Pumpkin-Chicken Stew

Pumpkin-Chicken Stew

2 b/s chicken breasts

1 c pumpkin

2 cans diced tomatoes

(I used 1 garlic fire roasted, and 1 garlic-basil-oregano)

1 can white corn

garlic powder

ginger powder

turmeric powder

Put the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, put everything else on top.  Cook on low for 5+ hours.  Test chicken with a thermometer to ensure it has been cooked fully.  Shred chicken or just break into large pieces like I did. 

Fruity Chicken Salad III

Place two B/S chicken breasts in the bottom of a saucepan.  Sprinkle them with garlic powder and turmeric.  Throw some fresh basil leaves on top.  Add 1/2 c pumpkin beer, and fill the pot with water.  Put on the stove with medium heat.  When it boils, reduce the temperature, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 20 minutes.  Then remove the chicken from the pot and shred it.

Mix the shredded chicken with mayonnaise, 2 spoonfuls of Basil-Cashew Pesto, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 c chopped sprite melon, , and a handful of dried cherries.

Pumpkin Ravioli

It's been awhile since I made pasta from scratch!  But I've been wanting to make pumpkin ravioli and I had some time this evening (for once I wasn't too hungry to wait for dinner to cook), so I made them.

Pasta Dough

1 egg

1/4 c wheat flour

3/4 c + white flour

2 tbsp olive oil

garlic powder

ginger powder

salt

Filling

big scoop of pumpkin

big handful of shredded colby jack cheese

Pumpkin Ravioli, 

with a Pumpkin Cream Sauce*, 

on a bed of Kale, 

with some Pumpkin Chicken** on the side.

And don't forget the Pumpkin Porter!

*Pumpkin, Heavy Cream, Sage, Ginger

**Boiled in pumpkin and Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Beer

Yes, I love pumpkin!

Pesto Avocado Pasta

Slather some chicken thighs with mustard and pesto.  Make sure to get some underneath the skin too!  

Bake at 425 for 50 minutes. 

Mix up some olive oil, pesto, and half an avocado.

Toss it with some angel hair pasta.

Saute some garlic in olive oil, then add bok choy and steam til done.

Eat up. 

Crockpot Chicken Stew

3 b/s chicken breasts

4 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger root

1 small onion

5 celery sticks

7 small carrots

1 can of corn

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 1/2 c pumpkin

1 1/2 c veggie stock

basil

oregano

turmeric

cumin

Mince the garlic and ginger and saute them in bacon grease.  When they are browned, add the onion and cook til translucent.  Put the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, add the garlic, ginger, and onion on top.  Chop the celery and carrots, add them to the crockpot.  Add the corn, then the tomatoes.  Mix together the pumpkin with 1/2 c veggie stock, then pour it over the contents of the crockpot.  Mix the rest of the veggie stock with herbs & seasonings, then add to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours. When done cooking, shred the chicken and mix well.  

This made a tasty lunch on a stormy day.  I ate it with a gouda and spinach grilled cheese sandwich.

Fruity Chicken Salad II

Ingredients

3 b/s chicken breasts

rice vinegar

cranberry juice

veggie stock

large handful of red grapes

1/4 c craisins

1 large granny smith apple

1 tbsp mustard

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Directions

Clean the chicken breasts and place them in the bottom of a pot.  Sprinkle with rice vinegar.  Add enough water to come about halfway up the sides of the chicken.  Add veggie stock until just below covering the chicken.  Add cranberry juice until well covered.  Cook on the stove on medium heat until it begins to boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pot and shred with a fork.  Mix with the ginger, mustard, and turmeric.

Chop the grapes and apple, then add them to the seasoned chicken.  Mix in the craisins.  Mix together the mustard and mayo, then stir the mixture into the chicken/fruit.  

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Ok, I'll be honest.  This probably shouldn't be called a chili...because there are no chilis in it.  But that's just because I don't eat spicy things.  If you try out this recipe, all ya gotta do is throw some chilis in the pot and then it can qualify as a chili.  Or maybe that's not how it works...I have no idea.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast 

1 giant scoop of pumpkin (probably 3/4+ c)

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can sweet corn

1/2 c veggie stock

1/2 c beef stock

3 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger root

small chunk of onion

4 radishes

Directions

Chop the onion and mince the garlic & ginger.  Brown them in a skillet.  Trim skin and excess fat off of the chicken, then place it in the bottom of the crockpot.  Don't worry about the bones for now.  Dump the onion/ginger/garlic on top of the chicken.  In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, tomatoes, corn, and stocks, and stir well.  (I used beef stock because that's what I had...I'm sure chicken stock would work just as well).  Add seasonings, stir again.  I used oregano, turmeric, garlic powder, and ginger powder.  Chop the radishes and add them to the bowl.  Mix it up.  Dump the contents of the bowl on top of the chicken.  

Put the lid on the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6.5-7 hours.  

Now for the fun part...removing the chicken bones.  The chicken should fall apart when you try to lift it out with a fork.  If you want to be more thorough than me, I suggest you use a very large spoon to get the chicken out.  Then shred it, remove all bones, and return the chicken to the crockpot.  I ended up shredding the chicken without taking it out of the crockpot, and then I had to go fishing for the bones.  I think I got them all...but I'm not positive....

I was going to make some cornbread to go with this chili, but I was too hungry after my run today to wait for it to cook, so I just ate a bowl of chili by itself.  (Ok, not entirely by itself, I had a bowl of pasta next to it).  I will hopefully make some cornbread tomorrow to go with it.  

Baked Chicken Tenders

 Baked Chicken Tenders

Preheat the oven to 425

Clean 3 b/s chicken breasts and trim off all the icky fat.  

Slice them up into chicken tenders.  

Coat them with ranch dressing.

Toss them in a bag of flour/breadcrumbs/seasonings/crushed ritz crackers.

Spread them out on a baking sheet. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes, flip them over, bake for another 8-10 minutes.

I enjoyed a dinner of chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, and brussels sprouts & zucchini.

 The fries were leftovers, but I put them in the oven with the chicken for the last few minutes and they warmed up nicely.  

Can't have chicken tenders without honey mustard!

Or sweet potato fries without ranch!

The best part about these, (other than their deliciousness) is that the breading didn't fall off!  Whenever I try to cook tenders on the stovetop the breading almost always ends up falling off. Plus, it's healthier to bake the tenders instead of frying them in oil.  Win, win.  

Cranberry-Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken lo mein is some kind of a comfort food for me.  Sometimes, I just really want a big bowl of it.  But I don't like going to the trouble to order take-out and go pick it up.  Also, when I get lo mein from the Chinese restaurant, I end up dying of thirst for the rest of the night.  So, I got really excited when I found a recipe on Foods of Our Lives.  I have adapted it slightly to fit my tastes and inability to measure things.  My recipe isn't perfect, but it's close enough to satisfy my craving, and, most importantly, it doesn't leave me chugging water for the rest of the night.  Also, it only takes about 30 min to make.  Easy.

Ingredients

a few cloves garlic

a chunk of ginger root

1/2 small onion

olive oil

1 b/s chicken breast

1 c frozen broccoli

1/2 c frozen cranberries

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

angel hair pasta

1 spoonful corn starch

1 spoonful hoisin sauce

1/4 c veggie stock

soy sauce

rice vinegar

Directions

Boil water for the pasta.  Mince the garlic & ginger, chop the onion.  Throw them in a large skillet with some olive oil and cook til browned.  Chop the chicken, celery, and carrots.  Add them to the skillet.  Thaw the broccoli and cranberries under running water, then add them to the skillet.  Combine the corn starch, hoisin, soy, and veggie stock, then pour into the skillet. Add a sprinkle of rice vinegar.  Add the pasta.  Stir well to coat everything.  Eat.  Enjoy.  

Crockpot Herb Chicken

Rinse and trim fat off 3 b/s chicken breasts.

Rub with olive oil, garlic powder, mustard powder, oregano, and basil.

Place in the bottom of the crockpot.

Pour 1/2 c veggie stock over chicken. 

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Chicken should fall apart when you retrieve it from the crockpot.  

The chicken went great with the Pumpkin Lasagna I made today.  Like this one, but I added some extra-special ingredients this time and made it even better. 

I mixed about 1 c mashed potatoes into the pumpkin/ricotta mixture, and I added 1/4 c marinara sauce to the water/alfredo mixture. Also, I forgot to add any seasonings, but it came out delicious anyway!

In other news, I had haggis for dinner last night.  It was edible.  

Stuffed & Bacon-wrapped Chicken

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Finely chop a little bit of onion and celery.  Brown the onion in olive oil, add 1 clove minced garlic and 1 tsp minced ginger, cook for another minute or two.  Add the onion/garlic/ginger to a bowl with the celery.  Tear up 4 pieces of dried bread and add them to the bowl.  Mix with veggie stock until moist.  

Butterfly 3 b/s chicken breasts.  Spread some stuffing on top of each one, then roll them up.  Wrap each chicken roll with a slice or two of bacon. Place the rolls in an oven dish.  

Bake for 1 hr. 

Deliciousness.

You're welcome.