Mixed Vegetable Grill

Credit: allrecipes.com
Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mixed-vegetable-grill/

Cochran Review: Oh my! This recipe is great! Love the sweet and spicy, but it wasn't too spicy. All of the veggies were tasty, but the show stopper for us was the sweet potato! Yum! I would definitely throw another sweet potato in the mix next time! This was a very easy recipe, too. Cutting up the veggies wasn't even much of a task since you cut them in large chunks to keep them safely on the grill. Enjoy!

4/2/12 - I paired this with Heinz 57 grilled chicken.

Here is a pic from our meal:

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

Credit: Plain Chicken
Recipe: http://www.plainchicken.com/2009/09/nutella-gooey-butter-cake.html

Cochran Review: Make it! This is so moist and good! Pretty easy to pull together, too. My 15 month old and I made this together in about 20 mins. It is tasty by itself, but very good and creamy with a scoop of cool whip on top. Enjoy!

Family Fajita Bar - turned slow cooker meal

Credit: Weber
Recipe: http://www.weber.com/grillout/recipes/beef/family-fajita-bar

Cochran Review: Well, we ran out of propane, and I do not know how to change the tank. So, I turned this grill meal into a slow cooker meal with great success! Here's how I did it:

I put about a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large pan on the stove top. I seared both sides of the steak to caramelize it. I put the steak in the slow cooker. Then added the chicken to the pan to sear both sides. I then added the chicken to the slow cooker, too.

Since I was putting the meal in the slow cooker for the day, I thought I should increase the liquid. Instead of 1/4 cup of orange juice, I used 12 ounces. I had concerns that adding this much orange juice and not using a grill would create a tropical flavor and loose the smoky grill taste. So, I put the orange juice, olive oil, and lime juice in the pan I seared the meat on low and mixed the drippings. This turned the liquid to a smokier and browner consistency. End result seemed to be much more smokey grill flavor than blatant orange. So, we were happy.

I poured the liquid mixture from the pan over the meat in the slow cooker, added the other ingredients (except peppers & onions; we sauteed them in a pan w/ coconut oil right before serving), and cooked it on low for 5 hours.

We really enjoyed this meal! I think the conversion from a grill cooking method to a slow cooker is a nice alternative for those without a grill or for winter months. We really enjoyed this.

I have a favorite guacamole recipe I typically make. I was gonna give this one a try, but time didn't allow and I went to my reliable Wholly Guacamole cheat. If you try the guac recipe included, let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Bacon & Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers

Credit: Fast Paleo
Recipe: http://fastpaleo.com/bacon-sweet-potato-turkey-burgers/

Cochran Review: Very easy to make and lots of flavor. We put the burgers on the grill to cook instead of back in the pan with drippings. I served it with mixed lettuce and a balsamic vinegar dressing. We really enjoyed these and would be happy to make them again. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken w/ Spinach & Melted Mozzarella

Credit: Skinny Taste
Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/grilled-chicken-with-spinach-and-melted.html

Cochran Review: Looking forward to trying this one soon!!

Chicken & Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Credit: Skinny Taste
Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/chicken-and-mushrooms-in-garlic-white.html

Cochran Review: This meal really came together effortlessly. Probably the most difficult part was my 15 month old wanting to be held while I made half of it.  :)  Even my husband who doesn't like mushrooms enjoyed this meal. I served it with the Zesty Broccoli from one of my earlier posts. Enjoy!

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

Credit: Sugarlaws
Recipe: http://www.sugarlaws.com/artichoke-crusted-chicken

Cochran Review: We really enjoyed this meal after I made a few adjustments to make it healthier. The substitutions didn't leave us feeling like the flavor compromised. I doubled the recipe so we could have four chicken breasts instead of just two (we like leftovers for lunch). The best part of this meal is that I it came together in about 20-25 minutes! Yay for tasty quick meals! We would definetly have this meal again. Hope you enjoy!

Substitutions/Alterations:
My husband is adamantly against all things mayo. So, I replaced the mayo with a 6oz container of plain Greek yogurt! This worked out great! the topping was very creamy and far healthier than even the same amount of light mayo made with olive oil!

I've been very intrigued with trying coconut oil. So, I tried it for the first time on this meal. I liked cooking with it. I'll post an article about my coconut cooking experience soon.

The recipe suggests chopping the artichoke hearts. I actually finely chopped them in my food processor. I thought they might be tricky for our 15 month old to eat otherwise. This worked out well. I think my husband actually liked the finely chopped texture better.

I'm not sure if the chicken breasts I used were thicker than the ones used in the original recipe or not, but my cook time in the pan and the broiler was about double the suggested time.

Here is a pic of our dinner fresh from the broiler:

Here's a pic plated with broccoli and mushrooms steamed in coconut oil, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic: