Orange Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

My family loves this recipe from Company's Coming Holiday Entertaining as a nod to roast chicken and stuffing dinners, without the huge amount of leftovers and dishes. It is scrumptious with garlic smashed potatoes and I sometimes add a size of cranberry sauce. Feel free to play around with the stuffing ingredients. I often will add things like orange zest, some fresh herbs (depending on the state of my herb garden), pecans, etc.

Serves 2 (at least according the recipe, but it serves our family of three just fine)

2 whole boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

Stuffing:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp celery
zest of an orange
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I take leftover french bread and leave it out for a few days, then cube it)
1 tbsp chives (fresh herbs are good as a substitute-sage, thyme, tarragon)
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
salt and pepper sprinkle
1 1/2 tbsp white wine
1 1/2 tbsp orange juice (more or less, depending on how much you need to make it moist

Melt the butter in a fry pan. Add the onion and celery, and saute until they are soft and translucent. Remove from heat. Toss with bread crumbs, chives, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, then drizzle the milk/chicken brother over top and mix well. Add more juice if you need to in order to make the dressing cling together.

Lay the chicken breasts on a flat surface and give them a good pounding so they are about pretty much uniform thickness throughout. (Jake hates this, he says it sounds like I'm torturing the food). Then divide the dressed between the two breasts, mounding it up along the center. Fold the breasts each in half over the dressing and secure with toothpicks.

Place stuffed breasts into a casserole dish and spoon 1/2 of the orange sauce over top. Bake, uncovered, at 325 F for about 45 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool five minutes before slicing them and arranging on the plates, spooning more of the sauce on top.

Orange sauce

1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tbsp orange juice concentrate, thawed

Mix together in a small saucepan over low heat until warm and runny.

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Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables And Chickpeas

This is a wonderful vegetarian dinner that can be prepared quickly and easily. The lemony dressing, along with the sweetness of the carrots and the nutty flavor of the couscous, make for a delicious and satisfying light supper or lunch. found in Every day Food's January/February 2008 issue, Jake and I agreed that this recipe was definitely a keeper! If you have leftovers store the couscous mixture in an airtight container. The greens, if dressed, won't keep so just use new ones with leftovers.

Serves 4 generously

1 pound of carrots sliced diagonally 3/4 of an inch thick
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
one (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
5 ounces leafy greens

Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss carrots and cauliflower with cumin, two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread onto rimmed baking sheet and bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring and rotating pan occasionally. You may need two baking sheets, because the vegetables must be in one layer. They will become all roasted and tasty, which is exactly what you want. Cool vegetables to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add couscous; stir, cover, and remove from heat for five minutes to allow to steam. Fluff with a fork and allow to come to room temperature.

Dressing:
Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, and one tablespoon olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, combine vegetables, sliced green onion, chickpeas, and couscous. Pour two tablespoons of dressing over top and toss. Use remaining dressing for the mixed greens. Arrange on plate as shown in picture above.

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Weekend Freezer Dinner: Veggie Burgers

On "fend for yourself" nights (Friday-Sunday), all of us hit the freezer for quick and easy meals. We buy Money's Garden burgers regularly; but who says that because they're veggie burgers they have to be plain? This is our version of a stacked veggie burger-"YUMilicious!", as Jake would say! Not too sure about veggie burgers? In this version, you won't miss the meat at ALL.

Serves 4

4 whole wheat burger buns
1 package of Money's Gardenburgers (there's 4 per package)
1/3 cup roasted red pepper hummus
1 avocado, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
baby greens (or other lettuce that you like)
mayonnaise
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the onion, cooking and stirring until golden. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft. Remove from pan and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pan, and add the frozen veggie burger patties. Cook according to package directions-until hot and crisped on both sides.

Meanwhile split the buns and place under the broiler to toast. When they are golden, remove to plates and spread approximately 1 1/2-2 tbsp of hummus on each bottom bun. Top with patty, and then onions and mushrooms.

On the top bun, spread a small amount of mayo, and then layer the greens, tomato, and avocado.

Squish it all together and eat!

Still hungry? Try it with Scattered Mom's oven baked fries...

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30 Minute Chicken Tenders Parmesan

Quick to pull together and something the kids are sure to love, this dish is a good resource to have on a busy weeknight. Slicing the chicken breasts into 3 or 4 pieces each and then heating them with jarred spaghetti sauce and topping with cheese makes for a fast and delicious meal. You can serve this with buttered noodles and a green salad.

Adapted from Every Day Food

2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 basil
1/4 garlic powder
sprinkle pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
1 3/4 cups best quality pasta sauce ( I like Newman's Own)
4 oz (1 cup) shredded part skim mozzarella

Turn on broiler with rack set about 4 inches from the heat.

In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl, beat slightly, and set aside. Dip the tenders first into the eggs and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture, coating all over. Place on a baking sheet.

Broil tenders for 2-4 minutes per side until golden. Remove from oven.

Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with chicken tenders, remaining sauce, and mozzarella. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with pasta.

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Italian Sausage Baked Pasta

This is, by far, my favorite pasta recipe. Full of sausage, pasta, and cheese, it comes out gooey and delicious.  Also this recipe makes a huge amount so you are sure to have leftovers, or if you want you can make the whole batch, and bake one half while you freeze the other for another day.  The spinach is optional but I like having a little green in there.  Make sure you use a really good quality sausage, and feel free to experiment with different flavors that your family might enjoy.  Don't forget to grease the tin foil before you bake it or all your cheese will stick to it!

Adapted from Canadian Living

1 1/2 lbs (750g) Italian sausage (I use mild, but you could try hot)
2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red or green pepper, chopped
1 jar (798 ml) of your favorite jarred pasta sauce-I use Prego original
213 ml (about 3/4 cup) chili sauce
1 tsp each basil, oregano, and fennel seeds
500g (or 5 cups) penne
1 ten ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff, it's better)

Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and brown the meat in a skillet until browned. Remove to plate. Pour most of the fat from the pan, except about 1 tbsp. Brown the onions, garlic and pepper until softened. Stir in the pasta sauce, chili sauce, basil, oregano, and fennel seeds. Bring sauce to a bubble, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Return the sausage to the pan, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sausage is cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, sauce, spinach, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon into a 9x13 inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes) and sprinkle remaining cheeses over top. Cover with tin foil (spray it with oil so the cheese doesn't stick to it) and bake for 30 minutes, or until warm and bubbly.

Serves 8 (or makes 2 meals for 4)

*This dish freezes really well and I often make one to eat and one to stick into the freezer.

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