Chicken Apricot Panini & Sweet Potato Fries

This meal could be made for lunch (if you have the time!) or dinner. It wasn't very complicated, had very few ingredients and tasted great! I love making sweet potatoes too. Q really loved this one! We decided if you add maybe some bacon and cheese to it, then it would be perfect!

Chicken Apricot Panini

ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Canola oil
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• S & P
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 1/8 cup apricot preserves
• 1/8 cup mayo
• 4 slices thick bread or Bolillo rolls
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
• Pinch of Cayenne pepper

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 475º. Toss the potato with EVOO, salt, pepper & cayenne. Distribute evenly on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for about 20-25 minutes on the other. The timing will be based on how thick you cut the potato, so just watch them.

2. Heat canola oil & 1 Tbsp  in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. When you flip the breasts over to cook the 2nd side, add the sage leaves. Flip the sage leaves once until they are crispy. Remove from skillet and let rest on a paper towel.

3. In a small bowl combine the apricot preserves and the mayo, set aside.

4. Spoon some sauce on each side of the bread/bun, then add onion and sage leaves to bottoms, then the chicken and top lid of the bread/bun.

5. You can use either a panini press, foreman grill or just a regular cast iron skillet to grill the panini. I used the skillet and used a cast iron press to mash them down. If using a skillet, make sure to flip them once to get both sides of the bread brown and crispy. Slice in half and serve with the potatoes. I mixed up some Sriracha sauce with ketchup for dipping the taters in as well.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman & Cook This, Not That.

Thai Chicken Pizza

I can't rave enough about Pioneer Womans' cookbook... in fact I have already pre-ordered her newest one that comes out in less than 2 weeks. Yay! Anywho... I tried this concoction last week and there were a few things that I was kinda skeptical about but it turned out to be a delicious pizza you'd probably find in a fancy restaurant or something. Here's the recipe... it seems like there are a lot of ingredients but it's really not that difficult to make...

Thai Chicken Pizza

ingredients

• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp fish sauce (I used oyster sauce b/c it's what I had in the fridge)
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 4 Tbsp Thai Sweet chili sauce
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• S&P
• 1 lb pizza dough
• EVOO
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts

directions

1. Preheat oven to 500º and arrange the rack to lowest position in the oven.

2. To make the peanut sauce: Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp Chile sauce, peanut butter to a food processor. While processing, add the water slowly until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more of anything you think it might need.

3. Season the chicken with Salt , pepper & garlic powder. Grill or saute in a pan until cooked throw. Let cool slightly and slice or shred, set aside.

4. Assemble the pizza by rolling out the dough, spread 2 Tbsp chili sauce as the base. Top with mozzarella slices and chicken. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly and browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

5. If you anticipate leftovers don't add any additional toppings until you serve up the pizza. If you plan to eat the whole thing then top it all baby! Top with bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro and drizzle the peanut sauce all over. End with chopped nuts. Serve the peanut sauce on the side for dipping your crust in!

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman

Banana Bread with Walnuts & White Chocolate

Banana bread is such a great thing - great for breakfast, dessert or just a snack. After discovering the original recipe in one of my cookbooks (Cook This, Not That) and using Greek yogurt - I really crave it now. I've made it in all different combinations... here is just one of them.

Banana Bread with Walnuts & White Chocolate

ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled & mashed
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted & cooled slightly
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º, coat a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine the wet ingredients into a bowl (I used my stand mixer) and blend together. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top out with a rubber spatula. Place pan on the lowest rack in your oven and bake for 55 mins - 1 hr 10 mins. You can tell when it's done by placing a toothpick in several spots and it comes out clean. Let rest on stove top for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack to come to room temperature.

I store mine in tightly wrapped plastic in the fridge to make it last longer. This blend of ingredients makes the moistest, most flavorful banana bread I've tried. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Cook This Not That.

Simple Pepperoni Pizzas

We try to keep several pieces of Naan bread in our freezer for nights when I want to whip something up fast. This pizza came out great for that. The Naan bread only needs about 15-20 mins to defrost. All you need is some shredded cheese, sauce & pepperoni slices. I really like the turkey pepperoni, it's not as greasy and has a good bit of spiciness to it. Then just season it to taste and bake for 10 minutes or so. 

ingredients

• 2 pieces Naan Bread
• 15 slices of turkey pepperoni
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• shredded mozzarella
• dried oregano, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 475º, line a baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick spray. Place the naan on the foil and layer with sauce,cheese, pepperoni & spices.

2. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is all melty and gooey. Let pizza rest for 5 minutes before cutting. 

Enjoy!

Italian Meatball Soup

I love love love this soup - will be making again and again. The stock has so much flavor and the combination of veggies gives it great texture. And little meatballs popping up makes it pretty much a perfect soup! Top it with some fresh parsley and Parmesan and a little bread on the side??? yes please! I really didn't change anything from her recipe and it turned out amazing!

Italian Meatball soup

ingredients

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 7 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 7 cups low sodium beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 whole fresh bay leaves
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery, diced
• 1 medium russet potato, diced
• 1/2 lb coleslaw mix or you can slice your own cabbage
• crusty bread for mopping

directions

1. Make the meatballs by combining beef, egg, garlic, 3 tbsp parsley, lemon juice, s&p, oregano and Parmesan with your hands. Form into 1" balls and place on a baking sheet to separate and get ready for browning them. Heat EVOO over medium high heat and brown meatballs in batches. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and let rest on a paper towel lined plate.

2. Next add some salt, beef stock, tomato paste into the pot with the drippings and stir until combined. In some cheesecloth, add 4 Tbsp parsley, bay leaves & the peppercorns, tie off and place in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove the herbs in the cheesecloth and add the diced veggies, cabbage and meatballs. Simmer the soup for 20-30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

When serving the soup top each with some parsley, Parmesan cheese and a loaf of crusty bread for mopping.

This will make 8-10 servings. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Camping Breakfast Burritos

These are a staple for at least one morning every time we go out to the mountains for a camping trip. They are everything a good breakfast burrito should be - chock full of spicy sausage, taters, eggs, onions, tortillas & best of all Green Chile!

Camping Breakfast Burritos

ingredients

• 1/2 lb hot breakfast sausage
• 6 eggs
• shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups refrigerated hash browns with peppers
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green Chile
• flavored burrito sized tortillas (spinach is our favorite)
hot sauce

directions

1. In a cast iron skillet brown the sausage over medium high heat, remove from skillet and drain on paper towel lined plate.

2. Add hash browns and cook until browned and slightly crispy, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the green Chile, cooked sausage and onions into the skillet and cook for several minutes.

3. Crack the eggs and lightly beat in a small bowl. Add to the skillet and cook until eggs are set.

4. Warm the tortillas over an open flame until pliable. Stack some cheese then the sausage/egg mixture, more cheese, hot sauce and roll it up, EAT! YUM!

This will make enough for 6 servings, they make great leftovers too!

Enjoy!

Beef & Sausage Chile and Cornbread

I made this scrumptious version of chile for our camping trip and it was enjoyed by all of us... not hard to make and cooks in only 45 minutes. I cooked up some cornbread muffins from those little inexpensive Jiffy box mixes and they turned out great. The recipe came from a Cook this not that cookbook but I changed a few things and here's how I made it...

Chile

ingredients

• 1 Tbsp canola oil

• 2 medium white onions, chopped

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 cup chili powder

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef

• 1/2 lb hot breakfast sausage

• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 12 oz low sodium beef broth

• 1 Tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce

• 28 oz whole tomatoes

• 15 oz white cannelini beans

• 15 oz pinto beans

• S & P

• Hot sauce

• Toppings:  diced avocado, cilantro, red onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, green bell peppers - basically whatever you want!!!

directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon and cook for 3 minutes, stirring.

2. Add the meats and tomato paste and stir until the meat is cooked through. Add the bay leaf, cocoa powder, broth, chipotle and tomatoes (break them apart with your hands before adding to the pot). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. 

3. Add the beans and season to taste with S&P. If you like it hotter add a few dashes of hot sauce and/or cayenne. Cook for 10 minutes until beans are warmed through. 

Serve with cornbread. You can make this a day or two ahead of time and omit the beans. When ready to cook, reheat and add the beans so they don't lose their texture and fall apart.

This will make 6 servings.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Cook This Not That.