Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: over 2/3 cup • Old Pts: 4 • Weight Watchers Points+: 4
Calories: 185.5 • Fat: 2 g • Protein: 27 g • Carbs: 13.5 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 504 mg

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish

Directions: 

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl,combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks;set aside. 

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.

Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Summer Vegetable Tian

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• 1 TBSP oil
• 1/2-1 whole medium onion, chopped (amount depends on your preference and tolerance.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 4 large potatoes, thinly sliced (I’ve used russets, red, and Yukon gold with equal success)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Dried Thyme, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 C parmesan and romano cheese blend, grated

Instructions

1. At home: Chop onion and garlic and store in a container (bag, tupperware, etc). Slice potatoes, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. (This is a great time to use a fancy kitchen tool if you have it. Currently, my fancy tool is a good knife and my own two hands.) You can store all these items in the same container if you like, but I like to divide them out. Adding water to the container with the potatoes helps them from oxidizing and changing color. Store all the vegetables and cheese in your cooler and pack the oil and seasonings.
2. At camp: Start your charcoal. You’ll need a total of 24 briquettes, but it’s always a good idea to have a few extra. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened (about 5 minutes). You can do this in the dutch oven over some briquettes or on a camping or backpacking stove.
3. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme. The majority of the flavor comes from this, so don’t skimp!
4. Cover your dutch oven with its lid. Bake with 10 briquettes on bottom and 14 briquettes on top for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the vegetables are soft.
5. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of a 10″ dutch oven. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the dutch oven, lining them up vertically around the edges in an alternating pattern. Pack the vegetables nice and tight. I generally do a loose circle, enough that the vegetables can stand up on their own, and then fill in any spaces. Continue this process with a second inner ring 

Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 tacos • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 319 • Fat: 12 g • Protein: 26.5 g • Carb: 33.7 g • Fiber: 9.7 g • Sugar: 3.6 g
Sodium: 76.2 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb tilapia fillets, rinsed and pat dried
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped (seeds removed for less heat)
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 5-inch white corn tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory Fiber & Flax)
• 1 medium haas avocado, sliced
• lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Sauté onion until translucent, then add garlic. Mix well.
Place tilapia on the skillet and cook until the flesh starts to flake. Add jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, breaking up the fish with the spoon to get everything mixed well; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat tortillas on a skillet a few minutes on each side to warm (no oil needed). Serve a little over 1/4 cup of fish on each warmed tortillas with a slice or 2 of avocado and enjoy!

Slow Cooker New England Clam Chowder

(serves 8)

Ingredients:4 (6 1/2 ounce) cans chopped clams (including juice)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
6 strips of bacon, cooked and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups half and half

Directions:Add clams and juice to slow cooker.  Add cream of mushroom soup, potatoes, celery, garlic, onion, bacon, basil, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper to slow cooker.  Mix thoroughly until combined.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.  Add half and half and cook on high for one additional hour.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

NOT YO MOMMA’S SHEPARD’S PIE

Note to Linz: takes about 3 hours to make.......make ahead.....30 mins to bake

Shepard’s Pie

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 large red potatoes, 2 peeled/2 with skins cut into 1-inch pieces

2 lbs ground turkey, thawed

4 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1 cup frozen organic sweet baby peas

1 cup frozen fresh sweet corn

1 large zucchini, diced

1 large yellow summer squash, diced

4 large Roma tomatoes, diced

2 tsp fresh minced garlic

1.5 tsp salt (separated)

1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbs parsley

2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

 In a large pot, bring 5 cups of water to boil.  Prepare the sweet and red potatoes.  Once water boiling, add the cut potato pieces into water.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until potatoes are soft.

 Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 and brown ground turkey in a large skillet.  Place browned ground turkey to the side.  In the same large skillet, add onion and carrots.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until carrots are slightly tender.  Add peas and corn and cook until warm.  Remove from heat.  Return ground beef to vegetable mixture.  Add zucchini, squash, tomatoes, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and Italian seasoning.  Mix wellSince I’m thinking about YOU and your future dinners, this will actually provide you enough to make 2 casseroles (one for dinner tonight ANDone to freeze for later use).  In two 9x3x13, spread turkey mixture evenly on the bottom.

Your potatoes should be getting soft at this point.  Drain the potatoes well and return them back to the pot and then mash them good.  Add 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix wellScoop the potato mixture evenly over the top of the turkey mixture.  Use a spoon to smooth the top.  Wrap one dish tightly with clear wrap or apply airtight lid before freezing.  For the dish you’re enjoying for dinner, bake uncovered for 25 minutes until top slightly brown.  Sprinkle cheese on top and return to oven for another 5 minutes until cheese has melted.  Serve warm.

TORTELLINI, CHICKEN, AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, thawed and cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 Tbs Coconut or Olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 8 cups (64 oz) natural chicken stock or broth, low sodium
• 48 oz fresh or frozen tortellini
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp parsley

Instructions

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, onion, and celery. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until onions are slightly translucent.

Add chicken stock/broth and bring to boil.

Add chicken pieces, tortellini, bell pepper, mushroom, jalapeno, black pepper, and thyme. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until chicken no longer pink and tortellini tender.

Remove from heat and add parsley.

MULTIGRAIN WAFFLES

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup quick whole oats
• 2 Tbs flax seeds or flax seed meal
• 2 Tbs chia seeds (optional)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups vanilla almond milk or vanilla coconut milk
• 2 Tbs pure honey or agave

Instructions

Combine all dry ingredients or first 7 ingredients together well in medium-sized bowl. Mix well.

Add milk and honey into dry ingredients and mix well.

Pre-heat waffle iron. Grease waffle iron with light olive oil cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup batter in center and bake to preference.

Swig Sugar Cookie

Ingredients:

1 C Butter (room temperature)

3/4 C Vegetable Oil

1 1/4 C Sugar

3/4 C Powdered Sugar

2 T Water

2 Eggs

1/2 t Baking SodaCream together Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sugars, Water, and Eggs.

Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.

Mix until everything is combined.  Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.

Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet

Now its time to give these babies their signature rough edge.  Put 1/4 c of sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar and salt listed above.)  Stick the bottom of a glass in it.  This is going to be your cookie press.

Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball.  You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass.  If there is a lip its even better.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  They should just barely be browning on the bottom.    Move cookies to a cooling rack.  Once they are cool put them in the fridge.

Sour Cream Frosting

1/2 cup room temperature butter

3/4 C Sour Cream

Approx 1 2lb Package of Powdered Sugar (I never use the whole thing but love having extra on hand just incase I add to much milk!)

1 t salt

1/4 C Milk

Red Food Coloring

Start by creaming together butter and sour cream and salt.  Slowly add powdered sugar.  When it gets so thick its not frosting like add a splash of milk.  Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency.  Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute.

Keep cookies in a sealed container until they are ready to serve.  The magic of a Swig Sugar Cookie is that the cookies are cold and the frosting is room temperature.  Frost right before serving (if you make them in advance and need to refrigerate the frosting make sure you give it time to warm up before serving)

1/2 t Cream of Tarter

1 t Salt

5 1/2 C Flour

FRESH SWEET CORN SALSA

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen sweet corn, rinsed with warm water
• 1 (15 oz) can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional if you like your salsa HOT!)
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 packet of dry Italian seasoning dressing (I usually only use half the packet)

Instructions

In large bowl, combine corn, black beans, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and jalapeno. Stir gently.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, and dry Italian seasoning. Stir well and pour over top and gently stir until mixed well. Chill for at least 2 hours prior to serving for best results.

Serve with your favorite chips or on top of tacos.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 1/2 hours-6 1/2 hours

Hearty chicken and wild rice soup that is made in the slow cooker! This simple soup is always a hit!

ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloved garlic, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

directions:

1. In a 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, carrots, celery, garlic, wild rice, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Top with chicken breast halves. Add the chicken broth.

2. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 6 1/2 hours or on high-heat setting about 3 1/2 hours. Carefully remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir. Remove the bay leaves. Add the parsley and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

makes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast)
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.

Note: yes this patty does fall kind of apart as you eat it. But that is OK because it tastes yummy. 

Cheesy Grilled Pizza Sandwiches

Recipe by Our Best Bites

There are not specific measurements in this recipe, because you can make them to your liking depending on the size of your bread.

Ingredients
rustic style sandwich bread
butter or olive oil
pizza sauce
garlic bread seasoning
pepperoni or turkey pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese

Instructions
Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread, or brush lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle garlic bread seasoning on each slice and gently pat on with clean hands.  Turn slices of bread over.  Spread pizza sauce on each slice and sprinkle with cheese.  Place pepperoni slices on one of the sandwich halves and then place the two pieces of bread together.

Grill on a panini press or hot skillet, or place under a broiler in the oven, flipping once, until both sides of bread are toasted and golden brown and cheese is melted.  Cool for 3-5 minutes before slicing in half and serve.