Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken with Rice Noodles

This was so good! I love cooking Asian inspired dishes because I do not like them from restaurants. Way to oily and greasy and makes me feel ill. This was pretty simple but time consuming. I definitely recommend making it though instead of ordering take-out. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Chicken breasts
Rice noodles
Sesame seeds
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp of minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used ginger paste)
½ teaspoon black pepper 
Pineapple
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. In a small saucepan combine together the cornstarch, cold water, soy sauce, sugar, apple cider vinegar,  minced garlic , ground ginger, black pepper and whisk until all the ingredients are well blended
3. Cook on low heat, stirring often, until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside
4. Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Cut the chicken into pieces or cubes
5. Place chicken cubes on a greased baking dish.  Brush the chicken with the sauce. Make sure to coat all of the pieces evenly
6. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, and then take the dish out and brush with sauce. Bake for another 15 minutes 
7. While the chicken is cooking follow the directions on the box of rice noodles
8. When the noodles are soft, drain them and place in a large bowl. Pour the remaining sauce from the saucepan onto the noddles and mix well
9. When the chicken is done, place the pieces of chicken (and whatever sauce is left in the baking dish) into the bowl of rice noodles and mix
10. Sprinkle with sesame seeds
11. Add chopped up pineapple to the chicken/noodles




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Taco Chicken Breasts

This recipe is very simple. I added a few more things to it in order to spice it up a bit. 
Ingredients

1 package of low sodium taco seasoning
Chicken breasts
Salsa
Green onions
Hot sauce
Avocado
Dairy-free pepper jack cheese 
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Place the chicken and taco seasoning in a large zip lock bag and shake well. Makes sure that each piece of chicken is coated well
3. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and place the chicken in the dish
4. Bake the chicken for about 20-25 minutes
5. Then take the chicken out top each piece with salsa, green onions, and cheese. Place the chicken back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes
6. Once done, place chopped up avocado each chicken breast and sprinkle with hot sauce



Monday, April 21, 2014

Homemade Croutons

The only way I'll eat croutons at home or at a restaurant is if they are homemade. It is so simple to make homemade croutons. Take any stale bread and cut it into small cube pieces. Then, place them on a cooking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees until crispy. Done!


Monday, April 14, 2014

Fruit Bar

This is a yummy, simple treat! The only ingredients are apples and pears. There are no preservatives, no GMOs, gluten free, kosher, vegan, and raw. If you are not a fan of eating fruit, i would recommend this. Its chewy and delicious.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Mexican Casserole

I basically took a bunch of ingredients, combined them, and ate it. This Mexican casserole turned out very tasty!
Ingredients

Lean ground turkey
Green onions (scallions)
1 can pinto beans, drained
Sweet potato tortilla chips
1 10 oz. can of Ro-tel tomatoes, drained 
2 cups of salsa 
Shredded dairy free pepper jack cheese
Guacamole 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. In a large skillet, brown meat with green onions 
3. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and salsa.
4. Simmer over medium heat until everything is well combined and heated through. Do not drain or discard the extra liquid 
5. Grease a casserole dish (I used earth balance soy-free butter)
6. Put down a layer of tortilla chips, followed by a layer of the meat/bean mixture, then a layer of cheese, then add one more layer of remaining ingredients
7. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes
8. Top with guacamole


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Maple Honey Glazed Chicken

Simple, simple recipe! It turned out good and not overly sweet. I think the little kick from the dijon mustard and red wine vinegar overpowers the total sweetness of the honey and maple syrup. Definitely worth making.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup of dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup 
  • 1/2 cup of honey 
  • 1 tablespoon of rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • Chicken thighs and drumsticks
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray
3. Mix together the dijon mustard, maple syrup, honey, and red vinegar in a bowl
4. Dip chicken in the mixture and coat each piece well
5. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and sprinkle each piece with pepper and rosemary
6. Back for about 40 mins or longer--make sure the chicken is cooked through



Apple Quinoa Smoothie

I had previously tried this quinoa smoothie in blueberry flavor. I decided to give the apple one a try. It was just as delicious! It provided me with the perfect snack to hold me over until lunch. It is dairy, soy, and gluten free. It has no refined sugars and is non-gmo. Give it a try.