Chicken Parmesan Rollups

One of my roommates has been making this recipe for about a year now, but I just recently got around to trying it. It really is a great recipe. It's a little bit time consuming, but it is very good tasting, hands off for a large part of the time, would become really easy with some practice of dipping the rolls in the eggs/crumbs and, my favorite part, got the boy to eat spinach!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the boy ate TWO or THREE servings of vegetables in this meal. He at spinach, he ate a side of broccoli AND he had the tomato sauce. Behold, the power of cheese.

Because of the chicken, the cheese and the spinach in this meal, I'm submitting it to Eat Healthy: Protein Rich. It has about 22 g of protein per serving.

Chicken Parmesan Bundles
Adapted from Kraft
6 Servings

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained (would use less unless you LOVE spinach) (I would also like to try it with chopped frozen broccoli)

1-1/4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

6 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

6 chicken cutlets, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

1 egg

10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach/broccoli, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese until well blended; spread evenly onto chicken breasts. Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.

BEAT egg in shallow bowl or pie plate. Mix remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

6 Word memoir

A LONG time ago I was tagged by Katie at CupcakeRN for a 6 word memoir. I had to come up with 6 words that describe me. Should NOT have taken so long. Katie, I am VERY sorry I delayed so long. All you do is list 6 words to describe yourself and then tag 6 others.

I am:
emotional
giggly
type-A
overly-thoughtful
stubborn
overdressed

I think that covers a lot about me!
I am tagging, oh this is hard cuz I hate sending these to people who don't want them. If you don't want to do it, don't feel bad, just think of it as a shout out:
Sweetnicks
Taste and tell
All Things Edible
Run-Girl-Run
Gigi Cakes
Picky Palate

Lemon Chicken

Oh me, oh my I liked this one. I even liked it for lunch the next day, so lemony and refreshing. It’s a takeoff of chicken piccatta, minus the capers. The chicken itself isn’t lemony (though you could certainly add lemon zest to the breadcrumbs if you wanted) but, in my version, the vegetables and pasta that the chicken is served with are delightfully lemony.

A few words of advice though:

1. I used chicken breasts cut in half to make cutlets and still had to pound them thinner to get them to cook through. Make sure they are reallllly thin.

2. Do not skimp on the oil. The 1st batch of oil is needed for browning and to avoid chicken sticking to the pan. The 2nd is so the pasta doesn’t clump and has a sort of sauce. You really need it.

3. Use whatever veggie you like. The recipe says greenbeans, I used broccoli and I could even imagine using carrots! Have fun and tweak to your taste.

Because chicken is a healthy source of protein (12g) and this is a quick and easy meal, I am entering it in Eat Healthy: Protein Rich.

Lemon Chicken

Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens

Makes 4 servings.
4 chicken cutlets
1 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard

salt and pepper
1/4 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

4 TBSP olive oil, divided
8 oz. green beans (or broccoli or other vegetable)
2 lemons, 1 sliced and 1 juiced
1 Tbsp. capers (optional)

Cooked Pasta of choice

Directions
1. Place one chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap. Lightly pound with flat side of meat mallet to even thickness. Repeat.

2. Brush chicken with mustard; sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and bread crumbs to coat.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 4 minutes per side or until no pink remains. Transfer to plates.

4. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet. Cook green beans/other veggie in oil 2-4 minutes or until crisp-tender; add lemon slices. Add juice and capers (if using)to skillet; heat through. Add pasta and toss. Serve chicken on top of the pasta and vegetables.

Shrimp and Macaroni Salad

I must confess something. I have lied to you all. My sidebar may say I'm from DC, but it lies to you. I'm from Maryland. Pretty soon I will actually live in DC, but I think I will always consider myself a Marylander. Why? Is it because of my Terps? Yes, but not just that. The fact that I know that Jada Pinket Smith, David Hasselhoff and Edward Norton were from the Old Line State? Again, yes, but not exactly. Is it cuz I LOVE me some Old Bay...ya, that's gotta be it.

I LOVE Old Bay. I love it in crab soup and crabcakes, on spicy shrimp and even on chicken. Now I found that I like it in my shrimp and macaroni salad. I tried making this without the old bay and the lemon juice but something was just missing, it was flat. A sprinkle of old bay and some lemon juice later and the seafood really stands out, along with all the well-meshing flavors.

I am submitting this recipe to Eat Healthy:Protein Rich because of its 10grams of protein per serving.

Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
about 5 servings
2 cups macaroni
1/2 pound shrimp (cooked and peeled, then cut into large, bite sized pieces)
3 TBSP chopped onion
1/3 of a cucumber, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayo, to taste
1/4 cup chopped carrots
squirt of lemon juice
Old Bay seasoning to taste

Cook pasta according to package. Drain pasta and run under cool water until room temp. Combine all ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate before serving.

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken

I think this is another miracle recipe where you can do anything you want to butcher it, yet it still tastes great! This meal was from, or at based off of A Piquillo Pepper Chicken with Spanish Rice from the Everyday with Rachael Ray mag. I say "based off of" because I did not make the spanish rice, I used roasted red peppers, I used white wine instead of sherry, I all but eliminated the butter, AND I used dried parsley. Yet, we loved it. Like a lot of R.R. recipes, this one works great as is, or as an idea to work with to your preferences and availability. I am going to just list the recipe as we had it below.

I am entering this in Eat Healthy: Protein Rich for its 14.5 g or protein per serving.

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
4 servings
* 2 cups rice
*4 cups water
* 2 TBSP Olive Oil
*4 boneless, skinless chicken cutletts
* Salt and pepper
* 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained well and sliced
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/2 tablespoon butter
* 1TBSP dried parsley, divided
* A handful of sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Preparation

Cook rice with water to package instructions.

While the rice cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add the peppers to the pan and heat them through. Add the wine to the pan and reduce for a minute or two. Add the butter and half of the parsley to the skillet, then turn off the heat and stir to melt the butter.

Cut chicken into strips and place atop rice. Spoon the peppers and sauce over chicken. Add the remaining parsley and almonds on top.

Shrimp Saganaki

Wow. So considering that I have MANY notes on this recipe about what I had to change and how i potentially butchered it, this dish came out spectacularly. It is shrimp baked with tomatoes and cheese in a Greek style. Yum-O! So good! I served with orzo and grilled, greek spiced squash. All around phenomenal. I am submitting this healthy dish to Eat Healthy: Protein Rich for its 31g of protein.Here's the fun part, the many things I changed. I recommend trying it the original way if you can, but my way (noted in parenthesis) is easier and still great. I used cooked frozen shrimp instead of fresh, uncooked shrimp. I used goat cheese instead of feta. I used canned diced tomatoes instead of chopped tomatoes. Still, this saganaki somehow survived in great shape.
Shrimp Saganaki
serves 6
1/4 cup olive oil plus oil for drizzling
1/2 cup diced onion
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1tsp oregano plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup diced, peeled, seeded tomatoes (instructions below)
1/4 cup white wine
1 28oz can chopped (used diced) tomatoes with juice
parsley
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined (recipe says to keep tail on, but this makes it messier, just take the tail off too) (I used cooked, still frozen shrimp. Just rinse with enough water to seperate, but use still frozen.)
3/4 cup diced feta (used goat cheese)

To Peel Tomatoes
Bring pot of water to boil. Core and lightly score tomato skin in quarters. Place scored tomato in boiling water for 30 sec. Remove and place in ice water. Using a paring knife, carefully pull off skin.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large pan over med heat. Add onion and pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occaisoonally for 8 min. Add garlic and saute for another min. Stir in oregano and pinch of salt. Add diced tomatoes and wine and simmer for 3 min.
2. Stir in canned otmatoes and juice, raise heat to medium high and again bring to simmer. Simmer 6 min and then fold in parsley. Season with salt and pepper, noting that cheese will add saltiness.
3. Spoon just enough tomato sauce into an oven safe, round pan or 9x13 baking dish to cover the bottom. Working from outside in, make concentric circles of shrimp (place tail to head, just touching). Spoon remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle cheese on top, drizzle with olive oil and oregano.
4. Bake for 20 min or until hot and bubbling with golden brown cheese.

Greek Squash
1 squash
olive oil
greek seasoning
Combine greek seasoning and oil. Slice squash into rounds. Brush oil onto the squash. Grill squash until tender.

Tzatziki Chicken

I was super impressed with this meal! It was so easy to put together, was really healthy and everyone really enjoyed it and said I should make it again. Sounds like a success to me!

When I say healthy, I mean it! Low fat chicken, low fat yogurt, spinach, and whole wheat pita scream "feel free to eat more! I'm good for you!" I am also entering this recipe in Eat Healthy: Protein rich for its 25g of protein.

Tzatziki Chicken
serves 4

1/2 cucumber, seeded then grated
1/2 tsp salt
4oz plain low fat yogurt
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1tsp dry mint
4 chicken cutlets
pinch of greek seasoning
4 whole wheat pitas
baby spinach

1. Sprinkle the grated cucumber with the salt. Let set for 10 min, drain, mix with yogurt, lemon juice and mint.
2. Season chicken with greek seasoning. Grill until cooked through. Wait a minute and then slice
3. Cut Pitas in half and open each half up. Insert spinach into each 1/2 pita, spread with tzatziki sauce and top with chicken strips.

Harlequin Chicken

I know you all have probably been through this before. You have your dinner (or whatever) planned, and it just falls through. So you reschedule, and it still falls through. And the cycle is repeated for, oh, about 5 more times before you finally say “forget it. I am making this dinner that serves 4 for just myself or else it will NEVER be made cuz it is clearly cursed.”

And so I made a half batch of harlequin chicken, and it really should not have been cursed, because it was great! It was filling, healthy, delightful to smell and just as good to taste. It had a great pan sauce from when you sauté chicken and peppers and then add tomatoes and their juices to the hot pan. The sauce isn’t heavy or creamy, just juicy, tangy and chicken-y. Fabulous.

I would definitely recommend serving this with some whole wheat bread to sop up the juices, and a salad could be nice too. I am entering this dish into Eat Healthy-Protein Rich. It can be on the table in about 35 minutes and has 12g of protein by itself and 17g of protein when served with whole wheat bread. Enjoy.

Harlequin Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or cutlets depending on how hungry you are)

1 onion, halved

1 each, red, yellow and green bell pepper

1 TBSP vegetable oil

14 oz can diced tomatoes

2 TBSP fresh parsley (or about 2 tsp dried parsley)

Salt and pepper

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Thinly slice onion. Halve and seed the peppers and cut into small diamond shapes.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the chicken and onion and stir fry quickly until golden. Add the bell peppers, cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the diced tomatoes and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes, until the chicken and vegetables are tender.