Greek Garlic Lemon Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I’ll be sharing a few with you soon). Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

Often, I will double the marinade and chicken and grill it all up and freeze the extras to use later.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, adapted from Erin W at the Sisters Cafe.
Photo Source: Baltic Maid

Savory German Pancakes

I feel like I always need new breakfast ideas....so if you have any, let me know! Most people have had German Pancakes before. I personally don't make them often, not because they don't taste good, but because they are loaded with butter and white flour. Usually you top German Pancakes with syrup, fruit, Nuetella or whatever other sweet concoction you can come up with. I'm not dissing that, but sometimes it can be a sugar overload. Ok, it IS a sugar overload that nobody needs. :) This version adds in vegetables so it gives it a savory feel instead of a sweet feel. I changed the recipe a little to be a bit more healthy, but the original version is something I would make if I were serving this to a large gathering or company. I'll also add these were supposed to be more "puffy", but I accidentally mixed the butter in with the other ingredients so it weighed it down. It still was good, just not fluffy like its supposed to be. I gave the recipe for regular German Pancakes and then below that for Savory German Pancakes. Enjoy!

German Pancakes

6 eggs

1 C milk

1 C flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 C butter (I used 1/4 C)

Mix eggs, milk and flour in blender until smooth (I just used my Kitchen Aide). In a 9x13 pan, melt butter. Pour egg mixture over butter and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Check occasionally and its done when browned.

Savory German Pancakes

Same as above, except cook pancakes for 10 minutes. Take the half-cooked pancakes out of oven. Top with whatever chopped savory ingredients you desire. Options may include:

mushrooms

green onions

onions

olives

ham

sausage

tomatoes

peppers of every color

Put pancakes back in oven and cook another 10-20 minutes. It is done when browned on bottom and sides, and cooked in the middle. Top with cheese if desired and place back in oven for a few minutes to melt. Serve with pico de gallo, salsa or ketchup. Fruit is also a great side dish!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I made a few substitutions to this recipe. For one, I made them with corn tortillas instead of flour (making this dish gluten free, a change I had to make because I was taking this meal to a friend who can't have gluten). I was nervous about the change, but I'll be honest-it turned out really good! It had a more authentic Mexican taste to it and I will probably make them with corn tortillas from now on because I liked the taste so much. I also substituted sour cream for the cream and added a large can of green chilies to the sour cream mixture because I didn't buy a big enough can of the green enchilada sauce. It turned out great! I served this with corn and bean salsa and shredded romaine lettuce.

INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Banana Coconut Pecan Pancakes

Banana Coconut Pecan Pancakes:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Adapted from Cooking Light A

August 2009

• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of flour- I use straight whole wheat
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup vanilla fat free yogurt
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 tbsp pecans, crushed
• 3 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 large banana, smashed

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, stirring well to combine. Combine yogurt butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, coconut, pecans, and mashed banana in a small bowl, mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture, stirring until smooth.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or skillet. Cook 2 minutes or until the tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 2 more minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Top with freshly sliced banana, coconut, and maple syrup. Enjoy.

Photo Source: Jersey Girl Cooks
PS  Would love to try Jersey Girls version next time!

Tuna Casserole

Tuna Casserole

one 12 oz package egg noodles (I used whole wheat)

1/4 C onion, chopped

2 c shredded cheese (I used half cheddar, half mozzarella)

1 C frozen peas

2 cans tuna, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Milk that fills the soup can

1/3 C sour cream (an estimate)

crushed potato chips or french fried onions (optional)

1. Cook egg noodles to package directions. Drain. Return to pot.
2.  Saute onion and celery in butter until tender.  

3. Add all ingredients (except optional topping) in pot and mix.  Place mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle chips or french fried onions over top if desired. Bake 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes (uncovered) until hot and bubbly.

Photo Source: Pinch My Salt