Asian-style Chicken Noodle Soup

The story behind this soup is that I saw a recipe for something similar in a magazine in the Orlando airport and it looked so good...but I didn't buy the magazine and by the time I got home I had totally forgotten which one it was, and I couldn't stop thinking about that soup! I therefore decided to come up with my own version and see if it turned out how I was hoping it would - and luckily it did! I am a definite soup lover, but I've never been a big fan of homemade chicken noodle soup (okay I'll confess that I did consume an insane amount of the Campbell's condensed variety in college, though!), but the "Asian-style" twist turns this into something I'll be making again and again.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. (1/2 box) linguine or other noodle-type pasta
6 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. Sriracha
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 heads baby bok choy, chopped
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (or more, if desired)
1/4 cup cilantro, cilantro
4 green onions, chopped
Crispy wonton skins, for garnish

Directions

1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large pot, combine chicken broth and the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in bok choy and chicken, and cook 3-4 minutes, until bok choy is slightly wilted. Turn off heat and add in linguine, cilantro, and green onions. Serve piping hot, garnished with crispy wonton skins.

Salmon Burgers

This is a fantastic alternative to a traditional burger, and one that you can easily make year-round since you don't need a grill. The salmon gets flavored nicely so that it's not too fishy tasting, and the bacon adds just the perfect amount of crunch.

Ingredients
original recipe from Rachael Ray magazine (listed with my changes)

1 (14.7 oz) can salmon, drained and picked over
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley, divided
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oi
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, halved, plus grated peel
4 hamburger buns
4 slices cooked bacon

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the salmon, breadcrumbs, 2 Tbsp. parsley, the egg and mustard. Shape into 4 patties.

2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until golden, about 4 minutes on each side.

3. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon peel, and remaining 2 Tbsp. parsley. Spread the mayo on the bottom half of each hamburger bun. Top each with a salmon patty, a bacon slice, and the top half of the bun.

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Every so often, I get a craving for buffalo wing sauce. Not the actual wings themselves, just the sauce. Weird, I know. The cravings got really bad when I was pregnant with my first child. And you can't very well just chug the sauce out of the bottle, that would be even weirder.

So to satisfy this craving, I usually end up going with some sort of boneless "wing", since I'm not a huge fan of the messy traditional ones. These little nuggets definitely satisfied a craving tonight, and what I liked most about them is that you just get the subtle wing flavor without it being too overpowering (or messy!), and the sauce adds the perfect kick to a plain nugget. This just might be how I satisfy my cravings from now on.


Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1/4 cup)
Ranch or blue cheese, for dipping

Directions

1. Combine chicken and Frank's in a large bowl. Refrigerate at least an hour (preferably a few hours).

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, and paprika. Remove chicken from sauce and toss in flour to coat, then place in skillet. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Serve with ranch or blue cheese.

Note: You can also pound the chicken out and cut into large patties, and prepare using the same directions, then place on hamburger buns to make buffalo chicken sandwiches.

Slow Cooker Latin Chicken

I realize the picture above looks like a funky pile of beans, but let me assure you that the flavors of this one were great. It was a little change from the usual chicken crockpot meal, and I think we'll be making this one again (posted recipe includes my changes).

Slow Cooker Latin Chicken
from Allrecipes Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. chicken thighs salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, divided
1 large sweet potato, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup hot salsa
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
lime wedges, for garnish

Directions

1.Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over the chicken thighs; brown the chicken in the frying pan, 3 to 5 minutes each side.

2. Arrange the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, and black beans on top of the chicken. Mix together the chicken broth, 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, salsa, cumin, allspice, and garlic together in a bowl; pour into the slow cooker. Set slow cooker to LOW and cook for 4 hours. Garnish with lime wedges to serve (we put it all over plain rice, with some corn tortillas on the side).

No Recipe Needed - Tortilla Pizza

Top a large flour (or whole wheat) tortilla with some salsa verde, cilantro, cheese, taco meat, black olives and whatever else you like...bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted...yum!

Baked Chicken Linguine

A little different way to serve up a chicken pasta...creamy and hearty and the french fried onion topping adds a perfect little bit of crunch.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. (1/2 box) linguine
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup chopped onion
1 - 8 oz. pkg white mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped (about 3 loosely-packed cups)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 small can (2.8 oz) french fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook linguine according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil and Worcestershire over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine soups, mayo, milk, and lemon juice. Stir in chicken and spinach mixture, then stir in linguine. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.

4. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Top with french fried onions and cook 5 minutes more.

Chinese 5-Spice Oven Fried Chicken

I took this one from Marci's blog (she got it from Family Circle), because I'm always looking for new, easy ways to make chicken the whole family will like. This recipe did not disappoint...the panko make for a crispy coating and the Chinese 5-Spice was a nice flavor that differed from our usual offerings. The only thing I would add for this is a dipping sauce, so I'll work on that for next time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 broiler-fryer chicken (about 3-1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces, skin removed (I used 2 really big chicken breasts)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Fit a large rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. Coat rack with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a shallow dish, whisk together panko, Chinese five spice and salt. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together honey, 1 tablespoon warm water and lemon juice.

3. Dip each piece of chicken into the honey mixture, shaking off excess. Roll in the panko mixture, pressing to adhere and place on the prepared rack.

4. Bake chicken pieces at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes. Spritz chicken with nonstick cooking spray and bake an additional 30 minutes or until internal temperature registers 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. (I only baked mine an additional 15 minutes and the chicken was done)

5. Remove chicken from oven and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

I enjoy a good bowl of French Onion soup any way its prepared, but that extra time in the crock pot really does make a difference in both mellowing and enhancing the flavor of the onions. There is still a little prep time required at the beginning for this one, but luckily it isn't one you will "set it and forget it" because of the yummy smell throughout the house all day :)

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. butter
4 large onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
Sliced crusty bread, lightly toasted
Sliced cheese (Swiss, Mozzarella, or Gruyere)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat until onions and soft and lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.

2. Transfer onion and garlic to slow cooker. Add broth, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

3. To serve, place soup in oven-safe bowls and put bowls on a large cookie sheet. Top soup with bread, then a few slices of cheese. Place cookie sheet on top rack of oven, and broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Baked Herb Tilapia

An easy way to cook tilapia (or any other flaky white fish), using ingredients you probably all have on hand. Feel free to play around with the herbs and spices to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground thyme
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 tilapia filets

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fit a baking rack on a large cookie sheet.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix well.

3. Place melted butter in another shallow bowl. One at a time, dip tilapia filets into the butter to cover, and then place in the bread crumbs. Turn to coat both sides. Place on the baking rack. Top fish with any remaining butter.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn fish over. Change oven setting to broil, and broil for another 5-6 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasted and crisp and fish is cooked through.