Garlic & Rosemary Cornish Game Hen

I had a couple of Cornish game hens sitting in the freezer, and decided to make a nice Sunday night dinner for Nick and myself. Our families both have a tradition of having a big dinner together on Sundays, so being that we are so far away, I thought it would be nice to carry on the tradition in our home here in California. I served this with steamed broccoli and freshly baked French bread.

Garlic & Rosemary Cornish Game Hen
Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish game hens
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lemon, quartered
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoonsolive oil
• 12 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
4. Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

Mango Chicken

I got this recipe a long time ago from my mom; it is a knock-off of a dish served at Thaifoon, an Asian-fusion restaurant back in Salt Lake. The mango offsets the spiciness of the chili garlic sauce for a delicious asian dish.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Draney Photography

Mango Chicken

2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 fresh mango, skinned, pitted & cut into 3/4" - 1" cubes
1 Tbsp. basil
1 1/2 cups mango sauce (recipe follows)

Mango Sauce ingredients:
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1-2 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce (depending on how spicy you want it to be)
1 bottle (7.5 oz) sweet chili sauce - I use Sun Luck
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

Combine and blend together all the sauce ingredients. Heat wok/saute pan and add canola oil. Add and stir fry chicken until cooked. Add mango pieces, tossing to incorporate and warm the mango.

Add sauce and basil. Toss and reduce until sauce lightly coats the chicken and mango.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe comes from my mom, and it is always a hit in my household. Sometimes I will just make the Jalapeno Chicken in my crockpot, and we will eat it in tacos instead - a little lighter, and also equally delicious!

Chicken Enchiladas

Jalapeno Chicken (recipe below)
Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)
1 package Mexican cheese (I use a three-cheese blend)
6 - 8 flour tortillas

Jalapeno Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small can chopped jalapeno chiles
1 can chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon cilantro
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin

Put all ingredients with chicken breasts in crockpot; cook for 4-5 hours. Shred chicken once cooked; set aside.

Enchilada Sauce
1 small can tomato paste
water (as needed)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon ground red pepper, or to taste (I usually end up using about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

In a medium saucepan, heat tomato paste over medium. Add water, as needed, to thin paste to consistency you like. Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cilantro. Gradually season with red pepper, until you reach desired level of spiciness. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°. Spoon ¼ cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas - fill each tortilla with a heaping ¼ cup shredded chicken and about 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil; bake until hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

(They may not be the prettiest enchiladas, but believe me, they taste fantastic! And luckily my husband takes amazing pictures of my food for me. Thanks sweetie!)

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Draney Photography

Chicken Tortilla Soup

So this was the first time I've ever made soup at home. Neither my husband nor I eat (drink?) soup very often, but this recipe caught my eye and I had to try it out. I made this soup in my crockpot and it turned out really well. I paired it with some freshly baked cornbread. This was a nice warm meal to come home to after a chilly, late-afternoon walk on the beach.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
adapted from Cooking Light

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (I used 1 Tbsp. canned diced jalapeno)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans no-salt-added chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes (such as Del Monte Fresh Cut), undrained
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium tomato soup (such as Campbell's Healthy Request), undiluted
1 1/4 cups baked tortilla chips, crushed
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (I omitted this and instead used 1/2 cup Mexican cheese)

Preparation
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add chicken to crockpot; add sauteed onion & garlic, and next 9 ingredients (corn through tomato soup) and cook on high for 4 -5 hours. Ladle soup into bowls; top with tortilla chips and sour cream (cheese).

Trader Joe's Cornbread

1 package cornbread mix
1 egg
1/2 cup oil (I used applesauce instead, which made it deliciously sweet and moist, and as an added bonus, lowered the fat/calorie content.)
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 8 x 8 baking pan. Mix egg, applesauce, and milk until combined. Add cornbread mix and mix until combined - do not overmix. Pour mixture into baking pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

I love these lettuce wraps; they are healthy, delicious and super easy to make. I use butter lettuce for the wraps because it tends to hold together best as you eat it.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Head of butter lettuce
Garlic-Soy Chicken, recipe below
Peanut sauce, recipe below

Slow Cooker Garlic-Soy Chicken
From The Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Cookbook

1 small onion, sliced
2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine onion, garlic powder, soy sauce, and vinegar in small bowl and mix well. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and pour soy mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 - 8 hours.

Remove chicken and shred. Drain onions and serve on the side as topping for your wraps.

Peanut Sauce
From Cooking Light

1/4 cup lime juice
3 Tbs. peanut butter
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. honey (I only used 2)
1 Tbs. chili paste with garlic
4 garlic cloves, minced

Combine ingredients in small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Can be used as a dipping sauce, or poured over the contents of your wrap.

Yields 1/2 cup sauce.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Draney Photography

Spicy Orange Chicken

This is adapted from a WW recipe I found on Recipezaar, so it is fairly heathly and low in calories & fat. I substituted chicken for beef, as we are not big on red meat (I don't eat it at all.) This is a yummy, quick meal that would be easy to put together on a busy weeknight.

Spicy Orange Chicken
(sorry, no picture)

2 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce (I added an extra tsp 1/2 since we tend to like our dishes spicy)
4 tsp canola oil
1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 cup stir fry veggies (broccoli, carrots & snap peas)

Combine chicken, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and orange rind in medium bowl; toss well to coat, and set aside. Combine remaining 1 Tbsp cornstarch, chicken broth, orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, and chili garlic sauce in small bowl; set aside.

Heat non-stick wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp of oil, then add chicken. Stir fry until cooked, about 2 - 3 minutes; transfer to plate. Add remaining 2 tsp of oil, then add ginger. Stir fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add broccoli, carrots & peas. Stir fry until crisp and tender, about 2 - 3 minutes. Add broth mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils and thickens, about one minute. Add chicken and cook until heated through, about one minute.

Serve with brown or white rice.