Teriyaki Chicken and Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

We had this for dinner tonight. The teriyaki chicken was on the salty side (maybe because I went cheap and used generic brand teriyaki sauce?), but it was still a good Sunday dinner just because it was super easy to make:

Teriyaki Chicken

• 4 – 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
• 1 bottle Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce {20 1/2 oz.}
• Green Onions, chopped 
• Optional: Sesame Seeds

Cook chicken in Crockpot on HIGH for 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain juices from Crockpot. Remove chicken from Crockpot, and slice. Then transfer back to Crockpot. Pour Teriyaki sauce over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes, or until done. When ready to serve, garnish with Sesame Seeds and chopped Green Onions. Serve with rice.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

• 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced or diced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Spread them out and then roast, without stirring, until the edges are crispy and the stems are crisp tender, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Cashew Chicken

My bff introduced me to cashew chicken a few weeks ago. I was over for a playdate, and she had some leftover cashew chicken that she made the night before that she shared with me. I've made this recipe twice now (found it by doing a Google search), and it's pretty good. Except I subbed celery, onion, and carrots for the scallions because Lan's cashew chicken had celery, onion, and carrots in it. I love that the recipe is dairy-free, and now I'm slightly addicted to eating cashews raw.

Servings: 4

Total Time: 30 Minutes

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 8 scallions (1 bunch), white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces*
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. (They will crisp up as they cool.)
3. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry (stir as you cook) until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
5. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
6. Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and water; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

• Baked Chicken Taquitos
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• This is another recipe that we enjoy periodically. I can never seem to get the tortillas to keep from breaking and opening, but they are good anyway. Maybe I should try cooking them like quesidillas and then just cutting them up. This recipe is also from melskitchencafe.com
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• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I cook large batches of chicken in my crockpot with a little chicken broth and salt, shred it and freeze it for meals like this)
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)
• small yellow or white corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
3. You can prepare this step ahead of time (which I did – I made it the morning of). Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
4. Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)
5. Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.
6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or any other combination you can dream up

Cinnamon Honey Butter

This tastes good with hot rolls. For our family, I split the recipe in half:

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons good honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. [I don't have a paddle attachment, so I just mixed it by hand and it turned out fine. Since the butter was at room temperature, if was soft and easy to stir.] Serve at room temperature.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This favorite, recipe is from Mels's Kitchen Cafe. It's a good Sunday dinner idea.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

YIELD: SERVES 4-6 (DEPENDING ON IF YOU ARE SERVING ADULTS OR KIDS)

Note: if the chicken breasts you are using are overly thick, you can butterfly them, cutting all the way through so you end up with two thinner cuts of chicken breast. Second note: I would say this recipe is right on the edge of just having enough sauce but not an overabundance, so if you like things on the saucier end of the spectrum, feel free to double that part of the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 ounces fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup lowfat milk
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound fettuccine

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
3. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Don’t scoot the chicken around once you lay it in the hot oil! Let the oil work it’s magic to sear the crust on the chicken. If you get all antsy and try flipping too early and/or moving the chicken around the pan, the breading is lightly to fall off. Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.
4. While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
6. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Hawaiian Fried Rice

Another regular meal around here is Hawiian Fried Rice. We just eat it as the main dish. It's pretty easy and yummy. The recipe is from my favorite cooking blog: Melskitchencafe. Since I pretty much follow her directions, to save some effort, I just pasted her recipe below.

Hint: This recipe is better when the rice is day old, kind of dry rice. It absorbs the liquids better.  I rarely remember to make rice ahead just to let it dry out, but I do always save left over rice in ziplock baggies in the freezer so I use it (or just make new rice), it's still good. Freezing rice in ziplock baggies is the best. To heat it up, just put the unopened ziplock bag in the microwave for a few minutes and it stays moist. Leftover rice stored in the fridge gets dry and yucky. The freezer is the way to go.

INGREDIENTs

• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Tapatio or Sriracha), more or less to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable, canola or peanut oil
• 2 cups cooked, chopped ham
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 5 cups cooked rice, white or brown, cold
• 3 large eggs
• 1-2 cups pineapple pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or electric frying pan (which is what I use), heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil until rippling and hot. Add the ham, red bell pepper, and the chopped white parts of the green onions. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and the red pepper is tender (but not mushy), about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and set aside.
2. Heat another teaspoon of oil in the skillet until hot. Add the cold rice and cook, breaking up large clumps, until the rice is heated through, 5-6 minutes.
3. Push the rice to one side of the skillet and heat the last teaspoon of oil on the empty side of the skillet. Crack the eggs into the hot oil and stir lightly with a spatula or wooden spoon, cooking until the eggs are lightly scrambled and set. Stir the eggs and the ham mixture into the rice. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the rice and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined and hot.
4. Off the heat, stir in the pineapple and green parts of the onions. Serve immediately.

'Jeff's Favorite' Sweet and Sour Chicken/ Chicken Nuggets

This is one of our favorite meals. It's also of the first I learned when we got married and we've been making it pretty consistently since. It takes a little more work than some, but is really yummy.

I copied and adjusted the recipe from all recipies.com

1. In a saucepan, combine 1/4 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, ginger and red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
2. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.
3. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels. I  use a splash guard to help keep from getting burned and to keep oil from getting on the stove. I use tongs to take them in and out. 
4. When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.

- I like to serve it with pineapple and bell pepper slices. You could add whatever veggies you like. 

• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1/4 Cup white sugar (OR HONEY)
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 TSP fresh grated ginger
• - pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes 
• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour (add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 1/2 tp baking powder) 

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
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• 2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces