Jerk Chicken with Glazed Baby Carrots

This was a burst of flavors that Anthony and I are not used to eating. It was so sweet and savory with different notes of spice.. absolutely delicious!!

Recipe for Chicken

Boneless/Skinless chicken breast

jerk seasonings

1 lime

brown sugar

parsley

butter

Take all ingredients except for the butter and place in a bag to marinate in the fridge(squeeze limes into bag). after 3 hours melt butter in a skillet that can transfer to oven. once melted and hot, sear chicken in pan on both sides(about 3 mins on each side). then transfer to a 375 oven for about 20 mins — use a temp thermometer or until juices run clear. wait about 5 minutes before slicing!!

Recipe for Glazed Carrots

Baby Carrots

Brown sugar

Butter

Chicken Broth

So easy… Just put even parts of all of the above and bring to a boil and reduce in a skillet. add S&P to balance out the sweetness from sugar and carrots… YUM!!

**After both are completed, I placed them on a bed of spring mix tossed with a tiny bit of EVOO… just what the dish needed to feel like you were on an island!!! Enjoy!! OH ya.. dont forget to use those pan drippings for extra flavor on the plate!!

Butternut Squash Soup

This totally hit the spot last night!! It was so chilly, and this completely warmed me up! It was especially amazing because of how easy it was. This recipe is thick and rich yet extremely healthy.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons of butter

1 stalk of celery

1 large carrot, peeled

1 white or yellow onion

2 medium potatoes

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded

roughly 26oz of chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

All you do is uniformly chop all veggies and saute in stock pot with butter. Stir occasionally for 5 mins, until onions are translucent and other veggies start to brown a bit. season with S&P. Then add chicken broth. It should cover all veggies by about 1 inch. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer for 45 mins. add s&P. put in a blender and blend until smooth. Make sure to taste along the way!! This soup goes great with a toasted baguette.

Sausage and Fries

There is nothing like a good ole’ link and some potatoes!! Believe it or not, but this meal came together in a quick 25 mins!! I used a chicken apple sausage link (LOVE LOVE LOVE), peppers and onions, some whole grain mustard, yellow mustard and pickles, which are all nestled between a chewy pretzel bun. The fries are russet potatoes with some cajun seasonings. The heat from the fries went along great with the sweet tang of the sausage dog.

MY 25 MINS

I preheated my oven to 425. Directly after, I grabbed half a stick of butter and started melting it on medium low heat in a cast iron skillet. After the butter was melted I added cut up yellow bell peppers, green peppers, jalepeno peppers, and a sweet yellow onion. Watching the heat, I left it on medium low to let all the good caramelize, stirring occasionally. To a sheet pan, I added sliced up russet potatoes tossed them in olive oil. I then covered the potatoes with cajun seasonings, and S&P. Off into the oven they went! After the “goods” in the cast iron skillet start to get golden brown (about 15 mins), I removed them from the pan onto a paper towel to let them drain. I turned up the heat on the pan and added my chicken apple sausages. Since they come already cooked through, all I needed to do was heat them up and get a good crust on them. The remaining butter in the pan did a beautiful job making them look mouthwatering!! By this time, my 25 mins is just about up. My fries should be cooked through and a little crispy on the edges after about 20 mins. I pull them out, and drain them off of any excess oil. Now….The best part, assembling this all together! I place my link in a soft pretzel bun, topping it off with whole grain mustard, yellow mustard, diced pickles, and my caramelized  peppers and onions. If you want a little kick, add some sriracha. Then stack the seasoned fries right next to your dog, and FEAST! ENJOY!

Goat cheese and herb pizza

I had fun shopping for this pizza. When deciding what to put on my pizza, I couldn’t brainstorm until I got to my local market. Instead of doing pizza and salad… I brought the fresh and flavorful greens into every bite of my pizza! After raiding the produce section, I stopped over to the cheeses to see what would complement it the best. I wanted bits of sharp richness from goat cheese… but not over the entire pizza. So it is mainly fresh mozzarella with sprinkled on goat cheese. Then to let the cheese and herbs shine I would use extra virgin olive oil and S&P as my base.

Herb Mix

1 part cilantro

1 part dill

2 parts basil

2 parts arugula

**This mix turned out amazing!! The dill gave it a nice tangy twist!! Just make sure to add the herb mix AFTER baking!!!! Or the greens will die!**

I used Bobby Flay’s simple pizza dough recipe :

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html

This recipe yields 2 14-in pizzas, I put the other half of the dough in a ziploc with some EVOO so it won’t stick. This should be stored in the fridge and have a shelf life of about 3 days. ENJOY!!

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

The best part about enchiladas is you can use a variety of ingredients and still make them work. When I am in the mood to cook something I generally go online for inspiration. I look up recipes for the dish I want to make and use it more as a guideline than a rule book. There are parts of recipes that you can change, and there are parts that have exact portioning for a reason. For example, when baking… it’s like science…If you don’t have the right ingredients and right portions…  It may be a complete disaster. As far as stove top cooking, you can add a little of this and a little of that… just as long as you taste along the way!!!

My method of Prep

Chicken Enchiladas– saute up some diced peppers and /or chiles of choice (I chose Jalepenos and Pasilla peppers) along with some yellow frozen corn. After 10 mins add cooked shredded chicken, then add a touch of the green enchilada sauce (enough to lightly coat everything) then kill the heat. Take a warm corn tortilla and dip into enchilada sauce and roll up chicken mixture along side some Queso fresco in the tortilla. Line up in a baking dish with repeating steps from end to end. Then top with more queso fresco and the remaining enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for 15 mins. After, top with fresh cut cilantro. ENJOY!!——This is best served with mexican beans, rice and chips with salsa

Chicken Salad Sandwich

This recipe is delicious!! So many flavors and textures!!

Chicken Salad– Shredded chicken, light mayo, yellow and course ground  dijon mustard, red grapes, cashews, peanuts, green onions, and S&P—all mixed together then placed in a french bread roll with some romaine lettuce. YUM!

Eggs and Asparagus

Delicate sunny side up eggs, with oven broiled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

Low Fat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Extremely moist muffins!!! These are amazing, especially right out of the oven. I was given this recipe by my aunt, she assured me the only these two ingredients and 2 simple steps would create the best muffins!! They are perfect for the holiday season and they are low fat!!

1 box of spice cake (I used Duncan Hines) and 15 ounces of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin (it comes in a can)…. Mix the 2 ingredients until smooth and pour into 12 muffin tins and bake at 350 for 25 mins—–My Aunt puts a dollop of fat free cool whip on top before serving— My twist– I added bits of pecans and I sprinkled on a tiny bit of sugar before baking. I Loved that little added crunch!!!