Chicken Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

I'm thinking that February is the new January.  Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what happened to January.  I managed to get Christmas decorations put away.  I fed my family.  I washed dishes and did the laundry.  All the other things that I hoped to accomplish?  They're now on the February list.

I have a bunch of recipes I want to share with you, so we'll start with this one.  I've made this chicken broccoli mushroom stir fry twice in the past two weeks.  It's easy to make, and really tasty.   I originally saw it on Facebook - one of those videos that show you how to make a meal in 30 seconds.  Except it didn't really take 30 seconds.  More like 30 minutes, which is still pretty quick.

Cut up some chicken, dredge it in flour, and fry it up.



Mix up the sauce and stir fry the veggies.

Mix it all together... and done.

Serve over rice or noodles.  Prepare for everyone to tell you how good it is.

Chicken Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into ¾" pieces
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
½ tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated, or ½ tsp ginger powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil

1¼ lb (6 cups) broccoli florets
1 small onion, sliced
¾ lb (12 oz) sliced mushrooms

Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

Toss chicken breast pieces in flour, salt, and pepper.

Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a large pan.  Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides.

While chicken is cooking, combine sauce ingredients - broth, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil - in the same bowl that the leftover flour from the chicken is in.  Whisk it all together.  Set aside.

Remove cooked chicken from pan and set aside.  Add another tbsp of cooking oil to the pan and once it's hot, add the onion, broccoli and mushrooms.  Stir fry until the broccoli is crisp tender and the
mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.

Pour the sauce into the hot vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened then toss in chicken and cook another 30 seconds or until heated through.

Serve over rice or noodles, sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Enjoy!

Original recipe here

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Cheesy Chicken Spinach Enchiladas in Jalapeño Cream Sauce

I have made these three times in the past month.  Cheesy Chicken Spinach Enchiladas in Jalapeño Cream Sauce.  

Chicken, onion, spinach, and cheese, all rolled up on soft tortilla shells and baked under a smooth and spicy jalapeño cream sauce.

So easy, and oh so good.  Saute onions and wilt spinach.

Shred some cooked chicken.

Stir together.

Shred cheese.

Stir some more.

  Roll up in a tortilla shell.

Smother in a creamy jalapeño sauce.

Bake and eat.

Cheesy Chicken Spinach Enchiladas in Jalapeño Cream Sauce

adapted from this recipe at Cooking for Keeps

3 chicken breasts

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced

1 10 ounce bag of baby spinach

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp minced pickled jalapeño pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or monterey jack, or a combination of both

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp pickled  jalapeño pepper

6 ounces cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

8-12 large flour tortillas

Start with seasoning and cooking your chicken.  I have microwave steamed my chicken breasts, and I've cooked them in a pan on the stove top.  Do whatever works best for you.  You could even use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store if it's easier for you.  Chop/shred your cooked chicken and set aside.

Grease a casserole dish and preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt oil and butter together in a large pan and add onion.  Cook until soft and translucent.  Add spinach, garlic, and jalapeño.  Cook until spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat.  Add chicken and shredded cheese, stir to combine.

In a blender, puree cream and jalapeño peppers.  Pour mixture into a medium saucepan along with cream cheese and stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon filling onto tortilla shells and roll closed.  Place seam side down in casserole dish and cover in sauce.  I end up with anywhere between 8-12 filled tortillas, depending on how much I fill them. 

Place foil over casserole dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

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Honey Pineapple Chicken

This chicken dish.  Honey Pineapple Chicken...with garlic and sriracha.

This is a share-worthy recipe.  What started out as one recipe became something else altogether as I started substituting ingredients to accomodate what I had in the cupboard.

It's not much to look at, as the photos really don't do it justice.  It's dark outside when I get home from work, and I just haven't figured out the best way to take a decent photo indoors at night... while stirring, and yelling at kids and dogs all at the same time.  I don't much like the short days this time of year... they make me want to put on my pajamas as soon as I get home.

Did you know that 2 packets of soy sauce from Chinese take-out equal one tablespoon exactly?  An empty bottle of soy sauce in the cupboard led me to this discovery.  You're welcome.

This is incredibly tasty, and so very easy.  Brown some chicken breasts, mix up a quick sauce to pour over them, and finish off in the oven.  The addition of red wine vinegar to the sauce results in very tender chicken. Serve over rice.

See?  Easy.  Totally do-able on a work night.

I expected leftovers, but I was out of luck.  And I will likely make this again before the week is over.

Honey Pineapple Chicken

4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to taste

1 can crushed pineapple in juice

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Brown chicken breasts in a small amount of oil over medium heat.  I seasoned them lightly with salt, pepper, and quick shake of Montreal Chicken Spice.

Meanwhile, strain crushed pineapple to separate the juice.  You should end up with about a cup of pineapple juice.  Combine the pineapple juice, honey, 1/2 cup of water, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sriracha, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.  Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water to make a slurry, and whisk gradually into the sauce.  Return to heat and bring back to a boil, simmering for a few minutes to thicken.  Stir in crushed pineapple.

Place browned chicken breasts in a casserole dish and cover with prepared sauce.  Bake in a 350°F oven for 25 - 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Cook time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts.

Serve over hot, cooked rice.  I used jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, but any plain rice will do... the sauce is the star of the show here!

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Buffalo Chicken Dip {and a Margarita Fruit Dip!}

I have made this dip four times in the past month.  My kids shovel it back with nacho chips, and it tastes great in a wrap with some avocado slices.  

Buffalo Chicken Dip.

We made it at a Pampered Chef party I hosted earlier this summer.  It's no secret that I love their products, and hosting a party is a great way to check more of their items off of my wish-list for free...or super cheap.  Plus, it's an excuse to eat and drink with friends.  Win win.

We took turns chopping, shredding, measuring, and stirring.

The next generation of home cooks was there too.  I love these girls.

Half a cup of hot sauce went into this dip!

And cheese.  Lots of melty cheese.

We also made a Margarita Fruit Dip.  With tequila.

You can have that recipe too.  You're welcome.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (I use 3)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup Ranch dressing (Renée's Buttermilk Ranch is my favourite)*

1/3-1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (depending on how hot you like it!)

1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar (or Tex Mex, or Monterey Jack... or any combination)

Cook and finely chop chicken.  I season and steam mine in my new Pampered Chef RockCrok.  Use whatever preferred method you have for moist and tender chicken that will be easy to chop into small pieces.  You don't want to break a chip trying to scoop up large a piece of chicken.  

Mash the cream cheese.  Add the Ranch dressing and whisk together.  Stir in the hot sauce and shredded cheese, combine well.  Microwave for two minutes to melt the cheeses.  Add the chopped chicken, stir, and microwave for one more minute.  Stir and serve with nacho chips.

*I've tried this with blue cheese dressing too...delicious!

Margarita Fruit Dip

I tub (250 g) of spreadable cream cheese

1 fresh orange

1 fresh lime

2 tbsp tequila (optional)

1/4 cup of icing sugar

1/2 cup whipped cream or cool whip

Zest and juice the citrus fruits.  Process the cream cheese, icing sugar, fruit juices and tequila until smooth.  Stir in one tablespoon each of orange and lime zest, then fold in whipped cream.  Serve with strawberries, pineapple, or any other fresh fruit.

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They're Back, and Zucchini Pasta

They're back!  

Someone (iphone challenged hubby) didn't realize he was taking pictures with a filter.  So here is London in all of its gloomy yellow-cast glory.  Thankfully there were hundreds of photos taken with my camera (which came back in one piece, hallelujah!), and I think I can edit these to improve the lighting and the colouring.

While the boys were away, my girl was also away, off to the States to celebrate the college graduation of a special someone in her life.  I had an entire week to:

Do less laundry.

Worry that they were all safe in their travels.

Creep their social media to see what they were doing.

Cook smaller portions.

I tried something new, and everyone that was home seemed to like it.  Zucchini 'pasta'.

Healthy and ridiculously easy.  I used a julienne peeler to shred the zucchini into ribbons of  'pasta', steamed it with garlic, added a little seasoning, and served it with some chicken.  

The taste is mild, the texture is good, and it makes a great pasta substitute.  I first tried this at a Pampered Chef party I recently went to.  They served it with chicken and a bruschetta type mixture that they mixed in with the steamed zucchini.  I opted to skip the bruschetta mixture as most of my kids don't like tomatoes, and just served the seasoned zucchini with the seasoned chicken.  This zucchini 'pasta' is very similar to the spaghetti squash that we also enjoy as an occasional substitute for pasta. 

The Miracle of Spaghetti Squash

Zucchini Pasta with Bruschetta Chicken

6 medium sized or 4 large zucchini, washed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

Additional seasoning to taste,  I used a bit of pepper, oregano, cumin, and some red pepper flakes

Using a julienne peeler, run it lengthwise along all sides of the zucchini to create ribbons of 'pasta'.  Keep peeling until you get to the middle, seeded part of the zucchini.  Stop there.  Toss your zucchini ribbons with minced garlic, then steam the zucchini until it is tender yet still slightly firm, just like al dente pasta.  You don't want it to be too soft or it will become mushy.  Drain any liquid that the zucchini has released.  Toss steamed zucchini with olive oil and seasoning. 

Bruschetta Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt, pepper, oregano (or Montreal Chicken Spice if it's available where you are) to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes (I prefer Roma tomatoes)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup (small handful) fresh basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Season chicken and heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Cook chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Remove from pan and shred chicken or cut into bite sized pieces.  Set aside.

Toss together the diced fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.  Combine the tomato mixture with the chopped chicken.

Serve the Bruschetta Chicken on top of the Zucchini Pasta.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

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