Chicken, Squash, & Apple Hash

I found this recipe on a coupon blog (weird, I know) months ago and we eat this probably twice a month, we all (with only one exception) love it.  I've changed several things, I'm going to list the recipe as we make it, but there is lots of room for your changes.   Original recipe from Collin at Hip2Save.com.

1 acorn squash, peeled, cleaned and cubed
1/2 - 1 medium onion chopped
1 - 2 apples diced
1 large chicken breast, cut into small chunks and pan-fried (you may want to add more chicken)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika for a bacon flavor
chopped walnuts
salt & pepper to taste

Set your oven to broil, then throw the cubed butternut squash on a sprayed cookie sheet. I spray my squash with olive oil as well. Let broil for about 8 minutes. Make sure to stir every couple of minutes. I take them out before they look done, I don't like them mushy.
While the squash is cooking,  heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Throw in the chopped onions and stir occasionally until they are softened and starting to brown a little and add the paprika.
Now add the apples into the skillet with the onions. Stir for a minute and then add everything else (cooked chicken, broiled squash and chopped nuts). Season with salt and pepper.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Lately I have been really into Franks Red Hot Sauce, so when I saw this recipe I knew I was going to love it. It is super easy and just plain good. I found the original recipe at mykitchenapron.blogspot.com, but adapted it a little.

Ingredients:
3 lb bag chicken
1 bottle Franks Red Hot Wing's Buffalo Sauce
4 tbs. Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
6 oz cream cheese
Good Sandwich Bread(I used ciabatta bread)

Just throw the chicken, franks red hot sauce(I did all of it), and ranch mix into a crock-pot and let it cook for 4-5 hours. When the chicken is tender shred it, and add the cream cheese. Then serve on delicious toasted bread. We didn't put any cheese on, but I'm sure it would make the sandwich that much better. Enjoy!

Tropical Chicken Salad Wrap

It was summer here today with a high in the upper 80's.  We needed something light and cool for dinner and I found this from the website www.delish.com   I had to make a few changes, they are noted below.  This was very good and 'refreshing'.

• 2 cup(s) cooked skinless chicken, shredded
• 1 can(s) (1-ounce) mandarin oranges , drained (I used 3 fresh cuties, cut into pieces)
• 1/2 cup(s) shredded coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup(s) roasted cashews (any nut would work, I used chopped almonds)
• 1 bunch(es) scallions, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime  (about 2 Tbls of lime juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) pepper
• 1/3 cup(s) mayonnaise
• lettuce leaves 
• tortillas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Mix everything except the lettuce and tortillas together.  Lay the leaves on the tortillas and spread the salad on top, roll it up and enjoy!  

Chicken Parmigiana

I love italian food and this is no exception. This Chicken Parmigiana was amazing and the leftovers were even better. This recipe is from thepioneerwoman.com.

4 whole(up to 6) boneless chicken breasts pounded flat
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbs butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups wine (white or red)
3 cans (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely
1 cup parmesean cheese (freshly grated is best)
1 lb thin linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your past. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Without cleaining skillet, add onions and garlice and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breast on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated parmesean. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add mor cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a palte and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley and serve immediatley.

Cheesy Chicken in Poblano Sauce

I saw this on the Rachael Ray Show and thought that it sounded good and also easy. It was yummy! I would fix it again. I served it on rice but I think it would work on pasta or with nothing. Enjoy!

2 to 3 medium poblano peppers, seeded and stemmed, chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
A small handful cilantro leaves, plus a few leaves for garnish
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or Mexican crema
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
Thinly sliced red onions, for garnish, (I didn't do this)

Yields: 4
Preparation

In a blender or food processor, combine peppers with stock, onions, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper, purée. In a saucepot over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour; add milk and cream, and raise heat a bit. Add poblano purée and simmer to thicken and cook sauce, 20-25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a tablespoon of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 remaining tablespoon butter and melt. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and brown 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to casserole dish, spread poblano sauce over the top and cover with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on size of chicken pieces – it should be brown and bubbly on top.

Creamy Penne Bake

I love broccoli and pasta with a cream sauce, so when I found this recipe at Mels Kitchen Cafe I knew I needed to give it a try. I have used both smoked and regular mozzarella and while the smoked adds an incredible flavor regular mozzarella works perfectly in a pinch. I did reduce the amount of sundried tomatoes. I think a small amount adds flavor while too many overpowered the dish.  The creaminess of the pasta with a crunch from the topping makes this incredible!

Creamy Penne Bake

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta (I have used both veggie and wheat and you cannot tell)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
4 oz. sundried tomatoes, diced (if you are not a fan leave them out, I have tried both ways and the dish can hold its own without.)

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until shimmering in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cashew Chicken

I made this tonight and everyone gobbled it up!  It's adapted from a recipe on Rasa Malysia's website.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds boneless & skinless chicken breast (cut into small cubes)
1 cup cashews
1 large green bell pepper (cut into small square pieces)
1/2 onion (cut into small square pieces)
1/4-1/2 tsp ginger

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon water

Sauce:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1.5 teaspoon soy sauce
6 tablespoons water
6 dashes white pepper powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (this tenderizes the chicken)
2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the cornstarch and water for 15 minutes.
3. Mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. Heat up a large, deep frying pan (or a wok if you have one, I don't) with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked.  Set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan and add in the bell peppers, onions, and ginger.
6. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes and add the chicken back in.
7. Add the cashews and do a few quick stirs.
8. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

So I love any food that is Mexican, authentic or americanized and these taquitos are no exception. They were absolutely delicious. I got the recipe from ourbestbites.com.

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (i used canned)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

corn or flour tortillas

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. We dipped ours with sour cream and salsa.

Crispy Coconut Chicken

Crispy Coconut Chicken

From Our Best Bites

8 chicken tenders
1-2 eggs
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop the coconut a bit. Combine coconut, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, curry powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Dip chicken into flour, then egg, and then into the coconut bread crumbs. Line your baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean up. Bake about 18-20 minutes. Do not overcook because they will be dry. We dipped out chicken in sweet and sour sauce. Serve it with coconut rice. Cook rice as directed but put in a can of coconut milk, so yummy.

Butter Chicken

4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoons Black Pepper

½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander

¼ teaspoons Cumin

¼ teaspoons Cardamom

1 whole Lime, Juiced

1 whole Onion, Diced

¼ cups Butter

1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce

1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 cup Whipping Cream

1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste

2 cups Basmati Rice

Combine the first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight (I only did it for a few hours and it was still yummy). Melt butter in pan, cook onions until tender. Add chicken and cook until done. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes. Add cream and cilantro. Serve over rice.

It is a little spicy so if you don't like hot food then decrease the cayenne or omit it completely.

I got the recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

Southwest Chicken

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I got this recipe from E-Mealz.  It's very easy and I thought it was very versatile. 

1 Tblsp oil

3-4 chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)

1 cup salsa

1 can black beans

1 can of corn (I used frozen corn, just over 1 cup)

cilantro

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for a couple of minutes on each side.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix the salsa, corn, and beans in a crock pot. Add your chicken to the top and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Garnish with cilantro.  I added some cilantro at the beginning and then a little more as a garnish.  I thought the chicken would be a bit more moist if it was mixed into the sauce instead of on top of it.  We just ate it as with some cheese sprinkled on top.  But,  I thought it could be very versatile -  it would be good over rice or on tortillas with all the fixin's  or anyway.  It was very good.  I fixed a quick south western salad (greens, cilantro, beans, corn and southwest dressing) and it was a very good and easy meal to fix.  I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day on corn tortillas with some sour cream - very good.   Enjoy!

Chicken Avocado Enchiladas

This is a new recipe that I tried with of course a few changes but I found the recipe on the food blog, The girl who ate everything. I really like her blog and really enjoyed her 12 days of cookies before Christmas. Anyway, here it is, enjoy!

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
2 1/2 cups salsa
2 rounded tsp. cumin
1 1/2 cups chopped red or green pepper, I used red
6 oz. cream cheese, softened, I used the 1/3 less fat kind and it worked great.
1 cup chopped purple onion, or green onions, I used the purple.
2/3 cup sliced olives
2 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed, I just sliced it.
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas, I used corn and it made about 12.
Shredded cheese
1 can enchilada sauce, I used the green kind
For garnish your can use
Sour cream
Extra olives
Diced tomatoes

Throw pepper and onion in with chicken the last minute or two of cooking it. Combine chicken mixture with 1 cup of salsa, and cumin. Simmer and stir 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and olives. Stir until cream cheese melts.
Divide avocado pieces or slices evenly between the tortillas. Put them down the center strip of the tortilla. Top with the chicken mixture.
Roll up tightly. Cut in half if using flour but you don't need to if you are using corn tortillas. Place seam side down in sprayed pan. Spoon remaining salsa over enchiladas. Sprinkle some cheese over top. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot.
Serve with hot enchilada sauce and optional toppings if desired.

Chicken and Noodles over Mash Potatos

This is an awesome recipe that my mom made for us growing up and it is my great grandma's recipe.


Noodles

2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 T. oil
1 T cream or canned milk
1-2 C flour

Mix all ingredients together and add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Put on well floured surface and roll out thin. Flour both bottom and top and fold up and cut into long noodles. Unfold noodles and let them dry for several hours on a cooling rack.

Chicken

1 whole chicken with the insides removed
1 onion
4-6 cups of water
2-4 Chicken bouillon cubes
Thickening agent (can use either sure jell or cornstarch)

Place chicken and onion in a large pot and cover 2/3 with water. Allow chicken to simmer in water covered until the meat begins to fall off the bone (this took about an 1 1/2 hours when I did it). Remove chicken and onion from the broth and allow it to cool. Take all the meat off the chicken bones and shred.
Place a handful of ice cubes in the cooled broth and stir. This will help all the left over fat to gel so that you can scoop it up and remove it from the broth. Bring broth to a boil and add as many bouillon cubes you feel are needed for a good flavoring. Add chicken and noodles and simmer until noodles are soft. Add as much thickening as needed to have a gravy consistency. (If you're using the sure jell you can just sprinkle it into the warm broth, if using cornstarch mix several tablespoons with cold water and slowly stir into broth). Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was supposed to blog yesterday and it is now Thursday evening. We had a few hectic days. Yesterday I had to go to a last minute meeting and then came home to find a very sick dog at home. I ended up taking him to an emergency vet and was gone until midnight. I don't want to talk about how much money I spent at the Vet office!  Not that you care what my excuses are, but I feel better sharing them with you.

I made this soup on Halloween weekend and it was delicious. I found this recipe on one of my new favorite food blogs For the Love of Cooking. Here is a link to the recipe. http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/chicken-tortilla-soup.html

I did make a few changes to the recipe. I only added 8 cups of chicken broth instead of 10 because my husband likes thick soup. I also added a can of black beans and omitted the jalapenos because I didn't have any. The avocado topping with the cojita cheese was amazing. I didn't make my own tortilla strips and we just crushed some tortilla chips on top.  I'm sure the homemade ones would be better and healthier.  Be sure to try the soup.

Shredded Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
3 cups of chicken broth or water
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and gently boil for 20 minutes. Let the chicken breasts cool then shred with two forks.

Soup:

2 tsp olive oil
2 cups of onion, diced
1 cup of celery, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (more if you want spicy)
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock (I used homemade)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of cumin (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground coriander seed (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/2 a cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
6 fresh white corn tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and saute until tender. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add the carrots, celery, jalapeno, tomatoes, broth, cumin, coriander, sea salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup of cilantro. Cut the 6 corn tortillas in half, then cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the corn tortillas have melted away. Add the chicken, taste and re season if needed.

Corn tortilla strips:

5 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Spray each side of all the tortillas & lay in a pile. Cut into thin strips & spread across the baking dish then season with sea salt. Bake in the oven until golden brown - watch them carefully because they burn easily. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes.

Additional Toppings:

1 - 2 avocados, diced
Cotija cheese, grated
Fresh cilantro (remainder from above ingredients)

Ladle soup into large soup bowls. Add some avocado, tortilla strips, a sprinkle of cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!

Asian Noodle Salad

This summer my sister-in-law made us a really yummy salad.  I loved it!  She said it was from Pioneer Woman so I went looking for it.  I changed quite a few things, but it's all good!

 I'm not quite as adventuresome as Jana or the Pioneer Woman - here's what I used:
1 pound linguine noodles (cooked)
 purple cabbage
lettuce
baby spinach
carrots
various colors of bell peppers
cilantro


The amount of vegetables depends on how many veggies you use.  Really, whatever you like and is in your fridge is good!

The Dressing:

Juice from 1 Lime
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
2 cloves Garlic Chopped
Chopped Cilantro

I know Jana added chicken to hers and made it more filling.  The secret is to add the dressing to each serving so everyone gets as much as they like and then the salad saves well if you don't eat it all.  We loved it!

Lime Basil Stuffed Chicken

So I was craving something creamy and just good the other night and was going through my pantry, fridge, and freezer just trying to figure out what I wanted when I came up with this idea and so I tried it and I actually really enjoyed it so I hope everyone else does too.

4 chicken breasts

8 slices of deli ham

12 slices havarti cheese

basil leaves

2 tbs olive oil

1 can cream of chicken

1/4 cup of lime juice (don't be stingy on this)

1/4 tsp of pepper

2 tbs mayonnaise

First you cut the chicken breast like you would a sub sandwich leaving one edge connected then put 2 slices of ham in each chicken breast and then pile on 2 slices of Havarti cheese and then 4-6 basil leaves and then role up the chicken breasts and tooth pick together. Then cook over low heat with olive oil covered. I would say cook the first side for about 7 minutes and then flip depending on the size of your chicken breasts and cook an additional 7 minutes. While the chicken is cooking mix the cream of chicken, lime juice, pepper, and mayonnaise in a separate bowl. I also added about 8 chopped basil leaves to the mixture and 4 slices of Havarti cheese broken up to it. When the chicken is just about done poor the sauce on top of the chicken and put the lid back on and let it simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes. And then enjoy by itself, or on top of rice or pasta.

Chicken Taco Soup

Love this soup! I found it at thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com but i made a few changes.
half an onion, chopped finely

1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1 c. frozen corn

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 (10 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning

2 chicken breasts, thawed or frozen

Stir onion, beans, corn, tomato sauce, dice tomatoes, and taco sauce into a slow cooker. Lay the chicken breast on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly so that it gets covered by other ingredients. Set slow cooker to low heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours on high if your chicken is frozen. May take 4-5 hours on low if your chicken is thawed.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Stir shredded chicken back into the soup.

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips.

Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce

I got this recipe from the blog Healthy and Easy Recipes. Here is a link to it http://healthyeasyrecipes.blogspot.com/. The original directions said to cook the chicken in the oven but I was at swimming until 7:00 so I cooked it in the crockpot for a 3 hours and it turned out great. We had broccoli with it and the sauce was good on the broccoli.

1 TBSP olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken, chopped onion and chopped sun dried tomatoes in crockpot. Mix together the garlic, vinegar, olive oil and chicken broth. Pour over chicken, onion and tomatoes. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Serve over brown rice.

Mike's Chicken Divan

Mike loves Chicken Divan, but I have never been able to make it the 'right' way.  So we came up with this - all the ingredients, but not a casserole.  We all eat it our own way.  Mike eats each food separately and I eat all of them together and the kids all have every combination.

 

The only 'recipe' to this is the sauce. 

1/2 can cream of chicken soup (you can freeze the other half)

about 1 cup sour cream

lemon juice to taste (1-2 tsps)

Stir it all together and warm it up on the stove or in the microwave. 

We grill 3-4 chicken breasts sprinkled with lemon pepper, then cut it up.

Cook 2 cups of rice.

Steam 2-3 cups of broccoli.  

Spring Rolls

My husband and I had spring rolls at a Tai restaurant and loved them a couple of years ago. I found a recipe shortly after that and started making my own. Mine aren't as pretty but they do taste just as good. You can personalize them and make them your own.


1 package of Broccoli slaw or finely shredded cabbage
1/2 package shredded carrots
2 bell peppers chopped finely
1 bunch green peppers chopped
fresh ginger finely chopped
julienned cucumbers
1 -2 cups bean sprouts
rice noodles
lime juice
soy sauce
Sliced chicken(I like to use teriyaki or wing ding chicken)
Rice Paper


You could chop your own cabbage but I love the shredded packages of cabbage broccoli slaw to make it easier. Recently I started using the broccoli slaw and I like them even better. It is shredded more finely and I like the taste.

Combine all of the chopped vegetables (except the cucumbers), bean sprouts and rice noodles. (You can use whatever vegetables you have. Last time I made them I didn't have bean sprouts or rice noodles but they were just as good.) Add a tablespoon or 2 of the lime juice and soy sauce at a time and then taste. Add a tablespoon at time to your liking.

Put some hot water into a large pie plate. The rice paper is stiff like paper until you soak it in the water. Hot water will soften the rice paper faster. Once the rice paper is soft, put on a plate and put 1/2 cup vegetable with a slice or 2 of chicken and the julienned cucumber. Fold over both ends and rolls as tightly as you can. My family likes to eat them with a homemade peanut sauce. See recipe below for the peanut sauce and the teriyaki and wing ding chicken. The spring rolls are a lot of work but are well worth it and very healthy. Try them!


Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp b. sugar
1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup cocunut milk
1/4 cup water

Combine all the ingredients except the water in a saucepan. Once it is well mixed add the water and heat over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil and thicken. ( I like to double the recipe and then freeze it for next time. It freezes well.)



Wing Ding Chicken
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 lb. chicken tenderloins

Blend sauce ingredients and then put sauce and chicken in pan. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or more. Turn chicken halfway through.


Teriyaki Chicken
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb. chicken tenderloins

Blend sauce ingredients and then put sauce and chicken in pan. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or more. Turn chicken halfway through.