Nutella Banana Pockets

This photo doesn't do this treat justice. I was totally craving something sweet, but didn't want to go too far off the deep end, so I found this simple recipe at Off the Wall and it was perfect! I think I need more experience with Phyllo dough.

Ingredients:

6 phyllo sheets

3 tbs butter, melted (I just used PAM)

Nutella

Banana, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Put down one sheet of dough, spray with PAM. Place another sheet of dough on top, spray and repeat one more time.

Use a pizza roller or knife to divide the dough into 5 strips. Spoon some Nutella on one side of the strip, place a banana slice on top, and then cover with a little more Nutella.

Wrap the dough up into a triangle, like you were folding a flag. Spray with a little more PAM, stick in the oven, and bake for about 10 minutes!

Here's the original recipe. I summarized a little, but they have really good pictures. P.S. they have some more yummy looking food too!

Fast and Easy Pizza Dough

In the past when I've made pizza I always buy the dough and the sauce. I always figured, hey, pizza is supposed to be a quick meal on those days when I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I came across a dough recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and she sure made it sound easy and delicious. So I tried it and it was in fact, easy and delicious! What I like about this recipe is you don't have to make it in advance at all. It doesn't have to rise. That's my kind of dough!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour, more or less
1 tablespoon honey, heaping
1 tablespoon oil, heaping
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. (If using a pizza stone, let stone heat for at least 30 minutes in the oven before baking pizza.) Mix all pizza dough ingredients together, except the flour. Add flour and knead for a bit then put into pan. If baking in a sheet pan, bake for about 12 minutes (checking often) until crust is browned and cheese is golden and bubbly. If baking on the preheated pizza stone, slide pizza onto stone and bake for about 8 minutes. Makes 1 large pizza.

* I only needed about 2 and 1/2 cups of flour. I used a wooden spoon and stirred in a couple cups of flour and then I kneaded in another half cup until it was smooth and just slightly sticky to the touch. I probably packed the flour a bit or something. Three cups would probably be right for those who measure flour correctly.
* If you're going to use a pizza stone there are more directions for that on the website.

It really was the easiest yeast dough I've ever made and I plan on using it for pizza in the future! It was yummy! The original recipe is found here.

Lemon Chicken Linguine

This dinner was so yummy! I've really enjoyed the recipes I've tried from My Kitchen Cafe. I think I'll keep trying them out.

This was very flavorful, definitely lemon-y, and the chicken was nice and juicy.

It was a tad on the oily side for me, so I may decrease the amount of olive oil next time. Also, she mentioned that Cajun seasoning can be very spicy and said that you could put in less if you didn't want it to be too spicy. Being pregnant, I thought that would be a good idea; however, it ended up being not spicy at all. Next time I'm definitely going to try it with the whole tablespoon! :)

Lemon Chicken Linguine

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1/2 c. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a knife

1 T. Cajun seasoning (you can reduce this to 1 1/2 t. if you're worried about it being too spicy)

juice of one lemon

2 T. fresh parsley, minced

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. soy sauce

2 chicken breasts, sliced*

1 lb. linguine (we used Whole Grain)

2 T. olive oil

zest from one lemon

juice from one lemon

3 green onions, diced (whole thing, green and white)

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

*I used three because ours were very small, and even then Paul said it could have used more chicken.

Directions:

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together lightly. Slice chicken (I chose to slice mine very thin so that the pieces wouldn't be too big). Pour chicken and marinade into a ziploc bag and refrigerate for 3-12 hours. (I ended up marinating it for about 7 and a half, and it was nice and flavored.

Boil water and prepare linguine as directed on package. Meanwhile, combine remaining olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, onions, and parsley in a small bowl. Set aside. When pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the warm pot. Add juice/oil mixture and toss to coat.

Pour chicken and marinade into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute until chicken is done. For me, this only took about 7-8 minutes because I had sliced the chicken so thin. Pour hot chicken and sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper as needed, toss and serve.

Miscellaneous notes:

I need a zester. Seriously. My cheap-o grater just didn't do the job!

Next time, when I reduce the oil, I'll probably use only 1/4 c. in the marinade and 1 T. at the end.

The pasta was VERY lemony. It was delicious, but very strong. I think increasing the amount of Cajun seasoning next time will help to balance it out.

I really like Parmesan cheese, and when I tossed it with the hot pasta it got a bit lost. I recommend topping each bowl with a little additional Parmesan cheese.

Paul and I both agreed that this is a recipe I will make again and again! :)

Here's a link to the original recipe on My Kitchen Cafe: Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguine.

I labeled this as 20 minutes because that's how long the actual cooking lasted. I obviously am not including marinating time.

Mexican Bean & Corn Bowl

I got this from the 3 Fat Chicks Forum. I was a little skeptical at first because it looked kind of weird, but it was so good (sorry no picture)! Eli was thinking that this would make a good bean dip if you added a little of the Taco Bell restaurant sauce. You could also add some ground beef and plop it in a tortilla for a yummy burrito.

Ingredients:

1 can pinto beans

1/4 c. onion

1 tsp diced jalapeno pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 to 1 tsp cumin (to taste)

1 c. corn

1 tbsp green bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp red bell, pepper, diced

Directions:

In a skillet, with a dash of olive oil, saute the onion, garlic, and pepper (about 4 minutes).

Add cumin and the pinto beans. Take a spoon (I use a potato masher) and mash about half of the beans. Heat through and then remove from heat.

In a small pot filled with water, combine and cook the corn and peppers. Drain and remove.

In a bowl, combine the beans and corn mixture. Add salsa if you'd like!

Rice & Black Beans

Yummy and filling! Again, you could add chicken for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

2/3 c. water

1 1/2 c. instant brown rice

2 roma tomatoes, diced

garlic powder (to taste)

onion powder (to taste)

basil (to taste)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook and stir onion in oil until tender and translucent, but not brown. Add tomatoes, beans, and spices. Bring to boil. Stir in rice, return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover.

Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Black Bean and Corn Wonton Cups

(I forgot to take a picture so this is the picture off of the website)

I got this recipe off of bettycrocker.com for the new year day party at my in-laws and I decided to post it for those of you who don't go on Betty Crocker's website. (which I am sure most do, but I decided I needed to post something). :)

I thought this recipe was really good. My advise would be to only put the black bean and corn salsa in the cups just before you are about to eat them. After awhile the salsa makes the cups a little mushy so I would suggest serving them right away or have a platter of cups and a bowl of salsa on the side.

Black Bean and Corn Wonton Cups

36	wonton skins
2/3	cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1/4	cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1/2	teaspoon chili powder
1	can (15.25 ounces) Green Giant® whole kernel corn, drained
1	can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4	cup sour cream
	Cilantro sprigs, if desired 1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Gently fit 1 wonton skin into each of 36 small muffin cups, 1 3/4x1 inch, pressing against bottom and side. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. 2. Mix remaining ingredients except sour cream and cilantro sprigs. Just before serving, spoon bean mixture into wonton cups. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream. Garnish each with cilantro sprig. Enjoy :)

Mexi Can Pie

This is super easy. It's nothing more than chili really, but it was super good. The additions make it a little zippy! 

Ingredients:

2 - 15 oz cans Turkey Chili

1 - 12 oz can of beer (We skipped this part)

1 - 4 oz can of chopped green chiles

1 - package of Grands! refrigerator biscuits

Directions:

-preheat oven to 350

-Mix Chili, beer, and chilies, in a casserole dish

-Place the biscuits on top

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes

P.S. The biscuits didn't cook all the way through when they were on top of the chili. You might cook them separately, then place them on the chili for like the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Black Beans (Cafe Rio)

Now, both Paul and I prefer pinto beans on our Cafe Rio salads. For some reason, though, the only recipes I have found have been for black beans. I will continue to look around for a good pinto bean recipe, but in the mean time, this one works pretty well!

I can't vouch for it's authenticity, since I really can't remember what the Cafe Rio black beans are like, but these are yummy and flavorful.

Black Beans (Cafe Rio)

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 1/3 c. tomato juice

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin and stir for a minute or two (until the garlic becomes aromatic). Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Stir frequently until heated through. Add cilantro just before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon to drain off excess tomato juice.

Notes: I think the key to this recipe is to only cook it until the beans are heated through. I cooked mine too long, so the tomato juice started to thicken and didn't drain off as easily when I served them. This means that the beans should probably be the last thing you prepare for the salads. Also, I'm not sure the cilantro is necessary in this recipe. It didn't seem to add much to me. There's a lot of cilantro in these salads elsewhere, so if you would like to cut back on it in one area, this would be a good one.

Again, I got this recipe from FFR. The original can be found here: Black Beans (Cafe Rio).

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

I really, really enjoyed this recipe. I got it at an enrichment activity cooking class. I'm not sure if I've ever had the salad it was named after at Applebee's, but if it's anything like this salad, I'm sure I'd love it! The dressing is my favorite part. :) If you're not a Dijon mustard person, don't worry, I couldn't taste the mustard in the dressing.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing

6 T. honey

3 T. rice wine vinegar

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. sesame oil

Salad

1-2 frozen, breaded chicken tenderloin(s) per person (or more, if you are Paul ;) )

2 c. green cabbage, sliced thin

2 c. red cabbage, sliced thin

6 c. romaine lettuce, chopped (I just bought a bag of it, pre-chopped.)

1 carrot, shredded

2 green onions, chopped (including the green part)

1/4 c. toasted sliced almonds (I left this out because I don't care for nuts in salads.)

2/3 c. chow mein noodles

Directions:

Cook the chicken according to the directions on the package (you can also cook your own if you're feeling ambitious, or use grilled chicken to make it more healthy). Mix all the dressing ingredients together. I recommend using an airtight container and shaking it to thoroughly mix the ingredients. Toss the ingredients for the salad. You can either toss the salad with the dressing, or pour the dressing on top of each serving.* Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put it on top of each salad.

*I knew that Paul and I could never finish this much salad in one sitting, so I didn't toss the whole salad with the dressing. Instead, I saved the dressing and salad in different containers and was able to enjoy the leftovers for lunch over the next couple days! :) I don't think it would save very well with the dressing already on it (it would become soggy).

Lemon Chicken

This is a recipe I found on a food blog of someone from my old ward.  It's really easy and quite good.  It only requires a few ingredients.  I recommend to serve it with a vegetable and biscuit/rice/roll side.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 package (9 oz) hollandaise sauce mix
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, divided

Directions:

1. In a large resealable bag, combine flour and lemon-pepper. Flatten chicken to 1/2-inch thickness. Add chicken one piece at a time, and shake to coat.

2. Prepare sauce according to package directions. Stir in lemon juice. Meanwhile in a skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-6 minutes on each side.

* As you can tell I cut my chicken breasts in strips.  You can use whatever cut you want but I think it works best if the chicken is in smaller pieces.
* I am generous with the amount of lemon pepper I use.  Two teaspoons didn't seem like enough.