Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

Because I am such a maniac for Tex-Mex/ Mexican food, I am always happy to find a recipe for a lighter version. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website a couple months ago, and we've made it several times. In fact, this was the first time I was able to get a picture of the finished product (not the most beautiful presentation) because Jim and I generally do not want to wait around for a picture to be taken.

In addition to the listed ingredients, we added in chopped, yellow onion with the chicken. It gave it a next texture and flavor. I thought the enchilada sauce was especially delicious, but I have found that the longer it cooks, the better the flavor meld and thus, taste!

Along with the enchiladas, I made a variation on a pico de gallo, including homegrown Jersey tomatoes - look how beautifully red they are!

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas recipe

Avocado and Corn Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
Frozen corn, defrosted
Avocado
Ripe red tomatoes
Yellow onion
Garlic
Cilantro
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

Directions:
This recipe is all about balance and what you prefer. Add all the ingredients together, except the avocado, and add more of a certain ingredient if necessary. Fold in the avocado at the end so that it stays partially in tact.

Chicken Marsala

With the leftover Marsala wine from the Tiramisu cupcakes, I decided to look up Chicken Marsala recipes. I never realized how simple it was to make Chicken Marsala. I found an Emeril Lagasse recipe that turned out to be incredibly delicious. Since Jim is still learning to love mushrooms, I used mushrooms that I knew he definitely liked - baby portobellos and shiitake. We served this over whole wheat spaghetti. Try this one for sure!

Buffalo Chicken Sausage Pizza

I am normally not a huge fan of buffalo flavorings. I do not like buffalo wings (gasp!) or anything smothered in that sauce. I prefer to eat the celery and blue cheese dressing that sits on the side of the plate. However, at the grocery store, I noticed they had a chicken sausage with buffalo flavoring. I decided to break from the mold and try it. I knew my husband would be happy since he LOVES wings.

I did not have a recipe in mind, so I just threw together a few ingredients that I thought would compliment the buffalo flavor.

Ingredients:

Pizza crust (I cheated and used a store-bought whole wheat crust)

Buffalo chicken sausage, 1 1/2 links, casings removed, crumbled

6 oz. Mozzarella cheese (depends on the size of your crust)

1 handful Crumbly blue cheese

1-2 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1/4 c. diced onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush pizza crust with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder. Bake for 2-3 minutes (this helped us achieve an extra crispy crust.) Toss chicken sausage with the hot sauce. Remove crust from oven and layer toppings: mozzarella, chicken sausage, blue cheese, more mozzarella, and lastly onion. Allow to cook to your liking. We like crispy pizza so ours cooked for about 12 minutes on the oven rack directly - the cheese was bubbling and the onions had browned.

This was an easy weeknight meal with a perfect balance of heat, salt, and creamy-ness. Enjoy!

Lemon Thyme Chicken

I must admit, chicken is not my favorite protein, but this recipe has made me LOVE chicken. This has also become one of Jim's favorites -- this from the guy who swore he never likes "lemon chicken." This recipe has the perfect balance of lemon, garlic, wine, and thyme. And hey - it doesn't hurt that there is wine in the recipe... leftovers for enjoying WITH dinner.

I obtained this recipe from the 'What's Cooking?' board on the Nest's website. What a great resource for recipes and inspiration! This is a simple recipe that has fresh and robust flavors. This recipe can be served with an array of sides --this time around, we chose whole wheat plain cous cous and a spinach salad.

Lemon Thyme Chicken
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 of a large lemon
2-3 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Butterfly the chicken breasts to create four halves. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off the heat, add the wine to the pan. Return the pan to the hear and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce until sauce has thickened and the chicken breast has become golden brown on each side. Add the lemon juice to the pan and stir in butter until completely melted. Serve immediately, and spoon the extra sauce over the chicken.

Simple Spinach Salad
Combine baby spinach, salt, pepper, feta cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and walnuts to your liking. This is a simple, but delicious side salad!