Caprese Chicken

I feel like it's often I make something and we think its our new favorite...but really, this is one of our new favorites. So take that for what it's worth.

This is super fast and simple to put together. We had  rotini with pesto on the side and everyone loved it. I used fresh mozzarella but a sprinkling of shredded cheese or a slice would be just fine.







Caprese Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 c. balsamic vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic
1 large tomato or 2 small, sliced
fresh basil leaves
4-8 slices mozzarella cheese
balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction

Pour the balsamic vinaigrette in a ziploc bag and add in the garlic. Marinate the chicken breasts in there for a few hours or even all day. Cook the chicken on a heated grill until cooked through, at the last minute top with tomatoes, basil and cheese and wait until the cheese melts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or a balsamic reduction. Enjoy!

Veggie Enchilada Bake

We're trying to eat more veggies.  This recipe is a direct reflection of that.  I threw it all together in my "Magic Pot" from Pampered Chef and microwaved it for 15 minutes and wah-lah...we all loved it.  You too can make this in the microwave, or if you don't have a magic pot, use a baking dish and bake it in the oven.

I had a bunch of collard greens sitting around and I chopped them up and put them in but spinach would be just great so use a bunch of greens of your choice.

Veggie Enchilada Bake

8 corn tortillas, cut in quarters
1 tsp olive or vegetable oil
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bunch greens, chopped
1 c. frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 can black beans, drained
1 heaping Tb. adobo sauce, from a can of chipotle in adobo (or 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder)
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 10-oz can green enchilada sauce (check for gluten if you're GF)

Preheat the oven to 350 (if you're using the oven.)  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in 1 tsp. oil.  Saute the peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and greens 5-7 minutes, or until they are soft.  Stir in black beans, corn and adobo sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.  Pour some enchilada sauce on the bottom of your deep covered baker or an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  Layer half the tortillas, half the veggie mixture, half the cheese.  Then the rest of the tortillas, enchilada sauce, veggies and top with the cheese.  Bake 20 minutes (or microwave 15).  Once you remove from the oven, let stand 10 minutes before serving.

1/6th is 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Greek Inspired Stuffed Peppers

I ended up with numerous small green bell peppers and they just seemed perfect for stuffing. So, I came up with this recipe and we all really liked it. I would prefer using colored bell peppers so if you have those available that would probably be even better.

I bought a case of tomatoes that I needed to use up so I used fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but a can of chopped tomatoes would be an easy substitution if you have one of those around. Also, I used a can of black beans, but if you prefer, rice would be a good addition.







Greek Inspired Stuffed Peppers
6 small bell peppers, any color (or 4 large peppers)
1 lb chicken or turkey sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 can black beans, drained OR 2 c. cooked rice
1 box frozen, chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz. feta, crumbled

Rinse the peppers, cut off the tops and remove the ribs and seeds, then set aside. In a large skillet cook the sausage and drain off the fat. Add in the onion and jalapeno and cook over medium until they begin to soften. Next add the garlic and tomatoes and cook a few more minutes, once the tomatoes start to soften and break down crumble in the spinach and stir in the black beans and feta. Stuff the peppers and place them in a baking dish. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until peppers are fork-tender.

BBQ Chicken Bowls

I made the cilantro-lime rice and grilled chicken the other day, and I made too much...way too much. Then--after church Sunday a plan came to me with the leftovers and I came up with this, we all loved it. Somehow the picture looks a little onion-y, but we like onions so it worked. You can adjust how you see fit!

I roasted a red pepper, but you don't have to go to the trouble, a chopped bell pepper would be really good.

This is a rough recipe, I just sprinkled on the toppings to our liking so adjust as you like!

BBQ Chicken Bowls
makes 4-5 servings

1 recipe cilantro-lime rice
1.25 lbs grilled chicken breast
1/2-3/4 c. bbq sauce
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
cilantro, chopped

Chop the chicken and stir in the bbq sauce, adjust the amount to your liking. To assemble bowls layer rice, chicken, cheese, onion, black beans, corn and red pepper and garnish with cilantro.  Enjoy with a margarita to really kick it up!