Chicken-Berry Salad

*From Better Homes and Gardens magazine, March 2009. View recipe online here.

SERVES: 4
PREP: 45 minutes (+1-4 hours to marinate)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh basil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb. total)

3 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 8-oz. pkg. Mediterranean mixed salad greens
2 medium pears, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (3 oz.)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In small bowl stir together orange, lime, and lemon juices, 1 tablespoon oil, basil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag set in large bowl. Pour juice mixture over chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2. For dressing, in blender combine 1 cup of the blackberries, vinegar, sugar, mustard, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, slowly add 1/2 cup oil in a thin steady stream until well combined. Transfer to serving container. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

3. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. For charcoal grill, place chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes or until done (170 degrees F.), turning once. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken to grill rack. Cover and grill as above.)

4. Slice chicken. Divide greens among 4 serving plates. Top with chicken, pears, and remaining 2 cups berries. Top each with some of the dressing and feta cheese.

Denise's Notes:
This is one of my new favorite recipes! I can see why it was the $2,500 grilling winner of a BHG recipe contest. I recommend replacing feta cheese with gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Grill on a George Foreman grill, if no outdoor grill is available. Serve with or without the additional fresh berries. The dressing was still delicious with frozen berries instead of fresh (they were out of season when I made this.) I will try making this dressing with blueberries or even pomegranate in the future...I think they'd be tasty alternatives.
*Alteration: I tried the dressing with blueberries instead of blackberries and it wasn't as good. I'll only make it with blackberries in the future.

Grilled Chicken with Vegetables

*Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, April 2008. View the original recipe here.

SERVES: 4
PREP: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
4 chicken breasts (or 8 boneless chicken thighs)
4 slices bacon
12 oz. baby carrots
3/4 lb. sugar snap peas
8 oz. asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
1 Tbsp. small fresh mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. For sauce, in small bowl stir together the ketchup and hoisin sauce; set aside.

2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 450 degrees in a baking dish for 15 minutes. Turn chicken and brush with sauce. Bake another 15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. (Reduce time for chicken thighs.)

3. Meanwhile, for vegetables, in 12-inch skillet cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Add carrots to drippings; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add peas and asparagus; cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Crumble bacon. Stir in mint and bacon. Serve with chicken.

Salmon & Noodle Bowl

*Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, April 2008. There's a video showing how to make this recipe here.

PREP: 30 minutes
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:
9-oz. pkg. refrigerated fettuccine pasta
olive oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless 1" thick salmon, cut into 2-4 pieces
salt and ground black pepper
6 cups packaged fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup bottled roasted red or yellow sweet peppers
1/2 cup reduced-calorie balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water to keep the noodles from sticking together.
2. Meanwhile, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat; add salmon. Cook 8-12 minutes or until salmon flakes, turning once. Remove salmon and flake into bite-sized pieces (discarding scales if attached).
3. Add 1 tablespoon to the skillet along with spinach and sweet peppers. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes, until spinach is just wilted. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add dressing and return salmon to the skillet; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among four bowls and serve.

ALTERNATIVE:
For Asian flavor, substitute wheat soba noodles instead of the fettuccine and hoisin sauce instead of the balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Thighs

*Adapted from Parenting magazine, June 2010.

PREP: 30 minutes hands-on + 1 hour marinating
SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1/8 tsp dried ground ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
black pepper, to taste
12 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), trimmed
1/4 cup minced scallions (green onions)
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and pepper in a large plastic bowl (with lid). Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into a small plastic container with a lid and reserve in the refrigerator for coating the chicken later. Add the chicken to the larger container and coat with the rest of the sauce. Cover and refrigerate the marinated chicken for 1 hour.
2. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high (or, alternatively, heat the broiler). Grill the chicken 3 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Brush with some of the reserved glaze, turn, and cook 30 seconds more. Move to a platter, shower with the scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Serve with steamed rice and steamed vegetables such as snow peas, carrots, broccoli, corn, or edamame.

Homemade Creamed Corn

*Adapted from Real Simple magazine, August 2010.

SERVES: 4-5

PREP: 30 minutes (prepping the fresh corn kernels takes longer than the actual cooking)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup diced onion

4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8 ears)

1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tsp. sugar

Kosher salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 4-5 minutes. Add the corn, half-and-half, sour cream, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and simmer until the corn is tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

TIPS:

Fresh corn is the best, but thawed frozen kernels also work in this recipe. To achieve a similar creamy consistency, add 1 Tbsp of flour to the softened onions and cook for 1 minute before adding the frozen corn and half-and-half.

When cutting corn kernels from ears, keep the kernels from going everywhere by laying down a dishtowel around/under a small cutting board. This will keep the kernels from bouncing as far.

SUGGESTION:

Serve with Cajun skirt steak and a simple salad of mixed greens with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette.

Cajun Skirt Steak

*From Real Simple magazine, August 2010.

SERVES: 4-5

PREP: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. skirt steak, cut into two pieces

2 tsp. blackening or Cajun seasoning

Kosher salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat broiler. Trim steak of most of the fat. Season the steak (both sides) with the blackening seasoning and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Place on a broilerproof rimmed baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain and serve.

SUGGESTION:

Serve with homemade creamed corn like this and a simple salad of mixed greens with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dani's Special Bowtie Pasta

PREP: 30 minutes
SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb. lean ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage (or a combo of any of these)
1-2 small zucchini squash, quartered and sliced
1-2 small yellow squash, quartered and sliced
1 jar original spaghetti sauce
1 jar vodka sauce (or 4-cheese alfredo sauce)
1 16-oz. pkg. bowtie pasta

*Consider adding some minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt for more flavor.

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare pasta according to directions on the package. Meanwhile brown turkey in a large skillet. When meat is browned, add squash and sauces. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is crisp-tender. Serve sauce over pasta.

Note: You could add other veggies, as desired, like diced carrots.


Here's Danielle's original recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lbs ground lean ground beef (sometimes turkey)
1-2 jars regular spaghetti sauce
1 jar of 4 cheese alfredo sauce
1 zucchini
1 squash
2 bags of bowtie pasta
(Also…I put a smidge of water in each of the jars, shake them up and then add to the sauce to thin it out just a bit. This serves 12 if 3 lbs. meat is used.)