No Toil Chicken in Foil

No Toil Chicken in Foil adapted from Mr. Food
1 (0.7-ounce) envelope dry Italian dressing mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 to 1½ pounds total)
2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 green), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch slices
1 medium-sized onion, cut in half then into ½-inch slices
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions: 1.Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the dry dressing mix in a shallow dish. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts evenly with the mix. Lay each piece of chicken on a piece of aluminum foil about 12" x 18".


2.In a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, zucchini, onion, and Italian dressing; toss until well mixed and completely coated. Place evenly over the chicken breasts. Drizzle any remaining dressing over the vegetables. Place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese on top of each breast and seal the foil packages tightly.


3.Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until no pink remains in the chicken and the juices run clear.


4.Serve the individual portions in the foil, carefully opening the packages to allow the steam to escape.

Modifications:
-I used a red pepper instead of green. 

Here's what you'll need:

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut up the onion and pepper.

 

Place the Italian seasoning on a plate or shallow bowl and press the chicken down on both sides to coat.

Put the Italian dressing in a bowl and add the onion and pepper.

Place the chicken on a sheet of tin foil and then cover with the onion, pepper, dressing mixture.

Cover with some shredded mozzarella cheese.

Tent the chicken and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
I've had this recipe in to "to try" list for a while now.  I finally got around to making it and it was so good.

I've made chicken breast marinated in Italian dressing before but this was the first time I used an Italian seasoning packet along with the dressing and it added a ton of flavor.  

Scott and I both loved the sweet bell pepper with the Italian dressing.  They were so sweet and tangy and I think they worked out better than a green pepper that the recipe called for.

This is an easy to make dish that we will definitely have again.

Hope you enjoy!
April  

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West Texas Chipotle Chicken Wrap

West Texas Chipotle Chicken Wrap adapted from Kids Eat Right
½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
 ¼ cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
 ½ teaspoon diced chipotle pepper
 ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
3 cups cooked chicken, cut in ¾-inch cubes
1 cup chopped tomato
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 flour tortillas

Directions:  Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, jalapeno, chipotle peppers, and salt in large mixing bowl. Place the chicken, tomato, avocado, and cilantro in a bowl with the mayonnaise mixture and toss lightly to coat. Top each of the 6 tortillas evenly with the chicken mixture. Roll.

Cooking Tip
This filling can serve as a cold entree, a wrap sandwich filling, or a tasty pasta salad (add 2 cups cooked orzo and increase the seasonings to taste).

Serving Size is 1 wrap.  480 calories, Protein 28g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Total Fat 20g (Sat Fat 4g), Sodium 820mg

Here's what you'll need:

I used this all-natural, pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe's but you could always just use frozen, fresh or even rotisserie chicken.

Chop up the pepper and tomato.

Mix the mayo and sour cream.

Cook the chicken.

Mince up some cilantro.

Cut up the chicken.

Add the chicken, tomato, and pepper to the mayo/sour cream.

Warm your tortillas.  You can do this by putting two in two paper towels and microwave for 20-25 seconds.

 

Put the mixture onto the tortilla and roll.

 

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

 These little roll-ups were so easy to make and were totally finished in under 15 minutes.  Today was Sunday Funday so I just made these and sat them out on the table and everyone came by and grabbed them when they were hungry.  You can serve them hot or cold.  Although it was just our family today, I think these would be perfect to make and take to a gathering.

To make them even healthier, substitute 1/2 of the mayo and sour cream with Greek yogurt.

You also could roll them all up and put them in a microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with cheese and then microwave for 30 seconds or so.  Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

These wraps had great flavor and with the creaminess of the mayo/sour cream, I didn't even need to dip them in salsa.  For a hotter version, add jalapenos or even a can of diced chilies.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Sausage Pepper Heros

Sausage and Pepper Heros adapted from Delish 
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 
1 pound(s) red bell peppers, thinly sliced 
1 large red onion, thinly sliced 
2 clove(s) garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon(s) dried oregano, crumbled 
1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper 
Kosher salt 
6  chicken sausages, about 5 ounces each, preferably with roasted pepper or parsley and cheese 
3  long hero rolls, split lengthwise

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Directions:  Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick griddle (you can also use 2 cast-iron or nonstick skillets). Add the oil, bell peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are softened and just beginning to brown, 6 minutes. Push the vegetables to the back of the griddle, cover with an inverted heatproof bowl, and keep warm over low heat; stir occasionally as you cook the sausages.

Prick the sausages with a knife and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until no trace of pink remains, 10 minutes. Add the sausages to the vegetables and keep warm. Brush the rolls with oil and toast on the griddle. Fill the rolls with the sausages and peppers, cut each one in half, and serve. 

Here's what you'll need:

Slice up the peppers.

Slice up the onions.

Slice the garlic.

Put the veggies in a pot with some olive oil, salt, and oregano to soften.

Put the sausages in a non-stick skillet or wrought iron to brown.  I used 2 kinds of sausage, pork-based and chicken.

Split the bread.

Brush with olive oil.

 

Put the bread on a griddle to toast.

Here's what you'll end up with:

 Our Thoughts:

I am not a huge sausage/bratwurst, etc fan.  Scott and the kids, however, love them so I figured that these sandwiches would be a huge hit . . . and they were.  The onions, peppers, and garlic had some good carmelization that added a bit of sweetness to them.

The one thing that I didn't like about this recipe was the bread.  I don't know if it was just the bread that I chose but it was way too hard and way too bready (sorry, another made up word of mine-LOL) for our taste.  Luckily, I had hot dog buns that Scott and the kids transferred their sausages, too, but Scott said those buns were almost too soft.

Either way, they ate all of the sausage and the peppers/onions so that spells success to me!

Hope you enjoy!

April

Tex Mex Burgers

Tex-Mex Burgers adapted from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Ingredients for burgers: 

1 pound lean ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup grated onion

1 1/2 tbsp dry taco seasoning

Using your hands mix all ingredients together well. Form into 4 burger patties.

Ingredients for Pico de Gallo: 

3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced

3/4 cup diced yellow and red pepper, combined

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 small seeded jalapeno pepper, dice very small

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley

2-3 grinds fresh pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

juice of one fresh lime (do not use bottled lime juice)

Add all ingredients together in a non metallic bowl. This can be made earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. 

Ingredients for spicy mayo and other toppings: 

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Sambal Oelek, which is ground fresh chili paste. You could substitute with hot sauce, or if you don't like it hot use ketchup.

2 avocados, sliced

Tex Mex cheese

4 kaiser buns

 

Method: Once you have all your toppings ready, fire up the barbecue. The last few minutes the burgers are on the grill top with cheese. Build your burger and enjoy!

 

Here's what you'll need for the pico de gallo:

 

I made this earlier in the day and refrigerated until dinner.

 

Chop up the tomatoes.

Chop up the peppers.

Chop up the onion.

Chop up the jalapeno.

 

Chop up the cilantro, sprinkle with salt and the lime juice and

here's what you'll end up with: 

Here's what you'll need for the burgers:

Mix all of the ingredients together:

Pad out into burgers.

Grill the burgers.

Top with cheese.

Top with pico de gallo and any other toppings you choose

here's what you'll end up with: 

  Our Thoughts:

I was worried about this dish because once I saw that bread crumbs, egg, and milk were added to the ground beef I was afraid that it would be too much like a meatloaf.  It was a little heartier than a normal burger but the taco seasoning added was really a great addition.

We don't normally put mayo on our burgers so I didn't make the spicy mayo but I wish I would have.  This burger was missing a little creaminess.  I added avocados to the pico and it did add a little smooth texture but Scott mentioned that he thought it would have been better by putting the pico/avocado in the food processor and I think I agree it might have made it seem more like that ketchup, mustard, mayo liquidyness (is that a word?) that we normally put on burgers.

Overall, I think this dish was a success and had good flavor.

Hope you enjoy!

April 

Turkey Macaroni Casserole

Turkey Macaroni Casserole adapted from Mr. Food
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced onion rings
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 to 1 cup (2 to 4 ounces) shredded mozzarella
Instructions
1.In a medium skillet, combine turkey, green pepper, and onion rings; cook until turkey is no longer pink and green pepper is tender.

2.Add tomato sauce, salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, black pepper, and garlic powder. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook macaroni to desired doneness; drain.

4.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend milk and egg in a medium bowl. Add macaroni and meat mixture; mix well.

5.Place mixture in a greased 2-quart casserole, top with mozzarella cheese, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes for easier serving.

Here's what you'll need:

Chop up a green pepper.

Slice up an onion into rings.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 Put the ground turkey on to brown.

Put the pasta on to cook.

 

Add the green peppers and onions to the turkey.

Once the turkey is brown, add the tomato sauce and the herbs.

Drain the pasta.

Mix an egg and the milk together.

Add the pasta.

Add the meat mixture.

Put the mixture into a greased baking dish.

Spread cheese over the top.

Put into the oven for 20 minutes or so.

Here's what you'll end up with:

 Our Thoughts:
This was an easy meal that would be great in a pinch or if you just haven't quite made it the grocery store this week!  You could add any vegetable that you have available such as shredding up some carrots or zucchini, any type of cheese, and any herbs that you wish.

I used ground turkey but, of course, you could use ground turkey or pork, as well.


Hope you enjoy!
April