Homemade and Healthy Chicken Pad Thai

Um, yes, this is so good. Like, three weeks in a row, good. Or, take-this-to-the-next-friend-who-has-a-baby-good. Or, straight from my husband's mouth, "Wow, the flavors are so good"-good.

This tasty Chicken Pad Thai has obviously made it into our regular rotation. If you have 10 minutes earlier in the day, chop your veggies and shred your chicken, stick them both back in the fridge covered, and this meal will take less than 30 minutes to put together.

Chicken Pad Thai (Katie Newell, Feeding Our Families)
For the pad thai:
8 ounces rice noodles
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
1 red bell pepper
2 carrots
1 small red onion
2 cups bean sprouts

For the peanut-honey pad thai sauce:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I use just rice vinegar, not seasoned)
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. and 1 tsp honey
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp organic sugar
1/2 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (I don't add this; just never have it)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I don't add this; trying to keep "heat" at bay for kids)

Garnishments
2 green onions
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (I don't add, though feel free!)
Lime wedges, for squeezing

Slicing and dicing: Peel and coarsely chop 3 cloves garlic and a 1" thick piece of ginger. Thinly slice 1 red onion. Core, seed and thinly slice 1 red bell pepper. Peel and matchstick (or julienne) 2 carrots. thinly slice 2 green onions.

Prepare the peanut-honey pad thai sauce: In a mini food processor, blender, or with the good ol' whisk, blend all ingredients together under "peanut-honey pad thai sauce." Blend well.

Cook rice noodles: Cook according to package directions, then drain and rinse in cold water to stop noodles from cooking.

Make your pad thai: Heat a large deep skillet (or wok) over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and heat about 30 seconds, until shimmering. Add onions, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add bell pepper, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Stir in bean sprouts, cooked shredded chicken, cooked rice noodles, and pad thai sauce. Toss until chicken and noodles are warm, and to distribute sauce throughout. Transfer contents of skillet to serving dish, and garnish with green onions, cilantro, peanuts (if using), and squeeze with lime wedges. Serve and enjoy!

Delicious White Chicken Chilli

Every spring has a cold day here or there. So this spring, put this white chicken chili on the list! Warm spices, tender chicken, white beans of your choice, corn, topped with cilantro (my fav), green onions (my other fav), and sharp cheddar cheese (an everyday essential, of course).

It's so easy to put together, especially if you cheat and buy a rotisserie chicken for the meat.

White Chicken Chilli (Katie Newell, healthnutfoodie.com)

From Feeding Our Families

Ingredients (Serves six, leftovers are fantastic):

For the chilli:

3     cups cooked shredded chicken, about 1 pound

3     cups prepared white beans, or two 15-ounce cans

1½  cups frozen corn kernels

4     ounce can diced green chilies (mild)

1     large yellow onion, or 2 small

4     cloves garlic

2     tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1     quart chicken broth

½    cup sour cream, or more to taste

3     green onions

¼    cup flat-leaf parsley  

 

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping 

For the seasonings:
1    tbsp ground cumin
1    tsp ground coriander
1    tsp dried oregano
1    tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne

Instructions (1 hour, 20 minutes, 20 minutes active):

Prepare your ingredients:  Dice 1 large or 2 small yellow onions.  Mince 4 cloves garlic.  Thinly slice 3 green onions.  Coarsely chop ¼ cup flat leaf parsley. If necessary, drain and rinse white beans. 

In a small bowl or ramekin, combine all ingredients listed under “for the seasonings”. 

Prepare your white chicken chili:  Heat a 4-quart or larger stockpot over medium heat for about 5 minutes. While pot heats, use a hand held blender or mini food processor to puree 1½ cups beans with 1 cup of the chicken broth (this will help thicken the soup). When pot is hot, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and heat an additional 30 seconds, until oil shimmers. Add diced onion and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes. Add combined seasonings and stir continuously for 2 minutes, being mindful not to let the spices burn. Add remaining chicken broth, shredded chicken, whole beans, pureed beans, frozen corn, and green chilies to pot. Increase heat to bring just to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour.  Remove from heat. Stir in green onions, parsley, and ½ cup or so of sour cream. 

Getting it in the table: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese. Serve with your favorite whole grain crackers, fruit, or cut up veggies and dip. Enjoy!

Notes: This is a very flavorful soup, but has very little heat. This makes it super kid-friendly. Our entire family looks forward to this simple dinner. Vegetarians, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. This dish is naturally nut-free and gluten-free. If you choose to double the recipe to freeze for a future dinner, freeze the second batch of soup before you stir in the sour cream (to prevent the cream from curdling when reheated). If you forget and add the sour cream, reheat the soup at just over medium low, no higher.

Chicken Pot Pie in Slow Cooker

Well, I sure have some catching up to do. There are many recipes in the que to post. Starting with this one. It's easy and delicious. This is not a traditional chicken pot pie, rather you spoon the chicken mixture over freshly baked biscuits. I've found this is a yummy way to serve veggies to my kids (slow cooker meals are great for babies and toddlers who need softer veggies!).

Chicken Pot Pie in Slow Cooker (adapted from Allrecipes.com)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (Healthy Request kind from Campbell's)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, crushed (I used dry rosemary, but you can certainly use fresh)
4 chicken breasts, chopped into 1" cubes, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
1/2 cup potatoes, chopped into 1/2" pieces
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients except for the frozen peas and frozen corn into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high.
2. Add frozen peas and frozen corn, stir into chicken mixture, and cover again. Cook for another hour on high (total cooking time is 4 hours). 
3. Meanwhile, bake some biscuits in the oven. You can use biscuits from a can, or from scratch (I use a Betty Crocker biscuit recipe that I will eventually post on here).
4. Slice biscuits in half and spoon mixture over the top, serve and enjoy.

Quick Dinner: Ginger-Teriyaki Stir Fry

Got leftover meat? How about some veggies about to go bad in the fridge? Then try this quick and yummy stir fry. You can use frozen veggies of course, but the slight crunch of fresh veggies is really nice in a stir-fry.

This dish is so flexible...noodles or rice work, as does chicken or steak. Kudos for the sauce recipe goes to America's Test Kitchen.


Ginger-Teriyaki Stir Fry
Pad thai quick noodles or rice
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
Fresh or frozen vegetables, chopped into bite-size pieces, such as:

• broccoli
• carrots, cut in julienne style (match-stick)
• mushrooms
• sugar snap peas
• water chestnuts
• asparagus

Chicken or steak, cooked, and cut into bite-sized pieces (2-3 chicken breasts/steaks)

Ginger-Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon dry ginger)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
red pepper flakes

Directions (serves 4)

1. Whisk soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, vinegar and cornstarch in bowl, and set aside.
2. Put vegetable or canola oil in wok or large nonstick pan, and bring up to medium heat. Add vegetables and cook until slightly softened.
3. Meanwhile, cook pad thai noodles or rice according to box directions.
4. Pour soy sauce mixture into vegetable pan.  Simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add cooked chicken/steak bits into pan, stir, and cook for another minute or so, until meat is warmed.
5. Add noodles or rice to stir-fry, and mix together. Sprinkle desired amount of red pepper flakes on top. Serve and enjoy!

Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu

I have two splurges in life right now.

No...it's not shopping sprees, not trips to the salon, and definitely not traveling to far-off places. (Don't get me wrong, these would be fantastic...they just aren't budget-friendly).

My two splurges are simple: tasty food and working out. Guess it's for the best that they go hand-in-hand...cooking good food isn't always the healthiest option!

This recipe calls for Gruyere cheese and Panko bread crumbs. The Gruyere gives the cordon bleu an unmatched creaminess, and the Panko crumbs create an extra crispy outside.

My good friend Heidi of Internecipes, inspired me to cook chicken cordon bleu, as we had some delicious cordon bleu at her house a few weeks ago.  I found this recipe online, and it got great reviews. I did make some substitutions to the original recipe by Tyler Florence.

This yummy chicken cordon bleu has officially joined our "splurge" list. (But I will have to make a special trip to the gym tonight. The cheese and bread crumbs are definitely not low-cal!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Tyler Florence)
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
4 slices ham
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (found in the Asian section of your grocery store)
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet (or a rolling pin), gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 1 slice of ham neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the ham. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken. (This part became a little difficult for me, so I ended up rolling each like a log, tucking the ends under, and using a toothpick to secure).
3. Put the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic, kosher salt, pepper and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season, so the flour, eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.
5. Set up your dipping station: 1) flour bowl 2) egg mixture 3) bread crumbs 4) greased baking pan. Remove any plastic wrap from the chicken roulades, and lightly dip the chicken in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and gently coat with bread crumbs.
6. Put chicken roulades into the greased baking pan.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through. (My chicken needed about 40 minutes - they were pretty big chicken breasts and I probably didn't flatten them as much as I should have).

Luke's Chicken Apple Vinaigrette Salad

My hubby came up with this perfectly paired chicken, apple and vinaigrette salad! For the best bite, serve with the chicken still warm from the pan. This salad is a frequent one in our house, as it's also great with leftover chicken. You can save the extra dressing in the fridge for a few days (or weeks) as well (just warm it up a little, and shake to re-use).

Luke's Chicken Apple Vinaigrette Salad
2-4 chicken breasts
2-4 tbsp olive oil
onion powder
garlic powder
salt & pepper
1 container of gorgonzola cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey roasted pecans
2 apples, chopped into bite size pieces
1 bag romaine lettuce

Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing:
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (seeded is best)
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 bag of romaine lettuce

Directions
1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat up appropriate amount of olive oil (according to how much chicken you are using), on medium-high heat until just smoking. Put seasoned chicken breasts into hot pan and sear. Turn down heat to medium after you sear one side. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked halfway through. Turn up the heat and flip chicken to get a nice sear on the other side. Once that side is seared, turn down heat and cook for another 5-7 minutes until chicken is done. Take chicken off and tent with foil.
2. In a bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, honey and 1 1/2 tbsp water. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil. Add the shallot and set aside.
3. Combine romaine lettuce and parsley, and add preferred amount of cheese, pecans and apples.
4. Slice warm chicken and layer onto of the salad. Top with dressing and serve!

Mild Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe came about when I saw black beans in my pantry and wanted to try something new. I meshed a few recipes together to use what I had, and after a few tries, this is what is the family pleaser. It is a mild mexican dish, so the next time I make it, I'm going to try adding some heat!

Mild Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ c. light sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
2-4 chicken breasts (OR 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken)
¾ can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 c. cheddar cheese
whole wheat tortillas
salt & pepper

1. Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream together in bowl, put aside.
2. In a large nonstick pan, saute onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut up chicken into 1 inch cubes and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add chicken to pan and cook on med-high heat, stirring occasionally. When almost done, put cumin and chili powder in, and cook, stirring occasionally.

OR - shred meat from rotisserie chicken, place in pan with onions and garlic, add cumin, chili powder.

3. Add black beans, rice and 3 heaping tablespoons of soup mixture. Stir together. Stir in cilantro and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
4. In 9x13” pan, put a thin layer of soup mix on bottom of pan.
5. Layer the tortilla with cheese, chicken mix, cheese. Wrap up the tortilla and place in pan seam side down. Repeat with each tortilla.
6. Spread a thin layer of soup mix on each enchilada and sprinkle with cheese.
7. Cook in 350 oven, 15 minutes covered, 5-10 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbling.