Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ben has been asking me to make a chicken lasagna for quite a long time now, but I never found a recipe that looked just right to me so I kept putting it off.  I was in the process of creating my own version from the many recipes I had read through, but then I saw this version on Renea’s blog and it looked perfect - she saved me the trouble!  Last week was a perfect opportunity to give this a try as it used up a lot of the leftover ingredients from the chicken and spinach quesadillas we had a few days earlier.  This recipe did not disappoint!  It was just the kind of thing I was looking for - a classic type of lasagna but with the chicken and spinach flavors very clearly coming through.  Delicious!  As usual, lasagna is incredibly un-photogenic, but just trust me, the taste makes up for it.

I made mine in a 2.5 quart casserole dish as I did not want to make a whole 9×13″ lasagna in case it did not turn out well.  We ended up with 6 large servings.  The curved edges of the dish didn’t cause much of a problem with the lasagna noodles.  I just broke off a few corners to make them fit well.  I really liked being able to have lasagna but not have a whole week’s worth, and I’ll try using a smaller dish again in the future.

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

salt and pepper

1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 (24-oz.) jar pasta sauce

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

9-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (depending on size of dish)

2 cups spinach, chopped

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

Place the chicken breast in a large non-stick skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through.  Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

 

Add 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the pasta sauce and the chicken to the skillet.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 minutes while making the ricotta layer.

 

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, egg and Italian seasoning.  Stir until well combined.

 

In a baking dish, spoon a thin layer of the pasta sauce mixture so that it just coats the bottom of the dish.  Top with one layer of lasagna noodles so that they cover the sauce completely.  Spread one half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with one cup of chopped spinach.  Layer with one third of the pasta sauce mixture.  Repeat the layers again with noodles, ricotta mixture with spinach, and pasta sauce.  The last layer will be noodles, the remaining pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: adapted from Sweet Savory Southern

Pineapple Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of those foods that just screams “shower food” to me - baby or bridal, it is certainly fitting for such an occasion.  I, however, have never been a fan of chicken salad (or tuna salad/egg salad/etc.)  I’m not sure why but they totally grossed me out before.  I really thought it seemed like a good choice for the shower though, so I went in search of a really good recipe.  I tried a couple (both good) but this one is better than just good - it is FANTASTIC.  As in, I ate it for lunch and dinner several days in a row and looked forward to meals so I would get some more of this yummy stuff.  Nearly everyone at the shower commented on how much they enjoyed this.  It is definitely a winner!

The Worcestershire sauce is key in the unique flavor of this salad, so I would not advise leaving it out.  I used grocery store rotisserie chicken which saved some time and was also nice because I was able to freeze the leftover pieces for later.  This is so good, it is the kind of thing I will probably make large batches of to have around whenever I want it. 

Pineapple Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast

½ cup matchstick cut carrots

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

¼ cup finely chopped celery

¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 8-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Serve on rolls or in pita pockets with romaine lettuce.

Source: adapted from Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats, originally from Cooking Light

Thai Chicken with Cashews

About a year ago I tried a recipe for cashew chicken from the dreaded Rachael Ray.  Ben enjoyed it but I pretty much hated it.  The flavors were weird and the spiciness was overpowering.  Ben has asked for it a couple of times since but I wasn’t about to make that recipe again, so when I saw this recipe I knew it would be the answer.  It was fantastic!  It was easy, fairly quick and tasted wonderful.  Now that we have found a winner, I cannot wait to have it again!

Thai Chicken with Cashews

Ingredients:

1 bunch scallions

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 ½ tbsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (or 1 ½ tsp. dried)

¼ tsp. roasted red pepper flakes

¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tbsp. soy sauce

1 ½ tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. sugar

½ cup salted roasted whole cashews

cooked white or brown rice for serving

 

Directions:

Chop scallions, separating white and green parts.  Pat chicken dry, then cut into ¾ -inch pieces and toss with salt and pepper.  Heat a wok or 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over moderately high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately.  Add oil, swirling to coat, then stir-fry chicken until golden in places and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.  Add bell pepper, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and scallion whites to wok and stir-fry until peppers are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

 

Stir together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar, then stir the mixture into the vegetables in the wok.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in cashews, scallion greens and chicken along with any juices accumulated on plate.  Serve with rice.

Source: Liz’s Cooking Blog

Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli in White Wine Cheddar Sauce

This past week of being back in the kitchen full-time has been a lots of fun for me, and very successful.  I have gotten to try lots of new recipes and make a few old ones as well.  This particular recipe has been bookmarked in my computer for a very long time, but because of the wine in the sauce, I held off making it during my pregnancy.  I made it a couple of nights ago and it was fantastic!  I think the white cheddar and the wine combine to create a nice unique flavor making this a little more special than your average pasta dish.  I halved the original recipe to make about 4 servings.  I had the leftovers the next day for lunch and they were just as good as the night before.  I’ll be making this again and again!

Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in White Wine Cheddar Sauce
Ingredients:
8 oz. ziti or other tube pasta
1 ½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste (see directions below)
1 ½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, blanched or steamed until tender
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
To make the garlic paste, roast 2-3 heads of garlic.  When cool, squeeze the cloves out of the skin into a bowl.  Mash with a fork.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  When just starting to foam, add the garlic paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the flour to the skillet and cook until beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute.  Stir the broth into the pan and simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Add the cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fold in the pasta, chicken and broccoli and stir until the sauce covers uniformly.  Plate and top with shaved Parmesan, if desired.

Source: adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights, originally from Good Things Catered

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

I have had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time but never got around to trying it.  This week I decided to give it a go and now I am totally kicking myself for not trying it sooner.  These were phenomenal!  I played around with the recipe slightly and I think it only made things better.  I served these with black beans from Elly’s blog, which were also delicious.  I can’t wait to make these again!

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

fajita seasoning, to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for brushing

3-4 oz. button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 cup packed fresh spinach

3-4 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 

Directions:

Combine the lime juice, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and garlic in a plastic bag.  Seal and shake well to combine.  Add the chicken breast to the bag and allow to marinate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

 

Place the chicken in a nonstick skillet and sprinkle to taste with fajita seasoning.  Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through.  Cut into small pieces and set aside.  In the same skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the chicken and spinach and sauté just until the spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

 

Brush a grill pan with olive oil and heat to medium/medium-high heat.  Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, spooning it onto half of each tortilla and leaving a border uncovered near the edge.  Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.  Fold the tortillas in half over the chicken mixture to enclose loosely.  Place on grill pan and cook until dark grill marks have formed on one side of the tortilla.  Flip over and repeat to achieve grill marks on both sides.  Repeat with remaining quesadillas.  Serve as desired with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

Mmmm, good old chicken quesadillas.  These are often my fall-back dish for ordering at a restaurant when nothing else sounds particularly good.  I have had this recipe on my “to try” list for many months and now I’m kicking myself for not trying it immediately.  I think I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations but I should know better - everything from Shawnda’s blog seems to turn out wonderfully!  I am disappointed that the weather here is still so very awful (I think it was about 15 degrees the night I made these).  I am really looking forward to trying them on the grill as she did, I think they will be awesome that way!  Next time I make these I will definitely use more sturdy tortillas.  I used the standard kind I normally use for making enchiladas, tacos, etc. but I need something a bit more heavy duty next time.  Otherwise, these were perfect.  The wet rub gives the chicken a wonderful flavor.  We had three quesadillas for dinner and one left over for lunch the next day.

Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ yellow onion, finely diced
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 large tortillas
olive oil, for brushing
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese  

For the wet rub:
1 ½ tsp. chili powder
1 ½ tsp. fajita seasoning
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime  

Directions:
Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat.  Whisk wet rub ingredients together in a pie plate.  Add the chicken and turn to coat.  Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and juices run clear.  Remove from the heat and cut the chicken into small pieces.  Return to the pan and add diced onion.  Sauté until the chicken is fully cooked and onions are tender.  

Brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil.  Flip over and top one half of the tortilla with chicken mixture, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese to taste.  Fold the tortilla over and carefully place the folded quesadilla onto the grill pan or skillet.  Cook until heated through and cheese has melted.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  To keep quesadillas warm while the others are still cooking, place in the oven on a baking sheet or other oven safe dish at 200°.  Cut the finished quesadillas into triangles and serve with salsa, sour cream or other toppings of your choice. 

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Herb Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Creamy Orzo

This dinner was absolutely delicious, and a really great new recipe to add to the dinner repertoire.  I broke in my new All Clad fry pan to make this - it is awesome!  This also reminds me, another reason I love this dinner….you only use one pan to cook the whole thing (well, I guess really two because of cooking the orzo, but the point is it doesn’t require many dishes).  I didn’t buy Herbes de Provence for this because I had already spent quite enough money on the fry pan, so I just used a recipe I found online to mix up my own at home using things I already had in my spice rack.

I have adapted this recipe for two people - really, it makes dinner for two plus some leftover orzo for the next day.  I made a few alterations and substitutions to the recipe, some inspired by Tara and some by the final result of my meal.  Ben and I both really enjoyed this and I look forward to making it again.

Herb Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Creamy Orzo
Ingredients:
8 oz. orzo
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 ½ cups fresh broccoli florets
½-2/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan  

Directions:
Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil over medium-high heat.  Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.  

Season chicken breasts on both sides with Herbes de Provence (1 tsp. per breast), salt and pepper.  

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook 4-5 minutes before turning.  Once chicken has been turned, cook 2 minutes more.  Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes (adding more olive oil if necessary).  Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook for 4 minutes more, until tender but still firm.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the whipping cream.  Add the orzo to the pan and stir to coat.  Remove from heat and add grated Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat.  Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Serve.

 

 

 

Source: adapted from Smells Like Home and Food Network

Chicken Stuffed Shells and Garlic Bread

I have been joking throughout the past several weeks that the baby I am growing must be Italian (though we have no Italian heritage), because I have been craving Italian foods more than anything else. Pasta in any form - plain old spaghetti, layered into lasagna, or stuffed in this case - I want it all. This dinner was so incredibly good. The recipe makes a ton of food, and I would normally recommend halving it (as it would still feed you for about three nights), but I froze half for my brother who is in college and could use some good food every now and then. Of course, I loved this so much that for a split second I considered eating his frozen portion as well, but I was a good girl in the end.

There are many versions of this recipe floating around food blogs and message boards. I chose this one because of the large quantity and the use of the food processor, making the whole thing much faster. This has a lot of great flavor, and is delicious as leftovers.

Garlic and Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
1 box (or more) uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 50-55)
6 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts, cooked and coarsely shredded
30 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 ½ tsp. dried parsley (1 tbsp. fresh, chopped)
6 large basil leaves, torn
1/3 cup half and half
approx. 28 oz. pasta sauce
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta shells according to package directions and drain. Separate onto a cutting board or cookie sheet to prevent from sticking together. Add ingredients garlic through half and half to a food processor and process until just combined. Add more salt and pepper if necessary, to taste.

Spoon enough sauce into baking dish(es) to cover the bottom. Fill the cooked shells with the ricotta mixture and place open side up in a prepared baking dish. Spoon as much of the remaining sauce over shells as desired. Bake covered with foil for 15-20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

If freezing extra shells, to cook from the freezer, thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed above.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from Allrecipes

I decided to make homemade garlic bread to go along with this meal, and this was a great opportunity to try out this recipe I have been wanting to attempt for a long time. My swirl did not turn out as pretty as Amber’s and the dough was slightly tricky to work with, but the end result was absolutely delicious. Ben is already begging me to make this again. The loaf didn’t last long in our house Next time I may add a bit less flour or a little bit more liquid, as the dough really didn’t come together easily and required a lot of hand-kneading despite my mixer’s best efforts. It was definitely worth the work.

Garlic Herb Swirl Bread
Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups bread flour, divided
1 tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. active dry or quick-rising yeast
½ tsp. salt
1 cup very warm water (115-125°)
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened or melted

For the filling:
4 tbsp. butter, softened
5-6 cloves roasted garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large bowl or in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer combine 2 cups bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add in water and butter/margarine and mix by hand or on low speed for 1 minute. Add in remaining flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough is moist but not sticky.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it over to coat with oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 40-45 minutes.

Grease a 9×5” loaf pan. Punch down the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle no more than 9” wide. Combine butter, garlic, parsely, oregano, basil and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and mix until well combined. Spread the butter mixture over the surface of the dough rectangle. Tightly roll up the dough into a cylinder shape, pinching and tucking ends to form a tight seal. Place seam side down in prepared loaf pan. Oil the surface of the loaf and cover loosely with a clean cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 20-45 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for about 30 minutes more. To prevent over-browning, cover with foil toward the end of baking if necessary. Bake until crust is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer from pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing.

Source: adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this soup over a week ago when we were snowed in. It was a nice meal to help keep warm while the wind and snow were going strong outside. This has a really great combination of flavors and was exactly what I was looking for in a tortilla soup recipe. I made a few adaptations to the recipe based on the fact that grocery stores in our area are absolutely awful at stocking remotely unique ingredients such as any variety of pepper other than bell or jalapeno. I also left out the corn because it turned out we didn’t have any, and the avocado because I’m not a fan. This was definitely a full meal on its own. I just served it with rolls on the side. We are both looking forward to having it again!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
4 tomatoes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ red bell pepper, diced (about ½ cup)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 diced jalapeno peppers
½ (15 oz.) can peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper
cayenne, to taste (optional)
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts

For garnish:
tortilla chips or strips
1 tomato, diced
chopped fresh cilantro
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice the tomatoes in half. Spread 1 tbsp. of the olive oil on a baking sheet or pizza pan and arrange the tomatoes on top, skin side up. Drizzle the tomatoes with another 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and the tomatoes are slightly brown around the edges.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 4-qt. soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté about 5 minutes, until the vegetables become soft. Stir in the chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, 1 cup water, and half of the diced jalapenos. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover, decrease the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Place the remaining jalapenos, the canned tomatoes with their juices and the roasted tomatoes (included as much as possible of the juices and browned tomato bits) in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Puree the jalapeno-tomato mixture about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the soup and continue simmering, covered, about 1 hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste and ground cayenne pepper (if using) along with the cooked chicken. Allow to simmer a few minutes, until chicken is heated through.

Ladle the soup into medium bowls. Lean some tortilla chips against the edge of each bowl, partially sticking out of the soup. Sprinkle each bowl with a handful of diced tomatoes, some cilantro, and shredded cheese. Top with a spoonful of sour cream. Serve immediately.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from The Pastry Queen, 2004.

"Benchiladas"

Wow, it has been a long time since my last blog update! What can I say? I’ve been a busy girl, and have been making pretty un-blogworthy food lately. This dinner, however, had to be added. This meal is one of the first things I learned to make on my own when I was teaching myself to cook. My dad got it out of our local newspaper and made it while I was growing up. Then when I moved out I started making it on my own, and made a few changes to make it even better.

This meal is Ben’s absolute favorite. No matter how good I get at cooking or whatever else I learn to make, we both know nothing will replace these enchiladas as his number one. Whenever I make a new menu for the coming weeks and I ask him what he would like, he always starts with, “Enchiladas!” Any special occasion coming up - I ask him what he wants, and it is, “Enchiladas!” He doesn’t care that these are probably the least authentic enchiladas ever, he LOVES them. I enjoy them too, although I don’t understand the obsession. When I made them this past weekend, he said I just had to add them to the blog, and not only that, I should call them “Benchiladas”. It gave me a pretty good laugh and I think now it may just stick

This recipe really makes a varying amount of enchiladas depending on how big the chicken breasts are that I use and how much meat I put in each one. I don’t have exact measurements for most of the ingredients because it is really just to taste. This makes a lot of food and is enough to feed several people or to feed two for multiple meals. I recommend reheating leftovers in the oven at 350° until heated through (about 10-12 minutes).

Cheesy Chicken “Benchiladas”
Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15) - we like Azteca, packs of 10
jar of salsa
shredded mexican cheese (I usually use close to 4 cups, I love cheese!)

Directions:
Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.