rice pilaf

southwest rice and corn salad with lemon dressing

I got this recipe from bon appetit and would consider it more of a pilaf than a salad, but it is good nonetheless.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup chopped fresh poblano chiles or green bell pepper
• 1 cup diced seeded yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup 1/2-inch cubes yellow zucchini
• 1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

• Cook rice until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.
• Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn, poblanos, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender, 6 to 7 minutes; scrape into large bowl. Add rice, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

fettucini paolo

I love this recipe! I got it from my friend Abbie's blog. It's originally from Runner's World. Here it is.
1 1/3 cups red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
6 ounces fresh fettuccine
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes*
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts with liquid
1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 pound) grilled chicken, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
kosher salt and ground black pepper

How To Make It

*Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes before cooking. Put tomatoes in a bowl with one cup of warm water and soak for one hour, or until softened. Gently squeeze to remove excess liquid. Cut into thin slices.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pepper and cook three minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and saute for 30 seconds.

Add stock and vinegar, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half. Add sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and liquid, chicken, and basil.

Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook fettuccine for two minutes, stirring periodically. Drain fettuccine, add to pasta sauce, and mix thoroughly. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Serves two.

Chinese chicken salad

I made this the other day and really liked it! Jason grilled the chicken and it was even tastier.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chinese-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html

• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded (about 6 cups)
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 large carrot, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, greens included (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts
• 1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges in water, drained
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce or chili sauce
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and brush onto chicken breasts. Arrange in a baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 13 to15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely, and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, combine Napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, scallions, water chestnuts, Mandarin orange and sliced chicken. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, brown sugar and chili sauce. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Divide among bowls and top each serving with 2 teaspoons toasted almonds.

Granola

Foster's Homemade Granola
2 Cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 C. shredded sweetened coconut
1 C. sliced almonds
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 C. canola oil
3/4 C. maple syrup
1/4 C. honey
1/2 C. dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 C. dried apricots, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. Spread oats, coconut, and almonds on a large baking sheet with sides. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are lightly toasted but not yet golden. Transfer the ingredients to a large bowl.
3. Increase oven temperature to 350. Lightly grease the baking sheet.
4. Stir the maple syrup, oil, and honey together in a small bowl, pour over the oats, nuts and coconut, and toss to coat evenly. Spread granola onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until the granola is just crispy and golden brown, stirring several times while baking. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps while it's still warm.
5. When the granola has cooled completely, add the cherries and dried apricots and toss to mix.

Valentine's dinner

Jason and I thought that instead of going out to eat this year we'd make a Valentine's dinner at home. We shipped the kids over to Grandma's and created a feast. It was fun because I didn't plan it like I usually plan a menu for a special event. Instead we just thought of what we wanted and winged it. Jason went to Costco and bought the seafood that looked good to him (scallops, shrimp, and crab legs) and I was craving steak so we bought two small fillets. We rounded it out with a light salad and some asparagus. We didn't make dessert, but had some chocolates in bed. We don't normally eat like this but it was fun to splurge, and it still would have cost less than going out to eat at a fancy restaurant.
My favorite part was the crab legs--and we did the least to those, just heated them in the oven and dipped them in butter. YUM! The scallops were also delicious. We marinated them in lemon juice and olive oil for about 15 minutes before we seared them and served them over some lightly dressed greens.
I love food. I also love my husband, so it was an all around great night!

Turkey meatloaf

I got this recipe from Michelle, originally from Health magazine. It is a delicious meatloaf. I usually bake it in a meatloaf pan as opposed to shaping a loaf.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons ketchup, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds ground turkey, 97% lean
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth, and 1 tablespoon ketchup; transfer mixture to a large bowl, and cool.

2. Add turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, egg white, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in bowl, and mix well. (Mixture will be very moist.)

3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat lightly with cooking spray. Form the turkey mixture into a loaf, and place on the pan. Brush meatloaf evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into center registers 170°. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

This recipe is sooo delicious! It does take a fair amount of prep, but it can be done in steps ahead of time if needed.
I got the recipe from a magazine, Cuisine at home.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6-8 oz each)
Dipping mixture:
blend:
2 egg whites
2 t. cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon

Crusting mixture:
combine:
1 C. course dry bread crumbs*
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
zest of 1 lemon, minced
3/4 C. finely chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne (Mmmmm, gives it a little kick)

*To make the bread crumbs, use a day old loaf of rustic style bread. Cut bread into cubes, leaving crust on if it isn't too hard. Process to crumbs, they don't have to be uniform. Dry the crumbs on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes in a 200 degree oven until dried but not toasted.
0. Preheat oven to 450. (I forgot to put this step first, so now it's step zero).
1. Cut the chicken breast in half. Pound each half until it is 1/2 inch thick.
2. Dip in dipping mixture
3. Dip in crumb mixture
4. Saute in 3 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet for about 3 minutes per side, then transfer to an oven to roast until done, about 8 more minutes. It is handy if you use an oven proof skillet, then you can just saute the chicken on one side, flip, and place in oven.

So that's the chicken.
The salad is as follows:

8 cups mixed greens
1/2 C. red onion, thinly sliced (this was my favorite part)
4 oz. mild goat cheese, crumbled. (I love goat cheese but Jason doesn't, so I don't usually have it on hand. It was good without it but I'm sure it is heavenly with it.)

Honey Mustard dressing:
Combine in a screw top jar and shake:
1/4 C. honey
3 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. shallot, minced
1 T. apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the dressing with the salad just before serving. Slice the chicken and arrange it nicely on top. Throw on any crumbs left in the pan. MMMmmm, crunchy!
Enjoy!
Serves 4.
Takes about an hour to prepare. For mother's day I had prepped everything the night before. I had made the dressing, put the greens in a bowl, and crusted the chicken. It's good to let the crust air dry on the crumbs anyway, so it was fine to do it the night before.
The day of I just cooked the chicken and tossed the salad together. 15 minutes of day-of prep!