Entree Archives - The Tasty Fork

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

May 23, 2013 by admin · 5 Comments

Last Friday, we went out to dinner to a local Thai restaurant not too far from our home. It’s BYOB which is always a perk! The food was great. Service was interesting…. We had two different servers, both didn’t have a handle on what we ordered. It just felt kind of chaotic. In the end, we’ll probably order carry out from them so we don’t have to deal with the service again. Or I can make this Thai Chicken Noodle Salad instead. It was pretty amazing!

There are so many things I love about this noodle salad. It can be served hot or cold. So you can make it and eat it warm. Leftovers can be eaten warm or cold. It tastes great both ways. To cut a corner, I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Not having the extra step of cooking chicken is a total time saver. Especially when you’re super hungry or busy during the week. There are a lot of fresh vegetables in this dish – purple cabbage, jalapeno slices, red peppers, green onions and cilantro. The sauce is super easy too! (Pantry ingredients!!) The rice noodles cook up quick. I bought Thai Kitchen’s Rice Noodles. You can find these noodles in the Asian section of a grocery store.

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad recipe makes a lot…. like tons! It’s perfect if you have a few mouths to feed or if you love leftovers. It can be made ahead and eaten through out the week, too. It’s a quick & easy recipe which competes with anything you can order from a Thai restaurant…and a lot healthier for you! I know I’ll be making this Thai Chicken Noodle Salad a lot this summer. I hope you will do the same!

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken
Salt
8.8 oz box of thin rice noodles (I used Thai Kitchen brand)
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 red pepper, sliced thin
4 green onions, sliced on an angle
2 jalapenos, sliced thin (I left in the ribs and seeds)
1 inch ginger root, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup chopped cilantro
Sriracha, to taste (optional)

Instructions

Discard chicken skin. Remove chicken from the bones and shred with your hands.
Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil. Salt the water. Cook noodles according to directions. When done cooking, drain and rinse noodles with cold water. Set aside.
In a wok, heat sesame oil over high heat. Add red pepper, onions, jalapenos, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, soy sauce and stock. Fold in chicken. Heat the chicken through. Add noodles; mix until well combined. Remove wok from heat. Stir in cabbage and cilantro.
Dinner is ready! Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Serve with Sriracha, if you need additional spice.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Entree, Recipes, Salad · Tagged With: Chicken noodle salad, Dinner recipe, easy dinner, easy recipe, recipe, take out fake out, Thai Noodle Salad, Thai recipe, Thai salad

Family Recipe Friday: Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze

May 10, 2013 by admin · 7 Comments

Happy Friday!! With Mother’s Day being this weekend, I thought I’d share a recipe from one of my Mom’s cookbooks. One of tons of cookbooks. After my Mom passed away, I learned she collected lots of things… black pants, beauty products, boxes of Triscuits. I wouldn’t call it hoarding but more along the lines of forgetting what she had, so she’d buy things thinking she needed it. Same thing went for cookbooks. I stopped off at my parents house last weekend to get some of her cookbooks and I forgot how many she had. I only grabbed a few; the ones that looked the most familiar or most used.

Growing up, my Mom and I would have lunch together when I didn’t have school. We would always have chicken and vegetables…and watch All My Children. This was our routine until I went off to college and had to work during the summer. As I was going through her cookbooks, I had my eye on chicken recipes. Picking a chicken recipe would be perfect for my Family Recipe Friday Series.

Today’s recipe is Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze. Honestly, I have no idea if she made this for us. When it came to dinner, my Mom stuck to 10 different dinners and we really didn’t sway too much from those. That aspect of dinner has probably made me the way I am and not ever wanting to eat the same thing too many times. There is just so much amazing food out there.

Buuuut Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze sounds like something she & I would of made together for one of our afternoon lunches. It’s a light and easy meal. Plus, it only requires one skillet which means easily clean up.

Using boneless skinless chicken breasts makes this meal a healthy option. And by loading it up with a variety of veggies – red peppers, leeks, carrots and potatoes – you have a well rounded meal. I love using vinegar when I cook, but balsamic is my favorite! It gives this chicken recipe a tangy and sweet taste.

This is NOT your average chicken recipe. Chicken with Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze is very flavorful and filling. It would be a great week night dinner, especially when you don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up!

Family Recipe Friday: Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb baby red potatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, sliced
1/2-1 cup of beef broth
1 leek, well washed and cut into 2 inch long strips
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch long strips
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and chicken seasoned with salt & pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees). Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add potatoes and onions to skillet; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of broth. scraping and loosening brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add leeks, carrots and red peppers. Heat till boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
If the skillet is looking dry, add additional broth. Add garlic and balsamic vinegar. Heat to boiling. Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over chicken. Lower heat and cover for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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This recipe is from 365 Easy One-Dish Meals by Natalie Haughton.

Filed Under: Chicken, Entree, Family Recipes, Healthy, Recipes · Tagged With: balsamic chicken, chicken, chicken and vegetables, chicken recipe, Dinner recipe, healthy recipe, one skillet meal

Vegetarian Recipe: Orzo Salad with Spinach & Chickpeas

May 9, 2013 by admin · 9 Comments

Earlier this week on The Tasty Fork Facebook page, I asked what kind of recipes you’d like to see on the blog. One of the responses was from my bloggy friend, Lisa. She asked for more vegetarian recipes. I got to thinking I haven’t posted one in a while, so why not! The weather is starting to warm up, people want to use fresh ingredients and not be standing over a hot stove just to get a meal on the table. This Orzo salad recipe is a vegetarian’s delight and will make the meat people in your life happy. It’s so colorful, how can you not smile at it??

I don’t know about you but I’ve been eating lighter meals these days. I start off my day with some Greek yogurt and granola, lunch is usually a fruity protein smoothie and then something sensible for dinner. (I sound like one of those dieting ads!) I don’t know what it is but once the sun starts to shine, I’m not AS hungry. That’s why I hardly ever diet in the winter, I know whatever I put on during the colder months will come right off once I can be active outside again.

I’ve said before on this blog, if I post a salad recipe, it needs to be approved from my husband. He’s not going to be satisfied with some girly little salad. So to dress things up and make it more hearty, this salad is filled with orzo pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach and reduced fat feta cheese. The salad dressing is easy – just lemon juice and olive oil. There is no chopping of vegetables, the orzo cooks up in 10 minutes, the lemon juice dressing is super fresh tasting…. I can go on and on about what a great and easy vegetarian salad this is!

We ate the Orzo Salad as a main entree but it would also be a great side salad. Perfect for a picnic! Personally, I loved how easy it came together and plan on making it again on the nights when I don’t have a lot of time but still want a well rounded meal. Pin this vegetarian recipe – you’ll want it to remember it for those busy work nights and you don’t want to cook!

Vegetarian Recipe: Orzo Salad with Spinach & Chickpeas

Ingredients

1/2 lb uncooked orzo (it looks like rice. use whole grain if you can find it!)
3-4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes (the ones that aren't in oil. They come packaged in a resealable bag.)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced feta cheese, crumbled
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook orzo according to directions. Al dente is usually around 9 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Pour orzo into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until well combined. Taste and add fresh cracked pepper, if needed. Serve right away or can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days in an air-tight container.

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Filed Under: Entree, Healthy, Recipes, Salad, Vegetarian · Tagged With: chickpea salad, easy recipe, easy salad, meat free, orzo salad, picnic salad, recipe, salad recipe, spinach salad, summer salad, Vegetarian, vegetarian salad

Slow Cooked Ginger & Soy Beef Short Ribs

May 8, 2013 by admin · 7 Comments

Isn’t it great when you can have an amazing home cooked meal with very little effort?? And it’s even better when the recipe is comforting. I made beef short ribs in a slow cooker and I loved it. It was the perfect meal after a busy day.

Most times, cooking short ribs means lots of oven time…sometimes up to 4 hours. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have time for that! Short Ribs are very dense and when they’re cooked just right, it’s the most fork tender rib you’ll ever find. Seriously, when I was ready to eat these Ginger & Soy Beef Short Ribs, I didn’t need a knife. Just by digging in with a fork, the meat tore apart.

The marinade are mostly pantry items, including soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. I added a few spices, like coriander (which you could use cilantro if you don’t want to buy a new spice) and Chinese five spice (again, if you don’t have it – you can use fennel seed or omit it). It’s cooked for 5 hours with the short ribs and then strained and simmered until only half of the liquid remains. It will be a thin sauce that’s perfect to drizzle over the short ribs and 90 second rice.

It’s recipes like this this one make me really happy! I loved how easy it was to prepare such a fancy meal. And the short ribs were amazingly tender and the sauce had a lot of zing from the ginger. And of course, the 90 second microwavable rice guaranteed I didn’t have to scrape a pot of burnt rice. I hope you’ll like it too!

Slow Cooked Ginger & Soy Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

8 short ribs
Salt & Pepper
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp dried coriander (or cilantro)
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice (or dried fennel)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 packages of 90 second brown rice
Green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Take the 8 short ribs and sprinkle with salt & pepper. In a warm skillet, add sesame oil. Brown short ribs on the meaty side. In the slow cooker, mix together the rest of the ingredients (expect rice & green onions.) Place short ribs in the slow cooker, meaty side down. Cook on low for 6 hours.
When the ribs are fork tender, remove from the slow cooker. Strain liquid in the slow cooker into a sauce pan. Boil 5 to 10 minutes or until reduced by about half.
Microwave rice according to directions (usually 90 seconds!). Serve under short ribs with sauce and green onions.

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Filed Under: Beef, Crock Pot, Entree, Recipes, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: crock pot recipe, easy recipe, recipe, short ribs in the crock pot, slow cooker recipe

Chicken Tinga Tacos – Mexican Street Food at Home

May 2, 2013 by admin · 14 Comments

For a girl who loves tacos and Mexican food as much as I do, you’d think all this week I’d be having a Cinco de Mayo party on the blog. I have no idea how I missed this Mexican holiday. Is anyone else shocked by how fast May snuck up on us??!! In my own defense, I do have a lot of taco recipes on the blog and I’ve linked a few options for you at the bottom of the post. But this post is all about Chicken Tinga Tacos.

This spicy taco filling is found at every street-food stand in Mexico City. The sauce is like a Mexican marinara, filled with a lot of the same things you would use in an Italian marinara sauce – onion, garlic, tomatoes – but with the addition of chipotle peppers in adobo takes these tacos right to fiesta time.

You won’t believe how easy it is to get such an authentic (and cheap!) meal at home. By using chicken thighs, you’re going to be getting a lot of flavor and this cut of meat is impossible to over cook. Chicken first needs to seared and browned in a skillet, just for 10 minutes and then put aside. Then you’ll make the tinga sauce and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken in a large casserole dish and bake. (Or if you want to cook at a later date, store in the fridge, all ready for the oven. Just be sure to remove the casserole dish from the fridge 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake the chicken.)

Garnish for these Chicken Tinga Tacos are super easy. No fancy salsas or lots of chopping of ingredients. All you need are some green onions, cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese. So easy!

I’ve made and eaten a lot of tacos in my day.. heck, try just this year! Tacos are one of my favorite food groups. These Chicken Tinga Tacos are spicy and smokey. The chicken was tender and shredded so easily. I loved the easiness and freshness of the taco garnish. These tacos really are no fuss and truly something you would get in Mexico. It’s nice to know I can make these Chicken Tinga Tacos at home and not have to wait until my next Mexico vacation.

Chicken Tinga Tacos – Mexican Street Food at Home

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds trimmed, skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, including liquid
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
24 corn tortillas
2 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled
Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, add it to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and pour off the fat in the skillet.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet & the onion. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, chipotle peppers and broth; bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and slightly reduced, 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer sauce to a food processor and let cool for 15 minutes. Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Bake the chicken uncovered in the center of the oven for about 45-55 minutes. The meat should be tender, sauce thickened and browning around the edges of the baking dish. Warm corn tortillas in the oven or over a gas stove.
Remove the chicken and shred meat; discard the bones. Return the chicken meat to the sauce; combine well. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of chicken onto each tortilla and sprinkle with the Cotija cheese. Garnish tacos with the scallions and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

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Recipe inspired by Food & Wine.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Entree, Healthy · Tagged With: Authentic Mexican Meal, Chicken Taco Recipe, Chicken Tacos, Cinco de Mayo, easy meal, healthy recipe, healthy taco, Spicy Chicken, taco, Taco recipe, Taco Recipes, tacos

Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini

April 29, 2013 by admin · 12 Comments

There aren’t too many things that make me excited for a Monday. After the beautiful weather and fun weekend I had, the Monday morning alarm came too quickly. Especially since the only grocery store trip I made was to pick up ingredients to make brownies for my Monthly Pinterest Party. So there wasn’t much in the fridge Sunday evening when I was trying to come up with dinner.

I took a peek into my fridge and wondered, “What in the world can I eat right now??” I’m rummaging through the shelves and just when I think I’ll have to eat carrots and cheese, I came across bacon. Angels start singing. How did I not remember using bacon earlier in the week?? How did I not use all of it in one meal? Bacon hardly lasts more than one day in our house.

Working with what I have in my kitchen, I scanned the area to find good matches for my bacon. Of course, EVERYTHING goes well with bacon, so at least I was off to a good start. I had some pears which finally ripened, a bag of baby arugula and some leftover ciabatta bread from the bakery. And then there was the smoked Gouda cheese I had bought just because there are times in my life when I want cheese, crackers & wine for dinner. Looks like I had all of the ingredients to make a Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini.

I love a good sandwich but I wanted to take this panini up a notch. Have you ever made flavored oils? I LOVE to mince up some garlic, add it to warm olive oil and let it seep for a few minutes. Brush the garlic oil all over the inside of your sandwich bread – it’s a sure way to get extra flavor depth into a super easy meal.

Easy & tasty – that’s how I like my recipes. This panini falls into that category. The bacon and smoked gouda are the savory stars of the sandwich. I like how the pear adds a sweet flavor and lightens up the meal. Arugula is a peppery green and works well with the savory & sweet elements in this sandwich. Some kind of rustic, crusty bread is required for a panini. I had ciabatta on hand, but use whatever kind of bread you like…just make sure it’s “strong” enough to keep the panini together.

I hope you guys liked my on the fly panini. I truly believe in making recipes your own. So if you don’t have pears, use apples. Or if you’re looking for a lower calorie option, dismiss the bacon and use deli turkey instead. Feel free to make substitutes to fit what you like!

So why was I looking forward to Monday?? Because I’m totally making this sandwich again for lunch…and maybe even dinner.

Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini

Ingredients

(Makes 2 hearty sandwiches)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices of your favorite artisan bread, such as ciabatta
8 slices of bacon, cooked
1 pear, thinly sliced
¼ cup shredded smoked gouda
½ cup baby arugula

Instructions

To make Garlic Oil – In a small sauce pan, add olive oil & garlic. Bring it up to a boil and remove from heat. Let the garlic sit for 10 minutes. The garlic can be strained or just leave it. It’s up to you!
On the ciabatta bread, spread the garlic oil on both sides. Start to layer the sandwich by adding bacon, pear slices, smoked gouda and baby arugula. Top with the other piece of bread and place in a preheated skillet or grill pan. (Or a panini machine if you have one!) I put my cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich so it would press the sandwich.
On a medium-low heat, cook the sandwich until cheese is fully melted; 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately while cheese is still warm.

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Portobello Sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Recipe at The Tasty Fork #vegetarian

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mediterranean-turkey-sandwich-the-tasty-fork

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Filed Under: Entree, Pork, Sandwich · Tagged With: bacon recipes, dinner, easy meal, easy recipe, easy recipes, recipe, sandwich

Crock Pot Meatball Sliders with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

April 25, 2013 by admin · 9 Comments

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I’m often asked, “How did you come up with that recipe?” or “Why did you select those flavors?” I wish I had some super sophisticated answer to share, but I don’t. What I make everyday is usually based on cravings. I have a book to write down all of my recipe thoughts. Somethings get made and sometimes I even wonder what in the world was I thinking when I came up with that idea.

So this easy recipe, Crock Pot Meatballs with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce, was inspired by one of my favorite obsessions. Chips and salsa. If you looked inside my fridge at this moment, you’d see at least 3 different salsa jars. I have a serious problem which I don’t care to kick. I LOVE salsa. One of the jars I recently devoured was a mango chipotle salsa. It was perfectly spicy but with a kick of sweetness. That salsa barely lasted a day in my house. It was so good.

Unlike me, my husband won’t eat just chips and salsa for dinner. So I started brainstorming the ways I could bring the sweet and spicy kick from the salsa into an actual meal.

BBQ Sauce has a lot of the same ingredients as salsa, it’s just handled a little bit differently. By adding some peach preserves and chipotle peppers to a standard BBQ sauce, I’d be able to recreate the taste from the salsa. And meatballs make my husband happy, so that was a no brainer. But to make things easier for me, I decided to brown the meatballs in a skillet and then cook them in a slow cooker.

Who doesn’t love sliders for dinner?! This recipe is perfect for a busy work week, a kick off to the weekend dinner or as a game day appetizer. These little sliders will be eaten and gone in no time. The meatballs are made with ground turkey and pork, so they’re healthier than the average ground beef meatball. The BBQ sauce is made from scratch, so there aren’t any preservatives or ingredients you can’t pronounce in it. Plus, you can totally make the BBQ sauce your own by adding your favorite kind of jelly. I picked peach because I had some on hand.

I can hardly wait to make these Crock Pot Meatball Sliders again. They’re way more satisfying than chips and salsa.

Crock Pot Meatball Sliders with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1.5 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup beer or broth

For the Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup peppers and sauce from canned chipotles in adobo, minced
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 - 1/2 cup beer or broth
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup peach preserves
Salt, to taste
Slider Buns/Rolls

Instructions

For the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the first 10 ingredients and mix with your hands. Once the ingredients are combined, shape into meatballs. You can use a medium sized cookie scooper or 2 tablespoons would work. Add olive oil to a large skillet at medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, do not over cook. You just want to give the meatball a nice sear. Cook meatballs in batches - don't over crowd the skillet. Add cooked meatballs to a slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Once all of the meatballs are in the slow cooker, pour in beer or broth. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
For the sauce: In a sauce pan set at medium heat, add oil & onions. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir. Cook until fragrant. Add chipotle peppers and sauce. Stir until combined with onion & garlic. Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, water, mustard, molasses, and peach preserves. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove from slow cooker. Drain out the liquid. Return meatballs to slow cooker and cover with BBQ sauce. Turn slow cooker setting to warm and cover with lid. Let the meatballs sit in the slow cooker for at least 10 minutes. Serve BBQ meatballs on slider rolls.

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Crock Pot, Entree, Game Day, Pork, Recipes, Sandwich, Slow Cooker, Turkey · Tagged With: chipotle bbq sauce, chipotle peach bbq, homemade bbq sauce, meatball slider, meatballs, peach bbq sauce, pork meatball, turkey meatball

Bacon, Spinach and Gnocchi Casserole #CountryCrockStars

April 24, 2013 by admin · 3 Comments

Thank you Country Crock for sponsoring this post.

Things have been busy in our home the last few weeks. And for me, that means I’m rushing to get dinner on the table. Why is it once 5pm hits, there is always a laundry list of things to do??!!!

When time isn’t on my side around dinner time, I love making casseroles. Casseroles have such a retro vibe, but this recipe I created for Country Crock is nothing like what your Mom used to make. (Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with the casseroles your Mom makes:) )

I came up with a Bacon, Spinach and Gnocchi Casserole on a night when I was racing againist the clock. I was wanting a comforting meal with a lot of flavor. This casserole is very easy to put together and it spends only 10 minutes in the oven. Plus, it’s loaded with cheese. YUM! I’m sure your family will love this meal as much as we did. If I was the type person who planned ahead, this casserole could be prepared in advance and then baked sometime that week.

Do you love casseroles as much as I do? If you do be sure to enter the Country Crock Stars contest. Its easy [like a casserole] just “Share a photo of your favorite casserole, and share in 100 words how you demonstrate creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.” 3 finalists will win $5000 and a trip to New York City! 12 semi-finalists will win cookware! All great prizes – you can enter your best casserole recipe by clicking here.

Bacon, Spinach and Gnocchi Casserole

Ingredients

1 tbsp Country Crock
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bacon strips, diced into pieces
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
One 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
1/4 cup low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup baby spinach
A dash of red pepper flakes
Ground pepper & salt, to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar Gruyere cheese, divided

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, melt Country Crock over a medium heat. Add onions, garlic and bacon. Cook and stir for 6 minutes. Stir in thyme; cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in chicken broth and water; bring to a simmer. Stir in gnocchi. Cover and cook until the gnocchi is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cream of mushroom soup, spinach and red pepper flakes. Stir and taste. Add Salt & Pepper, if needed. Fold in 1/2 cup of cheese.
Pour gnocchi into baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: Entree, Pasta, Recipes · Tagged With: casserole, contest, Country Crock, Country Crock Stars, easy meal, easy recipe, pasta, quick recipe

Crispy Hunan Chicken – Family Recipe Friday

April 19, 2013 by admin · 18 Comments

Happy Friday!! I’m so excited for the weekend! My husband’s brother and his wife are coming to town! We always have so much fun with them and can’t wait to spend the weekend together! Yay for family!

I came across a Hunan Chicken recipe in my Mother In-law’s recipe box. It was clipped out from a newspaper. (Do newspapers still have recipe sections??) Anyway, the recipe is super old. How do I know?? Well, one of the ingredients listed was MSG. I laughed when I saw it. These days, MSG is considered the devil. Don’t worry, I omitted the MSG from the recipe and it still tastes just fine.

I’m not sure if RuthAnn ever made this recipe but one thing I do know is how much my Swint family loves their Chinese food. Every time I visit Fort Wayne, we always go to their favorite Chinese Restaurant. And let me tell you, I LOVE eating there! The food is always really good and they have the sweetest service. And since I always have a hard time picking what I want, Chinese food is perfect. Everyone orders a dish and we share. I get to taste a little bit of everything instead of eyeing a plate and hoping you’ll offer up your dinner.

Crispy Hunan Chicken tastes just like what you’d order from your favorite Chinese restaurant. The pieces of chicken are perfectly crispy. The sauce is made from scratch and had me licking my plate. It was spicy with a hint of sweetness. Fresh ginger and garlic make the Hunan Sauce better than any kind of those pre-made sauces you can get at the grocery store. Adding fresh red peppers at the end of cooking kept the diced veggies crisp. The only short cut I did take was using 90 second rice. I love a helping hand like that.

This Crispy Hunan Chicken is a restaurant quality recipe YOU can make! It will be on your plate faster than calling your favorite Chinese place and waiting for it to be delivered. Just say “No” to take-out with this meal.

Crispy Hunan Chicken – Family Recipe Friday

Ingredients

1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 4 thighs for 2 people) cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup chicken broth (at room temperature)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp white wine or sherry
1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp ginger root, diced
3 drops of sesame or peanut oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
splash of vinegar
Vegetable Oil, for frying
1 red pepper, chopped
4 green onions, chopped (use the white and green parts)
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

Place chicken in bowl and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of soy sauce, egg and white pepper to taste. Knead as you would dough for about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch and knead again. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add soy sauce, wine or sherry, garlic, ginger, oil, sugar, white pepper & vinegar. Set aside.
Heat wok to a high heat. Pour 2-3 cups of oil into wok. Heat oil to 335 degrees. Fry chicken pieces in batches. Do not over crowd the wok or the temperature of the oil will drop. Cook chicken about 7 minutes and then set on a rack. This will keep the chicken crispy and excess oil till drip off. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
Remove all but 1 tsp of oil from the work. Fry green onions and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds. Add crispy chicken, sauce and chopped red pepper pieces. Stir constantly until sauce is thickened. Serve with rice.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Entree, Family Recipes, Recipes · Tagged With: chicken dinner, chicken recipe, Chinese Recipe, Dinner recipe, Easy Chinese, Hunan Recipe, take out recipe

Double Decker Beef Tacos

April 18, 2013 by admin · 12 Comments

I know I have expressed this before…when it comes to guilty pleasures, I’m embarrassed to share Taco Bell is my list. A few months ago I made one of my favorite Taco Bell inspired recipes at home. I had fun trying to make it a healthier option and it tastes better than Taco Bell.

I thought this time I’d try to make my husband’s favorite Taco Bell item, a double decker taco. The past 5 years I’ve known Jim, there has never been a time when he hasn’t ordered a double decker taco when we’ve gone to Taco Bell. Lord knows his obsession for double decker tacos started long before I was in the picture.

Do you get Cooking Light? This months’ feature is tacos. I was so excited to dig in and see all of the yummy taco creations. When I saw they had healthified the Double Decker Taco, I knew what we would be having for dinner that night. I could eat tacos everyday, but I was extra excited to make Jim’s favorite taco of all time.

The recipe is healthy and easy! You create your own taco seasoning, which is great so you’ll be getting less sodium. Refried beans aren’t the best for you, but I picked a low-fat black bean variety and it was fabulous! It didn’t taste low fat and I love using black beans. Also, there isn’t much cheese. I used very little reduced fat shredded cheese, just enough to melt over the black beans and a light sprinkle of cheese over the meat in the taco. I’m sure you’re aware Taco Bell uses a ton of cheese. I was happy to control the amount in my taco.

Double Decker Beef Tacos is a fun weeknight meal and a creative way to spice up Taco night in your home. You can feel good about this healthified recipe and skip getting tacos at the drive-thru.

Double Decker Beef Tacos

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 ounces 90% lean ground beef
2 tbsp unsalted tomato sauce
1/2 cup fat-free refried beans (I found a black bean kind, it was awesome!!)
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 ounces preshredded reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese or cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
4 hard taco shells
1/2 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt

Instructions

Set your broiler to high.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onion; sauté and stir for 4 minutes. Add garlic and next 6 ingredients (through black pepper); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef mixture from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Wipe out oil in the skillet. Return beef mixture to pan; stir in tomato sauce. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spread 2 tablespoons beans over 1 side of each flour tortilla; sprinkle each with cheese. Place tortillas on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Carefully wrap 1 tortilla around 1 hard taco shell, pressing gently until cheese sticks to shell. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and shells. Spoon beef mixture into each shell; top each with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream/Greek yogurt.

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Recipe inspired by Cooking Light.