Parmesan Lemon Baked Spaghetti Squash with Chicken

That is a mouthful of a name, but it describes it very well!  I found this recipe on inspiredtaste.net, and since I have always wanted to try squash "spaghetti," I figured now was the time.  It was reeeeally delicious, and not a lot of work if you plan ahead and remember that you have to bake the squash for 45-60 min ahead of time.

Ingredients:

spaghetti squash, not sure how much you will need since it depends on the size of the squash.  I cooked three smallish sized ones (cut in half making 6 halves) and it made the perfect amount for four people, with generous servings.

olive oil

2 T butter

1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 lemon, halved

2 ounces grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Use a heavy chef's knife and cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Use a towel underneath the squash to keep it from slipping while you cut.

Scoop out the seeds and discard.  Rub a light layer of olive oil over the inside and edges of the squash halves, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  If you have any rosemary, place a sprig inside each half to add extra flavor while baking.  Turn the squash halves cut side down and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes (I baked mine for 60).

When the squash is about half done baking, start cooking the chicken.  Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the chicken chunks.  Use salt and pepper to taste while browning, and be sure to brown both sides thoroughly.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon half onto the chicken.  I added mushrooms to this recipe, since my family likes sauteed mushrooms, but leave those out if your family does not like them!

When the squash is finished baking, flip them over and discard the rosemary.  Use a fork to run through the flesh of the squash, making spaghetti like strands.  Place all these strands in the skillet with the chicken.

Add most of the grated cheese, the parsley, and some fresh ground pepper to taste.

Serve with a bit more grated parmesan cheese on top, and a little splash of lemon juice from the second lemon half.

I am not normally a huge fan of squash, but this was delicious.  The blend of flavors really worked for me!  The whole family liked it, and the boys did not know that squash formed the "noodles" until I told them after the meal.  It is another largely anti-inflammatory meal, being mostly dairy free (except for the parmesan cheese), gluten free, soy free, and sugar free.  A delicious and healthy dinner!

Stir Fry Chicken and Bok Choy

I found this recipe on amindfullmom.com and it looked really delicious so I decided to give it a try.  It WAS delicious!!  It was a hit with the whole family so I will definitely be making again.  And it is dairy free, soy free, and gluten free, which makes it an anti-inflammatory meal.

Here is what you will need:

For the sauce

2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
1/2 t freshly grated ginger (or 1/2 t ginger spice)
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

For the stir-fry

1 T sesame oil (be sure to use light colored sesame oil, not dark, and refrigerate it between uses so it doesn't go rancid)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into one inch pieces (I used thighs and I used more than a pound because I was making for the whole family)
1 head of bok choy washed and cut into one inch strips (I did not use all of the leafy end, but cut the white portion of the bok choy down about halfway into the leaf and discarded the rest)
2 large carrots cut in strips (I used more, again because I was making for our whole family)
5-6 green onions, diced
1 T sesame seeds (I didn't have these so left out)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I left this out)


In a small bowl stir all the sauce ingredients together.  Set aside for later.

Heat sesame oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium high heat.  Add in chicken and cook til chicken is done.  Add bok choy and carrots.  Cook til they are heated through and slightly soft (or if you like super soft veggies, cook longer!).  I covered my frying pan for a while so the veggies would steam and get done a little faster.  When veggies are near done, add the green onions, sesame seeds and cilantro (if desired).  Add sauce and cook until all the chicken and veggies are coated with the sauce.

Serve as is or over rice.  Yum!!

Vinegar Braised Chicken and Mushrooms

I am always searching for new ways to prepare chicken, so when I saw this recipe I decided to give it a try.  It looked really good and not too complicated to make.  It turned out to be more labor intensive than it sounded, mostly because the chicken and vegetables are cooked separately before combining, and I cooked two pan fulls of chicken one after the other so that took double the cook time.  If I had used two pans at once it would have solved that particular problem.

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken pieces - the original recipe called for bone in pieces, but I used boneless.
2 pounds mushrooms (I did not use this many)
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 pkg baby carrots ~ I sliced the fatter ones down the middle for faster cooking
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T olive oil
2 T flour
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat olive oil in a large pan.  Generously season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and start them browning.  While chicken cooks, chop the veggies.

Be sure to season the other side of chicken pieces with salt and pepper after flipping over.

When cooked through, remove the chicken from the pan and place on a separate plate. Add the carrots and onions to the pan and saute them until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Add crushed garlic and cook a couple more minutes.

Transfer vegetables to the plate with the chicken and add the flour to the empty pan.  There should be a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan that mixes with the flour.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously, until pasty and smooth.  Add the three vinegars and whisk until smooth.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced.  Then slowly add the chicken broth.  Add the chicken back into the pot and bring to a boil.  At this point it is just a matter of making sure the chicken is cooked through.  If your pieces were thoroughly cooked previously, this step will be short.  If your pieces were simply browned earlier and need to continue to cook for a bit, cover the pot, turn heat down, and let cook until chicken is done.  When chicken is done, add the vegetables back in, let simmer and heat through for a few minutes and then serve.

I got a mixed reaction from my family over this recipe.  My husband and two of the children really liked it.  The boys were not fans of the mushrooms, though.  I thought the vinegar taste was a little too strong.  As I mentioned earlier, it was a bit more labor intensive than I was anticipating, so if I make it again I will have two pans going for the first step of cooking the chicken, and will probably reduce the vinegar and increase the chicken broth.  Otherwise, pretty good!

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, and it was WONDERFUL!  Very delicious, and it made me feel healthy. :-)  She has much better pictures, and a much better description, so you should just hop on over to her blog and read it there....

but for those of you committed to staying here, here is the list of ingredients:

1 pound of penne
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine (didn't have any so I skipped this)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 bag of baby spinach
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut length-wise
4 ounces of parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler (did not have chunk parmesan, just grated parmesan for spaghetti, so I used that ~ it doesn't look nearly as nice, but it tastes good!)

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, and set aside.

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add to skillet on high heat with butter and olive oil.  Lay flat in one layer and let the chicken cook on one side for a couple minutes.  Turn chicken over and cook on the other side.  Let the pieces cook through until they are nice and done.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.   Turn heat down and add garlic to pan, stirring it around so it doesn't burn.  Pour in the white wine (if using) and chicken broth (double the amount of chicken broth if not using wine).  Allow the liquid to bubble up, and then cook so it is reduced by at least half.   Turn off the heat.

Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet.  Toss to combine.  The spinach will wilt a bit as you toss with the hot chicken and pasta (and this is a good thing).  Add parmesan shavings (or grated parmesan) and toss again.

Voila!  Chicken florentine pasta!  Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Meals in 30 Minutes - Chicken Salad Bar

We've already had some really hot weather (100 degrees or close to it) and on those nights I really don't feel like cooking. Sometimes I barely feel like eating! On one such night recently we had a chicken salad bar for dinner. The two bowls near the bottom of this picture contain feta cheese and dried cherries.


This was also super fast because I already had diced, cooked, and seasoned chicken in the freezer that I just pulled out and defrosted in the microwave (I season with Italian seasoning while browning).


I looked through the veggie drawer and cut up what I could find, clockwise from top: tomatoes, carrots, red and green peppers, and strawberries in the middle. We required our children to choose at least two items from the veggie platter. I also had some cantaloupe on another plate.


Son C was very artful with his arranging!


Healthy, fast, delicious, and no cooking required!

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

This is one of my favorites on busy days. Put chicken tenders or chicken breasts into crockpot (I put them in frozen), pour favorite salad dressing on top, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.


Just before dinner steam some veggies, make some rice or a salad, and voila! Dinner's ready!

We change up the salad dressing to make different flavors, but Newman's Own Sesame Ginger is one of our favorites.

Meals in 30 Minutes - Italian Chicken on Noodles

I'm starting a new category of food posts: meals that you can have on the table in 30 minutes or less. And the first post in this category is a recipe I made up! How does that old saying go..."necessity is the mother of invention"? In my case, desperation was the inspiration behind this super easy chicken recipe!


Pour about 2 T olive oil in a skillet and add chicken breasts. As they are browning, sprinkle some Italian seasoning on each piece. Add 2 or 3 cloves of fresh garlic to the pan. After 8-10 minutes, turn over and lightly sprinkle Italian seasoning on the other side of each piece. When breasts are browned on both sides, cover pan and simmer on low until cooked through. Meanwhile, cook noodles of your choice (I used spaghetti). Serve chicken on noodles and enjoy!

Verdict: I have cooked chicken breasts so many times, I really thought this wouldn't be much different. But the blend of Italian seasoning and garlic made it really tasty and the whole family commented on it favorably! Will definitely whip it up again!

Cranberry Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Carissa on the Tapestry of Grace "Loose Threads" yahoo group, and it was absolutely delicious! A winner!

Cranberry Chicken

Spread boneless, skinless chicken breasts in 9x13 pan. Mix together and pour over top:

1 can whole cranberry sauce
8 oz bottle of French salad dressing
1 envelope french onion soup mix

She suggested covering pan with foil and baking for 90 minutes, but I wanted it to bake faster so I left the pan uncovered. I baked them for about 25 minutes and then turned the chicken breasts over and baked on the other side for another 25 minutes.

Verdict: I was skeptical about mixing the onion soup mix with french dressing and cranberries, but the blending of the flavors was really, really good. A sweet yet tangy flavor. Loved by the whole fam and will definitely make again!

Chicken Nachos

I found this recipe at Cooking During Stolen Moments and thought it would be a great one to try since my family tends to love anything Mexican-ish. I was right! Very delicious and loved by all.

Chicken Nachos

1 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (what you see in the picture below is the 2.5 pounds that I cooked so I'd have enough to freeze for a second meal later)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (I ended up doubling these last 3 ingredients since I was doubling the amount of chicken I was cooking)
1 jar salsa (I used a small jar since my kids are not huge tomato fans)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp each of cumin and chili powder (yes, cumin again!)
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, lettuce, or any other desired toppings

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season both sides of chicken with the cumin, salt and pepper mixture. Add to skillet and cook chicken just until both sides are slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add salsa, water and remaining seasonings. Cover skillet and simmer over medium low heat for at least 20 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.


Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.


Bring remaining liquid in the skillet to a boil and simmer until thickened and reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir shredded chicken back in to skillet. Spread tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and pour chicken mixture evenly on top. Cover with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.


Top as desired and serve!

Verdict: well liked by the whole family. Will definitely make again!

Poppyseed Chicken

This is a recipe I got years ago from another homeschool mom on the Sonlight curriculum forums. I don't remember her name (sorry whomever you are!) but my family loves this dish. It is the type of dish I am trying not to make too many of these days ~ you know, the type that calls for 2 cans of cream of ___ soup ~ but my brain is not quite to the point where I can make bean or veggie main dishes "easily" and sometimes I need a fall back. This is a great fall back! And it's a great way to use up leftover rice.

Poppyseed Chicken

Combine in medium bowl:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups (give or take) diced, cooked chicken
2 T poppyseeds


Meanwhile, layer cooked rice in bottom of casserole pan. Cover with chicken mixture. Top with bread crumbs or my favorite Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix (I should get a commission for mentioning them so often!) and drizzle one stick of melted butter on top of that. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 - 30 minutes or until heated through.


Delicious! And the leftovers, if there are any, make a great lunch for hubby. :-)

Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken

This is another of Stephanie's crockpot recipes that I've been waiting to try. It was FANTASTIC. The meat was falling off the bone tender, and the flavor was just delicious. Every member of the family loved this chicken - hubby and all 5 children!! A winner!

Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken

1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
2 tsp kosher salt (if you'd like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder (didn't have any so I left this out)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I substituted with my favorite brand of all purpose seasoning)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili pepper (Stephanie said it was "probably not necessary" but I used it anyway!)

--4 whole garlic cloves (optional - I did not use)
--1 yellow onion, quartered (optional - I did not use)

De-skin and wash the chicken. This makes your sink really gross, but it's a good excuse to clean it reeeeeally well afterwards. :-)

Combine spices and rub on chicken, both inside and outside. If desired, stuff cavity with optional garlic cloves and onion. Set in crockpot, breast down. Do not add water.



Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8. I cooked a 3-4 pound chicken and it fit perfectly in my 5 qt crock. I was using my other crockpot for something else at the time, so it had to. (I am so thankful I have two! I often have them both going nowadays). I have never liked the look of crockpot cooked chicken ~ it's just so pale compared to rotisserie chicken at restaurants. But I forced myself to look past the color and concentrate on the taste, and this tasted SO good! It was very tender and moist and flavorful.


I saute'd some peppers, zucchini, onion and mushrooms in spices and a bit of olive oil to eat with the chicken. Delicious! (the children also had applesauce and slices of bread). The chicken portion of this meal cost less than $4 and we all ate until we were satisfied!

Chicken Noodle Soup

After serving the garlic roasted chicken, a good way to use up the chicken carcass is to make chicken noodle soup. This costs almost nothing, is very tasty, and makes your kitchen smell soooooo good all day! After boiling the chicken carcass for a few hours, strain out the bones, cut off the leftover bits of chicken, add more chicken bits from the freezer (if you have some ready to go) or leftover chicken from when you served it the first time, chop up carrots, onion and celery, and at the very end add cooked noodles. It feels like you've pulled a meal out of thin air (yay!), and our children have deemed homemade chicken noodle soup "at least as good as Progresso". :-)

Garlic Roasted Chicken

This is not a vegetarian recipe, but it was so good I wanted to share it anyway! I picked up a whole chicken on sale last week, but since I normally don't cook them whole I went looking for recipes on allrecipes.com . I love this website. I have gotten so many really good recipes here, and it's helpful to be able to read reviews from real live normal people just like me. I would have never thought to put sugar/cinnamon/allspice/nutmeg/cloves on the outside of a chicken. Pumpkin pie, yes. Chicken, no. But the unique blend of spices on the outside along with the garlic on the inside gave it a GREAT flavor! Loved by the whole family, even Little Man who is usually my worst critic.

Mix together in small bowl:

2 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Rub the chicken with this mixture, cover chicken and place in fridge for 24 hours (I didn't read the directions well enough and didn't do this 24 hours ahead, it was still delicious!).

Preheat oven to 5oo. Crush 5 cloves of garlic. Stuff this inside chicken, place in roasting pan, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn temperature down to 475 and cook another 15 minutes. Baste chicken, turn oven temp down to 450 and cook for another half hour (possibly longer depending on size of chicken). I cooked mine a little longer because I was also roasting carrots, potatoes, and onions along with the chicken.

Absolutely delicious! Enjoy!