Falafel Crusted Chicken Pitas with Hummus Slaw

Ever since I tried falafel for the first time at L'As du Fallafel in Paris (see here), I've been OBSESSED. Though I really have never tried to make it myself, I've tried it in Madison once or twice. It never matched up to the falafel I had in Paris, but it was still falafel-fantastic. If you haven't ever tried it, I'd encourage you to do so cause you're missing out.

So...this was the first recipe that intrigued me to try to make; probably because it's the easier version of the recipe since it uses chicken and doesn't involve a food processor (I'm food processor lazy). Or it could have something to do with the fact that it takes about 30 minutes to make (no hangry here).

I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, but made a few modifications. I will DEFINITELY be making this again. I hope you'll all give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients: 

• Cooking spray
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. falafel mix (*Note: My grocery store didn't stock this mix, so I just used regular chicken strip bread crumbs and added 1 tbsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and some salt and pepper.)
• 6 tbsp. hummus
• 2 tbsp. tahini (*Note: Optional; I just added this to add a bit more flavor and creamy texture.)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. harissa
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
• 6 radishes, halved and sliced thinly
• 4 pita pocket halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut chicken in 1/4 inch strips, place in bowl, and coat with olive oil. Dump falafel mix in bowl and evenly coat. Place strips on prepared baking pan. Spray with cooking spray (helps chicken to get crispy) and bake for about 10 minutes.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare hummus: mix humus, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, harissa, and minced garlic.
4. Wrap pita pocket halves in tin foil and place in oven for the last 5 minutes while chicken continues to cook.
5. Mix hummus mixture with shredded coleslaw and sliced radishes. (*Note: I chose to mix PER meal, i.e. don't mix it all at once, as coleslaw tends to get SO soggy SO quick. This way, your leftovers won't taste like a mess.)
6. Take warmed pita and fill with slaw and chicken strips. Top with sriracha and be happy.

Teriyaki Chicken + Vegetables

It seems like we are always eating some type of Mexican or Italian food in our house... So, I was looking to change it up a bit with this recipe I found on Eat Good 4 Life, and what I found was very tasty! I added a few things to the recipe and changed it up a bit based on things that I did or did not have on hand...but I think it was a winner! Curtis isn't much for stir fry and I think he mostly liked it too. (He loves water chestnuts, so I made sure to add those to the mix.) 

I think that the homemade teriyaki sauce was GREAT. It was nice and SIMPLE tasting, which I loved. I sometimes think that the store-bought sauce has too many interfering flavors that make enjoying the basic ingredients hard. 

SO, I'm gonna quit the gabbing and get to it. 

Ingredients:

Chicken + Veggie Mix:

• 3 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
• Olive Oil
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Seasoning of choice (I used lemon pepper)
• 2-3 c. chopped broccoli
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 cans sliced water chestnuts

Teriyaki Sauce:

• 4 tbsp. ginger, chopped
• 2/3 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2/3 c. cold water
• 4 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2/3 c. honey (I didn't have honey on hand, so I used sugar in the raw)

Directions:

1. IF you have time, try to let your chicken marinate for a while. I find that chicken that is cooked on the stove top ends up coming out dry and bland, so this should help. Place chopped chicken in gallon-size ziplock baggie. Drizzle a good amount of olive oil and Worcestershire sauce into the bag and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and some lemon pepper (or similar). Let sit in the fridge for an hour or two (or just as long as it takes you to prepare everything else.
2. In medium pot, combine all sauce ingredients and bring to a low boil. Turn down heat and stir until sauce has thickened a bit. Set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in large pot on medium-high heat. Add chicken, onions, and carrots. Heat until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. 
4. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and water chestnuts and allow to cook for about another minute. 
5. Add teriyaki sauce and mix, allowing the mixture to cook for another couple minutes so the flavors can meld. 
6. Serve over rice or spiraled zucchini and enjoy!

Freaking Good Chili

I've been a chili MACHINE lately. I think I've made at least 3 or 4 (huge) pots of chili in the past month, all of which are under close scrutiny of Curtis Ryan (who makes abundantly sure that I know he only likes MEATY chili recipes). 

I've made this White Bean Chicken Chili, and he basically described it as "woman chili," as it has "green stuff" (Swiss chard), floating around in it. I still think that chili is a home run, so try it out if it's your style! You won't be disappointed; however, since Curtis makes his "pfff" face every time I make chili that isn't manly enough, I've set out on a mission to come up with the perfect chili recipe as a compromise to satisfy both of our taste buds.

See? Look how meaty and chunky. ha I found the base of this recipe on Allrecipes.com, and then modified it a bit. It has beer in it, and you can taste it in every bite, and it's delicious. I also think this recipe has the perfect mixture of HOT and SWEET. It's chunky, full of extra-lean ground turkey (which I substitute for ground beef) and a few different kinds of beans. I love it. And what's great is that it's super easy to make. You basically just dump it all into one pot (mostly), which is especially great after work when your mind is just on auto-pilot. 

WARNING: This recipe makes A LOT of chili, so make sure that you have a very large pot to use. And freeze the leftovers! They are even better than fresh, in my opinion.

Freaking Good Chili (this is now it's technical name)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. extra-lean ground turkey
• 2 (15 oz.) cans chili beans in spicy sauce, UNdrained
• 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
• 2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 4 cubes beef bullion
• 12 oz. beer (*Note: I used Riverwest Stein - a lager, so any comparable beer will do.)
• 1/4 c. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (*Note: I used Louisiana Hot Sauce)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. white sugar

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown ground turkey until mostly cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
2. Add chili beans, beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add onion, green pepper, red pepper, and jalapeno peppers. Then add bullion and beer. And then chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic,  oregano, cumin, hot sauce, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar. 
3. Stir well to blend. Then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 
4. After 2 hours, season with salt, pepper, and chili powder appropriately. Then enjoy!

Homemade Mac n' Cheese + Spinach Salad

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe! The holidays are a time of tradition for me and my family, so not a whole lot of new recipes get tried out around this time of the year. But here is a new one for ya!

So what made me try this recipe? Curtis requested a "thick and creamy" mac n' cheese for his birthday dinner. My first thought was noo way... I though mac n' cheese, of the homemade variety, involved a lot of work and like 17 different types of cheeses with names I can't pronounce and a gigantic hole in my pocket where money used to be. But, nope...I think I made this recipe for less than $10 and we're STILL working on the leftovers. And best of all, it was really, really easy. 

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com and doctored it up a bit. What I found funny though...was in the reviews, people were knocking it for being high in fat and calories. Hello? Isn't that what cheese and butter are? If you're LOOKING for a mac n' cheese recipe, you can't look for one that is low in calories and fat. That's just stupid talking. So just take the deliciousness for what it is and pair the cheesiness with this salad on the side, and you'll be golden. A well-rounded meal. (At least that's how I like to justify it.)

Homemade Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. elbow macaroni 
• 1/2 c. butter
• 5 tbsp. flour
• 6 c. milk
• 4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (Note: the Parmesan cheese made for a sort of gritty texture, so next time, I might consider trying a smoother cheese like mozzarella, but I liked the strong taste of the Parmesan, so maybe Swiss?)
• 1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes 
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• Sprinkling of paprika 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare macaroni al dente per the instructions on the box. Drain and then place noodles in a 9x13 pan.
3. In large pot on medium heat, melt butter and add flour to make a roux.
4. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Then add cheese and stir constantly until all the cheese has melted. This will take a while, but be patient. It will look pretty runny in the end, but that is fine.
5. Pour cheese over noodles, add red pepper flakes, and careful stir.
6. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in pan, add bread crumbs and brown. Then sprinkle over macaroni.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 1 bag spinach
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
• Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Melt butter and toast almonds on medium heat. This will only take a couple of minutes, so make sure you don't let the almonds burn. Then set aside.
2. Tear spinach into more manageable pieces, place in large bowl.
3. Sprinkle with onions, dried cranberries, and toasted almonds.
4. Mix together vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, and poppy seeds. Pour, as needed, over salad. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Zucchini and Sweet Corn

Well, well. It's been a while since I'e posted a recipe on here. BUT, due to my excess zucchini and sweet corn this past week, this recipe came along at a good time. It's incredibly easy, but pretty tasty as well. It makes a really great side, especially in the summer time. 

There's not much more to say about this one since it IS so simple... But I will definitely be making it again. 

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 zucchinis (cubed)
• 2 c. sweet corn
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• Juice from one lime
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Drizzle oil in a pan, allowing to warm up to medium heat. Add garlic and allow to cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Add zucchini, corn, and cilantro. Then spices and lime juice.
3. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini is soft.
4. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Oh yum. This recipe is definitely a new favorite of mine. Since you can make it in the crock pot, it's super easy and super delicious. And best of all...it's healthy (from Skinny Taste)! Busy lives make crock pot meals the best. It's always nice to get home after a long day with dinner all ready to eat.

I think Santa Fe Chicken is usually served over rice, but there are healthier alternatives to rice (and yummier). I served it over zucchini "noodles." (I don't have a spiraler, so instead I just use a potato peeler to make extremely thin, long slices of zucchini.) Anyways, zucchini, topped with quinoa, then topped with the crock pot chicken made for a pretty tasty combination! You can also put it all into a tortilla for a wrap of sorts if you like. 

As you can see by the photo, Louisiana Hot Sauce makes this meal EVEN better. I swear, I have found a new love for this stuff. Also top with reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, fat free sour cream, and a few chunks of avocado. YUM.

Here you go!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 14.4 oz. can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz. can black beans (reduced sodium)
• 14 oz. bag frozen corn
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz. can fat free chicken broth (reduced sodium)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (besides chicken breasts) in crock pot.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and lay on top of mixture
3. Cook on low for 10 hours (or on high for 6). One hour before serving, take chicken out of crock pot, shred, and return to crock pot for one more hour.

The Best Basics | Cupcakes & Buttercream Frosting

Even when presented with fancy pants cupcakes, people seem to go back to the basics. As overall crowd pleasers, you usually don't have to worry about whether or not people will eat the cupcakes when they are plain and simple (yet delicious, of course). So here are the best Chocolate Cupcakes and White Cupcakes that I have found so far. They are modified box cake recipes, which originally made me feel a little lazy, but I have since found out that many bakeries do this for their specialty recipes as well. 

They are both very different from each other, aside from only flavor. The chocolate cupcakes recipe is actually taken from bundt cake recipe I probably got from Allrecipes.com. Bundt cakes - at least in my experience - are usually a more dense, rich cake, which is obviously no different in cupcake form. BUT, as I posted in my last cupcake recipe, I like a more muffiny cupcake, so I love the heaviness of this recipe. The white cake recipe is much lighter and fluffier, but still satisfying and very smooth.

The nice thing about these recipes is that you can experiment with different flavored frostings and if you're feelin extra ambitious, different flavored fillings. These cupcakes pictured below were made for my second-cousin, Evan's 1st birthday party (which was clearly baseball-themed). The baseballs were white cake, filled with raspberry jam, topped with almond buttercream. And the grass-colored cupcakes were chocolate cake, filled with a dollop of Nutella, topped with coconut buttercream, and a Tootsie Roll baseball glove. 

You could experiment even more with these cupcakes, filling them with ANY type of pie filling or jam or even peanut butter (!!) for the chocolate cupcakes. There are also maaany many types of extracts out there, ranging from maple and hazelnut to raspberry and lemon.

Start with these solid cupcake recipes and GO CRAZY.

Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cake mix and chocolate pudding mix. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, beaten eggs, and warm water. Mix well.
3. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Fill cupcake tins 1/2 - 3/4 full. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cupcake tops feel springy to the touch.

White Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. White cake mix
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/3 c. water
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 egg whites (3/4 c. "All Whites")

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt. Add water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg whites. Mix well for 4 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake tins 1/2 - 3/4 full.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cupcake tops feel springy to the touch.

(*Note: cupcake cook times may vary. Usually, I set a timer for 15 minutes and gauge my time from there, keeping a close eye on them until they are finished baking.)

Basic Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened (or 1/2 c. butter + 1/2 c. shortening)
• 1 tsp. vanilla (or other extract)
• 5 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 c. milk

Directions:

1. Cream butter with electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and mix well. 
3. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and milk - alternating additions. 
4. Add more milk or powdered sugar depending on desired consistency.