"Middle Eastern" Chicken and Rice

Chicken, chicken and more chicken....trying to inventory/clean out our freezer and that's what on the horizon. We are trying to add more turmeric to our diet, and, although, I really need to start learning to cook with fresh, ground is okay for now. Using the keywords "chicken and turmeric" on pinterest, I found some amazing recipes (for later), but this one really caught my eye. I didn't end up marinating the chicken, but rather, mixed it in with the chicken and threw it right into the pan. While that was cooking, I added chicken broth, and the other spices to the rice cooker and it turned out beautifully (and I didn't have to use butter). Based on the last picture on the page, I kept the chicken thighs whole and added fresh tomatoes (and red onions). The (fat-free) yogurt sauce was the pièce de ré·sis·tance; regular, non-greek, plain worked just fine. This dish was finished in under 30 minutes but tasted like it took hours. Definitely a keeper.

http://dinnerthendessert.com/halal-carts-middle-eastern-chicken-and-rice/?crlt.pid=camp.4p8krhbYlJkq

Chicken (and/or) Beef Enchiladas

This website said it was the "Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever" and I had a little bit of ground beef and turkey left over from the week. I added onion to the ground beef, found some awesome corn tortillas (buy-one-get-one-free) at our local health food store (one pkg white corn, one pkg green chili corn). The sauce is what made this so amazing. I'll never buy sauce in a can again. If you ever find yourself with leftover meat, this is a winner. [I actually used the smaller tortillas and didn't have any black beans or green chili and put cilantro inside with the meat, sauce and cheese, but it still tasted dee-licious!]

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-chicken-enchiladas-ever/

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/red-enchilada-sauce/

Pesto Chicken Crescent Ring

Well, at the end of the week, the teenager was looking forward to something not so "healthy".  I just happened to have a couple of Pillsbury Crescent Roll tubes and a jar of basil pesto to use and had great success in the past with the taco ring. This was the final package of chicken tenders, so I boiled them in chicken broth and salt & pepper (and used the broth the next day for a crockpot of the week's leftovers w/zucchini & yellow squash). I then shredded the chicken and combined it with the pesto and mozzarella, making it a 4 ingredient recipe. The teenager was very pleased, especially since he loves Italian.

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pesto-chicken-crescent-ring/acc81360-6989-4728-9328-51e2467cb0a4

Middle Eastern Glazed Chicken

It's been a busy week and, thanks to my hubby's love of manager's specials, we had chicken all week. I took it as a challenge and googled some really delicious recipes. Monday was simple, just using our favorite seasoning-McCormick's Smokehouse Maple on chicken thighs, Tuesday was Baked Caprese Chicken. Wednesday was Middle Eastern Glazed Chicken. What a delightful dish. I sauted the chicken in Coconut oil; orange juice is always a yummy addition to a sauce; I didn't have orange blossom water, so I used dried orange peel (from Watkins). I served it with rice (for the boys' sake) and we had a nice kale salad  on the side.

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/middle-eastern-glazed-chicken/

Baked Caprese Chicken

What a busy week! Last weekend the hubby bought 2 packages of chicken breast tenders and 2 packages of chicken thighs, so I took to google to get creative. I'm behind on my posts so I'm going to get caught up tonight. Monday started with 1 pkg of chicken thighs using one of our favorite seasonings from McCormick:

Tuesday: Baked Caprese Chicken using 1 package of the chicken tenders. [I was actually hoping to do this as a stuffed chicken breast, but the tenders were just as good. Power packed flavor with very little effort. I didn't marinade the chicken, I actually added the cooked down sauce, the basil, tomatoes and mozzarella halfway through the baking process. 

http://damndelicious.net/2015/05/02/baked-caprese-chicken/

Spaghetti Sqaush Boats (Ground Turkey)

I have made spaghetti squash boats before but not with healthy methods in mind. This recipe is probably the best version I have ever had. I will admit to using heavy whipping cream because I didn't have any half and half; I used plain ground turkey and original rotel rather than spicy. A delightful meal if you're cooking for 2. 

http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2015/09/spaghetti-squash-boats-with-spicy-sausage.html

Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

I keep reading blogs about cauliflower "rice" and I finally gave it a whirl. Fried "rice" was a great recipe to start with. The cauliflower absorbed the flavor of the soy and sesame oil. Unfortunately it didn't fool the teenager. He said it was good, but he felt that I had added too many peas as well, so it was a yummy "hot salad". :) I determined that cauliflower "rice" is a great alternative for a healthy lifestyle, but duly noted to have an alternate choice for the teenager. :) [I also added cod for a more filling  meal.]

http://therecipecritic.com/2015/01/cauliflower-fried-rice/