Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Credit: Hodgson Mill (recipe on side of pasta box)
Recipe:
1 12oz box Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Penne
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed
2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1-2 tsp hot sauce
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup low-fat bleu cheese salad dressing
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
3/4 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp bleu cheese, crumbled

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder and pepper, sprinkle over chicken stirring to coat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to high heat. Add chicken to skillet and saute, stirring frequently, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add hot sauce; cook 1 minute. Remove chicken from skillet. Add remaining teaspoon of oil to skillet; add celery and onion and saute about 2 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, dressing and milk in a small bowl. Add to vegetables in skillet. Add chicken. Stir constantly and cook until heated. When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add contents of skillet to pot and mix well. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with bleu cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Cochran Review: I made a few substitutions in an effort to make this healthier and we do not like bleu cheese dressing:
- Sorry Hodgson Mill, another whole wheat pasta was on sale. So, I ran with that.
- I upped the garlic powder from 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp.
- I used Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil from Wildtree instead of vegetable oil.
- I sliced the red onion in large slices instead of chopping it so we could remove them easily. We like the flavor of onions, but do not appreciate the texture.
- I replaced mayo with plain Greek yogurt.
- Instead of bleu cheese salad dressing, I used a block of brie (w/ rhine removed) and some feta crumbles.
- We topped it w/ leftover feta crumbles instead of buying bleu cheese crumbles, and additional hot sauce.
- I didn't combine the spices and then put them on the chicken. I put the oil in the pan, the chicken, and dumped spices as I measured them. It saved a step and worked fine.

This dish was SO yummy! We really enjoyed it and would love to have it again. I used 2 teaspoons of hot sauce and I wouldn't even say it had a kick... in fact, I would say 2 teaspoons is very kid friendly. So, we topped our dishes after they were plated with a few more shakes of hot sauce! Yum! I served it with raw celery and carrot sticks. The recipe states it serves 6. I'd say it serves 3 adults, unless you have larger sides than I offered. Enjoy!

Pic of our meal is the picture shown above.



Pumpkin Pancakes



Credit: High Heels & Grills
Recipe: http://highheelsandgrills.blogspot.com/2012/09/pumpkin-pancakes.html

Cochran Review: After a tough night of teething with our son, my husband told me to go back to sleep as he got up with our son. Super husband moment! He looked up this recipe on my Pinterest board, took our son to the store to get ingredients, and I woke to the smell of these delicious pumpkin pancakes, bacon and coffee! Heaven! The pancakes were moist, fall like, and wonderful just like you would hope! I imagine he made them just as directed... my husband is a wonderful cook by number sort of chef. Meaning, he follows recipes precisely. Unlike me. I get distracted by creativity. You should definitely give these a try! Enjoy!

Here's a pic he took for my blog before I woke! Another super husband moment!



Garlic Chicken Stir Fry w/ Quinoa, Peppers, & Basil

 

Credit: Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa box

Recipe:

1 cup Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa, prepared w/ chicken stock, according to package directions

2 cups Trader Joe's Chicken Broth

1 1/2 pounds Trader Joe's Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders

4 Tbsps Trader Joe's Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

20 leaves fresh sweet basil, julienne

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken into one-inch pieces. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil. Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, bell peppers; saute for one or two more minutes; add garlic and saute until peppers become slightly limp, but still bright, about one to two minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat; add basil and quinoa. Toss until basil wilts, garnish with Parmesan Cheese. Serves four.

Cochran Review: So, last night I was night feeling adventurous in the kitchen. Just thawed some boneless, skinless chicken breasts (from Aldi) and planned to make Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa. When taking the quinoa box out of the pantry this recipe caught my eye. I have basil and peppers in my garden, so it was a no brainer.

Substitutions:

- I used 2 cups of chicken broth I made last week when making slow cooker chicken tacos.

- I used 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken from Aldi.

- I used 4 Tbsp of Wildtree Roasting Garlic Grapeseed Oil instead of Olive Oil. What's Wildtree? Check it out here http://www.mywildtree.com/sherryr/

- I didn't have an onion. So, I used Onion Onion Seasoning Blend from Tastefully Simple.

- I only had two medium green peppers ready for harvest in my garden. So, I ran with those.

- I used 20 basil leaves from my garden and chopped them up. No idea if it is sweet basil or not.

- Totally forgot to garnish with Parmesan, but topped with Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand Premium Soy Sauce.

I put the grapeseed oil in the pan, seasoned both sides of my chicken with salt and pepper, and cooked till chicken was done. I cooked the quinoa and chicken broth at the same time as the chicken in a separate pot. Then I threw in the diced peppers and onion seasoning to start cooking as I sliced the chicken. Threw the chicken back in the pan with the peppers and onion seasoning. Threw the chopped basil in the cooked quinoa. Mixed it all together, plated it, and topped it with soy sauce! Yum! Seriously low effort, under 30 minutes, affordable, and very tasty! Totally cured my salt craving with the addition of soy sauce. This was great reheated for leftovers, too! We will be having this again! Enjoy!

Pic of our dish is the picture shown above.

Clinton Kelly's Pappardelle with Summer Vegetables and Ricotta

Credit: The Chew's Clinton Kelly
Recipe: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Pappardelle-Summer-Vegetables-Ricotta-Auberge-du-Soleil-Resort

Cochran Review: Bleh! How's that for an official food blog review? LOL! OK, in all fairness to Clinton, I didn't have cherry tomatoes (my plants have stopped producing) and I didn't have Arugula (lettuce). So, maybe that makes a huge difference. I also had to swap out pappardelle noodles for egg noodles. I don't think this was a big deal tho. Clinton even recommended it on the show. I substituted egg plant for tomatoes and I think that's where I went wrong. I haven't done a lot of cooking (OK, none) with egg plant and was interested to try it. I think this wasn't the best recipe for it though. The dish was OK, not a lot of flavor, after cooked fresh. However, warmed up was awful! The veggies got rubbery and were not edible. If you give this dish a shot, I recommend going with tomatoes or something that provides that acidic flare. We won't be trying it again. Oh well, I told my husband, one bad dish out of a hundred isn't bad, right? Ha ha ha! This is where I usually say enjoy, but I think I'll end with good luck.  ;)

Here's a pic of our dish:

Chinese take out with a healthy focus

Guess who didn't make dinner last night? Me! We ordered Chinese take out per my husband's pleading to satisfy a recent craving. Is your jaw off the floor yet? :)

Why am I blogging about take out on my food blog, you may ask. Well, since our son was born we have done our best to keep eating healthy, but sometimes sleep deprivation and time have made eating out and sweets appealing more often than my waistline can handle. I'm really trying to stay focused on a healthy lifestyle again. Usually, I think all indulge and no smart choices when we decide on take out. What's the point, right? However, this time I agreed to take out, but did some research about making healthier choices before my husband got home.

Having a healthy lifestyle is about cooking at home, exercise, and making intelligent choices when you indulge while eating out. I found my research very eye opening and thought you may, too.

References:

• http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/healthy-chinese-food
• http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Order-Healthy-Chinese-Takeout-24048436

Worst:

• Crispy
• Egg Rolls
• Spare Ribs
• Sweet & Sour
• Fried Rice

Best:

• Soup
• Chinese Vegetables
• Dim Sum/Dumplings
• Steamed, or other safe words Jum, Chu, Kow, & Shu
• Stir Fry - ask for light on oil

Top Soups

1. Wonton
2. Egg Drop
3. Hot & Sour

Top Meals

1. Moo Goo Gai Pan
2. Kung Pao Chicken
3. Beef & Broccolli

Tips:

• Ask for your food to be cooked Stock Velveted (in vegetable stock as opposed to oil). This can save 150-300 calories and 15-30 grams of fat.
• Always ask for half sauce. The ideal sauces are hot mustard, hoisin, and oyster. Sauces like sweet and sour, BBQ, General Tso's, etc have a lot of corn starch, which pack on the pounds.
• Have some fun, and use chopsticks! This will result in less sauce consumption and eating slower... all great things for eating healthier.

Hope this helps you next time you decide to enjoy take out! Enjoy!

Daphne Oz's Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Credit: The Chew's Daphne Oz
Recipe: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Chicken-Sweet-Potatoes-Daphne-Oz

Cochran Comments: I did all of the chopping and work this morning after breakfast, but I would recommend preparing your meat and veggies the night before if you have to be somewhere (ie work) in the morning. It took me about 30 minutes from starting the prep work to firing up my slow cooker. Pretty easy, tho. I peeled the sweet potatoes. The recipe doesn't really specify, but the pic above doesn't show skin on and I'm not a big fan of sweet potato skin.

I don't have Curry Powder on hand. So, I researched a substitute. I found a conversation on Yahoo Answers stating the following for a substitute:

• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander powder
• red chili powder, to taste
• optional: pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cardamom powder, pinch of cinnamon

I only needed a teaspoon of curry powder. So, I didn't follow the amounts exactly. I just kind of sprinkled the above seasonings over the chicken in the slow cooker. However, I don't have turmeric either. So, back to substitute research, and found mustard powder per healthdiaries.com.

Well, the reviews on the recipe site are right, there's a lot of liquid leftover. I too would probably cut the original liquids in half to start this meal. There was so much liquid, I'm not sure the amount of cornstarch recommended really made a difference in thickening. I didn't add more, because I didn't want to add to the calories. Waste not, want not! I actually strained the leftover sauce and I'm gonna try to use the now broth in place of water or chicken broth the next time I make quinoa. I'll keep you posted about this.

First bite words, "Woo! Bring on the back heat!" The first bite was a little alarming, but it was never too much for my husband and I. Our almost two year old doesn't quite care for hot food as much as we do yet, and he has a sensitive stomach. So, I chickened out and gave him plain chicken.

The flavor was great, the textures were great, and good news! The flavors and textures maintained for leftovers! Yay!

I didn't make the spinach side recommended in the original recipe. I served 2 & 1/2 bags of baby spinach to my family already this week. I knew they were probably over it, because I (the vegetable lover) was. So, I got some fresh green beans from my local produce stand. I put 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan, 2 minced garlic cloves, and heated it up, but didn't brown it. I cleaned and cut the tips off the green beans, and threw the beans into the pan with oil and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes. Since my main dish had some soy sauce in the base, I decided to add a bit to my green beans. Maybe a tablespoon or so... to taste. Cook a little longer. I like to cook green beans down a little bit so they soften slightly from their original texture, but still have some crunch. You can't cook fresh green beans incorrectly. Their safe to eat fresh or mushy. So, just use your judgement to your liking, and enjoy! Right before plating the beans I folded some sesame seeds into them. Again, to your liking. Hope your family enjoys this dish as much as we did!

Caramel-Apple Pork Chops

Credit: Taste of Home - Simple & Delicious
Recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Caramel-Apple-Pork-Chops?Login=JoinLogIn

Cochran Review: I had pork steaks in the freezer already, so I substituted. The whole meal can together in under an hour. It was very easy to make, and was very tasty! Not too sweet, but sweet enough my husband said he didn't have as much a need for dessert after. Notice his use of need instead of want. LOL! Enjoy!

Leftover news.... I'm a big fan of cooking enough for leftovers, but I didn't enjoy this meal as a leftover. The flavors and textures seemed to just mush together over night. So, the next day it was just one blah flavor instead of the enjoyable layed flavor and texture we experienced the day before. I would still like to have this meal again, but I won't make enough for leftovers.

Bacon Corn Cavatelli

Credit: Michael Symon via The Chew

Recipe: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Bacon-Corn-Cavatelli-Michael-Symon

Cochran Review: I'm addicted to The Chew on ABC! It's so entertaining! Check it out! Yum! Yum! Yum!!! This meal was SO easy and cheap to make, but still really brought the flavor! We loved it! I did a few things different, of course:

• Cavatelli is not carried in my grocers w/o special ordering. Since I didn't plan for that timing, I substituted Cavatappi. It's a fun noodle! I'd like to plan ahead next time and try Cavatelli... I don't think I've ever had it.
• I picked the tomatoes fresh from my garden. I didn't quite have enough cherry tomatoes ready, so I also chopped regular tomatoes. Also, my husband doesn't care for tomato texture. So, I chopped finely.
• EVOO - My Aunt Sherry sells Wild Tree products. I love cooking with the Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil as a substitute for EVOO. If you're interested to see what it is or would like to order, here is her site: http://www.mywildtree.com/sherryr/
• Bacon, my husband LOVES bacon! 1/4 pound is about 4 thick slices, which isn't enough for hubby. So, I doubled it. It didn't seem like bacon overload, but I used the whole box of noodles (slightly more than called for).

That's it! This dish is so easy I made it in under 45 mins with a nearly two year old's "help". Thanks for joining us for dinner, and enjoy!

Here is a picture of our dish. I know Chef Symon is a declared Iron Chef and all, but I'm gonna go ahead and say my pic looks tastier! hehehe: