Chicken & Broccoli

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I love making homemade takeout.  Especially when it is something that I haven't gotten when we go out.  Trying something new is always nice. 



Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 1/2 cup water, plus
• 2 tablespoon water, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into thin 3-inch strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• hot cooked rice

Preparation

• In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth. 
• Add chicken and toss. 
• In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until chicken reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm. 
• Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes. If necessary, deglaze with about 1/4 cup chicken broth.
• Return chicken to pan. 
• Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan. 
• Cook and stir for 2 minutes. 
• Serve over rice.

 Review & Changes- This recipe was really good.  I love making a sauce with my own ingredients instead of just buying a ready-made one from the store.  Nothing needs to be changed.

Ham & Pasta Skillet

Source-  Campbell's Kitchen

I got this recipe in an email from Campbell's right after Easter.  They were pushing it as a recipe to use up leftover ham. Now I didn't have ham leftover from Easter, but I did have some left in the freezer and I only needed one more recipe to use up the rest.  This recipe fit the bill.

Ingredients

• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Broccoli Cheese Sou
• 2 cups broccoli florets or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 1/2 cups cooked ham cut into strips
• 2 1/4 cups medium shell-shaped pasta

Preparation

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain, and set aside.
• Heat the soup, milk, mustard and broccoli in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil.  
• Reduce the heat to low.  
• Cook for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
• Stir the ham and pasta in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

 Review & Changes- This recipe had really amazing flavor.  The mustard gave just a slight tang that went well with the broccoli and cheese.  I was really happy with the overall dish, and wouldn't make any changes.

Quick & Easy Chicken, Broccoli & Brown Rice Dinner

Source- WIC Spring 2011 Newsletter

It's hard to say that I'm proud that we receive WIC benefits for Baby Rebel,  but I can definitely say that we truly appreciate what we do get.  Every 3 months I head to the local clinic to get more benefits loaded on my card.  When there they have classes that focus on nutrition.  They also hand out their quarterly newsletter full of information, and recipes.  This is the first recipe that has immediately caught my eye.

Every ingredient on the list we always have on hand, so I knew that we'd like it.  The next time I made a menu I added this recipe to the list and got ready to make it. 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (used olive oil)
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (used 1lb tenders)
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
• 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

Preparation

• Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken and cook until well browned on both sides.
• Remove chicken from skillet.
• Stir soup, water, paprika and pepper in skillet.
• Heat to a boil.
• Stir rice and broccoli in skillet.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Return chicken to skillet.
• Sprinkle additional paprika and pepper over chicken.
• Cover, and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout and rice is tender.

Review & Changes-  What an easy and good for you meal.  However, there wasn't a lot of flavor.  After my first small plate, I added a little salt and garlic powder to the next serving.  What a difference it made!  I didn't want to add seasoning to the rest of the dish before I had tasted my serving.  While I don't like to add a lot of salt to my dishes, the seasoning salt I used is 30% less sodium.

I'd add 1/4 tsp of both seasoning salt and garlic powder to the whole dish next time.

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta

Source- Stephanie Cooks

Sometimes I don't have a story for why I pick a recipe.  This looked good months ago when it came up in my Google Reader.  I just browsed through my saved recipes when making my weekly menu, and this recipe looked good.

The one change I made was to cook everything in one pot.  I hate dirtying dishes, so I'd rather take a bit longer to cook everything and only dirty one dish.  I cooked the pasta and broccoli first.  Then the chicken, and then continued the dish as the directions specified.  Note- I changed the directions to reflect how I cooked.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta (used rigatoni)
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1lb chicken, cubed
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced  (used 7oz can)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 1/3 cup 1% milk 
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 tbsp. light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
  

Preparation

• Cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Add broccoli to the pasta during the last couple of minutes of cooking.  Drain.
• Add oil to skillet. 
• Cook chicken until no longer pink and slightly browned. 
• Remove from pan.
• Add the onions and mushrooms to same pan. Stir occasionally. Cook until soft.
• Add the garlic, stir well, cook for about 30 seconds.
• Add the flour, stirring it into the veggies. 
• Pour in the milk and whisk continually until well combined.
• Cook until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Once it thickens add the salt and pepper to taste. 
• Lower the heat, stir in the cream cheese. Continue stirring until well combined.
• Add the parmesan cheese, stirring until combined.
• Add the red pepper flakes, chicken, pasta, and broccoli to the skillet. 
• Allow to heat over low heat until all ingredients are hot.

Next Time- This recipe had great flavor.  Nothing needs to be changed. 

Spicy Szechuan Beef

Source: One Dish Meals Cookbook

This dish ends up being a fail. While it was edible and not completely horrible, I consider it a fail because I won't be willing to eat the leftovers, and I certainly don't plan on making this meal again. The problem was simply the Szechuan sauce. Pure heat, and that was using half of the amount the recipe called for.

As always, changes are in bold.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 extra-lean ground beef (used a full pound)
• 1 1lb pkg frozen broccoli florets, carrots and water chestnuts (the only mix I could find had cauliflower and no water chestnuts)
  
• 4oz fresh snow pea pods, trimmed (used frozen)
• 1/2 cup purchased Szechuan spicy stir-fry sauce (used about 1/4 cup)
• 3 Tb dry roasted salted peanuts

Preparation

• Cook rice in water as directed on package.
• In large skillet or wok, brown ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked.
• Remove from skillet; drain on paper towels.
• In same skillet, combine frozen vegetables, pea pods, and stir-fry sauce; mix well.
• Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 7-10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
• Return beef to skillet; mix well.
• Cook until thoroughly heated.
• Stir in peanuts.
• Serve over rice.

Next Time- As I said there won't be a next time. The only thing that would make this meal re-doable is a different sauce. The spicy Szechuan sauce didn't give much flavor, just heat.

Veggie Pizza

Source: My family

This is a recipe that I had numerous times growing up. We usually had it in the summer for parties. Let me just say that it can be time consuming to chop up all the vegetables, but it is well worth it!

H and I had bought carrots and celery for a previous recipe and had some leftover, so H suggested making this. We've only made it once together, plus he was looking for a recipe that his parents could eat so he could invite them over.

Note: You can use whatever veggies you'd like. Additional options include radishes and mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 8 oz bottle ranch dressing
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
• 6 carrots, chopped
• 5 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 8 oz shredded Colby jack cheese

Preparation

• Spread the crescent rolls out on a baking sheet, pressing the edges together to make a single crust.
• Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely.
• Mix sour cream, ranch, cream cheese and dill together.
• Spread mixture over the crescent rolls.
• Top with vegetables and shredded cheese
• Refrigerate and serve.

Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake

Source: Kraft Spring '09 Magazine

I love the Kraft Magazine. There are so many great recipes, plus their site is pretty great too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups multi-grain rotini pasta (used full 1 lb box)
• 1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth (used full 14oz can)
• 2 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed (used 6oz)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (used full 8oz bag)
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 minutes
• Heat large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, cook 3 min., or until no longer pink, stirring frequently
• Stir in broth; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is cooked through
• Add Neufchatel cheese; cook and stir on low heat for 1 min or until melted.
• Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella.
• Drain pasta and broccoli
• Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly
• Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish; cover
• Bake 15 min or until heated through
• Sprinkle with remaining cheeses
• Bake uncovered, 3 min or until melted
• Let stand 5 min.

Next Time- This was really good. Leftovers were great too. Maybe following the directions in regards to the amount of liquid used would be a better idea.