[takeout chicken]

It's healthy and delicious, and totally fixes the chinese takeout craving without making us feel guilty about all the fried deliciousness they offer. We like it spicy, so I just eyeball the amount of garlic and red pepper and add more at the end according to my mood. This is based off of a recipe from Rachael Ray, who can't measure cooking times or tablespoons to save her life.

1 tbsp vegetable oil (use a nonstick skillet)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and black pepper
1 tsp dried ginger (give or take, eyeball and adjust to your tastes)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup tamari (aged soy sauce)
3 tbsp honey
1/2 head iceburg lettuce, shredded or cut into thin strips

Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips, or small cubes. Heat large nonstick skillet over med/high heat. Add the oil and the chicken. Season chicken with a little salt and lots of black pepper. Mix the chicken often until it begins to brown. Add the ginger and red pepper. Stir and let sit for about a minute. Lower the heat to low (and let the pan slowly cool down as you finish the recipe.) Add the scallion and garlic and stir until garlic is fragrant. Add the tamari and honey to form a sauce. Stir and let sit on low heat for about 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Cover a platter with the shredded lettuce and top with the chicken and sauce. Serve family style.

Tip: Scallions aren't something we always have in the house, so sometimes I'll use onion salt instead of regular salt to season the chicken and omit the scallions. The basic flavor is there, and it's still very good. Also - the lettuce gets even better as the meal goes on. We never have leftovers.... This recipe above could feed 3 people, but we usually just have light, small side dishes and 2 servings of the chicken.

[twice baked potatoes]

Medium to large potato (1 per person)

Vegetable oil

Milk (2 tbsp per potato)

Garlic powder

Dill

Grated cheese (like Colby Jack, at least 3 tbsp per potato)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash potato prick holes in it with a fork (about 8 stabs per potato). Rub each potato all over with a little oil. Place the potato right on the oven rack (no pan) and bake for 45-60 minutes. (You should be able to tell when it's done by grabbing it with an oven mitt, a little soft, squeezable).

Adjust oven to 350 degrees.

Let potato cool for 5 minutes. Cut top 1/4 of less from potato, lengthwise. Scoop out the potato's insides and put into medium sized bowl. Reserve skin. Mix potato, milk, a couple dashes of garlic powder, a dash of dill, some of the cheese (save a little), salt and pepper. Mash until it's lumpy but well mixed. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Put potato mixture back into the potato skin, packing it in but letting it overfill. Put it into a baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Put into 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. It's done when the cheese is melted to your liking.

Tip: When you've removed after the cheese is melted, cut a small 1-inch cut into the top of each and place 1/3 tbsp of butter in each. Serve while hot.

[erin's chx blue]

 

this recipe doesn't get called by name in our house - we just call it "can we have that chicken thing with the bacon..." it's awesome. Truly made from Erin's imagination.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line metal pan with foil and olive oil.

2 chicken breasts, pounded until flat (about 1/4-inch thick)
2 pieces deli sliced swiss cheese
frozen broccoli florets (depending on size, 4-6 per breast)
4 slices deli ham
cajun seasoning
sea salt (the big chunk stuff)
black pepper
Olive Oil
2-4 slices of bacon (we prefer the real stuff, but you could use turkey if you want to cheat yourself)

Pound chicken breasts (in a large ziploc bag, or between sheets of wax paper), with a meat mallet until flat. Put chicken on cutting board or large plate. On the outer side of the chicken, rub cajun seasoning to your liking, and salt and pepper to taste. Flip back over and place on each breast: 1 piece swiss, broccoli and 2 slices ham (in that order). Roll chicken around ingredients (ok if ends are open, just make sure most of the inner goodness is inside the chicken). Move chicken aside and place bacon in an 'X'. Place the chicken on the bacon (seam side down) and wrap the bacon around the chicken, tugging slightly to ensure it's tight and wrapped. (I let the X be underneath on the seam of the chicken and the 'top of the chicken' be the side with the bacon overlapping, usually two parralel lines rather than another 'X' on top.) Place the chicken in the metal pan with foil. Drizzle a little olive oil on each breast.

Bake for 50 minutes. Set oven to broil and remove chicken once bacon begins to brown and crisp. (You don't need to flip the chicken).
Serve with vegetables.

[chicken salad]

The Goods:
leftover chicken (or turkey), cubed or cut up into small pieces (we usually have 1 or 2 chicken breasts)
1 celery stalk, chopped

Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use low fat)
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp black pepper

Mix the chicken and celery in a medium bowl. Mix the mayo, vinegar, mustard and sugar with a spoon in a small bowl. Add salt and black pepper to your liking. Slowly add the sauce mixture to the chicken mixture until it's to your liking. (Better to have leftover sauce than overly wet chicken salad).

Serve on bread with lettuce.

Leftover salad is great, but doesn't last in our house for more than one day because we eat it ASAP.

[parmesean baked potato]

serves 2
an edited version of Paula Deen's 'Half-Baked Potato'

1 large baking potato
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp paprika
Garlic Salt or Powder (The salt helps build a better crust, but if you're watching your salt intake, cheat yourself)

Cut the potato in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with olive oil. Mix Parmesan, paprika and garlic together. Dip the cut sides in the Parmesan mixture. Place the potato, cut sides down, on a greased pan (Pam), and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve cut side up and enjoy with some Smart Balance or butter, or sour cream... or whatever you want.