New Recipe Review: Pizza Without the Red Sauce

We tried this Pizza Without the Red Sauce for dinner tonight and it is absolutely going to be one that we'll try again.

The Verdict: Keeper! The sauce combination is super good with lots of flavor. We were a little worried that there was too much garlic, but it cooks out and really isn't too overpowering.  I'm also a little hesitant to have veggies like tomatoes and spinach on my pizza.  Sometimes either the texture of the tomatoes or flavor of the spinach is too much for me to handle.  But I'm glad to say that the depth of this pizza had everything and I wouldn't say that anything was overpowering the other, but complimenting it nicely.

Changes: Instead of the sweet onion, we did green onion instead.  It turned out really nice.  The only reason I didn't do sweet onion is because we didn't have one on hand.  Not an onion that we use really ever.  We also didn't really get much heat from the jalapeno. So because they don't seem to stay fresh for very long, I think we would bypass the jalapeno in the future and just add either a little cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add some heat.

I would definitely try this if you haven't.  It is definitely another great recipe to add to our pizza collection.

Some other of our favorite pizza recipes:  Garlic Chicken Pizza, Barbecue Chicken Pizza and the classic Pepperoni Pizza.

New Recipe Review: Tilapia Masala

So just yesterday we tried this new fish recipe, Tilapia Masala and I have to say I was a bit disappointed.  I'm not sure if it's just the kind of fish that we are buying, but this recipe was a little lackluster and I've had better fish recipes in the past.

I wasn't that impressed with how the marinade cooked onto the fish.  It gave it a weird sort of texture and didn't flavor the fish as much as I anticipated it to be.  So if you are in to bland, mushy fish this is it for you.  It was worth a shot to find another mild fish recipe, but unfortunately I don't think we'll try this one again.

Even though we aren't huge fish eaters, this Broiled Tilapia Parmesan is our favorite!! 

New Recipe Review: Trinidadian Stew

For Jake's birthday we tried out this Trinidadian Chicken Stew.  I'm a regular watcher of the food network (it kind of drives Jake crazy), but when I saw Giada make this recipe a few weeks ago I wanted to try it.  And ever since I showed it to Jake, he wanted to try it too. I'm pretty sure it held up to our expectations.

The only things that I changed in the recipe, was using all chicken breast instead of the chicken thighs.  I also used dry thyme and parsley instead of fresh.  Probably could taste better with fresh, but every time I seem to buy fresh herbs I can't get over how expensive they are and how quickly they die out on me.  So in most recipes, I usually go for dry over fresh. 

Besides that I stuck right with the recipe, and it was REALLY good! The chicken had a great sweetness from the dark brown sugar and then the vegetables were cooked just right.  Other than we ate it on a hot day outside, which it would have been better if it were a fall/winter day, it was delicious and so easy!  I'd definitely give it a try!

New Recipe Review: Coconut Chicken Curry

Last Monday, we tried this new recipe:  Coconut Chicken Curry

Because it's been a challenge of mine this month to branch out and try some new recipes, I thought I'd try and review them so anyone reading this can know whether we liked them or not.

This Coconut Chicken Curry was pretty good.  It had really great flavor, the onions in there were just perfect and the sauce was good.  Jake really enjoyed it, but I found myself wanting more out of it.  It needed a bit more depth or creaminess to it I think.  I tried the recipe with light coconut milk, so I may go for regular coconut milk or even a little heavy cream in there instead.  Other than that it was great.  We served it with a little brown basmati rice and it's definitely one we'd try again, with a little tweaking on my part of course. 

Homemade Chicken Nuggets (using Ground Chicken)

Last Tuesday night I made some homemade chicken nuggets and they turned out so good.  I've made chicken bites before, with pieces of chicken breast, but I don't know why I've never tried making these with ground chicken.  What an ingenious idea!!  They have the same kind of consistency as the pre-fab chicken nuggets but without all the fillers, just straight chicken with a few seasonings.  They were pretty much amazing.  I think we definitely found a new favorite recipe for around the house.  Now only if I can convince my super picky 3 year-old to eat them, then we're good!

Here is the recipe I followed:

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Adapted from: Amanda's Cookin' (She also has great pictures to follow)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 35-40 nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs (can use regular too)
• 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• Light tasting olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. While oven is preheating cut chicken breasts into cubes, then place in a food processor. Process chicken into a fine paste. Transfer processed chicken to a bowl. Combine salt, parsley, onion powder, and pepper, and sprinkle over chicken. Combine well.
3. Whisk eggs together in a small bowl. Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl. Combine both breadcrumbs in another bowl.  3 bowls total here.
4. Measure chicken paste out and roll into balls (about 35-40, 1- 1/2 " balls).
5. Roll ball in flour, then coat with egg, and then coat in breadcrumbs. Use your fingers to press the ball down to make a nugget. Brush generously with oil. 
6. Once oven is preheated, bake nuggets for 18-20 minutes flipping halfway between cooking time.  I like to cook mine on a wire cooling rack that's on top of the cookie sheet to ensure even baking on both sides.  Nuggets are done when chicken is cooked through and the outside is golden brown.
7. Enjoy!

May Menu!

So I've been way behind on this blog, but I thought I'd try to resurrect it a little bit.  I'm going to start it out by sharing my May Menu. Because of traveling, I started this month's menu today, May 6th.

I really wanted to challenge myself in trying out some new recipes.  It seems as if we are in such a rut and have the same recipes over and over.  So all of the recipes with a * next to it is a new recipe.  We'll see how this goes.  There are 8 new recipes for this month which is a lot for us.  Hope we can find some new favorites in there somewhere.

 If there is a FF next to it that means "Family Fave",  a tried and true recipe that we use often around our home. 

Here it goes!  Enjoy!

6th - * - Coconut Chicken Curry w/Brown Basmati Rice
7th - FF - Chicken Nuggets (no recipe posted yet)
8th - FF - Pizza (Happy Birthday Josh!)
9th - Breakfast, who doesn't love a good breakfast for dinner?
10th - FF -  Veggie Burgers
11th - FF - Bruschetta Chicken
12th - * - Egg Drop Soup
13th - * - Trinidadian Stew
14th - * - Tilapia Masala
15th - Baked Potato Bar
16th - FF - Veggie Barley Soup
17th - Burgers w/baked onion rings
18th - Lemon Chicken Romano
19th - FF - Lettuce Wraps
20th - * - Black Bean Tostadas
21st - Breakfast
22nd - * - Orzo Chickpea Salad
23rd - FF - Freezer Lasagna
24th - Burritos/Quesadillas
25th - *  Pizza w/o Red Sauce
26th - FF - Chicken Gyros
27th - * - Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
28th - Fajitas
29th - FF - Tilapia Parmesan
30th - Freezer Easy Meal
31st - Chicken Meatballs - Insanity Recipe Book

November Menu Plan & Catching Up

Since moving here I've had a hard time getting into a routine schedule and also I've been trying a lot lately to revamp my recipes and meal options to a healthier, leaner menu.  For about 5-6 weeks of September and October we did really good with the Insanity program.  I lost about 5-6 pounds in those weeks and trimmed up a little, but then we got burnt out. 6 days a week of watching videos that are anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour gets old.  So we took a little break and I've been trying to vary it up a little with yoga, Insanity videos, and other circuit strength training.  It's been hard to get back and it's also been hard to do anything when the weather is cold.  I'd rather get out for a walk or bike ride than workout indoors and I also have a hard time eating healthier when the cold weather hits because all I want is comfort food, with the holidays you are surrounded by treats, and it seems produce gets expensive.  But I'm plugging through and trying to get there.  At least I'm trying right?

As for the November Menu Plan, here goes:
Blue means I'll post a recipe as that day comes

9th: Steak & Broccoli (grilled steak, small baked potato and side of broccoli)
10th: Homemade Chicken Nuggets (family friendly to try and help little Josh with his picky habits)
11th: New Recipe - Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup
12th: Baked Oatmeal

13th: Veggie Fried Rice
14th: Teriyaki Noodle Bowl
15th: Baked Potatoes w/veggies
16th: Jamie's Minestrone Soup
17th: Beach Street Lemon Chicken
18th: Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Naan
19th: New Recipe - Black Bean Burrito Bake
20th: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
21st: Chicken Stir Fry
22nd - 23rd: Thanksgiving
24th: Breakfast - German Pancakes
25th: Debdoozie's Chili
26th: Lean Burger (Hamburger Patty over mixed greens or healthy baked onion rings)
27th: Crockpot Cranberry Chicken
28th: Pizza (Here are my basics for crust and sauce)
29th: New Recipe - Tortilla Pie
30th: French Dip Sandwiches

 That's all for now.  Enjoy!