Thai Lettuce Cups

These were really good and so simple! The kids thought they were spicy, but we thought they were perfect. I will definitely make these again!

From Sister's Cafe

**I doubled the sauce ingredients and this would make an awesome salad as well.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
Salt and freshly, ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 c. sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. honey
2 iceberg lettuce heads, cut into quarters and leaves gently removed to make lettuce cups
1/2 c. honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
1 handful basil, chopped (I used dried)

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of olive oil, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the pan until golden brown on all sides. If there is a lot of excess water in your pan because chicken was not completely thawed you will want to drain it. A little is okay but not a lot.
Add in the red pepper and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the chili sauce and honey and simmer to reduce it and coat the chicken. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan right before serving. To serve, lay the lettuce leaves on a platter. Scoop some chicken mixture onto each leaf. Serve and enjoy!

Basalmic Chicken Noodle Bowl

Recipe and Picture from My Kitchen Cafe

This was a great fresh tasting pasta bowl. It had a Mediteranean feel to it.

1 pound linguine

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese

½ cup feta cheese

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Recipe and Picture from My Kitchen Cafe

Teriyaki Meatballs

*Makes about 16 meatballs

Meatballs:

2 pounds ground beef (at least 90% lean)

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons milk

Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 3/4 cups water

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, honey and cornstarch together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside.For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except for the ground beef and mix well. Add the ground beef and mix until combined. Form ground beef mixture into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don't need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.When the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Heat the sauce until just simmering and add the cornstarch/water mixture, carefully mixing so as not to break apart the meatballs as you combine the cornstarch mixture with the teriyaki sauce. Simmer the meatballs and sauce over medium heat, maintaining a constant simmer but not cooking at too high of a boil, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and smooth (if the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin), about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs every two or three minutes to ensure even cooking. Serve over rice or couscous.

California Club Pizza

Recipe From Citrus Sun

This was delicious. I was a little leary of the lettuce on pizza, but it was great. It reminded me a lot of a BLT, but on pizza.

Pizza dough (I used whole wheat flour to make my dough)

2 cups chopped iceburg lettuce

1 cup chopped romane lettuce

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 cup bacon (cooked and crumbled)

2 chicken breasts

1 tomato, diced

1 Avocado, sliced

Olive Oil

Mozzarella cheese

Cook bacon as directed, crumble, and set aside. Pound chicken until it is thin. Cook in skillet. Cut it into small bite size pieces and set aside. Cook dough in oven as directed. Last 3-5 minutes brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle cheese over it. Let cheese melt and remove from oven.-Put chicken and bacon on top of cheese.-In a bowl mix lettuce and mayonnaise. Stir until the lettuce is well coated. Place on pizza and spread it out evenly.- place tomatoes and avocado on top and serve.

Stromboli

Adapted from Sister's Cafe

This is what we had for Orrin's birthday dinner. It was delicious and a fun twist that wasn't pizza.

1 recipe of Mom's Pizza Dough
1/2 lb. ham
1/4 lb. salami
2 C. mozarella cheese
Spaghetti sauce

Make dough and roll it out into a rectangle or oval. Layer ham, salami, cheese, a few times in the center of dough. Wet the edges of the dough and roll up lenghtwise and fold under the ends. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Ginger Glazed Salmon

Adapted from Allrecipes

This was a interesting and good take on a salmon dish. The original recipe called for Mahi Mahi, but I put it on salmon. My brother-in-law, who doesn't like fish, really liked it and called me later for the recipe. I made a second batch of sauce and heated it on the stove to spoon over the fish when cooked.

3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large salmon filet
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately

Chicken Braised in Walnut Sauce (Persian Dish)

From Sister's Cafe

This was a delicious different chicken dish. That says a lot considering I am not really a fan of meat, especially chicken, at this point in the pregnancy. Port said it would have been his new favorite if I wouldn't have burned the rice! Definitely a keeper and will make again.

2 tsp olive oil
4 (8oz) chicken breast halves, skinned (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were really thin)
1/3 c. finely chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. finely chopped walnuts
2 T. flour
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. ground red pepper
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
¼ c. finely chopped fresh parsley
1 T. white wine vinegar
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
2 c. rice

Heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken 3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring constantly. Add walnuts and cook one minute or until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly. Combine flour, cinnamon, and red pepper, and sprinkle over walnuts, stirring to coat. Add broth, stir with whisk. Return chicken to pan breast side up. Cover and simmer 15 min or until chicken is done and sauce is slightly thick. Stir in parsley, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Szechwan Shrimp

Well we have hit that time of year again. The joy of eating through the holidays has passed and now it is triathlon training time at our house. We are trying new recipes that are healthier, but still taste somewhat good. I found this winner at Allrecipes. I doubled the sauce except for the corn starch and next time I will decrease the the red pepper flakes. It was a little spicy, but still good.

4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed

Directions

In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Chicken and Dumplings

I found this recipe on Sister's Cafe. I loved how easy this recipe was and I did have most of the ingredients on hand. This will be a new go to recipe for me when I am low on groceries or time. I had to borrow the picture from SC because by the time I remembered to take one, this dish was gone. Yummy!

3 c. cooked chicken, cut into large pieces (I shredded my chicken, but that is just a preference)
½ c. butter
1/3 c. flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (98% fat free variety works great)

Dumplings:
2 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning (I used Italian Seasoning)
1 tsp celery seed (I left this out)
¼ c. oil
1 c. milk

Blend butter, flour, salt and pepper in saucepan. Add chicken broth and cook until thick. Stir in cream of chicken soup and add cooked chicken. Put in a 9x13 pan. To prepare dumplings, mix all ingredients together and stir until moistened. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto chicken and gravy. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes.