Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice

I found this recipe in Tosca Reno's, "The Eat-Clean Diet, Recharged." It's an especially easy meal when you have leftover brown rice or chicken from another meal. It really was SO good. Full of flavor and it made the house smell amazing! I can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow!

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsps. coconut butter (if that's unavailable, use olive oil)

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 scallions, whites and greens, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips

2 Thai red peppers, cut into ribbons (Or you could buy a bag of frozen mixed Asian veggies.)

2 tbsps. fish sauce

3 tbsps. oyster sauce

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai basil

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

A pinch of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the coconut butter in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and scallions and stir-fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add the garlic, chicken and red peppers, and stir-fry for four or five minutes.

Add fish and oyster sauces and sea salt, and stir fry it into the mixture. If it's too hot, reduce the heat under the mixture slightly.

Add the basil and rice, and stir-fry until it's heated through.

Serve hot, garnished with cilantro and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

NOTE: You can mix it up with beef strips or shrimp instead of chicken.

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Cabbage Ramen Salad

For me, this salad was originally served as a meal at our sister Michelle's house. (She got the recipe from her friend, Erin Griffitts.) It's been one of my favorites ever sense! Every time I serve it or take it to a pot luck, everyone raves about it. Simple, easy, fast, and delicious. You can't beat that!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Tri Color Cole Slaw Mix
• 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
• 1 cup Slivered Almonds, toasted if you like
• 1 cup Salted Sunflower Seeds
• 2 pkgs Ramen Noodles (Chicken) broken and toasted. (It's easiest if you break it up before you open the bag.) Reserve the seasoning packet

Dressing:

• ¾ cup Oil
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Cider Vinegar
• 2 Seasoning Packets From Ramen

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl. Make dressing
separately. Pour dressing over salad up to 1 hour before serving,
chill.

NOTES: If I want to make this a meal you can add shredded chicken.

Clean Crunchy Apple and Cabbage Salad with Sweet Curry Dressing

I originally got this recipe from THIS site. We've eaten it enough and I've made a few changes so I thought I would add it to our own little blog. The version I am posting is double the original recipe because (I think) it's easier. This salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks. *People won't even know it's super healthy because they'll be distracted by how YUMMY it tastes!* Because this version of the salad is so large I like to make and eat it all week long. I also send it with my husband for lunches. (He loves it!)

Salad:

1 bag of Tri-Color Slaw

2 medium apples, julienned (a tart and crunchy apple like Braeburn or Granny Smith works best)

2 handfuls (1-2 cups) dried unsweetened cherries (I used dried cranberries because it's what I already had.)

8 oz bag of chopped pecans, toasted

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups shredded chicken (Cubed would work too.)

Pile all the ingredients into a bowl and hand toss it to mix.

Dressing:

1/2 cup cider vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

8 tbsp honey or agave nectar (depending on the sweetness you prefer)

6 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix the dressing and reserve. (You may or may not want to add ALL the dressing. You decide.) Pour dressing over the salad just before serving. Clean and absolutely DELICIOUS!

CHICKEN N' DUMPLINGS

I feel like every person should allow themselves pure and delicious comfort food once in a while. This meal is one of mine. (Those I've shared it with say it's the best Chicken n' Dumplings they've ever had!) I throw caution to the wind and just enjoy.

I got this basic recipe so long ago I can't remember who I got it from. I changed several things about it and added things I like, so I'm declaring this recipe MY OWN CREATION. :o)

This recipe is enough to feed 12-18 people. It’s great to make for large groups or if you are taking a meal to a friend. (Or, you can just cut everything in half.) Easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp coconut or olive oil

• 1 Onion chopped

• 2 ½-3 Large Chicken Breast, cubed

• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 9 Ribs Celery – chopped

• 7 Carrots (I cut mine long and thin.)

• 3 (10.5 oz) cans of Cream of Celery

• 3 (10.5 oz) cans of Cream of Chicken

• 48 oz. Chicken Broth

• 4 Bay Leaves

• 4 Garlic Cloves crushed (more if you like garlic)

• 3-4 small cans of refrigerated biscuits. (I like a little byte of dumplings in each spoonful. If you don’t require that much, then add less biscuits.)

• ¾ Cup Cilantro – chopped

Directions:

1. In a large/deep pot, heat oil.
2. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Mix in celery, carrots, and cream of celery, cream of chicken and chicken broth. Bring soup to a simmer.
5. Add bay leaves, and crushed garlic.
6. Open the cans of refrigerated biscuits one at a time. Start tearing off pieces of each biscuit and drop in into the soup mixture. I like small (quarter size) pieces of dumplings so I can get a little bit in each byte. If you like larger dumplings then go for it.
7. Continue tearing the biscuits until they are all in the pot. Stir the contents every few minutes to make sure the pieces of bread are not sticking together. NOTE: The dumplings will swell at first. After cooking a while they will shrink back down.
8. After all of the biscuits are in the soup, let them cook for 10-15 minutes.
9. When finished, pull the pot from the burner. Remove bay leaves. Stir in the cilantro.
10. Enjoy!!!

Chicken Parmigiana

I got this recipe from OnceAMonthMom.com which has recipes you can make and freeze to eat later. The first time I made it Christopher remarked that it tasted like something you would eat at a restaurant. It is not healthy but I have to admit it is delicious! Hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts. I like to use chicken tenders because it means I get to skip the step where you pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thick.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs. I like to use the Italian bread crumbs and I use much more than called for. I just make sure each chicken piece is evenly coated.

1/2 cup cooking oil

32 ounces canned tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded. I like to use the shredded Italian cheese blend.

One box of thin spaghetti noodles.


DIRECTIONS:

Place chicken breasts on cutting board, pound lightly until 1/4 inch thick (skip this step if using chicken tenders).

Combine lightly beaten eggs, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg mixture and then bread crumbs.

Heat oil in skillet until hot. Quickly cook breaded chicken, browning on both sides and then place chicken in a shallow baking dish. I use a 9 x 13 baking pan. You do not need to cook the chicken all the way through, just brown it on the outside. Repeat with all the chicken breasts.

In the same skillet (with remaining oil and loose bread crumbs) stir in tomato sauce and garlic powder, heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.

Stir butter into tomato sauce, then pour over chicken in baking pan.

Sprinkle chicken with parmesan cheese, cover with mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serve over cooked thin spaghetti noodles.

*One note I want to add about this is that I like having more tomato sauce than this recipe calls for, otherwise there is not enough sauce to coat all of the noodles I serve with the chicken. In the past I have added 1-2 cans of petite diced tomatoes to the spaghetti sauce while it simmers for 10 minutes. Doing this made enough sauce but it also changed the flavor of the sauce and it did not taste as good as it does by following the original directions. I think next time I make this I will follow the directions for the sauce and pour over chicken as directed. While that is baking in the oven I will make additional sauce on the stove that I can put on the noodles if they don't seam coated enough. I'll use the same skillet pan, stir in 32 ounces of tomato sauce and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder then heat to boiling. Then I'll simmer 10 minutes until thickened and stir 2 Tablespoons butter into tomato sauce and serve with noodles.

Tomato Basil {Personal} Pizza

We eat this on nights when we would normally eat out. It's quick, easy and OH SO YUMMY! I make cheese ones for the kids, and tomato basil for Daddy and Mommy. I hope you like these as much as we do!

Makes aprox. 4 pizzas

INGREDIENTS:

• Plumb Tomatoes; 2 or 3 (Sliced into rounds.)
• Fresh Basil - chopped (We like a Tbsp or two on each pizza)
  
• Whole Wheat Pita Bread
• Olive Oil or Coconut Oil - 5 or 6 Tbsp
  
• Fresh Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves
• Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese (Grated)
• Optional: Grilled chicken
  

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

"Sauce:" In a microwave safe bowl, poor in you choice of oil. (Maybe 2 Tbsp. per pizza.) Peal your garlic cloves. Crush them over your bowl of oil and add all the garlic to the bowl. Heat the oil in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. You just need it warm. Then remove it from the microwave and crush the garlic a little more with a fork. (You want as much flavor as possible.) I add a dash of salt and pepper at this point too. That's it! You have your sauce!

Spread the sauce on your pita bread. Add just a sprinkle of cheese. Then add your tomatoes and basil. *Again, we like a lot of basil. You decide how much you want.* (If you want a little protein in your meal, add chicken.) Then top with more cheese. Thats it!

Cook for 8 minutes. We make 4 pizzas at a time on Papered Chef baking stone. You just want the cheese golden and bubbly. Then it's done!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Cacciatore

I absolutely love this chicken and I'm sure you guys will too. This is a recipe that I got from The Maker's Diet cookbook. My family LOVED it too!!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken breast (slice into 1 oz cubes)
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. chopped Cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 5 medium Roma Tomatoes
• sea salt to taste
• Cayenne Pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat sauté pan to medium. Season chicken with cayenne peper and salt. Add olive oil, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of lime juice to the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes then add chicken and the rest of the lime juice. Cook on medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.

This recipe serves 4 people

Yield: 4
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Autumn Chicken

a yummy fall dinner...

Ingredients

• 5 chicken breasts
• 1/4 c. olive oil or coconut oil
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. honey
• 2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

Instructions

Rub chicken with a little sea salt. Place chicken breasts into a 9 by 13 pan. mix the oil, lemon juice, honey, rosemary, and garlic. Array sweet potatoes and onion around the chicken breasts and pour the liquid mixture on top. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through (an hour or so?) serve over brown rice