Honey Chicken Stir Fry

Tired. Pregnant. Don't want to cook.  So I Googled things I could make with a bag of frozen vegetable stir fry, and this lovely little recipe popped up.  Thanks to Taste of Home for saving my night!

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 package (16 oz) frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
• Hot cooked rice (I used Minute Rice)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch until blended well.
2. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add chicken and garlic to skillet; stir fry 1 minute.
4. Add honey, soy sauce, salt, and pepper to chicken; stir fry 2-3 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove chicken mixture from pan (I put mine back in my honey/soy sauce mixing bowl to save on dishes)
6. In same wok or skillet, heat remaining olive oil and stir fry frozen veggies 4-5 minutes.
7. Once veggies are tender, add chicken mixture back into the wok.
8. Add corn starch to the mixture, and bring to a boil. Stir 1 last minute, or until mixture thickens slightly.
9. Serve over rice. Add extra soy sauce as needed for flavor.

Kale Chips

This one comes from my mother, who found it online somewhere... I never thought I'd like Kale, but this turned out to be pretty amazing... Plus, if you haven't heard, Kale is SUPER good for you. Thanks to Tastefully Julie for the picture.

Ingredients:

• 1 big bunch of kale
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F
2. Wash the kale thoroughly under lukewarm water, then drain and pat dry with a towel.
3. Pull pieces of the kale leaves off into potato chip-sized pieces, leaving out the stem.
4. Place the kale in a big bowl and pour in the olive oil.  Stir with your hands until all of the kale is entirely coated.
5. Season to taste with the sea salt and pepper, then add the lemon juice.  Mix this with your hands too, but be careful if you have a cut on your hands-- I learned that the hard way!
6. Place the kale in a single layer on a big baking sheet (you may need 2) and place in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until crispy.  You may want to toss the chips every 10 minutes or so to make sure they all cook evenly.
7. Sprinkle extra sea salt if desired, then consume. :)

Zucchini and Butternut Squash Stir Fry

It's been a long day at work, you have to grocery shop, and by the time you get home and get dinner started, it's already 8:30.  Sound familiar?  This recipe is great to have as a side dish or as a late night dinner.  Try it out, and I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium butter squash
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder

Directions:

1. Slice up your zucchini and squash lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch slices.
2. Stick it in a big frying pan with your butter, and set to medium heat.
3. After your veggies have softened and have just started to turn brown, add in seasonings to taste.
4. Enjoy!

Italian Veggie Dunkers

This one's an oldie but a goodie.  I used to make these for my niece and nephews a couple of years ago, and suddenly stumbled across them today in an old kid's recipe book.  Really, really, good--and not too bad for you, since everything is baked.  According to the book, it comes out to be about 144 calories per serving.  Thanks to Kid Favorites Made Healthy, for the recipe and the picture.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs (seasoned is great, but not necessary)
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese (grated is preferred)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 slightly beaten egg whites
• 1 tbsp milk
• 4 cups cauliflower florets and/or broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• 1 15oz can pizza or spaghetti sauce

Directions

1. Lightly coat a 15x10 inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, cheese, and salt.
3. In another large plastic bag combine egg whites and milk.
4. Add the veggies to the plastic bag with the egg mixture.  Close bag and shake to coat well.
5. Add veggies to plastic bag with crumb mixture.  Close bag and shake to coat well.
6. Place the coated veggies on the prepared baking pan, then drizzle melted butter over top of the veggies.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring twice.
8. Meanwhile, heat the pizza/spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat.
9. Serve veggies with the warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Applebee's Artichoke Spinach Dip

Hang on, can I just wipe the drool from my chin before I tell you about this recipe?
Okay.
I made this recipe for the fiancee the other night, and it was so delicious, we made it our meal.  It wasn't really supposed to turn out that way, but we just couldn't stop eating it. Wow.
Anyway, kudos, again, go to RecipeZaar for providing me with this awesome recipe. Two thumbs up.

Ingredients

• 1 (10oz) box frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup shredded parmesan-romano cheese mix (I just used parmesan)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 10 oz prepared alfredo sauce (just get the jar kind)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and spread mixture into a small baking dish (I used a 8x8 glass dish).
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted.
4. Serve with tortilla chips or bread and enjoy.