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Chicken Recipes

White Chili with Chicken and Beans

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White Chili Recipe with Chicken, Beans, and McCormick Spice

The weather kind of cooled off here in Western Kentucky last night and it put me in the mindset for chili.  As a chili fanatic, admittedly it doesn’t take much.

However, I wanted to mix things up a little bit, so I went the white chili route. Besides, I knew we’d be watching The Biggest Loser later in the evening and it’s easier to face Bob and Jillian with chicken on my breath rather than red meat.  She’s a screamer, you know.

I totally short-cutted my way with the chicken this time (something I’ve been known to do when my to do list is unreasonable).  I bought 3 bags of Tyson’s delicious fully cooked diced chicken breast. Tender, flavorful, fast. Tell me that’s not a wicked 1-2-3 combo. The chicken’s carved from real whole breast fillets and has no preservatives – just like you’d make it in your own kitchen but without having to scrub everything a thousand times.

The recipe below can be halved or doubled for that matter. This one serves 8.

Flavorful White Chili

3 bags Tyson 6 oz Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast
2 packages McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
2 cans Great Northern Beans, undrained
1 can Red Beans, drained and rinsed
2 small cans green chilies
1-1/2 cups water to 2 cups water, your call
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion. Stir for a minute over medium heat, allowing the onion to season the oil. Add the bags of chicken and stir the onions into the meat. Pour the beans, water, seasoning packets, and chilies into your favorite chili pan (I used my beloved Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12″ Fryer. For one thing, It cooks everything perfectly and for another, it has a clear lid, allowing me to behold the loveliness.).

Add the chicken and onion to the bean mixture. Bring to a soft boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

We cooks love to season everything to the hilt, right? Well, with the McCormick seasoning packets, you’ll want to curb the instincts. Trust me, everything you could hope to add to the flavor is already in the packets.

Serving Options: I served the chili with a variety of topping options. I went with sour cream and cilantro, one of my daughters chose mixed Authentic Mexican shredded cheese and another daughter threw caution to the wind and chose all three.

You could also serve White Chili with slices of avocado, salsa, red pepper flakes or hot sauce. However, as with everything, you’d want to taste the chili first, before adding anything.

I always serve white chili with folded warmed tortillas but bread sticks or corn muffins are also great options.

Enjoy!

Wishbone Chicken Bruschetta (Delicious!)

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Wishbone Marinated Chicken Recipe3/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lbs.)
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil leaves* (optional)

1. Pour 1/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing over chicken in large, shallow non-aluminum baking dish or plastic bag. Cover, or close bag, and marinate in refrigerator, turning occasionally, 30 minutes to 3 hours.

2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, basil and 1/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

3. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil chicken, turning once and brushing frequently with remaining 1/4 cup dressing, 12 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve tomato bruschetta over chicken.

For Marinated Chicken with Fresh Salsa, use cilantro instead of basil.

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 10 Minute(s)
Marinate Time: 30 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 12 Minute(s)

This is cool.  Wish-Bone has a new bottle that uses up to 20 percent less plastic!

  • Delivers the same amount of dressing with a lower impact on the environment.
  • Estimated to save nearly 30 million bottles worth of plastic this year.

This is really a giant step in the right direction from a really major brand.   As someone who buys a lot of salad dressings – as well as the Wishbone Italian for marinating meats and vegetables – this is very welcome news indeed.

Unexpected Superbowl Recipes!

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2010 Green Bay Packers Team Composite
2010 Green Bay Packers Team Composite
Buy This Allposters.com

Unfortunately, my beloved Denver Broncos won’t be anywhere near the Superbowl this year.  Sigh.  Truth be told, after this past year, I’m just glad the Bronco’s year is over.  Can you say stop the bleeding!?  My oldest Daughter, Emily, is decked out in her normal NFL season colors of green and gold and is smiling ear to ear.  She’s been a HUGE Green Bay Packer’s fan since she was about 10 and started watching football with her daddy.  It’s crazy, everyone in our family has a different favorite team. My husband (and Emily’s father, of course) has been a Jets fan since I met him.

Even he had a great NFL year.  Controversial, but great. At least better than the one they had in Denver.  Again, sigh.

We treat Superbowl Sunday like a holiday in our house – lots of food, lots of laughter, and this year, lots of bragging rights for Emily.  Each year, I mostly hope for a good game, entertaining commercials, and OF COURSE outstanding food.

Below are a couple of recipes that can certainly help with the last prerequisite. They’re from Kitchen Daily – a rock star when it comes to recipe sites.  They’re kind enough to share these Superbowl Recipes with Get Cooking’s readers – which makes them not just rock stars but super cool rock stars.

Superbowl Recipe: Chicken Sausages with Apple Slaw

FOR APPLE SLAW:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt2 Granny Smith apples
6 cups finely shredded cabbage

FOR SAUSAGES:
16 precooked chicken sausages, about 3 ounces each, preferably with apple
16 hot dog buns

Make slaw: Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, caraway seeds (if using), and salt in a large bowl.

Cut apples with skin into 1/8-inch matchsticks and add to dressing along with the cabbage and toss to combine well. Let stand at least 30 minutes to wilt slightly.

Cook chicken sausages and heat buns:
Broiler method: Preheat the broiler with oven rack 5 to 6 inches below heat. Pierce sausages in a few places with a knife or fork and put on a shallow baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until heated through and browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Spread buns open and arrange, cut sides up, on two baking sheets. Broil, once sheet at a time, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Grill method: Prepare a grill for grilling and lightly oil rack. Pierce sausages in a few places with a knife or fork and grill, turning once, until heated through and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Spread buns open and grill, cut sides down, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve sausages in buns topped with apple slaw.

Make ahead: Slaw can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Chill until 1 hour

About This Recipe:
Chicken sausages come in many flavors, so look for a precooked variety made with apple – they’ll go best with this refreshing crunchy slaw.

Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet Logo
Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet Logo
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Superbowl Recipe: Crispy Sweet Potato Ribbons

8 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
6 medium sweet potatoes (3 pounds), peeled

Directions:
Put enough oil in a deep 5- to 6-quart pot to measure 2 inches and heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360F. Using a vegetable peeler (preferably U-shaped) shave each sweet potato into long ribbons.

Fry a handful of ribbons at a time, turning with a mesh or slotted spoon, until lightly browned and crisp, about 50 seconds. Transfer ribbons to paper towels to drain and return the temperature of the oil to 360F before frying the next batch.

If not frying the ribbons right away, put them in a large bowl of ice and water and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Chilling the ribbons will make them firmer and they will crisp easily as long as they are dried by the handful in a kitchen towel before frying.

Make ahead: The ribbons will keep in large sealed plastic bags for 2 days.

About This Recipe:
As crisp as chips but more elegant, these sweet potato ribbons are easily made with a vegetable peeler. Although they are very tasty by themselves, for a variation you can sprinkle them with salt and lime zest or chili powder.

Credit (and many thanks) go to Kitchen Daily.

Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
Buy This Allposters.com

Sigh.

Daily Kitchen Gadget: Digital Thermometer

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Taylor 532 Digital Thermometer Celsius, Fahrenheit Reading - Clock, Alarm, Backlit Digital Display - For Kitchen

I know we had an agreement, for our Daily Kitchen Gadgets, I’d try to keep the gadgets under a certain amount. However, when I was researching for a great thermometer to post about (and buy, I’m in need of a kitchen thermometer, myself!) – I couldn’t find one I liked anywhere near as well as this Digital Thermometer with Clock, Alarm, and Backlit Digital Display from Taylor.

For one thing, I prefer DIGITAL everything – clocks, fever thermometers, kitchen thermometers, watches… So the fact that this kitchen thermometer is digital makes me all kinds of happy.

But there’s more to it than just big, easy to read numbers – this overachiever also has a clock and an alarm. They pretty much covered the bases, didn’t they?! I also love that the base unit has stand or magnet positioning. I hate for thermometers to just lie around, waiting to be knocked off onto the floor or into the sink.

From the Website:
The real secret to great cooking is a Taylor thermometer. Thermometers are the only way to ensure that foods are cooked to the proper temperature, your oven is calibrated to the correct degree, and that your refrigerator is keeping your food cold and safe. Taylor is and has been the leader in food thermometers, with expertise over 150 years strong. You can count on Taylor for accuracy, superior performance, and dependability. That is why Taylor is tools chef’s trust.

Click the following link today for more information – just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas baking: Digital Thermometer with Clock, Alarm, and Backlit Digital Display from Taylor

Recipes from Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

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The recipes below are from Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Chef Jennifer Schaertl. (You can read my review of this VERY delightful cookbook by clicking the link.)

Holy Moly Chicken Pasole

Makes 2.5 Quarts

A gourmet version of tortilla soup, this rustic version is actually thickened with finely diced pieces of corn tortilla that break down as the stew simmers. It’s also a great way to utilize leftover chicken, which makes it a standard on my rotation of Soupe du Jour in my restaurant. There’s always leftover chicken laying around!

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded off the bone
8 c chicken stock
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic
1 green bell, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1/2 c tomato puree
1 large tomato, diced
1 T oregano
5 corn tortilla finely minced
1/2 tsp red pepper
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 c cilantro, chopped

  1. In a large stock pot over a medium-high heat, bring the shredded chicken, stock, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, add all of the other ingredients except for salt, pepper, and cilantro.
  2. Once the tortilla has begun to break down and thicken the stew (about 30 minutes), season to your tastes with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

Nobody Better Lay a Finger on My Corn Fritter

Makes 15-20 fritters

Beautiful little side dishes, but I usually put them in bread baskets along with the rolls at my restaurants. The corn is sweet and juicy inside this fluffy pan fried biscuit. The kids will eat with butter and the adults will dip it in the soup, but everyone will be all over this moist and flavorful fritter.

3-1/2 c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sea salt
5 eggs
2/3 c whole milk
3-3/4 c yellow corn kernels, canned or defrosted, but well drained
2 T butter, melted plus more for frying

  1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add the eggs, milk, corn and melted butter and fold until completely moistened. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be lumpy!
  2. Place a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add just enough melted butter to cover the bottom of the pan, and drop corn batter by tablespoon full into the hot butter. Fry until brown on both sides, and transfer to a baking sheet to bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes once all the fritters have been fried. Cool slightly before serving.

Make no Mistake Coffee Cake

Makes approximately 18 pieces

Whether for brunch, dessert, or coffee table edible décor for company, this is a fool proof classic. It mixes together easily, looks beautiful, and tastes a buttery and divine. I’ve served it as a complimentary table gift at brunch serves, but my good friend and wonderful pastry chef friend, Tsuki, makes it for her family all the time.

Cake:

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 T Baking powder
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:

1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 T Cinnamon
4 T Butter
4 T all purpose flour

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13-inch disposable pan with pan spray.
  2. Make certain that the butter is a soft, room temperature to make sure it creams easily. Using a whisk cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until they become light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
  3. Sift the remaining dry ingredients into a clean bowl or plate using a fine wire strainer. Fold in half of the dry ingredients to the cake batter and then half of the milk and vanilla. Repeat with the last of the dry and wet. Combine the filling ingredients in a separate container.
  4. In prepped pan layer add 1/2 cake batter, sprinkle 1/2 filling, and then the other 1/2 of the cake batter. Carefully spread the batter evenly with a spoon or spatula, trying to keep the filling in place. Sprinkle remaining filling over the top.
  5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes and serve.

Rhubarb Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

Makes approximately 18 pieces

Use the same bowl for the crust and the filling with this recipe, rather than making multiple dishes for washing. This is also a crazy adaptable recipe. Substitute berries or any other fruit that is in season for the rhubarb, or even 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of lemon zest to make a traditional lemon bar. Feel free to dust them with powdered sugar using a fine mesh strainer, but I don’t feel the distraction is needed.

Crust:

2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 c butter at room temperature

Filling:

5 eggs
1-1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 c rhubarb, medium dice

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, work the flour, sugar and soft butter together until a soft dough ball forms. Press this dough evenly into the bottom of a 9×11 baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Work quickly because this filling works best if poured over the crust while it’s hot from the oven. Simply whisk together the filling ingredients in the same bowl that you made the crust.
  3. Pour over the piping hot crust and put back in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and set. When cool, cut into desired shapes, but I prefer diamond shapes. They stack just as well as squares, but look far more striking to the eye.

For more recipes like these, order Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Chef Jennifer Schaertl today. This is one of the funnest cookbooks you’ll ever use. Again and again and again…

Quick and Easy Picante Chicken Recipe

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This Picante Chicken recipe is a regular in our household.  Not only do we love chicken, we’re crazy wild about Picante sauce.  I made egg omelet breakfast burritos not long ago and they were good without Picante sauce, but outstanding when the red deliciousness was added.

This Picante chicken recipe is extremely easy – almost as easy as it is delicious.  I’m certain it’ll become a favorite in your house as well.

Picante Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

4 chicken breast halves (boneless and skinless)
1 16 oz jar Pace Picante Sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
Salt and Pepper
fresh cilantro, optional

Salt and pepper the chicken and place it into a greased baking dish.

Combine the Picante sauce, the brown sugar, and the mustard. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes – or until chicken juices run clear. Serve a little fresh cilantro on the side and/or snip a little over the picante chicken.

Dinner Idea: Serve the picante chicken with fresh corn on the cob and rice or a tossed salad and hominy.

Easy Chicken Recipes! Chicken with Rice

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Chicken Truck
Chicken Truck Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

Some of the most popular recipes (online or offline) are chicken recipes.  Everyone and their uncle seems to be searching for chicken recipes, easy chicken recipes, and fresh ways to serve chicken.  This chicken recipe is sure to be a hit in your kitchen because it has several things going for it:  It’s a delicious way to fix chicken, it’s an easy way to fix chicken, and it’s a unique recipe that looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.  Feel free to substitute for the olives by adding more onions, celery, or carrots.  Personally, I think black or green olives add an unexpected little twist, but not everyone is as big a fan of olives as I am.   My favorite pizza?  A cheese pizza with nothing on top but tons of green olives.

Delish!

An Easy Chicken Recipe:  Chicken With Rice

1 small chicken, cut up
1 can (16 oz) peas
1 onion, chopped
1 small can or jar of mushrooms
2 large stalks celery, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 jar olives, chopped
1 can (8 oz) tomato paste
Garlic, salt, and pepper, to taste
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 pkg. long grain rice

In a large saucepan, cook chicken in enough water to cover. Drain, reserving broth. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones. Combine the peas, onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, tomatoes, olives, tomato paste, and green pepper in a large saucepan or Dutch Oven. Add enough water to cover and season with garlic, salt, and pepper.

Add chicken.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until carrots are tender.

Prepare rice according to the directions on the package, but substitute the reserved broth for water. Very important! Serve chicken mixture over rice.

Yield: 12 servings


**********

Anytime you’re making rice, substitute chicken broth for the water in the recipe and you’ll be blown away by the results. Somehow, chicken broth just takes rice to a whole new delicious level. Normally, I love butter on cooked rice but when you use chicken broth instead of water, you don’t need the butter at all.

Quick and Easy Recipe: Pork Chops and Rice

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Presto Electric Skillet, White

When I was thinking of a name for this easy Pork Chops and Rice recipe, I thought of how perfect it was for busy days. So, Busy Day Pork Chops and Rice came right to mind.  But the argumentative part of my mind challenged, “What days aren’t busy days?”  With a to do list that gives me a headache, I didn’t have an answer.

I’m sticking with the name though – simply because I haven’t the time to come up with another one!  Recipes don’t come any easier or quicker than this one.  Of course, that’d mean very little if it weren’t delicious, wouldn’t it?  Fortunately, it’s as fabulous as it is fast.

Busy Day Pork Chops and Rice Recipe

3 to 4 pork chops
1 can or jar of mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of water
Minute Rice, unprepared
minced dry onion
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown pork chops in electric skillet on both sides.  Drain grease.  Layer the pork chops, mushrooms, and onions. Top with Minute Rice.  Spread the soup over all and pour water around the sides.

Place lid on the electric skillet and cook at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Chicken can be used as easily as pork in this recipe.

Credit: The gorgeous Presto Electric Skillet, White pictured at the top of the post is from Cooking.com. It’s a big white slice of Heaven and no kitchen should even try to be a kitchen without it.

Tuscan Chicken Recipe from Jolane’s Cafe

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Jolane’s Tuscan Chicken Recipe

Serves 2

2 6-8oz Chicken breast- boneless-skin on
1 cup grape tomatoes-halved
1/4 cup red onion-sliced thin
3 tbs fresh basil-chopped
1/2 loaf crusty French bread torn into chucks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs chopped garlic

Marinade:
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
2 springs of fresh rosemary
1 tbs chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 oz balsamic vinegar1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Kosher salt (To taste)
Cracked black pepper (TT)

Marinate chicken breast for minimum 4-6 hours or overnight for best results. Remove chicken from marinate and pat dry with a clean towel. Place chicken, skin side down, in a hot pan with 1 tbs of canola oil. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until skin becomes crispy and golden brown. Turn chicken over and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine grape tomatoes, red onions, basil and balsamic vinaigrette. Toss and set aside. Combine extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Drizzle over bread and toss to coat. Place bread on a sheet pan and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown. On two plates portion out the bread and the tomato mixtures and place 1 chicken breast on each plate.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

The elegant recipe above is from an equally elegant restaurant, Jolane’s Cafe.

The fascinating history behind Jolane’s:
Jolane was born November 26, 1906, in Korompa on the Austria-Hungary border, near the city of Vienna, where Julius Meinl coffee originated. She arrived in America on September 7, 1913, at the age of six, with nothing more than the shirt on her back. Jolane was almost turned away at Ellis Island due to a problem with her eyes.

Nothing came easy in life for Jolane. Her family settled on the Near West Side of Chicago starting out in typical immigrant fashion of the time by selling vegetables from a wagon. She was an independent young woman who graduated from Tuley High School and obtained an Associate’s degree in Accounting from Crane Junior College. Because she saved her money, she did not hesitate to do anything that made her happy. She was one of few women to drive a car in the mid-1920s and went to Cuba by herself when she was 26.

Jölane married her husband and business partner, Dave, in 1934. They opened an electronics store in 1936 in Logan Square with her $800. Times were tough, but they worked side-by-side, for long hours, while at the same time starting a family. Jolane relished the role of mother, ensuring her three children were always well taken care of. She went home every day to fix lunch and had a hot meal on the table every night.

Their business grew into one of the most successful family businesses in the United States. Jolane remained active in the business well into her 70s. Her carefree spirit and sense of adventure never faltered. She cruised to Alaska at the age of 84 and flew alone to Japan when she was 90. Jölane lived almost 97 years.

Jolane’s main focus in life above everything else was simply to be a good person. – Jolane’s Cafe.com

Jolane’s Cafe Address:
1100 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025

Healthy Recipes from Prevention’s Flat Belly Diet For Men

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Football and unhealthy food often go hand in hand. Chips, dips, nachos, wings — not necessarily the best food for one’s waistline! The following recipes are from Prevention’s new book, The Flat Belly Diet! for Men and I can easily see them putting the other foods on the DL – as in Don’t touch List. Okay, that would actually be the DTL, but we’ll just let it go.

Of course, these recipes will be fantastic whether it’s Superbowl Sunday or not.

Every recipe in this book, written by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Prevention, with Milton Stokes, MPH, RD, weighs in at less than 400 calories per serving and boasts a MUFA, or mono-unsaturated fatty acid, which have been proven to help shed belly fat (including the dangerous visceral fat that increases your risk for a number of serious health problems) and improve heart health.

They certainly have my attention, how about you?

For more information, visit Flat Belly Diet for Men.com.   After checking out Flat Belly Diet for Men’s website, you’ll want to head to Prevention’s website for more great recipes from the Flat Belly Diet.   There’s a Spinach-Pesto dip that I have an appointment with soon.  Very soon.

SPICY CHICKEN CHEESE STEAK WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND PEPPERS

Preparation time: 10 minutes / Cooking time: 16 minutes / Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup olive oil (MUFA)
12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces shredded 50 percent reduced fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) French baguette, split lengthwise

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, oregano, and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 9 minutes, or until the onions are golden. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until starting to brown. Add the chicken, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Cook 1 minute, or until hot. Remove from the heat and add in the cheese, stirring until melted.

2. Top the baguette with the chicken mixture. Cut into 4 portions and serve.

*********************************

BLACK AND RED BEAN CHILI WITH WAGON WHEELS

Preparation time: 10 minutes / Cooking time: 30 minutes / Makes 4 Servings

4 ounces wagon wheel pasta
1/4 cup olive oil (MUFA)
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15-ounce) no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Bring pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook 1 minute. Add the black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and salt, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Serve over the pasta.