Spaghetti Squash Supreme

Being a cardiac nurse, I am trying to get my family to eat healthier. This tasted really good and I love that it has olive oil, no added salt, and is mostly vegetables. I am excited for leftovers!

1 medium spaghetti squash (4 lbs)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp prepared pesto
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c chicken broth
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down on a microwave safe plate. Microwave, uncovered on high fo 14-16 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the tomatoes, pesto, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cover and process until blended; set aside. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese;set aside.

In a large skillet, cook chicken in 1 Tbsp oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the broth, chicken and reserved tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

When squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to separate strands. In a large ovenproof skillet, layer half of the squash, chicken mixture, and reserved crumb mixture. Repeat layers.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Phyllo Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken! We love chicken. The story behind this recipe is- I once dared to make spinach triangles and used phyllo dough for the first time. Truly, it is quite a pain to work with, I think, though the recipe was amazing. HOWEVER, while trying to use up the remaining phyllo dough in my freezer, I found THIS recipe online. It's easier to handle the phyllo here because you just use cooking spray between each sheet and you don't have to manhandle the delicate stuff. I've also done my own editing to this recipe and, as you can tell, the variety of vegetables used are up to you- don't bother too much with measurements (I always go overboard anyway). Nice thing about this recipe is it's low fat and you'd never tell it. (Probably low fat because you don't slather each piece of phyllo with butter.) Enjoy!

(oh, and by the way, I always use chicken bouillon's and water for the chicken broth.)

Creamy Chicken Italiano

This recipe comes straight from my crock-pot cook book. It is fantastic and easy!!! Once it's done, I shred the chicken while still in the crock pot; I like it that way. Seriously guys, you've got to try this sometime!

Chicken Marinade

This is a great homemade recipe from my sister-in-law's mother. Chicken usually doesn't soak in a marinade really well, so I would soak it overnight (or cut up the chicken really well). Make sure the chicken is covered all the way (zip lock bags work best).

Orange Chicken

Tonight we're having one of my college friends over for dinner. In our college days, we loved to go out for Chinese. We almost always ordered Orange Chicken. I recently came across this recipe and loved it! Mike says it's like eating candy...perhaps not the best image health-wise. Anyways, I plan on making Orange Chicken and catching up with her.

Ingredients:

Chicken-

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 eggs (beaten)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce-

1 ½ cups water

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)--I used ground ginger

½ teaspoon garlic (minced)--I used garlic powder

2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Fry chicken until completely cooked.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions. Enjoy and serve with rice.

Shelly's Chicken Enchiladas

Brian's sister, Shelly, gave me this. It's one of the easiest enchiladas I've ever done and so good! It's great for kids, too. If you want it even easier, use canned chicken. I have all my recipes on digital pdfs, so I will mostly be uploading them in this format. If you click on them, they should enlarge. You should also be able to print them. (If you want the template for this "workable" pdf, just ask!)