Shrimp Orzo with Feta

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine. I had all the ingredients on hand with the exception of the tomatoes. I have several recipes using orzo but I have never made it before. I had it in my cupboard for the longest time but not knowing what I should do with it until I came across this recipe. When I first tried it, I wasn't so sure I liked it but the more I ate it the more I liked it. It has a sort of Mediterranean flavor to it. I think I would make it again. A couple things I noticed while eating it...it could have used more lemon juice and cheese so I added some extras to my bowl.

Shrimp Orzo with Feta (4 servings):
1 1/4 c uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp oil
2 med tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/4 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese (I only had gorgonzola on hand)

Cook orzo according to pkg direction. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 min. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in shrimp. Simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 min or until shrimp turn pink. (At this point I had to switch everything over to my Dutch oven, because the skillet I was using wasn't big enough.) Drain orzo. Add orzo, cilantro and pepper to shrimp mixture; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cooked orzo...

Tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice simmering...

Everything combined...

My portion... Enjoy!

Double-Decker Fudge

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine. I had never made fudge before and this seemed pretty simple..and it was. With very few ingredients, which is always nice. And it didn't make a lot, which is good for me :)

Double-Decker Fudge (Makes 1 1/2 lb)

1 tsp butter
1 c peanut butter chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract, divided
1 c (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Line an 8-in square baking dish with foil; butter foil and set aside. (I used nonstick cooking spray instead since it's easier to coat.) In a microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter chips and 2/3 c milk. Microwave on high 1 min; stir. Microwave at additional 15-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla. Pour into pan. Refrigerate 10 min.

Peanut butter layer....

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and remaining milk. Microwave on high 1 min; stir. Microwave at additional 15-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in remaining vanilla. Spread over peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate until firm. Using foil, remove fudge from pan. Cut into 1-in squares.



All cut up....

Enjoy!

Chicken Breasts with Veggies

I found this recipe a couple years ago in Taste of Home Servings For Two..I don't think they publish that magazine anymore, which is a bummer since 2 serving dishes are ideal for me, who lives alone. The first time I made this, I used the recommended measurements but there wasn't enough marinade. The second time I made it, I made it for my parents and I doubled the marinade and it tasted a lot better. I did make a mistake tonight..I only had large potatoes so I thought if I cut them into slices, they would cook okay...by the time everything was done, the potatoes still weren't so I put them in the microwave for a couple minutes so I could eat them with the chicken. And I just realized I didn't read the recipe all the way through lol..I forgot to add the Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Luckily I've made this dish a couple times before so it was still good!

Recipe:

4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp reserved
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp reserved
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp reserved
4 tbsp teriyaki sauce, 2 tbsp reserved
6 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp reserved
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 small green pepper (I used yellow), chopped
1/3 c chopped onion
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

In small bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Pour marinade into large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate reserved marinade.

Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken in an 11x7-in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange the potato, zucchini, pepper and onion around chicken. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian dressing. Cover and bake at 375 for 40-45 min or until juices run clear. Serve with veggies.



The 5 simple sauces that make an amazing marinade...





All the veggies cut up and the chicken placed in the dish with the marinade poured over it...




Served my dinner with a couple pieces of garlic/cheese toast (not pictured)



Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

I found this recipe in a magazine called Eat Well. It looked super easy to make and it sounded good. And it was! I'll definitely make this recipe again and I had all the ingredients on hand, with the exception of the lemon, which was easy to buy. :) It makes 4 servings, but I only used 2 chicken breasts, that weighed 4 oz together..I kept the sauce the same..I didn't halve it and I'm glad I didn't. I served my chicken with some leftover quinoa salad from Easter from a family member..perfect meal!

Recipe:

2 (8 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
1/4 tsp salt
14 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c chicken broth
1 med lemon, thinly sliced
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley

Place each chicken breast portion between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly until about 1/4 in thick. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

In large skillet melt butter over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6-8 min or until browned and no longer pink in center; turning once halfway through cooking time. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

Add garlic to hot skillet; cook 30 seconds to 1 min or until lightly browned. Add chicken broth to skillet, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to boiling. Add lemon slices and capers. Cover; reduce heat to low. Cook 4-5 min or until lemon slices are softened and releasing their juice. Return chicken to skillet; heat through.

To serve, spoon caper mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.


Chicken pounded down and sprinkled with salt and pepper...





Simple ingredients found on hand...




Lemon slices simmering....




Enjoy!

Fruit Cups

I made these for our annual girls' holiday dinner in February. I hosted the fun dinner so I wanted to make something pretty simple for a dessert. I had also made the green bean casserole from another post on here. I found this recipe online...sorry I can't remember where! But it was super easy..I made the cheesecake filling the day before and I threw it all together pretty quick. I accidently used too much melted chocolate but it tasted okay. The girls' seemed to love them, so that's all that mattered!

I also forgot how much it makes but I believe I used two packages of pre-made phyllo cups.

Recipe:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c confectioners sugar
1-2 c white chocolate, melted
1-2 c milk chocolate, melted
Your choice of fresh fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries

Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Blend in sugar in small amounts until well creamed together. Add sour cream and blend well. Spoon mixture into a zip-loc plastic bag and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

When ready to use, cut the tip off one corner of the bag and squeeze into the prepared phyllo cups. Top with berries. Once chocolates are melted, pour into two zip-loc bags, cut the corners off and drizzle over the cups.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Turkey Chili

Wow...it's been a long while since I've been on here! Thought I'd start posting things on here slowly again. I'm planning on purchasing a recipe book online soon where I can post everything but in the mean time, this blog works!

I've made this recipe twice now..the second time being tonight. I found it in Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. I loved it the first time I made it and I love it the second time as well. I gave this recipe to a family member and after telling her about it, I started craving it. It's really filling and it makes a lot. It freezes well too, which is a plus since I live alone. It calls for corn, but I omitted it both times. It also calls for an adobo pepper, which I couldn't find the first time, so I used red pepper flakes instead. I used the pepper this time around and it's a little too spicy for me so next time I make it, I'll just use the red pepper flakes again.

Here's the recipe (2 1/4 qt):

1 c quinoa, rinsed
3 1/2 c water, divided
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 med sweet red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 med zucchini, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c minced fresh cilantro

In large saucepan, bring quinoa and 2 c water to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12-15 min or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan (I used my Dutch oven) coated with cooking spray, cook turkey, onion, red pepper and garlic over med heat until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender; drain. Stir in chili powder, cumin and cinnamon; cook 2 min longer.

Add black beans, tomatoes, zucchini, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and remaining water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 min. Stir in corn (if using) and quinoa; heat through. Discard bay leaf; stir in cilantro.

Enjoy!