Tag: dinner ideas

#7/52 Tuscan Chicken

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A little late posting this, but I made a damn good Tuscan Chicken last week and I’m excited to share the recipe with you!

I decided to try the Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe from downshiftology, and was so happy I did.

This recipe was very easy to prep, didn’t make a lot of dishes, and was ready to eat within 30 minutes. The flavors of sun-dried tomatoes are becoming a new favorite for me. I’m not sure why I haven’t cooked with them more to this point. We paired this delicious dish with rice and a vegetable mix of brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and broccoli.

Ingredients
● 4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
● 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or a mix of individual spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary
● 1 teaspoon kosher salt
● ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
● 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
● 4 garlic cloves minced
● ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
● ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
● 2 cups baby spinach
● 1 ½ cups heavy cream
● ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions
1. Prep the chicken. Season both sides of each chicken breast in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and set aside.
3. Cook the onions. In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil and the onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion has softened.
4. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and saute another minute, until fragrant.
5. Add the spinach, and saute another minute, until just starting to wilt.
Add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, stir together, and bring to a simmer.
6. Let it simmer. Place the chicken back in the skillet and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

#3/52 Italian Stuffed Peppers

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This recipe from well plated was okay. We opted for ground turkey, and I’m pretty sure my husband didn’t notice it wasn’t beef. In my opinion, turkey doesn’t have much flavor, so I did HEAPING teaspoons of Italian seasoning, doubled the red pepper flakes (would do more next time), and added extra mozarella by accident.

Our peppers were on the thicker side, and I wish I would have cooked them for closer to 50 minutes instead of 35. All in all, these stuffed peppers are on my “OK” list. I think the next time I try stuffed peppers; we might check out a different recipe. Do you like stuffed peppers? What are your favorite ingredients to stuff them with?

Ingredients  

  • 4 large red bell peppers
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or up to ½ teaspoon if you like more spicy
  • 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes with juices, 15 ounces
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice farro, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or orzo (if using orzo, undercook it slightly)
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella provolone (or a mix)
  • ½ cup Parmesan divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions 

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Slice the bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and membranes then arrange cut side up in the prepared baking dish.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, then pour in the can of diced tomatoes and their juices. Let simmer for 1 minute.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rice (or farro) and ½ cup of the Mozzarella and ¼ cup of the parmesan. Mound the filling inside of the peppers, then top with the remaining cheeses.
  4. Pour a bit of water into the pan with the peppers—just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil. Serve hot.

52 New Recipes in 2023, #1/52 Sublime Swordfish

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2 years ago, I started a journey to lose some weight in a healthy way, my New Year’s resolution was to make one healthy snack a week. Well, this year my New Year’s resolution will be to make one new recipe every week for a year. As a domestic engineer, meal planning multiple meals a day is exhausting. I have found that I am more motivated to cook when I am trying something new! So, please leave me some comments if there is a favorite dish you love and want me to try. I am really excited to embark on this culinary adventure and grateful to have you here for the ride! If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so at the end of this blog post.

The first new recipe of the year is Swordfish. I decided to try the Best Grilled Swordfish recipe from Tasting Table, and I am so happy I did! This is definitely a recipe I will make again in the future; the taste was sublime. I decided to pair it with pesto spinach and cheese tortellini and sauteed green beans. If you try it, let me know what you think too.

Ingredients

  • 3 lemons
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 (6-ounce) swordfish steaks
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Wash and dry the lemons and fresh herbs.
  2. Zest and juice 1 lemon into a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Juice a second lemon into the cup, but do not zest it. Then, add the thyme to the mixture.
  3. Finely mince the garlic or paste using a garlic press
  4. Add ½ the garlic to the lemon and thyme mixture. Then, add ¼ cup of olive oil. Whisk to combine the marinade.
  5. Dry the swordfish with a paper towel.
  6. Using 1 teaspoon of salt, season both sides of the fish.
  7. Place in a zip-top bag and add the marinade.
  8. Place in a shallow dish and marinate in the fridge for up to 20 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Pick the fresh basil leaves and fresh parsley leaves from the stems, and coarsely chop. (You are looking for about ½ cup of each basil and parsley after the leaves have been chopped.)
  10. Add the leaves to a food processor. Add the juice from the remaining lemon, ½ teaspoon of salt, the rest of the garlic, ¼ cup of olive oil, and the red pepper flakes. Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped (do not process until smooth), about 5 to 7 pulses.
  11. Heat the grill using high heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Clean well with a grill brush. Then, reduce the heat to medium.
  12. Remove the fish from the marinade and place it on the grill.
  13. Grill the swordfish for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until it easily releases from the grill and the inside is flaky and opaque — or a probe thermometer registers 130 F in the thickest piece of fish.
  14. If desired, cut an additional lemon in half, and grill it for 3 minutes. Serve with the fish for a final squeeze of freshness.

Meals for 2+

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I don’t know about you, but leftovers are not my favorite to eat. To mitigate having so many, I have started cutting everything in half and it is the perfect amount for our small 3 person family. Sometimes there are even leftovers for me or my daughter to have lunch the next day.

So today I wanted to share our go to meatloaf recipe, a perfect comfort food for those cold day cravings. It’s pretty basic and classic, but it’s how we like it. I also started a food Instagram recently, so if you want more meal ideas then I have time to blog check it out!

—–>> https://www.instagram.com/sahmthingtasty/ <<—–

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
  • ½ envelope of dried onion soup mix
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 3 ounces water
  • ½ Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • ¾ cup crushed Ritz crackers
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves
  • Glaze:
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • Mix, and brush evenly on top of the meatloaf before it goes into the oven.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together onion soup mix, egg, water, and Italian seasoning.
  4. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onions, and garlic, and mix thoroughly until just combined
  5. Place mixture in the loaf pan, pressing down lightly. It is smaller so you will make a “loaf” shape as it won’t fill out the pan. (it might if you double the recipe!)
  6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes or until the middle reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit
  7. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and serving

Notes

  • Don’t overmix the meatloaf or try to press down too much when you fill the pan; this will result in an overly-dense, tough meatloaf.
  • I make the glaze twice so I have extra to drizzle on top after we bake it, yum!