Zesty Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Chicken, Broccoli, and Pasta,
three of my favorite ingredients and they are all in this dish.
This is another family classic weeknight meal at our house.
This meal requires no oven baking, perfect for the warm summer months.
The Zesty Italian dressing gives this dish just the perfect blend of spices.
Serve with fresh fruit and French Bread, and you have a satisfying and tasty meal!


Zesty Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
serves 6

What You Need:

-1 cup Zesty Italian dressing
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 cups broccoli florets
-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
-8 oz. bow tie pasta or Penne Pasta (1/2 of a 1lb box of pasta)
-1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
-1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

How To Make:

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, heat dressing and garlic in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Add chicken and cook in dressing for 7 minutes. Add broccoli and cook another 4 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked.
4. Add tomatoes and half of the mozzarella cheese to skillet; stir to mix lightly. Cook until heated through.
5. Add pasta to skillet, and stir to combine. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy!

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

Classic Chicken Cacciatore recipes are usually a all day-long stewed affair, and usually call for the whole chicken.
This recipe is a quick, weeknight dish that gets plenty of flavor from garlic, fresh basil, mushrooms, red pepper, and chicken breasts. But yet still has the yummy flavor of a stewed all day Cacciatore.
We like to serve this dish a long side pasta, or mashed potatoes, and a green salad.
So good!

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

-salt and pepper

-2 Tablespoons olive oil

-1/2 cup onion, chopped fine

-1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

-9 small mushrooms, quartered

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes

-1/4 cup cooking red wine

-1/4 cup minced fresh basil

How To Make:

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side(the chicken will NOT be cooked through yet). Transfer to plate.

2. Add onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, wine, and browned chicken along with any accumulated juices and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Simmer sauce, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve.

Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Cook's Country

Lemon Chicken Stir-fry wth Pasta

This is a delicious quick week night meal,
that requires no Oven baking for those warm days ahead.
I loved how this stir-fry is served on top of Angel Hair Pasta instead of the typical rice. If you do not have the pasta you can still serve this on top of rice for great results.
The lemon sauce is very refreshing and light without being over powerful, a perfect complement to the chicken and vegies.
This meal was a hit at our house and will be made many times this summer.




Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry with Pasta
4 servings

Ingredients:
-8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
-1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces
-1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
-2 cups of broccoli flowerets
-1/2 cup sugar snap peas
-1 cup chicken broth
-1 Tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
-1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
-1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
-4 teaspoons cornstarch
-1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
-1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

How to Make:
1-Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2-While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium high-heat. Add chicken and onion; stir-fry 6-8 minutes or until chicken is slightly browned and cooked through.

3-Add broccoli and pea pods to chicken mixture. Cook over medium -high heat for 4 -5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegies are crisp-tender.

4-In a mixing bowl combine, chicken broth, thyme, lemon peel, lemon juice, cornstarch, and lemon pepper. Stir suace into the chicken and vegie mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 1 -2 minutes or until suace is thickened and vegies are coated.

5-Stir in tomatoes: cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over pasta.


Enjoy!

Shrimp Fried Rice

I always love eating out at Japanese Steak house's where they cook the food in front of you on a huge grill. The fried rice is always so yummy.
To make this home made fried rice I use my biggest skillet pan and it works just fine.
The recipe calls for Shrimp, however, I have used chicken, beef and pork before. Just make sure you cut the meat very thin before cooking.
This is a fun meal to make, and eat!
Enjoy!


Shrimp Fried Rice

What you need:
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onions, minced
4 cups steamed white or brown rice
¾ cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Few drops sesame oil

How To Make:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, pepper and cornstarch, and toss well to coat the shrimp. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. When a drop of water immediately sizzles and evaporates, the pan is hot enough to add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Swirl to coat the pan well.

2. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and quickly spread them out so that they are in a single layer, and all touching the pan surface. (You may need to do this in two batches to ensure even cooking.) Let them cook untouched for 30 seconds, then flip over (tongs work well for this) and let cook for 30 more seconds, so that the shrimp are about 80% cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

3. Lower the heat on the pan to medium. Add the eggs to the pan and stir quickly, to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through but still slightly runny in the middle, remove from the pan to the same plate as the shrimp.

3. Use paper towels to wipe the pan clean and return the pan to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add the green onions to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and mix well to combine with the green onions. Spread the rice out evenly over the pan and let cook without stirring, until you hear the rice grains sizzle, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss the rice a bit with your spatula, and again spread it out over the cooking surface.

4. Drizzle the soy sauce all over the rice, and toss again. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked shrimp and eggs, and the sesame oil to the pan. Toss to combine all the ingredients well with the rice. Let everything heat back up again until the rice grains are sizzling again. Add additional soy sauce to taste, if needed. Serve.

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes

Chili Skillet

This is one of our favorite weeknight meals for a few reasons.
It is very easy and quick to make.
Everything is cooked in one skillet pan, so that makes for a easy cleanup!
It will fill you up, and it is healthy.
I like to serve it with corn bread muffins,
a very yummy meal.


Chili Skillet
6 servings

Ingredients:
-1 pound ground beef, extra lean
-1/2 cup onion, chopped
-1 green pepper, chopped
-1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
-1 cup of water
-3 teaspoons of chili powder
-1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
-1/3 teaspoon black pepper
-2 cups of uncooked macaroni, (I like to use Barilla Plus brand)
-1 cup frozen corn

How To Make:
1. In a large skillet brown meat with onion, drain off fat.
2. Add green pepper, canned tomatoes with liquid, water, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then stir in macaroni noodles.
3. Simmer 25 minutes or until the macaroni noodles are cooked. Stir in corn; warm through.
ENJOY!

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

Light, Healthy, Zesty, and Delicous!
This stir-fry is a favorite at our house.
I have been making this recipe for years, I don't remember where I got the recipe from but it has never failed me.
If you are not a shrimp fan, you can also substitute the shrimp for chicken.




Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

-1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
-2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
-2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
-2 teaspoons cornstarch
-1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil (optional, if you have it use it!)
-1/4 teaspoon of crushed pepper
-2 Tablespoon of olive oil
-1 Tablespoon of peeled and minced fresh ginger OR 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 pound of peeled and deveined large shrimp
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-4 cups of cut-up broccoli
-1 cup of sliced onion

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, mix together with a wisk.

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan, stir-fry for 30 seconds. Sprinkle shrimp with salt, add shrimp to pan and stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp mixture from pan.

3. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add broccoli and onion to pan, stir-fry 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Add shrimp mixture and broth mixture to pan. Cook for 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve over steamed brown or white rice.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin With Gingered Apples

Sauteed apples with a hint of sweetness and ginger, complement the natural juicy pork tenderloin.
A perfect meal for a cozy fall evening.
This meal is a favorite of ours and always graces our table in the cold fall months.
The ingredients are simple, the meal is easy to prepare, and the taste is phenomenal!
In hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Pork Tenderloin with Gingered Apples

Ingredients:

-4 tart apples such as Granny Smith
-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-3 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
-1 teaspoon of peeled and grated fresh ginger OR 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
-2 -4 Tablespoons of water
-4 slices of pork tenderloin, about 2 inches thick

-salt and pepper
-1 Tablespoon of Extra-virgin olive oil

How To Make:
1. Peel, core, and slice the apples thinly lengthwise. In a saucepan over medium heat 3 Tablespoons of the butter. When melted and hot add the sliced apples and saute', stirring and tossing, for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and ginger and continue to saute' for another 5 minutes. Add 2 Tablespoons of the water, cook until the apples are almost tender, 6-8 minutes; watch carefully so they do not burn. Transfer apples and drippings into a bowl or plate, set aside.

2. Trim all excess fat from the pork slices. Place each pork slice, cut side up, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, flatten to about 1 inch or so thickness. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

3. In the same saucepan you cooked the apples in, melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter with the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the pork slices and saute'. Cook on each side about 5-6 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink inside.

4. Add the apples and their juices from the bowl back into the pan with the cooked pork. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of water(more if you want more sauce). Heat and mix the apples in with the pork.

5. Serve right away, and Enjoy!

(I made this with a side of mashed potatoes, and snap peas)

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

This is a perfect weeknight dish!
Quick, healthy, and very tasty.
To make it even quicker you can pre-cut the chicken and use frozen vegies.
My kids really like this dinner and that is a pretty great thing, my kids are not wild about dinners with vegies involved.
The honey makes this stir-fry have a touch of sweetness. The crushed red pepper is totally optional, it adds just a little something to it and does not make it spicy at all.
These flavors all combined and placed on top of steamed rice,
make one delicious stir-fry!


Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

What you need:

• 1 pound or 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Sauce:

• 5 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red- pepper (optional)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Vegies:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups cup up broccoli
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 stalks of celery sliced
• 1/2 cup red pepper chopped (optional)

OR you can use,

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
  

Finishing:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• Hot cooked rice

How to Make:

1. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken and garlic in 2 teaspoons oil cook until done.
   
2. Add the honey, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 more minutes. Remove from pan.
   
3. In the same pan, stir-fry the vegetables in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes or until heated through and barley crisp. Return chicken to the pan; mix well. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Creamy Pasta and Mushroom Skillet

I h e a r t Skillet meals!
My family does too, especially when there are some kind of noodles involved.
This is a recipe that I found in an old 'Church' cookbook .
I have been making it for years now, and have changed a few things from the original recipe. skillet meals are one of the staple meals at our house.
I substituted Barilla Plus Penne for the rigitoni, I feel better if we eat a healthier pasta.
However, it is very good with the original rigitoni noodle.


Creamy Pasta and Mushroom Skillet

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion or 3/4 cup, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup OR 1/3 cup of Shirley J Cream Soup base and 1 cup of water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
8 - 10 oz pkg, rigatoni pasta (I used Barilla's Plus Penne pasta)
Parmesan cheese

1. In a pot of bowling water, cook noodles until done. Drain and set aside.

2. In a Skillet, heat the Olive Oil. Cook chicken and onion until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for about 5 more minutes.

3. Add the canned tomatoes, drained mushrooms, and cream of chicken soup, heat through. Now add the frozen peas, stir them in the mixture and allow them to warm up (about 4 minutes)

4. Add the cooked pasta, combine well.

5. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper

Another ONE PAN Skillet meal.
This one is Delicious!
My husband loves anything with sausage, so he devoured it and ate all of the leftovers later that same night.
This is a definite Make again recipe!


Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian-style turkey or orther sausage, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced finely
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth OR Shirley J Chicken Bouillon
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta
1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and add in the sausage. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the water, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, about 15-18 minutes (if you find the liquid is absorbing too quickly and the pasta is still undercooked, add a bit more water in small amounts until the pasta is cooked thoroughly).

3. Stir in the spinach, a handful at at time, and cook until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna

This is for sure an easy way to make Lasagna!
It is easy, quick, and very VERY good.
Skillet meals are nice because you only use one pan, only one pan to wash is such a great thing.
I served this with a green salad and Garlic bread.
This Recipe made enough for our family of four to have it for two meals, I love leftovers.

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (these do not add spice - just flavor!)
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano
(you can substitute 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Shirley J Italian seasoning for the basil and oregano)
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 pound ground beef (I used 85% lean)
12 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

1. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses0.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil, oregano, and sugar. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.