Thyme-Garlic Chicken

Recipe from BHG

The flavor was delicious! But next time I'll try doubling the liquids. Chicken was a little bit dry.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Clean chicken. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, thyme, salt. Place chicken in a 4-quart slow cooker. Pour orange juice and vinegar over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; cover and keep warm. Discard cooking juices.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Recipe from here

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk to blend. In a the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light in color, about 1 minute. Blend in the oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips with a spatula.

Drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a few inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the tops feel set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Recipe from Cooking Light

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

Recipe from Cooking Light

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; press until barely moist. Wipe pan clean.

3. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, juice, and garlic. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 3 tablespoons filling into each pocket. Seal with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Add broth, and cover pan. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until done.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

Recipe from This Blog

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped (I omitted)
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
  
• 24 oz. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
  
• chopped fresh cilantro
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• 1 avocado

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, shred chicken in crockpot with fork.

I served over brown rice and topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, & avocado.

Chili Bacon Burgers

These are ssoooooo deeeelicious!!!

Recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
8 thick slices center-cut bacon
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 small onion, half grated and half finely chopped, divided (i omitted)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons (2 palmfuls) chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
8 thin slices pepper jack or cheddar cheese
4 Kaiser rolls, split
1/2 cup chili sauce or chipotle salsa

Preparation:
Cook bacon. Let cool while you prepare the burgers.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. {Or use the Grill, which is what I did}. While the pan heats up, combine the ground sirloin with the grated onion, garlic, jalapeño and spices. Season with salt and pepper, and mix everything together with your hands.
Score the meat into four with the side of your hand and shape each portion into four large patties, dropping them into the hot pan as you shape them. Cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, lay 2 pieces of cheese over each burger and tent the pan loosely with foil to melt the cheese.
Toast the rolls under the broiler {Or on the grill}. Serve the burgers on the toasted buns topped with chili sauce or salsa, some chopped onion, 2 strips of bacon.
Enjoy!!

Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes & Feta

Ingredients:
1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/2 cup prepared naturally-prepared pesto
4 ripe organic plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled organic feta cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Meanwhile, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch round crust, about 1/4 inch thick. Place crusts on a floured baking sheet. Carry crusts and toppings out to the grill.
3. Lay crusts on grill (they won’t stay perfectly round). Cover grill and cook until crusts are lightly puffed and undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Using tongs, flip crusts. Immediately spread pesto over crusts. Top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with feta and pepper. Cover grill and cook until the undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.

Recipe from Kashi

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Recipe from Cooking Light

Chicken:
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

1. Pound chicken down and trim fat. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 3 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Southwestern Ranch Pasta Salad

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix
1 cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™Niblets® frozen corn
1/2 cup Hidden Valley® Spicy Ranch or The Original Ranch® dressing
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding corn during last 2 minutes of cooking.
2. Drain pasta and corn; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
3. Im medium bowl, stir together seasoning mix, dressing and lime juice. Stir in pasta with corn and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Pineapple Jerk Chicken and Rice

Recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped (I omitted)
1 jalapeño chile—stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1/2 pineapple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup jerk marinade, such as Lawry's
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1.In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rice, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes; drain.

2.Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion (omitted) and jalapeño and cook until the onion is browned, 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

3.Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pineapple and jerk marinade and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the onion mixture, black beans and cilantro; cook until the beans are heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve over the rice.