Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

I'm always looking for quick recipes that make a delicious dish that doesn't look quick. This slow cooker dish is definitely that. I saw it at Creme de la Crumb and just made it for the first time. It's flavorful and pretty.

I cut some of the red peppers into hearts, although they didn't look as much like hearts after they cooked. I served it with vegetables and a rice and couscous side. 

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

4 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts 
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 t. Italian seasoning
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 T.)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. Kalamata olives
1 c. roughly chopped roasted red peppers

2 T. capers
Fresh thyme, oregano, or basil for garnish, optional
 
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes on each side just until browned. Transfer to greased slow cooker.

Add onions, olives, red peppers, and 1 tablespoon capers to slow cooker around chicken, not on top. Whisk together remaining Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and garlic. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Add remaining capers and cover. Cook for 15 more minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs if using and serve.

Spinach Pesto Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella

Thanks to my daughter Elisa for finding this recipe at I Heart Nap Time. and choosing it when I asked her to pick something. It is so quick to put together! I rarely get to make dinners that are so easy and I am thrilled to put this on my busy night list. You can put more or less of the ingredients on your pizza, of course. Elisa said she wants to add tomatoes to it next time and that sounds like a great addition to me. And I think next time I'll broil it a little at the end to get some browning on the cheese cuz that's how I like it.

Spinach Pesto Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella
1 Naan bread
1-2 t. basil pesto
2 oz. fresh mozzarella
1/2 c. spinach 

Preheat oven to 400°.

Spread pesto onto bread and layer with spinach and mozzarella.
Place in oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

This very easy recipe that my family actually liked is posted at 
Kevin and Amanda . I added chopped carrots and frozen corn to ours and you can add whatever you have on hand. I'm so glad to add this to our busy night recipe list.   

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 T. olive oil
1 c. uncooked long grain white rice
2 c. broth
1 c. salsa verde

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch cubes). Season generously with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

When the oil is very hot, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until the outside is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Add the rice, salsa verde, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is tender. 

Tortellini Primavera Salad

I took my son (who just graduated from high school Wednesday) to get his wisdom teeth removed today. He recorded himself talking non-stop all the way home and then his sisters took over until he fell asleep. He wasn't as out of it as I thought he would be, but there were some silly moments. By the time I got his prescriptions, got him home and gave him medications and put him into bed, I didn't have much energy for making dinner. I was so glad that I had planned this easy salad.

I just chopped up some veggies, boiled the tortellini and mixed it all together. I left out the peas and thyme. I really like the fresh flavor that the orange peel and fresh basil added. I forgot to buy non-fat plain yogurt, which I was going to substitute for the mayonnaise, but I'll do that next time. This was a filling meal, which I served with a baked potato, and I'll be making it again for sure. You can make it meat-less like I did or add turkey or ham or whatever to it if you'd like.  Thanks to Good Dinner Mom for posting this super recipe.



Tortellini Primavera Salad
8 oz. pkg. refrigerated tortellini

2 c. broccoli florets

1 c. sliced carrots

½ c. chopped green onions

½ c. chopped red bell peppers

½ c. chopped green bell peppers

½ c. fresh baby peas (or thawed from frozen)

¼ c. diced jalapeno pepper (optional)

Dressing:

1 c. mayonnaise

2 t. grated orange peel

2 t. dried basil or 1 T. plus 1 t. fresh basil, chopped

1 t. dried thyme or 2 t. fresh thyme, chopped

1 t. salt

½ t. black pepper

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain well.

Steam broccoli florets and sliced carrots just until tender-crisp. Cool under running water.

 

Combine tortellini, broccoli, carrots, green onions, bell peppers and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Place in refrigerator while making the dressing.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, orange peel, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Add about ½ of the dressing to the salad ingredients and then taste. Add more as desired (3/4 cup seems perfect for us. If adding chicken, use all the dressing).

 

Note: You can serve the salad immediately if you must, however, the flavors are bolder if allowed to incorporate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

 

Spoon individual portions of salad on plate and top each portion with shredded mozzarella, or add all the mozzarella into large bowl of the salad, toss and serve family style.

Jersey-Style Hot Dogs

I had never heard of Jersey-Style Hot Dogs before I saw them in a Taste of Home magazine. They have potatoes served on top of the hot dog. We don't eat hot dogs very often at my house, but they are a quick meal so I wanted to put them on our menu. I served them with Homemade J Dawgs Sauce that I really like, even if it wasn't Jersey-style. This was a fun change and gave just a bit of a crunch, which I liked. Easy and flavorful. I made a much smaller batch though since my 3 kids and I would never eat that much.

Jersey-Style Hot Dogs

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 pounds), halved and thinly sliced
3 large sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
3 large onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 c. olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 t. salt
1-1/2 t. pepper
12 bun-length beef hot dogs
12 hot dog buns, split

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, red peppers and onions. In a small

bowl, mix oil, garlic, salt and pepper; add to potato mixture and

toss to coat.

Transfer to two 13x9-in. disposable foil pans; cover with foil. Place

pans on grill rack over medium heat; cook, covered, 30-35 minutes or

until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat.

Grill hot dogs, covered, over medium heat 7-9 minutes or until heated

through, turning occasionally. Place buns on grill, cut side down;

grill until lightly toasted. Place hot dogs and potato mixture in

buns. Serve with remaining potato mixture. 

Red Pepper and Beef Pasta

This is a super-simple recipe that combines ground beef and ziti with a sweet red pepper sauce instead of the usual tomato sauce. And the crunch of the fresh green beans makes it unique too. I was suprised that it was a hit here since there are very few recipes with ground beef that makes the cut with my family, but it was just requested again after just making it less than 2 weeks ago for the first time. So thanks to Lady Behind the Curtain for posting it.

Red Pepper and Beef Pasta
12 oz. roasted sweet red peppers, drained
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
3/4 t. salt
8 oz. uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1 1/2 c. cut fresh green beans
1 1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Place peppers in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pepper puree, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Cook until pasta and green beans are tender; drain. Return to the pan; stir in meat sauce. Sprinkle with cheese; stir until melted.

Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Samantha recently posted this on Cool Foodie Mama and I already made it tonight. I was so glad to find something easy that everyone liked. I left out the hot sauce because of my kids' preference. I cut the cucumbers matchbox-style and diced the onions. Besides that, I followed the recipe. I put lots of slaw on mine since I love veggies. I like the crunch and freshness of the slaw together with the tender meat. Elisa thanked me lots because I rarely cook pork and she loves it.

Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

4-5 pounds picnic pork, pork butt, pork shoulder (it's just about the same)

10 oz. low sodium soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
6 garlic cloves
4 T. fresh grated ginger
6 T. rice vinegar
6 T. dark sesame oil
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. sriracha hot sauce
1 c. water

Slaw:

1 regular cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1/3 red onion also sliced thin
1/4 t. salt
4 T. rice vinegar
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Dump all ingredients for the pork in the crockpot and set on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. After the 6 or 8 hours, pull the pork out and shred. Pour the sauce into a saucepan on the stove at medium-high heat and reduce by half. Toss the pork back into the reduced sauce and keep warm.
 

For the slaw, toss the ingredients together into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to soften the veggies.

To serve, scoop up some pork into a soft, warm flour tortilla, top with plenty of cucumber slaw.

                          

 

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Many of you, my blogger friends, also read Cherie's fun blog, Bakow Babble, and might have seen this recipe she posted recently. I made it the other night and it is definitely nice to have another quick and easy option for dinner. It seriously can't get much easier than this and still taste good! I did season the chicken with salt and pepper before putting it in the pan and I added pepper to the soup too. Other than that, I followed the directions.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
8 boneless chicken breasts
8 thin slices of ham
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup,
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 box Stove Top for Chicken Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350°. Layer chicken, cheese, and ham in a baking dish. Mix soup with water and pour over chicken. Melt 1 cube of butter in saucepan. Add stove top stuffing with seasoning. Sprinkle over top. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

Balsamic Chicken with Pesto Gravy

I listened to a great talk online today and I would love to share it with you, but I don't have time to write my thoughts. I doubt I'll have any time to until next Sunday. Recipes are quick to post though, so I'll share this one that I found in a Rachel Ray cookbook from the library. So glad to find another fast recipe for the crazy weeknights. The pesto gravy is flavorful and delicious! It is in my recipe file to make again.

Balsamic Chicken with Pesto Gravy

2 chicken breasts
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 bunches arugula, thoroughly washed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
2 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 c. homemade or store-bought pesto
Thin spaghetti pasta

Heat a large skillet over high heat with a little drizzle of EVOO. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over top of chicken and season with a little salt and pepper.

Transfer the chicken to the hot sauté pan, seasoned-side down, and cook on each side for about 2 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the arugula/spinach, with the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of EVOO and a little bit of salt in a bowl. Remove chicken from the skillet and reserve on a plate while you make the sauce.

To the sauté pan add butter and melt. Add flour and cook for about a minute or so. Whisk in chicken stock and cream and bring up to a simmer to thicken.

Remove from heat and add the pesto to the skillet. Stir to combine. Pour pesto gravy over the chicken and then top with the arugula/spinach. With a peeler shave some Parmigiano over the greens, season with a little salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Oregano-Lemon Chicken

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbok. I was so glad to find a fast dinner recipe that I could throw together after classes. This semester my schedule makes it hard for me to spend much time on dinner, but we still have to eat. It's good practice for when I enter the real working world.

Oregano-Lemon Chicken

6 chicken thighs

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Place the chicken in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine the lemon juice, honey, oil, garlic and oregano; pour over chicken.  

Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F and chicken juices run clear, basting occasionally with pan juices.

Barbecue Chicken Tortilla Pizza

I have a confession to make to all of you. We are a weird family. Okay, if you know my children and me in person, and even if you've read my blog for a while, you probably already know that! It's not a secret.

Usually I only share recipes that I made and we liked. Today I am sharing a recipe that we didn't really like, but for a good reason. I love how easy the recipe is. The only reason we didn't like it is because none of us like barbecue sauce. Weird, I know. Who doesn't like barbecue sauce?

I saw this simple recipe and thought I'd give it a try anyway and not tell anyone there was barbecue sauce. It didn't work. But look how great it looks! I'm sure that all of you normal people would like it so I'm sharing it. I am going to try it again, but use crushed tomatoes instead of the dreaded barbecue sauce. And I'm going to add olives to mine. I absolutely love how easy this is and how each child can make their own and make it even faster (or messier). Thanks to Crystal's Cozy Kitchen for the recipe! Makes a fun dinner or cut up into little appetizers.

Barbecue Chicken Tortilla Pizza

Tortillas

Cooked chicken, tossed in barbecue sauce

Mozzarella

Additional toppings to taste

Place tortillas in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spread with barbecue sauce. Top with chicken, any toppings, and mozzarella. Bake at 350º for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cajun Steak Sandwich

I got to try out a new fast dinner recipe a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to sharing it. I found the recipe at Better Homes & Gardens where they serve the sandwiches with sweet potato fries. My kids don't want to try those so I didn't make them. The store I went to didn't have ciabatta rolls so I just bought rosette rolls. The recipe calls for them to be open-face sandwiches, but my kids wanted the tops so they could pick them up more easily. (Can't convince them to use a fork and knife on a sandwich.) We also ended up adding spinach to them after the photos.

The sauce is basically a sassy fry sauce, for those of you who know what that is. The recipe makes enough to use it on the sandwiches and have some left for dipping fries so give it a try. We liked the taste and I loved how fast I could throw it all together.

Cajun Steak Sandwich
2 (8-oz.) trimmed rib-eye steaks or boneless beef top steak, cut 1/2 inch thick
3 t. Cajun or blackening seasoning
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 T. ketchup
1 t. molasses
2 ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
1 tomato, sliced
Sliced green onion (optional)

Cut steaks in half crosswise. Coat both sides of steaks with 1-1/2 tsp. seasoning. Heat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steaks in hot skillet for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, ketchup, molasses and remaining seasoning.

Place one steak on each roll half. Top with some of the sauce, tomato slice, and green onion.
Makes 4 servings.

Crepes Ensenada

I found this recipe at Lisa's blog Gourmified a while ago and finally got around to making it. We really liked it--cheesy and yummy. And it's so quick to put together.

Crepes Ensenada
12 thin slices of ham
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, cut lengthwise into 12 sticks
1 (4-oz.) can diced green chilies
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350º.
Place 1-2 slices of ham on each tortilla. Put 1 stick of cheese in center and top with a few chili pieces. Roll tortilla and secure with a toothpick or with the seam down in the pan. Place tortillas slightly separated in a greased or sprayed 9x13-inch pan. Make cheese sauce and pour over tortillas. Srinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered 45 minutes.

Cheese Sauce
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
4 c. milk
3/4 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. salt
Dash of pepper
1-4oz. can diced green chilies (if desired)
Melt butter and blend in flour to form a smooth paste. Add milk, grated cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Serves 6-8.

Cranberry Roast

I found this recipe at The Sisters' Cafe (super food blog!!) and knew I HAD to try it since it was so easy. They used a pork roast, but I used a beef roast. The only other thing I changed was to add a couple of cloves of minced garlic. Oh, and I chopped the onion instead of leaving it in rings. I really liked the taste and love how simple it is to make. Elisa said it was too sweet, but not to me. The photo isn't great, but the taste is. I wish I had more right now.

By the way, ignore the unappetizing dark blob above the maduros (friend plantains). It's just black beans.
Cranberry Roast

1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 (2-4 lb.) roast
2 T. soy sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
Salt and pepper

Place the rings of onion in the crock pot. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper to taste. Place the roast on top of the onions. Next add the 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce, just pouring over the top of the roast. Dispense the cranberry sauce on top of the roast. Cook on low for 6 hours. About one hour before serving, shred with two forks and continue to cook for final hour.