chicken is done.

7.) If desired, garnish with rosemary leaves and enjoy!

*Photo is original taken by me

*Original Recipe belongs to http://www.myrecipes.com

Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers

If you look at my previous posts you will find a recipe for  “veggie burgers.” I used to make them once a month and stock my freezer for the weeknights I did not feel like making a dinner from scratch. That is a great recipe but I recently found a new recipe for veggie patties that trump any other veggie burger I’ve had. These Greek spinach veggie burgers are  delicious, easy and healthy so I know I’ll be making it a few times a month. I would not suggest making them and freezing them so it is not a “stock up your fridge” recipe. We were able to get two dinners out of them though.

Serves: 4      Calories: 367

Original recipe found at: http://www.bhg.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix (or your favorite stuffing mix)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 10-oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns or pita pockets. (Toasted if you like 😉 )
• burger toppers (we used Greek yogurt, feta, and red onion). Suggestions: red peppers, black olives, tzatziki sauce or dried cranberries. Get Creative!

Directions:

1.) Combine oil, garlic, oregano, dill weed, and black pepper. Stir in the stuffing mix coating thoroughly. Stir in eggs, spinach and 1/2 cup of feta cheese. Mix well.

2.) Form into four 1/2 inch thick patties. (don’t make the ends of the patties too thin because than you risk it coming apart when flipping.)

3.) Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium and add the patties. Cook for 3-4 mins on each side or until browned and heated through.

4.) Top with your favorite extras and enjoy!

*Photo is an original taken by me

*Original recipe found at http://www.bhg.com