Sheet Pan Chicken

Dinner on one pan is very appealing especially if that pan is lined with parchment! Easy clean up! You can vary the veggies depending on what you like.

4 large rainbow carrots cut in chunks
1 pkg of Brussels sprouts, halved
1 large onion in chunks
4 large shallots halved
Chicken thighs and legs, seasoned with salt pepper and creole seasoning
Apple cider vinegar
1 T Dijon

Preheat oven 400

In large bowl, combine all the veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Turn out onto large cookie sheet lined with parchment.

In large skillet, sauté the chicken pieces in batches about 3 minutes per side to give it color.

Place chicken pieces over the veggies.

In measuring cup, take about 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 water and mustard-- stir well and pour over all.

Bake an hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Brinner!

I love breakfast for dinner or "brinner" as it were. The frittata is super easy and can bake along side the turkey bacon. Just add sliced tomato with a drizzle of balsamic and a piece of toast.

Artichoke Olive Frittata

1 bag Trader Joes artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
1/2 cup sliced red onion
8 eggs, whisked
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven 400

In ovenproof skillet, sauté the onion in a little butter, add in the artichokes and olives, salt and pepper--stir around. Add the eggs and cook as though you're making an omelette. When mixture is no longer really runny, top with cheese and put into the oven about 15 minutes. Let sit 10 before cutting.

Roast Veggies

I'm always looking for new vegetable combos to roast and this one worked very well.

Picture is before it went into the 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Asparagus, yellow pepper and red onion, olive oil and alt and pepper.

Convenience Foods!

I don't rely a great deal on many convenience foods, but every now and then when I'm cleaning out the pantry and/or the freezer I come up with an entire dinner that can be made with the microwave and very little work on my part! This dinner is one such creation: frozen noodles from Costco, frozen meatballs from Trader Joes and a bag of Meijer frozen snap peas--all prepared in microwave. The only thing I had to do was make a sauce for the meatballs out of Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce, sprinkle on some sesame seeds and chopped scallion and dinner's ready.

Chicken with Kale and Cannellini Beans

If any of the ingredients in this dish sound good to you--make it! It was delish!

1 pkg thinly sliced chicken breast
1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 lage shallot, sliced
olive oil for cooking
2 T fresh orange juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
1/4 scup sliced pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup chicken broth
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Make vinaigrette: mix orange juice, onion, olives, salt and pepper, vinegar and 5 T olive oil. Set aside.

In medium skillet heat 1 T olive oil, add the shallots, then the kale, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and stir well while the kale wilts. Add the beans and the broth and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil and brown thinly sliced chicken breasts for about five minutes per side. When chicken is cooked, slice it thinly.

To serve: stir in half the vinaigrette to the beans and kale and spoon into bowls, Top with chicken and then spoon remainder of vinaigrette over all.

I also added some Trader Joe Marinated beets to the bowl.

Quite yummy if I do say so myself!

Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry

Don't you hate it when you open up your big bag of frozen halibut from Costco and realize that oops there's only one piece left in there? Well, when that happens you need to find a recipe that stretches one piece of fish and nothing does that better than curry!

1 piece of halibut cut in bite size chunks
10 shrimp
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 limes
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup chopped shallots
1 T fish sauce
2 1/2 t Thai red curry paste
vegetable oil
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Finely grate enough peel from the limes to make 1 1/2 t. Squeeze enough juice to have 2 T. Cut the rest to have wedges for serving.

Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan. Add shallots and red pepper and cook 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, lime peel, lime juice and fish sauce. Simmer gently stirring often for 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper and add to curry. Return to gentle simmer and cook until fish is opaque--5 or 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro and serve  over brown basmati rice.

Free Form Enchilada Verde Bake

I guess this could also be called Lazy Enchiladas-ha! At any rate, it was delish!

18 small corn tortillas
1 pkg of frozen butternut squash cubes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
32 oz salsa verde
3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
pickled jalapenos
avocado cubes
Greek yogurt

Preheat oven 375

In 9 X 13 pan spread 1 cup salsa verde. Layer on 6 corn tortillas then another cup salsa verde, 1/3 of the squash and 1/3 of the beans and 1 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers but don't put on the last cup of cheese. Cover with foil and bake one hour. Uncover and spread last cup of cheese and run under the broiler to melt and brown up the cheese 3 to 4 minutes. Let sit 15 before serving. Garnish with avocado, jalapenos, and yogurt.

Baked Fusilli

I love making a dish that can be made ahead and then baked while the cook can sit with a glass of

wine before dinner. How civilized!

1/2 bag whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce ( I used Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic)
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, washed and chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded parmesan
salt, pepper, oregano, dried red pepper

Cook pasta according to directions choosing less cooking time since you will be baking it also.
In large skillet, sauté onion green pepper and mushrooms in olive oil. Add spices and jar of sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add drained pasta and and mozzarella and stir well. Turn into casserole dish and top with parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400. Allow to sit for ten minutes before cutting. Good with green salad and hot rolls.

Cabbage and Kale Tortellini

Don't you just love it when you throw a bunch of stuff in a large pot and it turns out great? Do this and enjoy!

2 cups chopped cabbage
1 bunch kale, trim stems and chop in large pieces
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 can beef roth
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
1 pkg cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese
1 pkg dried onion soup mix

In large pot, sauté the onion in a little olive oil, add cabbage and kale, stir. Add salt and pepper and Italian spices (if you don't have a mix just add oregano). Add water, broth and can of tomatoes, then onion soup mix--stir and bring to boil then cover and simmer for an hour. Bring back to boil and add tortellini and cook a few minutes until tortellini is cooked through. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.