Wilted Chicken Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

Good salad with flavorful dressing. Although, I don't quite understand the pomegranate seeds. They're seeds. They're crunchy. I love pom juice, but I don't like eating hard seeds in my food. I'll leave those out next time.

Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens

3/4 cup pomegranate juice
14 oz. chicken tenderloins
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, cut lengthwise in thin wedges
1 TBSP fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano)
3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
12 oz. baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Boil pomegranate juice until it reduces to 1/4 cup (5-8 mins.) Remove from heat; set aside.

Cook chicken in 1 TBSP olive oil until done. (6-8 mins.) Remove from heat; keep warm.

Cook onion, oregano, pepper and salt in 1 TBSP olive oil until onion is tender (3-5 mins.) Stir in reduced pomegranate juice and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil. Boil one minute. Remove from heat. Gradually add spinach, tossing just until spinach is wilted and combined.

Top spinach with chicken, pomegranate seeds and nuts. Serve.

Meatballs & Creamy Rice Skillet Supper

Recipe: Betty Crocker

This is a pretty good casserole type dish. Easy to put together. I thought it could use a little more flavor, but good overall.

3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup (I used cream of chicken)
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups ready to eat baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise
1 box (12 oz) frozen meatballs, thawed (I used some leftover turkey meatballs)
chopped, fresh parsley, if desired

In 12-inch skillet, mix rice, soup and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 5 minutes.

Stir carrots and meatballs into rice mixture. Cover; cook 22-27 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until rice and carrots are tender and meatballs are hot. Sprinkle with parsley.

White Chicken Enchiladas

These are yummy. Recipe here.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

Really good. Lots of flavor. Easy to prepare. Not fishy! I fell in love with Mahi Mahi when we were in Maui on our honeymoon.

Recipe: All Recipes

3 TBSP honey
3 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp olive oil
4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp vegetable oil

In a shallow dish, stir together honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. (skin side down) Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to marinate.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.

Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistency. Spoon glaze over fish. Serve immediately.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

This is my favorite banana bread. Love the sour cream flavor. I've made this numerous times. Always turns out well. Mine always takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake.

Recipe: All Recipes

1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Tilapia with Jasmine Rice

Very good. Lots of flavor. Tilapia is not fishy tasting. I just used a dry Italian dressing packet and sprinkled some over the top of the fish instead of using dressing.

Recipe: Taste of Home

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 1/2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seafood seasoning (I used old bay)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 tilapia fillets (6 oz. each)
1/4 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing

In a large saucepan, bring the water, rice and butter to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over fillets. Place salad dressing in a large skillet; cook over medium heat until heated through. Add fish; cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with rice.

Yield: 2 servings

1 fillet with 3/4 cup rice equals 356 calories, 5 g fat, 91 mg cholesterol, 743 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 35 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 3 starch, 1/2 fat.

Chicken Biscuit Casserole - Freezer Meal

Recipe: Unknown

This was pretty good. I thought it needed to be "saucier" but a good casserole. Freezes well.

3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1-inch thick
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup peas, canned or frozen
3 TBSP cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
10 biscuits, uncooked (homemade or canned)

Bring chicken broth to a boil; add carrots, onions, celery and garlic and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and peas; simmer 5 minutes more. Mix cornstarch with cold water; add slowly until chicken mixture has the consistency of gravy. Remove from heat; cool.

Put mixture into a ziploc bag and freeze.

To prepare: Thaw casserole. Bake in 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place uncooked biscuits on top of casserole. Bake for 20-25 minutes more, until mixture is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown.

Honey Lime Chicken - Freezer Meal

This is pretty good. Has a lot of flavor. Easy to put together. Freezes well.

Recipe: Unknown

2 lbs. chicken (boneless, skinless)
1/2 TBSP garlic salt
1 TBSP peanut oil
1 (20 oz) can pineapple rings
1/4 cup honey
3 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP cornstarch

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt. Brown in oil. Drain pineapple. Add one fourth of the pineapple juice to skillet. Cover and simmer 6-8 mins. until chicken is golden. Remove chicken. Add honey, lime juice, soy sauce, cornstarch and remainder of pineapple juice. Bring to boil. Cook and stir until thick and clear, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Place chicken, pineapple rings and sauce in freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Heat until sauce is hot and bubbly and chicken is heated through. Serve over rice.

Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe can be found here. Delicious!

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting

Potato Leek Pizza

From this recipe book, but posted here.

An unlikely combination, but delicious.

Vegetarian Lasagna - Freezer Meal

This one is still in my freezer, so I can't comment on the finished product. Comes together pretty quick. I could only find slices of provolone, so I just used slices for one layer.

20-oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
12-oz carton ricotta cheese (OR crumbled, drained tofu)
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated provolone cheese
12-oz lasagna noodles, cooked & drained (or oven ready noodles)
24-oz jar cheesy Alfredo sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain chopped vegetables as directed on package, measure out 3 cups; set aside. Brown onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in tomato sauce and paste, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, parsley, mozzarella and provolone cheese.

Lightly grease 9 x 13 baking pan. Place a light layer of tomato sauce in bottom of pan. Layer noodles, tomato sauce, vegetables, Alfredo sauce, ricotta mixture and Parmesan cheese, repeating to make 3 layers of each. Cover well with foil and freeze.

To Bake: Thaw overnight in fridge. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 50 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until bubbling and heated through.