Coconut Chicken Tenders

This recipe is another one I found on Tasty Kitchen.  I really like these, but are only an occasional treat since they are fried in a lot of oil.  I didn't have peanut oil so I had to use vegetable oil, which is probably why the coconut always gets a little extra crispy.  The dipping sauce is quite sweet, but I added some Siracha hot sauce to make it a sweet and spicy sauce and it was excellent.

Coconut Chicken Tenders
From: savorysweetlife via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 lbs Chicken Tenders
1/2 cups Orange Juice
1/2 can Sweetened, condensed Milk
1 whole Egg
1 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Peanut Oil For Frying (I didn't have Peanut oil and used Vegetable instead)
Salt and Pepper

For Dipping Sauce
1/2 cups Honey
1/2 cups Orange Marmalade
Dash of Siracha hot sauce if desired

Directions:
1. On a cookie sheet, season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.  Set aside. In a medium bow, mix orange juice, condensed milk, and a beaten egg until your 'wet' mixture is well incorporated.  In another bowl, mix coconut and panko crumbs.

2. Heat oil in a medium pan or skillet on medium-high heat.  Fill pan with about 1/2" of oil. Dip and fully coat each tender in the egg mixture first and then the panko/coconut mix.

3. Fry each tender for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.  Serve with Honey Marmalade dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Honey Marmalade Dipping Sauce Instructions:

In a small bowl, add honey and marmalade.  Heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir everything until well mixed and serve with coconut chicken tenders.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

My mom sent me this recipe from All Recipes. It was really easy to make and super delicious. I took the suggestions on the website and put a seasoning on my fish before coking it.  I used the Chesapeake Bay Seasoning I got from Ashley, but I think you could use old bay seasoning or just salt and pepper if you wanted.  Also the recipe listed a few spices that I didn't have (like celery salt), so I added a couple things I thought would be good, like Smoked Paprika, I have fallen in love with smoked paprika and use it whenever I can. You could also use regular paprika.  The picture below doesn't show exactly what I used but I did make sure the ingredients section did.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
From: All Recipes


Ingredients:
2 pounds tilapia fillets (we actually only used 2 fillets)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter softened
3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
 Old Bay/Chesapeake bay seasoning


Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt.  Mix well and set aside.

3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan and sprinkle with Old bay/Chesapeake bay seasoning. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.

4. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side.  Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.  Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Artichoke Hummus

My sister-in-law Olga brought this Hummus over to our house on Christmas eve and it was really good I especially loved the addition of artichokes (I'm a sucker for artichokes). She recently got a recipe book called 'Hungry Girl: 200 under 200' and this was a recipe from it.  It is 200 recipes under 200 calories. I promptly made this myself the next week to bring to work and have with veggies as a snack since I had all the ingredients already in my pantry.Thanks Olga for hooking me up with a new recipe for a healthy snack!

Artichoke Hummus
From: Olga & Hungry Girl

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fat-free vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/4 cup plain fat-free greek yogurt
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)

Directions:
1. Using a potato masher or a for, thoroughly mash chickpeas.  Transfer to food processor and all other ingredients.

2. Puree until smooth, stopping and stirring if blending slows.

3. For best flavor, refrigerate hummus for several hours.  Before serving, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and parsley if desired. Serve with vegetables or crackers.

Tasty Taco Salad

This is a recipe we got from a Men's Health book called The Abs Diet. The book has a lot of healthy but delicious meals.  This was the first one we tried and it was very tasty.  It was great as a dinner, and the left overs were also good for lunch.  I really like taco salad (again my love for Mexican food shows through), but this has such a tasty light dressing that it makes it even more healthy.

Tasty Taco Salad
aka - A Thinner Mexican Dinner
From: Men's Health - The Abs Diet

Ingredients:
For Meat:
3/4 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Black beans - drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup water

For the dressing:
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Salad:
Romain Lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces baked corn tortilla chips (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef.  Add the garlic and beans and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add the chili powder, cayenne, and water and stir until well-combined and most of the water has been absorbed.  Remove from heat.

2. Mix dressing ingredients in a bowl.

3. Divide the lettuce among dinner plates, top with the beef mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Spoon the dressing over each salad and crush tortilla chips on top (we left out the chips but added slices of avocado due to our love of avocados and that we happened to have a bunch).

Southwest Chicken and Rice Bake

This casserole of sorts sounded delicious and not overly heavy like some casseroles can be.  It was delicious, but then again I tend to like anything 'Southwestern.'  I found this recipe from How Sweet It Is, and it is a great one shot meal and really quick to cook up (especially if you use a rotisserie chicken).I would definitely make it again (and again!).

Southwest Chicken and Rice Bake
From: How Sweet It Is


Ingredients:
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast - shredded (or from a rotisserie chicken like I did)
2 cups cooked brown rice (can use instant - I did)
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain greek yogurt (or low fat sour cream)
1 4oz can green chilies
1/2 - 1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup grated cheddar and monterey jack cheese
Cilantro for garnish if desired

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine.  Make sure the yogurt and cheese is stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese f you would like.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.  Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.

If Freezing, cover tightly before adding cilantro and freeze.  To use, defrost and bake as directed in original directions.

Updating

I decided to do a little updating to my blog. I figured in with the New Year, may as well do some cleaning in the ole blog.  Most people won't notice, but I felt it needed a little organizing/cleaning up.  People (also known as my mom) have mentioned sometimes it is hard to find a recipe they are looking for, so I added the search button at the top right to help.

I also added a title under the main recipe and listed who it was from, and if applicable, a link.  I did this for all of them, so it took a while, but hopefully it will help.  And if it doesn't help the 10 people who read this, it will at least help me. :)  I've been trying to add a facebook like/share button to the blog, but I haven't found just the one I want yet, but I have one up there for now!  I also got rid of a few things on the sides, but nothing anyone will miss! 

More recipes soon!  I tried a bunch over the Holidays and can't wait to share them!  In the mean time,  Here are some of the recipes I made over the holidays that are already on my blog!

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Peppermint Pie

Tortilla Roll Ups

Pickle Wraps

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa (from My fresh avocados!)

Christmas Egg Casserole

Rosemary Rolls

Peanut Butter Bars

Frosted Mint Bars

Tuna Pasta Salad


White Chocolate Chex Mix

Mom's Rice Casserole

Huevos Rancheros (again with the avocados)



Some of Our New Years Eve Tapas Table!

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

 

This is a recipe made on New Year's Eve when we made tapas.  It is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and it was super easy and turned out great (and I'm not even a huge lover of Shrimp).  I will definitely be making this again. There is quite a bit of butter in the recipe, but don't be scared off, they don't seem that heavy.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients, but the list of ingredients is short so I think we don't need it.  Also, the original recipe says to use shrimp still in the shell, but I didn't want everyone to have to peel them so I used ones that were already shelled and I think they turned out just as well.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
2 pounds Raw Frozen Shrimp, deveined (with or without shells - I used ones without shells)
2 sticks cold Unsalted Butter cut into pieces
1 tsp Kosher Salt
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1/4 cups Fresh Parsley
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 Whole Lemon, Juiced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rinse frozen shrimp to separate, then arranged in a single layer on baking sheet.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper.  Pulse until combined.  Sprinkle cold butter crumbles over the shrimp.

3. Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly (about 20 min).

4. Serve with hot crusty bread.  Peal and eat shrimp (if not already peeled) then dip the bread into the butter at the bottom of the pan.