Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Pretzel –Crusted Chicken

This recipe tastes terrific and looks like you’ve really outdone yourself with effort and expertise. I’ll let you in on a secret – that’s not true; it just looks like it is! The key to this recipe is in the preparation – remember to preheat the oven and I like to foil line a pan to save on dish washing. Cutting the chicken breasts to make a pocket for the filling is easy – just don’t cut all the way through or you will have two pieces of chicken and no pocket!

You could easily substitute other ingredients that are in your refrigerator for what is listed in this recipe. For example, when it calls for deli ham and you have turkey instead – use it! Cooking is a creative process – use what’s on hand and what your family likes. Another hint: listen to your family. My husband always wants pecans on everything and suggested pecans as a topping. I ended up compromising and using lesser amounts of both pecans and pretzels - - and we both were happy! I hope you will try this recipe and it will soon become one of your family’s favorites!

Let me know what you think!

Donna

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Turkey Parmesan

Are things around your house more hectic than normal? It is at my house. End of school activities, Memorial Day, graduations and weddings are filling my calendar. So if you have a special dinner coming up or just need a new idea for a family dinner, try Turkey Parmesan. By the time that you cook angel hair spaghetti, you can have dinner on the table.

This recipe features turkey cutlets. These are thin slices of turkey breast so they cook uniformly and quickly. By flattening to 1/8-inch thick, they will cook in a matter of a few minutes. If you can’t find turkey cutlets, chicken breast will work. Just make sure that you flatten them to the appropriate thickness. It only takes a minute for this step. I prefer using my wooden rolling pin since it only takes a few whacks. Be sure to sanitize your countertop and rolling pin after flattening the cutlets to prevent cross-contamination.

Turkey cutlets are low in calories, low in fat and high in protein. Turkey has a great flavor that works well with the spaghetti sauce.

To get dinner on the table in a matter of minutes, put a pot of water on to boil for the angel hair pasta. While it’s coming to a boil, flatten the cutlets, coat with the coating mix and cook in a hot skillet. The cutlets will cook quickly so turn them a couple of times to prevent burning. Heat the spaghetti sauce in the microwave When the pasta is done, drain and add a cutlet, top with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Dinner is ready!

The sauteed green peppers make a great side dish. Green peppers are a good source of vitamins, are very colorful and are full of flavor. Try a mixture of green and yellow peppers. They add a crisp texture to the cutlets and spaghetti. Saute the pepper strips after the cutlets are cooked. They only take a few minutes. The small amount of olive oil adds a lot of flavor that compliments the turkey.

Add a whole wheat roll and you have a special meal even though it may be a weekday dinner. If your family doesn’t care for green peppers, just open a bag of salad greens, add some tomatoes, crunchy carrots and other veggies and serve with your favorite low-fat or light salad dressing.

We appreciate the Texas Turkey Federation for sponsoring this video.

I hope that you enjoy this as much as my family. Happy cooking! Carrie

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Chili Mac

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ChiliMac
This is a simply but delicious recipes. I love it when I can prepare a meal that is quick, healthy and economical that will please my whole family.

The Chili Mac recipe makes a wonderful family meal. It includes foods that represent MyPyramid and the preparation time is easy enough to allow your children to help in preparing this meal. This recipe allow you to cook your meat ahead of time and to preprep your ingredients as well. The meal serves 6 and you can have a full dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. A green salad would go great with this meal and to finish it off add a wheat roll. Thier you have a great nutritious meal.

I hope that you enjoy it.