Piccata-Style Chicken With Rice

Adapted from a recipe in Prevention's quick and healthy low-fat cooking : featuring cuisines from the Mediterranean (1993) by Jean Rogers. The original recipe is on page 161. This was simply fantastic!

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tbsp Thin sliced Almonds
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut in half diagonally (so no piece is too thick)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Quick-cooking brown rice (I used Minute Rice)
1 tbsp dried Parsley
1 1/2 cups Chicken broth
1/4 cups Lemon juice
2 tbsp Capers (rinsed)

Directions

1. Over medium heat, gently toast the almonds in a saute pan for 4-6 minutes and then remove from heat.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook the chicken until lightly brown (around 4 minutes per side).
3. Add rice, parsley, broth, lemon juice and capers to the pan and bring to a boil.
4. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for around 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat and leave covered for an additional 5
minutes.
5. Add toasted almonds and enjoy!

Chicken Stir-Fry with Green Beans and Broccoli

Adapted from a recipe for Emeril's Chicken Stir-Fry with Green Beans from the Food Network. This was wonderful served with brown rice.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, very thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
6 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp Asian spice blend
1/4 cup peanut oil
3/4 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed and longer beans cut in half
3 crowns broccoli, trimmed with stems no more than 1 inch.
2 tbsp (or cloves) minced garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, broken into small pieces
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 6 tablespoons of the soy sauce, and Asian spice blend. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 minutes or longer (up to 3 hours).
2. In a large wok or saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken (along with some of the marinade mixture) and stirring constantly, cook until browned, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the beans and broccoli to the pan and stir-fry, around 2 to 3 minutes. Note - if you add more veggies (always a good idea) - add time to this stage.
4. Add the garlic, walnuts, hoisin sauce to the mix and cook for 1-2 minutes longer
5. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, over rice rice. Garnish with green onions.

Fantastic Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Adapted from a recipe from this one via Allrecipes.com. This reheats very well and is great for lunch! I love what the paprika provides.

Ingredients (serves 6-7)
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
2 cups beef broth
10 red potatoes (around 2.5 lbs), cleaned and diced with skin on
8-9 carrots, sliced into 1" pieces (bite sized)

Directions:
1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat and mix thoroughly.
2. On top of the meat, add garlic, bay leaf, paprika, (additional salt or pepper if desired) Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, and carrots.
3. Cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours. (The low setting is ideal here).

Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage with Saffron Rice

Adapted from a recipe from Real Simple. This reheats very well and is great for lunch!

Ingredients (serves 6-7)
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 chicken breast, cut in half and sliced 1/4 inch thick
16 oz Polish Kilbasa, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
2 14.5-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth or 4 cups chicken broth
24 saffron threads, crumbled
2 cups long-grain white rice
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil. Season the chicken with some of the salt and pepper and saute in a wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat for around 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Heat remaining oil in the pan and add Kilbasa. Brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cooked chicken to the pan along with the wine. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the broth, saffron, remaining salt and pepper and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Stir the shrimp and peas into the rice, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spaghetti with Tuna, Olives and Lemon

Adapted from a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Foods.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti or other pasta
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 tbsp slivered Kalamata olives
2 cans (6 oz) chunk light tuna in water, drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook pasta as directed
3. In a food processor, pulse bread and 1 teaspoon oil until coarse crumbs form. Add salt and pepper to the mixture and pulse some more.
4. Place bread mixture on a baking sheet and bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. As pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup hot pasta water. Then drain pasta and add to a large serving/mixing bowl.
6. To the cooked pasta, add lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, olives, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix. Add water and tuna and mix. Add the breadcrumbs on top and you are ready to serve

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Adapted from a recipe at Busch's, an Ann-Arbor based grocery store that has great recipes to use. We served over brown rice and it was fantastic. This serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
6 tbsp Soy Sauce
4 tbsp Dry Sherry or Cooking Sherry
2 tbsp Corn Starch
3 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin strips (1/4")
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper (or more to taste)
3 tbsp Peanut Oil (add more if needed or if using more vegetables)
1 tbsp Minced Fresh Ginger
2 tsp or two cloves Minced Garlic
3 cups Broccoli Florets
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 can (8 oz.) Water Chestnuts, Sliced
12 Ounces Fresh Mushrooms, stems removed and large ones cut in half.
3 Scallions, cut into 1" pieces

Directions
1. Whisk together stock, soy sauce, sherry and cornstarch until cornstarch dissolves. Set aside
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir about 30 seconds. Add chicken to skillet and stir-fry until white, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add broccoli florets, bell pepper and water chestnuts and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and scallions and stir-fry an additional minute.
4. Add chicken stock mixture and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.

Serve over noodles or rice. Enjoy!

Holiday Orange Cookies

Adapted these from a few different recipes this year. Really liked the way they turned out for the holidays. Might be great with drizzled chocolate also.
Ingredients:
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder + a small pinch extra
5 tbsp Butter - room temperature
1 cup White Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
2 tbsp Orange Juice
Rind from 1/2 a Large Orange (a heaping tablespoon)
Powdered Sugar to coat the cookies

Directions:
1. In one bowl, add flour, salt and baking powder.
2. In another bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add yolks, orange juice and rind to the butter mix and then blend.
4. Add the dry ingredients and then make sure that it is well mixed.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
6. After the cookie dough is removed from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. The dough will be sticky, but roll into balls around 3/4" in diameter and then drench in powdered sugar. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper at least 2 inches apart.
8. Cook for 8-10 minutes and then let sit on the cookie sheet for around 2 more minutes before moving to a wire rack or paper towel.