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!

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!

I've been inspired...

to revamp my recipe collection to everything whole-food friendly.  It will take a lot of testing, trial and error, but I think, it will be interesting and eye-opening.  Stick around for the changed recipes. I got the idea after reading through the 100 Days of Real food blog.  Her family of 4 is eating whole, non-processed foods on a great budget.  She has some excellent tips and recipes.  Check it out!! 

Tonight, we are trying her recipe of a whole chicken in the crockpot.  I will admit I was a little intimidated by a whole chicken, but at less than $1.00/pound I had to try it out.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
3-4 servings

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 cup cooked rice (I cook mine in chicken broth for added flavor)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I use Colby-Jack)
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup crushed buttery-round crackers (A.K.A Ritz, usually about 1/2 a sleeve)
2 tablespoons melted butter




Combine chicken, rice, soup, sour cream, cheese and seasonings. Spread in bottom of 8X8 pan. Combine crackers and butter and sprinkle over top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.

Sweet Pork Burritos

If you're from Utah, you know that Cafe Rio makes the best Sweet Pork ever.  Since we are in Washington right now where Cafe Rio doesn't exist, we have to make up for it and make our own.  I've made this to recreate the Sweet Pork Salad from there, but Jake likes burritos better so we do that mostly instead.

Sweet Pork Burritos
Ingredients:

3-4 lb pork roast
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup brown sugar

Put roast in crockpot and cover with water.   Add some salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Drain water and add salsa and brown sugar.  Cook for additional 1-2 hours.  Shred pork roast and let sit in juices to soak them up.  Add more salsa and brown sugar, if desired, to taste.

From there you can put whatever you want in your burrito.  We usually go with some Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.  But basically anything is good in these.  Roll 'em up and enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Pizza

Pizza is a definite favorite in our household.  We eat it on a pretty regular basis and of course I try to do mostly homemade.  Well I had listed on our menu pizza and I wanted to branch out of our normal red sauce pepperoni pizza.  So if any of you have been to Papa Murphy's you probably know they have a fabulous Garlic Chicken Pizza with white sauce.  So here is my recreated version.

Garlic Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup pizza cheese (just use whatever you are putting on the pizza.  I like to get the Great Value Italian Style shredded cheese)

For the pizza:
Pizza Dough (I recommend this one)
Pizza Cheese
2 chicken breasts, cooked
1 1/2 - 2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 - 3/4 cup green onions, diced

For the sauce:
Heat butter on medium-high heat in small sauce pan.  Add flour and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Let butter/flour cook for 1 minute, stir constantly to avoid burning.

Slowly whisk in milk, adding gradually.  You want to be sure milk is warm.   It will help in thickening process.  Stir in remaining ingredients and keep on heat until it's to desired thickness, stirring constantly.

For the pizza:
Par-bake pizza dough.  (I would recommend on a pizza stone, at 450 for about 3-4 minutes).  This will help with sogginess from the sauce.  Once par-baked, spread a little olive oil on crust.  Add sauce, cheese, chicken, tomatoes and green onions.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes until done.

Chicken Ribs

This is a favorite recipe from my childhood.  I remember my mom making this often.  It was mostly made on special occasions and her original recipes were with boneless pork ribs (hence the "ribs" in the name).  Eventually the recipe turn into chicken because that's what she had on hand.  This recipe is fabulous with both, but like my mom, I usually do it with chicken.  Throw a side of Augratin/Funeral Potatoes with this and you have a fabulous meal.  Enjoy!

Chicken Ribs

Ingredients:
5-6 chicken breasts
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 package McCormick Hickory BBQ Buffalo Wing Seasoning
*(the original recipe calls for 1 tsp. hickory smoked salt, but I can't find that anywhere around here.  The seasoning packet works great)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 minced onion


The best way to cook this recipe is low and slow.  I would recommend either in  a 9X13 pan covered with foil in the the oven @ 250 degrees for 6-8 hours.  Or in the crock pot on low for about the same time.  Once cooked through, uncover and let cool for a little while to let the sauce thicken.

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

By: Paula Dean (I made a few changes to her original recipe though)

Ingredients

• 3 cups (16 oz. box) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 3 cups (about 13 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Boil a pan of water for macaroni.  Add macaroni, and remove from heat.  Let sit for 6-7 until noodles are about half cooked. Drain. In a slow cooker, combine butter, shredded cheese, egg, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper.  Stir well, then add macaroni and stir again.
Cook on low for 1 hour, then switch to high for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.

Creamy Chicken Tacos

Creamy Chicken Tacos

4 chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese
1 - 1/12 cups salsa (depending on how thick you like it)

1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen corn

Add chicken, cream cheese, and salsa to crockpot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Shred chicken. Add black beans and corn and cook for an additional 30-60 minutes or until heated through.  Serve in tortillas with desired fixings*

*suggested fixings - rice, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
3 tablespoons hoison sauce (located near Asian foods)
Romaine lettuce leaves

Place  green onions, bell pepper, and water chestnuts in food processor and process until finely chopped.  Remove from processor and set aside.

Heat large skillet and add oil. Place chicken breasts in food processor and process until finely chopped. Add chicken to skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through (about 6-7 minutes).  Add garlic and ginger and saute for another 1-2 minutes.  Add chopped vegetables until moisture is taken out (about 3 minutes).  Add hoison sauce and heat through.

Serve on full romaine leaves.

** You can make this recipe without a food processor.  Just finely chop the vegetables by hand and as the chicken is cooking constantly stir and separate the chicken into small bits.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
(adapted from Ina Garten's Food Network Recipe)

4-5 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

5 cups chicken stock
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups diced carrots
3 medium sized potatoes

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, chopped (1 medium/large onion)
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn

1 package refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Cut into bite-size pieces.

While chicken is cooking, bring chicken stock to a boil and dissolve bouillon cubes.  Add carrots and potatoes and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until semi-soft/half-cooked.  Separate carrots and potatoes from chicken stock and set aside to avoid overcooking, while keeping chicken stock warm on stove.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large saucepan, melt butter & sauté chopped onion over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until translucent.  Add flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce.  Simmer over low heat for 1 more minutes, stirring, until thick.  Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream.  Add the cubed chicken, carrots, potatoes, peas, and corn.  Mix well.

Add to 9” x 13” glass pan.  Blend 1 egg & 1 Tablespoon of water (egg wash) and spread on edges of pan. Cover with 1 ½ - 2 pie crusts, enough to hang over edge ½ inch.  Press edges with fork.  Make slits on top of crust.  Brush with egg wash & sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken (4-5 chicken breasts or 11-12 chicken tenderloins)
6 long skewers

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper (more or less depending on desired heat)
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground paprika
2 teaspoons Garam Masala (optional, but a great addition)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups heavy cream (1 small carton)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt.  Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat a grill on high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate.  Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.  Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute.  Season with cumin, paprika, Garam Masala and salt.  Stir in tomato sauce and cream.  Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. It is very important for it to simmer for this long in order to let the flavor develop appropriately.  Trust me, you will love it more the longer it simmers. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

1 packet Beef Stew Seasoning
9 cups water
5-6 beef buillion cubes (depending on how much flavor you want)
1 1/2 lbs of stew meat (I buy the pre-cut stuff from the store)
3 medium potatoes (chopped)
3 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
15-20 baby carrots (chopped)
1/4 cup flour

Cover the meat with flour.  Put everything into crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.