Tiny Chef

I mentioned on my Instagram feed (follow me if you don't already: eguill3) when I made this dish that I hardly cook alone anymore.  Rex loves to help me in the kitchen.  As soon as he notices me in there pulling out ingredients and starting to prep he inquires, "Mama, you cooking dinner time?"  Shortly after my confirmation he makes his way to the pantry and pulls out his step stool and puts himself right in the mix.  Normally his first choice is to place himself somewhere in the kitchen that is unsafe, inconvenient and detrimental to my progress.  It usually takes a bit of adjusting on my end and then we are ready to conquer the recipe together.  This particular dish required a bunch of chopping, which of course Rex was more than eager to participate in.  We had to bring in his wooden knife from the toy box, but after he had the right tools he was steadily on his way to claiming his spot as my all time favorite sous chef!

Rex's Veggie Prep Shot from Instagram

Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2012

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup sliced baby carrots
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta) 
• 5 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast 
• 2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through thyme) to pan; sauté 4 minutes.



 Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

2.  Add pasta and beans;



cook 5 minutes. Stir in chicken,



and sprinkle with cheese.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Pre-Vacation Dieting

 

We just got back from an awesome family vacation.  Rex is at a really good age for air travel and we chose a destination that was full of activities to keep him busy during the day.  We had two flights followed by a two hour drive and he was so well behaved and adaptable throughout the entire journey.  I was so proud of him and he acted far better than I expected.  The trip was great and we all had sooooo much fun. 

Since I knew I would spend most of the vacation in a swimsuit, I really buckled down with the healthy eating and exercise for a few months before we left.  This was one of our dinners during that pre-vacation cut back.  Dishes like these kept me feeling satisfied, but were still smart dinner options.  I served this over rice noodles for Forrest (as pictured), but I ate just the chicken and veggie mixture and it was still very filling. 

 

 

Stir-Fried Lemongrass Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2013

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon sliced peeled fresh lemongrass
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup sliced red bell pepper 
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots
• 8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed 
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced 
• 1/3 cup unsalted cashews 
• 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced

 

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients. Stir with a whisk.

2. Heat a large wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add lemongrass and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds.



Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a small bowl. Add bell pepper, shallots, and haricots verts to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes.



Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; add to lemongrass mixture. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken in a single layer; cook 2 minutes or until browned. Add cashews and chile to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is done.



Stir in stock mixture

  
 and vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sauce begins to thicken. Serve immediately.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe 

Secret Soda Chicken

All three of my siblings share my extreme love for Coca-Cola (hereby known plainly as Coke).  We grew up drinking it all of the time from a very early age.  Surprisingly we weren't cavity ridden children with weight problems, but Coke was always a staple in our house.  I can even remember when the "New" Coke recipe came out and as a family we boycotted and switched to RC Cola until they reverted back to the original formula.  I think I was fairly young when this happened, so it must have been a big deal in our home in order for me to remember it.

Now that we are all a little older and wiser; and most importantly understand more about nutrition, none of us drink our fizzy favorite on a regular basis.  However, we all still LOVE it and revel in its rare availability at parties or events.  When I saw this recipe I thought of my soda loving siblings and knew I wanted to give it a try.  I also know from this old family recipe, that Coke makes a good ingredient in basting meat.   You don't have to love Coke or even like it to enjoy this recipe though.  It is undetectable as far as flavor goes; I would consider it a secret ingredient in the sauce unless you don't want it to be a secret at all!

 

Coca-Cola Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light September 2011

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil 
• 1/2 of a small onion; finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup cola (such as Coca-Cola) 
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray

 

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cola and next 4 ingredients (through chili powder); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until sauce reduces to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally.



Set 6 tablespoons sauce aside.



3. Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients (through cumin), stirring well.



 Rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of chicken.



Arrange chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray;



baste with 3 tablespoons remaining sauce. Grill 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with 3 tablespoons sauce. Grill 5 minutes or until done.



Serve with reserved 6 tablespoons sauce.



Click Here for my Printable Adapted Recipe

Pantry Poultry

I am not sure how this recipe hasn't ended up on my blog yet.  I have been making this chicken dish for a while now.  It is the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket.  It's everything a go-to weeknight recipe should be: quick, easy, made solely with pantry staples, interesting and most importantly delicious.  This recipe is so full of flavor and I love to make these chicken thighs when we get bored of plain grilled chicken, but I don't have time for an overly involved recipe.  I love the spicy and sweet aspect of this recipe, it can't be beat.  And the best part is that you can have this on the table in less than 20 minutes, including prep time!

 

Spiced Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Cooking Light September 2012

 

 Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

 

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.



Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat.



Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

3. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well.



Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture.



Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

 

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Tostada Technique

I never order tostadas when I dine out and I have avoided making them until this recipe, because to be honest; I just didn't know what to do with them.  I mean, a taco should be rolled up and eaten or at least folded in half - "How do you manage eating a taco on a flat shell?", I wondered!  The reason I even decided to take the plunge and make this recipe was because of the ingredient list.  I love corn and zucchini and figured adding cheese and sour cream to them couldn't hurt. Even up until the point when I served this dish I wasn't sure how to go about eating a tostada.  But as I sat down to my plate I asked Forrest that exact question and he said, "You eat it like a pizza!" And that is what we did.  Not sure if it is proper protocol, but we just picked it up and ate it like a mini pizza.  And it was super delicious!  Make these soon!

Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostadas
Adapted from Cooking Light November 2012

 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning 
• 12 ounces chicken breast tenders
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 Tbs of Fat Free Sour Cream 

 

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine next 4 ingredients, stirring well.  Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken.



3.  Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan;



sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro.



Cook 4 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

4.  Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray on each side. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned, flipping after 1 1/2 minutes.



Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro and a drizzle of sour cream ( I just put my sour cream in a ziplock bag and snipped the end to put it on the tostada). Serve immediately.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

No Way Nuggets

Rex's Daycare does not provide lunch for the children - such a pain, I know!  But just because it would be easier if they did, it doesn't stop me from trying to make his lunch special.  I was blessed with a great eater.  He is not like most picky toddlers I hear about that live off of grapes and cheese.  He willingly eats meat, loves rice with any type of gravy, still digs on pureed veggies and can't get enough whole grains.  Sure, he has a few hangups but in general he eats great.  And he eats A LOT.  So I normally send some type of grilled meat leftover from the night before, a starch, a veggie pouch or yogurt and a granola bar.  I have special little containers and I make sure it appears well balanced and appealing.  Very rarely, if we eat out the night before or have something strange or extremely spicy I have to send Rex with a sandwich.  But those occasions are few and far between.  So I was quite appalled when his teacher made a lunch suggestion to me one day a few weeks ago.  She said that Rex was "sharing" one of the other students lunch items and he really seemed to enjoy them.  I was intrigued and always open for suggestions so I inquired further.  That is when I found out that this lucky Tot's Mom placed frozen chicken nuggets in a Ziploc bag in the morning, left them out in the lunch box all day, so they were (according to Rex's teacher) perfectly thawed by mid day.  "It is so easy", she remarked.  I smiled politley, nodded, gathered Rex's things and started our short walk home.

I am not a food snob by any means.  Sure, I like fancy cheese and will spend a small fortune on French Sea Salt and have no problem throwing down $30 bucks for cured meats to snack on over the weekend but anyone that truly knows me knows that I love low brow food as much as the next guy.  I eat fast food more frequently than I would like to admit and can't wait to order bar food at the local dives as soon as I arrive.  But I have to put my foot down somewhere and I think that somewhere is not cooking my child's frozen processed "chicken" nuggets.  It just seems wrong and I can't even force myself to buy those things even if I were to cook them.  However, being the middle child that I am, I aim to please and wanted to give Rex a chicken nugget option every now and then and was so happy to find this recipe.  It was the perfect compromise!

 

Chicken Nuggets and Honey Mustard
Adapted Cooking Light September 2012

Ingredients

 

Chicken nuggets:

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

 
Sauce:

• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

Preparation

1. To prepare the chicken nuggets, combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.



2. Place panko in a large skillet; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.




3. Preheat oven to 400°.

4. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place panko in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg in a shallow dish; dip half of chicken in egg mixture.



Add chicken to bag; seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag; arrange chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining egg mixture, panko, and chicken. Bake chicken at 400° for 12 minutes or until done.

5. To prepare sauce, combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.



Serve with chicken nuggets.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Restful Rice

I love this recipe for more reasons than its flavor. I loved this recipe before I even tasted it because of its method of preparation for the rice. Although I cook often and have tried my hand at several cooking techniques and believe I have triumphed over many of them, one thing I have not excelled in is rice preparation. I am never satisfied with the way my stove top rice turns out. It is either too crunchy or too mushy or too wet. That is why when I found this recipe I was fired up to give it a try. I didn't have to boil rice on the stove to enjoy the groovy grain. This rice was perfectly cooked. It was a perfect texture coupled with the fabulous flavor of the dish. This recipe is a definite winner!

Chicken and Rice
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2010

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add 4 chicken thighs to pan;

sauté 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat with remaining chicken. Place chicken on a plate on the side.

3. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté 4 minutes.

Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes.

Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add rice; sauté 1 minute.

Spoon rice mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray;

stir in broth, 1/4 cup water,

and cream.

Arrange chicken over rice mixture;

sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe