Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken!!

Just 4 ingredients! In a slow cooker! Of course you could get all fancy on this dish and add a bunch of fancy beans and such, but that would take all the four ingredient fun out of it. Sometimes dinner tastes better when you know how simple it is to make.



3 chicken breasts
1 can of diced tomatoes(Drained)
1 third cup brown sugar
1 T. crushed red pepper flakes

Cook in crock pot until chicken is easily shred. Serve in tortilla with any taco topping you like.

Source: My Kitchen cafe

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Cooking is a little different with a newborn running around. Some things burn and others are under cooked. Then these cute and easy enchiladas came along. Super quick with a really neat balance of sweet and spicy. I used one of those BBQ chickens you buy at the grocery store and shredded it and soaked it in the marinade. This is a twisted version of My Kitchen Cafe's recipe here. I added veggies and beans and a few extra spices. De-lish.

4 Large Tortillas
1/2 cup Sour cream
1/2 cup Salsa Verde

1 Cup Montery Jack

2 Cups shredded chicken

MARINADE:
6 T. Honey
Juice of 2 limes
1 t. Dry corriander
1 t. cumin
2 T. Chilli powder
2 Chopped garlic cloves (Or Mel uses garlic powder)

1 Sliced green pepper
1/2 Sliced onion
1 Can white beans
1 t. Salt
1 t. pepper

Marinate chicken in above ingredients(Or dont and just coat it). Saute peppers, onions in oil with salt and pepper. Add beans. Wrap inside tortillas. Lay in casserole dish. Mix Salsa Verde with Sour Cream(Use more sour cream if your wimpy with spice) Pour on top. Layer with Cheese. Bake for 1/2 an hour at 350. Makes 4-6 servings.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Chicken With Peanut Salsa

Could this be my signature dish? Thats what I asked myself over and over again last night when I should have been sleeping.

I've been researching peanut salsa for days now. While compiling my final ingredient list this morning I thought I started to feel a little bit of a contraction. I wasn't ready to go into labour. I was determined to make this salsa and feed it to somebody. So I quickly got dressed, grabbed my list, and ran/waddled to the grocery store. It turned out to be a false alarm. Not only was I able to make the dish, I was able to eat it too!! Now, I think I'm ready for labour...until I get obsessed with my next recipe idea.

-5 Chicken drum sticks
-1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts
-1 roasted red pepper
-1 onion
-4 garlic cloves
-2 Chipotles in adobo
-4 T. Adobo
-1 T. smoked paprika
-1/4 t. cinnamon(Optional)
-1 T. tomato paste
-1/8 t. ground clove
-Juice of one lime
-Juice of one lemon
-About 2 cups chicken broth

Roast peanuts in pan, throw into food processor or blender.
Dice and saute onion and garlic in same pan. Add to processor.
Dice roasted red pepper and add to processor with chipotle, adobo, paprika, cinnamon, clove, tomato paste, citrus juice and chicken stock. Keep adding chicken stock until the consistency is liquidy and saucy rather than pasty.

Brown and crisp drum sticks in onion and garlic pan. Toast with salt and pepper.

Add just enough peanut salsa to coat chicken and a bit for the bottom of the pan and bake until chicken completely cooked. (NEXT TIME I WILL KEEP IT IN THE PAN AND FRY RATHER THAN BAKE TO KEEP THE CHICKEN CRISPY)

I served this with baked cilantro tomatoes and couscous.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Chicken And Sausage Chili

3 Chicken breasts
1 Chorizo sausage
1/4 Cup flour
3.5 Cups chicken stock
1 Whole onion
1 Green pepper
1 Red pepper
1 Can cannellini beans
1 Can kidney beans
1 t. Ground corriander
1 t. Cumin
1 t. Cayenne
1 T. Chili powder
1 T. Kosher salt
1 t. Fresh ground pepper
1 4 ounce jar diced green chilis
Sour cream and green onion for garnish
1/8 Cup cream


Brown and cook chicken in pan, set aside. Brown and cook sliced chorizo in same pan, pour on top of chicken. Pour chicken stock in pan and heat up scraping bits of chicken and sausage from bottom. Whisk flour in slowly until sauce slightly thickens. Pour over chicken and sausage. I used a crockpot but you could also make it on the stove. Add diced veggies and chillis and spices. Cook for while. When it`s almost done, add cream. Stir, heat, serve, top with onion and sour cream. Serve with fresh bread.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Shortcut Butter Chicken

With Brown Rice
3 chicken breasts
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 T. ground cumin
2 jalapeño pepper
1 T. grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup chopped coriander
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
1 can of tomato paste
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. salt
1 T. Garam masala
1/2 t. chili powder

Slice each chicken breast into 3 or 4 large pieces. Melt 2 tbsp butter in pan. Cook chicken with cumin. Add rest of butter and onions.
While chicken is cooking, finely chop peppers, including seeds. They should measure about 3 tbsp. Grate ginger and chop coriander.
Pour cream into pan. Scrape up and stir any bits from pan bottom into cream to add flavour. Then stir in butter, tomato paste, hot peppers, ginger, salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.
Pour over rice, serve with bread.

Chicken Pot Pie

The pie is in the oven and my house smells like baking cheese cake, pie pastry and comforting roasting chicken and vegetables.
The last time I made Lucindas Chicken Pot Pockets I had wanted to make a few changes. I did and I think she'd approve. I made an actual pie rather than pockets because I had less time to work with. I almost doubled the amount of veggies and added peas. And this time, I had chicken stock and shredded chicken left over in the freezer from when I made stock for Siri's Italian Wedding Soup. This cream cheese pastry literally took me 7 minutes to make. While the dough chilled in the fridge for 1/2 an hour I cut the veggies and made the filling. Super quick and super healthy.




Cream Cheese Pastry:
8T. unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. coarse salt

-Mix butter, cream cheese and cream in a food processor, with a mixer or by hand with a fork.
-Add flour and salt. Mix until combined and dough just holds together in a ball.
-Divide into 2. Flatten into disks and warp in plastic.
-Refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. Or overnight. If chilled overnight, take out 15 minutes before ready to use.

Filling: (Adapted Version)
3 T. butter
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup cup chopped celery
2 chopped carrot
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 t. coarse salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 heaping cup of shredded chicken
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, for egg wash

-Melt butter in a hot skillet and add onion, celery and carrot. Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the salt and flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and cheese. Cool in fridge while you roll dough.
-Preheat oven 375.
-Roll out dough, lay half in a 9 inch pie plate, fill with filling, top with rest of rolled out dough, curl edges of top piece under edges of bottom piece.
-Crimp edges with fork. Chill for a few minutes.
-Cut 3 slices in top of dough so steam will escape during cooking process.
-When ready to bake, beat the egg with 1 T. water. Brush top of pie.
-Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden and juices are bubbling.
-Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
-Serve with mashed potatoes or green salad or steamed green beans. Or put greens beans right in the pie!! The more veggies the better.

Source: Adapted from "Mad Hungry" Lucinda Scala Quinn
Photos: Shawn Campbell

Stuffed Chicken

Ham and swiss rolled into chicken with whole grain mustard.

Wash and pound chicken until thickness is somewhat even throughout the breast. Spread whole grain mustard on one whole side of chicken breast. You want to barely taste the mustard so make sure it's quite thin. Layer a piece of salty ham. Layer swiss cheese thick enough to lose some throughout the cooking process. Roll tightly. Secure with toothpicks. Top with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh steamed green beans.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Italian Wedding Soup

The recipe for this soup was copied directly from one of my favorite Blogstresses Siri. If you haven't been to Siriously Delicious, actually even if you have been, go now.
I had never tried this soup before making it today and what I loved most about it was how beautiful it was. The picture doesn't do it justice as I was without my photographer, but the colors were super bright and vibrant. And the the taste was great too. I'll make this soup again and I won't change anything. I also like how it's italian cuz I often pretend I'm italian. In my head. The recipe is here.


Source: Siri @ Siriously Delicious

Super Vegetable Chicken Soup

SOMEBODY had too much party this weekend and it obviously wasn't me. So Monday rolls around and somebody is totally run down and comes home from work with a cold. The following soup was created in an effort to heal his inner rockstar.
To do so, I've added a few dashes of cayenne pepper (see health benefits here) and poured the fragrant elixir over a bed of fresh spinach. He couldn't even taste the cayenne and I don't think he even noticed the spinach. He said it was the best soup he's EVER had. Whoa I said.

-4 Cups Chicken broth (Which you might have left over in the freezer from the Chicken Pot Pockets you made about a month ago)
-3 Carrots (Chopped)
-3 Celery stocks (Chopped)
-1 Whole onion (Chopped)
-1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
-1 Clove of Garlic (Minced)
-1 head of spinach
-3 sprigs fresh thyme
-3 sprigs fresh Parsley
-A couple dashes of cayenne pepper
-1 1/2 t. Salt
-Pepper to taste
-Egg noodles (Optional)

Simmer stock, add chicken, herbs and spices. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Add all veggies except for spinach. Bring to a boil. Serve when veggies are still a little crisp. Pour over a bed of fresh spinach.

Proscuitto Chicken Ceasar Pita

I find proscuitto much easier than bacon to deal with. The salty crispiness gives great texture and it compliments the spice of the garlic in the ceasar dressing really well.

-Bake chicken breast in 375 oven. 5 minutes before ready to take out-lay proscuitto pieces on top of chicken to bake until crispy. When done let cool slightly before slicing into longer pieces.
-Toss chicken and proscuitto pieces into freshly ceasar coated romaine lettuce.
-Place into Super Soft and Supple Pita Bread and top with Parmesan Cheese.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Mexican Chicken Pockets

Have you ever been to My Kitchen Cafe? Well, if not you should go. Today I needed a recipe that would be quick cuz I wasn't getting home from work til late and I was tired. Thats where I got this idea, which I changed a bit to suit my ingredient list. I had quite a bit of filling left over so I made burritos out of it, rolled tightly in saran wrap and put them in the freezer for work lunches. But the fried pocket version follows.

Cooked brown rice
Shredded Chicken
Refried beans
Cream cheese
Green onion
Cilantro
Lime juice
Chili powder
Cumin
Cheese
Sour cream
Tortillas

Mix rice with everything except beans, cheese and sour cream.
Heat tortillas in microwave until soft so they dont rip when you fold the pockets.
Spread cream cheese in middle of tortilla along with refried beans and a layer of cheese.
Fill with chicken and rice mixture.
Fold into a pocket square thing and fry in lightly oiled pan. (Use a bit of the refried bean as a glue to keep the pocket closed until it fried shut)

Source:My Kitchen Cafe

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Chicken and Chorizo Fettucini Alfredo

I figured I'd make this dish while I'm allowed to be fat. Everyone says Alfredo is an easy sauce to make. I found it a little stressful actually. You have to be careful not to scorch it. Watch that it doesn't start to curdle. And hope that it thickens to the right consistency. I had troubles with the thickening. I had to turn the heat back up, bring almost to a boil again and then take it off the heat. It all worked out well in the end and it actually tasted like Alfredo.

Chicken breast
Chorizo sausage
Fettucini noodles
2 Cups heavy cream(I used Creamo)
1/4 Cup butter
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese
1 T. minced fresh garlic
salt, pepper, chopped parsley

Bring cream to a boil
Reduce heat to medium, continue to boil until reduced by half.
Meanwhile cook noodles. Cut up chicken into pieces and fry with a bit of fresh garlic, add chorizo and fry together until done.
Once cream is reduced, remove from heat.
Add butter 1 T. at a time with a whisk.
It should thicken and turn glossy.(Mine didnt-had to turn it back up for a bit)
Add cheese, hot pasta, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley. Top with meat.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Mexican Chicken

I've adapted this recipe from Andrea The Kitchen Witches Cream Cheese Salsa Chicken recipe. I added red pepper and onion sauteed with cumin, cayenne, and kosher salt. I served it with warmed black beans with melted cheese and fresh green onion. It would have been perfect if I weren't on the phone and BURNED my brown rice. BLACK. AND SMOKEY. Ruined my pot. I would be more generous with the cream cheese next time as I only added a few thin slices and found it to be not enough. I also would add fresh cilantro as a finishing touch. All in all, it was a super quick and easy meal, which I love on Mondays after a long day of work. Thanks Andrea!!

1T. Olive oil
1/2 Onion(Chopped)
1 Whole red pepper
1/2 t. Kosher salt
1/2 t. Cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper

-Saute over medium high heat until just softening.
-2 Chicken breast
-4 T. Cream cheese
-3/4 Cup salsa

-Push to the side and brown 2 chicken breast on each side.
-Spread cream cheese onto each breast.
-Pour salsa into pan with veggies surrounding chicken.
-Put whole thing into oven and bake for 20.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Mediterranean Linguini

I was trying to copy a pasta that my boyfriend loves to eat at a restaurant down the road. It was a nice, easy and light pasta to make... but in my opinon...wasn't a total success. He ate it anyway. He said it was really good. I looked at him sideways. Not because he had oil all over his mouth and chin...but because it wasn't nearly as good as the real thing.

Make sure you add lots of the sundried tomatoe olive oil(I used the oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes I had in the fridge, but you can buy sundried tomatoe olive oil or make your own.) and lots of the 2 cheeses as my pasta was quite bland until we added more. The roasted red peppers were jarred. And I roasted the grape tomatoes in the oven while I waited for the linguini to boil and chicken to cook. Next time I might add actual chopped sundreid tomatoes too. I will make it again. Probably more suitable for a lunch menu. Served with a softish garlic bread (Baked in tin foil for 30 minutes).




Pan fried chicken
Parmesan cheese
Feta cheese
Kalamata olives
Roasted red peppers
Roasted grape tomatoes
Linguini noodles
Sundried tomatoe olive oil

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Chicken Pot Pockets

This is a great "To-Go" recipe. You can heat these pockets up and eat them on your way out the door. Very delicious. I'm not sure if it's because I'm pregnant...but the smell of the boiling chicken pulls this recipe out of the running for "The Signature Dish".
WHEN I make this again, I will add more vegetables and some fresh groung pepper. I will also make an actual pie, rather than pockets because I think it would save time. The pockets are extremely clever though, and the cream cheese pastry just proves that Lucinda is a genius.




Cream Cheese Pastry:

8T. unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. coarse salt

-Mix butter, cream cheese and cream in a food processor, with a mixer or by hand.
-Add flour and salt. Mix until combined and dough just holds together in a ball.
-Divide into 2. Flatten into disks and warp in plastic.
-Refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. Or overnight. If chilled overnight, take out 15 minutes before ready to use.

Filling:

1 whole chicken(I used a 3 pound chicken and still had lots of shredded chicken and broth left over to freeze for next time)
2 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/2 t. coarse salt
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth(from reduced poaching liquid)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, for egg wash

-Place chicken in a pot, add water to barely civer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 50 minutes.
-Skim and discard any foam that arises to the surface. Remove chicken to cool.
-Continue to boil broth to reduce and concentrate to about half. Remove meat from chicken.
-Melt butter in a hot skillet and add onion, celery and carrot. Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the salt and flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and cheese. Cool in fridge while you roll dough.
-Preheat oven 375. Butter a baking sheet.
-Rool out dough, cut 5 inch circles. Wet the edges of the dough with water.
-Place 1/4 cup filling on the circle and fold dough over to form half circle. (I could only fit a T. of filling in mine)
-Crimp edges with fork. Poke the pocket top twice with fork. Chill for a few minutes.
-When ready to bake, beat the egg with 1 T. water. Brush pockets.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Source:"Mad Hungry" Lucinda Scala Quinn
Photos: Shawn Campbell