Project: Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

I've been in a health kick lately, but I really haven't been successful. LOL. Looking at various recipes that feature low calories but tons of flavor, I was given the option to slave over the stove, or eat out. Basically, I didn't find my options that attractive, until I found this recipe. This recipe brags 200 calories each serving, plus it packs a lot of flavor.. I mean, what can go wrong with Maple and Mustard flavors??                                                              So, off I went to grab the ingredients. It wasn't hard, the ingredients can easily be found in your local grocery if not in your pantry. The procedure was easy enough, brown chicken, put other ingredients together, bake. Easy, right?           

I substituted the maple syrup with Amber Agave, cutting the measurement in half. But other than that, I followed the recipe.

The Verdict:

It was really good. Plus, the flavors complimented each other. I put it over my salad and it was really moist, and had tons of flavor. The chicken can be served over rice too. Another recipe to put in my favorite list!

Project: Chicken with Dijon Glaze

I've been looking at chicken recipes, and for low calorie ones. I saw this recipe from Julia's Healthy Italian Blog. and saw that this is easy and quick. Plus, I can just prepare it beforehand, put in the freezer, and thaw and cook it whenever I want it.

For the recipe, click here.

I followed the recipe, but I used chicken breasts. It might look good when it's marinating, but it turns into a beauty when it's cooked. Smells good too!

The Verdict:
The chicken smelled so good! Plus, the vinegar-y taste was just perfect. It was moist, flavorful, and pure deliciousness. It tastes amazing, plus the fact that it was so easy to make makes this a favorite!

Project: Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

This weekend, I was looking for something to eat. I came across 2 chicken breasts leftover from the Chicken Pillows. Then, I remembered that I got Philadelphia Lemon and Herbs Cooking Cream Cheese when I bought the groceries. 

Recipe Number 1:

So I thought of making Creamy Lemon Chicken. Here are the ingredients that you will need:

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into strips

1/2 Cup Flour

Seasoning (Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Salt)

Oil for sautèing 

1/2 Cup Philadelphia Lemon and Herbs Cream Cheese

*Capers (optional)\

*milk/water (optional for cream cheese)

Procedure:

1. Season the strips of chicken with the seasoning.

2. Dust the strips with flour

3. In a pan with some oil, on medium heat, sautè the chicken strips until brown.

4. Put the Philadelphia Lemon and Herbs Cream Cheese in the pan and cook in low heat.

5. The cream will thicken, if you want a more watery mixture, you can put milk or water.

6. ** Put the capers in.**

7. Let it cool and serve with mashed potatoes/rice/pasta.

The Verdict:

This recipe was a bit too creamy for me. So it would be good to serve it over something. The chicken was yummy, but the creaminess of the cream cheese was a bit overpowering since I did not eat with pasta or rice. It was good with mashed potatoes, but this dish would be better off on top of pasta or rice.

Recipe Number 2: 

I am a big fan of asparagus. I never used to eat vegetables but this made me see how much I was missing. I LOVE THIS RECIPE. My friend made this and I adapted her recipe but made some changes to it. My version might not be that healthy, but it sure tastes good!

YUMMY ASPARAGUS:

1 Bundle of Fresh Asparagus

1/4 Cup of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Salt

Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning

Mrs. Dash Table Blend Seasoning

Half of a small lemon

Procedure:

1. Cook the asparagus. (I usually steam them. If they have thick stems, I steam them for 5 minutes. If they have thin stems, I steam them for 3 1/2 minutes.)

2. Put them in a container and spread the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter into the asparagus. I usually spray mine with it until it is covered.

3. Season with Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt, Mrs. Dash Seasonings.

4. Squeeze the half of a small lemon over it and serve.

The Verdict:

The asparagus will have tangy, salty, and yummy taste. I usually serve this whenever I make steaks, but it is good with schnitzel and everything else. I can eat this everyday if not for the nuclear pee that usually follows after eating this. LOL.

Project: Chicken Pillows with Gravy

Want chicken pot pie without the wait? I have the solution!

CHICKEN PILLOWS!

I made some changes (as always), and it turned out to be pretty good.

To see the recipe, click here.

Instead of using canned chicken (Which I'm sure is fine if you decide to use it), I cut out chicken breast strips, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. I cooked it in medium heat, with a little oil. I browned the meat and let it cool for a bit before shredding it.

I followed the recipe after that. I realized that it is a bit time consuming with the folding of the dough, and breading it with italian bread crumbs after dipping the dough ball filled in melted butter.

After putting them in the oven to bake in their goodness, I made gravy. I would suggest that if you like gravy, you might want to double the recipe. You can actually make it when you're waiting for the chicken pillows to cool.

I baked mine for 25 minutes and let it cool. The pillows looked really good and had to wait for it to cool down before tasting it. I drowned mine in gravy and dug in.....

OH. MY.
CHICKEN POT PIE with a crunch!

It was heavenly and comforting. The kind of food that makes your body warm and your heart happy.

The verdict:
It was really good and yummy. The kind of meal you would want on a rainy day. Or any day. The only problem I had was that I had to form the balls. It was a bit time consuming, but that's probably because I was dragging it. LOL. But at the end, it was amazing! Plus, the crunchy exterior complimented the gravy and filling.

Project: Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

This is another of our Crockpot Adventures. This recipe was enticing since its ingredients were easily available, plus, who doesn't love chili?

We stuck with the recipe, although we used Texas Pete instead of chili powder (because guess what, WE DID NOT HAVE CHILI POWDER!) Creativity is the key to cooking, and we're good at that. LOL.

To view the original recipe and ingredients, click here.

It is simple. Put all the ingredients together, leave and let it cook for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. We cooked it for 8 hours and by dinner time, it was good to go!

Careful though, it is hot! (Trust me on this one) Let it cool for a bit before devouring it!

The Verdict:

It was really good. The chicken was tender, and the chili was really good. The cream cheese made it creamy, but not heavy. The ingredients complemented each other and it makes a great dinner when it's chilly out. Plus, just put it in before leaving for work, and it should be ready when you get home!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

We saw this recipe and decided to give it a try because it looked really good, plus, we were looking for a crockpot recipe. We made some changes to it, like using angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti, and adding 1 cup of water instead of 1/2 that the recipe asked for. 


To view the pin, click this link.


To see the recipe, click here. 

So, the verdict?

We think some people will like it more than we did. It wasn't bad or gross, it simply did not work for us. It did not taste like we expected it to, and that the texture put us off.

The angel hair made it mushy, and almost like a casserole. Plus, there was too much cheese in the recipe. It was almost like a dip, and it tasted like a chicken enchilada without the casing. We are not sure how it would have tasted had we stuck to the recipe, but it was too creamy and heavy for our taste.

We thought the recipe was good, but it just didn't suit our taste. Some people love it, so feel free to give it a try! 

Happy Pinning!

Project: Kickin' Honey Glazed Chicken

I was browsing through Pinterest and saw a recipe for a Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken. I looked at the recipe and liked it because....

1. it is easy peasy. (no, really, it is!)

2. it asked for simple ingredients that would be in anyone's kitchen

3. it didn't say that I would have to do any complicated stuff (no injecting, rolling, tying, cartwheeling, that kind of stuff)

So, I bought the chicken thighs (Boneless, skinless) and gathered the ingredients. I did some modifications with mine because I didn't have some of the ingredients, and mostly because the lightbulb in my head was working.

I swapped some things like seasoned pepper instead of fresh cracked pepper, skipped the chili powder (because I didn't have it and it would be weird to knock on my neighbor's door for a teaspoon of chili powder), put 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, then put 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked garlic salt. I also put Texas Pete with the honey glaze, just because.

For you folks who want the original recipe, click here.

Here's what we need:

A.) 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

B.) Seasoning:

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

1 teaspoon Red Pepper flakes

2 teaspoons Paprika

1 1/2 Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Freshly cracked Garlic Salt

C.) Glaze:

2/3 cup Honey

1 tablespoon Texas Pete (or more, if you really want a KICK!)

2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

D.) A working Oven with Broil Option

E.) Food Brush (For Glaze) (Please do not use a paintbrush! I know some peeps will!)

Procedure:

1. Turn on Oven to Broil

2. Lay the chicken thighs flat on a baking tray (I used a 12x8 tray)

3. Mix all the seasoning ingredients.

4. Season the chicken thighs with the seasoning mix. Rub them on the chicken for a deeper flavor. Work those hands! Flip the chicken thighs and season the other side.

5. Put the tray with the seasoned chicken in the oven for 8 minutes. (You can put them in longer if you want a well-cooked chicken, but remember, you'd be putting the chicken back in the oven for the glaze to caramelize, so be careful not to overcook) (You can also cook it for a shorter time, depending on your liking, but be aware of the dangers of eating raw chicken...)

6. When the beeper sounds, or if you use your amazing sense of time and it said 8 minutes have passed, take the tray out, flip the chicken and put it back in the oven. Let the chicken cook for another 8 minutes.

7. Mix the glaze while waiting for the chicken to cook.

8. When the beeping sound is heard, or again, your amazing sense of time tells you it's time, take the chicken out. Grab the brush and the glaze, and baste (which is really brushing) the chicken with the glaze. Make sure to cover the chicken well.

8. Put the tray back in the oven and let the glaze work its magic. (Mine took about 5 mins)

9. When you see the glaze thickening, (or the glaze thickening on the tray) take it out and flip the chicken and baste the other side. Put it back in the oven.

10. When you see the glaze bubbling on the tray, and your chicken have that oh-so-yummy caramel color, it's time to take it out and let it cool for a bit. What I did was that I rubbed the chicken to the thick glaze on the tray. MMMMMMMM....

11. LET IT COOL. Believe me, you'll want it to cool before you eat it. I know why.

12. Grab a plate, put some chicken, and scoop some of that glaze. ENJOY!

I really liked my version of the recipe (simply because I have adapted it to suit my taste buds, and you can change it too!) because I used the ingredients I have at hand. If you somehow dont have a couple of the ingredients, don't fret. You can always substitute,or you can do the "ask your neighbor" thing (it pays to have good social skills). Just make sure you have the main ingredients. LOL.

Another thing, this recipe is both on the sweet and spicy (especially when you ate a chunk with the red pepper flakes). If you would like it to be spicier, I suggest you to put a bit more of the spicy stuff in OR put more Texas Pete on the glaze. I liked the outcome because it tasted like a mild version of General Tso's without the frying or the huge pepper pieces that you get to eat and realize too late that it wasn't garlic.

Enjoy!