Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Link to Recipe

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 chipotle peppers, minced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
2-3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (optional)

Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with the salt and pepper. Add to pan and sear for 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. (They will finish cooking later.) 

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining two teaspoons olive oil to the pan. Add diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and chipotle peppers and saute for 30 more seconds. Add adobo sauce, chicken broth, and cream cheese and stir until melted. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices, and turn to coat in the sauce.

Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 7-9 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (It will depend on how thick your chicken breasts are.) I like to spoon some of the sauce over the chicken breasts halfway through the cooking time.

Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off heat and stir in Greek yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken breasts with extra sauce spooned over the top, and enjoy!

Serve over brown rice. Yes, BROWN rice. 

Pesto Vinaigrette

1-1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Walnuts or pine nuts (about 1/4 cup)
3 Tbs. red- or white-wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the basil, olive oil, Parmigiano, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon zest in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over lettuce salad or pasta.

Garlicky Chipotle London Broil

Recipe Link

4 tablespoons minced chipotle in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons honey
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 London broil, top round or flank steak 2 1/2 pounds, about 1-inch thick
2 teaspoons kosher salt
 Chopped cilantro

 Lime wedges

In a bowl, whisk together the chipotle, honey and garlic. Whisk in the oil.

Season the steak all over with the salt. Pat the meat evenly with the chipotle mixture and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature, or as long as overnight in the refrigerator. If you’ve chilled it, let the steak come to room temperature before grilling.

Light the charcoal or preheat the grill. Brush off any bits of garlic or chile from the meat and grill, covered, until the meat is charred on the outside and done to taste inside, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let the meat rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

*I pan-fried the London Broil in a small amount of olive oil (ceramic non-stick pan) for about ten minutes per side. Delicious! Be sure to cut across the grain or meat will be tough chewing. 

Vietnamese Pulled Chicken

In slow cooker:
3 cups chicken broth
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tb. brown sugar
2-4 Thai chilies, thinly sliced
2 tsp. lime zest
4-1/2 pounds chicken breasts with skin and bone

Add later:
2 cups julienne carrots
1/2 cup lime juice
1/3 cup fresh mint
1/3 cup fresh basil

In 6-qt. slow cooker, add broth, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, chilies and lime zest. Nestle chicken in broth mixture and cook on low for 6 hours (on high for 3 hours).

Remove chicken and shred meat. Return to cooker and add: carrots, lime juice, mint and basil. Keep heated until time to serve. 

Vinegar Based Coleslaw

Link 

½ thinly sliced head of green cabbage (shave cabbages super-thin on a mandolin)
1 cup of thinly sliced red cabbage
2 whole shredded carrots
3 thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of grainy mustard
1 tablespoon of honey or 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
¼ cup of olive oil
1½ teaspoons of celery seed
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey and olive oil and set aside. 

In a separate bowl mix together cabbages, carrots, green onions and celery seed. Next, pour a small amount of the dressing on the cabbage mixture and mix together until combined and until desired amount of dressing is achieved. Season with salt and pepper, and chill before serving.

Sugar-Free Strawberry Glaze

1-1/2 cup water
2 Tb. cornstarch
1 small package strawberry Jell-o
6 Tb. Splenda (optional)

Mix cornstarch with water and cook until thickened. Let cool slightly. Stir in Jell-O and sweeten to taste with Splenda. Before completely cooled, pour Jell-o over fresh-cut strawberries placed in small cups or arranged in a pie shell.

NOTE: Prepare sugar-free instant pudding in a bowl and when thickened, pour in the bottom of a pre-baked pie crust OR a graham cracker crust. Arrange fresh-cut strawberries over pudding in pie shell. Pour glaze on top and allow to "set" in refrigerator for a few hours. Serve with lite Cool Whip.

Pan Fried Tilapia With Lime Basil Beurre Blanc on a Bed of Wilt

Link to Recipe

For the Fish:
9 1⁄2 ounces skinless tilapia fillets, approx
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

For the Sauce:
1⁄2 cup lime juice
1 1⁄2 cups white wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon cream
6 ounces unsalted butter
4 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned

For the Spinach:
fresh spinach, 1 bag, washed, stemmed and patted dry
1 garlic clove, peeled
1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
salt to taste
4 ounces unsalted butter

For the sauce:

Combine the lime juice, wine, garlic and shallots in a wide pan, bring to a boil and reduce to 1/4 the volume. Pour into a bowl and stir in the cream. Whisk in the butter, 1 TBS at a time, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the fresh basil and hold the sauce in a warm place until ready to serve.

For the spinach:

Slice the garlic into thin slivers. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the butter and, when half of it has melted, add the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 45 seconds or until the garlic is tender and fragrant. Add the spinach leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Use tongs or a spatula to stir the spinach so it cooks evenly. Remove from heat when all spinach leaves have wilted, setting aside to keep warm while you cook the fish.

For the Fish:

Divide the fillets into 4 pieces. Sprinkle lightly with the salt, sugar, pepper and paprika. Place a large non-stick skillet over high heat. When hot add the oil and butter. When the butter begins to melt, swirl to coat the pan. Place the fish in the pan and cook for 5 minutes; turning gently until fish flakes easily, do not over cook.

To serve, place the spinach in an attractive mound on a heated plate, top with the fish fillets and spoon sauce over. Serve at once!

Blackened Tilapia Filets

Delicious...unbelievably delicious! Cook in non-stick pan. 

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 six-ounce tilapia fillets
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional, for serving)
2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking

Combine the paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl; mix until well combined (use your fingers to break up the lumps of brown sugar). Sprinkle the spice rub evenly over both sides of the tilapia fillets.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan. Cook the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side until reddish-brown on the outside and flaky on the inside. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Serves four

From Once Upon A Chef

Chipotle Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Link to Once Upon a Chef

Serving size: 2 tablespoons

Calories: 180

Fat:17g

Saturated fat:1g

Carbohydrates: 8g

Sugar: 8g

Fiber: 0g

Protein: 0g

Sodium: 301mg

Cholesterol: 0mg

Baked Garlic Paprika Chicken Legs

Recipe Link

3 -3 ½ pound chicken drumsticks

1-¼ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon bouillon powder (you may replace with salt)

¼ cup canola oil

4-6 garlic cloves minced

2-Tablespoons onion powder

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

3-4 Tablespoons fresh herbs(thyme, parsley, oregano)

1 pound or more green beans and carrots or any vegetables

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°.

Wash chicken legs dry, rub with salt , white pepper and bouillon powder and set aside. 

In a small pan set over medium low heat, combine canola oil, minced garlic, fresh herbs, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper . Stir for about 30 seconds or 1 minute. Let this mixture sit for a little bit about 5 minutes.

Place the chicken in a large bowl, toss with garlic paprika spice mix, then sprinkle with the onion powder. 

Line a baking pan with foil; Add vegetables at the bottom, top with a wire rack. Arrange chicken legs out in a single layer. Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 45-50 minutes. If desired rotate chicken halfway through-roughly 25 minutes. Remove chicken and vegetables.

Serve with rice: I cooked the rice in chicken broth with the addition of ground tumeric to taste. After rice finished cooking, added frozen peas and allowed them to heat through on "warm" until time to serve.