Chicken and Veggies

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
• 6 c of a mixture of your choice of vegetables
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• a little pepper
• a little Mrs. Dash or your favorite seasoning
• 1 c chicken broth
• slices of Farmers (or your choice) of cheese or shredded cheese

Cut up one pound of skinless, boneless chicken breast meat into strips or chunks.

Chop a mixture of fresh vegetables such as: broccoli, green beans, carrots, onions, green pepper, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and celery to measure 6 cups.

In a large skillet, pour 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and set burner to med. high. When oil is hot, place the chicken pieces into the pan. Sprinkle with a little pepper to taste and some of your favorite seasoning like Mrs. Dash (or whatever is available in your area). Reduce heat to medium. When chicken is cooked just beyond the pink stage, move the chicken to the outer edges of the skillet. Pour one cup chicken broth (I like the boxed kind) into the pan and add all the fresh vegetables. Cover and let the vegetables cook until they are done to your satisfaction. I like mine a little on the crunchy side. For the last minute, place slices of Farmer Cheese, or sprinkle with shredded low-fat cheese over the top. Cover and turn the heat off or to the very low setting. As soon as the cheese is melted, it is ready to serve. This goes well with cooked rice on the side, or as is. You have your protein, vegetables, dairy, and very low fat and it is delicious and filling.

Harold’s Fish Fry

• Filet and remove all the bones from the fresh-caught fish and pat the fillets dry. Cut them into 2" pieces.
• In a separate bowl, empty the contents of one package of "Shore Lunch" brand breading. We have also used other coating mixture, but Shore Lunch brand seems to be the best for this recipe.
• Pour Club Soda into the dry mix and bring it to the consistency of a medium to light batter. (Sorry I don’t have the exact amount here).
• Sprinkle fresh pepper and a small amount of salt on the fish and then place the pieces into the batter and completely coat with the batter.

In a large fry pan, heat cooking oil until it is very hot. Test a small piece to see if it bubbles as it enters the hot oil. You will want the fish to be mostly submerged in the oil. When the oil is hot enough, approximately 250°, place the individual fish pieces into the pan. They will quickly be ready on the first side. Turn them and as soon as that side is a nice golden brown, carefully remove them from the hot oil and place them on several layers of paper towel to remove any access oil. Eat immediately while they are nice and hot.

Sue sent me this recipe and I tried it. It’s great and quick and easy! Perfect for summertime cooking.

Chicken Marsala

• 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces
• 2/3 medium sweet onion, sliced
• 8-12 ounces canned mushrooms (fresh mushrooms, sliced, are better)
• 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flour

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion slices and mushrooms. Sauté uncovered until tender. Put the flour in a plastic bag. Pat the chicken pieces dry and add to flour. Shake to coat with flour. Remove the onions and mushrooms from pan. Place the coated chicken pieces in the pan (don’t dump in the extra flour – just pick the chicken pieces out of the flour). Cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 6 minutes without stirring. After 6 minutes stir the chicken. Add one half cup wine to the pan (do not pour it directly on the chicken). Top chicken with the mushrooms and onions. Cook 6 minutes uncovered. Stir. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine to deglaze the pan (my pan is non-stick so it had nothing to deglaze). After cooking a few more minutes, stir it all together and serve. Serves 3. This is great with rice and your favorite vegetable.

NOTE: Instead of butter, I just put some extra virgin olive oil in the pan and I did not use any flour and it was STILL great!

Here is a delicious and figure-friendly recipe I made a couple weeks ago and it is SO tasty.

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Pineapple

• 16 oz. chicken breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces
• 10 green onions, chopped finely, or 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 1/2 large green pepper, cut into 3/4″ squares
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 3/4 cup fresh pineapple cut into chunks. I used canned pineapple in pineapple juice, not syrup
• 2 T Sugar Twin brown sugar
• 1 T ketchup
• 1 tomato diced. I used about 6 of those small tomatoes
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Spray skillet or wok with Pam or olive oil. Add onion and green pepper and stir-fry over medium heat until they are crisp-tender. Remove and set aside.

Spray skillet again and add the chicken pieces. Stir fry over medium heat until no longer pink.

In saucepan, mix the vinegar, cornstarch, chicken broth, brown sugar and ketchup together and cook until thickened and then pour over the chicken.

Return the onion and green pepper to skillet. Stir in pineapple chunks and tomato pieces. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with brown rice.

The recipe this week is in the "comfort food" category. It’s quick and tasty.

Chicken with Stuffing Bake

• 1 Box (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Chicken mix
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups cubed raw potatoes
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup, low fat or regular
• 1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
• 4 chicken breasts, cut into quarters
• Garlic powder, ground pepper, and paprika to taste

Prepare the Stove Top Stuffing as per directions on the box. Layer this on the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Cook the chopped potatoes, onions and celery in the chicken broth until tender. Mix in the Cream of Chicken soup with the onions and celery and stir together. Pour half of this mixture over the stuffing layer. Place the chicken pieces on top of the onions and celery mix. Sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika and ground pepper. Pour remaining onion and celery mixture over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve with cooked carrots or your favorite vegetable choice.

Beef Brisket

• 4 pounds of beef brisket
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 2-3 large onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup red wine or beef broth
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• one-half teaspoon dried thyme
• one-half teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 pound carrots, cut into chunks

In a Dutch oven or heavy soup kettle, brown the brisket in oil with salt and pepper, over medium high heat. Remove and keep warm while you sauté the onions and garlic until tender in the same pan. Place the brisket over the onions. Add the wine or broth, tomatoes, celery, thyme, and rosemary. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Add carrots and bake one hour longer or until meat is tender. It is ready to serve now or you can do what I did and refrigerate it overnight. If you do this, before you serve it slice the brisket into thin slices across the grain and place in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the tomato mixture over the sliced beef and cover and bake for 30 minutes or until everything is heated through. This is really good served with baked potatoes, using the tomato sauce over the potato as well.

Ham and Macaroni Pie

• Three-fourths cup uncooked macaroni
• One-half pound ham, cubed
• 1 cup soda cracker crumbs
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• One-half pound (2 cups) grated cheese – Cheddar, jack, Colby or American
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon grated onion
• 2 Tablespoons chopped red or green pepper
• 2 tsp. chopped pimento (optional)
• 1 cup Crushed potato chips

Cook macaroni in 6 cups water with a little salt for flavoring. When macaroni is tender, drain water and set aside. Mix all ingredients together except the crushed potato chips. Spray a round pie pan with oil and fill with ingredients. Top with crushed potato chips. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 45 minutes. If the topping gets too dark, place foil over the top for the remaining minutes. Serve with corn and bread for a hearty meal.

Here’s a tasty recipe with a spicy kick for you to enjoy.

Italian Pasta Casserole

• 2 cups uncooked whole wheat spiral pasta
• one-half pound lean ground beef
• one-half pound Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage. If you buy it in links, remove the casings so you can crumble the sausage.
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, do not drain
• one-third cup tomato paste
• one-fourth cup brown sugar*
• three-fourths teaspoon Italian seasoning
• one-half teaspoon chili powder
• one-fourth teaspoon dried oregano
• one-eighth teaspoon salt
• one-eighth teaspoon garlic powder
• one-eighth teaspoon dried thyme
• one-eighth teaspoon pepper
• 2 oz. sliced turkey pepperoni
• one cup shredded mozzarella cheese

*Healthy Option: unrefined sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura)

Directions: Cook the pasta according to the package. Meanwhile, crumble the beef and sausage into a large skillet; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Drain pasta. Stir in the meat mixture and pepperoni. Transfer half of pasta mixture to a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Pour the rest of the pasta mixture over cheese and top with the remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic toast. Enjoy!

Bacon Garlic Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic minced (I use a big one!)
• 8 slices bacon
• 8 small sprigs fresh thyme or one-fourth teaspoon powdered thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Lay two pieces of bacon to form an X and place a chicken breast on them. Wrap the bacon around the chicken. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. (Use a pan that can be placed in the oven). Place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook until the chicken and bacon are browned. Turn and brown the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan. Drain off the oil. In the pan pour the cream, bouillon, thyme and garlic. Bring to a boil, add the chicken and place the pan in the oven. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until the cream has thickened. Remove and let rest a few minutes before serving.

You really need to use a fresh garlic clove, not powdered or pre-chopped in a jar – it makes such a difference in the flavor! And if I weren’t on Atkins I would serve this dish with a big serving of mashed potatoes. As it is, I serve it with broccoli and a salad, and I have to content myself with dipping the chicken in the delicious, cream sauce.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Saute in 3 tablespoons butter:

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 to 8 ounces mushrooms

Cook and drain 8 ounces spaghetti

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 small can chopped pimento
• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients and bake in a 9" x 13" pan at 350 degrees for 30-60 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 5-6.

If you need to serve more people, one and a half recipes will completely fill a 9" x 13" pan. You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it. Then just bake it the day you are serving it – but remember, if it is frozen it will take a lot longer to bake. More than once I’ve been surprised how long it takes to bake a frozen dish (you know the routine…keep turning the oven hotter, keep feeding the guests appetizers!).