Herb-crusted chicken, parsley orzo, and asparagus with balsamic tomatoes

This meal makes 4 servings

HERB-CRUSTED CHICKEN
4 (6 oz ea) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 tsp dried fines herbs
4 tsps butter
1 TBSP olive oil

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and fines herbs over both sides of chicken, pressing to gently adhere.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add oil. Cook chicken 5 minutes. Turn and cook 7 more minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Let stand (keep pan with juices from chicken to use for the asparagus).

ORZO
3/4 uncooked orzo
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp butter
salt and pepper

Cook orzo to package directions, omitting any fat and salt. Drain. Stir in parsley, 2 tsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Keep warm.

ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1-1/2 cups grap tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/3 tsp salt
3 TBSP crumbled goat cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain.
Heat pan that had chicken in it over medium heat. Add tomatoes and garlic. Cook 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and cook 3 minutes.
Stir in salt. Add asparagus to pan and cook 1 more minute.
Arrange asparagus on plate and top with tomato mixture.
Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

Calories: 342 for 1 chicken breast + 1/2 cup orzo; 70 calories for a serving of asparagus

Rating: Oh yeah!! This will be a repeater :) Delicious comfort food!














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Grilled Chicken, Black Bean Quinoa Salad

GRILLED CHICKEN
I took 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and pounded them flat.
Season with salt and Wild Tree Herb Grilling Blend
Grill 3 minutes, turn, grill 2 minutes.

I highly recommend the Wild Tree Herb Grilling Blend:
http://www.wildtree.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=122


BLACK BEAN QUINOA SALAD
This was the star of the meal! We loved it sooooo much!

1 whole(s) mango peeled, diced small
1 whole(s) red pepper diced small
1 cup(s) scallions thinly sliced
1 cup(s) cilantro chopped (1 cup before chopping, about 1/4 cup chopped)
1 tablespoon(s) oil (canola, grape seed, olive)
2 tablespoon(s) vinegar (wine, balsamic, flavored)
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper
1 teaspoon(s) italian salad dressing seasoning (I used Penzey's)
2 cup(s) cooked quinoa (3/4 cup raw) cooled
1 can(s) black beans (15 oz) drained

Mix all the ingredients together. Yummmy!!!

Chicken with Balsamic Peppers and Gnocchi

CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Season both sides with:
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp crushed fennel
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Sear chicken 3 minutes on 1 side, 1 minute on other side. Transfer to a sprayed baking dish and roast at 450 for 10 minutes. Keep the chicken saute pan handy for the balsamic peppers below.


BALASAMIC PEPPERS

In the same pan you seared the chicken, add a little bit of oil and saute together:
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinkly sliced yellow bell pepper
1 large shallot, chopped
1-1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Saute on med-high heat for 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, increase heat to high, and simmer for 3 more minutes.

Salt and Pepper to taste.


GNOCCHI:

Purchased frozen gnocchi at the store.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add gnocchi (cook only what you will eat...I made 15 per person).
As gnocchi float to the surface, remove them carefully with a slotted spoon.


PLATING:
I laid a bed of fresh baby spinach down on the plate
On top of the spinach, I added the balsamic pepper mixture
I laid the gnocchi on top of that.
I drizzled the remainder of the pan juices onto the gnocchi.
I placed the chicken along one side.


Rating: We *loved* this dish. We've made the balsamic peppers before. Adding the gnocchi was a great idea. It's creamy taste blended well with the tartness of the balsamic peppers! This was also a 400 calorie meal which was a huge bonus!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Healthy version)

10 oz broccoli-steam in microwave or stove top until mostly cooked
1 cup of cooked chicken, cubed
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup of milk
shredded cheddar cheese
bread crumbs

(Post to be completed)

Southwest Chicken, Broccoli

This is a little different than the other chicken with black beans and corn that I've made in the past. Depending on how hungry you are, this makes 2-4 servings.

Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (15 oz) black beans (I use Bush's Seasoned Black Beans, drained but not rinsed)
1 can (8.75 ounces) corn (drained) or frozen corn
Dash of cumin (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)

Pat chicken breasts dry. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Over med-high heat, heat skillet. Spray with non-stick spray. Place chicken in pan and brown chicken on both sides, turning once.

Add tomatoes, beans, and corn to pan. Reduce heat and let simmer 15-20 minutes (turning once during cooking time) until chicken is cooked.

Remove chicken from pan. Add a few dashes of cumin and stir. Add chopped cilantro (as much as you like).

Broccoli: we're fans of broccolini which has a more "buttery" flavor. We steamed it with a little water in the microwave for about 5 minutes and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Rating: It's a trifecta of cooking...Uber easy to make....Delicious....and Filling! Can you ask for anything more?

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, baked yukon potato, okra and tomatoes

Since we're counting calories, we chose a very lean cut of steak (top round). The original recipe called for Flank Steak. You can really use any cut you like. Recipe serves 4.

Chimichurri Sauce:

In a bowl, mix together:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp parsley, fresh, Italian, minced
2 Tbsp scallion(s), green parts only, minced
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Steak:

1 pound steak
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed with side of a knife
salt and pepper to taste

Rub both sides of steak with smashed garlic clove; discard garlic.
Season steak with salt and pepper.
Grill or Broil steak for 4 minutes (less if using thin-cut)
Flip and broil on second side 3 minutes more

Thinly slice steak against grain and serve with sauce on the side.

Yukon Gold Potato: poke holes in potato and microwave for about 4 minutes (for small potato), 5-6 min for a larger potato. Yukons have a delicious flavor!

Okra with Tomatoes: Found in the frozen food section! A low-calorie filler! Just heat up and season with salt and pepper.


Rating: Well, we licked the sauce bowl clean if that tells you anything :) Add it to our list of favorites!!

Moroccan Chicken with Apricots and Squash

Choose a sauce pan that has a lid and can be transfered to the oven. Alternatively, you can make the entire thing in a slow cooker. This will make 4 servings.

1 pound chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts (four 4-0z pieces)
Salt and pepper chicken to taste.

Coat cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray + 2 tsp olive oil. Heat over medium heat.

Add:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cook spices 30 seconds-1 minute stirring often.

Add chicken to pan. Cook 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.

To the pan, add:
1 large Vidalia onion(s), chopped
2 cup(s) butternut squash, peeled and cut into1/2-inch cubes (about 3/4 lb)

Stir and scrape the pan to incorporate the brown bits and pan drippings as the onion and squash cooks. Cook about 10 minutes on med-low heat until onion is translucent and squash has softened.

Stir into the squash mix:
3/4 cup uncooked jasmine rice, or basmati rice
3/4 cup dried apricot halves , roughly chopped

Place Chicken on top

Pour in 1-1/2 cups canned chicken broth

Bring to a boil for one minute.

Cover the pot and place in a 400 degree oven to cook for 25 minutes. Add more chicken broth 1/2 way through if the rice needs more moisture.

Garnish with minced cilantro

Rating: YUM-DILLY-ICIOUS! The fragrance while cooking will have you salivating until this dish is ready!!