Weight Watchers Chicken and Potato Casserole

This recipe was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I wasn't sure since I had to modify the recipe. And frankly, my modification were just fine and probably made it better.

The recipe says to slice the potatoes with a vegetable peeler. It's just too difficult. So I sliced them thin and went that route. Turned out just fine.

I'll make this again, for sure. Oh, the other thing I'd do is NOT use all the paprika. I only used 1.5 T and it was a bit overwhelming for me.

Chicken and Potato Casserole
Recipe from Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 c - 225 cal

1 (3/4 lb) baking potato, preferably a russet potato, peeled
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (as if)
3/4 lb ground skinless chicken breasts
2 T paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c reduced sodium chicken stock
1/2 c fat free sour cream

Fill a large bowl with cool water. Cut the potato in half lengthwise. Using a vegetable peeler, make thin "noodles" from the cut sides of the potato, letting the strips fall into a bowl of cool water.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drain the potato noodles and add them to the pot. Cook until they lose their crunchy edge, no more than 2 minutes. Drain and refresh the cool water.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 1 quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray.

Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly.  Add the paprika, salt and pepper, then pour in the broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute (JW note: I found I had to simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the liquid a bit). Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the baking dish making one overlapping layer. Add 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat the layering two more times; ending with chicken on top.

Bake until lightly browned and bubbling; about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Weight Watchers Thai Style Chicken

In my new eating plan I'm supposed to eat 30 grams of protein a meal - and then some - to get to a total of 105 grams total for the day. In order to do that, I fear, I need to eat a lot of chicken. In order to eat a lot of chicken I have to make it interesting and flavorful.

This recipe was not my favorite. It was missing, well, flavor. If I make it again, I'd put lime in it to add flavor.

Thai Style Chicken
Recipe from Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken
Makes 4 servings

1 c light coconut milk
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T Asian fish sauce
2 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 (1/2 lb) whole chicken legs, skinned (I used chicken breasts)

Combine the coconut milk through black pepper. Then add the chicken into a sealed Ziploc and marinade for at least 4 hours or over night.

Grill the chicken until done.

Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs)

In an attempt to plan my week lunches and dinners, I decided this recipe will suffice and would freeze real well. It was a last minute decision to make this and boy am I glad I did.

I followed the recipe exactly - which you know I don't do. And I would recommend doing that if you make it. There's something about the combination of ingredients that really make these delicious.

One ingredient was a bit challenging to find and quite frankly very expensive for 2 tsp - Red miso paste. I'm not sure it really added flavor, but then again I've never had it so who knows. I know it's not close of a substitution, but I'd consider using red curry paste when I make these again.

Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs)

Photo from MyRecipes.com

Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Serves 6
Makes 36 1" meatballs (it only made 30 for me)

Meatballs:

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

4 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps

1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons red miso (soybean paste)

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper  

Click to see savings

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt  

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2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large egg white  

 

Sauce:

3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce  

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1 tablespoon dark brown sugar  

Click to see savings

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (um yah I didn't have this)

Remaining ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 

To prepare meatballs, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, and 1 tablespoon garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sherry; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat; cool. Place mushroom mixture and miso in a mini chopper; pulse 10 times or until very finely chopped.

Combine mushroom mixture, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chicken, and next 6 ingredients (through egg white) in a bowl. Shape mixture into 36 (1-inch) meatballs. Thread 3 meatballs onto each of 12 (6-inch) flat bamboo skewers. Chill for 30 minutes.

To prepare sauce, combine mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in juice, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and serrano. Reserve 2 tablespoons sauce.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 6 skewers in pan; cook 9 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from pan; brush half of sauce over meatballs. Repeat procedure with remaining 6 skewers and sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds; serve with reserved 2 tablespoons sauce.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

My sister was up for the weekend and we're both trying to eat healthy. We have a habit of enabling each other to NOT eat healthy so I figured if I planned on making us dinner, we'd be better at not eating bad stuff.

I made this grilled lemon chicken. And while it was very flavorful, I forgot one BIG thing with chicken and lemon...the smaller the pieces, the more weird the texture when lemons involved.

Generally when I marinade chicken I cut it into chunks to marinade. More marinade per bite in my mind. I did the same with this recipe. I only let it sit for 30 minutes because I know lemon can "cook" the chicken if it's in too long. The texture was gross to me. Blech. The sister loved it, so I sent the entire vat of left overs with her.

I'd make this again but use full chicken breasts (or thighs) instead of smaller pieces.

Its 161 calories for 1 breast - 29 grams of protein. Not too bad.

Grilled Lemon Chicken
Recipe from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
Serves 4

1 garlic clove, peeled (yah right, I used 3)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 T lemon juice
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano (somehow I left this out)
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 (5oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

With side of large knife, mash garlic with salt until it forms a paste.

To make marinade, combine everything in a zip loc bag. Squeeze out any air and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grill chicken until done.

Easy!

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Last nights Sunday dinner (which was the annual Saturday Sunday dinner) I decided to make flank steak and chimichurri sauce. I'm a big fan of chimichurri sauce and every time I have it I think I should make it more.

Super simple and super tasty. You can put this on any beef product you want. If you've got a New York Strip you're dying to grill instead...do it. I seasoned my flank steak simply by using McCormicks Montreal Grill Seasoning. I didn't follow the rub in the recipe.

I'm only putting the portion of the recipe for the chimichurri sauce. If you want the entire recipe, go here.

Chimichurri Sauce

Photo from ME.

Recipe from SkinnyTaste.com


2 packed T parsley, finely chopped (no stems)
2 packed T cilantro, finely chopped (no stems)
2 T red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (I didn't include this for some reason)

For the chimichurri, combine the red onion, vinegar, salt and olive oil and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients together.

Note: I did this like I do my pesto. Everything in the food processor and drizzle in the olive oil. I probably used more than 2 T, but it turned out fantastic.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Saute

My friend Sara mad this dish for me and another friend a couple of weeks ago. I like corn. This made me LOVE corn. Such an easy recipe and oh so flavorful. I actually followed the recipe word for word and made no changes. It was so good that there's no need. 

The corn saute recipe on MyRecipe goes with salmon. Sara made this entire recipe and both the corn and salmon was fantastic.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Saute

Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Photo from MyRecipe.com

Serves: I doubled the recipe for 6 people and had about a serving left

2 center cut bacon slices, chopped

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

2 T dry white wine

1 T apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 10oz package frozen corn

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add shallot and white parts of onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in vinegar, corn, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in green parts of onions.

Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Salad

So this was an interesting use of zucchini. For all my friends who garden and have WAY too many zucchinis in the summer and you have no idea what to do with it...THIS recipe is it.

I'm so making this for Sunday dinner at some point...The key is to not over do the dill. I think dill is like rosemary in that sense...you can use too much.

I put the salmon in the oven instead of the grill, for no other reason other than I didn't read the recipe. Even though the title says GRILL.

Make this recipe. You won't regret it. 379 calories per serving and GOOD fats in the salmon.

Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Salad
Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4
379 calories per serving

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, divided
1 lemon
3 c thinly sliced zucchini
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat grill (or oven in my case) to high heat.

Drizzle fillets with 1 T oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grill; grill 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

Grate lemon rind to equal 1 1/2 tsp; squeeze juice to equal 2 T. Combine rind, juice, remaining 2 T oil, remaining salt and pepper, zucchini, and dill in a bowl, toss gently to coat.  Place 1 fillet on each 4 plates. Top each serving with about 2/3 c salad; sprinkle each serving with 1 T almonds.

Chicken Strawberry Salad

Interestingly enough I made this for a "Meatless Monday" and only when I was putting in the chicken did I do a face palm.

This is a delicious recipe. The sweet of the strawberry coupled with the tangy blue cheese and vinegar dressing really sets this recipe up for success.  I

Chicken Strawberry Salad

Recipe from Cooking Light
Serves 4

Dressing:
1 T sugar
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T water
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

Salad:
4 c torn romaine lettuce
4 c arugula (I can't stand arugula so I left this out)
2 c quartered strawberries
1/3 c vertically sliced red onion (Hint: If you cut your red onion in half and submerge the cut side in cold water for 15 minutes, the onion isn't as harsh).
12 oz skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, sliced
2 T cashews halved (the recipe says unsalted, but what fun is that?)
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese

To prepare the dressing, mix everything together except the oil. Gradually drizzle the oil in stirring constantly with a whisk.

For the salad, put everything in a bowl. Drizzle with dressing.

Steak Tacos With Lime Mayo

The Niece's Wife was over last night fixing my curtain rods...and since I was letting her do all the work, I cooked dinner.

My Cooking Light meal plan sent me Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo at 324 calories for 2 tacos. The recipe looked good and simple, my two favorite things.

Turned out they were delicious...and I ate the leftovers. Crazy.

The lime mayo was interesting. If I made this again, I'd swap the mayo for light sour cream and mix that with the lime. I had to add extra lime to counteract the "mayo" flavor.

I also don't do bell peppers, so instead I made a quick pica de gallo (and somehow completely forgot the jalapeno).

Steak Tacos with Lime May

Photo from Cooking Light, May 2011

Recipe from Cooking Light, May 2011
Calories 324 for 2 tacos

20 baby sweet peppers

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon water

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat broiler to high.

Arrange bell peppers in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan; lightly coat peppers with cooking spray. Broil peppers 4 minutes on each side or until blackened. Cool slightly; discard stems. Cut peppers into strips.

Combine chipotle, paprika, and salt; rub spice mixture evenly over steak. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let steak stand 10 minutes; thinly slice steak across the grain. Combine mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients; stir well.

Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat, directly on the eye of a burner, for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Divide steak evenly among tortillas; top each taco with 1/4 cup sweet peppers, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise mixture.

Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken

Let me first say, I didn't ready the directions before I started this, so I didn't actually make this recipe as it states below.

And I, for whatever reason, cannot cook rice noodles. They are among the easiest things to make and yet I can't get them done correctly.

This is a flavorful soup and filling. Of course, once I pee I'll be hungry.

Small note: Be sure to plan for 30-45 minutes for the noodles to soak. I did not and thus the bad consistency of my noodles. Most likely...

Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken

Photo from Cooking Light

Recipe from Cooking Light
Serves 4
Calories for 1.5 c = 330

2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
4 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
2/3 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup torn fresh basil
2 teaspoons sambal oelek
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 cups cooked rice noodles

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry paste and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.

Combine chicken, cucumber, basil, sambal oelek, and sesame oil in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1/2 cup noodles in each of 4 bowls. Pour about 1 1/4 cups stock mixture into each bowl. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Root Beer Baked Beans with Bacon

Oh hahaha. My first title read, "Toot Beer Baked Beans." Ain't that the truth?

I generally like baked beans. What makes me not like them is when people ruin them by putting green bell peppers in them. Blech. While this recipe has said onions, this girl did not include them.

I made this for May's Sunday dinner. And almost, almost didn't follow the recipe and added one more can of beans.

A couple things about this recipe:
1. I couldn't find root beer extract. So instead I tried to reduce rootbeer to get a stronger flavor. That didn't work at all. And so consequently I don't think you could taste the root beer at all in this recipe.

and

2. The recipe says it feeds 12. No way. I had 7 and had about a serving left. 

Root Beer Baked Beans with Bacon

Photo from Cuisine at Home

Recipe from Cuisine at Home - June 2015

4 strips thick sliced bacon
2 c diced onions
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 T minced fresh garlic
2 c root beer
2 cans pinto beans (15.5 oz each), drained and rinsed
1 can tomato puree (10.75 oz)
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T cider vinegar
1 T prepared yellow mustard
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp root beer extract
Salt and pepper
3 slices white bread, buttered
2 T minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425F.

For the beans, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp; transfer to paper towel lined plate and discard all but 1 T fat.

Sweat onions, bell pepper and garlic in drippings over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes.

Deglaze skillet with root beer and bring to a boil; reduce until nearly evaporated, 10 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato puree, ketchup, brown sugar, W sauce, vinegar, mustard, Tabasco, root beer extract, salt and reserved bacon; bring to a simmer. Transfer beans to baking dish.

For topping: pulse bread in a food processor to crumbs. Add parsley; pulse to combine. Top beans with bread crumb mixture; bake until crumbs are toasted and beans are bubbly, 15 minutes.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

This turned out a bit like phad thai.  And delicious...the problem with this recipe was portion control. The serving size is a cup and a third.  A cup? Seriously?

It's another recipe from the SkinnyTaste Cookbook. I swear I'm going to cook every recipe in this book.

This recipe requires a little bit of planning...a little bit. You need to make the peanut sauce and allow it time to reduce.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook

Serves 6

Photo of the photo in the Skinnytaste Cookbook

1 1/3 c = 359 calories

Peanut Sauce:
1 c fat free chicken broth
5 T Better n' Peanut Butter (found at Trader Joe's)
2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Chicken and Vegetables
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T fresh ginger
1/2 T sesame oil
3/4 c chopped scallions
1 1/4 c shredded carrots
1 1/4 c broccoli slaw
8 oz rice noodles
2 T chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges
6 sprigs of fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the peanut sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors blend and the sauce is slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.

For the chicken: Season with salt and pepper, then transfer it to a large bowl and add the Sriracha, soy sauce, lime juice, 2 garlic cloves and the ginger.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the sesame oil, then add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the scallions, carrots, and broccoli slaw and season with a pinch of salt. Coo, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain and put them in the hot skillet or wok.  Add the chicken and peanut sauce and cook, tossing everything together for a minute.

Divide among 6 bowls. Top with 1/3 c vegetables and 1 tsp peanuts. Serve with lime wedges and a sprig of cilantro.

Chicken Marsala on the Lighter Side

I probably haven't mentioned it enough but my new favorite cookbook is The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I've read the SkinnyTaste blog for years and have loved every recipe I've made from the site.

I expected this recipe to be just as delicious for many reasons. 1. it's SkinnyTaste and 2. It's chicken marsala.  What's not to like?

This recipe is easy and scrumptious. If you are a fan of chicken marsala, you will not even notice this is "on the lighter side". In fact, I liked it better than many of my other chicken marsala recipes.

I will admit, however, I didn't use marsala. I have all this madeira wine so figured I might as well use it. It did not disappoint.

Chicken Marsala on the Lighter Side

Picture of the picture in the cookbook

Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook (buy this book)

Serves 4
Serving size: 1 breast + mushrooms and sauce
Calories: 241

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
ground pepper
1/4 c + 1 tsp flour
1 T unsalted butter
2 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c finely chopped shallots
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
3 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/3 c marsala wine
1/2 c fat free chicken broth
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200F.

Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets. Put each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and lightly pound them until they are about 1/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the flour in a shallow bowl and lightly dredge the chicken pieces in flour, shaking off the excess. Set aside. Reserve 1 tsp of the flour to use later.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil to the pan and swirl the pan until butter has melted.  Add the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to an oven safe place and put in the oven.

Add remaining 1/2 T butter and 1 tsp olive oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and shallot and cook until soft and golden, about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in the reserved 1 tsp flour and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.

Add the Marsala wine, chicken broth, and parsley. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet with the mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer in the sauce to let the flavors blend, about 4 to 5 minutes.

To serve, put a piece of chicken on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce evenly over the top.

Tandoori-Style Chicken with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

So book club #2 girls are coming to dinner tonight. I wanted to make kebabs and I wanted some yogurt marinade.

Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken cookbook came through with this recipe. Simple recipe, but you should allow for longer than an hour to marinade.

According to the cookbook a serving  is 1 chicken thigh and about 2 T sauce to be 213 calories. I didn't use thighs so with chicken breast maybe it's a bit less.

Tandoori-Style Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Photo borrowed from My Fiance likes it So it must be good blog. 

Recipe from Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken Cookbook

1 1/2 c plain fat-free yogurt
2 T lemon juice
1 T paprika
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T pickled jalapeno pepper, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1/2 tsp salt

Combine 1 c yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, ginger, jalapeno, garlic, curry, cumin and cinnamon in a bowl. Add chicken and sauce to a zip loc bag and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining yogurt and cucumber in a bowl with salt. (JW note: I added some lemon juice to this too).

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil. Place a wire rack in the pan; spray with nonstick spray. Cook chicken and discard marinade. Bake until chicken is cooked through 25-30 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.

JW note: I grilled the chicken on kebab skewers. With the yogurt marinade you need to do one of two things. Either wipe off a good portion of the yogurt marinade that clings to the chicken (not my favorite thing to do). Or be sure there's enough space between the pieces of chicken on the skewers so the heat can get to the yogurt marinade. If you don't, you get this weird pasty substance between the pieces of chicken. It not only looks weird, but has a weird texture.

Or it could just be me.

Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

I've been making this salad for years...like almost 10 years.  It first shows up on my blog in 2009 but I am sure I made it for Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary in 2001. 

At any rate, I made it again today for some friends coming to dinner. It always makes me think of summer. It's a refreshing little salad that makes a light side on a hot summer day.

Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

Picture from Taste of Home

Recipe from Taste of Home

1 c uncooked orzo pasta
2 c frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives (or greek olives work well here too)
1/4 c chopped sweet red onion
1/4 c basil chiffonade
2 T minced fresh parsley
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Toss it and everything else in a bowl and mix.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Side note: Red onions can often get over bearing in a salad like this. I cut my onion in half and submerge the cut side in cold water for 15 minutes. It really cuts down on the onion bite and leaves you with a great texture and a nice onion flavor.