Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

Ever so often, I make something that I am really happy with.  Truth be told, if it is not good - it does not go on my blog - the recipe will die with me!  And every so often, I make something that I am really, really, really, really happy with.  That applies to this dish!  A winner for sure.

We have been looking to make a healthier chicken pot pie for some time.  Well, it would be hard to make one that is less good for you that we find in restaurants.  But as we are trying to watch our weight - I am very excited that we found something good here.  I adapted this from the Cooking Light recipe for Chicken, Potato, and Leek Pie and converted into two portions at a time.

This was amazing!  I think that we really found something great here!  It tasted great and was not that hard to make - so it wins on both sides.  It is a perfect way to end a cold winter's day.

Ingredients (makes two chicken pot pies - each baked in 18.6 oz stoneware)

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Butter
2 cup Red potatoes, cubed into small pieces and skin left on
1 1/2 cup Frozen carrots and peas (or other mixed vegetables)
1 Chicken breast (skinless and boneless), cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
1/4 tsp Savory, dried
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable broth (fat-free, lower-sodium if available)
1/3 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (enough to cover the filling - you can use sparingly)
1 tsp Skim milk
1 large Egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes and frozen carrot & peas to pan; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; saute 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, Kosher salt, thyme, savory and black pepper; saute 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Slowly add broth to pan, stirring constantly; bring to a boil. Cook 1-2 minutes or until it thickens. Spoon mixture into the two stoneware baking dishes.
4. Cut the pie dough in a shape to fit over the filling.  Combine milk and egg white; brush mixture over top of dough. Cut small slits in dough to vent. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Spectacular Spectacular Shrimp

This is another variation on my recipe for Celebration Pasta.  Just the other week, we started cooking with broccoli slaw (see Chicken with Sesame Broccoli Slaw) and loved it.  Broccoli slaw is shredded broccoli stalks, carrots and red cabbage - and it is very easy to cook with.  It also can be a noodle substitute - which is why I wanted to cook with it.  So it is great as a noodle-like dish without any of the carbs.  So we ended up with a dish that we can eat pretty much as much as we want.  I loved the way it turned out and will be playing with this more and more.  Just part of the healthier dining we are hoping to turn to this year.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Butter
1 Onion (small), cut into thin strips
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or 3 cloves)
1 lbs Shrimp, peeled and deveined
8-10 Grape tomatoes, halved (4 oz)
4-6 pieces of Sun-dried tomatoes - cut into thin strips
5-7 Basil leaves, thinly sliced (about a half bunch)
10-12 Kalamata olives, sliced in half
8 oz Mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
pinch of Red pepper (to taste)
12 oz Broccoli slaw
1 tbsp Lemon juice
5 oz Baby spinach

Directions

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the shrimp, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, olives, mushrooms, Kosher salt,  black pepper and red pepper (if using) to the pan.  Saute for 4 minutes.
3. Add broccoli slaw and mix thoroughly.  Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and spinach to the pan.  Sir frequently for around 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.  

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Spinach with Pasta

This is a modest variation on my recipe for Celebration Pasta.  I wanted to create something that was a bit different, but still had the wilted spinach in the dish.  I tweaked the recipe and loved the way it came out.  You can be flexible with the amount of pasta that you serve with it - we ended up with more noodles than we wanted.  So you can be flexible with how much pasta to make.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
9-13 oz Thin spaghetti or other pasta
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Butter
1 Onion (small), cut into thin strips
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or 3 cloves)
1 lbs Shrimp, peeled and deveined
8-10 Grape tomatoes, halved
4-6 pieces of Sun-dried tomatoes - cut into thin strips
5-7 basil leaves, thinly sliced (about a half bunch)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Lemon juice
5 oz Baby spinach

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package; set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Kosher salt and black pepper to the pan.  Saute for 5-6 minutes.  .
4. Add lemon juice and spinach to the pan.  Sir frequently for around 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.  
5. Serve over pasta & enjoy!

Spinach and Ham Quiche

After Christmas and Easter, many families are left with the quandary of what to do with the extra ham.  I think I solved this problem - at least at our house.  I have made vegetarian quiches in the past, and adapted them to include some ham.  I loved the way it came out - and it is making for a nice addition to my collection of quiche recipes.  Who knew that I would ever be excited about making quiches.  We have always had this for dinner - but it would be great anytime, especially for brunch.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1 Frozen deep dish pie crust
1 tbsp Olive oil
8oz Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Ham, diced
2/3 cup Skim milk
5 Large eggs
10oz. package Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup Swiss cheese (around 8 oz)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)

Directions
1. Bake pie crust per directions.  Then change the temperature to 400°F for the quiche.
2. In non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook mushrooms for around 4 minutes.  Add diced ham and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix sautéed mushrooms with ham, skim milk, eggs, spinach, swiss cheese, black pepper and Kosher salt until well blended.
4. Place the pie crust on a Jelly Roll pan.  Pour egg mixture into deep dish pie crust.  Bake quiche 55-60 minutes until filling and crust are golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes and then serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Sesame Broccoli Slaw

OK...so I made a great new dish tonight.  This was great - really great.  It will be a regular on our table for a few reasons.  First things first, this was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for Chicken Cutlets with Sesame Broccoli Slaw.  This was in a recent Cooking Light and it just looked like something that I had to make.  I am so glad I did!

So we are trying to eat healthier in the new year....sure, everyone is.  This recipe just spoke to me.  Normally, we have been doing stir-fry dishes and service it with rice or noddles.  In a way to scale back carbs a bit, I had the idea that we could double the veggies with each meal and then scale back carbs.  This dish works perfectly for that approach.  The original recipe calls for four portions, we made this work for two.  So you get one lovely piece of chicken a lots of veggies!  This is fantastic!

The other benefit of this recipe is that it uses Broccoli Cole Slaw.  I wanted to try using this - and loved the way it tastes.  Everyone needs Broccoli - it is so good for you.  So this wonderful tasting dish is going to be a regular at our house and I hope you like it as much as we do.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

4 tbsp Rice vinegar
3 tbsp Soy sauce (lower-sodium if available)
2 tbsp Sesame oil
2 tsp Ginger, minced
1 tsp Brown sugar
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
2 tbsp Olive oil, divided
2 (4-ounce) Chicken breast cutlets
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
8 oz White mushrooms, sliced
1 Red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1/2 cup Carrots, matchstick-cut
1 (12-oz) bag Broccoli cole slaw mix
1 tsp Sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, and garlic in a mixing bowl.  Stir with a whisk.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper.  Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and place under foil to keep warm.
3. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add carrots and broccoli cole slaw to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
4. Serve a large portion of vegetables with one chicken cutlet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over dish before serving.

Enjoy!

Field Greens with Salmon and Citrus-Dijon Vinaigrette

Here is a long overdue recipe for a great dinner salad.  This was adapted from a recipe for Field Greens with Shrimp and Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette that was great.  We want to have a few different salads on our regular rotation, and love the idea of having more salmon.  This was very easy to make, but we would like to have salads a few nights a week - so having different  that we created   We want to make more salads for dinner and this will definitely be on a quick rotation.  Very easy (even with making your own dressing).  The best part is that it is pretty healthy, so great for those weight loss resolutions!

Ingredients (2 dinner portions)

Salad
1 lbs Salmon fillets, skinless
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp Lemon grass (dried)
5-7 oz Field Greens (or any salad mixture) - enough for two salad plates.
1/2 cup Edamame, shelled
1 Cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Red Onion (small), sliced (take the finely chopped red onion
Cooking spray

Dressing
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Lemon juice
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

NOTE: you can add any vegetables as you see fit or desire.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a cooking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil.  Place the salmon on the sheet.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon grass.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.
2. Prepare dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, finely chopped red onion, Kosher salt and black pepper into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until well blended.  Set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over low heat.  Add the pine nuts and toast for 7-10 minutes until lightly brown.  Set aside and remove from the heat.
3. Prepare the salads with field greens, edamame, cucumbers, and red onions.
4. Remove the salmon from the oven.  Slice and place over the salad. Spoon the dressing atop the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Slow-cooker Pork with Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Cranberries

Part of my New Year's Resolution was to get some of my recipes online.  This one has been in my folder of recipes to upload for some time.  I wanted to create a crockpot/slow-cooker meal that would be inspired by my Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries (that is a staple at Thanksgiving).  Adding Port Tenderloin makes for a great one pot meal that will be welcome in the kitchen at the end of a cold winter's day.

Ingredients (serves 6)
2 - 2 1/2 lbs Pork tenderloin
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 1/2 cup Cranberries, fresh
2 Apples, peeled & cut into 1/4" slices
3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" slices
1 cup Brown sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 cup Apple cider

Directions

1. Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker in the order that they appear in the ingredients.  Place the apples and sweet potatoes around the pork for starters and then on top as the slow cooker is filled up.
3. Cook on LOW setting for 10-12 hours

Enjoy!