THAI CHICKEN STIR-FRY WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

This recipe is super easy and delicious! And if you're not into the spiciness, just leave out the cayenne pepper.

INGREDIENTS

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. water or broth

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. orange juice

1 tsp. white vinegar

3 tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt or sour cream

2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into thin strips

1 small cucumber, seeded and cut into thin bite-size strips

3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, yogurt, water, soy sauce, vinegar, juice, cayenne pepper, and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and carrots; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles. Serves 4.

Veggie Mac n' Cheese

If you are low on meat but still want to make something filling, this is a great recipe to try. I found it on Shape.com (Shape Magazine's website - they have a lot of great recipes) and it turned out pretty well. The thing I love about Shape recipes is that they often give you the nutrition score per serving (see below recipe). The only veggie that the recipe calls for is diced tomatoes but since Ryan doesn't like tomatoes I added some chopped broccoli and diced red bell peppers instead, which I definitely recommend - they added color, flavor, and a little extra nutritional value :) Enjoy!

Veggie Mac 'n Cheese

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce box of uncooked elbow macaroni
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk (or 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk)
4 ounces (1 cup) reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons bread crumbs, dried
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream, reserved pasta water, and diced tomatoes. Set aside.

Scald milk by heating it in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Add cheese, mustard, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Fold cheese mixture into the pasta and transfer to a casserole dish (mixture will be thin but will thicken as it bakes).

Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over pasta.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Nutrition Score per serving:
(2 cups) 484 calories, 466 mg calcium, 79 g carbs, 7 g fat (12% of calories), 4 g fiber, 28 g protein, 3 g saturated fat, 3 mg iron, 464 mg sodium

Easy Chicken Bake!

(photo courtsey of www.culinary.net)

I got this off the Stove Top Stuffing box and it was actually pretty good!

Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix (Chicken flavor)
- 1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
- 1/3 cup Sour Cream
- 1 16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed & drained.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside. Mix raw chicken, soup, sour cream & vegetables in 13x9 inch baking dish; top with prepared stuffing. I also sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 min or until chicken is cooked through!

Makes 6 servings.

Garden Chowder

Okay girls - lets get this blog going again cause I am in need of some new yummy recipes!

I found this recipe for one of my favorite soups, from one of my favorite restaurants in Utah - "ZUPAS cafe". If you haven't tried it - you are missing out. Hope you like this as much as we did. Even better, all the ingredients are all found at your local IGA :)

Garden Chowder Ingredients       3 TBS butter       2 medium zucchini, diced       1 medium onion, diced       2 T fresh parsley, chopped *note: when substituting with dry spices, use 1/2 the amount specified       2 T fresh basil, chopped       1/3 Cup flour       3 Cups chicken broth       1 tsp lemon juice       2-3 tomatoes, diced       1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk       1 can (14.5 oz) corn       1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated       2 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded       1 tsp kosher salt       1 tsp freshly ground pepper Preparation Over medium heat, saute the zucchini, onion, parsley and basil in butter until vegetables are tender. Add flour, stir until vegetables are coated. Slowly add chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, milk and corn. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for five minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper. * You can add in whatever other veggies sound yummy too! Zane also added some leftover rice to his bowl which made it nice and hearty :)

Chicken Veggie Casserole

I got this from another recipe blog and tried it tonight. Both me and Justin really liked it. Another bonus was that it was super easy to make and you can get all these ingredients here.

I can 98% Fat Free Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup Fat Free (skim) milk
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can (16oz.) whole kernal corn, drained (she used a can of creamed corn-undrained and really liked it)
2 cups frozen cut green beens
2 cups sliced cooked potatoes
small amount of cheese

I boil my chicken so it's cooked though and easy to shred.In a large bowl combine the soup, milk, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken, corn, beans, and potatoes. Pour mixture into a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. I topped it with a very small amount of cheese, just enough to barely cover the top (but you can leave this out if you want to make it more healthy). Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from: Taste of Home's/Budget Suppers

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

So, I have been a little behind on posting any recipes, so I might play catch up right now. he.

Ingredients:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (32 oz) bag of frozen vegetables (but I only use about half of it)
- 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (They have a delicious one at IGA-"Betty Crocker" Pie crust, makes 2 and all you do is add water!)
- Salt
- Suggestion: You might want to try and add a can of "Libby's" sweet cream corn or use as a side.

This is seriously very easy, and so yummy!
Boil or steam chicken until done. Dice up. Mix together undiluted soup, vegetables & diced chicken in a bowl. Make pie crusts. Pour mixture into pie shell, and cover with second crust. Crimp edges, and make slits in the top crust. Bake @ 375 degrees for 40-45 min, or until crust is golden brown.