Recipe Friday - Chicken and Roast Veg Quiche

Lately I've been looking for more ways to use up ingredients laying around my fridge. I almost ALWAYS have a bunch of eggs sitting in my fridge, just a few days away from expiring, and since I hardly ever eat eggs for breakfast, I thought I'd make some quiche!

Ingredients
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, put through a garlic press
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (or use chopped broccoli)
1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken (I usually use last night's leftovers)
3 eggs
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 (9-inch) pie crust, in pie pan
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Toss onions, garlic, bell peppers, extra virgin olive oil, Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper together on a large baking sheet. Roast in oven until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus, toss well and roast until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. Add chicken, toss well and set aside.

Mix eggs, egg whites, flour, baking powder, milk, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Arrange vegetable mixture in pie crust, then pour egg mixture over the top. Scatter cheese over egg mixture and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. (Tent with foil if top gets too dark before quiche is cooked through). Set aside to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

ENJOY!

Recipe Friday - Potato Topped Chicken Pot Pie

When I got married I received a lot of cookbooks. I flipped through most of them and decided that there was nothing interesting, and they sit on my shelf being totally useless. I did however get the Canadian Living Cookbook which has a lot of great recipes and the BEST part is, they're family friendly! The recipe that I probably make the most (I made it tonight for the in-laws, and they really enjoyed it) is called Potato Topped Chicken Pot Pies. It's total comfort food!

Ingredients

1 1lb lb(454 g) (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breastboneless skinless chicken breasts
2 2cups cups(500 mL) (500 mL) chicken stock
2 2cups cups(500 mL) (500 mL) button mushroombutton mushrooms, quartered
1 1oniononions, chopped
2 2carrotcarrots, chopped
2 2cloves garlic, minced
2 2bay leafbay leaves
1/4 1/4tsp tsp(1 mL) (1 mL) salt
1/4 1/4tsp tsp(1 mL) (1 mL) pepper
1 1pinch pinchnutmeg
1 1cup cup(250 mL) (250 mL) frozen peas
1 1tsp tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) Dijon mustard
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) lemon juice
1/2 1/2cup cup(125 mL) (125 mL) all-purpose flour
Topping
6 6Yukon Gold potatoYukon Gold potatoes
1/2 1/2cup cup(125 mL) (125 mL) milk
4 2tbsp tbsp(50 mL) (25 mL) butter
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) salt
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) pepper

Preparation:

Topping: Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) chunks. In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes until tender, 15 minutes; drain and return to pot. Add milk, cheese, butter, salt and pepper; mash until smooth. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1/2-inch (1 cm) chunks. In separate large sauce-pan, bring stock to boil. Add chicken, mushrooms, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and nutmeg; reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 6 minutes. Stir in peas, mustard and lemon juice.

In small bowl, whisk flour with 1/3 cup (75 mL) cold water; whisk into stock mixture and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 5 minutes.

Make-Ahead Meal: Ladle into four 2-cup (500 mL) ovenproof or foil dishes. Spoon or pipe potato mixture over top. Let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Cover with foil and overwrap with heavy-duty foil; freeze for up to 1 month.

Thaw in refrigerator; remove heavy-duty foil. Bake on rimmed baking sheet in 400°F (200°C) oven or toaster oven until knife inserted in centre for 5 seconds feels hot when touched, 25 minutes. Uncover and broil until golden, about 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Me Ka Aloha

- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Chicken Noodle Soup

If you haven't already heard, I've been pretty sick for the last TWO FREAK'N WEEKS!! I have no idea what's going on with me. My symptoms just keep on changing. I went from sneezing, to mega runny nose, to coughing so hard I was throwing up, to sinus infection, and now, I think I may have pink eye (So crapy! That's what I get for rubbing my eye while I'm at the park with my kids) and I just started sneezing AGAIN! The worst part is that I'm still nursing my little guy a few times a day, so I can't take any medicine to fix me because everything says "do not take while breastfeeding". I guess I'll just have to stick to trying all those crazy home remedies people keep on telling me about on facebook. The most hilarious one, but I think she might have been serious, was to rub Vicks on my feet and wear red sock. She said they had to be red or it wouldn't work. Haa haa, I sure hope she was joking about that suggestion.

Aside from all the witch craft jibber jabber, one thing that does help me feel better when I'm sick, is a warm bowl of home made chicken soup. I so wish someone would have just made it for me, but as we all know, when everyone is sick, Mom takes care of them. But when Mom is sick, Mom takes care of herself. So, I grabbed a pot, and made myself some yummy chicken soup. Of course, Dave was super excited because he rates my chicken soup in his top five favorite meals.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2-4 bone in, skinless chicken breast
2 cups of diced carrots
2 cups of diced celery (you're basically going to use an entire bunch of celery)
2 medium onions, diced
12 cloves of garlic peeled
2 cartons of organic chicken broth (900 mL each)
2 litres of water
1 tablespoon of each, rosemary, sage, and thyme
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning
salt and pepper
3/4 cup small shaped pasta

Method

1. In a large pot add all ingredients except pasta.
2. Cook on med to high heat for about 25 minutes or until garlic cloves are soft and easy to mush
3. Fish out all garlic cloves and mush up, then return them to the pot
4. Fish out chicken breasts and cut up the chicken in bite size pieces. Return to pot
5. Bring pot of soup to a boil and add pasta. Cook for an additional 10 minutes (add more water if needed)

Serve with home made scones! ENJOY!

Recipe Friday - Havarti Chicken Wraps

Here's another family favorite that's quick and easy. Havarti, a mild semisoft cheese from Denmark, makes this chicken-filled wrap super creamy and super yummy!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
1 bell pepper (I like to use red), sliced into strips
1 red onion, chopped
1 small package of sliced mushrooms
1/2 a head of lettuce, washed and broken into pieces
1 chopped tomato
6 slices of Havarti cheese (or however much you want)
6 tablespoons baba ganoush OR creamy garlic salad dressing
6 whole wheat tortilla shells

1. Heat EVOO in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear and is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes.

2. In a separate non-stick pan, heat EVOO for 1 minute, then add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.

3. Place whole wheat tortilla on a plate with a slice of Havarti cheese. Layer tortilla with warm chicken, vegetable mixture, piece of lettuce, chopped tomato, and 1 tablespoon baba ganoush or dressing (or both!). The warmth of the chicken and vegetables should melt the cheese slightly.

Fold in sides by about 1 inch, then roll up tightly from the bottom.

ENJOY!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and Bean Couscous Salad

It's about time!! I've been blogging for over two months and every recipe so far has been meatless. You were all probably wondering if I even eat meat. Well I do! I was going to wait until the summer to post this one because it's so fresh tasting and light, but pineapples were on sale at the grocery store... so I made this yummy recipe for dinner last night and snapped a few pictures so that I could share it with you today. Now before I give you this recipe, can I just say that I LOVE pineapples? Not only does it remind me of Hawaii (and we all know that I'm totally obsessed with Hawaii- see profile picture)pineapple is my favorite fruit and has a host of health benefits. Pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and rich in bromelain (protein-digesting enzymes) These enzymes aid in digestion, effectively reduce inflammation and swelling, and break down mucus in respiratory conditions, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

To make this recipe easier on you (I know how busy everyone is) I suggest making the salsa the night before, marinating the chicken in the morning (keep it covered in the fridge) and 10 minutes before dinner, throw the chicken on the George Foreman Grille, and prepare the couscous and bean salad.

Ingredients

Pineapple Salsa
1/2 pineapple cut into very small pieces
1 tomato cut into very small pieces
1 clove of garlic pressed through a garlic press
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 a jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 onion cut into very small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor for a few seconds, until you have a chunky salsa. Transfer to a bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Marinade
zest from 1 lime
juice from 2 limes
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons honey
3 cloves garlic pressed through a garlic press
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chives
1 teaspoon onion powder
dash of cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl. Place boneless skinless chicken breast (or salmon steaks, or pork chops) in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but no longer that overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard leftover marinade. Grille chicken on a George Foreman grille or BBQ until no longer pink inside, 6-10 minutes. Top with pineapple salsa.

Couscous and bean salad

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
can mixed beans, drained

Bring chicken stock and garlic powder to a boil. Add couscous and remove from heat. Stir for 2 minutes until water is absorbed. Add drained beans and mix.

The thing I love about this meal is that it's totally energizing. You won't feel all sluggish and bloated after eating it. For dessert I think I'll throw the rest of the pineapple in the magic bullet with some ice cubes and orange juice, to make a fresh sorbet. Enjoy!!