{CrockPot} Chicken Fajitas

We are in NYC and if you haven't heard, we have been hit by some snow recently.  Brendan works the snow shift and I have been really trying to dedicate myself to the gym after work, so literally we only see each other about 2 hours in the morning (if we're lucky- usually he is asleep when I wake up for work).  Anyway, since that has been happening and we have more snow on the way, I still wanted him to eat good even when I wasn't home to make him a normal meal.  I turned to my trusty crockpot.  It is way easier for me to prep at night and then just pop in the base and turn on in the morning, but do what suits you.

I have tried sweet and sour chicken, chicken fajitas and tonight is sausage in sauce with pasta.  I need to go food shopping asap, so not sure what the rest of the week will bring!

Ingredients

• about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I think I had a bit less than 2 lbs)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 peppers, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 chipolte pepper in adobe, minced
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• spices: 2 tbsp cumin, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, a pinch cayenne

Directions

• Add the onions, peppers and garlic to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the chicken and the chicken stock.
• Add the rest of the ingredients. (When you add the spices try and sprinkle evenly over the chicken)
• Set on low for 5 hours (or anywhere between 4-8 hours.  I try and not over do it with boneless chicken breasts because they tend to dry out a tad).
• When done, shred the chicken and mix in the juices.  Serve on a tortilla and with any toppings you prefer! (I went with avocado, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes and cilantro)

Not only is this healthy, but super simple. I just gave my little sister a crockpot for her new home- so here's another recipe for ya Cait! :)

Thai Chicken Burger w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

I got the big thumbs up for the sauce from my #1 critic.

Inspiration: While watching Food Network (I think it was Unique Eats or Eat Street) they were covering the amazing looking Thai/French fusion sandwich shop Num Pang. The pickled toppings just called to me "make this we love pickled things!" 

Everything is so easy to make and a you probably have most of these ingredients already.

Spicy, tangy, fresh.

Oh yea, and healthy ;)

Happy new year everyone, and here's to getting skinny and back into shape (again).

PS: Wedding countdown: 235 days- Bring it :)

***
Thai Chicken Burger 

• 1 package of ground chicken*
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
• handful of chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 tsp of honey
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 2 tbsp of grated ginger
• 1/2 tbs of kosher salt

*I don't purchase ground chicken, because I always have boneless skinless breasts on hand, so I grind my own. I largely diced 3 chicken breasts and put into my food processor until all ground up. This made for about 5 burgers (or 4 really big ones). You can always just use the prepacked stuff at the store, or ask your butcher to grind for you.

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Form your patties.
3. Bake about 20 minutes until internal temp reaches about 160-165 degrees F. At the very end I put under the broiler to brown up the exterior. (I was originally going to grill these, which would have been awesome, but it was easier for me to just bake at the time. You could also fry in a pan)
4. Top your burger with whatever you like- plus the peanut sauce of course.

Toppings

• Pickled cucumbers, carrots and onions*
• Baby spinach
• Spicy Peanut Sauce

*Quick pickles are amazing things- slice any veggies you want (red cabbage would be good here too) and add into a bowl.  Cover almost completely with vinegar (I used standard white vinegar- rice vinegar would be nice here too), add a small pinch of salt and just let hang out in the fridge while your burgers are cooking.  You can even do this before hand but they will become softer over time.

 

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 3 tbsp of peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of rice vinegar 
• a small drizzle of sesame oil
• 1 small shallot
• 2 tbsp of lower sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of grated ginger
• 3 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp of chili flakes (if you're not sure what heat level you're comfortable with, add a little at a time and then just add according to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree until combined. Taste before serving and your good to go!

Spicy Sweet Citrus Summer Salad

So the summer is winding down, which I wish it could go on forever. I love the summer.  But on the other hand I do welcome fall with its crisp clean air and warm delicious meals.  Enjoy the last days of summer with this crisp bright salad.  The chicken was so good I will probably just use this marinade for grilled chicken basically all the time. 

I also have exactly one year and one week left until I am getting married.  ::exciting:: I have to start dress shopping soon- and what better thing to make yourself feel skinny and healthy then a salad :)

The combo might seem a bit strange- but I really love the different textures and flavors. I'm sure you might have seen a similar combo of flavors before.  The earthy rosemary with the creamy beans and the orange just adds such a fresh pop along with the cool crunch of the fennel and lettuce.  The onion is spicy and sweet, and olives with that salty bite- and the chicken- like to die for so yum.

 ::Side note:: I used chick peas in the picture- but I really wanted to use cannellini beans- and I usually have a can but OF COURSE when I really need them- I don't have them. So I wrote the recipe for cannellini beans (but any light colored bean or even peas could work- or you could just totally omit them)

Oh and for this I totally whipped out my trusty George Foreman Grill.

Spicy Sweet Citrus Summer Tuscan Salad (w/ Grilled Chicken)
serves about 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the Marinade

• 1 orange, zest and juice (if the orange doesn't give a lot of juice, I used an extra splash of regular orange juice)
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp of canola oil

Mix all these ingredients together and add the chicken.  Pop in the fridge for half an hour at least to let the flavors infuse.

For the Salad

• 1 orange, segmented* (I used the small navel orange)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 bulb of fennel, sliced thin
• 1 romaine heart, chopped
• about a 1/2 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• about 8 black olives, sliced

For the Salad Dressing

• 1 orange, zest and juice
• couple fennel fronds from the fennel, chopped
• pinch of fresh rosemary, chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper
• about 3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• small pinch of cayenne (optional)

1. Grill your chicken. Then I thinly slice on the bias.
2. Toss all your salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Add all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl, except the oil.  Mix the ingredients and then slowly stream in the oil while whisking.  Pour a small amount of the dressing on the salad and toss.  Just enough to lightly coat.
4. Then add salad to bowls, top with chicken and drizzle more dressing on if you want.  You can even finish the salad off with some shaved Italian cheese. MmmMMmm.

*Segmented: this is a fancy way to cut up citrus.  First cut off the ends and then cut off the rest of the rind as shown in the pic below.  Then you carefully cut the fruit with a small pairing knife in between the white lines of the pith. (here's a helpful video)

Greek Pizza for Foodie Friends Friday

Go check out Foodie Friends Friday!  The Link Party is where members all link up and share recipes from their blogs :)

Just another version of awesome pizzaness!

Toppers: Chicken, Baby Arugula, Onion, Peppers, Garlic, Tomato slices, Feta Cheese

First get your dough ready:

Dough Recipe

Oven should be the highest it can go- mine goes to 550 degrees F.  Let it preheat, along with your pizza stone if you have one (and if you don't just use a pizza pan or baking sheet)

Ingredients

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite sized pieces
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 2 large handfuls of baby arugula
• 1/2 pepper, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• a fist sized piece of feta cheese, crumbled
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a skillet saute the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
2. When cooked through remove from skillet and reserve.  Then add half an onion, half a pepper (I used green bell pepper) and garlic.  Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. When the dough is ready roll out and lay on your stone/pan.  Then layer your sliced tomatoes, chicken, pepper onion mixture, arugula and then finally the cheese.
4. Cook for about 12 minutes and always keep an eye on it- because sometimes it will cook faster or slower depending on crust thickness and oven temps.
5. When it came out I drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and let cool a couple minutes then slice and serve!

You can also top with some olives- yum.

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2. Spatulas on Parade with Fish Tacos 

3. Spatulas on Parade with Sock It To Me Cake

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1. Spatulas on Parade for the Sock It To Me Cake

2. Chef Picky Kid for the Teriyaki Pulled Chicken

3. Country Girl at Home with the Chocolate Gravy

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Italian Chicken Foil Packets

I usually have a lot to say about what I make - but not these- these were just AMAZING. Period. Easy and healthy too- you can't go wrong- try them out tonight or at your next camping trip or cook out. You will NOT be sorry.

I know it's not the prettiest picture- but hey- we were roughing it ;)

This made four good sized packets.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 3-4 plum tomatoes, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil
• extra virgin olive oil
• tinfoil

Directions

1. You will need to triple layer the tinfoil packets- so each packet with be three layers thick of tinfoil.
2. So size out three fairly big tinfoil sheets and layer them up.  In the middle of the sheet put 1/4 of the chicken, onion, tomatoes and garlic.
3. The spices listed were what I used- so about a pinch on each packet.
4. Drizzle it all with a little olive oil.
5. Then take the end closest to you and farthest from you and pull up like a tent.  Fold/crimp and roll together the ends to create a seal and continue to roll them down until you reach the chicken.  Then take the ends on the right and left and seal/crimp-  then roll up like the first time. Here's an idea of what they would look like.
6. Cook for about 30 minutes on a medium grill.  I rotate my packets to the size with more heat then the side with lower heat.  Keep the lid closed too.
7. When they are done, be careful because they will obviously be hot and steam will escape when opened.  I actually had forgotten how long they were cooking so I just opened one up to check if they were done- if it isn't pink you're good.
8. Just unwrap the packet and go to town with a fork! I served with large store bought garlic knots.

Oh yea and no fuss clean up- just through away the foil!

Lemon Basil Penne

Oh this was so good.  Simple to make too. Serve along side some thin grilled cutlets for a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, juice (and zest of 2)
• 1 cup of cheese- I used pecorino, but you could use parm or even mozzarella
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp of butter (I used I can't believe it's not butter)
• 1/2 cup of low fat milk (I used 1%)
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• about 1 lb of asparagus
• about 20 basil leaves, chiffonade (aka cut into ribbons)*
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb box of penne pasta (using whole wheat is even better!)

Directions

1. Get water boiling for your pasta.
2. In a small sauce pot add the butter and the garlic.  Cook that on low for a couple minutes to let the butter infuse with the garlic flavor.
3. Then add the lemon juice and zest. (Note: the garlic may turn green/blueish color- don't worry it is just reacting to the acid in the juice)
4. Side note: Never let this sauce come to a boil
5. While the lemon juice is heating through add the tsp of cornstarch to your low fat milk- if you are using cream or whole milk this step is unnecessary.  Stir until combined and then add to the pot while whisking. 
6. Quickly add the cheese and whisk until combined.  Taste it- see if you want to add more salt, add pepper if desired.  When that is all heated through and a creamy sauce consistency, turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
7. When the water boils add salt and then your pasta. 
8. Cut your asparagus into short pieces, similar to the size of the penne.  When the pasta is almost done add the asparagus to the water and let the pasta and asparagus finishing cooking together.
9. Drain pasta/asparagus and add to a large serving bowl.  Pour the sauce on top and add basil- mix until everything is combined.
10. You can add a bit of extra virgin olive oil and more cheese on top if desired.

*To chiffonade basil stack up all the leaves and roll them up into a little log.  Then slice.  You will end up with pretty ribbons.

Memorial Day Weekend- BBQ, Beer and Bikes



Pretty awesome right?


Memorial Day is always about BBQ Beer and Bikes for us LOL. But then again that's pretty much our life in general during the summer.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

So over the Memorial Day weekend we packed up and took a 5 hour drive down to West Virginia to the Summit Point Motorsports Park.  It was a CCS Racing weekend.  So proud of Brendan for doing so well first time at this track.  I'm his number one fan and sponsor.  The weather was amazing- hot and sunny.  Got myself a nice tan and my fiance got some race time in.  We had such a great time.  He loads up his truck with bike stuff and I load the pop-up camper with food and everything else. 

We have limited space in the cooler and mini fridge so I need to plan out a weekends worth of meals accordingly.  I also don't like to settle for just hamburgers and hot dogs, so this is a quick run down of what I made for the weekend:

Friday Night (we arrived): homemade burgers and hot dogs after we set up camp.
Saturday Breakfast: bagels, bananas and coffee (we had this everyday for breakfast)
Saturday Lunch: grilled pizza
Saturday Dinner: Chicken Kabobs and Asparagus
Sunday Lunch: Grilled Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sandwiches
Sunday Dinner: Pork Tenderloin with grilled corn
Monday Lunch: Chicken Kabobs and Asparagus

Of course we had A LOT of drinks on hand. It was so hot- water, Gatorade, iced tea, Redbull and of course beer.

We had some cheese doodles, triscuits, hummus and other various snacks too.

Not exactly the healthiest of choices, but hey it's vacation!

Everything I cooked was very simple prep and simple cook.  All the veggies were simply seasoned with salt, pepper and oil.  The chicken kabobs were just skewered boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning (my fav go-to summer seasoning).  The pork tenderloin was marinated in garlic, honey, jalapenos, oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  I even grilled the bagels to toast them up.  FYI if you have never had grilled asparagus- go and make that tonight- they are the bomb.

And if you have never grilled pizza- get on that!  It is probably the closest thing you will have to real brick oven pizza.  It is super simple too.  I really should have brought my rolling pin though- was a pain to roll it out- that's why its super misshaped but whatever it's "rustic".  I packed homemade dough (you could even do store bought), shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil.  Roll the dough out and lay on the grill.  I then brush or drizzle a bit of oil.  Let that cook and bubble up.  When it is ready to turn you will be able to grab it up and it will easily pull away from the grill.  Flip it over and top with tomatoes and basil then the cheese to help everything stay put.  Cover (aka close the lid), turn heat to low and just wait until everything melts.  Even if you burn the bottom, it still tastes really good! (oh yea- don't forget a cutting board and knife!)

Here's all the rest of the weekend!




Lexi sun bathing




Dutchy Moo Cow is hot




Mini fridge is stocked plus we had a cooler



gotta have the hot sauce

Our home away from home (with a/c of course!)

Ya know, just the essentials

Simple breakfast plus coffee of course

My ride

A man of many talents

Took him on the turn

Yea forgot to soak the skewers- oh well!

Race grid

Shade!

Love sausage super crispy- cut sausage in half then serve on buns with ketchup!

Yea, these boys don't play around when it comes to speed

Cooling off in the camper- isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen???!!!!

Held his position against this guy and took 11 out of 23 in this race! So proud of you babe, I love you!

Pearl Barley Summer Salad

Definitely serve this over my Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce.  If you have never tried pearl barley- you should- it is one of my favorite grains (low in fat and pretty high in fiber).  It is like a puffier piece of rice; delicious cold or hot- in soups or salads.  I made an in-between version which is hot barley over cold crisp vegetables tossed with a vinaigrette.  The hot barley soaks up the vinaigrette, then the crunch of the veggies and oh soooo goood!

I was on a clean-out-and-use-up-everything-in-the-fridge spree this week because we are going to motorcycle track this weekend (super excited! pics to follow!) Anyway, basically you can swap out any veggies you have lying around in the fridge.  Just cut them all into similar bite sized pieces. Also you can use whatever nuts you have lying around- almonds or walnuts would be good here too.  This salad is good for picnics because it is in a vinaigrette and can be left out.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked pearl barley, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 pepper, diced (I used a yellow one)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 handful of parsley, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 ear of corn, kernels taken off (about a 1/2-3/4 cup of frozen if you don't have fresh)
• 3 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted*
• 1/4 cup of lime or lemon juice (if you don't get that much out of 1 lime or lemon just add a splash of vinegar)
• a little less than 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

1. Cook the pearl barley according to directions (the first bullet lists what I used). Bring water to a boil and cook barley on low for about 30-45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile prep all your veggies, herbs and nuts and add to a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl add the citrus juice, oil and salt and pepper and whisk up.
4. When the barley is done mix with veggies.  Then pour vinaigrette over everything and stir until combined.  Serve alone or over my Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce.

If you are serving with the chicken, grill the chicken while the barley is cooking.

*If you buy raw nuts, just put them in a dry skillet and heat on medium.  They will toast up in the skillet- but ALWAYS keep an eye on the them and shake the pan frequently, you don't want them to burn.  Should only take about 5 minutes or so.

Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce

Super excited for this weekend! The future hubby and I are driving down to West Virginia to the Summit Point Motorsports Park for our first track day together of the year!  Going for the whole weekend means a lot of food prep and BBQ'n!  This week has been a clean out the fridge week because we will be gone close to five days or so.  First one was the Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, then I made a rice, chicken and veggie casserole topped with cheddar cheese, and now this (plus the pearl barley summer salad)!

Will try and have a good portion of the weekend documented- for easy portable grill recipes and just so you guys can see what we do on our free time lol.

Not only is this recipe super easy AND healthy but it's basically a no cooking involved one. Perfect for those hot summer days/nights.

For the chicken I just season boneless skinless chicken breasts with some salt and pepper and throw on the grill, here's the sauce you top it off with (which is a no cook)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated or pasted
• pinch of fresh thyme
• pinch of lime or lemon zest (if making the pearl barley salad too you use the juice of this there)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of red pepper flake
• freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Put everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. If too thick add a splash of milk, water, or citrus juice.
3. If too thin add more yogurt.
4. Serve over grilled chicken and alongside the Pearl Barley Summer Salad.

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Leftover Weeknight Meal)

So I'm sure we all have "leftover night" one day a week or so.  On Sunday we came home from grandmas with a rotisserie chicken, a tray full of Spanish rice, and I had some corn and grilled chicken left over from a previous BBQ of my own.  Some people say they are bad when it comes to opening the fridge, seeing what's there and making a meal- for me this is a welcomed challenge.  This one was not as difficult because of the similar flavor profiles of these separate dishes.

Any leftover chicken is an awesome thing to have, it can become so many things.  The rice was obviously a side and so was the grilled corn on its own. Starch, veggie, done.

I had three leftover kaiser rolls (but tortillas or really any hearty bread would have worked here too), chicken and a pantry/fridge door.  Hand shred the left over chicken, obviously removing the skin and bones.  Set that aside while you make your sauce.  Everything else gets microwaved to just reheat!

I have to say I don't have a set BBQ sauce recipe, it changes I think every time I make it, but this was the one I made last night.  I used an immersion blender to make the sauce thicker, quicker, and to make it smooth- but if you don't have one you can always carefully transfer to a regular blender, food processor or just leave chunky and simmer longer to thicken.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of worchestire sauce
• 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of salt
• freshly cracked pepper
• about 2-3 cups of shredded cooked chicken (or pork!)

Directions

1. In a sauce pot add about a tbsp of oil and then saute the onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened.  About 5-7 minutes- careful not to burn it.  Then add the roasted red pepper.
2. Then add the lime juice, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Try to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan- if there are any.
3. Add the sugar, vinegar, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. This would be the time to blend.  After blending keep at a simmer until sauce like consistency then add in your chicken and heat through.
6. If not blending, keep at a low boil until thickened to your liking (ALWAYS taste the sauce before adding the meat or serving) and then add the chicken.
7. Pile the chicken on toasted buns with pickled jalapenos, tomatoes and lettuce.

There are so many other ways to make this- other usual ingredients are ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, cumin, paprika, beer, chipolte etc.  If you want you can add a squirt of ketchup or tomato paste to heighten the tomato flavor more.  Taste the sauce before adding the chicken and adjust to your preference.

Now if you don't have already cooked chicken, don't worry- just poach your chicken first then use the poaching liquid as your chicken stock. Add chicken to pot, cover with water until almost fully submerged.  Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a low simmer.  Cook until done.  Remove chicken and the water it cooked in is now essentially chicken broth- use for your sauce!