Barbecue Chicken Flat Bread Pizza

1/2 pound cubed boneless, skinless, chicken breast cooked
1 cup barbecue baked beans
2 cups barbecue sauce
1/2 packet mesquite marinade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cupsliced smoked sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
4 pieces of flat bread (I use the Flat Out brand with 90 calories and high fiber sold in front of the lunch meat deli counter)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large saucepan, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, and baked beans. Bring to a boil and rediuce heat to low and allow to simmer. Place olive oil and mesquite marinade in a medium skillet and heat on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Place flat bread on a non stick baking sheet. Spread a tablespoon of sauted onions on each flat bread. Sprinkle each flat bread with the shredded colby jack cheese. Next, pour about 1/4 cup of chicken, bean, and barbecue sauce on each flat bread. Top with smoked cheddar slices and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Grilled Barbecue Chicken Breasts

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into smaller strips
1 bottle smokey barbecue sauce (any brand will do)
1/2 packet mesquite marinade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon dried onion flake

In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 bottle of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon of the oil, water, and mesquite marinade. Add chicken and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour (note: the longer you let it marinate, the better the flavor is). In a George foreman, place grill plates on and set heat to high (you may also use an outdoor grill or indoor stove top grill. Just make sure the grill is at a high heat). Add chicken to the grill and reduce heat slightly. Grill for about 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Do not over grill or chicken will become tough. Pour the remaining barbecue sauce and oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Place grilled chicken in saucepan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and allow to slowly simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Serve chicken with a side of baked bean and corn on the cob. Enjoy!

Tomorrow I will be posting the recipe for the left-overs I made with this recipe. It is a barbecue chicken flat bread pizza with smokey cheeses

Healthy Nachos

This meal was made from left overs of the healthy taco salad meal. I only added a few new items:

1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon mexican marinade packet
1/2 cup shredded smoked cheddar
1/2 cup colby jack shredded
1/2 can cheddar cheese or nacho cheese soup
1 cup soy taco veggie meat protein (found in produce section near salad mixes)
1 cup chili beans
1 avocado cubed
1/4 cup sliced green onion
fat free sour cream
fresh salsa
2 cups baked scoops torilla chips

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken stock, mexican seasoning, and cheese soup. Wisk and bring to a boil. Add cheese and wisk over medium-high heat until cheese is melted and mixture is creamy. Place beans and meat in a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Place chips on a large, round pizza pan. Sprinkle meat and bean mixture evenly over chips. Pour cheese sauce over all the meat and chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with a dallop of fat free sour cream, fresh salsa, avocado, and green onion. Enjoy!

Healthy Taco Salad

1 bag romain lettuce (or your favorite kind of salad mix)
1 package taco veggie protein meat (found in produce section near organics and salad)
1/2 package fiesta mexican marinade packet (unprepared)
1/2cup shredded smoked sharp cheddar
2 cans chili beans (half drained)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado cubed
Fresh salsa for topping (I buy it fresh made in produce section)
Fat Free sour cream as topping
2 cups crumbled baked scoops tortilla chips

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat for one minute. Add veggie meat and beans. Mix well and make sure meat is all broken up. Add mexican packet and stir in well. Place 2 cups of salad mix on  a plate. Top with bean and veggie meat mix (about 1 cup). Top with cilantro, green onion, avocado, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Crumble tortilla chips on top and enjoy!

* To create a prettier dish, mix some ranch dressing with the mexican fiesta seasoning and drizzle over the salad

Honey Terriyaki Salmon & Roasted Asparagus

Salmon:

4- 6 oz salmon fillets (found at the meat counter of your grocer)
1 bottle of honey terriyaki marinade
1/4 cup sliced green onion

Place salmon in a greased baking dish. Pour marinade over salmon fillets and top with sliced green onion. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes of until flaky. Cover baking sheet with foil and allow fish to rest, covered for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of wild rice and Roasted garlic and parmesan asparagus (see recipe below).

Roasted garlic and parmesan asparagus:

8 asparagus spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
1/4 cup shaved parmesan
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Cut asparagus spears into 1-2 inch pieces. Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Mix asparagus up with garlic, red pepper, and garlic salt. Sprinkle asparagus with the parmesan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Alfredo with Balsamic Reduction

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
1/1/2 cups fat free half & half
1/4 cup marscapone cheese
3 teaspoons minced garlic ( i use pre minced garlic in a jar)
1-2 teaspoons of garlic salt
1 teaspoon chicken seasoning blend (salt free found in spice section of grocery store)
1/2 packet garlic and herb marinating packet UNPREPARED
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons low calorie butter spread
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup shaved parmesan
7 cups penne (usually about 1 box)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat olive oil, garlic and herb marinade, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Rub chicken with garlic salt and chicken seasoning and place in skillet. Stir chicken around frequently for about 3 minutes. Add white wine and cook another 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (take largest piece of chicken and cut in half. If chicken is white, it is cooked). Be sure not to over cook the chicken. Cooking times may vary. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add butter and marscapone to skillet and set heat back at medium-high. Once marscapone and butter have melted, wisk in flour until a thick pasty rue has formed. Wisk in half and half until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add parmesan and wisk until it has melted. If consistency is the sauce is too thin, add more half and half little by little. If consistency is too thin, add more marscapone and parmesan. Add chicken back to skillet and stir in well. Set chicken sauce aside on a low heat burner to keep warm. In a large pot, boil salted water 3/4 the way full. Add the penne and cook according to directions on the box (usually about10-12 minutes for a nice al dente texture). Once pasta is cooked, drain. You may toss with a little olive oil to keep pasta from sticking. To save dishes and make cleaning easier, use the same pot as you used to boil the noodles in for the balsamic reduction. Add butter to the pot and heat on medium-high until butter is melted. Wisk in brown sugar and cook until and almost caramel like mixture is formed. Wisk in vinegar and allow to boil for about a minute while wisking. Place noodles in serving bowls, top with a good amount of garlic chicken sauce and drizzle with a spoon, the balsamic reduction over sauce and noodles. Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken and Noodles

1package angel hair (I use whole grain because it hardly alters the flavor yet adds a lot of nutrients)
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons minced garlic (the minced garlic in a jar is great)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic salt to taste
1/3 cup white wine or chicken stock
1 cup shaved parmesan divided
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cubed

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, red pepper flake, garlic, italian seasoning, and garlic salt over medium-high heat for 1 minute and add cubed chicken. Slightly reduce heat and stir chicken in spices and oil frequently until barely cooked.Stir in half a cup of the parmesan and continue stirring until cheese has melted.  Add white wine and allow to simmer on medium to medium-high heat for another minute. Take the chicken off the heat and cover. Fill a large pot full of water about 3/4 the way up. Season the water well with salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, break angel hair noodles in half to make cooking easier and add to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and lightly boil for 7 minutes. Stir the noodles at least once to make sure they do not clump together. Drain noodles and toss with remaining olive oil and parmesan. Serve noodles in bowls topped with chicken and white wine garlic sauce. Enjoy!

Mini Cheesy Barbecue Meatloafs

1 mini cupcake pan
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (divided)
1 cup shredded cheddar (divided)
1 pound extra lean ground beef (I use 96/4)
1/2 cup herb flavor stuffing mix ground into fine crumbs
1 teaspoon onion salt (or more depending on your tastes)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dried onion flake
1/4 cup egg beater or 1 egg
1/2 cup chicken stock or water (chicken stock adds more flavor)

In a large bowl, gently mix ground beef, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup of the cheese, stuffing bread crumbs, salt and pepper, onion flake, egg, and chicken stock until barely mixed together (do not over mix or meat will become tough). If mixture is too wet, you may add more bread crumbs as needed. Fill each muffin  tin a third of the way up with meatloaf mixture. It may be easier to roll them meat into little balls before placing them in the tins and then slightly smash them down. Place your thumb in the middle of each meat loaf to create a slight indent. Place about 1/2 tablespoon of bbq sauce on each meatloaf then add a sprinkle of cheese. Bake mini meatloafs at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is no longer bright pink (cut into one with a knife to test). Serve with a side of homeade fried potato cakes, and salad. Enjoy! This recipe is also perfect for parties

Homeade Spicy, Creamy, Chicken Tamales

2 cups masa flour
1/4 cup shortening (I use vegetable shortening)
2 cups chicken stock
1 can nacho cheese soup
1 can mild red enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon chipotle marinade
2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded roasted chicken breast
12 corn husks (you can buy them dried and packaged in the hispanic food section at the grocery store)

fill a large bowl with warm water. Add corn husks and allow to soak for 30 minutes. In the meantime, in a large saucepan combine nacho cheese soup enchilada sauce, chicken stock, and chipotle marinade over medium high heat and bring to a light boil. Wisk in cheese until smooth (may take a minute of wisking). Reduce heat to low and allow to keep warm. In a large bowl, mix masa and shortening (add more shortening as needed to create a more dough-like consistency). Slowly add the soup mixture from the saucepan. The recipe calls for 1/1/2 cups. Add more or less depending on the dough (not too dry but not too wet). Add the shredded roasted chicken to the remaining sauce and add more chicken stock if the sauce is too thick. Remove corn husks from the water and towel dry. Add a heaping spoonful of masa mix to the middle of each husk and gently spread with the spoon around the husk. Place about a tablespoon of the chicken sauce mixture in the middle of the masa filled corn husk. Carefully fold the sides of the husk up and fold ther edges in to make a pocket. Place each tamale in a steamer (I put a small amount of water in a large pot and let it bowl. Then place a colander in the pot making sure it fits and the water is not touching the colander. Continue filling the husks with masa and chicken filling and place them all in the steamer. Cover them with aq damp towel and allow to steam for at least an hour or until once you peal away the corn husk, the masa is firm. Once ready, remove husk, place tamale on a plate and top with the remaining chicken sauce mixture. Enjoy!

As with all of my recipes, if anything seems confusing to you, please feel free to ask me as a comment here or on my facebook page. Thank you

Spicy Chicken Fajitas

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
1 packet chipotle marinade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
6 slices crispy bacon
1 cup mozzarella
sour cream for topping
avocado for topping
6-10 tortillas

Cut chicken into strips. Mix together oil, water, and chipotle seasoning in a small bowl. Add chicken to marinade and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes (you can skip the marinating process if you are in a hurry, just add marinade to chicken and cook as directed). In a large skillet or electric pan, heat oil over medium-high heat (350 degrees in electric pan) for 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir frequently until barely cooked (about 3 minutes). Add the peppers and onionsand stir well. Continue cooking on a slightly lower heat, covered for about 5 minutes. Add bacon and cheese and replace cover for another 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve in warm tortillas topped with avocado and sour cream. Enjoy!
Note: if the marinade becomes too thick during the cooking process, add water to thin it out

This recipe was inspired to me from my old job at Chili's Grill and Bar. I worked there for years and one of my favorite fajitas was very similar to these here. I will add a picture shortly. I have got to dig it up but for now I really wanted to share this great recipe.

White Chicken Chili AND Queso Blanco Nachos

White Chicken Chili:

2 cartons of chicken stock in a box (swanson is a good brand)
1/2 packet chicken taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons onion salt to taste
2 cups shredded chicken breast
3 cans white cannelini beans
1/2 cup sliced white onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
Shredded cheese tortillas chips
Sliced green onion

Mix chicken stock, all seasonings, taco seasoning, beans, and chicken in a crockpot. Set heat to low for 4-5 hours. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for one minute or until oil is hot. Add smoked paprika, sliced onion, and minced garlic. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat until onions are soft. Pour entire skillet of oil, onions, and garlic into crockpot and mix in well. 30 minutes before serving, add sour cream to crockpot and wisk well. Serve with cheese, sliced green onion, and chips. Enjoy

This is one of my longest recipes but it is so so good. I have a super great left over idea with this as well. I turn it into queso blanco nachos:

1 can campbells nacho cheese soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar
Salt to taste
Left over white chicken chili
1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1 cup shredded white cheddar
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 avocado sliced thin
dallop of sour cream

In a large skillet, wisk together nacho cheese soup and milk. Over medium high heat, allow this mixture to come to a boil. Wisk in both cheese and continue wisking until cheese is melted and mixture is thick and creamy. Add left over white chicken chili and wisk until everything is well blended. Pour bag on chips into a casserole dish or on a baking sheet. Pour the white chicken chili nacho sauce over the chips. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded white cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, green onions, and avocado. Enjoy!

One Easy Omelette

3/4 cups of egg beaters (Or 3 eggs beaten)
1/4 teaspoon onion salt or table salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
your favorite omellete toppings (shredded cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, avocado)

Spray a small skillet with non stick spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute and add the egg. Reduce heat slightly to between medium-high and medium heat. Once edges start to firm up, take a small spatula and lift up the sides to allow the runny egg to drip down the sides. This will alow the entire egg to cook. Once most of the runny egg is cooked, gently flip the egg with a large spatula. Once egg is flipped, at the salt, pepper, and your favorite toppings. After about a minute, fold the egg in half to create the omelete "look". You may add more topping to the top for presentation. Enjoy!

Strawberry Marscapone Pancakes

1/4 cup marscapone cheese
Krusteez pancake mix or your favorite pancake mix
strawberry syrup
fresh strawberries
powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare however many pancakes you need according to the pancake mix directions. Lightly wisk in the marscapone (add a little more water as needed). Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is barely completely melted, add 1/3 cup of pancake batter to the skillet (I can usually fit about 3-4 pancakes in skillet at a time) and slightly reduce the heat to avoid burning the butter. Once the tops are bubbly, gently flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute. Remove pancakes from skillet. Drizzle pancakes with strawberry sauce, fresh cut strawberries, and dusted powedered sugar. For each set of pancakes you make, add more butter to the skillet as needed (often I will wipe the browned butter from the previous batch to prevent a burning taste on the next batch) Enjoy!

Ridiculously Easy Berry Preserve Tart

1 premade Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
1/4 cup seedles strawberry jam
1/4 cup seedles raspberry jam
whipped topping

Pour half of the jam onto the pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until crust turns golden brown. Immediately pour remaining jam on top of the hot tart and spread evenly with a knife. Cut into pie slices or squares and top with whipped topping. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Salmon and Herb salmon

Honey Mustard Salmon:

6 oz salmon fillets (get as many as you need for the amount of people you are feeding. 6 oz is one serving)
bottle of plain honey mustard salad dressing (I prefer "Ken's" brand)
1 tablespoon honey

Place salmon fillets in a baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Mix honey with salad dressing and poor over salmon fillets. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until salmon is barely flaky and light pink in color. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Enjoy!

Herb Salmon:

6 oz salmon fillets
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Place salmon fillets in a greased baking sheet Mix all herbs together. Top each fillet with a heaping spoonful of the herbs. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until flaky and light pink in color. Serve with a side of whole wheat cous cous and roasted asparagus with parmesan. Enjoy

Easy Homeade Cheesy Chicken Taquitos

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 packet chipotle marinade unprepared
10 flour or corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
cooking spray
1/4 cup chicken stock or chicken base

Heat olive oil, chicken stock, and chipotle marinade in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add chicken and saute each side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken and shred with two forks in a large bowl (the chicken may still be a little undercooked). Return shredded chicken to skillet and stir in pan drippings. Continue cooking on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Heat tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shredded chicken 1/3 of the way in on each tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of the shredded cheese and roll up the tortilla. Place the rolled up taquitos in a baking sheet covered with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until edges begin to crisp up. Serve with a side of seasoned rice, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!

Delicious Giveaway!

My giveaways before were my cookie dough truffles and cookies. This time I am going a bit bolder. At 100 "likes" I will give away a $10 gift card to Target (my favorite place on earth!).
To pay homage to my main career before I had a family, the giveaway for 200 "likes" will be a $25 gift card to Chili's grill and bar. Please do what you can to spread the word!! This is a really good giveaway. Mention my page on your fb page and then let me know once you have and you will be entered into the drawing for these prizes. Thank you all!! Please "like" my facebook page Julie's Flavor Book

Fast, Easy, Healthy

For the most part, this is my motto. When I was a senior in high school, my last trimester, I was able to take most of the day off. Most teenagers would probably use that time to sleep or be lazy. For me, it was my time to cook and copy the recipes from the food network. I had such a blast. I learned how to make baked fried chicken strips, pizza, pasta, and desserts. My mom and younger brother came home from school and work everyday to my new creations. They loved it. Of course the only way to learn how to be a good cook, is to fail a lot and learn from those failures. When I first got married, I was still teaching myself how to cook. I had some recipes perfected but many not so much. Oddly enough, it was my husband who taught me that a little salt never hurt anybody. I was always too afraid to season my food afraid it would be too salty. I remember the first week of being married, my manager at Chili's told me of a super impressing meal that would blow my husband's socks off. He was right! Only problem was, I had to live up to that standard with every meal which I didnt. I now have confidence in the kitchen. I have come up with all of my own recipes. I very seldom use a cookbook unless I am learning to cook something new or a friend has a really good recipe. My husband is still my food critic but for the most part, he truly enjoys my cooking. I try to make my recipes very simple. You will see very few recipes of mine longer than a page. There is nothing more confusing to me than a recipe with so many ingredients and super confusing directions. I also use a lot of healthier ingredients. I never use real eggs unless I have to. The consistency of egg beaters is so much better and it makes a major difference on the outcome of my food. I use fat free creams such as half and half, cottage cheese, and sour cream. I have also ventured into the world of whole grains and wheats. Believe it or not, the taste is very much the same yet includes so many healthy nutrients. After all, what is the point of eating a meal unless it is full of nutrients that will strengthen and fulfill your body? I also love to cook with veggiew proteins such as veggie burgers, bacon, sausage, and sirloin. The flavor is so amazing and the texture is wonderful. It is not what one would think when they hear vegetarian. I will still use lean ground beef and lean chicken from time to time but I also like to switch it up. Please enjoy the recipes I will post and feel free to comment with your own recipes and I will gladly post them for you with your name.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or you can divide half all purpose flour and whole wheat)
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup egg beaters or 2 large eggs
3 packets high fiber brown sugar oatmeal
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups white cane sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 package peanut butter chips
1 package milk chocolate chips

Combine salt, baking soda, flour, and oatmeal in a large bowl and set aside. In a large mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter. Once fluffy, slowly incorporate egg beaters or eggs. Once well mixed, slowly mix in flour mixture. Gently mix in peanut butter and milk chocolate chips. Drop by a large tablespoon on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes or until barely lightly golden brown. Place inside a cookie jar with a lid to keep them soft and

Lets Share!

I will be adding my recipes to this blog. I would love to hear your recipes as well. I will be fixing up this blog until I have it just right and figure a way to let you add your favorite recipes. For now, you can interact on facebook at The Recipe Pot.