Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus and Spinach

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus and Spinach is a filling one pot meal. I love one pot meals that incorporate protein, veggies, and grains. This pasta dish is packed full of fresh lemon flavor and is healthier with Greek yogurt as the cream sauce.

Click here for recipe from Gimme Some Oven - I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti Noodles to make it gluten free.

Chicken Souvlaki and Tzatziki Sauce with Rice

 

The flavors in this Mediterranean inspired Greek dish are amazing. The chicken is perfectly seasoned with lemon, garlic, parsley, and oregano. The cool and creamy tzatziki sauce seasoned with lemon and mint provides a nice contrast to the chicken. While this dish normally would be served with naan, to make it gluten free I served over a bed a brown rice topped with vegetables. This dish is definitely a new favorite for my family.


Click here for recipe from Rachael Ray - just serve over brown rice instead of garlic naan to make it gluten free.

Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kabobs

While summer is officially over today :(, I'm just now getting around to posting this recipe for Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kabobs. My husband made these for dinner with Grilled Pepper & Onion Brown Rice on the side towards the end of July. If you're missing summer already, one bite of these juicy and sweet kabobs can bring back instant summer memories.


Click here for recipe from SkinnyTaste

Caprese Chicken Skillet

 

 

I cannot get enough of Caprese during the summer. If you've noticed a theme of my recipes lately, which I've been trying to spread out as best as I can, I'm obsessed with all things Caprese. I absolutely love the flavors of fresh mozzarella, garden-ripe tomatoes, and sweet garden grown basil.

This Caprese Chicken Skillet recipe is super flavorful. Tender, seasoned chicken is topped with juicy cherry tomatoes, sweet basil, and creamy melted mozzarella cheese. Yum, yum, yum!


Click here for recipe from Key Ingredient

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Tilapia with Red Potatoes and Asparagus

 

We love grilling season, but fish rarely gets grilled in our home as we haven’t found a way to prepare it that my husband and I both enjoy. Grilled Bacon Wrapped Tilapia was one of the grilled fish recipes we experimented with this summer. It was good, but my husband and I found the combination of bacon and tilapia to be unique and somewhat odd. If you love the combination of fish and bacon, you’d likely enjoy this meal. The star of this dinner was the grilled asparagus. My husband prepares it a few times a week on the grill. The asparagus is crispy when seasoned lightly and lightly charred on the grill.

 

What’s your favorite way to enjoy grilled fish? I’d love to try new recipes while it’s still grilling season.

 

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Tilapia with Red Potatoes

Inspired by a Hy-Vee magazine recipe

 

Ingredients:

·6 small red potatoes, halved

·¼ tsp ground thyme
·2 tilapia filets

·4 slices of bacon

·1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

·½ tsp onion powder
·¼ tsp black pepper
·Dash of paprika

 

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they can be pierced with a knife, but still firm and not cooked completely. Drain.

 

Spray a grilling basket with non-stick cooking spray. Heat grill to medium high. Season tilapia with thyme. Wrap each tilapia fillet with 2 slices of bacon, covering as much fish as possible. In a small bowl, combine the EVOO and rest of the seasonings. Add potatoes and toss gently to coat. Arrange fish and potatoes in a grill basket. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until bacon is brown and crisp. Flip basket over and grill an additional 8-10 minutes or until bacon is crisp and potatoes are fork tender.

 

Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients:

·1 bunch of fresh asparagus

·2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

·Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Combine asparagus, EVOO, and seasoning in a plastic baggie. Shake to coat asparagus thoroughly. Place on a grill heated to medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, rotating the asparagus to assure it’s evenly cooked.

Hummus Pizza

Hummus Pizza is my new favorite summer pizza. If these Mediterranean pizza toppings sound whacky, you can rest assured that it’s a tasty change from traditional Italian pizza toppings as my traditional-food-loving-husband said as I was preparing Hummus Pizza, “I was going to say ‘eww,’ but the last thing you made with hummus was pretty good.”  He was hesitant to try the pizza, but after a bite from one of my slices he asked for another bite and another before I stopped sharing and he got his own. Hummus Pizza tastes fresh, savory from the hummus and chicken, and a touch sweet from the fresh onions and basil from our garden.

Hummus Pizza

Ingredients:

·1 Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust
·¾ cup red pepper hummus
·½ cup cooked grilled chicken, chopped

·½ small onion, chopped
·½ green pepper, chopped
·½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
·Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread hummus on top of pizza crust. Top with chicken, onion, pepper, and cheese. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Cook for 10 minutes on a pizza stone, or until crust and cheese begins to brown.

Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

This Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad is healthy, flavorful, spicy, and crunchy. My picky husband even enjoyed it. Yummy!

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Slightly adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

·1 cup quinoa
·2  cups water
·1½ cups cooked, diced chicken
·1 cup broccoli
·1 cup chopped carrots
·½ cup cream cheese with chives
·6 green onions, chopped
·½ cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
·½ cup hot sauce
·1 tsp season salt

Directions:

Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and drain. In a medium pot, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until almost all of the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together olive oil, hot sauce, and season salt in a small bowl.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the broccoli and carrots for about 5 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa, cooked chicken, buffalo dressing, green onions, and cream cheese to the pan. Stir until all ingredients are heated through and well-combined. Serve warm.

Chinese Orange Chicken

As I mentioned last week, Mike and I went on a Chinese addiction a last month. It also involved this new recipe - Chinese Orange Chicken. We revised the original recipe to make it gluten free and healthier (less oil and sugar, added veggies). The result was still delicious - sweet, but not too overwhelming; crunchy, but not coated in a greasy, fried batter.

While our Chinese addiction has ended for now, I'm sure it won't be long until we crave it again. What's your favorite Chinese dish?

Chinese Orange Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:
·1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 2” pieces
·1 cup chicken broth
·1 TBS orange zest
·½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
·⅓ cup white vinegar
·¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
·⅓ cup granulated sugar
·¼ tsp ginger
·¼ cup chopped onion
·2 tsp minced garlic
·1 tsp Sriracha
·Salt and pepper
·3 TBS EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
·3 TBS cornstarch
·2 cups broccoli, steamed
·Brown rice for serving, green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
Place chicken pieces in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, onion, garlic, Sirarcha and pepper. Whisk mixture well, then measure out ⅔ cup of the mixture and pour it over the chicken. Press chicken into marinade, cover, and refrigerated for 30 minutes.

Heat remaining sauce mixture over medium heat and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in a few teaspoons of water if it becomes too thick, stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch if it becomes too thin. Remove from heat when thickened.

Heat EVOO in a large skillet or dutch oven. Stir cornstarch into chicken marinade. Carefully place marinated chicken pieces into hot oil, cooking for 5-7 minutes until golden brown – turning once or twice during cooking. Remove chicken from pan and toss with sauce.

Stir in cooked broccoli. Serve warm over brown rice garnished with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Finding gluten free Chinese food is difficult. I do enjoy it occasionally from P.F. Chang's or Pei Wei, but I prefer to make it from scratch at home. It's healthier and I have the flexibility to eat a wide variety of Chinese dishes. Mike made this sweet and crunchy Lighter Sesame Chicken for dinner a month ago, and we inhaled it.

It was so good it kicked off a solid few weeks of making Chinese for dinner at least once a week. (Confession, it also involved a trip to P.F. Chang's for dinner with my sister). Stay tuned next week for another homemade Chinese dish. In the meantime, here are some of older Chinese recipes:
  Beef and Broccoli
  Spicy Cashew Pork and Broccoli
  Cashew Chicken
  General Tso's Chicken
  General Tso’s Chicken (Crockpot)
  Kung Pao Chicken
  Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
  Spicy Chicken (P.F. Chang's Knock-Off)
  Sweet and Sour Chicken (Crockpot)
  Asian Edamame Fried Rice


Click here for recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Angel Chicken (Crockpot)

When does Daylight's Savings Time start again? I'm ready for it to be daylight when I get home from work so I can take pictures in natural light and my meals will look more appetizing. While looking at this picture of Angel Chicken doesn't look too appetizing, I promise this meal was delicious. If you're not gluten free, you can substitute all of the spices with a packet of dry Italian seasoning mix. I served with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.

Angel Chicken (Crockpot)
Adapted from Crockin’ Girls

Ingredients:
·4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
·2 TBS butter
·½ TBS each – garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, parsley, salt
·1 TBS each – oregano, chives
·½ tsp each – pepper, basil
·¼ tsp each – thyme, celery seed
·Cream of Anything Soup Base (follow recipe to make one can substitute)
·1 – 8oz. can sliced mushrooms
·½ cup dry white wine
·4 – oz cream cheese
·¼ - ½ cup onions, chopped
·12 oz. gluten free spaghetti noodles

Directions:
Put all ingredients into the crockpot except the pasta. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred the chicken mixture. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Mix pasta and chicken together; serve.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Mike and I are buffalo chicken lovers, and this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs didn't disappoint. All of the flavors of buffalo chicken that we love (hot sauce, celery, chicken) are combined into small meatballs. We prefer ranch over blue cheese, so we dunked our Buffalo Chicken Meatballs into Protein Ranch Dressing.

If you are also a buffalo chicken lover, here are our favorite ways to enjoy it from appetizers to snacks to main meals: Buffalo Chicken Nachos, Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip, Buffalo Chicken (Crockpot), Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole, Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Mac & Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Hot Buffalo Chicken and Cheddar Sandwich, Jalapeno Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.

Click here for recipe from Rachael Ray

Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers

This one-pot meal is incredibly flavorful with roasted potatoes, chicken sausage, red peppers, and rosemary.

As this healthy meal is cooking, it filled my kitchen with a mouth-watering smell. Yum! The only preparation involved is chopping, which makes it a perfect meal for a quick weeknight.


This is another fantastic recipe I found on Pinterest. What's one of your recent favorite Pinterest recipe finds?

Click here for recipe from Skinny Taste

Key West Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Key West Grilled Chicken Kabobs are zesty with a hint of lime.

This is another fantastic recipe I stumbled across on Pinterest. And, this is another meal Mike and I made for my in-laws when the visited a few weeks ago. I served with brown rice and grilled peppers and onions. I was impressed with the zesty, lime flavor of the juicy chicken. Yum!

Key West Grilled Chicken
Slightly adapted from Grocery Budget 101

Ingredients:
·3 TBS GF Soy Sauce Substitute
·2 TBS honey
·1 TBS EVOO
·Juice from 2 limes
·1 tsp minced garlic
·1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
·4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
In a small bowl combine all ingredients except chicken. Cut the chicken into large chunks, skewer on bamboo sticks that have been soaked in water, and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 10 minutes, until juices run clear.

Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta

This Cajun Chicken Pasta dish is loaded with protein and vegetables, making for a colorful and lighter delicious meal. I loaded up on the Cajun spices so it would have enough kick for my taste buds.

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti Noodles and brown rice flour to make it gluten free.

Click here for Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe from Skinny Taste

Hummus Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Hummus Chicken Lettuce Wraps are simple to prepare and incorporate my new favorite snack – Sabra Hummus. These lettuce wraps are fresh, healthy, and taste phenomenal.

Hummus Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
·Grilled chicken breast, cut into 1-inch slices
·Sautéed peppers and onion slices
·Lettuce leaves
·Hummus

Directions:
Assemble Hummus Chicken Lettuce Wraps by smoothing a spoonful of hummus on one side of a lettuce leaf. Top with prepared chicken, peppers, and onions. Top with an additional spoonful of hummus, roll up, and serve.


I've also shared this recipe on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays

General Tso’s Chicken

YUM!! This recipe for General Tso's Chicken is fantastic! The chicken is juicy and flavor. The sweetness from the honey and the ginger make this dish super flavorful.

While the recipe serves 4, it only served 2 in our house. It was that good! Since it's healthier than take-out, I'm sure it all balances out in the end. :)

General Tso’s Chicken
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
·1 egg white
·5 TBS cornstarch
·1 TBS plus 2½ tsp GF Soy Sauce Substitute
·1 tsp ground ginger
·1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces
·2 TBS plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
·1½ TBS honey
·1½ TBS rice vinegar
·1 bunch green onions, sliced
·2 tsp minced garlic
·Green vegetable and brown rice for serving

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white, 4 TBS cornstarch, 1 tsp soy sauce substitute, and ½ tsp ginger. Stir in the chicken to evenly coat it.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp EVOO, remaining 1½ TBS soy sauce substitute, 1 TBS cornstarch, ½ tsp ginger, honey, and rice vinegar.

Heat 2 TBS EVOO in a large non-stick skillet. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until meat is no longer pink (about 5 minutes).

Remove chicken from the skillet and add green onions and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the honey and oil sauce mixture. Return chicken to the pan and cook, stirring, until sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through (about 1-2 minutes).

Serve with brown rice and a green vegetable.

Yield: 4


I've also shared this recipe on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, This Week's Craving

Buffalo Chicken Tacos (Rachael Ray)

If you like blue cheese and buffalo chicken, this recipe is for you! Mike and I, sadly, are not blue cheese fans so we didn't care for this dish. We adapted this recipe from the original and it wasn't bad at all. However, we just couldn't get over the strong blue cheese flavor. On our second tacos, we omitted the blue cheese salad and used ranch dressing, lettuce, and cilantro and it tasted much better to us.

• Eight 6-inch soft corn tortillas
• 1 TBS EVOO
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TBS hot sauce
• 2 ounces blue cheese
• 3 TBS light real mayonnaise
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 carrots, shredded

Preheat the oven to 200°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven.

In a nonstick skillet, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pan; cover loosely with foil and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Brush the chicken on both sides with the hot sauce and tent with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, using a food processor, blend the blue cheese, mayonnaise, and 2 TBS water until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. Add the lettuce, radishes, and carrots and toss to coat.

Thinly slice the chicken. Divide the salad among the corn tortillas; top with chicken.

I've also shared this recipe on: Seasonal Sundays

GF Chicken Tenders and Double-Baked Crazy-Crisp Oven Fries

I had two chicken tenders/nuggets recipes that I’ve wanted to try – one from The Baking Beauties and one from Jessica Seinfeld – so I decided to combine my favorite parts of each recipe and see what happened. Combined with my cooling rack/baking sheet tip from Rachael Ray, the outcome was a good, crispy dinner! I served with Rachael Ray's Crisp Oven Fries seasoned with Old Bay and a green veggie.


GF Chicken Tenders

·½ - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
·1 cup sweet potato puree
·2 egg whites
·1 cup GF cornflakes, crushed (I used Southern Homestyle Corn Flake Crumbles)
·½ cup ground flaxseed meal
·1 TBS grated Parmesan
·½ tsp salt
·½ tsp pepper
·½ tsp paprika
·½ tsp garlic powder
·½ tsp cayenne
·½ tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400°. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside. Cut chicken breasts into thin strips. In a shallow dish, mix egg whites and vegetable puree with a fork. Set aside. In another shallow dish, combine crushed cornflakes, flaxseed meal, parmesan cheese, and spices. Set aside. Dip chicken, one strip at a time, into the egg mixture, then into crumb mixture, until totally coated. Place chicken strip on cooling rack on top of baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes, or until done.

Rachael Ray’s Double-Baked Crazy-Crisp Oven Fries

·6 starchy medium-sized Idaho potatoes
·EVOO
·Salt and pepper
Optional flavorings (pick one):
·Minced garlic and lots of minced fresh rosemary
·Old Bay seasoning or Cajun Seasoning
·Minced garlic, parmesan cheese, and oregano

Preheat oven to 400°. Place a cooling rack on top of two baking sheets and set aside. Peel the potatoes lengthwise, leaving a patch of skin on each end of the potatoes. Cut each potato into very thin fries lengthwise, no more than a quarter-inch thick – the thinner they are, the crispier the end product will be. In a large bowl, dress the fries very lightly with EVOO – a couple of turns of the bottle. Season with salt and pepper, then arrange the fries in a single layer without crowding the baking sheet. Place the fries in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the fries and increase the heat to 425°. Toss the fries in large bowl again with the seasonings and optional flavorings of choice. Return the fries to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until very crisp and brown.

Notes: Placing a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet allows an even heat flow through the chicken tenders and fries. Next time I make the chicken tenders, I think I'll pan-fry them in EVOO for a few minutes before placing them in the oven. That may help make them crispier due to the sweet potato puree. Also, be sure to watch the cooking time on the fries. Some of our thinner cut ones were extra, extra crispy! :) After the fact, we think cutting the fries into Wendy's fries size would be best.

I've also shared this recipe on: Seasonal Sundays

Lazy Baked Greek Chicken

You HAVE to try this recipe! This has been one of our favorite dinners lately. Besides the amazing flavor, this dish is easy and quick to make. I adapted it from Rachael Ray to make it GF, and if you don't need to follow the GF diet, use regular panko breadcrumbs.

·2 TBS EVOO

·½ medium onion, finely chopped

·3½ tsp minced garlic

·1 - 10 oz. box chopped spinach, thawed

·Salt and pepper

·½ tsp ground nutmeg

·3 TBS butter

·1 cup GF breadcrumbs (or corn flake crumbs)

·1 tsp dried oregano

·4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

·½ cup crumbled Greek feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425˚. Heat 1 TBS EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 2½ tsp of the minced garlic – cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then add the spinach and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Melt the butter in the same pan, turn off the heat and add the breadcrumbs, oregano, and remaining garlic; toss.

Drizzle a baking dish with the remaining 1 TBS EVOO. Split each chicken breast across (but not all the way through) and open like a book. Stuff with the spinach and feta, letting the stuffing overflow at the edges. Place the chicken pieces in the baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray, Feb. 2011

I've also shared this recipe on: Seasonal Sundays

Stir-Fried Chicken Paprikash

I adapted this easy, quick, and good-tasting dinner recipe slightly from the Feb. 2011 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. You'll notice in the picture my chicken looks shredded - that's because the only chicken I had at home was leftover, pulled chicken breast Mike made in the crockpot a few nights ago. The dish still turned out well, but you can use uncooked chicken breasts (which I've also outlined in the recipe below).

·1 lb cooked shredded chicken or (1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ¼ inch thick pieces)

·2 TBS dry sherry                                                               

·1 tsp minced garlic

·2½ tsp cornstarch                                            

·¾ cup chicken broth         

·2 TBS EVOO       

·Salt and pepper

·1 onion, sliced ¼ inch thick                            

·1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch-wide strips

·1 TBS paprika

·⅓ cup light sour cream

·2 TBS dried chopped parsley

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 TBS sherry, garlic, 2 tsp cornstarch, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.

In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and remaining 1 TBS sherry. Stir in remaining ½ tsp cornstarch until dissolved.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and swirl in 1 TBS EVOO. Add chicken mixture and cook for 1 minute, undistrubed. Stir-fry for 1 minute if using cooked chicken; if using uncooked chicken breasts, stir-fry until chicken begins to brown. Transfer to a plate.

Lower the heat to medium and swirl in remaining 1 TBS EVOO. Add onion and bell pepper; season with salt and stir-fry until softened – about 1 minute. Add paprika, return the chicken and any juices to the pan, increase heat to high, and stir-fry until just combined. Swirl in broth mixture and stir-fry until chicken is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and parsley and serve.

Serves 4. Prep 15 minutes. Cook 5 minutes.

I've also shared this recipe on: Seasonal Sundays