Skillet Chicken with Mexican Green Rice

This is a really flavorful meal and has no dairy in it, which is a plus for me because my pregnant body has decided to complete reject it. It's also really quick and only uses one pan. Yippee!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped (these are usually next to jalapeno peppers - don't worry, they're much less spicy than jalapenos)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (10 oz.) cans green enchilada sauce (I recommend mild for those who don't want much heat)
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (we hate cilantro, so we left it out and upped the spinach)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Gently pat the chicken dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is rippling and hot. Brown the chicken on each side for 1-2 minutes until it is golden but not cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
2. In the hot skillet, add the onion and poblano peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the enchilada sauce, rice and water, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and set the chicken breasts in the simmering rice mixture, nestling them in a bit. Cover the skillet, set the heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, stirring every five minutes or so to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom.
3. Stir in the cilantro and spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow-Cooker Chili

I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was great.  It's has a little more prep on the front end than most slow-cooker recipes but it makes a lot. It's from my favorite cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Cookbook.

Slow-Cooker Weeknight Chili

This recipe uses 1/4 c chili powder, which sounds like a lot.  However, after 6 to 7 hours in the slow cooker, the heat diminishes.  For a spicier chili, increase the cayenne and serve with hot sauce.

2 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped medium
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs (85% lean) ground beef
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (15.5 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed
Pepper

1) Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

2) Add the beef and increase the heat to  medium-high.  Cook, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

3)  Stir in the tomato puree and diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to a simmer, then pour into the slow cooker.

4)  Cover and cook, until the meat is tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.  Stir in the beans during the last hour of cooking.  Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberry Milkshakes

These strawberry shakes are amazingly good. The part where you soak the strawberries is the key.

1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pint vanilla ice cream (2 cups)
1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl combine the sliced strawberries, sugar and vanilla extract and stir to combine well. Set aside and allow to sit for at least 15-20 minutes. In a large mixer, place the strawberries, ice cream, and milk. Blend until smooth.

Here is the link to the original recipe. You'll notice I have reduced the amount of sugar and milk. We've made this recipe so many times over the years that we have it pretty fine-tuned. Trust me. Also, in the original recipe it says to let sit from 20 minutes to 1 hour. If you do it longer than 20 minutes, it makes the taste too strong.
 

Granola Bars

These are beyond easy. And delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
• 1 cup crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn't small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Enjoy! Link here.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are delicious! And healthy! They use only whole wheat flour, which is reflected in their dense, chewy texture (which I loved).

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cups quick or regular oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe bananas, lightly mashed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter, yogurt and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. In a blender or food processor, process the oats until they are finely ground. Add the wheat flour, baking soda and salt and pulse one or two times until the dry ingredients are lightly combined. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the lightly mashed bananas. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Toss the blueberries with the 2 teaspoons flour and then gently fold them into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (watch the muffins carefully since each oven may vary slightly in temperature affecting exact baking time). Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Matt's Thai

This is awesome. And Easy. And delicious. And spicy.

We have it almost every week becuase it is all of the above. We had friends over for dinner who loved it and now make it just as often. This is probably too spicy for children.

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic minced
2 onions chopped into squares
1 red pepper "
2 green peppers "
2 chicken breasts sliced in thin short strips
4 tbsp veg/canola oil
2 tbsp chili paste
4 tbsp fish sauce (this stuff reeks, but the smell cooks out)

Directions:
Heat oil and dump in garlic and soon after add chicken until outside is cooked. Add the veggies then add the chili paste and fish sauce. Stir frequently until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender. Serve over rice.

Parmesan Basil Panini

 I need to grow a garden. . . in my apartment. . . because I am in love with herbs. And cheeses!

Moving on, tonight I made Matthew and I these paninis that I just named Parmesan Basil Panini because I never have had to name a recipe before and didn't know what to call it. I guess I could call it Whitney's paninis since I did make it up. Because all I did was put a ton of things I LOVE together in a sandwich and grilled it.

The point is, I know you all can make your own sandwiches and know that any of these ingredients can be swapped out for something else. I just thought this might just be another yummy mix up for you to try.

Ingredients:

-Yummy bread (I use whole wheat from the store because it is always on hand, but french bread is yummy too)
-olive oil (I feel like this makes the outside of the sandwich much more crispy than butter or margarine)
-miracle whip
-red crushed pepper
-fresh basil chopped or torn up
-freshly grated parmesan cheese
-sliced ham thinly sliced red onion

Directions:

Stick all of the ingredients between your two slices of bread in whatever order suits you. Brush the outside of the bread with olive oil (I use a paper towel, but someday I will own a brush) and place the sandwich in your panini/waffle maker (or frying pan) until the cheese is melted. Then EAT!