Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Spring Peas

A friend of mine recently told me about a blog that I'm now in love with.  Do any of you follow skinnytaste.com??  All of their recipes are supposed to be relatively good for you and they look absolutely scrumptious.  This was the first one we tried and it was delishous!  My husband said it was a definite keeper.  We served it over white rice, but we could've made it a bit healthier using brown rice. :)  Gina posted this recipe on May 31, 2011.

Ingredients:
1 medium tomato
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (I omitted this as I don't like cilantro & it was still tastey)
20 oz lean ground turkey (we used about 1lb)
4 medium scallions, chopped
1 cup fresh peas (I used frozen from Trader Joe's)
1 potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
8oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin, or to taste (we omitted as my husband isn't a fan)
salt, to taste
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1. In a mini food processor or by hand, finely chop tomato, garlic, and cilantro.  I used my chopper from Pampered Chef and it was a cinch!

2. In a large skillet, brown turkey and season with salt and cumin to taste.  When meat is browned and cooked through add scallions, chopped tomato mixture, peas, potato, tomato sauce, water, cumin, salt, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add more water if needed.

3.  Remove bay leaf and serve over rice.

Enjoy!
Yankee Noodle

Pork with Spicy Orange Cranberry Sauce

This is a new recipe I tried in a cookbook for diabetics and it was amazing.  My husband was recently diagnosed as prediabetic borderline diabetic, so we've been trying to adjust how we both eat so that hopefully he won't need to take insulin for a good long while.  A friend and coworker of mine saw this book on clearance at B&N and picked it up for us.  This recipe was super easy and quick enough for a rushed weeknight after work.  Recipe is courtesy of Diabetic Holiday Recipes copyright 2010.

Ingredients:
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 boneless pork chops (about 1 pound)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce (I used the jellied sauce with no whole cranberries & it was just as good)
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Combine chili powder, cumin, allspice, salt, and black pepper in small bowl; mix well.  Sprinkle evenly over both sides of pork chops.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add pork; cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until barely pink in center.

3. Combine cranberry sauce, orange peel, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl; mix well.  Serve sauce with pork chops.

Enjoy!
Yankee Noodle

Hoisin Pork Wraps

I'm digging my meal plan this week so I have lots to post I guess?! Some weeks are better than others :) This is another recipe from my Taste of Home Simple & Delicious magazine!

I wasn't going to post this recipe {even though I thought it was delish!} but when I put together my wrap, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of these beautiful colors! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 pounds)
• 1 cup hoisin sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 6 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 15 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

Directions:

1. Cut roast in half. Combine 1/3 cup hoisin sauce and ginger; rub over pork. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until pork is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, onions, vinegar and sugar. Chill until serving.
3. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Place 2 teaspoons remaining hoisin sauce down the center of each tortilla; top with 1/3 cup shredded pork and 1/3 cup coleslaw. Roll up.

As expected my husband didn't care for this one as much as I did. But luckily if the red cabbage cole slaw isn't your style you can easily just throw some cheese on the tortilla and adapt it for a whole different flavor!
Have I ever mentioned my go to website for wine pairings is www.winedin.com? I love it! But tonight it recomended a Reisling which is not my cup of tea, maybe it's yours?! Enjoy!

~Vino Vixen~

Baja Chicken Taco Pizza {and then some...}

I've really been wanting to utilitze my bread maker lately and what better way than to make some pizza crust dough! I have to say, this turned out awesome! I've made it by hand many times but it's never been like this.

I found this recipe CDKitchen.com but there are hundreds of similar recipes online.

Ingredients

• 1 cup and 2 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp pizza seasoning {not in the original recipe}

Directions

1. Place ingredients in pan in order listed or as directed per machine instructions. Select white dough cycle.  
2. When machine is finished, remove and form into crusts. Top with desired toppings and bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Now, on to our "desired toppings." :)

I like to experiment with my homemade pizzas so this week I found the Baja Chicken Taco Pizza in my Simple & Delicious magazine. I also have to make a "regular" pizza for the hubs just in case he doesn't like my creations :) His usually includes a garlic alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, chicken, grilled onions and mushrooms. Topped with a little cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

1 cup ranch salad dressing

1/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon lime juice

3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust {obviously, I used the homemade version above}

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

• In a blender or food processor, combine the salad dressing, salsa, lime juice and cilantro. Cover and process on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth; set aside. In a small bowl, combine chicken and taco seasoning; set aside.
• Place crust on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Spread salsa mixture over crust. Sprinkle with the chicken mixture, tomatoes, onion and cheese. Bake at 425° for 17-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with lettuce; top with avocado slices.

Word to the wise... don't taste the sauce before it's cooked. It totally tastes weird and I thought I'd had a horrible recipe on my hands... it turned out SO good. Even my husband liked it and he doesn't usually care for recipes like this.

I again paired it with chardonnay cause I had leftovers from last night. :)

Cheers!
~Vino Vixen~

French's Onion Chicken... twisted :)

Tonight I did a twist on my French's Onion Chicken - I have to say, the original recipe {found on the back of the French's Onion can :) } is good to begin with. But this twist, is to die for - my husband says it's the best chicken ever. It's sort of a Chicken Cordon Bleu twist as well. I hope you enjoy!

My original recipe can be found here. So it's essentially the same with a few minor changes :)

Before you begin, pound out your boneless skinless chicken breasts till they are about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Layer one slice of your favorite white cheese {we've used provolone, swiss, monteray jack, or even just a white cheddar - they are all good} and then one slice of deli ham lunch meat. Roll chicken breast around the cheese and ham then secure with toothpicks.

Then you just follow the recipe as in the original post.

I served this tonight with a glass of Chardonnay {but that's pretty much my "go to" these days}. I think any white wine would do just fine :)

Enjoy!
~Vino Vixen~

Chinese Beef with Broccoli

This is better than takeout!  It's SO easy and tastes better than our local Chinese restaurant.  I used skirt steak instead of flank, because our store was out of flank steak.  It took about 30min to prepare and was plenty to feed 2 people with leftovers for lunch.  The original recipe is from FoodNetworkMagazine and I only made some slight changes - omitted the red peppers, used skirt steak instead of flank, and added a dash of cayenne at the end for some kick.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 thin slices peeled ginger
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 3 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat; refrigerate until ready to cook.
2. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon each cornstarch and soy sauce, the oyster sauce and chicken broth in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ginger, broccoli and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Heat 1 more tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet, add the onion and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, turning gently, 2 minutes. Transfer the onion and tomatoes to the plate with the broccoli.
4. Reduce the heat to medium high; add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and steak and stir-fry 1 minute. Whisk the sauce mixture, then add to the skillet and simmer 1 minute. Return the vegetables to the skillet; cook until the meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.

This picture is from the FoodNetworkMagazine website, it's not my original image.

- Pastry Princess

Aloha Pork Chops

Oh this is a good one people! A little bit Hawaiian, a little bit just pure yummy! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:  

1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning

4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained

1/2 medium green pepper, julienned

1/2 cup chopped red onion

6 cups cold cooked rice

1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork chops with lemon-pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops on both sides in 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat; remove and set aside. Drain skillet; add sweet-and-sour sauce and pineapple chunks. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; return chops to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until meat juices run clear. 
2. Meanwhile, in another skillet, saute the green pepper and onion in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add rice and stir-fry sauce; cook and stir for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving platter; top with pork chops.

We're enjoying this tonight with a little bit of Rosemount Shiraz Cab... its yummy!

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Angel Chicken Pasta

This is a recipe that I've had in my book for what feels like forever now, and I've always been afraid to try it.  I even bought all the ingredients... and didn't make it for nearly three more weeks, until there was nothing else in the house to cook for dinner.  And boy do I regret that, because it was delicious!  We were a little disappointed that there weren't quite enough leftovers for a second dinner, but with a few alterations, you could change that easily enough.


Angel Chicken Pasta, adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2 - 3 chicken breasts, halved (or more, if you need to serve more people)
¼ cup butter
1 pkg dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (.7 ounce)
½ cup white wine (I used chardonnay this time)
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup (10.75 ounce)
4 oz cream cheese with chives (I used cream cheese with chives and onions, since that's what our store had)
1 lb angel hair pasta, or any pasta of your choice (I think we only cooked 1/2 lb, and it was more than enough to go with the amount of sauce we had)
Directions:
Melt the butter in a fairly large saucepan, using low heat. Stir in the dressing mix. Once it's at a good consistency, add the wine and the soup. Break or scoop the cream cheese into small pieces and mix in, heating just until it's melted and the mixture is smooth. If you find that it's rather thick, try adding milk an ounce at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
Put the chicken breast halves in a glass baking dish (9x13 or 2.5 qt), pour the sauce over them, and bake for an hour. While it's cooking (towards the end), boil your pasta and drain it.  Add a piece of chicken and some sauce to a plate of pasta, and enjoy!

This dish can taste a bit salty, so I'd recommend some fresh green veggies as a side, such as grilled zucchini or steamed broccoli, or a nice salad.