Thai Chicken Thigh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {Recipe ReDux}

Don’t forget to enter my MealEnders giveaway!

It’s no secret that leftovers are this girl’s best friend. Every night for dinner, I try to make enough to have at least enough leftovers for 2 additional meals, whether those are used for lunch the next day or another dinner. And while I could happily eat the same thing over and over again [hellooo oatmeal for breakfast!], I have a husband that feels differently. Enter this month’s Recipe ReDux that basically describes the way we live.

We’re all about cooking once and eating twice. In short, double dinners are better. Show us how you take a favorite recipe already on your blog – and ReDux the leftovers into a new dish. Or, whip up a new healthy recipe and give suggestions on how to make it a second meal. For example, slow cooker pot roast could become shredded beef tacos; or grilled chicken breasts might morph into chicken salad.

Chicken is on the menu usually at least 5 nights so we have to get creative around here! Our fridge is full of different sauces to easily change things up on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes meals are as simple as grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and buffalo sauce on a roll. Other times I like to dress it up.

Thai Chicken Thigh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 2

Ingredients
– 3 or 4 leftover grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs; sliced
– 1/2 bell pepper; sliced
– 1/4 english cucumber; sliced
– 1 small head broccoli; steamed
– 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
– 2 medium sweet potatoes
– Chopped peanuts [optional for topping]

For the Sauce
Adapted from my Spicy Sriracha Peanut Sauce
– 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
– 1/2 cup lite coconut milk
– 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp lite soy sauce
– 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
– 1-2 tbsp sriracha

Directions
Prepare your sweet potatoes by either baking them in the oven at 400°F for about 45 minutes or microwave them in a damp papertowel for 3-5 minutes until soft.

Place all of the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl and mix well. Place the sweet potato on a plate and mash in 1-2 tbsp of the sauce. Layer up the bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli, cabbage, and chicken on top. Drizzle over more sauce and top with chopped peanuts.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite way to use leftovers?
Have you tried stuffed sweet potatoes?

Chicken Bacon Fra Diavolo {Recipe Redux}

One of my favorite things about Recipe ReDux is that it pushes me to come up with something new and different from our usual meals. Smoke and spiciness was the theme of this month’s redux.

The New Year is heating up with smoke and spiciness. From boldly flavored smoked salts to actual smoking techniques, subtly smoked food is on-trend. The same can be said for spice as we savor heat from harissa, sriracha and smoked paprika. Show us the healthy dish you’re heating up with smoke and/or spiciness.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’d probably imagine I’d go for something spicy and sriracha-filled. We do a lot of Asian-inspired dishes here, but I had a pretty serious bacon craving. I figured I’d use that craving and go for smoky and spicy.

Chicken Bacon Fra Diavolo

Serves 4

Ingredients
– 3 slices nitrate-free bacon; chopped
– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast; sliced
– 1 russet potato; spiralized
– 2 summer squash; sliced into half moons
– 1-2 tbsp EVOO
– 1 shallot; diced
– 1 tsp red pepper flake
– 5 cloves garlic; minced
– 1/2 [32 oz.] can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
– 1/2 cup white wine
– Salt, pepper, & garlic powder
– Fresh basil; chopped [Optional]

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and toss the chopped bacon into the dry pan. Saute low and slow until it’s nice and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, drain the bacon on a paper towel, spoon half of the bacon fat into a bowl and set aside.

Increase the heat to medium and add the spiralized potato to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until crispy, tossing every few minutes. Once crispy, set the potato aside, add the rest of the bacon fat back to the pan, and toss in the squash. Cook the squash until browned and set aside with the potato.

Increase the heat to medium-high and toss the sliced chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle ~1 tbsp EVOO into the pan and add the chicken [you may need to cook the chicken in 2 batches]. Sear the chicken and set aside with the veggies.

Finally, drizzle the remaining tbsp EVOO in the pan and toss in the shallot, red pepper flake, and minced garlic. Cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and add in the crush tomato and white wine. Cook down for 5-7 minutes and add in all of the veggies, chicken, and bacon [set some bacon aside to sprinkle on top]. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is warmed through. Plate it up and top with some crumbled bacon, fresh basil, and a little freshly cracked black pepper.

Nutritional Information
Per 1/4 recipe

323 Calories / 11g Fat / 25g Carbs / 4g Fiber / 7g Sugar / 28g Protein

Food for Thought

What spicy or smoky recipe would you have made?

Foodie Friday: Basil Cotija Stuffed Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Sometimes dinners just work, even when they’re a little different than what you had originally planned. I had a last-minute request last night to stuff “maybe stuff some herbs under the chicken skin” so into the fridge I went! I knew I had a nice, big bunch of fresh basil and right next to it happened to be some cotija cheese—one of Nathan’s favorites lately. Add a little garlic and we’ve got ourselves a delicious chicken. I told you, we eat a lot of chicken here!

This mixture is different from what we normally go for but it was nice to shake it up a bit. And it came out so well, I had to share it right away!

Basil Cotija Stuffed Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Serves 2

Ingredients
For the Chicken
– 2 chicken leg quarters [can sub bone-in, skin-on chicken breast or thighs]
– 1 bunch fresh basil; chopped & divided
– 5 cloves garlic; minced
– 1-2 oz cotija cheese; crumbled & divided
– Salt, pepper, & garlic powder
– 1 tbsp EVOO

For the Honey Balsamic Glaze
– 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
– 1 tbsp honey
– 1/2 tsp dried basil
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– Salt & pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F and heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Combine the minced garlic with half of the fresh basil and half of the cotija cheese. Stuff this mixture under the skin of the chicken and season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan is hot, drizzle in the EVOO and place the chicken skin side down. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes, or until it lifts up easily. Flip the chicken over and place the whole pan in the oven. The chicken will cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, but be sure to adjust cooking time if you swap the leg quarters for breasts or thighs.

While the chicken is in the oven, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer, allowing it to thicken up. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest about 5 minutes. Plate it up with a drizzle of the honey balsamic glaze and a sprinkling of the leftover fresh basil and cotija. Serve with your favorite veggies [we had roasted carrots, tomatoes, and portobello caps] and enjoy!

Hope you have a great weekend, friends!  And don’t forget to head over to Laura’s blog to check out all of the other #strangebutgood creations.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite cheese?
What’s your favorite way to flavor chicken?

What I Ate Wednesday #107: Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken {Recipe ReDux}

If you’ve followed my recent WIAW posts, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a creature of habit. Oatmeal with nut butters for breakfast? Daily. Salads for lunch? You can count on it. But dinner is where I like to have my fun. Plus, I have a husband to feed and he’s very much not a creature of habit when it comes to his food. That said, he does love his chicken! I thought this month’s recipe redux would be a good one for him.

You know they are lurking there: Way in the back of your spice drawer. There lie the herbs, spices, or rubs that are getting dusty because you’re afraid to use them… you simply don’t know what to do with them! Well, pull them out and show us a recipe you created to deliciously conquer that fearful spice. (Or maybe the recipe was a flop – and the spice still give you nightmares?!)

We bought some herbes de provence over a year ago for a lamb stew and it’s sat in the pantry since then. How could that be bad on a roast chicken?!

I’ll admit, I enlisted Nathan’s assistance for this one; roast chicken is mostly his domain around here. And it’s always fun to cook dinner together.

Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken with Apricot Orange Gastrique

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
– 5-6 lb chicken; butchered into quarters [can sub bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces]
– 2-3 tsp sea salt
– Herbes de Provence
– Garlic powder
– Black pepper
– Extra virgin olive oil

Hardware for the chicken:
– Cast iron skillet [stainless steel would work too]
– Another large, heavy pan

For the Apricot Orange Gastrique:
– 2 tbsp apricot preserves
– 4 dried, unsulphered apricots; minced
– 1 orange; zested and juiced
– 2 tbsp water
– 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

For the Chicken:
Place the chicken pieces on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425°F and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with herbes de provence, garlic powder, and black pepper. When your pan is hot, coat with EVOO and place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Place the extra pan on top of the chicken, pressing it into the pan. This will really give your chicken a delicious, crispy skin.

Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes before flipping. The chicken should lift up easily but if the skin is sticking, give it another couple of minutes before trying to flip again. After the chicken is flipped place it in the oven to finish cooking—about 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, in a small pot, add all of the ingredients for the gastrique. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer; the sauce should thicken up nicely, but keep an eye to be sure it doesn’t get too thick.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Plate it up with your sides, drizzle the gastrique, and enjoy!

I served our chicken with smashed gouda potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. It was the perfect Sunday dinner [with lots of leftovers for the week!]

Food for Thought

Which spice would you choose from your pantry?

Foodie Friday: Lemon Tarragon Chicken

A couple months ago, I shared a special bridal shower edition of WIAW. My aunts put together a wonderful shower and a delicious and healthy menu. Of course, I immediately requested the recipes for the dishes and couldn’t wait to get started making them. One recipe in particular—the tarragon chicken salad—was requested by Nathan so I figured that would be a good place to start.

I made minor adjustments to the recipe based upon what I had in the house and it turned out perfectly. It was a great dish to make on Sunday and have as snacks or on top of salads for the week. I had planned on making it again seeing as how we ended up with so much extra tarragon, but instead, I decided to make a full dinner out of it!

Lemon Tarragon Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients
– 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
– Salt
– Pepper
– Garlic powder
– EVOO
– 1/4 cup plain Chobani
– 1 tbsp dijon mustard
– 1 lemon; zested and juiced [set aside some zest for the end!]
– 3 sprigs fresh tarragon; chopped
– 1/4 cup sliced almonds; toasted

Directions
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little lemon juice. Drizzle some EVOO onto the pan and place the chicken in. The chicken should cook about 7-9 minutes per side, depending on how thick the pieces are. Once the first side lifts off the pan without effort and has nice grill marks, flip it over, turn the pan down to medium low, and cover with aluminum foil. This will help it to cook through without burning the outside.

While the chicken is cooking, mix up the Chobani, mustard, lemon juice, most of the lemon zest, chopped tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken is done, plate with your favorite sides, drizzle [or dollop] the yogurt sauce on top, and toss on some toasted almonds. Enjoy!

I served my chicken with grilled asparagus and a grilled portabella cap. The mushroom cap made the whole dish extra filling, so I highly recommend that!

Chicken Salad
If you want to try this recipe out as chicken salad, you can use chicken that has already been cooked, or prepare it as above. The dressing is exactly the same but I would adjust the amount based on the amount of chicken you are using.

Nutritional Information

Per serving

210 Calories  /  9g Fat  /  6g Carbs  /  2g Sugar  /  0g Fiber  /  29g Protein

Food for Thought

Are you a salad person or do you prefer a hot meal?

Foodie Friday: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Have you entered my Mara’s Pasta giveaway yet?

When I was a kid, I was a HUGE pasta junkie! My family always knew that if we were doing big dinners, as long as there was a big bowl of buttered noodles on the table, I was good to go. I ate other things, but pasta was go-to. I definitely went back in time a bit on the honeymoon; once I tasted the fresh, homemade pasta in Italy, it was all I wanted! Maybe that’s a lie.. I wanted lots of gelato and wine too. But I digress..

As I mentioned the other day, a few weeks ago, I received a package from Mara’s Pasta. I was excited to make a fresh, summery pasta dish with my new treats. I also knew that whatever I was making, I wanted it to be an quick and easy dish that I could make after work. Enter the dish below. Having leftover grilled corn on the cob and using canned tomatoes helped pull this dish together in a jiffy! And don’t forget the splash of red wine. As Nathan says, you should never miss the opportunity to add alcohol to your food. 😉

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients
– 1 16oz box Mara’s Fettuccine
– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Cajun seasoning [I used McCormick]
– 1/2 red onion; sliced
– 2 grilled ears of corn; cut off the cob
– 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes [I used Hunt’s]
– 2 cloves garlic; minced
– Splash of red wine
– EVOO
– Grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box, removing from the water 1-2 minutes before completely cooked. It will be going back into the pot, so you want to make sure it still has a nice bite to it.

While the pasta is cooking, bring a grill pan up to heat. Season your chicken with cajun seasoning, drizzle some EVOO on the pan, and cook the chicken about 8-10 minutes per side until completely cooked through.

After the pasta is cooked and while the chicken is cooking, return the pot to the stove at medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the pot where you cooked your pasta. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the corn and garlic into the pot and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Finally, add in the tomatoes with liquid and splash of red wine. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Turn the heat down to low and toss the pasta back in with the sauce. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce is fully coating the pasta. Cut the chicken into thin slices, add some pasta to a bowl, and top with the sliced chicken and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Food for Thought

What was your favorite food as a kid?

Chobani Lovin’

Today is the very last day to enter my Chobani giveaway [have you entered yet?] and in honor of the last day, I wanted to share my favorite recipes that I’ve created using this wonderful treat!

Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad

Spaghetti Squash Kugel

Roasted Banana Berry Chocolate Cups

Strawberry Yogurt Bites

And of course you can’t forget a simple cup o’ cho! I like to dress up my plain cho with a little stevia, cinnamon, and fresh fruit. Just don’t open the wrong side of the cinnamon top and dump 1/4 cup in there like I did yesterday.. that was rough!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite way to cho? Do you use yogurt as substitutes in some of your favorite recipes?

Pin It Party

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Pinterest. I mean, really, I must have said it about 100 times on here! When I saw that Lindsay was having a Pin It Party, I knew I had to jump in.. although choosing just 5 recipes was not easy. I definitely play favorites!

Savory

Buddha’s Feast with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce*

Grilled Chicken Cemitas & Garlic-Chipotle Love

Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

Sweet

Maple Cinnamon Walnut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bark

Can I throw another one in? I shouldn’t but I can’t help myself..

Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Don’t forget to check out all of Lindsay’s awesome posts to pin! What are you waiting for? Start pinning!!

Food for Thought

What is your most favorite recipe you’ve pinned?

Foodie Friday: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day!

Let’s be honest, I celebrate peanut butter everyday. Personally, I think everyone should. Peanut butter is delicious and nutritious and should be a balance part of every diet; and by balanced, I mean feel free to replace meals with jars of peanut butter. [I wish I could!]

I want you to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day the right way, so I’ve compiled a list of sweet and savory peanut butter recipes. Enjoy!

Sweet

Hail Merry Peanut Butter Coconut Banana Bites

Healthy Banana Peanut Butter Cups*

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake*

Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Sweet Potato Dippers

Savory

Buddha’s Feast with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce*

Peanut Chili Baked Tofu*

Tilapia Stir-Fry with Chili Peanut Sauce*

And of course, don’t forget to top any of your favorite oatmeals or sweet scrambles with peanut butter. It’s just wrong not to! 😉

*These recipes were made using peanut flour, but you can substitute regular peanut butter.

Food for Thought

What is your number one go-to peanut butter? Do you prefer other nut or seed butters over peanut butter?

Foodie Friday: Garlic-Chipotle Love and a Popchips Giveaway!

If you haven’t already gathered from my last couple posts, FitBloggin’ was awesome! Part of what made it so awesome were all of the amazing sponsors.

One of my favorite sponsors of the weekend was popchips. Not only were the chips delicious (and kept us full all weekend), but the people were awesome too. Popchip rockstars, anyone? 😉
Skip to the giveaway!

With Mary, Kate, and Jami

They were there introducing the new line of tortilla chips and I can vouch for each of the flavors; amazing! The chips are light and airy, like the traditional popchips, but have the corn flavor, so you don’t miss a regular fried tortilla chip at all. When they asked if I was interested in doing a giveaway, how could I say no?!

Popchips teamed up with award-winning Chef Aaron Sanchez who created four recipes to pair with each of the flavors of the tortilla popchips and beer. The first recipe on the list caught my eye — Grilled Chicken Cemitas and Garlic-Chipotle Love with salsa tortilla popchips and Goose Island 312.

Just so happens, we have some Goose Island 312 in the fridge right now and who can turn down some garlic-chipotle love? Not us! I put my own spin on this recipe and am so happy to share it with you as it got rave reviews from my biggest critic (the fiancé, naturally)!

Fiesta Citrus Chicken and Garlic-Chipotle Love

Serves 2

Ingredients

Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
McCormick salt-free fiesta citrus seasoning [some more FitBloggin’ swag!]
Salt
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 roma tomato, diced
1 100-calorie packet Wholly Guacamole

Garlic-Chipotle Love Sauce
8 garlic cloves
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large chipotle in adobo, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel garlic and put the garlic cloves and coconut oil into an aluminum foil packet and place in the oven.

Season the chicken breast liberally with the fiesta citrus seasoning and a pinch of salt and let sit for about 5 minutes. Heat a pan over medium heat and drizzle with EVOO. Once the pan is preheated, place the chicken in the pan. At this point you should have a nice sizzle, but you don’t want the oil splattering; if it is, turn the heat down.

Cook the chicken on the first size for about 5 minutes or until it has a nice crust and then flip. Turn the heat down to medium-low after flipping to ensure that the chicken cooks all the way through the center.

As the chicken is finishing, remove the garlic from the oven. If you have a mortar and pestle, that would be the best to use. If not, you can just simply chop everything very fine. Mash the garlic, chipotle in adobo, lemon juice, and salt into a paste. I added about 1 tbsp of water to thin it out a bit.

Plate your chicken with some guacamole over top and the garlic-chipotle love sauce over that, and a sprinkling of diced tomato. I served mine over Israeli couscous with a side of coconut oil roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli and, of course, salsa tortilla popchips and a Goose Island 312.

Nutritional Stats
Per Serving

315 Calories  /  17g Fat  /  9g Carbs  /  3g Sugar  /  1g Fiber  /  31g Protein

Popchips Giveaway!

Popchips has offered to send one of my lucky readers a case of their new tortilla popchips! You have up to 4 chances to enter. Be sure to leave separate comments for each entry. Entries will be accepted through Thursday, October 4th, 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen Friday, October 5th.

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you’re most excited to try. (Mandatory)

2. Follow @popchips and @BarrAndTable on twitter and leave a comment telling me. (Optional)

3. Like popchips and Barr & Table on facebook and leave a comment telling me. (Optional)

4. Tweet “I entered to win a prize pack of new tortilla @popchips from @BarrAndTable! http://wp.me/p2mo7x-8Y” and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (Optional)

*This giveaway is for U.S. residents only.