Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

Yield: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 4 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1/2 cup fresh basil)
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the 1/3 cup olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.
3. While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.
4. When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and the feta and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Yield: Makes 14-16 taquitos

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I cook large batches of chicken in my crockpot with a little chicken broth and salt, shred it and freeze it for meals like this)**
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)
• small yellow or white corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

**We have used canned chicken and it works great also.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
3. You can prepare this step ahead of time (which I did – I made it the morning of). Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
4. Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)
5. Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.
6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or any other combination you can dream up (my kids liked ranch dressing – go figure).

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Roast Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 pound ground pork**
1/2 pound ground veal**
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan
1 cup ketchup, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

**We have only done this with 1 lb Italian sausage instead of the pork and the veal.  I sure it would be yummy with the pork and veal though.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, peppers, garlic paste, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until almost soft, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the eggs and herbs in a large bowl. Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, and the cooled vegetables and mix until just combined.

Mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together the remaining ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/roasted-vegetable-meatloaf-with-balsamic-glaze-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Easy Crock-Pot Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6-8 thinly sliced pork chops (you can usually buy them already cut thin)
• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing powder
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup 

Instructions

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Add pork chops.
• Sprinkle ranch dressing powder evenly over the pork.
• Add soups and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or high heat for about 3-4 hours).
• Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. 

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Macaroni Salad

Boil 16 oz. Macaroni.  Drain.

Add:
6 Pickles (4 1/2 oz) (cut up)
4 oz of cheese (we like 6-7 oz) (cut into cubes)
2 - 5oz cans Albacore Tuna

Stir in Dressing:
2 Cups Miracle Whip
3 Tblsp Mustard (or more if you want)
2 Tblsp Pickle Juice

Recipe from Mom. **Finally a real recipe for it!!**

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 4 chicken breasts cut into halves (8 pieces)
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Optional: I like to pound and flatten the chicken out a little so it cooks evenly throughout.
• Place milk and bread crumbs in seperate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. In a skillet over medium heat cook chicken in butter until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and keep in a 9x13 pan in the oven on warm.
• Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to loosen up browned bits from pan. Stir in cream, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and whisk in parmesan cheese. Pour sauce over the chicken and serve.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Winger's Sticky Fingers

Ingredients

• For the sauce:
• 1/3 c. Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce... no other sauce will taste as good)
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• For the Sticky Fingers:
• 1 c. oil
• 1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken tenders (We like to use the Tyson brand)

Instructions

• Heat up hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a saucepot until all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp before adding to wings OR prepare ahead of time and refrigerate. The wings turn out best if you don't pour warm sauce over them. You want it nice and thick.
• That's IT for the sauce! Isn't that easy?? We like to dip popcorn in it :) Mix it with a little bit of ranch to make their creamy amazing dressing.The possibilities are ENDLESS with this sauce!
• In a frying pan, heat oil and cook chicken tenders until crispy and warm. Dip each piece of chicken in the sauce so it is completely covered and move to serving plate, pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.
• Serve with ranch (we like to make the Hidden Valley Packet Ranch prepared with buttermilk instead of milk) or blue cheese dressing.
• *If you want to go a little lighter you can also bake the chicken tenders instead of frying, they still taste really good.

Recipes from Favorite Family Recipes.

Saucy BBQ Hot Dogs

 

Ingredients

• 8 beef hot dogs (we like Nathan's or Hebrew National)
• 8 hot dog buns
• your favorite hot dog toppings

For the sauce:
• 3/4 c. ketchup
• 1/2 c. BBQ sauce (we used Bull's Eye original)
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

Instructions

• Combine sauce ingredients in a medium-sized sauce pot. When sauce is combined and sugar is dissolved (don't quite bring to a boil) remove from heat and set aside.
• Add hot dogs to slow cooker and pour sauce over. Stir to evenly distribute the sauce. Cook on high heat for about 2 hours (don't discard the sauce-- you may want to pour extra over your hot dogs before eating).
• Remove hot dogs from slow cooker and grill on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes or so on each side or until desired doneness (I like mine just to have light grill marks).
• Add hot dogs to hot dog buns and top with desired toppings and extra sauce.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Chicken, Spinach, & Artichoke Pasta Bake

Source: Adapted From The Love Life Cooks, originally from MyRecipes.com

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 8oz container of chive and onion cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and saute over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Cut into bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, cubed cooked chicken, chopped artichoke hearts, drained spinach, and cream cheese. Stir well. Season with Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper to taste.

Transfer to a greased 9×13 in pan. Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

 
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 drumsticks • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 213 • Fat: 4.7 g • Protein: 27.5 g • Carb: 12.7 g • Fiber: 0.4 g  

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed**
• olive oil spray (I used my Misto)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

**Thighs would also work great in this recipe, but chicken breast would get too tough. If you must, remove chicken breast after 15 minutes, then allow the sauce to reduce down.

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes.

Lion House Tomato Bisque

Ingredients
12-15 Roma tomatoes
4 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) tomato soup
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup beef stock or canned beef consomme
1 bunch fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dry basil
1 cup sugar
2 to 3 cups cream
Salt and pepper

Roast tomatoes in oven at 350 degrees until tops begin to blacken. In a large pot, combine tomato soup, chicken stock and beef stock. Place roasted tomatoes and basil in blender and puree until smooth. (Cover blender with the lid and a towel to avoid splashing when hot tomatoes puree.)
Add puree to pot and let simmer. Add sugar until mixture is slightly sweet (don't skimp on the sugar — it may take more or less, depending on the tomatoes), then add cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: The soup should not taste like marinara sauce but should have a slightly sweet creamy flavor.

Recipe from Lion House Classics.

Beef Stroganoff

1 ½ lb. round steak
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 onion sliced
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1 c. milk (or 1 can beef broth)
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

Pound meat to tenderize, then cut into VERY thin strips. Place flour and salt in plastic baggie. Add meat and shake to coat. Melt butter in large skillet or frying pan. Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until onions are transparent. Add meat and all of the flour that is left in the bag.
Cook meat until brown. Add the soup and milk, stir and cover. Simmer and stir occasionally, for about 2 hours or until meat is tender. If you don’t want to watch it that close you could put in a crock pot for 2 or 3 hours to simmer and tenderize. (This is a tougher cut of meat and takes a long time to tenderize.) It will thicken, but if it becomes too thick you can add more milk or beef broth. Add sour cream and Worcestershire sauce just before serving. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Balsamic Asparagus Chicken

4 chicken breasts

Marinade:
3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp. brown sugar
pepper (to taste)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. balsamic vinegar
1 can (about 2 c.) beef broth
1 Tbsp. butter
pepper (to taste)

Topping:
12 asparagus spears
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slices mozzarella cheese (go to the deli section, they will give you 4 slices of each cheese. It's less expensive this way)

Place chicken between 2 pieces of Saran Wrap and pound until it is about 1/4" thick. Place chicken in a ziploc bag, place bag in a bowl big enough to hold the chicken. Combine marinade ingredients and pour in the bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours. About 20 minutes before chicken is done marinating, heat oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and saute for a couple minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces to about 1/4 of it's original volume (when it is done, the sauce should be dark brown in color).

While the sauce is simmering, place chicken in a lightly greased glass dish and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). While chicken is baking (you kinda need to know how to multi-task with this recipe.. haha) prepare the asparagus. Bring a saucepan, filled about half-way with salted water, to a boil. Toss in the asparagus and boil for about 4 minutes. Quickly remove the asparagus and drop in an ice-water bath. Remove chicken from the oven (when it's finished) and layer on one slice of provolone cheese, a few asparagus spears, then one slice mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken. Set the oven to broil and broil for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown a little. Right before serving, spoon some of the sauce over each piece of chicken.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Stephanie's Orange Chicken

4-5 Chicken Breasts (**I like them cut into chunks)

Egg

Dip chicken in egg, coat with cornstarch
Fry in oil, brown outside, not too brown.

Sauce:

2 cups Sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Chicken Bouillon (or one cube)
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic (I like more garlic so 3-4 cloves)
3/4 cup White Vinegar
1/2 cup Ketchup
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (**I added 4 extra Tbsp)

Heat up in pan

Pour over chicken in 9X13 pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve over Rice.

Recipe from Stephanie Stokes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 Chicken Breasts (cooked and cut into chunks)
2 - 8 oz packages of wide noodles (cooked)
8-10 Carrots, sliced
Stalk of celery, sliced
1-2 onions, chopped
Cook veggies until soft and save water.

Combine noodles (1 package per 5-quart pot), carrots, celery, onions, chunked chicken, broth (1/2 per pot on all of these), and juice from cooked veggies.  Add 4 bouillon cubes (or to taste) per pot and 2 Tbsp parsley flakes per pot.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Recipe from my Mom.

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles

1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
½ Cup smooth peanut butter
¼ Cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Cup hot water
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
½ Cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 Cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
¼ Cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (missing in picture, it’s much better with cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ Cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, place in large pasta bowl and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.
2. Place garlic and ginger in food processor until well chopped. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined and slowly add hot water. Set aside.
3. Place olive oil in hot skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in chicken breast, cilantro and salt. Stir until heated through.
4. Add sauce and chicken mixture to noodles. Toss to coat and garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.
6 servings

Recipe from Picky Palate.

General Tso's Chicken

1 Lb. chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. "lite" soy sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Balsamic Chicken with Feta

4 chicken breasts
balsamic vinaigrette
Italian seasoning (or basil and oregano)
2 tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper
feta cheese

Marinate the chicken in some of the balsamic vinaigrette for about 2-3 hours. Remove chicken from marinade (discard excess marinade). Place chicken in a glass baking dish and add a little more balsamic vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle generously with italian seasoning. Bake in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes (or until cooked through). Remove from oven, top with tomatoes (salt and pepper the tomatoes) and feta, then broil for about 5 minutes or until the feta is lightly browned.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Mongolian Beef

This tastes JUST like P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef! You can serve it how P.F. Changs does (by draining the excess sauce and serving it semi-dry) OR you can keep the excess sauce and spoon it over rice (which is what we like to do because the sauce is SO good).

4 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. water
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 c. vegetable oil
2 Lb. flank steaks
½ c. cornstarch
3 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2 cups Broccoli - cooked (tender)
2 cups Chicken - cooked & cubed
1 cup Bread Crumbs

Sauce:

1 can Cream of Chicken
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp Curry Powder
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Broccoli Water
1 cup grate Cheddar Cheese

Mix.

Directions:

Layer Broccoli & Chicken in 9X13 pan.

Put sauce mixture over Broccoli & Chicken.

Cut in with a knife to mix it a bit.

Top with Bread Crumbs.

Cook 35 Minutes at 350 degrees uncovered.

Serve over Rice.

Recipe from Kelly.