Terra Chicken

I don't know the name of the cookbook where we got this recipe.  It was at a friend's house, who practices Orthodox Judaism, so this recipe was from one of her kosher cookbooks.  Needless to say, it was memorable, simple, and delicious (and kosher)!  I have made this many, many times since then.  You can find Terra Chips in the chips aisle at the grocery store, or sometimes in the organic section.  They come in several flavors/varieties.  My favorite is "Original."  You can also vary the flavor with your choice of hummus, again, I use typical "original" flavors.  It's a unique dish -- I don't think everyone will like it (like Dad, who is a picky "meat & potatoes" man).

~Leah

“Terra/Hummus Chicken”

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts  - it helps if they are pounded flat or halved. You should end up with 4-6 halves (or flattened breasts).

8 oz. hummus, your choice of flavor

1 pkg. Terra chips, crushed

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 Tblsp. Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Carefully trim any excess fat off the chicken. Place the crushed Terra chips in a shallow bowl (I find it easier to crush the chips while they’re still in the bag.) Don’t crush them too finely – you want a nice course texture and enough brilliant colors showing.

Spread the hummus on each side of each chicken breast, then dip/press into the crushed Terra chips. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a small shallow pan, then add the garlic, stirring it at a med-high heat until the garlic begins to color. Then, carefully drizzle this oil/garlic mixture over the chicken breasts.  In a pinch for time, I've drizzled the oil & garlic on the top w/out cooking it & it turned out fine, or even omitting the garlic/oil altogether.

Bake for 45 min. or until cooked and tender.

Sun Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Pasta

“Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Pasta”

This is one of our all-time favorite dishes – at first glance it didn’t look too tasty, but it’s one of the only dishes I wanted seconds of! It’s very easy, and quite delicious, although not incredibly healthy.

Also, you will notice that the recipe calls for you to make the sauce, then set it aside while you cook the pasta, THEN reheat it again on the stove before mixing it with the pasta. This is a fairly important step not to miss, as it makes a difference in the texture of the sauce. I tried to save time once by not reheating the sauce a 2^nd time, and we were not as satisfied with the taste as before. Still tastes good, but not as good.  Sometimes I use whole wheat pasta.  It's not bad, just a little dry.

~Leah

(From "Pasta Sauces: Simple and delicious easy-to-make recipes" by Christine McFadden)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 oz goat cheese (Crumbled is easier to melt)

1 ¼ cups milk

½ cup heavy cream

20 oil-cured sun-dried tomato halves, chopped coarsely

1 (16-oz) pkg. penne pasta (approx. 4 cups dried)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Scant 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

Heat the butter and garlic in a skillet over a medium-low heat (be careful not to put the heat too high – I’ve come close to burning my garlic before!). Cook until the garlic is just beginning to color. Add the cheese and milk. Stir until the cheese has melted and formed a thick sauce.

Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until reduced by one-third. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Transfer to a warm serving dish.

Briefly reheat the sauce over low heat. Pour over the pasta. Add the Parmesan and basil, then toss well to mix. Serve immediately.

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Here's another recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes. This was some yummy comfort food.

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 296.67 • Fat: 9.7 g • Protein: 15.8 g • Carb: 34.5 g • Fiber: 5.3 g


12 oz high fiber elbows like Ronzoni Smart Taste
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth
8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
salt and pepper
4 cups baby spinach
1/8 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
Pam butter flavored spray
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Spray a baking dish with buttered flavor Pam. Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter. Add flour and cook over low heat stirring with a whisk. Add onion and cook another 2 minutes. Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and baby spinach. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more buttered flavor Pam on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to get the breadcrumbs golden.

Watch out...this browns fast, you'll notice my pic has some very "golden" breadcrumbs...:)

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

Here's a great recipe that I adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes, www.skinnytaste.com.
Surprisingly, it doesn't need all that much cheese for an enchilada recipe. My husband Will doesn't like Mexican food but he really likes these enchiladas and will request them for dinner (that's even when he knows that there are beans IN the enchilada filling).

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce
(Also known as Enchiladas Verdes)

Chicken and White Bean Filling:

1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans), pureed in food processor or mashed up.
4 cooked shredded chicken breasts
1/3 can water
1 chicken bullion
1 tsp cumin


Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:

1 tsp butter
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tbsp flour
1 cup fat free chicken broth
7 oz can chopped green chile
2 jalapeños, chopped (I leave these out)
salt
3/4 cup light sour cream
3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese
12-16 medium White Corn Tortillas (I prefer Corn Tortillas...but you can use flour tortillas if you want...)
chopped fresh cilantro or scallions (or both!)

Preheat oven to 375°.


For the Filling:
In a medium pan, heat olive oil on low. Add onions, garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add green chiles, beans, water, bullion, and cumin. Mix well and cover. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Remove cover, add chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until it thickens and liquid boils down. Set aside.

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:
In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add green chiles, jalepeños, and salt to tatse. Cook another minute then remove from the heat. Place in food processor until smooth. Stir in the sour cream.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.

IF YOU USE CORN TORTILLAS: Soften tortillas by placing three (3) at a time in between two damp paper towels on a plate and microwave for 40 seconds. Be careful, they'll be hot!

Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken/white bean filling. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling remainder of the tortillas.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro or scallions

Sausage Roll

Yum! This is a great appetizer or fun meal to make. I have no idea where my mom got the recipe, but it's simple and delicious!

Sausage Roll

1 loaf of bread dough- I use bread machine box mix, Krusteaz brand, Italian Herb or Sourdough

1 lb of ground pork sausage

2 cups shredded mozzarella or italian cheeses

Marinara sauce (for dipping)

1.Prepare bread dough, if using a bread machine mix, I follow the traditional bread instructions instead of putting it in a bread machine.

2.When dough is close to done rising, go ahead and brown the ground pork sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until cooked, drain grease.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out prepared bread dough into a large oval

4. Sprinkle 1 c. of the shredded cheese onto the rolled out bread dough

5. Spread out the browned ground pork on top of the cheese, and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top of the pork. Layer: cheese, pork, cheese.

6. Begin to roll the dough (like cinnamon rolls or a jelly roll), tucking/folding in the ends so the filling is all enclosed

7. Bake @ 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting/slicing (I recommend cutting with a bread knife if you have one). Serve with marinara sauce to dip. If making a meal out of it, serve with salad.

Strawberry Baked French Toast

This is a recipe I've made a few times for my MOPS brunch. The recipe is from Sherri, one of the ladies who was in my MOPS group. This recipe is really easy and I love that you can prep it the night before. It's also great with fresh or frozen mixed berries or blueberries too....oh I bet PEACHES would be yummy too...

1 loaf of French Bread, cut into 1 inch slices
3 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/4 Cups of Milk

Struesel Topping:
1/2 Cup Flour
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/4 Melted Butter

1-2 cups of Fresh or Frozen Berries of your choice (defrost berries if frozen)


-Spray 9"x13" pan with cooking spray
-Place bread in pan.
-Combine Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla and Milk in a bowl and pour over bread. Make sure all the bread slices get coated with the milk mixture.
-Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, up to one or two nights prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Place berries on top of bread.
-Combine Flour, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon in a bowl and stir in butter to make the crumb/struesel topping. (I've prepped this the night before and refridgerated it...it's nice and crumbly in the morning).
-Sprinkle topping on bread.
-Bake uncovered for approximately 45 minutes.