Tuscan Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

• 32 oz chicken breast, raw & skinless
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika 
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 70g 1/3 reduced-fat cream cheese 
• 250g fat-free cottage cheese 
• 28g parmesan cheese 
• 56g reduced-fat cheddar 
• 1/2 packet mac & cheese powder (Kraft) 
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk 
• 1/2 cup chicken broth  
• 1 tbsp onion powder 
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 
• 40g sundried tomatoes, chopped 
• 2 cups fresh spinach 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• Salt to taste 

Directions:

Season 32 oz chicken breast with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Grill until fully cooked and nicely charred. Dice and set aside. 

Prepare 3 cups of rice and fluff with a fork. Set aside. 

In a blender, combine 70g reduced-fat cream cheese, 250g fat-free cottage cheese, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 packet mac & cheese powder. Blend until smooth.

Pour sauce into a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 28g parmesan cheese and 56g cheddar until melted and creamy. 

Add grilled chicken, 3 cups rice, 40g sundried tomatoes, 2 cups spinach, and 3 more cloves minced garlic to the skillet. Stir to coat in the sauce. Let it all simmer together for 3–5 minutes. 

Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  Ingredients:

• 32 oz. (2 lbs.) fresh Brussels sprouts, cut in halves lengthwise
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° and grease a large baking sheet. Combine Brussels sprouts and olive oil in a large bowl, toss to coat.  

Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine.

Transfer to prepared baking sheet and flip all sprouts so they are flat side down.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on top. 

Drizzle with a balsamic glaze and enjoy!

Pickled Beet Eggs

 Ingredients:

• 5 cans sliced beets, with juice
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 dozen eggs, hardboiled and peeled

Directions:

Combine beets, vinegar, and sugar in a pot and bring to a simmer.

In a 1 gallon (128 fl. oz.) glass pickle jar or similar container, alternate adding the eggs and beets/vinegar until the jar is full. 

Place in refrigerator and let sit 24 hours.  Enjoy!

*Measurements are adjustable to taste, and even another dozen eggs or two can be added.  Cloves and onions are also great additions!

Spinach Balls

Ingredients

• 2 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cups stuffing mix
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into balls.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Bob's Best Curry

 Ingredients

• 4 lbs. chicken breasts, diced
• Cajun seasoning to taste (example: Tony Chachere's)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced into small strips
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 8 cups (64 oz.) chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 4 oz. jar of red curry
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1-2 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup flour

Directions

Cook chicken in a skillet and season with the cajun seasoning.  Set aside.  Sauté onion, red bell pepper, and garlic about 5 minutes or until soft.  In a small pot, heat the chicken stock, red curry paste, cream cheese, coconut milk, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and yellow curry powder. Whisk together while heating to a simmer.  

Combine butter and flour to form a roux.  Add to broth mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined.  The mixture will thicken as you whisk.  

Add the chicken, as well as the sauteed peppers and onion.  Season to taste with salt.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

     Soup:

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp. chopped parsley 

     Dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (butter flavor preferred)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

     In a large pot, add butter and onions.  Sauté over medium hear for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the celery and carrots and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. 

     Add the chicken, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and broth to the pot. Stir and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes.

     Meanwhile in a medium bowl add the flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder.  Use a fork or pastry blender to mash the mixture together until it resembles oatmeal.  Then mix in the buttermilk until the mixture is mostly smooth.

     Onto a floured surface, roll the dough out into an even sheet 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 1 x 1 1/2 inch pieces.

     Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken pieces from the broth. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and corn starch, stirring to remove lumps.  Add a few spoonfuls of the chicken broth from the pot into the cornstarch slurry (this will prevent clumping when added to the pot).  Pour the mixture into the pot and stir.

      Add the dumplings to the broth, a handful at a time, stirring gently in between so they don't stick together.  Simmer the dumplings for 8-10 minutes, uncovered.

     While the dumplings are cooking, shred the chicken using two forks.  Add the chicken pieces back to the pot, along with the parsley.  Once the broth has thickened into gravy, turn off the heat and serve.  Enjoy!

Hash Brown Casserole

This is a copycat recipe for Cracker Barrel's Hash Brown Casserole!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. frozen hash browns, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups Colby cheese, shredded

Directions

     Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 dish.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then add to baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes.  If desired, broil for a few minutes to get a crispy, brown top. Enjoy!