One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste...this much was too spicy for me and Allan. I'd cut it out entirely if you're serving kids)
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions...I had yellow onions so that's what I used, and probably did 1/2 small onion)
2 tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil

Instructions

1. Using a mallet, pound the chicken breasts/thighs to ½ inch thickness (I used chicken tenders since I didn't have breasts). Sprinkle some salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
2. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large oven­safe skillet (I used my cast iron) over medium high heat. Add the chicken and allow to brown on both sides for 2­-3 minutes per side. Don't worry if the chicken isn't cooked completely, we'll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots/onions to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Let sauce reduce for about 8-­10 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains.
6. When the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the heat, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the heat for just 30 seconds (I skipped this...), DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5­-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices.

http://www.littlespicejar.com/one-skillet-chicken-with-lemon-garlic-cream-sauce/

*This was SO good. I served it with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes and Allan was seriously impressed. 

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 3-6 tablespoons red wine vinegar to taste
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup+ olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 3-4 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• The juice of two+ small limes or one large one

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

See original recipe here - http://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/03/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html

*Alterations to the original recipe done by Kelli and Allan

Spicy Shredded Chipotle Chicken

Spicy Shredded Chipotle Chicken

Ingredients

1-3 individual chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon of their sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup freshly squeezed or store bought orange juice with no added sugar
1½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
½ cup light beer (or replace with ½ cup broth)
½ cup fresh cilantro
chopped 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Instructions

1. Mince the chipotle peppers and garlic cloves. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chipotle; saute for 1­2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Smells will be yummy.

2. Add the orange juice, chicken broth, beer, and cilantro and turn the heat to high to bring to a boil. Add the raw chicken breasts; cover and reduce heat to medium­low. Simmer for 15­20 minutes or until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place on a cutting board for a few minutes to cool. Shred the chicken with two forks.

3. Meanwhile, keep the sauce left in the pan over medium heat. Whisk in the mustard and cook the sauce until it reduces by about half and you get all that mmm mmm good flavor in a thicker, more concentrated sauce. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot with the sauce and toss to combine. Top with additional fresh cilantro.

Notes This chicken works great for tacos, salads, Mexican rice and bean bowls, casseroles, nachos, quesadillas, and so much more.  Recipe by Pinch of Yum at http://pinchofyum.com/spicy­chipotle­shredded­chicken

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

½ cups Butter, Softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
⅛ teaspoons Baking Soda
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
½ cups Powdered Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

http://www.laurenslatest.com/lemon-crinkle-cookies/

Chocolate Coconut Ice Milk

4 cups Ice

½ cup coconut milk

2-3 HEAPING tablespoons of raw cacao

¼ cup birch xylitol (or coconut sugar or any sugar)

¼ cup raw almonds or pecans (optional)

Makes 2 large servings.  Could probably make great fudgesicles. 

Put everything in blendtec and blend using Ice Cream setting.  Best if eaten right away.  

Best if eaten right away.  It doesn't freeze well.

*NOTE: Before using xylitol, put about a cup of xylitol in the food processor and blend until fine.  Set aside to use in recipes like this.  

**NOTE: Eating too much xylitol in one setting will give you a gassy stomach....so do not do it. 

Chocolate Coconut Milk Shake

1 can coconut milk or cream (chilled or frozen until slushy)

2-3 HEAPING tablespoons of raw cacao

2-3 HEAPING tablespoons birch xylitol (or coconut sugar or any sugar)

½ capful vanilla
1 cup ice

Makes 2 servings.

Put everything in blendtec and blend using Ice Cream setting.  Best if eaten right away.  Don't eat too much if made with xylitol.

*NOTE: Before using xylitol, put about a cup of xylitol in the food processor and blend until fine.  Set aside to use in recipes like this.  

**NOTE: Eating too much xylitol in one setting will give you a gassy stomach....so do not do it. 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 c cauliflower chopped
½ c celery chopped
½ c onion chopped

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper


Simmer cauliflower, celery, onion in water for 20min until very tender.  Drain, but save 1 cup of water to add back in.  Blend at low speed. 

Make a white sauce with the rest of the ingredients and mix in puréed veggies.  

(to make white sauce, melt butter in sauce pan, add flour. Fry this mixture for about a minute...stirring.  Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, keeping a smooth consistency.  Add in seasonings.)

***NOTE: I haven't done this, but I might sauté the veggies in coconut oil, then add the milk and rest of ingredients without the flour.  Boil for 20 minutes.  Cool slightly, then blend.

Yellow Split Pea Soup

2 onions, finely chopped

4 medium zucchini, finely diced

2 cups yellow split peas, soaked over night or for several hours

2 boxes of veggie broth 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

salt and pepper

Soak the split peas over night.  Rinse twice and drain. 

Sauté onion and zucchini in oil until tender.  I add salt here. 

(NOTE: Instructions say to save out a couple handfuls of the diced zucchini to add to soup at the end.  This is actually really good, but you are supposed to steam or boil the zucchini before adding.  What I do is pull out some of the sautéed zucchini and onion to add.) 

 

Add veggie broth, turmeric, split peas.  Bring to boil and simmer for a couple hours until peas are very tender.   Add salt and pepper to taste now or at the end.  

Blend smooth-ish.  Add in sautéed veggies before serving. 

Sweet Potato Soup

4 cloves garlic
2 onions
4 pinches ground ginger
1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
Coconut oil
1 3/4 pound sweet potatoes, cubed (800 grams)
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth (400 ml)
1 3/4 cup coconut cream/milk (400 ml)
1/3 bunch cilantro
salt and pepper

Sauté garlic and onion in coconut oil.  Add in ginger and red pepper flakes, and sauté another minute.  Add sweet potatoes, sauté a few more minutes.  Add veggie broth and coconut milk.  Bring back to boil and simmer 10 minutes until  sweet potatoes are tender.  Add chopped cilantro.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Add to blender and blend smooth.

NOTE:  This is a UK recipe, so that is why the weird amounts.  I find it easier to use my scale and weigh the ingredients to match the UK quantities.

This is also an alkalizing and vegan recipe.  SUPER good.

Makes 5-ish servings.

Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole

INGREDIENTS
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ cup flour
2 cups water, divided
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
¼ cup cooked, crumbled bacon (optional... sort of)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I just use frozen chicken tenders)
2 teaspoons seasoning (like Emeril's Essence or 21 seasoning or any basic blend you like)
¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese (any kind will work, I use parmesan or asiago)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets (I use the bag of trader joes broccoli florets)
salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and generously grease a 9x13 baking dish (seriously, be generous because it really really sticks to the sides). Bring the chicken broth and ½ cup milk to a low boil in a saucepan. Whisk the other ½ cup milk with the poultry seasoning and flour; add the mixture to the boiling liquid and whisk until a smooth creamy sauce forms.
Assembly: In a large bowl, mix the sauce from step one, one cup water, quinoa, and bacon and stir to combine (I add salt here). Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips and lay the chicken breasts strips over the top of the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the seasoning. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Broccoli: While the casserole is in the oven, place the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute until it turns bright green and then run under cold water. Set aside.
Bake: Remove the casserole from the oven, check the mixture by stirring it around in the pan, and if needed, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to get the right consistency. When the quinoa and chicken are cooked and the sauce is thickened, add the broccoli and a little bit of water (up to one cup) until the consistency is creamy and smooth and you can stir it up easily in the pan. Top with the cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.

This is a hit with the whole family! Claire loves it!

http://pinchofyum.com/creamy-chicken-quinoa-broccoli-casserole

The Best Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

Author: Whisking Mama
Recipe type: Main Dish
Prep time:  5 mins
Cook time:  5 hours
Total time:  5 hours 5 mins

Ingredients
2 pounds of pork tenderloin (I use two small tenderloins)
¼ cup soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons of yellow mustard
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 Shallot chopped (I used diced onion)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

Instructions
Turn crock pot on to low
In large measuring cup add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix
Place tenderloin in crock pot and pour over the marinade
Cook on low for about 5 hours for two small tenderloins or 6 hours for one large piece
Slice and serve pouring the juices over the meat
Recommended but not necessary: I turn the pork twice to ensure even cooking at 2 hours and 4 hours, pouring the juices all over



http://www.whiskingmama.com/the-best-crock-pot-pork-tenderloin/#sthash.fJNp73qW.dpbs

Turkey Chili

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey or buffalo meat

1 diced red or sweet onion

2 Tbls. fresh parsley or cilantro

1-2 heaping Tbls. chili powder (I usually put 2)

1-2 Tbls. minced garlic 

1/8 tsp. crushed red chili flakes (or just a pinch)

15-ounce can white beans

15-ounce can kidney beans (no sugar added)

15-ounce can black beans

15-ounce can pinto beans

15-ounce can lentils or adzuki beans (or additional can of black beans)

4 cups chopped zucchini

28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 heaping tsp. sea salt

Directions

Brown the turkey or buffalo meat with onion a skillet and drain.

Turn a slow cooker to high setting. Add the meat and rest of ingredients, stir well.

Make sure to partially drain all 5 cans of beans; I leave a little liquid in to make my chili a little juicier.

Cook on high for 5 hours or adjust heat to low and simmer for 8 hours.

Stir and taste occasionally, adjusting seasonings as needed. Add the salt just before serving to best preserve its nutrients.

OR....for stove top...

          Brown onion and garlic.  Add turkey and brown.  Add rest of ingredients and cook on stove for 2-4 hours. 

Note for those following the Fast Metabolism Diet: This meal is appropriate for Phase One. Because this chili contains such a large amount of starchy legumes, it counts as a Grain as well as Protein and Veggie servings. No need to add an additional grain to the meal, even if the meal map specifies a grain.

Chicken and Rice w/Turkey Bacon and Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 oz nitrate-free turkey bacon, diced

1 onion

4 oz mushrooms (I usually add some mushrooms, but no where near this amount)

2 cups (4 oz) sugar snap peas

3/4 teaspoon seal salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

5 cups hot cooked brown rice

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside
2. Sauté bacon for 8 minutes, remove from pan
3. Sauté onion and mushrooms until tender
4. Stir in chicken, and sauté until done.
5. Add peas and cook until peas are done. 
6. Stir in salt and pepper and add bacon back in
7. Combine with cooked rice