Orange Pecan Crusted Chicken

Orange Pecan Crusted Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 pack chicken breast cutlets (3 or 4)

1 cup of fat free plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

3/4 - 1 cup whole wheat panko

3/4 cup pecans

1 Tbsp+ curry powder*

1 Tbsp+ ginger powder*

salt & pepper, to taste

extra virgin olive oil spray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a ziplock bag or bowl, mix yogurt and orange juice.  Add chicken and let marinate for 30 min to overnight.
2. In a food processor, add whole pecans, curry powder, ginger, salt & pepper.  Pulse until mixed and pecans are the size of peas. Add bread crumbs and pulse again until mixed.  I like to leave the pecans a little chunky for texture, but small enough to easily coat.  Transfer to a separate ziplock bag or large bowl. 
3. Coat chicken (discard extra yogurt) with pecan mixture, lightly spritz with olive oil spray, and bake at 350º until done (internal temp of 170º F), about 20-30 minutes.

*note: I love the spiciness of the curry powder and sweetness of the ginger, so I usually sprinkle a little extra on the chicken breasts before baking them.  Since they are spices, you can't go wrong from a nutritional standpoint if you like more!  If anything, you reap more benefits from their antioxidant power!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Olive Oil 1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast 1 cup chopped onions 1 heaping tbsp of homemade taco seasoning (or you can use the packaged type if you like) 2 cups of cooked rice (any type you like – I like brown) 3-4 organic bell peppers, halved and seeds removed 1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed ½ cup of organic frozen corn 1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa (my favorite is mango peach) Shredded Cheddar Cheese Toppings: fresh cilantro sour cream sliced avocado Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish about 20-25 minutes just until cooked thru. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them. *****Note – make sure you cook your turkey ahead of time that way you do not have to worry about it later. Also, I sauteed the onions until cooked thru, I then added in my cooked rice, black beans and corn.

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients: 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup salsa 1 package (1 TBSP) taco seasoning 1 cup sour cream cilantro, for serving (optional) (I also added a little shredded cheddar-jack, black beans and scallion on top) Directions: Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients: 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used Dreamfields) 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 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!

Homemade Mushroom Soup

Ingredients: 2 cups fresh mushrooms - cleaned and chopped finely (I used a mix of swiss brown and white button) 1 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic - chopped 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 - 2 bay leaf 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 1 tbsp flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water Salt to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup milk Dash of nutmeg Freshly ground black pepper to taste Fresh parsley or thyme for garnish Method: 1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add butter and lightly sauté garlic on medium heat. 2. Add in mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the moisture from the mushrooms disappears. 3. Add in chicken broth. Stir occasionally until broth boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 4 Add diluted flour in, and stir constantly (while simmering) until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning. 5. Finally, add milk and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off. 6. Serve hot in your soup bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme if you have them on hand. And warm up this holiday season! Notes: - You can thicken the soup by adding in another tablespoon of flour or cut down on the broth, for use in pasta or your Christmas casserole dishes.

RASPBERRY CRUMB PIE

Raspberry Crumb Pie Crust (makes two single pie crusts) 4 cups all purpose flour 3 Tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 3/4 cup cold shortening, diced 1/2 cup cold water 1 large egg 1 large egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water (for the egg wash) Filling 4 1/2 cups raspberries 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup flour 1/2 cup sour cream 2 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Crumb Topping 2 1/2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch ground nutmeg 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and kosher salt. Put the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. It’s important that the ingredients for the pie crust are very cold. Dice the shortening and also place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Take the bowl out of the freezer and add in the shortening. Using a fork, cut the shortening into the flour. The mixture should resemble small peas. Mix together 1/2 cup very cold water (I put the water in the freezer) and 1 large cold egg. Add it to the bowl and mix the ingredients together with a fork. Put the dough onto a floured counter and form it into a large circle. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and take off 3/4 of the dough. I always use a little more so it’s easier to roll out. You can reserve the extra dough you don’t use for another pie. Flour the counter, rolling pin and the dough. Roll it out into a large circle. Then roll the dough onto your rolling pin. Roll the dough over the pie plate (a 9 inch pie plate) and press it into the insides of the pie plate. Crimp the edges of the pie or if you can just take a fork and crimp the edges. Place the pie in the refrigerator while you work on the filling. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and flour. Add in the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined. Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and put the raspberries on the bottom of the crust. Pour the filling over the raspberries and spread it out. Now make the crumb topping. Mix together the sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Pour the melted unsalted butter into the bowl and mix everything together. Add in the flour and mix until the ingredients form a crumble topping. Crumble the crumb topping over the pie. Mix together 1 large egg and 1 Tablespoon of water and brush over the edge of the crust. You won’t use all of the egg wash. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. (the pie is done when the filling is somewhat firm) Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour on a cooling rack before cutting into slices. The filling will set when the pie cools. Then enjoy!

Dr. Pepper Roast

This is a recipe that CAN be canned for food storage... but I've always just made it in the crock pot. Ingredients: Roast (approx. 1.5 lbs roast per quart sized jar) 1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup 2 cans Campbell's cream of potato soup 2 cups Dr. Pepper (we joke that the caffeine cooks out...but, you can opt to use caffeine free) 1 package Lipton onion soup mix 1/2 - 1 tsp. Tony's Creole Seasoning (depending on how spicy you want it) If you were to cook this in your crock pot, you simply add all ingredients and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes. Directions for canning: Cut Roast into chunks (or buy stew meat, which is already cubed for you) Put chunks of roast into clean pint or quart size jars (depending on the size of your family) In pitcher, mix all remaining ingredients. (Multiply gravy mixture as needed for amount of roast you are canning. One batch of gravy mixture will fill approximately three quart sized jars.) Pour gravy mixture over top of roast. Use handle end of a plastic spatula and run it down the insides of the jar all the way around. This will allow the gravy to settle in around the roast . Add more gravy until the jar is full, leaving approximately one inch headspace. In small pan, boil flat lids for three minutes. While lids are boiling, use damp cloth and wipe down rims of jars. Place flat lids on jars, screw bands on. Cook at 15 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. Store and enjoy! youcancan.blogspot.com