Grilled (and Stuffed) Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. boneless chicken breast (2 breasts)
• black pepper
• ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp. butter 
• ¼ cup Franks Hot Sauce
• ¼ tsp. celery salt

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400 degrees).
2. Horizontally slice a three-inch pocket in the middle of breast. Do not cut all the way through! Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with pepper.  Stuff the chicken with cheese then fold chicken back over to close it. 
3. In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter for 8-10 seconds. Stir in hot sauce and celery salt.
4. Brush one side of the chicken with hot sauce mixture and place the chicken (sauce-side down) on the grill. Brush more (but not all) hot sauce over top of chicken. Cook for about 7 minutes. Flip the chicken, brush remaining hot sauce on top and cook until no longer pink; about 6-7 minutes more.
5. Serve with a side salad, celery, carrots and ranch dressing if desired.

*www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com

Easy (and real good) Quinoa Pizza Bowls

(This recipe supposedly serves 6, however, I only have 5 ramekins and it was a PERFECT amount for the 5 and the modifications I made.  See my notes throughout recipe.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (dry) quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used veggie.)
• 2 (14-ounce) jars pizza sauce (**I bought 15 oz. cans of pizza sauce and had just enough for 5 servings.  If you are making 6, I would buy 3 cans.)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 cups of your favorite pizza toppings (I used 4 oz. diced pepperoni, diced green peppers, and VERY thinly-sliced, then chopped red onions, but see other ideas below.)
• optional toppings: grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red peppers

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cook quinoa in the chicken or vegetable stock according to package instructions. (I cooked mine for 20 minutes, turned off heat, fluffed, then put a paper towel between sauce pan and lid and covered for an additional 5 minutes.)  (Or you can use this tutorial for how to cook quinoa.)
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, fluff the quinoa with a fork.  Then stir about 1/2 cup pizza sauce into the quinoa until evenly combined.  Set aside.  (I DID NOT stir any pizza sauce into the quinoa, and I'm glad that I didn't.  It would have been wayyyy to much pizza sauce for me, so totally your call.)
4. Lightly spray 6 large (10-ounce) oven-safe ramekins with cooking spray.  Place the ramekins on a large baking tray. (I made 5.)
5. Spread about 2 Tablespoons of pizza sauce evenly over the bottom of each ramekin.
6. Layer each with about 1/4 cup of quinoa, and spread with a spoon to flatten.
7. Layer each evenly with a pinch of shredded Mozzarella.
8. Layer each with a single layer of desired pizza toppings.
9. Repeat by layering each with another layer of sauce, quinoa, Mozzarella, pizza toppings, followed by a final layer of Mozzarella.  The ramekins should be full but not overflowing.
10. Transfer the baking sheet full of ramekins to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the ingredients are heated through.  At this point, you can either remove the pizza bowls from the oven, OR, if you'd like to get the cheese extra golden on top, you can turn the oven to "broil".  Then -- keeping a close eye on the cheese so that it does not burn -- broil the pizza bowls until the cheese is golden on top.
11. Remove and sprinkle each pizza bowl with a pinch of Parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers, if desired.  Serve immediately.

*Feel free to swap in your favorite pizza toppings here.  As goes with traditional pizza, just be sure that they are chopped or cooked (if needed, such as for sausage, etc.) if needed before adding them to the pizza bowls.

*I prepped everything ahead of time (chopped pizza toppings, grated cheese, cooked quinoa, sprayed ramekins) before making this recipe, (just refrigerate until ready!) and it was super easy and quick to assemble come dinnertime! 

*www.gimmesomeoven.com

One Pan Chicken and Spinach Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (I bought an 8 oz. package of baby bellas, which was roughly two cups.  I don't like the pre-sliced mushrooms because I prefer to remove the stems and wipe the tops of the caps [pre-sliced keeps the stems on].  After wiping the tops of the caps, I quartered the mushrooms and pulsed them about 10 times in the FP, making this dish MUCH more kid-friendly (or picky eater friendly!)  It makes the dish a little uglier at the end because the chopped mushrooms "darken" the dish, but it was worth it!  
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (If you're feeling adventurous, make your own!)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
• 1.25 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups milk (2% or whole; 1% works as a lighter but less creamy meal)
• 1 package (16 ounces) gnocchi
• 2 cups (about 1/2 of a) prepared rotisserie chicken
• 2 cups spinach (I also stuck spinach into FP, but you can roughly chop OR leave whole.)
• 1/2 cup parmesan-reggiano cheese
• Optional: fresh parsley, salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Move a rack in your oven to the upper third of the oven and then preheat to 425 degrees.
2. In a large oven-safe skillet (I use a 12-inch cast iron skillet), over medium-high heat, pour in the olive oil.
3. Add in the mushrooms and diced onion and stir until the onion is transparent and mushrooms lightly browned about 5-6 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds. Remove to a small bowl or plate and quickly wipe out the skillet.
4. Place the butter in the skillet and melt. Gradually sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth and completely combined with melted butter. Add in the poultry seasoning, about 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne pepper if desired.
5. Very gradually whisk in the milk and chicken broth until the mixture is smooth. While whisking, constantly allow the mixture to lightly bubble and thicken (about 5 minutes).
6. Add in the prepared chicken (remove skin and bones and shred or cut into small pieces OR use prepared rotisserie chicken that has already been cut into pieces), gnocchi (uncooked), cooked mushrooms and onions mixture, and spinach. Stir until all is coated.
7. Top with Parmesan cheese and place in the oven.
8. Bake for 17-22 minutes. If desired, turn on the broiler and then broil for another 2-3 minutes for a delicious crispy gnocchi.
9. Remove from the heat, top with additional salt, pepper (if needed), and some chopped fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy immediately.

*www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Beef Queso Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground beef, Creole seasoning, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat and transfer to a plate.
• 
  
• Add Velveeta to the saucepan, stirring until melted. Stir in Monterey Jack cheese, diced tomatoes, green chiles and salsa verde until well combined. Stir in ground beef and cilantro until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Notes:

To reheat, place in microwave and stir in 30-second intervals. Add milk as necessary until desired consistency is reached.

*www.damndelicious.net

Lemon Loaf (Starbucks Copycat)

INGREDIENTS:

Loaf
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt (low-fat is fine)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, (Do not sub extract for lemon oil or lemon juice.)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
2. LOAF - To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
3. Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
4. Add the lemon zest and lemon extract and whisk to combine. 
5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don't overmix. Some lumps will be present and that's okay; don't try to stir them until batter is smooth.
6. Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 50-52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.  For the last 10 minutes, if necessary, tent pan with foil to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
7. Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.
8. LEMON GLAZE - To a small bowl, add the confectioner's sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.  DO NOT ADD ALL 3 TBSP. OF LEMON JUICE AT ONCE!
9. Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.  Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

*www.averiecooks.com

Lightened-Up Chicken Salad

• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
• 1 small shallot, peeled and finely-diced
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl, and toss until combined and evenly-coated.
2. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

*www.gimmesomeoven.com

Grilled Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon onion powder 
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder 
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 thickly sliced fresh pineapple rings

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder to make a marinade. (Forewarning: This recipe calls for you to cook the marinade after raw pork chops sat in it.  The raw thing kind of freaks me out, so I make the marinade twice; one to marinade the raw chops in, and one to cook later.  If you choose to go that route, discard the first marinade after it has sat in the pork, and then use the saved marinade for cooking.  If using one marinade doesn't bother you, discard this lengthy side note.)    
2. Place the pork chops in a large resealable bag and add the marinade to coat.  Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to overnight. If possible, turn the bag every hour or so to evenly cover the pork chops with the marinade.
3. Transfer the pork chops to a shallow dish. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan. (If you are using second marinade, toss original and use new one here.)
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into 2 teaspoons of cold water to make a slurry. Place the saucepan of marinade over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the slurry. Cook, whisking, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to use as a baste for the grilled pork chops and pineapple. 
5. Preheat an indoor grill, grill pan, or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Lightly coat the grill rack of the indoor grill or grill pan with cooking spray.
6. Place the pork chops on the grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 145° F, 4 to 5 minutes per side, brushing often with the baste as you grill.
7. Add the pineapple slices to the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on both sides. 
8. Let the pork chops rest for 2 to 4 minutes before serving.
9. To serve, place one grilled pineapple slice on top of each pork chop and serve with any remaining marinade sauce.

*www.skinnymom.com