Cajun chicken pasta

I wanted to find something new with chicken breasts instead of just spicing the breasts and cooking them. I was getting a little tired of that so I found a new recipe that gave a new use for the breasts. It still was spicing them but at least it wasn't eating them whole. Instead it was using them as one of a few ingredients in a dish. I got it from The Pioneer Woman website here.

Review: This is one of my new favorite meals. It's been a couple hours since I ate it and my mouth is still watering thinking about it and I want nothing more than to get myself another bowl (it's late though so I won't). I reused the spice I made with yesterday's salmon dish (Emeril's ESSENCE seasoning), so it was pretty spicy but I liked it. The flavoring from the peppers, onion and garlic really made the dish and give it the extra taste that kept it from just being a pasta and chicken meal. It's also a recipe that while I used chicken, you could use -- or include -- other meats to it as well such as sausage or pork, or include seafood such as shrimp. To make it healthier than the recipe calls for I did not include the butter. I just used olive oil. I also used 100% whole wheat spaghetti and instead of the heavy cream I used a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I used a whole medium red onion, two Roma tomatoes and next time might use two green and two red peppers to help balance the amount of ingredients. I also did not use fresh parsley flakes on the top I used dried parsley flakes (mostly because I didn't want to have all that extra fresh parsley to try and find a use for later). If you aren't on a healthy diet like I am you could still use the butter and heavy cream but if you want it to be healthier leave them out. Their absence won't affect the flavor. Again though, this is now one of my favorite meals that I will be cooking again soon and because of the heat, is a good one for the winter to help warm the throat and clean out the sinuses.

Recipe:

• 3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
• 3 teaspoons Cajun spice mix, more to taste (if you make your own make sure you include at the very least cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic, onion powder and white pepper for the flavors)
• 1 pound of fettuccine (or whatever type of pasta you want to use)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 whole large red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream (can substitute with cornstarch)
• cayenne pepper to taste (use your cajun spice if you have extra)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• chopped fresh parsley to taste (dried parsley works fine too)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter (optional) in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer but do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate then repeat with the remaining chicken (times can depend on how cooked the chicken gets and it's OK to cook all the chicken at once -- I did).

After removing the chicken, leave the pan on high heat and add the remaining olive oil and butter (butter is optional). When heated, add peppers, onions and garlic. Sprinkle on the remaining Cajun spice and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan (again, cooking times vary but I just cooked everything until the vegetables were soft).

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the cream, stirring/whisking constantly (this is where you can substitute the cream for cornstarch to thicken the sauce). Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes until the cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper (or the cajun spice) and/or salt to taste. The sauce should be spicy.

Finally, add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and hot. Add the drained fettuccine and toss to combine. Top with chopped fresh parsley and enjoy.

Salmon with brown rice and a pineapple, mango, strawberry salsa

I haven't had salmon in a while so tonight's meal broke that streak. I found it on the Food Network site and Emeril Lagasse made it so I figured it would be good -- I was correct. The original recipe can be found here but it is definitely one I will make again and if not with the fish then with other meats.

Review: This was another healthy, tasty meal that was pretty quick and easy to make. The recipe calls for grilling the salmon but I just cooked them on the stovetop. It took a little longer cooking that way than the recipe says but I just didn't feel like turning the grill on for a couple minutes. The salmon piece also was probably a little too big because after a while I got tired of eating it, but that's a quick fix by cutting the salmon in half. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon or more of each of the spices for the seasoning but you will more than likely have enough left over for multiple uses on chicken, pork or burgers for example with those amounts. Next time I make it I will just use 1 teaspoon of each spice that way I don't have a lot leftover. It also was very spicy because of the cayenne pepper. If you don't like hot, spicy foods then you could leave the cayenne out but if you don't mind it then this is the meal for you. My nose was running after a couple bites. I should note too that I made the seasoning based on the ingredients listed but if you can find Emeril's already made seasoning that is suggested then the flavoring and heat might be a little different. As for the fruit salsa, I made something similar to this before and this was a little better. I left out the onions though because I don't really like raw onions. Next time I also might leave out the mint. It didn't taste bad, but it was slightly overpowering and so I got more of the mint taste than the pineapple, mango and strawberry taste. It also calls for dicing the fruits but I probably diced them a little too small because I couldn't really taste the difference between the three fruits. If you leave the pieces a tad bit bigger (maybe small cubes instead of small diced pieces) you could distinguish among the flavors. Still, on its own the fruit salsa would make a nice meal as well.

Recipe:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on (or however many you need/want for the number of people you are serving)
• 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 recipe Fruit Salsa, recipe follows

Preheat a grill to medium. Brush both sides of the salmon with the olive oil. Season the salmon on both sides with the Essence, salt and pepper. Place the fish on the grill, skin side down and cook for about 3 minutes then turn the fish 45 degrees and cook an additional 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until cooked through to the desired degree of doneness. Remove the fish from the grill and serve with the fruit salsa spooned over the fish.

If you do it on stovetop like I did sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt, pepper and the Essence seasoning. Pour some olive oil into the pan and then cook both sides of the fish until done. Most times salmon will be finished when you can scrap the skin off the fish fairly easily but depending on how thick the fish is you might have to cook it longer than when the skin starts to flake.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast)

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. This makes about 2/3 cup so remember if you don't want a lot left over just use 1 teaspoon of each ingredient.

For the Fruit Salsa

• 3/4 cup small diced pineapple
• 3/4 cup small diced mango
• 1/2 cup small diced strawberries
• 1/4 cup small diced red onion (I left this out)
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium non-reactive bowl (plastic will do), combine all of the ingredients and stir to blend. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the salsa to macerate (basically just means settle together) for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. This makes about 2 cups so you probably will have some of this leftover too.

Lemon chicken breasts, brown rice and steamed vegetables

It's been a while since I posted but that's partly because I drove across country to move for my job. Now that I'm settled in and had my first two days off from work for the week I started cooking again. Last night's meal was one I've made numerous times but tonight was a new recipe. For one reason I wanted to just try something new and for another reason, I wanted to be able to post here. The original recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten, star of "Barefoot Contessa" on The Food Network. It can be found here.

Review: Tonight's meal was simple to make. I'll admit I cheated a little more on this one and used ingredients that were already cut or packaged instead of fresh like I normally do. Still, this recipe I thought was pretty tasty and certainly tasted healthy. To help make it healthier I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The skin would have added more flavor but it's also not as healthy. Some comments on the original recipe said it was too lemony, but I agree with the majority of the comments in that it wasn't that lemony at all. Although, I also didn't use the lemon zest that the recipe calls for or cut a lemon into wedges and cook it with the chicken so that helped cut back on the lemon flavor. If anything it had more of a sweet taste to it because of the white wine. It wasn't overpowering for my liking but I could definitely taste it. Some people who commented said they didn't use the wine and it still turned out tasty so that's a possibility too. I suppose you could substitute the wine for chicken broth. I also did not use fresh thyme leaves but used dried instead. It took about 20 minutes to prep (if you use fresh ingredients for the garlic and thyme and lemons it might take longer) and 35 minutes to bake in the oven but the chicken itself stayed fairly moist. You might cook it for 25-30 minutes if you want it a little juicier but I would stick to the 30-35 minute range just to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through. As far as the steamed vegetables go I cheated and used a bag of vegetables that you just have to put in the microwave. Normally I would have tried to steam them on the stove with boiling water and a colander in the pot. I also cheated with the brown rice and instead of cooking it on stove top I bought bowls that go in the microwave and are ready in 1 minute; however, I cooked white rice on the stove top for the other people I was serving.

Recipe:

• 1/4 cup good olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons) (I left this out)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used the lemon juice in the bottle)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used dry leaves)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1 lemon (I didn't use)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat then add the garlic. Cook for 1 minutes but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Turn off the heat then add the white wine, lemon zest (optional), lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce (or just place them in the pan if you use skinless breasts). Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper (I flipped the chicken breasts over in the pan so both sides get the oil, garlic, wine, lemon juice on them and I also sprinkled both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper). Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken (optional). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned (it will not really brown if you don't have the skin). If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices (I served immediately and didn't use the pan juices).

Cajun spiced pork chops

I really didn't know what I wanted for dinner tonight so I looked through recipes I have made before and found this one. It's been a while since I made it so that was another reason why I chose it. The sides I made were oven-roasted garlic green beans that I make all the time now (you can find that recipe also on my blog) and applesauce. The original recipe can be found on the All Recipes website here.

Review: The recipe for the pork chops is quite spicy. If you don't like spicy foods you will not like this recipe. It's quick to make though and you more than likely will have the majority of spices and herbs already in stock so it won't be too expensive of a meal to make either. I just had to go buy the green beans, pork chops and cayenne pepper. The recipe also calls for cooking the meat in the skillet but I just seared them on the skillet then cooked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes while the green beans also were cooking in the oven. I like the pork chops a little better that way because it keeps them moist. I will say, though, that the applesauce helped with the kick of the pork chops. I would take a couple bites of pork then take a bite of applesauce and it almost made the spice non-existent. I think it was just because it was a cold taste on top of the spicy so it helped cool it. I would definitely recommend the applesauce with it when you make the meal if nothing else than for the reason of helping to knock down the kick. I also doubled the ingredient amounts because I used 6 pork chops instead of 4 like the recipe calls for that way we would have two chops each if we wanted them.

Recipe:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed dried sage leaves (I used ground sage but it doesn't make a difference either way)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 center cut pork chops (again, I used 6 and I used boneless center cut chops)

Mix the paprika, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sage and garlic salt on a plate. Liberally coat each pork chop with the spice mixture. Heat the olive oil and several pumps of non-stick, butter-flavored spray in a large skillet over high heat (I didn't use the spray). Place pork chops in the skillet, reducing the heat to medium. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

If you put it in the oven, sear both sides of the pork chops for 1-2 minutes in the skillet then transfer them to a baking pan. Stick them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes then serve.

Obama says he will preserve, strengthen Medicare

President Barack Obama, on Saturday, addressed Medicare during his weekly address. Since Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for president, chose Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate Medicare has been front and center in the presidential debate. Republicans say Obama stole $716 billion from Medicare to fund the Affordable Care Act, or what they call Obamacare.

Numerous reports have proven that line of attack as being false and President Obama used his weekly address to also defend his policies while also attacking the Republicans' plan for Medicare. President Obama said he has not taken a single penny from beneficiaries, as the Republicans have claimed. He said the savings from his Medicare policy will actually save seniors money. By comparison, he said, the Republicans' plan and the budget plan that Ryan wrote and Republicans voted in favor of, would essentially turn the program into a voucher system. Under that system seniors would receive a check for a certain amount and if their medical bills were not covered under that amount they would have to shop around for insurance or pay for it out of pocket.

Obama says Congress needs to pass plan to put teachers back to work

Kids throughout the country are going back to school, some of whom will not see the teachers they had the year before walking around the halls anymore. The reason being is, in part, because budget cuts at the state and local level have caused roughly 300,000 teachers to be laid off since 2009.

In this week's address, President Barack Obama addressed that fact and urged Congress to pass his jobs bill that would provide funding to help states hire more teachers. He first called on Congress to address this portion of his jobs bill in September 2011, but a year later Congress has failed to act on it. In fact, when Republicans in the House of Representatives passed their budget they cut funding for education. President Obama said it was important that this country have good teachers and good education because it will help keep the United States as a global leader in the 21st century.

Shrimp lettuce wraps with dill and mustard

The following recipe is another one that was in a fresh herbs package I bought for another recipe. I actually made this with the intent on having it for dinner but something came up so I had it for lunch instead.

Review: The shrimp actually tasted better then I thought they would. I'm not a big fan of mustard or of green onions but I certainly did not taste the mustard and the onions were not overpowering for me. It was quite runny so make sure you have a napkin. You actually could probably use half the amount of ingredients the recipe calls for besides the shrimp. I used two bags of medium sized shrimp that had 51-60 shrimp in each bag (so the packaging said) but any size shrimp and any amount is OK.  The recipe says to serve the shrimp cold but with the already cold lettuce, I personally thought it was a little chewy. I think had I warmed the shrimp it would have been better because it would have had the hot-cold contrast between the lettuce and the shrimp. Next time I make this I probably will serve the shrimp warm. I also might either reduce the amount of green onions or leave them out all together. Like I said they weren't overpowering but when I bit into one I didn't really like it (if you like green onions though you won't have a problem with it). I also did not include the capers or the grated lemon peel in the recipe. I had capers once in another recipe I made and didn't like them at all so I just left them out of this one; however, if you haven't had capers then like I said in the other recipe, try them. All-in-all, this was a good, healthy meal that actually might make a better lunch then a dinner.

Recipe:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (any size and amount of shrimp is fine)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup drained capers (optional)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle thawed shrimp with salt and pepper then add to the skillet and saute until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate (I left the shrimp in the skillet to pour into the bowl instead of dirtying another plate). Whisk the next 5 ingredients in a large bowl (I chopped all the ingredients before I started the shrimp). Whisk in 8 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the shrimp and accumulated juices, capers (if you use them) and green onions. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day (although if it refrigerates longer it won't hurt anything). Arrange the butter lettuce leaves on plates and top with shrimp. Drizzle with more marinade if desired (you won't have to though if it's like mine because the liquid is still prevalent).