Cajun Chicken Pasta

I came up with this dish when trying to re-create the Cajun chicken pasta at Chili's. Cajun seasonings vary a lot by brand, so start with less and experiment until you get enough heat for your taste.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup white cooking wine

1/4 oil

2 TBS Cajun seasoning (or more or less, depending on the brand and how spicy you like it)

1 lb penne pasta

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

shredded Parmesan cheese

Alfredo Sauce:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups milk

6 oz shredded Parmesan cheese

fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Combine white wine, oil, and seasoning in a bag and add chicken. Marinate several hours or overnight. Grill chicken and cut into strips, set aside.

Prepare the alfredo sauce by melting the butter and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and milk, whisk until smooth. Add cheese and pepper and whisk until cheese is melted.

Cook pasta according to directions, drain. Pour the alfredo sauce over the pasta. Add chicken and toss. Heat through, then stir in tomatoes and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

8-10 servings

Curried Coconut Chicken

This is a favorite of ours. You can add even more chicken if you're cooking for a lot of people, there's plenty of sauce. We love to eat it with Thai Cucumber Salad. I usually add additional curry paste to this recipe to get it to the spiciness that we like. Curry pastes vary a lot by brand, so try a little at a time if you're not sure.

Ingredients
4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder

curry paste (optional, I usually add about 1TBS)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and curry powder (and paste, if desired) in a large skillet over medium-high heat for five minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 5 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. (Sometimes I let it simmer uncovered for a few hours to let the sauce thicken).

Serve over rice.

Pesto Chicken

This is so fast and easy. Just make sure to plan ahead enough to leave time for marinating.

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 oz. each)
1/2 cup Pesto ( I either use homemade or the kind you find in the refrigerated section)

2 roma tomatoes, sliced (optional)
3/4 cup feta cheese

Directions

Put chicken and pesto in a bag and marinate for several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Cheesy Zucchini Patties

Depending on how much moisture is in your zucchini, you may need to add a little extra flour.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup flour (I like whole wheat)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
red pepper flakes (optional, if you like a little spice)
2 tablespoons oil
Marinara sauce (optional)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly.
Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by quarter cup fulls, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden. Serve with marinara sauce.

Oriental Chicken Salad

This recipe is supposed to be a clone of Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad. I think it's pretty close. This is for 4 servings, I usually double it for my family.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

6 Tbls honey

4 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbls rice vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Salad:

4 cooked, breaded chicken breast, cut into strips (I use a bag of Tyson chicken)

6 cups of lettuce(s) (I usually use a combination of romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, and sometimes I'll throw in some spinach as well)

2 cups shredded red cabbage

3 green onions, chopped

shredded carrots (I use the matchstick carrots, pre-cut)

toasted almonds

rice noodles (these come in a can by the chow mein noodles. Similar to chow mein, only thinner)

To serve this, I mix just the lettuce and cabbage together, divide onto plates, then top each salad with the rest of the ingredients and top with the dressing.

4 servings

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This dinner is a hit with my kids. It calls for green bell pepper, but I sometimes use other colors, as you can see from the photo.
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup sliced carrots
1 medium green pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice
Directions: In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. In a large skillet, cook meatballs over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple aside. Add water to juice to measure 1 cup. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce; pour over meatballs. Add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Stir in green pepper and pineapple; cover and simmer 5 minutes longer or until pepper is crisp-tender. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into meatball mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Broccoli Chicken Braid

I like to bottle chicken breasts so that I have it on hand for quick meals like this one. Make sure to cook it long enough. It can look done on the outside but still be doughy inside. It will probably be darker than the one in this picture (I found out it needed to be cooked longer after cutting into it). For any questions on the shaping technique check out THIS recipe that is shaped in the same way.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons slivered almonds or pecans
1/4 cup diced onion
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, beaten

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

If you're looking for a meatless main dish, this is a good one. The recipe comes from Moosewood vegetarian Restaurant in New York.

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a grain with a lot of health benefits. I found mine in the bulk section at our health foods store.

1 cup raw quinoa

6 medium bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced zucchini (Optional)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes, blended
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well under running water. In a covered pot, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa is soft and the water absorbed.While the quinoa cooks, cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and, leaving the stems on, seed them. Brush the bell pepper shells with about 2 tablespoons of the oil, inside and out. Place them cut side down on the prepared baking pan and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened and slightly browned, but not collapsed.

When the bell peppers are roasted, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, warm the remaining tablespoon of oil and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions have softened. Stir in the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, carrots, celery, zucchini, and corn. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.Combine the sauteed vegetables and the cooked quinoa, stewed tomatoes and add salt to taste.

Turn over the roasted pepper shells and spoon filling into each half. Sprinkle each bell pepper half with some of the grated cheese and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Spanish Rice Dinner

This recipe is great for ease of preparation, plus I always have the ingredients on hand.

The first time I made it, I thought the recipe was wrong, as there's hardly any liquid for the rice to cook in, but if you make sure to keep the heat low and keep it tightly covered, it will cook with no added water.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can cut green beans, drained
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 onion

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, cook beef with onions and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rice is tender.

Orange Pecan Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Hot cooked rice

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine orange juice concentrate, 4 tablespoons oil, soy sauce and garlic. Pour half of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Set aside 1/4 cup green onions for garnish. Add remaining onions to saucepan; saute in butter until tender. Add the marmalade, juices, honey, orange and lemon peel, salt, pepper and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Cook chicken in skillet with remaining oil, or grill (I like mine grilled). Serve chicken over rice; top with sauce, toasted pecans or walnuts and reserved onions.

Quick and Easy Green Chili Burritos

This is such an easy and quick meal that calls for ingredients that I always have on hand. The original doesn't call for onions and garlic, but I add that to almost everything.

Ingredients:

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

8 flour tortillas

1/2 pound ground beef

1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies

1 onion (optional)

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Cook ground beef with onion and garlic, drain. Add refried beans and mix until heated through. Fill each tortilla with mixture plus 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold ends and sides over filling and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with chilies and remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.

Note: My favorite flour tortillas are the ones you can buy that are uncooked. You just throw them on a skillet for a minutes each side. It takes a little extra prep work, but they're so much better.

Oven Baked Jambalaya

Another favorite. I usually bake it in my dutch oven.
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup butter
1 pounds fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (or less, if you don't like spicy)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, saute the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic in butter until crisp-tender. Place in a very large bowl; stir in the remaining ingredients.
Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring twice.

Lentil Tacos

Okay, these might sound kind of gross, but they're actually really tasty. I like to find ways to use my food storage; this is a good one for that.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons sour cream
DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic

I think it's a good idea to double the sauce on this one. As written, the sauce doesn't go very far.
INGREDIENTS
4 thin skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

Enchiladas Suisas

This is one of my favorite dinners. Sometimes I like to use the whole roasted chicken you can buy in the deli at the grocery store. They have wonderful flavor and it also saves prep time.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup chopped Spanish onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 14 oz can chicken broth
2 4 oz cans chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cumin

16-18 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
Prepare salsa verde: Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft Add garlic, saute a minute longer. Stir in the flour. Add the broth, then add the chiles, salt, and cumin. Simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors, then set aside 1 cup for topping and add shredded chicken to remaining sauce. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
Spray both sides of tortilla with cooking spray and lightly fry tortillas, being careful not to make them too crisp to roll. Combine the cheeses and keep 1/2 cup aside for topping. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken salsa verde mixture and about 2 tablespoons cheese down the center of each; roll and place seam side down in a shallow dish.
After all the rolled tortillas are in the dish, spoon additional salsa verde over them and then cover evenly with heavy cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.