Spicy Cuban Chicken

Bill found this one for us in a running magazine. It's really good. High in protein and good carbs

2/3 cup nonfat Italian dressing
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (or more)
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
11 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch-thick strips
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/4 medium green bell peppers, chopped
3/4 medium onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
3 cups cooked rice (brown is best)
1-1/4 lbs. canned blacked beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/4 lbs. canned, diced tomatoes
3/4 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine dressing, garlic, and ground red pepper in a glass measure or medium glass bowl. Place chicken in large glass bowl, pour dressing over chicken and refrigerate 30-60 minutes (or overnight). Remove chicken from marinade, drain well, discard marinade.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, cook 5-7 minutes, stirring until chicken is slightly brown, spooning off excess liquid. Add bell peppers, onion, oregano, pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add rice, black beans, and tomatoes. Cook 2-3 minutes more, or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with cilantro, serve immediately.

522 calories, 38.4 g. protein, 76.6 grams carbohydrates, 13.1 grams fiber

Ranch Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 .b)
1/4 cup ranch dressing (light)
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs (I like the italian flavored)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1. Dip chicken into dressing, then coat with bread crumbs
2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until outside is golden brown and juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Leftovers are great for salads or sandwiches!

Super Easy Enchilada Casserole

This is a super easy quick dinner I got from the Kraft Magazine. You make it in the microwave. Great for a potluck dish, meal to a family or just to have something easy on those busy nights.

prep 5 minutes, Total 30 minutes, Serves 4

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp chili powder
4 corn tortillas
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sour cream

1. microwave meat and onions in 2 qt. microwaveable dish on HIGH 4-6 minutes or until meat is done, stirring every 2 minutes.; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water and chili powder. Microwave 5-9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring every 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Place 1 tortilla in same microwave dish; top with layers of 1/4 each meat sauce and cheese. Repeat layers 3 times. Microwave 2-5 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes. Top with tomatoes and sour cream.

Tips: I cooked the meat and sauce mixture in a sauce pan on the stove, but cooked the whole thing together in the microwave for 5 minutes. Also you can add in black beans, corn, olives or whatever you fancy.

Olivia's Penne Pasta with Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes

1 14.5 oz. box of Penne Rigate pasta (I use Ronzoni Smart Taste)
2 tbs. salt

1 tbs. olive oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. black olive juice (from can), reserving the black olives

1 can of black olives, minced
1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil (lightly rinsed), chopped
5 c. fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Prepare the pasta as directed, adding the 2 tbs. of salt to the boiling water. Drain the pasta when it's "al dente", meaning when it's cooked so that it's not too hard or soft, but retains a nice bite. Place in a large bowl.

For the dressing, combine the next six ingredients and whisk well.

Pour over the warm pasta and toss with the olives, tomatoes, and spinach.

Serve warm or cold.

Note:
Please season to taste.

I don't add salt to the dressing because of the salted pasta. You may want to add more.

Eggplants.... OVER EASY.... That's one of our little jokes.....

I have been wanting to try eggplant for a while and I thought I should just do it! I bought an eggplant and tried a new recipe I found online. It wasn't my favorite, but I'm a picky eater. Houston liked it and so did his family. Houston said it would be good as a side to beef and have another side be rice. It's too much to be just a side dish. So anyway, here it is.
Saute 1 green pepper and 1 medium onion in 2 tbs of butter
add 4 peeled roma tomato and let simmer for a few minutes
add cubed eggplant, 1/2 tsp basil and 1/4 oregano
cook until the vegetables are tender (about 15-20 min)

Peach Season

So I'm trying to make new things and use the ingredients that are in season. Here are recipes for Peach pie and peach cobbler.

Peach Pie
I got this recipe from the joy of cooking The crust is amazing!
(Makes a double crust)

Oil Pastry Recipe-Pie crust

Probably the easiest pie pastry to make. As you are using a liquid fat, you don't need as much fat in this recipe. You can roll and re-roll oil crusts with no ill effects.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil*
1/4 cup cold milk

* Extra-virgin olive oil may be substituted

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Measure the vegetable oil and the milk into the same liquid measuring cup but do not stir. Add to the flour/salt mixture; mix briskly to combine until the dough comes together into a ball.

Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half to 1/8 inch thick between 2 sheets of wax paper.

NOTE: Because this pastry dough is made with oil, it must be used right away. After a day in the refrigerator, the oil will start to separate and seep out.

*I sprinkled the top with some cinnamon sugar before I put it in the oven.

PIE FILLING

Peel and slice 5 cups of peaches

sift over peaches

1/2 cup white or brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbls cornstarch

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

put in pie shell and dot with 1 1/2 tbls of butter

cover pie with top pie crust and puncture for ventilation.

preheat oven to 450 degrees bake for 10 minutes

reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes or until done.

Peach Cobbler

(I got this recipe from Aunt Pattie)

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler:

1 package Pillsbury pie crust
8 cups sliced fresh peaches
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees
Spray an 8 inch square dish... Set aside

Combine the peaches, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a Dutch oven... (you can just use a pan). Allow the mixture to sit until the dry ingredients are dissolved and a syrup forms, about 15 minutes. Bring the peach mixture to a boil over medium heat. Decrease the heat to low and cook until the peaches are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the butter and vanilla.

Roll out the pie pastry and cut it into an 8 inch square. Spoon half of the peach mixture into the dish. Cover the mixture with the pastry square. Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Take the dish from the oven and spoon the rest of the peach mixture over the baked pastry shell. Roll out the rest of the dough and cut it into 6 or 8 strips about an inch wide. Arrange the strips into a lattice pattern over the peach mixture. Bake and additional 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown and done. Remove from oven . Serve warm with ice cream or whipping cream.

Olivia's Garlic Herb Mayo

1 c. light mayo
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp. chives, chopped
1 tbsp. rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp. thyme, chopped

Combine and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Feel free to substitute other herbs as desired.