I am most certainly in what one would call "a chicken rut"...and I can't seem to get out of it. ...meaning, I cook some sort of "chicken meal" every night for supper. ..and it's getting pretty old. Now, I LOVE chicken, don't get me wrong but sometimes enough is enough. and it's nice to try something new :)
my mother has graciously suggested MANY yummy sounding non-chicken recipes for us to try (because she knows that is all I cook) but I have yet to try them. I have been complaining about being "stuck in this rut" but haven't done anything about it!! so...here I go with some of these non-chicken recipes. It's time to start getting creative!!! here are a few I am thinking of trying out...
creamy tomato tortellini soup
2 whole Large Cloves Of Garlic Minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cans 10 3/4 Oz Cans Of Condensed Tomato Soup
½ cups Sun Dried Tomatoes, Chopped Or Two Tablespoons Of Sun Dried Tomato Paste
1-½ cup Milk
2 cups Half-and-half
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Pepper
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown or burnt.
When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, milk, half and half, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, drop noodles into the soup. Cook according to the package directions. Mine takes about 8 minutes.
After noodles are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.
now this next one is not exactly a meal, but would make a great appetizer (maybe for a upcoming holiday party!) AND it contains NO chicken!
mushroom and brie brushcetta
1 baguette, sliced diagonally
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 1 whole clove, peeled
4–5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed (or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 wedge of your favorite brie
fresh thyme is a key component to this dish, but if you're in a bind, dry thyme can work as well.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, chopped garlic, and thyme to the pan and let cook until mushrooms are brown, approximately 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat, add salt, and stir.
Organize baguette slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Brush the top side of each slice with olive oil. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes until slices are crunchy. Remove from the oven (but keep the oven on) and let cool. Once bread slices are cool enough to handle, lightly rub the top of each slice with the garlic clove for extra flavor.
Assemble by topping each slice of bread with 3–4 mushroom slices and a slice of brie. Place back in the oven for 5–8 minutes, or until brie is slightly melted. Serve warm.
Serves 8–10.
crispy shrimp pasta
4 oz fettuccine pasta
3/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
cook pasta according to package directions. Sprinkle shrimp with salt, pepper, and toss to combine. Sprinkle 1 tbsp flour over the shrimp, and toss to coat the shrimp. Sprinkle 1 more tbsp flour and toss to evenly coat the shrimp. Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to plate. Pour in the chicken broth. Cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium and pour in cream, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly and the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and add seasonings as desired (salt, pepper, cajun seasonings, etc.) Add the drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce, and stir to combine.
mexican stuffed peppers
4 bell peppers (any color), sliced in half stem-to-tip, seeds removed
1c quinoa, uncooked
½ medium onion, diced
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles (don’t drain)
¼c cilantro, minced
¼tsp salt
¼tsp pepper
olive oil, if desired
½c Monterrey Jack, grated
½c cheddar cheese, grated
1 recipe red enchilada sauce (or 1 (28oz) can)
add quinoa and onion to a large saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 5 minutes, cover, turn off heat and let steam 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
In the meantime, microwave pepper halves 2-3 minutes to soften slightly. (Prepared this way, the peppers should come out crisp-tender. If you want them crisper, you can omit this step.)
Pour quinoa/onion mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in black beans, tomato, green chiles and their juices, cilantro, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. If the mixture seems to dry, drizzle in a bit of olive oil (I didn’t need any).
Pour enchilada sauce into a 9×13″ baking dish. Divide filling among peppers. Nestle stuffed peppers into the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheeses.
Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook about 5 minutes longer. Serve peppers drizzled with enchilada sauce.
now, I can assure you that my husband will NOT like this one, but it looks delicious to me :) maybe I will make a batch of it and take it to eat at work!
feta and chick pea salad
2 cans chick peas, or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
the juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 oz crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
paula deen's cheeseburger pizza
one 16-ounce package refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 green bell pepper, cut into rings
1 red bell pepper, cut into rings
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
8 slices provolone
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Let the pizza dough rest according to package directions.
Press the dough into a 16-inch pizza pan or a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.
In a large skillet, combine the bell peppers and onions. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Next, add the ground beef and cook until crumbly and brown. Remove from the heat and drain well.
Spread the mustard over the pizza crust. Top with the provolone, beef mixture and mozzarella. Sprinkle with the Montreal steak seasoning. Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.
fish tacos
1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 flour tortillas
Shredded white cabbage
Hot sauce
Crema or sour cream
Thinly sliced red onion
Thinly sliced green onion
Chopped cilantro leaves
Pureed Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.
Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.
hope these yummy recipes will keep YOU from getting in a "chicken rut" :)
happy monday!
Scripture of the day:
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.' Hebrews 11:1
