Winner Chicken - Cheesy Herbed Chicken Breasts

As I've said before, we eat a lot of chicken in this house.  There are so many ways to make chicken as opposed to beef.  I took two large chicken breasts out for dinner last night, I didn't know if my oldest son was going to eat, and my younger son is vegan so I knew he wouldn't eat it.  If I had any leftovers the hubby would take them for lunch the next day, no worries about wasting food there.

My mind was going full speed ahead, what to make with these chicken breasts?  Opened the pantry, nothing in there, opened the fridge, hummm cheese!, that's always good.  Opened up my spice drawer and right on top were Herbes de Provence, love those!  So here you have my concoction of Cheesy Herbed Chicken Breasts.

They were tasty, juicy and the house smelled amazing while they were cooking, on top of the stove by the way.  Nothing fancy to prepare, no fancy way of cooking them, easy peasy

I buy the big bags of grated cheese at BJ's (we use alot of cheese) and the Herbes de Provence, I got a big jar of these at Home Goods, but any grocery store usually has them. I always have an opened jar and a backup jar (use alot of this too).  Herbes de Provence are a mix of garlic, fennel, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram, lavender, parsley, sea salt and lemon peel. Now you can see why the house smells so good while they are cooking!

 I rinse and pat my chicken dry.  Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  Sprinkle each chicken breast with a teaspoon of Herbes de Provence and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Place chicken in the pan seasoned side up.  Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, reduce heat to medium, flip the chicken over and cook for another 8 minutes. Now, depending on the size of the chicken breasts cooking time will differ.  Chicken is done when the juices run clear. 

 Nicely browned and ready to be.....

 ......plated and served

 I made oven fried russet potatoes with my chicken, my son ate just about the whole plate before I even sat down.  He is a very fussy eater even as an adult, and asked me how I made them "they were so good".  Wash and cut 3 russet potatoes, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil onto a baking sheet.  Throw the potatoes on, toss potatoes with garlic powder, salt and pepper, roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes, under the broiler to crisp them even more, watch them so they do not burn.

 And, I made an Asian salad as a side dish - Napa cabbage, cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, mandarin oranges, crispy noodles, black and white sesame seeds with a ginger and soy dressing.

 I got the portion control plate, because there was nothing left by the time I got to the table! Good thing I made the salad.  Oh well, as least they enjoyed it.

It's Slaw Crazy!

This is an absolute favorite salad of mine, a switch from your run of the mill salad for lunch or dinner.  It has spicy, it has sweet, it has salty, it's a party in your mouth, satisfies all your cravings and it's delicious.  Now what other dish has that all in one bowl?!  You can try it with different dressings, maybe a sweet and sour dressing, a hummus dressing, or a sweet balsamic dressing.  In the summer I usually make my own homemade dressings with fresh berries and balsamic, I mash the berries into the balsamic then pour on the salad.  Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

I always pull everything out when I am making something, so I don't have to keep running around the kitchen, makes life easier.

Start building - slaw, oranges and cucumber....

 Cranberries, pecans and right before serving, top with garlic ginger crispy won ton strips....

 Toss with a light Asian Sesame salad dressing.  Delicious, flavorful, crazy good Broccoli Slaw Salad.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

Ingredients

1/2  bag of broccoli slaw (see note)

2 snack size containers of Dole mandarin oranges

1/2 English cucumber

1/4 cup Craisin dried cranberries

1/4 cup Emerald glazed pecans

1/2 cup Fresh Gourmet crispy garlic ginger won ton strips

1/4 - 1/3 cup Ken's Asian Sesame Salad Dressing, Paul Newman also has a good Asian dressing

Directions

To a salad bowl, add the broccoli and fluff it up.  Drain the mandarin oranges in a strainer, add to the bowl. Peel the cucumber, or if you like leave the skin on, cut it in half and then slice so you have moon shapes. Sprinkle on the cranberries, separate them if they are stuck together.  Add the pecans, and top with won ton strips. Toss with dressing and serve.

NOTE:  I used 1/2 bag of broccoli slaw and it served three people.  A whole bag with all the other ingredients will probably serve at least six.  You can add all kinds of fruit to this, I've used blueberries, strawberries, fresh pineapple, almonds instead of the pecans, golden raisins instead of the cranberries.  Mix it up and be creative, just start with the slaw and go from there.

Ahhhh... The Broccoli Slaw

It's 8:25 AM on Saturday morning and I am back from our walk.  I am so proud of myself, today I stuck to my plan.  Off we went (the husband and I) to a local trail in Audubon (at 6:50 this morning) and walked 4.58 miles around the trail.  I have to say I was impressed with myself!  I didn't think I could do it.  The walk was so  peaceful and beautiful, listening to the birds chirp, the fragrant wildflowers and plants, the crackle of the water in the river.  The walk was very calming and relaxing if you can believe that.  Came home and ate a low fat breakfast, and this is what is for lunch:

Broccoli Slaw Salad

1 bag of broccoli slaw (I use Dole or Marketside)

½ of English cucumber, peeled and sliced

2 – 4 oz. containers of Dole Mandarin oranges, drained

¼ cup Ocean Spray sweetened dried cranberries

½ cup Emerald candied pecans or Almond Accents toffee almonds

½ cup Ken's Asian Sesame Salad Dressing (or more if you like)

1 cup of LaChoy Chow Mein Noodles

Gather your ingredients

Pour slaw into a bowl.  Add cucumbers

Top with oranges and cranberries

Add pecans and it's looking good! This salad has a lot of color.

Pour on that dressing and top with those noodles for crunch and you have yourself a very tasty salad.