Garlic & Herb Chicken with Lemon-Dill Couscous

Sometimes simplicity is the name of the game. This recipe is flavorful, inexpensive, and elegant - all with only 6 ingredients.

Chicken:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 envelope garlic & herb salad dressing mix 

Couscous:

1 box couscous

3 ¼ T. lemon juice

½ tsp. dill weed

In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine parmesan and dressing mix. Add chicken to the bag and toss to coat. Place chicken in a greased 8-in. square baking dish and bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions, omitting the oil or butter. Before covering the couscous, add lemon juice and dill. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve chicken atop a bed of couscous.

Mexican Lasagna

Before trying this recipe, I was a traditionalist: Lasagna = Italian food. The flavors and textures of this dish won me over - I will never compartmentalize my food genres again! 

1 T. canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups cubed or shredded chicken, pre-cooked

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

3 cans (10 oz.) enchilada sauce

2 eggs

1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

12 no-cook lasagna noodles

3-4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend 

In a large skillet, sauté garlic in oil about 1 minute. Add cooked chicken, spices, and enchilada sauce; bring to a boil.  

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, and cilantro.

Spread ¾ cup of chicken mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Layer with three noodles, 2/3 cup ricotta mixture, ¾ cup chicken mixture, 1 cup shredded cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and shredded cheese.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Citrus Pound Cake

Baking is something I usually try to avoid, but sometimes the result is worth the effort. This pound cake takes on a lighter flavor with the fruity notes of citrus and was so simple, I threw it together on a busy night without breaking a sweat. 

1 cup light butter

2 cups sugar or Splenda

6 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 tsp. grated orange peel

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 cup lemon yogurt

Glaze:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2-3 T. lemon juice

1 T. grated lemon peel

1 T. grated orange peel

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, lemon peel, and orange peel. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Alternate combining the dry ingredients and the yogurt into the sugar mixture. Beat until just combined.

Transfer to a greased Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to achieve the desired glaze consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake and sprinkle with lemon and orange peel.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Recently, I had my first experience with Indian food. Unfortunately, I was not at a restaurant that specialized in Indian cuisine, but nonetheless, I saw fantastic potential in the Chicken Tikka Masala I tried. So of course, I came home and immediately started recipe-searching. I found many recipes and decided to take a little help from several of them. The result was delicious! I'm not sure how authentic the flavor is, but this is definitely going on the "make again" list. 

1 cup plain yogurt

1 T. lemon juice

1 ½ tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground ginger

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

4 metal or wooden skewers

1 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and finally minced

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. salt

1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 T. lemon juice

In a medium bowl, stir together the first 7 ingredients until well blended. Stir in the cubed chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat grill and lightly coat grates with cooking spray. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in spices, and then add tomato sauce and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add grilled chicken cubes and simmer for 10 minutes more.  Stir in lemon juice. Serve with sauce, over steamed basmati rice. 

Mom's Chicken Casserole

As a Southerner, my mom knows her comfort food. Her recipe for chicken casserole has been passed to many and has known multiple incarnations. I prefer the recipe at it’s most basic, any time I’m craving a little contentment.

                               

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayo

2 cups milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded chicken

4-5 cups raw egg noodles, crushed

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix soup, mayo, milk, and cheese until well blended. Add chicken. Fold in crushed noodles. Add chicken mixture to greased 9x13 pan; cover and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes.

**Also great to add peas and water chestnuts to the chicken mixture and top with fried onions for an extra crunch.