Amy's Recipe of the Day

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Location: Texas, United States

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Creamy Chicken Divan Soup


Southern Living. I used chicken thighs that I chopped up and sauteed. You can use a rotisserie chicken if you don't want to cook the chicken yourself. Even the kids ate this right up.

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
* 1 (48-oz.) container chicken broth
* 2 (12-oz.) packages fresh broccoli florets (about 12 cups)
* 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
* 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
* 1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and red pepper, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and broccoli. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Stir in cream cheese.

2. Process mixture with a handheld blender until smooth. Add chicken and shredded cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with almonds, if desired.

Note: If you don't have a handheld immersion blender, let mixture cool slightly; process mixture, in batches, in a regular blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Return mixture to Dutch oven, and proceed as directed.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce


From Cooking Light. Warning--use less garlic than they call for. If it's raw garlic, yes, you CAN have too much. I just sauteed the cut-up chicken in a skillet rather than using a grill pan. I let it marinate in the spices for a little while first.

* 6 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt
* 2 tablespoons shredded cucumber
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
* 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
* Cooking spray
* 4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
* 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
* 16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices cucumber
* 16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices plum tomato

Preparation

1. Combine yogurt, shredded cucumber, tahini, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, olive oil, and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a small bowl. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Thread chicken pieces evenly onto 4 (8-inch) skewers. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes or until done, turning every 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skewers.

3. Divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 2 tablespoons lettuce, 1 tablespoon onion, 2 cucumber slices, 2 tomato slices, and 1 tablespoon sauce.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

From Eating Well magazine. When you make the chicken, don't overcook it.
The orzo has a yummy flavor with the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

* 8 ounces orzo, preferably whole-wheat
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), divided
* 1 plum tomato, diced
* 1 clove garlic, peeled
* 3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided
* 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1-1 1/4 pounds)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
* 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese, divided

1. Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, place 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a blender. Blend until just a few chunks remain.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 tablespoons cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates.
5. Slice the chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.

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Friday, March 04, 2011

The Six-Million-Dollar Manicotti

From Crazy Plates. We really did like this. A great way to sneak in veggies! Boil the manicotti only until it is al dente so it is easier to stuff.


2 clove garlic, minced
½ cup finely chopped onions
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces
1 cup each grated carrots, grated zucchini, and finely chopped mushrooms
3 Tbsp minced fresh basil, or 1 ½ tsp dried
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
¼ tsp black pepper
4 oz light cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 manicotti shells, uncooked
2 cups of your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce
½ cup shredded mozzarella
chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)


Saute garlic and onions over medium heat until softened in nonstick skilled sprayed with cooking spray. Add chicken, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until no longer pink. Add carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, basil, oregano, and pepper. Cook 3 more minutes. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Transfer filling to a large bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

While filling is chilling, cook manicotti according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Using a teaspoon, stuff shells equally with filling. Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce over bottom of 2 baking dishes. Arrange 6 stuffed manicotti in each dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 3500 for 40 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

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Thursday, March 03, 2011

Pineapple Chicken Fajitas

From Taste of Home. These made a very quick dinner, and they were very good too. I halved the recipe and only used the red pepper, not the yellow and green.


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 each medium green, sweet red, and yellow pepper, julienned
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp fajita seasoning mix
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained (I used tidbits)
8 flour tortillas (10-inches, warmed)


In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil for 4-5 minutes. Add peppers and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes. Add peppers and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes longer. In a bowl, combine the seasoning mix and water; stir in the honey, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Stir into skillet.

Add the pineapple. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are tender. Place chicken mixture on one side of each tortilla; fold tortillas over filling. Makes 8 fajitas.

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Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Easy and Tasty Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches in the Crockpot

From Recipezaar.com. Very easy. I would make it again. Don’t double the recipe. It has taken us FOREVER to eat it. The author of the recipe recommends KC Masterpiece bbq sauce. I also like Stubbs and Daddy’s.


1-2 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 (18-oz) jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
Hamburger buns


Remove all fat from chicken and toss it in the crockpot. I sprayed it with cooking spray, but that probably wasn’t necessary. Place onion slices on top of chicken. Pour barbecue sauce over the top. You don’t need to use the whole jar; just make sure chicken is covered. I used the whole jar when I had 6 chicken breasts. Cook on low for 8 hours or until chicken is tender. Shred chicken with fork and knife; scoop mixture onto buns.

You can leave the breasts whole if you prefer.

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Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Spinach Calzones

Quick and easy. I used fat-free ricotta and part-skim mozzarella to make them a little lighter. The original recipe doesn’t call for egg in the cheese mixture, but I like it that way. From Woman’s World magazine.


1 lb pizza dough (I use Pillsbury in the can)
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp pepper
2 eggs, divided
1 cup marinara sauce, heated


Unroll dough and divide into 4 sections. Preheat oven to 4250. Coat large baking sheet with cooking spray. (or use Reynold’s Release) Combine next seven ingredients. Separate 1 egg. Add white (and a tiny bit of yolk if you wish) to cheese mixture. Put 2/3 cup cheese mixture on each pizza dough section and fold over. Using fork, seal edges. Place on baking sheet. Beat remaining egg and brush on top. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve with marinara. Makes 4 servings.

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