Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and decided to give it a shot. Huge hit with the whole family. I did add extra spice once the sauce was added in. We like our meals with a little kick! :)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine 
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (I subbed a small shallot)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Makes 7 1/2 cups.

Recipe: www.skinnytaste.com

Chili

Credit for this recipe goes completely to my husband.  He found it, bought all the ingredients, and prepared it with Lily without one ounce of my help! And it was seriously the best chili I have ever had! (and I'm not really a chili lover)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Anaheim chile pepper, chopped
• 2 red jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle light beer (such as Coors(R))
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (we used our own canned tomatoes)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (16 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans (such as Bush's(R))
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, bell pepper, Anaheim pepper, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in the hot oil until softened.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; add Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Crumble bouillon cubes over beef and add beer. Continue to cook , scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid is hot, about 3 minutes. Stir beef mixture into pepper mixture.
3. Stir crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine to the beef mixture. Season with chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, brown sugar, pepper sauce, basil, paprika, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are very tender and flavors have developed in the chili, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Mix kidney beans into beef and vegetables. Continue to simmer until beans are hot, about 30 minutes more.
5. Blend sour cream, cilantro, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin in a food processor until smooth. Serve sour cream mixture with chili.

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/233613/best-damn-chili/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=12

Esquites Quinoa Salad with Avocado

Now that Spring has arrived, we are firing up the grill! In searching of some new side dishes, I came across this one. It was fresh and filling, and not potato! Everyone loved it. And it tastes great cold as leftovers as well. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 3/4 cups water or broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups corn (about 3 ears)
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno, optionally seeded and finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Greek Yogurt or oil)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (~1 lime)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup cotija (or queso fresco or feta), crumbled
• 2 green onions, sliced
• salt, pepper and chili powder to taste

Directions

1. Bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, about 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn, toss and let it sit cooking until charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 10-14 minutes.
3. Mix everything and serve warm or at room temperature

Recipe: www.closetcooking.com

Chicken Pad Thai

A month or so ago, I convinced my husband to venture out of our box and eat out at a Thai restaurant. We had such a great experience that I decided to attempt a recipe on my own. This was a perfect one to start with. The kids were skeptical at first but ended up really liking it! I'll add my variation notes in the recipe as I didn't follow it exactly. We will definitely be trying this one again. And it provided enough leftovers for one meal exactly so the serving size is accurate.

Ingredients

• 10 oz Thai rice noodles
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into small strips
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (I ran out so I subbed in apple cider vinegar- worked fine!)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (I did not use this as a warning from a friend that it might be a bit much as a first-timer. Might add it in later.)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips and strips halved
• 1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 green onions, whites minced, greens sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• Red pepper flakes and sesame seeds (optional)- (I did not add these this time but will next time...and Sriracha!)

Prepare rice noodles according to directions listed on package. In a mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce, set aside.

• While noodles are cooking, heat oil in a wok or large and deep non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add chicken and saute until cooked through, about 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving oil in pan. Add bell pepper and carrots and saute 1 - 2 minutes then add garlic, green onions and bean sprouts saute 1 minute longer. Push veggies to edges of pan and crack eggs into center. Cook and scramble until eggs have cooked through. Add in chicken, noodles and sauce and toss everything together and cook 1 - 2 minutes.

• Serve warm topped with cilantro, peanuts and optional red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

• Recipe source: Cooking Classy

Servings: 5

Crusty Bread

One of my all-time favorites is Panera Bread's bread bowl. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, it looked exactly like it so I had to try it out. Huge hit with my family and extended family too! 

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

Recipe: www.simplysogood.com