Spicy Beef and Peper Fajitas - Fitness Magazine

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound flank steak, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon  minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons  dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon  cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon  reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon  black pepper
• 2 tablespoons  plus 1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 cups  red and yellow bell pepper strips
• 1 cup  thinly sliced onion
• 2 teaspoons  chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/4 cup  chopped cilantro
• 8 6 inches  flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup  plain nonfat Greek yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Cut steak along the grain into 2-inch-thick strips, then cut each strip across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

2. In a medium bowl, combine steak, garlic, 1 tablespoon sherry, cornstarch, soy sauce and black pepper. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil.

3. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, peppers and onion; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until peppers begin to wilt. Transfer to a plate.

4. Add remaining oil, then steak in a single layer. Cook steak undisturbed 1 minute. Add chili powder; stir-fry 15 seconds or until just combined. Add pepper-and onion mixture, salt and remaining sherry; stir-fry 1 minute or until beef is just cooked through. Stir in cilantro.

5. Serve with warmed tortillas and top with yogurt or sour cream if desired.

What I love about these fajitas - they are 387 calories for a serving (this should serve 4) and I feel full. As many of you know, I am trying to get wedding ready and finding the right food to eat while still feeling full has been a challenge. Brad also really liked this, he has been a pretty good sport about my lo-cal dishes :)

In terms of making this, I followed the recipe the first time through. The next couple times I've made this I used the 2 or 3 whole peppers, I don't like when recipes measure things in cups for veggies.  I  used about half an onion, we aren't big onion eaters but I like their flavor in moderation. These fajitas do have a great taste with the sherry and soy sauce - I was surprised about that. I never would've thought soy sauce for fajitas. 

Enjoy :)

Chicken Tostada - Everday Food

Ingredients

• 4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 3 ounces shredded (3/4 cup) pepper Jack cheese
• 2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cooked, shredded chicken breasts
• 1 cup jarred green salsa, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped, plus 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tortillas; bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together chicken, salsa, 1/4 cup cilantro, and cumin. Spoon mixture evenly over tortillas; bake until heated through, about 8 minutes.
3. Top with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately, with additional green salsa, if desired.

This dish came out okay. I don't think it was one of Brad's favorites - it was a little tricky to eat in terms of trying to cut up the tortilla. I had never used store bought green salsa so I don't think I used the best one, if I made this again I think I would try to find a recipe and make it myself or just use regular red salsa. What I did like about it was that it is fairly healthy with all of  the veggies and chicken.

I think sometimes eating things in a familiar way is important. Serving this as a burrito or  as tacos would have been fine too. Since we're trying to eat healthier, corn tortillas are typically less calories than flour. I also probably would use less cheese.

Just some thoughts :) This wasn't a great dish but it wasn't awful - just need to make some adjustments. Happy Cooking!

Chicken Cutlets Brasciole - Rachael Ray

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup hot water
Handful golden raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 slices white sandwich bread, torn
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, a few sprigs, leaves chopped

Directions

Pour very hot tap water into a small bowl. Add raisins and plump 5 minutes.

Lightly toast nuts in a small skillet over medium low heat.

Drain raisins and pat dry. Place raisins, nuts, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, torn bread and cheese into processor and pulse into a stuffing.

Butterfly the chicken open by cutting into and across the breast but not all the way through. Pound out the cutlets and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Fill the breasts with stuffing, roll and secure with toothpicks.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the brasciole all over 7 to 8 minutes, remove and set aside. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up the drippings. Stir in tomatoes and tarragon, add chicken back, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

The first time I made this, I thought serving it with spaghetti would be a good idea. I figured since it had a red sauce that pasta makes sense - I was wrong. Rice pilaf is a much better side!

I also, didn't have toothpicks either time making this. I felt as though it held together well even without them. Just make sure you roll the chicken tight enough. 

I followed this recipe to a T and it turned out really well. I love any excuse to bust out my food processor :) I did also use a non-stick pan, it helps with making the sauce. The wine will deglaze the pan better. 

Happy Cooking :)

Lemon chicken piccata - Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

* 2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 extra-large egg
* 1/2 tablespoon water
* 3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
* Good olive oil
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
* 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* Sliced lemon, for serving
* Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Brad bought me this cookbook for Christmas - Barefoot Contessa at Home. He bought it mainly because there was a recipe for mashed potatoes. So far, the mash potatoes I made came out horrible but this dish turned out very nice :)

I had the pasta cooking while I made the chicken and sauce. I would probably make more of the sauce or cook it at a lower temp because there was not a lot left over for the pasta. You could easily serve this over a salad as well.

I was surprised that I missed capers. Usually a piccata dish has capers in it and I usually don't eat them - I find them to be too salty and bitter. This dish, while delicious, needed something to balance out the lemon flavor. Next time I will probably add a touch of capers and continue my tradition of liking the flavor and not eating the actual capers :)

Baked Potato Casserole - Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 -10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I leave the skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 6 tablespoons hot sauce

Topping

• 2 cups fiesta Mexican blend cheese or 2 cups monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend
• 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 cup diced green onion

Directions
Preheat oven to 500F (This is NOT a typo, 500F is correct!) .
In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika.
Add the cube potatoes and stir to coat.
Add the potatoes to a greased baking dish.
When scooping the potatoes into the baking dish, leave behind any extra olive oil/hot sauce mix.
Add the diced chicken to the “left behind” olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat all the chicken. Allow to marinate as the potatoes bake.
Roast the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and nice and crispy on the outside.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked add the marinated chicken.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400°F.
In a large bowl mix all the topping ingredients together.
Top the raw chicken with the topping.
Bake 15 minutes or until until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is melted and bubbly delicious.
Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

I've been stalking Pinterest lately for new recipes. I have great new cookbooks I received for Christmas (which I also have to post about) but pinterest seems to be an easy way to share great ideas. When I saw this recipe, I knew I would be making it immediately.
I first cut the recipe in half, Brad and I often don't eat enough for servings of 4 let alone 8. I also decided that there needed to be something green on the plate, green beans are always an easy fix. Broccoli would've also gone well, but I tend to make it a lot and wanting to bring a change of veggies about. They were a nice add, especially since this was so spicy. I would suggest reducing the hot sauce, unless you really love spicy food and cleared sinuses. That is also why you will notice sour cream in the picture, to cut some of the heat. Other than that, this recipe was awesome and super easy. Happy cooking!

Here is the link to the original: http://www.quickneasyrecipes.net/loaded-baked-potato-chicken-casserole/

Another Update

Sometimes - life becomes overwhelmingly busy! I am disappointed in myself for not keeping up with my blog, especially since I do enjoy cooking so much!!

A lot has changed from my last blog of forever ago. I was able to go home for the holidays. I really really missed my mom - it was so good to see her! It was also nice to see the rest of my family, I miss my people now that I'm so far away from them. Additionally, I hired full-time to work at Embry-Riddle as the Associate Director of Academic Support. Fancy, huh? I very much like working full time, although I will say I am learning how to balance which has been a challenge. I never thought it would be so hard to work all day and then come home to make dinner. (Hint: it is hard, really hard. Especially when your brain is fried.) Brad and I also have just moved - we love our new place and are excited to have people over.

I do have posts ready to go with food I've made :) I'm just waiting for the internet at the new place and then prepare for food! I'm also going to focus on fast meals in the next month or so, fast healthy food is important and I would really like to do more of it. Thanks for reading. Happy eating :)

Stuffed Meatball Sub - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bulk Italian hot sausage
• 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup softened sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• One can Italian crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• Salt and pepper
• Four crusty sub rolls, ciabatta bread or individual ciabatta rolls, 7-8 inches long per person
• A handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

2. Place a bowl of warm water on a work surface. Arrange a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the sausage into four equal portions. Form three balls from each portion, nestling one mozzarella cube into the center of each meatball and sealing the meat around it. Coat the meatballs with a drizzle of EVOO, place on the rack on the baking sheet and roast until firm, about 18 minutes.

3. While the meatballs are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, one turn of the pan, in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.

4. Remove the meatballs from the oven, turn off the heat, then place the rolls in the oven and bake until crisp, a minute or so. Split the rolls and top each with three meatballs and some sauce, basil and Pecorino Romano.

This dinner ended up being very filling - I couldn't finish my sandwich!! They also tasted great. I made a few changes.
I bought the small mozzerella balls instead of cutting the large block up. The meatballs came out pretty big, next time I would cut them in half.
I didn't use olives. I don't really care for the saltiness and the texture. I didn't' miss them :) Definitely add them if you like them though!
I also used Parm. cheese instead of the Romano. The grocery store near us doesn't always have specialty items and if they do they run out quickly. I do like Romano cheese and I think it would've tasted great, use it if you can.
Enjoy :)