Braised Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions
1.Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts.
2.Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

I made a half recipe of this one night this week since it was pretty simple and I had all the ingredients. I cooked it a bit too long waiting on Jeremy to get home but it was still good! I bet using fresh herbs would make it even better. I mixed the tomatoes, balsamic, and herbs ahead of time and let them soak together in the fridge then dumped them over the chicken and added a little chicken broth to the skillet while I was cooking. Love these easy chicken recipes!

Black Bean Burritos

I whipped this up real fast last night after we came in from the gym and we loved it!

Ingredients
2 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno peppers
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1.Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven heated to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
2.Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring.
3.Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro into mixture.
4.Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortilla and roll tortillas up. Serve immediately.

I would recommend mashing the beans up a bit before putting them in the burrito. I used burrito-sized tortillas. There might be enough to make 4 regular sized tortillas. Added about 1/2 tsp of chili powder too. Also, I was out of onion, so I added a couple spoonfuls of homemade Super Salsa to the mix instead. Didn't add the cilantro and used reduced-fat cream cheese. Turned out great, even though I had to cook beans from a bag and they weren't quite done! ;) Jeremy worked for a taco place when he was in high school so he rolled the burritos perfectly for me!

Spinach and Leek White Bean Soup

I was feeling a little experimental and wanted to try something different! I had never used leeks before, so it was a little interesting. I had to talk to my aunt to actually find out what one does with a leek . :) It was actually pretty quick and simple to make.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 leeks, bulb only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (16 ounce) cans fat-free chicken broth
2 (16 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
2 cups packed fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, cannellini beans, bay leaves and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and stir in the couscous. Cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Here's the report: I used 3 leek bulbs instead of 4 because that was how many came in a bundle and it was plenty o' leek. I used low-sodium chicken broth instead of fat-free. I suggest topping with parmesan cheese for a little extra flavor. Very healthy and Jeremy and Noah enjoyed it too!

Peanut Butter Brownies

Here is how I made someone's brownie recipe the other day. I just made a couple of adjustments to it based on the reviews. Pretty tasty.

Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2.In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3.Spread batter evenly into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack and cut into 2-inch squares.

Next time, I think I might follow another recommendation and use more cocoa and less baking powder, and see how that works.

Sweet and Sour Glazed Chicken

Another wonderfully easy recipe! Found this one a while back and have made it several times. It's great when your husband gives you an hour and a half notice that you have guests coming to dinner!

Ingredients
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (or breasts)
1 (8 fluid ounce) bottle Russian-style salad dressing
1 cup apricot preserves
1 (1 ounce) packages dry onion soup mix

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Wash the chicken, pat dry and arrange in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
3. Mix Russian dressing, preserves and soup mix together in a bowl and spoon the mixture over the chicken pieces. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes (or until cooked completely), occasionally spooning the sauce over the chicken.

Super Salsa

This was one of the recipes I made for our little Superbowl party and I think it was the favorite! Very easy and surprisingly fresh! Tastes just like some good Tex-Mex restaurant made it.

Ingredients
3 (10 ounce) cans Ro-Tel, well drained
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1.Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Blend (pulse) very briefly to desired consistency. If you do not drain and chop everything well before blending, it can become kind of watery.

That is how I made someone else's recipe last night. :) Next time, I think I may add a green onion and 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles. some reviewers suggested using fresh roma tomatoes and I think I will try that when I have more time. But it was still awesome, canned tomatoes or not!

Carmelized Baked Chicken

Hooray! I have tried so many recipes lately that flopped but this one was good. Super simple (great for a weeknight) and healthy!

Ingredients
3 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
3. Bake in preheated oven for one hour, or until sauce is caramelized.

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and reduced sodium soy sauce instead. Served with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.