Chicken and Potato Dinner March 6, 2007

Ingredients
2 Tbsp margarine
4-cups Ore Ida Potatoes O’Brien
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp flour
2-cups chicken, cooked, cubed, and seasoned with chili powder
½-cup milk
½ tsp black pepper
1-cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and pepper and cook for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute. Add chicken, milk, and black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with cheese and allow the cheese to melt. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken, Mushroom, and Tomato over Rice March 1, 2007

I got the base for this recipe from Real Simple magazine. I however, felt that their recipe was lacking some flavor, so I changed it to fit my and husbands tastes. Husband gave this dish a 5 out of 5 days. I’m not sure if it was because the meal was so delicious or just because he looked particularly ravenous and he would have even given Bake Cow Tongue a 5 out of 5.

Ingredients
2 4-oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1 Tbsp Montreal Seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1/3-cup chicken stock
1-cup rice, uncooked
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (dried basil and oregano)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with the Montreal Seasoning. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until almost cooked the whole way through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Put the mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken stock to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes. Put the chicken back in the skillet and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions. Once cooked add the Worcestershire sauce and Italian Seasoning to the rice. Serve rice with chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes on top. Makes 2 servings.

Lime Chicken Tacos with Lime Aioli Sauce February 7, 2007

Food of your Mexican variety is probably my favorite to make. I’m not sure why, maybe it is the ease of the dishes, or the availability of the ingredients, or the bold flavors. Whatever it is, these Lime Chicken Tacos fit all of those criteria, but beware, if you don’t enjoy tangy lime flavor these tacos aren’t for you. Chicken doesn’t usually pick up the flavor of marinades well, but it sure does pick up the lime.

Ingredients
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
shredded cabbage
flour tortillas

Marinade
½-cup lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/8-cup red wine vinegar

Marinate the chicken in the lime marinade for at least an hour, I marinated mine during the day while I was a work. Cook the chicken in a skillet until cooked the whole way through, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave. Place some shredded cabbage on the tortilla, top with chicken, and drizzle with Lime Aioli Sauce (recipe below). Makes 2 servings.

According to Wikipedia an aioli is a cold sauce made of garlic, egg, acid (lemon juice or vinegar), and olive oil, basically a garlic-flavoured mayonnaise. I had never heard of it until I was watching Guy’s Big Bite on the Food Network. I actually detest the show, he is so cheesy, but husband gets joy out of making fun of him, so we watched. I got my inspiration for this recipe from an episode of his.

Lime Aioli
1 lime, juiced
4 oz sour cream
1/8-cup milk
1 tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients, mix until smooth, chill for an hour.

Tortilla Chicken January 18, 2007

A local restaurant makes a wonderful dish called Tortilla Chicken. I have a hard time not ordering the Tortilla Chicken when we are there. Since I love it so much, I took a whack at making my own version of Tortilla Chicken. I don’t think it is as good as what I get served at the restaurant, but I think the getting served part of it makes the dish taste a little more wonderful.

Ingredients:
2 cups rice, uncooked
1/3-cup sour cream
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp hot sauce, depending on how hot you like your food
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
15 pickled jalapeño rings
4 chicken breasts
seasoning salt
1 flour tortilla
cayenne pepper

Cook the rice as directed. Once cooked add the sour cream, hot sauce, black beans, pepper, and jalapeño, stir to combine and keep over low heat to keep warm. Meanwhile, season the chicken with the seasoning salt according to your tastes. Cook the chicken over medium heat in a skillet about 5 minutes on each side, until no longer pink in the middle. Divide rice among plates, top with chicken and tortilla crisps, and serve. Makes 4-5 servings.

To make tortilla crisps: Cut tortilla into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil until hot, add the tortilla strips and cook until crisp.