Mediterranean Wrap

Mediterranean Wrap

* 1/2 cup water
* 1/3 cup couscous, preferably whole-wheat
* 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound chicken tenders ** or vegetarian substitute of course:)**
* 1 medium tomato, chopped
* 1 cup chopped cucumber
* 4 10-inch spinach or sun-dried tomato wraps or tortillas


1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Toss chicken tenders in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the tenders in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked though, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Cut into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle.
4. Stir the remaining parsley mixture into the couscous along with tomato and cucumber.
5. To assemble wraps, spread about 3/4 cup of the couscous mixture onto each wrap. Divide the chicken among the wraps. Roll the wraps up like a burrito, tucking in the sides to hold the ingredients in. Serve cut in half.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

8 servings
Active Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours


* 12 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 3 medium carrots, sliced
* 3 medium stalks celery, sliced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 2 lbs MSF Chicken Strips or Chicken Grillers, cut into 1" cubes
* 1/3 cup cornstarch
* 4 cups low-fat milk
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup hot sauce, preferably Frank’s RedHot
* 1 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
3. Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook til warm, 3-5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl; add to the pot along with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in hot sauce.
4. Spread the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with blue cheese.
5. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

* Make Ahead Tip: In Step 2, cook the noodles 4 minutes less than package directions. Prepare through Step 4, cover and refrigerate for 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake at 400°F for 45 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Subs

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 2 MSF chicken strips
* 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 6-ounce bag spinach
* 1/3 cup prepared marinara sauce, (see Tips for Two)
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 2 soft whole-wheat sandwich rolls, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place chicken between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until the chicken is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, and cook, stirring often, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add the chicken, and cook until golden on first side, 1-2 minutes. Turn the chicken, reduce heat to medium, top with the wilted spinach, marinara sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve on rolls.

Mariachi Chicken Pizza

Mariachi Chicken Pizza

4 MSF Chicken Grillers -- or equal measure of MSF seasoned chicken strips. We just tried these last week in the lemon chicken. I LOVED them!! The texture is closer to real meat, which is off-putting to some, but if that doesn't bother you, then I highly recommend them! They would be great in this!
1 c. Lawry's Baja Chipotle Lime marinade
1/4 c. picante or taco sauce
1 pizza crust
3 roma tomatoes
2 c. cheese (we used colby jack)
1/4 c. sliced picked jalapenos
1/4 c. light sour cream

Place chicken and marinade in a crock pot on high for 4 hours. Turn off crock, shred.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pizza crust on a sheet pan, bake for 10 minutes.
Take out, top with taco sauce, shredded chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and jalapenos.
Place back in the oven for 5 minutes, until crisp and melted.
Top with sour cream and serve.

Parmesan Chicken Meat Balls

Parmesan Chicken Meat Balls

The original recipe is a crock pot version, but they're just as easy to bake. Do a double batch and freeze them for quickie dinners. Perfect! They can be varied with ginger and teriyaki glaze over pineapple rice, stuffed with buffalo cheese and skewered, breaded and thrown into subs, served as dippers with some garlic alfredo sauce..... YUMM :)

Servings: 4 1/2 dozen
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 2 hrs
Total time: 2 hrs and 25 mins


Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken -- I'm using ground vegetarian chicken substitute
1 egg
2 cups fresh parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 Italian seasoning packet
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 red bellpepper,diced
4 green onions,diced
1 large jar alfredo sauce


Directions:
In a large bowl add all ingredients except for alfredo sauce. Mix until combine. Make 1-inch meatballs. Put the meatballs in a crockpot that is on high, pour the alfredo sauce on top of meatballs. Cook for two hours. One hour for the veggie version.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb cut-up veggie chicken of choice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 (10-oz) can green chili enchilada sauce
1 (10-oz) can red enchilada sauce 1 can large black olives, sliced 1 cup sour cream
1- 1/2 cups shredded cheese 13.25 oz box penne (or desired pasta)

Directions:
1. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes, salt and pepper to taste. Combine chicken and onion and cook in a large skillet with 2 tbsp of oil until done.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender.
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic and green pepper to chicken and onion. Cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don’t boil!).
4. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, and green onions.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU LASAGNA

2 eggs
1 container (15 oz) Ricotta cheese
1 cup Cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped, fresh Parsley
2 cups diced, cooked Ham (I'm using diced wham!)
2 cups diced, cooked chicken (veggie chix of course :))
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 jar (16 oz) creamy garlic Alfredo sauce
6 uncooked (oven ready) Lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh Parsley


Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, cottage and parmesan cheeses and 1/4 cup parsley, set aside.

In another medium bowl, mix together chicken, ham, garlic powder and Alfredo sauce. In an ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture.

Top chicken mixture with 3 uncooked noodles, half of the cheese mixture, half the remaining chicken mixture and half each of the mozzarella and Swiss cheeses. Repeat layer starting with noodles again and ending with Swiss cheese. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 1 hour. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of parsley before slicing and serving!

Champagne Chicken with Parmesan Champagne Linguine

Champagne Chicken with Parmesan Champagne Linguine

Servings:4 to 6
Prep time:10 minutes
Cook time:30 minutes
Total time:40 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken quarters -- MSF Chicken Grillers
1 shallot, minced
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup good dry champagne (sub out w ginger ale or club soda w champagne extract)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh mushrooms (dices)
Salt
Pepper


Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season both sides of chicken with salt, black pepper, and thyme. Add chicken pieces to hot skillet and cook 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove chicken pieces and set aside. Add shallots and onion to pan and cook on medium until onions and shallots start to turn brown. Add Champagne/ ginger ale and cook 1 minute. Add broccoli to the mixture. Whisk together heavy cream into the champagne mixture in the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add Parmesan and mix thoroughly. Place the chicken pieces back into the skillet. Simmer 3 minutes, until sauce thickens and chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove chicken from pan adding some sauce onto the chicken.

Fill pot with water, add salt to water. Bring water to a boil. Add linguine and boil until pasta is al dente. Place linguine into the pan, mix with tong making sure pasta has mixed well with sauce. Plate and top with more parmesan if desired.

Avgolemono Soup

When I was younger, I worked in a Greek restaurant for about 5 years. I remember watching Papui make it, every Sunday. The past few days my throat has been raw from coughing... this felt like heaven in a bowl.



Servings: 10

* 2 cups milk
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 6 egg yolks, beaten
* 2 quarts chicken stock -- I used vegetarian chickit stock
* 1/2 cup long grain rice -- I used orzo.
* 1/4 cup butter
* chopped parsley
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
* 1 lemon, rind of, grated
* salt and pepper

**Note** You can vary this to taste, of course. I usually add a bit more cornstarch for thickening, diced vegetarian chicken, double the orzo or rice, about 1/2 c finely chopped onion, and about a handful of chopped celery.

**Note** Keep in mind, with the omission of the rice, this would be a great sauce for chicken linguini. Or atop asparagus. Or fresh snapped green beans. Or potatoes! Actually this reminds me to post the Greek potato recipe, too. Ahhh.... so much to eat, so little time :)



Stir the milk and cornstarch together and beat in the egg yolks. Set aside. Bring the stock to boil in a 4 quart soup pot and add the rice. Cook, covered, until the rice is puffy and tender, about 25 min. Remove the soup from heat, add milk and egg mixture, stirring carefully. Continue to cook for a moment until all thickens. Remove from the heat again and add the butter, chopped parsley, lemon juice, and finely grated lemon peel.

Enchilada Soup

* 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
* 1 15 ounce can corn, drained
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
* 1 10.75 ounce can cream of chicken soup - I'm using COM, next time will try homemade chickit gravy.
* 1 cup milk
* 4 (4 ounce) chicken breasts --I used 4 MSF Chicken Grillers
* 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* avocado, (optional) sour cream, and tortilla chips for topping

* I also added a couple handfuls of diced baked potatoes and 1 small can of green chiles


In a crockpot, combine drained beans, drained tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, soup, and milk. Give it a quick stir. Add chicken breasts. Make sure to push them down so they are submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Before serving take out chicken patties, shred them, and return them to the soup. (Actually they're soft enough to cut up while still in the pot) Stir in shredded cheeses. Top with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips if desired.

Bleu Chicken Pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, cut into thin slices
2 shallots, cut into slices
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
2 MSF Chicken Grillers
3 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic
1 pound orecchiette pasta
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium high heat. When butter is melted add the onions and shallots and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently. While the onions are browning, start boiling a large pot of water for the pasta with a dash of salt. When the water is at a rolling boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, approximately 14-15 minutes. Once you have the pasta boiling, season both sides of the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into another pan and heat over medium heat, add chicken, sprinkling rosemary over the top. Brown chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Add the garlic near the end of the second side and stir chicken to incorporate. Remove from heat and cool slightly. When chicken is still warm but cool enough to handle with tongs, cut bite-sized pieces.

Drain pasta, which should be done right about the time your chicken is and add to the now caramelized onions. Take a scoop of the pasta and onions and run it through the chicken pan to catch some of the leftover juices and then return to the onion pan. Add the chicken, blue cheese and remaining salt and pepper. Stir in the heavy cream. Serve and enjoy.


Makes 8 servings and reheats even better the next day.

Veggie Cordon Bleu

This recipe is a little more time-intensive than I generally prefer, but it is worth. every. effort! It actually turned into a cross between cordon bleu and kiev. It's a hybrid ;) The sauce is insane. Next time I'm going to try to make it into mini-bites and serve as appetizer w the honey mustard gravy for dipping. HELLO! :)

INGREDIENTS
5 MSF Chicken Grillers
5 slices Swiss cheese
5 slices wham -- vegetarian deli sliced ham
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon paprika
2 Tbs butter mixed w 2 Tbs chive and onion cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup unsweetened white grape juice (I doubled to one cup)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (I doubled to 2 tsp)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
Press the chix thin enough to roll. Place a cheese and wa double ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Slather a healthy bit of the cream cheese/butter mixture inside before rolling. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. NEXT TIME I WILL USE BAKING STRING. (The cheese will leak out a little bit and that's ok! Or, you can wrap the cheese up INSIDE the ham and it won't leak!) Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces. I used garlic herb panko instead.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the juice and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until chicken warm and well gooey-fied.
Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. (I used colored toothpicks. It made them easier to find, but the coloring spread to the chicken. Some people also recommended using baking ties instead of toothpicks).

Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet with the remaining drippings, juice, and bouillon. This makes an a.m.a.z.i.n.g sauce! Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Btw... a touch of honey mustard would be amazing in the sauce!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Rice Soup

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Rice Soup

* 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
* 3 large carrots, finely chopped
* 1 1/2 Cups zucchini, diced
* 2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
* 2 Cups cooked and shredded substitute chicken
* 2 Cups steamed white rice
* 4 Tablespoons butter
* 1/4 Cup all purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
* 1 3/4 Cups chicken broth
* 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 Cup bacon, cooked and crumbled plus 1/2 Cup to garnish bowls

Instructions

Heat oil into a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and zucchini for 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute then add chicken and rice. Reduce heat to low.

Melt butter into a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until thick and creamy, nearly to a boil. Stir in shredded cheddar until melted then pour into chicken and vegetable mixture. Add 1 Cup crumbled bacon, stir then season according to taste then simmer on low until ready to serve. Garnish each bowl with a few pinches of additional crumbled bacon.

8 servings

Chicken Tinga

I made this impromptu to take to a friend's house. RAVE REVIEWS. I didn't follow a recipe, and because it was impromptu, I had to improvise on the ingredients. Sad to say, tomatillos aren't one of the usual staples in my pantry :) The options for tinga are endless. Sandwiches, pizza topping, rice, pasta, etc. It can go anywhere. Let's see if I can tell you what I did. It was delicious!! Spicy, but delish!

This is how it's supposed to be done. Saute, puree', etc.

• 3 tablespoons of safflower or corn oil
• 1/2 white onion, slivered (about 1/4 pound)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 8 roma tomatoes, rinsed (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed (about 1/4 pound)
• 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of sea or kosher salt, more or less to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons of sauce from chipotle chiles in adobo. Add whole chiles if more heat desired.
• 5 cups of shredded chicken


This is what actually happened:

Saute' chopped sweet onion and fresh garlic in veg oil for 5-6 minutes, til translucent and fragrant. Add about 8 chopped and finely diced Roma tomatoes (If you're in a pinch, you can use 2 cans of the tomatoes w green chiles). Add a touch of lime juice, oregano, salt, pepper and maybe a 1/2 cup or so of salsa verde. The verde will replace your tomatillos and add in some of your missing seasonings. Stir it well, then add in 2 Tbs of adobo sauce and one well-minced chipotle pepper. There's your heat. If you don't want the heat, go without the pepper. Add just the adobo. Simmer 10-12 minutes. The color will deepen and the flavors marry the longer it sits. Next, toss in your chicken. I used 2 boxes of the MSF Chicken Grillers, nicely shredded. Simmer another 5 minutes or so, until the chicken has absorbed some of the juice. It's ready when it turns saucy instead of soupy :) We served this on top of haystacks, and it was a huge hit. Unexpected flavor, really easy inexpensive recipe, tastes like it took all day. BINGO. I'm going to refine the ingredient list and go ahead and add it to the Bistro book. Those of you who already have a copy, I'll just print it off and drop it off next time I see you :) Enjoy! :)

Special K Roast

Ingredients:
1 can of Worthington Diced Chick
2 cups of cottage cheese (a normal sized container)
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped pecans (or pecan meal)
1/4 cup of milk
2 1/2 cups of Special K

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

This recipe is actually a half batch. I knew that I’d eat whatever I made in a very short time, so I cut it in half. I’d say it would be about enough to feed 4 to 6 at one meal. It lasted me about that many meals. (I won’t lie, I had it for breakfast one day…)

Mix it all up and then put into a 9″x13″ pan. Bake for 1 hour.



2nd option w NO chix :)


6 c Special K
1 ½ lb cottage cheese
2 tsp McKays
1 onion chopped
½ c milk
1 stick butter, melted
4-5 eggs
½ c pecans

Bake at 350 for 1 hr covered, then ½ hr uncovered

Veggie Souvlaki

Chicken Souvlaki goes veggie :)

This quick-cooking Mediterranean-style chicken & simple homemade yogurt sauce make this a perfect dish for a busy weeknight.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 mins.
Cook time: 20 -25 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 pound gluten style chicken, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper (about 1)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup grated English cucumber
1/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 (6-inch) whole-wheat soft pitas, cut in half
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Directions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, and oregano; cook 30 seconds.

Combine cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt). Serve chicken mixture with yogurt sauce, warmed pita, and tomato slices.

For Simple Salad:
Combine 5 cups torn romaine lettuce,
1/3 cup sliced red onion, and 3 sliced pepperoncini peppers. Combine 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss with salad. Top with 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese and 3 tablespoons halved kalamata olives.

**Yield: 4 servings
(serving size: 1 cup chicken mixture, 1/4 cup sauce, 1 pita, and about 1/4 cup tomatoes)

Garlic chicken pasta

Garlicky Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

Marinate the chicken while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Ingredients

* 5 med.garlic cloves, minced (about 5 tsp), plus 4 medium cloves, smashed
* 1 pound veggie chicken cut into niblet pieces
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* Table salt
* 1 pound pasta in short, tubular shapes, such as fusilli or rigatoni
* 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine (I'm using chicken broth)
* 3/4 cup clam juice (broth here too)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges
* Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Toss 2 teaspoons minced chix, shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Let chix marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.

2. Heat 4 smashed garlic cloves and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to remove garlic from skillet; discard garlic. Set skillet aside.

3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and transfer pasta back to Dutch oven.

4. While pasta cooks, return skillet with oil to medium heat; add chix with marinade to skillet in single layer. Cook chix, undisturbed, until oil starts to bubble gently, 1 to 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chix to medium bowl. Add remaining 3 teaspoons minced garlic and pepper flakes to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute; stir in vermouth and cook for 1 minute. Add clam juice and parsley; cook until mixture starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice. Add chicken and sauce to pasta, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick. Season with black pepper. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

BBQ Salad

Barbeque Salad

Hearty salad served with a tangy bbq dressing

Servings: 4
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 lb veggie chicken, sliced (I'm using the Worthington frozen chicken roll
1 c veggie bacon bits
Mixed lettuce greens (I use 2 bags - 1 romaine & 1 spring greens)
1 red onion, cut into thin slices or big chop - less the 4 tbsp. needed for the salad dressing
1-2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
3-4 eggs, boiled & sliced
Grated romano cheese, optional

Barbeque Dressing:
1 c. mayo (I use light)
1/2 c. barbeque sauce (any kind works)
2 tbsp. lemon juice (I have used lime juice when I was out of lemons)
4 tbsp. minced red onion



Directions:
Toss together all salad ingredients or you can leave each ingredient separate and let each person make their own with the ingredients they prefer.

Whisk dressing ingredients together and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve on the side so each person can add as much as they prefer.

I serve this salad with a hearty bread or crusty rolls, but it would also be good with homemade croutons.

Low carb veggie chicken and dumplings

Let me attack the dumplings first. I have a cpl options for you.

1. Just a tip -- if you're making just enough for one sitting and you are in need of a quickie short-cut, get yourself a pkg of ww tortillas from the store. Cut them in half, and then cut them in strips. Drop the strips into boiling broth and they will plump up just like dumplings! FYI, the "dumplings" will dissolve into the broth after an hour or so when you reheat it, there will be no more "dumplings". Just know the broth will be very thick! :) Add as many strips of tortillas that you think you'll eat at that one meal and add them right at the end.

2. Low carb bread mix for the bread machine (carbolite or ketogenics). In small bowl mix 1 beaten egg with 2 Tbs heavy cream and 1/4 cup of additional water. In a large bowl, empty bread machine mix and add egg/cream mixture and stir. Continue adding water a little at a time until you have a stiff but moist dough. Drop by 2 Tbs size "dumplings" into bubbling broth, keeping dough balls separate in the broth until each rises and forms. Once all dough is into broth, cook an additional 5 minutes and serve in big bowls with your chicken mixture. This recipe yields 8 servings; about 6 carb grams per serving.

The Chicken Sauce
Ingredients:

1 qt no-chix broth (I like the taste of the Imagine brand)
1 c water
1/4 c butter
1/4 c finely-chopped onion
1/4 c finely-chopped carrot
1/2 c finely-chopped celery
1/2 c chopped fresh mushrooms
salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch sage
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cup diced cooked veggie chicken or turkey

Add all ingredients ,except the chix, to large soup pot and allow to boil until onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms are semi-soft. Add diced chicken or turkey and boil an additional 10 minutes.

Chick-it

I just made inside out chicken pie and realized it was time to make more chicken seasoning. I don't think I've posted this here, so here you go. I use it in everything. Mashed potatoes, breading for frying, gravies, sauces, the lemon herb sauce for the manicotti gets this. I use it ALL. THE. TIME. I also tweak it, of course, with extra garlic, celery flakes, etc. Got it from my friend Mindy -- enjoy! :)



Chick-it Seasoning:

Blend:

1/4 c. Salt
1/2 c. Nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 to 1/2 t. Turmeric
1/2 to 1 t. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1/2 t. Marjoram
1/2 t. sage or summer savory
1 T. Parsley

Blend thoroughly to a powder-like consistency.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.