Crock Pot Roasted Garlic Herb Chicken

I had a friend include me in a recipe exchange email chain and I'm so glad she did! I got a FANTASTIC crock pot recipe and I'm so excited to share it! I love crock pot recipes. They are perfect for fall weather and busy schedules! 

This one is super interesting because of the garlic and lemon. The taste came out amazing and the chicken was very tender. This one is gluten free, as long as your chicken broth has no gluten included. It took me 10 minutes to prep this one and then off I went with my day!

Enjoy this super easy recipe and thanks to Mrs. Vicki Davidson for passing it along! It's definitely worth repeating!



Ingredients:

• Whole Chicken
• 1cup chopped celery
• 2 cups baby carrots
• Chicken broth (gluten free)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Place carrots & celery at the bottom of the slow cooker, and pour chicken broth over the celery and carrots just to cover them. Place chicken on top.

In a bowl mix the garlic, juice of the lemon, rosemary and salt & pepper to taste. Save the lemon rinds. Then rub this mixture onto the chicken.

                                      

Throw the lemon rinds in the crock pot and cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken falls off the bone.

Sweet Garlic Chicken

I have such a funny story to go with this recipe post! I received a text tonight from my next door neighbor and she said her husband walked by our house outside and smelled this wonderful smell. He walked back in his house and said, "Amanda must be cooking something really good because even the outside of her house smells fantastic!" Ha Ha! I LOVE IT!

And yes, indeed I was :)

I made this wonderful little dish from myfridgefood.com called Sweet Garlic Chicken. It is really easy to make and is a fast prep. This is a gluten free dish and has 4 easy ingredients: chicken breasts, olive oil, fresh garlic and brown sugar. That's it!

I do want to share that this dish stirred up a lot of conversation on a Facebook post about the 4 Tablespoons of brown sugar this dish calls for. But let me stress that it's only 4 Tablespoons of brown sugar spread over 4 breasts of chicken. That's really not a lot. I dont eat brown sugar every day. As a matter of fact, I rarely eat sugar. But having some sugar in your diet is not a bad thing. If you are diabetic, you may not want to try this dish. But it's a chicken dish and there is nothing wrong or unhealthy about eating chicken with about 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar on it per piece.

Ok off my soap box:)

Below is the recipe and I hope you love it! Oh! And my neighbor text me about 2 hours later and said they saw my post on Facebook for this recipe (and they loved how this smelled outside my house) and decided to try this chicken dish tonight.  They told me they loved it and it will be a repeat in their house! So, yes it's worth repeating!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.  Line a Pyrex baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.

• In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.

• Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add salt and pepper as desired.

• Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture. NOTE: Your brown sugar mixture should be the consistency of a rub and not a liquid.

• Cook uncovered for about 30 to 40 minutes until your chicken is done all the way through. You are then ready to serve! 

Greek Marinated Chicken

I found a fabulous chicken recipe this past weekend and I just have to share it! This one is a Greek Marinated Chicken made with chicken thighs and legs. This one comes from "Budget Bytes". Their website is: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/greek-marinated-chicken/ and I can appreciate the information they place on the site. They give a lot of information about balancing your budget and still having the ability to eat well. That's right up my alley! Check out their site for some great budget information with your grocery list!

This Greek Marinated Chicken recipe grabbed my attention because they posted a picture with the chicken marinating in a white creamy sauce. When I looked at the ingredients, I saw it was made from plain Greek yogurt! YEAH for a healthy marinade high in protein!

This one is really easy to make. You do need to let your chicken marinate for 30 minutes, but this one is gluten free and can be baked in the oven or grilled. Step by step instructions are listed below. This one has a wonderful garlic and lemon taste and was a huge hit tonight in my house! This will easily become one of your family's favorites!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 medium lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 4lbs chicken pieces (I chose thighs and legs)

Directions:

• To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.

• Use a cheese grater or zester to scrape a thin later of lemon zest from the lemon skin into the bowl.
• Add the the juice from half the lemon. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
• Clean and then chop about 1/4 cup of fresh parsley and add to the bowl and mix well with the marinade.

• Grab a gallon sized zip top bag and add the chicken pieces and marinade to the bag. Move the chicken around to ensure each piece is well coated.

• Refrigerate the bag for about 30 minutes.
• After marinating, you can choose to grill the chicken or bake in the oven. If you bake in the oven, preheat oven to 375 and bake for about 40 to 60 minutes to ensure done.
• I chose to grill the chicken and grilled for a total of 35 minutes.

Ensure your chicken is cooked fully through and it is then ready to serve.

                                  

Homemade Guacamole

I have been told that I make AMAZING guacamole. I typically just throw my ingredients in without measuring, but I have had so many requests to post this recipe that I actually sat down and wrote out the ingredients and measurements. I don't like overly creamy guacamole...I like some small avocado chunks in my version, so just FYI.

This recipe is super easy and fast to make. I think people should really strive to make their own fresh guacamole instead of buying store bought. I try my hardest to use the freshest of ingredients. There is just no comparison in taste. This recipe is Gluten free and goes great with veggies if you are trying to stay away from chips. But I eat it with chips and veggies :)

Just a note when picking out your avocados, make sure that when you gently press them they are soft. You do not want firm avocados when making guacamole.

With summer now in full swing, this recipe is a HUGE winner in my house and in our neighborhood for all my friends! I make at least 3 batches for our summer parties!

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh avocados
• 4 limes
• 5 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion - optional (white or red is fine. Using a red onion will give it more of an onion taste)
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons shredded cheese (I use a Monterey and Mild Cheddar mix)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

• Cut your avocados horizontally. Remove the seed, spoon out the avocado and put into a mixing bowl.

                            

•  Squeeze as much of the juice out of your 4 limes as you can into the mixing bowl. I use a citrus press and it works wonders!

                            

• Wash and then chop your fresh cilantro and place into the mixing bowl. Do the same with your onion and garlic clove.

                            

• Sprinkle your cheese in the mixing bowl.
• Add 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.
• I take a potato smasher and smash all my ingredients together in the mixing bowl. I then stir until it's very well blended. Feel free to add a bit more garlic salt for taste if you feel it needs more.
• Serve with your favorite chips, veggies or with any Mexican dish.

                             

 

   

 

 



 

Steak with Creamy Balsalmic Mushroom Sauce

I love it when I find an excellent recipe! I did a lot of research and looking around this weekend for some good recipes and tried some out this weekend. I found this particular recipe on "A Sweet Pea Chef" website (http://www.asweetpeachef.com/). I've tried some of her stuff before and she does a really nice job on her recipes, so I'm sharing this one with you!

This one was surprisingly easy to make. It sounds a little "fancy" but it took 30 min total to make. What makes this dish so fantastic is the mushroom sauce. And let me stress to you that a good quality balsamic vinegar is essential for this recipe. One of my favorite places to get good quality oils and vinegars is a store called "Oil and Vinegar" (http://oilandvinegarusa.com/). They have a lot of different flavored oils, as well as vinegars. I used a Hibiscus Vinegar for this recipe and it was absolutely fabulous!

This dish is gluten free and my recommendation is to use either Ribeye steak or New York Strip. I paired this dish with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. This one is definitely a keeper in our house and if you love steak, you'll want to make sure you try this one.

Ingredients:

• 4 New York Strip or boneless ribeye steaks
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 20 baby bella mushrooms quartered
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus some for seasoning your steaks
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, plus some for seasoning your steaks
• 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar (I used a hibiscus balsamic vinegar)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

• Heat an outdoor grill over medium heat. Coat each steak evenly with salt and pepper for flavor.
• Place steak on grill and cook for 5 minutes. Then, flip and cook an additional 5 minutes. Cook steak to your desired temperature. While steak is cooking on the grill, start the sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, heat your olive oil over medium-heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 8-10 minutes, until most of the juices have released and the mushrooms start to brown.

                                                          

• Add the garlic and cook and additional minute, allowing the garlic to become fragrant. Add the salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar and cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
• Add the cream, and stir well. Cook until heated through and then remove from heat. 

                                     

• Add the butter and stir to combine until melted.
• Serve hot over the steaks.

                                     

Southern Style Pot Roast

This has to be my all time favorite recipe for pot roast. I have 2 pot roast recipes that I switch out on a regular basis. This one is savory and full of flavor and I thank Mrs. Paula Deen for this recipe! I found this one back in 2008, tried it out and fell in love. My kids love this one and it's a BIG winner in our house. This one CAN be gluten free if you use gluten free cream of mushroom soup and gluten free beef bouillon granules. It is so important to read those labels! Some cream of mushroom soups are gluten free and some aren't. Same thing with bouillon cubes/granules. I use Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and it is gluten free.

This meal is perfect for a Sunday dinner. Easter is this Sunday and this would be a fabulous recipe to make to accompany your traditional side dishes of mashed potatoes, green beans and corn! Enjoy this one because it's absolutely fabulous :)

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-4 pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1 tsp House Seasoning (ingredients below)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (use a gluten free version if you are gluten free!)
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules (use a gluten free version if you are gluten free!)
• 3/4 cup water

Ingredients for House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients and store in an air tight container for up to 6 months

Directions for Roast:

• Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
• Once you mix your house seasoning together, rub about 1 tablespoon of the seasoning on the front and back of the roast.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides.  

                             

• Place the meat in a roaster pan or a 13x9 casserole dish.
• Add the onions and garlic to your skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb the leftover roast juices.

                             

• Now place the onions and garlic in the roaster pan with the meat and bay leaves.

                                            

• Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. 
• Pour over the roast. Add water.

                             

• Cover pan with foil and bake 3 to 3.5 hours or until tender.Once done, tear apart and you are ready to serve!

                             

Cook's Note - If the gravy is not thick enough, remove the meat from the pan and pour the gravy into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and thicken it by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water, stirring constantly. Then, pour back on your pot roast.

Marinated Flank Steak

Oh my goodness this is a fabulous marinade recipe for flank steak. I'm a huge fan of flank steak, but this marinade is over the top in flavor! It's so super easy to make this. Last night, I got home from the gym at 10:00pm, whipped up this marinade in 10 minutes and let it marinate in the fridge on my flank steak for 16 hours. I got home from work today, popped it on the grill and it was ready in 15 minutes. So easy and if you are a "plan ahead" kind of person, you'll appreciate this recipe.

This is gluten free BUT make sure you read the label of your soy sauce. Some brands of soy sauce have gluten and some don't...so read those labels! Check your Dijon mustard label too.

Enjoy - this one is amazing and I have no idea where it came from. I've had this recipe stuck away in an old folder  since 2006 so I'm claiming it as mine :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, mined (use fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and the ground blank pepper. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Pour marinade over the steak, turning the meat to coat it thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

• Preheat your grill for medium-high heat.
• Place the grill on the steak. Grill meat for 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

Chicken with Scallion-Lime Sauce and Sweet Carrot Rice

I'm a Rachel Ray fan and bought her book, "Express Lane Meals" about 2 years ago. I've tried only 1 of her recipes so far, so I decided it's time to try another! While working with my nephew and putting together his meals, I came across this one and decided to try it. It's kinda "fancy"! Definitely a good dish, but has a really different taste due to the coriander so it is absolutely worth posting. I don't make a lot of dished with coriander, but this one turned out nice. I can see myself making this one for me and my husband on a Saturday night when we want something different and more special.

This one is Gluten Free, and let me just say this. The reason most of my dishes are Gluten free is because I cook with non-processed food 99% of the time. The Chicken Stock I use is Gluten Free. A lot of chicken stock has wheat in it, so please read your labels. Fresh ingredients are so much better in taste and in nutritional value. I highly recommend if you are going to cook, use fresh ingredients.

Ok, so this one has multiple steps so again I took several pictures.  Have fun with this one!

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large carrots, peeled and grated
• Salt and pepper for taste
• 1 1/2 cups white rice (I use Basmati rice)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3 bunches of scallions
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Heat a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium high heat.  Add about 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil, once around the pan.
• Add the grated carrots and a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  
• Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil and distribute the carrots.

                                 

• Add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock.  Bring the stock to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  While the pan is heating up, combine 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil, the thyme, lime zest, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.

                                

• Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook until done all the way through.

                                

• Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. 
• Return the skillet to the heat; add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and coriander.

                                

• Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.  Add the lime juice and the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and continue to cook for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the parsley and butter, stirring and shaking the pan until the butter is completely melted.
• To serve, slice the chicken on a slight angle.  Divide the rice among 4 serving plates and top each pile of rice with slices of chicken breast.
• Pour some scallion-lime sauce over each chicken breasts.

                            

Pesto Sauce

I've had several requests this week to post my homemade pesto recipe. My pesto recipe is dairy free, but has a really nice taste. Sometimes you get tired of using a jar version of pesto. I like to use this pesto recipe for my pesto chicken thighs. So good!

If you really want to add the Parmesan cheese, you can or you could use a dairy free Parmesan cheese. It tastes fantastic without it though. And yes, it's Gluten free :)

Ingredients

• 3 packages of fresh basil
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1/4 tsp olive oil in a skillet.  Lightly toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Place all ingredients except for the oil in a small food processor or blender.
3. Slowly incorporate the oil while the machine is running, until a smooth paste has formed. Continue blending for 15 seconds to thin the sauce out.  NOTE: I sometimes add more olive oil if needed.

Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken

So it's the week of Thanksgiving...so that means I'm going to eat REALLY bad on Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday and so on!  SO - I'm eating lean and healthy in the earlier part of the week!  And I'm a runner so I think I'll be increasing some intensity and distance this week too!

Tonight I made a really simple but DELICIOUS dinner!  I found this one on Pinterest and it was simply amazing!  This one is Gluten Free if you use Gluten Free Soy Sauce and takes about an hour to sit in the marinade but the time is so worth it!  I made my Roasted Vegetable dish with this and Italian potatoes (which I'll post that recipe tomorrow) and it was excellent.

One of the ingredients in this recipe is toasted sesame oil.  This product can be a bit pricey, but don't skip on this product.  Part of the reason certain recipes taste so good is because of good quality products.

Below is the recipe!  It got HUGE reviews at my house tonight!!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Bunch fresh Cilantro
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1 Tablespoon of Gluten Free Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts and put in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.  After an hour, the chicken is ready to grill.

Easy Peasy and oh so Yummy :)

Lemon Garlic Chicken

I have been in New York all week on business travel.  I had never been to New York before but I can tell you the food was just out of this world!  I ate at a lot of French cafes and had food with a lot of French flare and it was just amazing!! I got home yesterday, so I am just now getting an opportunity to post a new recipe! 

I found this recipe on Big Oven and it's full of flavor.  I had this chicken dish with a side of rice and balsamic Green beans with almonds (that recipes is here on my blog).  It left us full but not feeling heavy.  It is a very light dinner, full of flavor and very healthy! 

I use chicken thighs with this recipe but let me tell you up front - this one takes a little bit of time.  It's simple to make but you need to let the chicken marinate for 20 minutes and then the thighs need to cook for 45 minutes.  But it's well worth the wait.  Definitely serve this one with rice or even a side of mashed potatoes.  It's Gluten free (ensure you use a Gluten Free soy sauce) and dairy free! 

I hope ya'll enjoy!!

Ingredients:

10 to 12 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (Use a Gluten Free for those not eating Gluten)

Directions:

Soak the chicken pieces in salted water for 20 minutes (or just rinse if you're in a hurry), then pat the pieces dry and lay them in a baking dish.  They should be a bit crowded, touching each other.

Mix up the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken, then let stand for 20 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve immediately.