Italian Baked Chicken & Roasted Pepper Salad

This is a scrumptious low-fat dish that was so easy to make.  I actually used HEB frozen reduced sodium pre-seasoned chicken breasts and regular breadcrumbs.

Chicken Ingredients

3/4 cup fat-free ranch salad dressing
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

1.  In a large resealable plastic bag, combine salad dressing and garlic; add the chicken.  Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
2.  Meanwhile, in a small shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and pepper.  Drain and discard marinade.  Roll chicken in crumb mixture.  Place in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.


Roasted Pepper Salad Ingredients

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. balsamic salad dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 large sweet yellow peppers, halved and seeded
basil to taste (around 1 tsp)
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, dressing, salt and pepper.  Spoon 1/3 cup into each pepper half.
2.  Transfer to a 13in x 9in baking dish coated with cooking spray.  COVER and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Crockpot Beef Tips & Rice

These were amazing!

 

Ingredients
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

• 1-2 lbs. cubed stew meat
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• 1/2 cup of beef broth
• 1-1/2 cups of water
• Splash of red wine
• 1 envelope of brown gravy mix
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce
• Cooked rice or egg noodles
• Slurry of cornstarch and water, optional

Directions
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cut meat into large cubes and toss with the black pepper and Cajun seasoning. Go light on the Cajun seasoning, since there is salt present in it and in both the commercial broth and the packaged gravy mix, so keep that in mind if you're watching your sodium. Wait to add any additional salt at the end, after tasting. Sear the meat in the hot oil until browned, transfer to crockpot. Add beef broth to the skillet and deglaze the skillet to remove all the browned bits. Transfer all of the liquid to the crockpot.

 

Whisk together the water, wine, brown gravy mix, thyme, Worcestershire and hot sauce; pour into the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until fork tender. Remove beef tips, cover to keep warm, and set aside. Turn crockpot up to high and cook until gravy thickens. Can also carefully transfer to a saucepan on the stovetop to speed up thickening. If gravy is not thick enough, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into a small amount of cool water to make a slurry, then whisk that into the gravy and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Taste, adjust seasonings, and return tips to the gravy, just to warm through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Perfect Iced Coffee

A very nice drink that reminds me of a Starbucks Frappe!  Tweaked the recipe from http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (8 ounces) Ground Coffee
• 4 quarts Cold Water
• Half-and-half (healthy Splash Per Serving)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk (2-3 Tablespoons Per Serving)
• Hershey's Classic Carmel Syrup (1/2-1 Tablespoon Per Serving)

Preparation Instructions

In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.
Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth or paper towel and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.
Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.

To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half.  At this point I poured all contents of my glass into a blender, added 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk and 1/2-1 tablespoons carmel syrup and blended until I had finely chopped up ice.  Pour back into glass and enjoy!

Corn on the Cob with Garlic Herb Butter

Ingredients

1 stick butter, at room temp
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
4 ears of corn, husked

Directions

1.  Thoroughly mix butter, garlic and parsley in small bowl (I didn't need to use all of the spread).
2.  Place each ear of corn on a piece of foil and generously spread butter on each ear and tightly seal foil.  Place corn in crock pot; overlap ears, if necessary.  Add enough water to come 1/4 of the way up each ear.
3.  Cover; cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1.5-2 hours, or until done.

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

Homemade version of Chuy's dip!  Pretty close match!  It was very ranchy so if you want less ranch taste, don't add the whole packet.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup sour cream or mayo

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup chopped jalapeno

1/3 cup green chilies

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 (1 ounce) packet dry ranch dressing mix

1/2 tsp of minced garlic

 Directions:

1. Mix ingredients in blender or food processor, until smooth.

2. Serve with tortilla chips, or as a salad dressing.

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