East-West Spice Rubbed Salmon with Orange Soy Glaze

Adapted from Cooking Light

This had such an interesting flavor.  The contrasting spices of cinnamon (in the 5-spice powder) and black pepper were very unique and were something of a tongue teaser.  The Orange-Soy glaze was yummy as well.  I served the salmon with some rice and grilled summer squash and green bell peppers to complete the meal.  Yum!

Ingredients:

Spice Mixture:

• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 ½ tsp five-spice powder
• 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

Glaze:

• 1 orange, zested
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 Tbs minced green onions
• 1 Tbs ginger
• 1 ½ tsp dark sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Remaining Ingredients:

• 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

• To prepare spice mixture, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
• To prepare glaze, combine orange zest and next 8 ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the grill.  Rub the fillets with spice mixture.  Cover, refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Place on grill rack coated with cooking spray.  Grill approximately 16 minutes, covered, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.   Baste occasionally with glaze.  To serve, sprinkle with sliced green onions and glaze. 

Asian Chicken Slaw

Adapted from Cooking Light

This slaw is fantastic.  I ate it both plain and in a wrap.  The sauce on it is light, but flavorful.  And it has a fantastic crunch!  At only 152 calories per serving, you can definitely go back for 2nd helpings.

Ingredients:

Slaw:

• 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken breast {about 1 lb}
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 {10 oz} package of coleslaw mix
• 1 {8 oz} can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• ¼ cup slivered almonds

Dressing:

• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ tsp garlic-powder
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

·         Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl.

·         To prepare dressing, combine cider vinegar and next 6 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.  Pour dressing over the slaw; toss to coat.  Cover and chill 1 hour before serving.

White Chocolate Chip Orange Cookies

Adapted from Allrecipes

Orange zest + white chocolate chips are an awesome combination.  What else needs to be said?
     

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 orange, zested
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and orange zest; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, mixing until combined.
• Fold in chips.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until dough is golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool

Roast Chicken, Goat Cheese & Peach Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light

Our current church time slot is from 2-5 pm.  And the church is 20+ minutes away, so by the time we get home we are hungry and ready to eat.  This was a quick and easy meal since I bought the rotisserie chicken already made from Costco.  The salad has a great, summery flavor.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tsp onion powder
• 2.5 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2.5 tsp maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 2 cups sliced peaches
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup vertically sliced red onion
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 1 (5oz) package gourmet salad greens
• 2 Tbs crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

• Combine first 8 ingredients; stir with a whisk.
• Combine chicken and remaining ingredients except cheese in a large bowl.  Add vinegar mixture; toss gently.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Pasta, Broccoli & Chicken

Adapted from Allrecipes

For some reason I bought a gigantic bag of broccoli from Costco and now I have to figure out what to do with it.  This simple pasta was a fresh and satisfying dish to use up some of the broccoli.  Feel free to sub out the cheese or veggies for what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz penne pasta
• ½ lb fresh broccoli florets
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 3 Tbs pesto
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup feta cheese
• 1 lb boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large pot with boiling salted water, cook rigatoni pasta until al dente.  Drain.
• Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with slotted spoon.  In same pan, sauté the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes.  Add the can of diced tomatoes (drained well) and set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture.  Add the feta cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Lime Chicken Tacos

Adapted from Allrecipes

These turned out great!  After this picture was taken I drizzled my taco with more of the lime sauce, which I think is KEY because it is where all of the flavor comes from. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 green onions, chiopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried cumin
• 8 flour tortillas
• ½ cup fresh salsa
• ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions:

• Sauté chicken in medium saucepan over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.  Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and cumin.  Simmer for an extra 10 minutes
• Warm the tortillas for 10-15 seconds each in the microwave.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with salsa, cheese and avocados.  Drizzle extra sauce over tacos. 

Maple Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Allrecipes

This meal is simple and delicious.  I love sweet potatoes; they are the wheat version of regular potatoes.  So healthy, but delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes
• 1 lb chicken breat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tsp steak seasoning
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• ½ cup light maple syrup
• ½ cup onion, diced

Directions:

• Wash the skins of the sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork.  Place the sweet potatoes in microwave and heat on high for 2 minutes.  Turn over and cook for another 2 minutes or until soft.  Take a knife and cut the top skin off the sweet potato.  Using a spoon, scoop out the sweet potato.  Mash the sweet potatoes and set aside.
• Sprinkle chicken with steak seasoning; heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken until the meat is lightly browned and no longer pink inside.  Cook the onion with the chicken until browned.  Remove the chicken and onions and set aside.  Stir the maple syrup into the skillet, scraping up and dissolving any browned flavor bits from the skillet.  Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes.
• To serve, place the mashed sweet potatoes onto a serving platter, top with the chicken and onions and pour the maple sauce over the chicken.

Country Breakfast Casserole

Adapted from Allrecipes

I nearly forgot this recipe! Luckily I stumbled upon the picture this morning.   I made this breakfast casserole for our ward 4th of July breakfast.  It's always a little risky to make a new recipe when you are serving it to other people, but I figures the combo of eggs, cheese and sausage really could not go wrong.  I do think next time I would either try to mix in the hashbrowns with the egg mixture or leave them out altogether.  The dish was a hit, though, and was quickly scarfed up by members of our ward.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) package breakfast sausage
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup milk
• 1 (2.64 oz) package country gravy mix
• 1 large bag of hashbrown potatoes
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.  Saute onions for last few minutes of cooking.
• Spread the sausage and onions evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Whisk together eggs, water, milk and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish.  If desired, sprinkle with paprika.
• Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, brown the hashbrowns with some vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Layer the hashbrowns on top of the egg mixture and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes in oven.  Set aside 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with some ketchup, salsa or hot sauce.

Note:  next time I will try to mix the hashbrowns in with the egg mixture to cook OR will not use the hashbrowns at all and will just serve as an egg casserole. 

Summer Peach and Tomato Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light

I LOVED this....I will admit that Tim didn't nearly as much.  So, it might be one of those hit or miss dishes depending on what is pleasing to your own personal palette.  But for me, the combo of peaches and cherry tomatoes with my favorite cheese--feta-- was stellar.  I was especially pleased with it because the dish made good use of the peaches in my fridge. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• ½ lb ripe peaches, pitted and cut into chunks
• ½ lb cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tbs parsley or basil leaves, torn

Directions:

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
• Combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Drizzle vinegar mixture over peach mixture; toss well to coat.  Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Skewers with Cherry Tomato Couscous

Adapted from Cooking Light

I love pork tenderloin.  I have never grilled it before, though.  Luckily this rub lived up to my expectations and the couscous was yummy, as usual.  I love cherry tomatoes and grilled zucchini.  It was just a perfect summer meal. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 tsp chile paste
• 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ yellow squash, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup couscous
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
• Cooking spray
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs dark sesame oil

Directions:

• Prepare grill at medium-high heat.
• Combine first 7 ingredients.  Cut pork in half crosswise; cut each half into cubes.  Combine pork cubes and chile paste in a shallow dish; toss to coat.  Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over pork; toss to coat.  Let pork stand for 10 minutes.
• Thread pork cubes onto wooden skewers.  Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray.  Grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Option:  to grill yellow squash you can either thread on wood skewers or place in a veggie grill dish.  Grill until browned.
• Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to package directions.  Fluff with fork and add cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and parsley.  Top with yellow squash when ready to serve.
• Serve pork skewers with couscous.  Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil over skewers and couscous, to taste. 

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from Allrecipes

I have been eyeing this recipe for quite some time.  It just sounded interesting to me since you don't usually see cottage cheese in Mexican food, maybe Italian, but not Mexican.  They were really yummy!  They were also great leftovers for later in the week. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, boiled and shredded
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 (7 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning mix
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 6-8 flour tortillas (depending on how full you want to stuff the enchiladas)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce

Directions:

• To make meat mixture:  Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and sauté until browned.  Then add taco seasoning, mix well.
• To make cheese mixture:  In a medium bowl, mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper.  Stir until well blended.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• To assemble enchiladas:  Heat tortillas until soft (about 10-15 seconds in microwave).  In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  Top with any remaining Monterey Jack cheese. 
• Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Classic Hummus

McCormick Recipe

Okay, don't be disgusted by the picture because it is really good! This hummus recipe is great to use as a dip for pita bread or vegetables! Whenever I make this it is devoured before I know it!

Ingredients:

15 oz. can chickpeas

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

Drain chickpeas, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Place chickpeas in food processor with other ingredients. Process until smooth, adding reserved liquid until desired consistency.

Chocolate Coconut Bars

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

I've had a sweet tooth lately and this was a great fix.  It's also a great standby dessert since chances are everything you need to make this stellar sweet is already in your cupboard.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• Additional coconut for sprinkling on the top of the bars

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
• Combine the flour and salt; whisk and set aside.
• Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.
• Slowly beat in the flour and salt mixture until just blended.  Next, stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.  Scrape the batter into the pan.  Make sure the batter is spread evenly, smooth with a spatula.  Sprinkle extra coconut on top of the bars.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until set in the center but still soft.  Do not over-bake the bars!  Let cool slightly before serving.  Cut the bars into squares.

Texas Style Baked Beans

Adapted from Allrecipes

On the 4th we hosted a BBQ for all of our new NC friends.  It was BYOM and a side dish.  I decided to make these yummy baked beans.  I was quite pleased with the results.  They were a bit spicy, but still sweet.  Basically, a perfect BBQ side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 (28 oz) cans Maple Cured Bacon baked beans
• 1 (4 oz) can canned chopped green chile peppers
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup barbeque sauce
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 Tbs chili powder

Directions:

• In a 3 ½ quart or larger slow cooker, combine the baked beans, green chiles, onion and barbeque sauce.  Season with brown sugar, garlic and chile powder.  Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

Fruit Pizza

Adapted from a recipe from Kaylee Coil

For the  4th of July, I decided to whip up a dessert that had a little red, white & blue in it.  Plus, Tim requested this yummy dessert.  I have to admit that I take major shortcuts with this recipe...mostly I use Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix.  I have never found a sugar cookie recipe that I like more than Betty Crocker.  I don't know if there is any other cookie mix I can say that about, but as far as sugar cookies go I stick with Ms. Betty.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages Betty Crocker sugar cookies mix + ingredients listed on back of package
• 1 (8 oz) package of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 carton cool whip
• 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• Fruit! (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwis, mandarin oranges, raspberries, etc…)

Directions:

• Prepare sugar cookies according to package directions.  Spread onto greased baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Cool completely.
• Beat together the cream cheese, cool whip and confectioner’s sugar until thoroughly combined.  Spread over sugar cookies.
• Peel, chop, slice fruit and sprinkle liberally over the cool whip frosting.  Enjoy!



California Chicken

Adapted from Allrecipes

With Tim on a super busy rotation this month easy, fast recipes are KEY.  Yet, I still want to eat well.  This recipe satisfied both of those reequirements.  It took very little effort on my part and I had a very yummy meal to finish off my day. 

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa
• 1 (8 oz) package Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 8 slices

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Warm oil in skillet and add chicken and onion.  Cook 15 minutes or until chicken is browned and just about done.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place chicken on cookie sheet and top each breast with 2 slices of cheese.  Place in oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts.  Remove from oven and top with fresh salsa and slices of avocado.

Serve with yellow rice.

Sweet Cumin Salmon with Tropical Rice

Adapted from Allrecipes

This dish was light and summery.  I love the mango rice mixture and the rub for the salmon gave it great flavor.  Aren't summer-y foods the best?  They are yummy, but leave you feeling healthy.  Love it. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs cumin
• 1 Tbs packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning, divided
• 1 lb fillet fresh salmon
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp lemon juice 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Lightly grease a shallow 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Combine the cumin, brown sugar and lemon pepper seasoning in a small bowl and blend well.
• Place the salmon fillet skin side down in the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle the fish evenly with the cumin spice mixture, gently pressing it into the fish.  Flip the fish over and repeat.  Bake in preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork. 
• Stir the mango, tomatoes, avocado and lemon juice into the rice.  Divide the rice evenly and place the salmon on top to serve. 

Butterfinger Cookies

Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Sweet Pea is all about  dessert/baked goods, which I LOVE to drool over.  I don't allow myself to make too many of her recipes because when I bake I tend to overeat.  {I absolutely succomb to my sweet tooth and then feel a tad bit guilty about it the next day.}  Anyway, as soon as I saw Sweet Pea's recipe for Butterfinger cookies I KNEW that I must make them.  They were to die for, as expected.

  PB + Butterfinger = a bite of Heaven.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (2.1-ounce) Butterfinger candy bar, chopped (scant 1/2 cup)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Butterfinger candy.
• Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl for rolling. Using 1 1/2 tablespoons dough for each cookie, roll dough between palms to form balls., roll the ball in the sugar, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing 1 inch apart. Using bottom of glass or measuring cup, press cookies into 1/3-inch-thick rounds.
• Bake cookies until edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, reversing sheets halfway through. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 2 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.