Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts, by Cheryl

This is my first new recipe in the new house! We are still very much digging our way out of boxes, but the one room that always has to get completely done first in our house is the kitchen. I can't get anything else done unless the kitchen is done. Anyway, I rarely make boneless chicken breasts because I find that no matter what I do they come out very dry. But I came across this recipe and decided to try it out. It's very easy and very good! The original recipe is from here and also calls for it to be wrapped in bacon which I didn't do. I also marinated the chicken breasts in buttermilk for a few hours. Next time I might add in some sun-dried tomatoes as I think they'd add a nice punch to it. Yum!

Ingredients:

chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/4 inch thickness
spinach
garlic cloves
shredded parmesan cheese
some kind of rub or seasoning
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp white wine vinegar)

Directions:

1) Marinate the chicken breasts in the buttermilk for a few hours.

2) Preheat the oven to 375.

3) Cook the spinach and garlic.

4) Lay the chicken breasts out on a clean surface. Spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of each piece. Roll up the chicken to enclose the spinach and secure with toothpicks.

5) Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Then increase the heat to 500 for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Thai Chicken Patties 2.0, by Diane

I made the original Thai Chicken Patties last week, and they were amazing in flavor but I didn't like the cooking process which made them crumbly and unevenly browned. I also was toting my sweet chili sauce to and from work, then dipping the patties in the sauce which made them crumble even more.

So, I created an alternate cooking style for these patties. They are baked instead of pan fried (i.e. healthier and less work) and they are coated with sweet chili sauce like a meatloaf would be. This way, they stayed solid and evenly browned and were coated with a thick glaze of the chili sauce. In short, I didn't think these little heavenly patties could get any better- but they just did. Boom.


Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken breast
1 small zucchini, peeled and finely grated (makes about 1/2 cup, packed)
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1 egg
1 tbsp packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp lime rinds, finely minced (about 1/4 medium lime)
the juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp fish sauce
2 scallions stalks, green and white, finely chopped
Salt
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the sweet chili sauce.
3. Form 3-4-inch wide patties (you'll get about 4). The mixture will be very liquidy but it will not crumble. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray evenly spaced out.
4. Bake the patties for 20 minutes. Flip, coat with sweet chili sauce, and cook for another 20 minutes or until they are done in the center.

Zucchini Banana "Ice Cream", by Diane

I am always looking for dairy-free desserts, and have been making banana cream (blended bananas) as a great option for years. The sweetness of the bananas can sometimes overpower the other ingredients I add in though, usually some form of chocolate and/or peanut butter. So when I read about zucchini cream, I got excited to create a less sweet option. And- what a healthy way to get your greens in! This version is a cinnamon chocolate chocolate chip, but you can tailor it to any flavor you like because the zucchini has no real flavor of it's own. It isn't sweet though, so to avoid adding in a sweetener I added in a ripe banana and that worked great! I also added in some almond milk to make it easier to blend and creamier, but you could blend it without and create a thicker texture.


Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, cubed and frozen
1/2 ripe banana, sliced and frozen
2 tbsp chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp cacao nibs
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4-1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together until creamy. You will need a strong motor (I use a nutribullet!), and will have to stop and scrape the sides down multiple times before it becomes blended and creamy. Resist the urge to add more liquid, however, because at the end if you don't add any extra in you will have a custard-like consistency that is insanely good!

Thai Chicken Patties, by Diane

This week I found a recipe for Thai Chicken Patties, which incorporates chicken and thai flavors without any bread. Overall, these made a good filling lunch that was packed with flavor. I would definitely make these again!

The recipe stated that the patties would hold together despite the lack of bread crumbs and being very runny. My first batch (on the right) fell apart when flipped, so on my second batch (left) I squeezed out all the liquid forming a tight patty and they turned out much better. I also found it hard to brown the patties as shown on the blog photo, but I think they turned out nicely anyway. I incorporated grated ginger into these and it was really good, so I'm including that in the ingredients. Finally, the recipe also shows a link to homemade chili sauce. This was a disaster for me- so luckily I had the store bought version on hand!


Recipe from: http://notenoughcinnamon.com/2014/08/06/thai-chicken-patties-with-sweet-chili-sauce/


Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken breast
1 small zucchini, peeled and finely grated (makes about 1/2 cup, packed)
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1 egg
1 tbsp packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp lime rinds, finely minced (about 1/4 medium lime)
the juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp fish sauce
2 scallions stalks, green and white, finely chopped
Salt
2 tsp olive oil (more if needed)
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, grated zucchini, egg, cilantro, lime rind and juice, fish sauce and scallion. Season lightly with salt.
2. Form 2 to 2.5 inch wide patties (you'll get about 8). The mixture will be quite runny so you will need to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the patties so they do not crumble!
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat. When hot, add about 4 patties, making sure you don't overcrowd the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Flip patties and cook for another 5 minutes. You want to cook them gently, so they are brown on the outside and cooked all the way through inside. Repeat with remaining patties, adding olive oil if needed. Serve them warm or cold with sweet chili sauce.

Red Cabbage and Sweet Potato Chicken Stir Fry, by Diane

This week for lunches I discovered the most colorful stir fry to try. It's non-traditional ingredients give it a huge anti-inflammatory kick, and the combo tastes and looks amazing! Very filling, and pretty easy to make- I will definitely make this again!

Recipe from: http://www.thingsimadetoday.com/2014/08/07/red-cabbage-sweet-potato-chicken-stir-fry/

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1.5 lbs chicken breast, cubed
1 bunch scallions, sliced (green and white parts)
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red cabbage, shredded
1 cup cilantro, rough chopped
1/3-1/2 cup hoisin sauce


Directions:

1. Saute sweet potatoes, covered, in a pan with sesame oil until cooked through. Set aside in a large bowl.

2. Cook the chicken until cooked through, drain most of the liquid from the pan. Add in scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook until the scallions soften.

3. Add in the cabbage and cilantro and cook until the cabbage is just soft (1-2 minutes, you want it to retain some crunch).

4. Add pan ingredients into the large bowl with the sweet potatoes. Add in hoisin sauce and mix well.

Mexican Caviar, by Diane

This is another staple dish for me that I'm just now realizing I've never thought to post! This dip is a great one, it's very easy to make, and it is so satisfying in the summer months when it's hot outside and these ingredients are at their best! The freshness of the summer ingredients with the simplicity of the dressing is really what makes this dish work well. I am currently making it for a gathering of friends, as it is always a big hit, but I often eat this in place of meals in the summer for an easy, go-to treat.

Note: In my opinion, this dip tastes the best when the corn is grilled first and then chilled. You can either grill the ears and then remove the kernels, or saute canned corn (it's crunchier than frozen!) until browned.

Ingredients:

1 can sweet yellow corn (if using fresh, 2-3 ears)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
2 large or same equivalent of small tomatoes, diced and seeds removed (any variety on hand works- heirlooms are delicious in this!)
2 large avocados, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Sea salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix through, being careful not to smash the avocados. If the dressing needs to be altered, do so to your taste.

2. Serve with your favorite veggies or chips, or just eat it alone or on top of dishes as you would with salsa!