Baked Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

My husband loves chicken strips, but since he has to eat gluten-free it's hard to find them on a restaurant menu.  As a treat, I sometimes make them for him at home.  To make them healthier, I bake them in the oven instead of frying them.  This recipe is gluten-free friendly, kid friendly, and super easy with only a few ingredients.  Give it a try!

Here's what you'll need:
1 pound chicken tender strips
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup bread crumbs (I use gluten-free)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (sometimes I use 1 cup if I want them extra cheesy- don't judge!)
olive oil

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Makes 4 servings

Here's what to do:

Put the chicken strips into a bowl with buttermilk and let sit for about 20-30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and brush foil with olive oil.

Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a shallow baking dish.

Dip chicken strips into bread crumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.

Before putting into oven, drizzle strips with olive oil.  Don't skip this step if you want crispy strips on both sides!

Bake at 500 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until chicken strips are golden and crispy.

Let sit for a few minutes before transferring to plates or a platter for serving.

To make the dipping sauce:  use a whisk to combine honey, mustard, lemon juice and mayo in a small mixing bowl.  If you have leftover sauce, store in fridge for up to a week.  This honey mustard sauce could be used as a salad dressing too.  It really does taste like a restaurant version!  You could use other dipping sauces like ketchup, Ranch dressing, or BBQ sauce.  Or eat them plain!

This recipe is so easy.  My husband loved it.  In fact, he took leftovers for his lunch the next day!  Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant

When I go to the grocery store and see a beautiful eggplant, I can't resist putting it into my cart. Last week, I made Eggplant Stackers.  Tonight, I wanted to do something different.  My husband and I love stuffed peppers, so I thought stuffed eggplant would be delicious too.  So I rummaged through the fridge and cabinets to see what I could add into this recipe.  I found exactly what I needed.  Some tomatoes, a little cheese, some ground beef, and a few bread crumbs.  It was so good and easy.  On a scale of one to five yums, this Stuffed Eggplant was definitely a five on the scale!

Here's what you'll need:
2 small eggplants
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 -5.5 ounce can V-8 juice
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
salt & pepper to taste

Here is a great find!  Gluten-free bread crumbs!

For topping:
2 tablespoons bread crumbs (I used gluten-free, see pic above)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Makes 4 servings
(I only needed two servings, so I saved the rest of the beef mixture and will either add it to some pasta or stuff it into some peppers for another dinner).

Here's what to do:
Cook the ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain excess fat using paper towels.

Cut the eggplant lengthwise.  Scoop or cut out the center part.  Dice the center flesh of the eggplant. Sprinkle both the whole parts and the diced eggplant with salt.  Let sit on a paper towel for about 10-15 minutes.

Add diced eggplant to ground beef mixture.  Cook until eggplant is soft.  Add 1 can Rotel tomatoes with juice.  Add 1 small can V-8 juice.  Stir and let simmer together.

Place eggplant on baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until slightly tender.

Add mozzarella cheese to ground beef mixture and stir.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and  Parmesan cheese.  This will be the topping and get nice and crispy.

Fill eggplant "boats" with ground beef mixture and top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture.  Put back in oven and broil for about 3-5 minutes until topping is golden and crispy.

That's it.  So easy and delicious.  I served it with a green leafy side salad.  Here's my Eggplant Stackers recipe.  It's delish too!

Beef Broccoli Stir Fry

My wok made it's grand debut tonight.  I have to make a confession.  This lovely wedding present has been sitting in my closet for quite some time.  I completely forgot all about it to be honest.  Who has room for a big wok in their kitchen cabinets??  Not me.  So, it's been in a closet just waiting for me to notice it again. Tonight was the night!  And it all happened because of a leftover veggie tray.  I went to a party last week and had tons of broccoli and carrots left over.  Aha, I thought.  This would be great in a stir fry AND I have a wok! I decided to put it together with a few other ingredients to make this delicious Beef Broccoli Stir Fry.  

Here's what you'll need:

For the marinade:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use a gluten-free brand)
2 teaspoons crushed ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Here are two of my cheats!  I use frozen crushed ginger.
It comes in little cubes that you just pop out and add to your dish.
I also use minced garlic from a jar.  

For the stir fry:
1 pound sliced beef (you can buy it pre-sliced in the meat section of your grocery store)
2 cups broccoli florets (I buy the pre-cut ones in the bag)
1 cup carrots, cut into small pieces
2 cups mushrooms
1 red pepper, cut into slices
1/2 yellow onion, cut into thin slices

For the sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce (gluten-free)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried ginger OR two frozen crushed ginger cubes (see pic above)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

Makes 4 servings.

Here's what to do:

Marinate the slices of beef in the water, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger marinade for about 30 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat up your wok or skillet on high heat.  Add slices of beef along with the marinade to wok.  Cook for 3-5 minutes until meat isn't pink.

Add in onions, carrots, peppers, and mushrooms.  Stir and cook 2 to 3 more minutes.

Add in broccoli.  Stir and cook another 3-5 minutes.

Add sauce and cook until sauce thickens.

For a garnish, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve with rice or noodles, or just plain!
I really wish I'd used my wok sooner!  This was a fun dish to make and  so easy!  Now, we can have Chinese take-out at home anytime we want!!  I'm already planning my next stir fry adventure!

Mozzarella Chicken

This Mozzarella Chicken is light and fresh.  The best part- it's easy and quick!  I made it tonight for dinner and after one bite I was instantly transported back to Italy!  It's got all the yummy Italian flavors of mozzarella cheese, ripe Roma tomatoes, and chicken with Italian seasonings.  I served it with broiled eggplant and a spinach salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Here's what you'll need:
grilled or baked chicken breasts
mozzarella cheese (I used one snack package for each chicken breast- see pic below)
1 roma tomato per chicken breast, diced

Here's what I did:
I drizzled my chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkled Italian seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts.  Then, I baked the chicken covered in foil in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Bake until the juices run clear.  Chicken should have a minimum cooking temperature of 165 degrees, so invest in a cooking thermometer if need it to check the temperature. I usually bake quite a few chicken breasts in advance, then put them in food saver bags and freeze them for future use.  That's what I used tonight- a package that was pre-made from the freezer.  The food saver bag keeps the chicken fresh and moist. It makes the dinner come together in a snap.

Put the chicken breast on a microwave safe plate and top it with the mozzarella balls.  You could also use shredded mozzarella cheese.  Heat until cheese is melty- yes, I am declaring that "melty" is a word.

Top with diced tomatoes.

It's that easy and makes a boring chicken breast a little more interesting.

                               

Here's what one of the snack packages looks like.  They are only 70 calories and you get three mozzarella balls.

Here's a pic of me in the Tuscan countryside.  Italy is a beautiful country!

On vacation in Italy with a sampling of bruschetta. 

The fresh flavors of this dish reminded me of the wonderful food I sampled in Italy.  Delizioso!  Now, I just wish I could be transported back there for another great vacation! Some day....

Ciao!

Dad's Sausage Supper

This was my Dad's all time favorite dish that my mom made while I was growing up.  It's full of delicious, colorful veggies.  I lightened up my mom's recipe by using smoked turkey sausage.  Plus it's a quick and easy recipe!  It comes together in about 30 minutes.

Here's what you need:
1 package smoked sausage (I used Eckridge Smoked Turkey Sausage)
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 can diced tomatoes (if you want something spicy, use Rotel tomatoes)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper
rice for 6 servings (I used brown rice)

Makes 6 servings

Here's what to do:
Cut sausage into round slices.

In a skillet on medium heat, begin to saute sausage until it browns.

While sausage is cooking, slice onions.  Then add to skillet with sausage.  Stir mixture.

Slice green peppers and add to skillet with sausage and onions. Stir mixture.

Slice red peppers and add to green peppers, onions, and sausage. Stir mixture.

Add salt, pepper and garlic.  Cook until peppers and onions are tender.  It usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice.  Stir mixture and let simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions.  Serve sausage, pepper, onion, and tomato mixture over rice.

This is the basic recipe, but if you want to change the protein to chicken or shrimp, that would taste great too. You can also make a vegetarian version by using mushrooms, eggplant,or tofu.  If you like something spicier, add Rotel tomatoes or a few dashes of hot sauce.

Chicken Tamale Pie

I have loved tamales since I was a little kid.  For some reason, I always called them "Mollies".  This would always make my family laugh.  My mom didn't make homemade ones, but I loved eating the ones straight from a can.  Let's just say that seven year olds don't have a discriminating taste and leave it at that.  I still love them, but who has time to make fresh homemade tamales for dinner?  And, as an adult, I want something more than a canned tamale for dinner. So, here is a tasty version of a tamale and it's gluten-free too.  It's easy to make and delicious.

The recipe first came to my attention years ago in Cooking Light magazine (I'll include the link).  I tried it and loved it.  Since then, I've adapted the recipe a little and made it gluten-free for my husband.  It's really yummy and even though it doesn't look like a traditional tamale- it sure tastes like one.  Here's the one from Cooking Light:

Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light

Chicken Tamale Pie
For the Cornbread:
1 package gluten-free cornbread mix (I use Bob's Red Mill.  If you aren't concerned about gluten, I love using Jiffy Corn Bread Mix.)
1 small 4-ounce can of mild green chilies, rinsed and drained - omit if you don't like spicy!
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 can creamed corn (14.8 ounces)
2 eggs (you can use egg substitute)
1/2 cup skim milk

* The gluten-free cornbread mixture will thicker than non-gf cornbread.

For the Topping (use below amounts if you are making a casserole dish or two pie plates, 1/2 it if you plan to make one pie plate and 9 muffins like I did):
2 cups shredded chicken (I cheat and use Rotisserie chicken- I'll use the rest of the chicken for another recipe tomorrow)
2 cans or 2 packages of gluten-free Red Enchilada Sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Makes about 12 servings.  1 pie plate is about 6 servings.

Garnish Options: sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes, cilantro, avocado.

Before you begin:  Decide how much casserole you'd like to make.  You can make it in a casserole dish or use two pie plates for larger crowds.  Rectangle or round- the choice is yours!  If you want to make a smaller amount, use half of the cornbread mix for the tamale pie and the other half to make cornbread muffins for another meal.  You'll also reduce the amount of shredded chicken to 1 cup, use half the amount of red enchilada sauce, 1/4 a package of taco seasoning, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and about 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  You can freeze the muffins for later or use them for you next meal.  That's what I did tonight.  I made one pie plate and 9 muffins.  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the cornbread mix, green chilies, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, creamed corn, eggs, and milk. 
3. Spray a casserole dish OR two pie plates with cooking spray. OR make one pie plate and put the rest in muffin tins.  Pour mixture into your dish.  Bake cornbread for 25 minutes or until nicely browned.
4. While cornbread is baking, put your shredded chicken in a skillet and top with taco seasoning mix and 1 cup chicken stock.  Let simmer.

5.   After removing cornbread from oven, pierce cornbread with a fork and pour red enchilada sauce over cornbread.
6.   Top with shredded chicken mixture and shredded cheese.

Pierce cornbread liberally before pouring on the red enchilada sauce.
Add the chicken, the top with cheese.

8.    Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

9.    Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.  
10.  Slice and serve with garnishes of your choice.

Tomorrow, I'm using the leftover rotisserie chicken in a Tuscan Bean Soup and we'll have the cornbread muffins with our soup.  Check back with The Teacher Dish for the recipe.

-Karen