Alice Springs Chicken

I love Outback's Alice Springs Chicken, but I can't bear to pay $16 for it every time I want it. My Aunt Jenny put this recipe in our family cookbook and we love it. We use the honey-mustard marinade all the time. It works great as a dipping sauce too.Ingredients:
1/2 c. Grey Poupon mustard
1/2 c. honey
1-1/2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 T. oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
2 T. butter
salt
pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
*I find slices of cheese easier though, and pepper jack is great
2 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

To make the marinade use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, oil and lemon juice. Whip for about 30 seconds. Pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken and save the rest for a dipping sauce. I like to marinade in a Ziploc bag instead of a bowl. Less wasted space. Allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade as well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. You will need an oven safe frying pan for this. I use my cast-iron skillet. While the oven is heating I cook the chicken. You can sear it in a pan with oil for 3-4 minutes per side. However I like to grill it for that same amount of time to avoid the oil and add that smoky flavor. Baste chicken with marinade and season with salt, pepper and paprika. While the chicken is cooking saute mushrooms in butter.

Place chicken in your oven safe pan if it isn't there already. Stack 2 slices of bacon on each breast in an X shape. Spoon mushrooms over each breast. Finally sprinkle with cheese (or if you are me place a slice of cheese on top).

Bake in the 375 degree oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley before serving and place remaining marinade in a small bowl on the side.
Serves 4
Points: 9

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Yet another pizza recipe I know, but this is Tyson's favorite. Today I tried something new and made a sourdough crust. The juxtaposition of flavors was really good so I think that we'll do this again. Ingredients:
1/3 sourdough bread dough recipe (found here)
3/4 c. BBQ sauce, divided (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)
3 oz. chicken breast, cut into 1/2 peices
2 strips bacon, cooked and cut into 1/2 pieces
1/3 c. pineapple tidbits, drained
1-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Press, roll, or toss dough and place on a greased pan or pizza stone. Cook for 7 minutes at 425 degrees and remove from oven.

Cook chicken in a frying pan with 1/4 c. of the BBQ sauce. Once fully cooked add the bacon and pineapple and continue to cook together on low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Spread remaining 1/2 c. of BBQ sauce on pizza and then spread toppings evening. Cover with mozzarella and then Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 7-10 minutes or until the cheese and completely melted and bubbles.
Yields: 8 Slices
Points: 6

Jumbalaya

This is one of the few recipes that Tyson brought into our marriage and it is a favorite. Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 lb. of smoked sausages cut into 1/4 in. slices (I use turkey sausage for fewer calories)
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1 sm. onion, chopped,
2 10 oz cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1 c. water
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 c. uncooked long grain rice

Cook sausage about 5 minutes. Added pepper and onion and cook until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and rice. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
Serves 6
Points: 7

Meatballs

We were putting together out menu for the month and Tyson mentioned that the one thing that we have not had to eat since we got married was spaghetti. Well, truth be told, I generally don't really like spaghetti and it has always seemed so plain and overly simple to me. Anyway, Tyson wanted spaghetti so I figured that I might as well make spaghetti and meatballs.
I'm only putting up my simple recipe for meatballs for now. I'll post a marinara sauce recipe at another time.Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef (I use the super lean ground beef, but ground sirloin or elk is also good. Avoid ground turkey or chicken because the flavor doesn't translate well)
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
*1 package Lipton onion soup mix
OR
2 tsp. Italian seasoning

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, soup mix OR Italian seasoning. *Decide based on the flavor that you would like. The onion soup mix will make for a stronger flavor and the Italian seasoning will complement your basic marinara sauce.

Add ground beef and combine by hand. Don't work it for too long as that can make the meat tough. Divide the mixture evening to create 16 meat balls. Place them in a greased baking dish and broil for 15 minutes, just to brown them.

Remove from the oven and place them in a simmering sauce. Cover and allow to cook for an additional 25 minutes.
Yields: 16

Grandma's Baked Chicken Breasts

This is one of my Grandma Harper's recipes, and I just love it! She made it for us once when I was about 13 and I remember asking what it was called and my uncle David said it was called ambrosia. He was right on target because it is really good, and rather simple to make.Ingredients:
8 chicken breasts, thawed and cut in half
1 jar dried beef
16 slices of bacon
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
dried parsley

Cook the bacon, but don't let it get crispy. Place 2 slices of dried beef (you can find it at the grocery store near the canned sardines and such) under 1/2 a chicken breast and wrap in a slice of bacon. Place in a shallow baking dish. Repeat 15 more times.

Mix sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together and spoon over the chicken. Sprinkle parsley over everything. Cover with foil and back at 250 degrees for 2-1/2 hours.
Serves 16
Points: 6

Mexican Lasagna

I realized that I have now posted 3 lasagna recipes. This one is a lot of fun and very different from your traditional lasagna. I found it in one of my Taste of Home magazines and then modified it to fit my style.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pound lean ground chicken (or turkey or ground beef if you prefer)
1 c. diced red onion
1 c. diced bell pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic (or 4 cloves)
1 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed (I used the full 14.5 oz can)
1 c. diced tomatoes
1/2 c. frozen corn
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c. medium salsa
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 T. minced fresh cilantro
4 large 10 inch tortillas (you can use whole wheat of you prefer)
1-1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or sharp cheddar is also good)
1 c. light sour cream
1/4 c. green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

In a large skillet cook the ground chicken, onion, garlic and bell pepper. Make sure to break up the meat as it is cooking. Once fully cooked add the black beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin and cook for 2 more minutes at medium heat. Add the canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa and black pepper. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, covered. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture over the bottom of the pan. Layer 2 tortillas on top. *I ripped one in half, placed one in the center and the 2 halves on each end of the pan* Spread another 1/3 of the sauce mixture on top of tortillas and then 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, sauce mixture and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a dab of sour cream and green onions on top.
Serves 8
Points: 5 per serving

Prosciutto Chicken Stromboli

I love it when I play around in the kitchen and something great comes out of it! We had a few slices of leftover prosciutto in the fridge and I was trying to come up with something to do with it. I had made a ham and cheese Stromboli a few weeks ago so Tyson suggested that we try a prosciutto Stromboli. So, I gave it a go and I really like how it turned out.
Someday I'll figure how to take better food pictures. Until then, I'm sorry for the poor quality, but I still think that it is helpful to have pictures.Ingredients:
1/2 c. hot water
1/2 T. yeast
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1-1/4 c. flour
6 slices of prosciutto
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. Italian dressing
8-10 fresh basil leaves
1 green onion, chopped
1-1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1/4 c. Romano cheese

Dissolve the yeast in water in a medium mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt, olive oil and flour. knead for about five minutes. Roll out into a rectangle on a greased baking dish (I use my pizza stone).

Spread the Italian dressing over the top leaving about 1/2 inch all the way around. Layer the prosciutto, basil leaves, chicken, green onion, and mozzarella cheese. Carefully roll it into a log and pinch seal the side and edges closed.

Baste with the beaten egg white and top with Romano cheese. The Romano cheese adds a great flavor and makes for a nice look when finished baking.Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Yields 8 slices
Serves 4
Points: 5 per slice

Chicken Tetrazinni

This is a favorite of mine. I got is from one of my long time college roommates, Rachel Boyce. It has such a fun flavor to it and it is SO easy to make.Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
8 oz. linguine, cooked and drained
1 small jar diced pimentos
1/2 c. mushrooms
4 T. butter- I used Safola margerine
1/4 c. flour
1-1/4 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream- I used a fat free sour cream
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese- I will mix half Parmesan and half Romano though

Use the butter, flour, broth and salt to make a white sauce. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Mix the sauce in a bowl with chicken, linguine, pimentos, and mushrooms. Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove foil cover and sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for another 5 minutes uncovered. Allow to sit for 8 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
Points: 8

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

I love Mexican food! While this recipe is by no means authentic, it is super easy to throw together in a pinch. I have several other more gourmet enchilada recipes that I'm sure that I will post down the road, but for today we are going with EASY. I forgot to take a picture...sorry.

Ingredients:
10 flour tortillas, soft taco size-I use flour because I don't care for corn tortillas, but you can always use corn.
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can enchilada sauce
1 c. sour cream
1 can diced green chilies
1 can sliced olives
2 c. shredded cheese, separated-You can use any kind, I use a Mexican blend for some added flavor

Mix together the enchilada sauce, diced green chilies, and sour cream. Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce mix on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Take a flour tortillas and spoon in some sauce, 1/10 of the chicken and a 1/8 cup of cheese. Roll up and place in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese and the olives on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Yields 10
Points: 7 per enchilada

Lasagna

There are a million lasagna recipes out there and I have tried a lot of them. I use a lot of different recipes, this is one of my easier, lower calorie, healthier recipes. Since that has been one of the focuses of my cooking lately that is what you get.
Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 lb. lean ground beef (or substitute ground turkey)
2 cloves minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp. oregano
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1 pint fat-free ricotta cheese
1 tomato, chopped
5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c. Romano cheese

Brown the ground beef in a large sauce pan with the minced garlic and oregano. Add spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

*I use Classico brand spaghetti sauce. They have a sausage flavored sauce that works great. That way the lasagna still gets the sausage flavor without the fat and calories.

Remove the meat and sauce from heat and stir in the tomato.

In a 9x13 pan spread 1/2 c. sauce mix. Layer 3 noodles. Spread 1 c. ricotta cheese, then 1 c. mozzarella cheese, then spinach, and finally 1 c. sauce mix. Layer 3 more noodles, remaining 1 c. ricotta cheese, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, then 1 c. sauce mix. Layer last 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and Romano cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves: 9
Points: 7

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Yet another pizza favorite in our household. Like I said before we love to play around with new pizza ideas and this came from me just playing around in the kitchen.
Well, to begin let's star with a basic pizza dough recipe. This is an old family favorite and I have no idea where it came from.
Ingredients:
1 c. water, hot
1 T. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 T. olive oil
2-1/2 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and let the mixer knead for about 5 minutes. This is enough dough for 2 pizzas.

*I have 2 methods, for a thinner, normal crust for my pizza I use a pizza stone. Or, for a deep dish crust I use a 12" cast iron skillet. I melt butter (Safola margarine for less fat) in the bottom before I add the dough.

Bake the dough for approximately 7 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings and sauce.

For this pizza I use the following:
1/4 c. Ranch dressing
1/2 chicken breast, sliced
3 mushrooms, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese, divided

Spread the dressing around the crust and top with 1 cup of the cheese. Spread the remaining pizza toppings and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Back for another 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and the crust is golden.
Serves 6
Points: 7

Broccoli Chicken Lasagna

I love pasta and I love cheese, let's be honest, who doesn't! I saw this recipe and I knew that I had to make it. This one was also found in a Taste of Home magazine. Lasagna is always good, but this variation is just fantastic, not to mention a little bit better for you. The picture below does not do it justice.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth
1-3/4 c. milk
2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese (I always prefer fresh grated Parmesan cheese, it is so much better than the dried stuff in the jar and it makes such a big difference)
1 pkg. (16 oz) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1-1/3 c. julienned fully cooked ham (I used a very lean ham, but you can also use a turkey ham to keep the fat and calories down)
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. cubed cooked chicken

In a large skillet saute the mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gradually add the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in broccoli and Parmesan cheese until heated through.

In a 9x13 pan spread 1/2 broccoli mix on the bottom. Layer 3 noodles, 1/3 remaining broccoli mixture, 1 c. ham and 1 c. Monterey Jack cheese. Layer 3 more noodles, 1/2 remaining broccoli mixture, all the the chicken and 1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, the rest of the broccoli mixture and ham.

Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with the remaining cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves 12
Points: 9

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I love pizza, but I get bored with pepperoni, Hawaiian, etc. so I find myself trying new toppings and sauces all the time. I was flipping through one of my many cookbooks (Taste of Home) last week looking for some new ides when I landed on this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (now, I can't stand to use that stuff so I make my own dough. I'll post that recipe soon)
1/2 c. water
3 T. olive oil
1 envelope pesto sauce mix
1 pkg. (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 c. ricotta cheese (I used the fat free ricotta)
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c. grated Romano cheese

The recipe says to unroll the pizza crust onto a jellyroll pan, however I prefer to use a pizza stone. Prick the dough with a fork and bake at 425 degrees for about 7 minutes.

In a small sauce pan combine the water, oil and pesto mix and warm through, don't boil. Add the spinach, ricotta and onion and mix well.
*The recipe says to use this entire amount on the pizza, but when I made it I felt that it was just too much, so I saved half of it and put it in the freezer to use when I make this pizza again. Spread the spinach pesto mix over the crust.

Top with mushrooms, chicken, tomatoes and both Swiss and Romano cheese. Bake at the same 425 degrees for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.
Serves 8
Points: 7 per slice

Grilled Glazed Drummies

In the summer I love to grill so I am always on the look out for new grilling recipes. I found this recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine and then played with it a bit. This is a great, very basic marinade. It tastes great on drumsticks, but it would be great with plain boneless, skinless breasts if you would like.
Ingredients:
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. soy sauce
4 tsp. honey
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (though I prefer 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic)
3 lbs. chicken drumsticks (or drumettes if you are making this as an appetizer)

Combine ketchup, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic in a bowl and save out 1/2 cup of marinade. Pour the remaining marinade into a ziploc bag. Add chicken and seal. allow to marinade for 4 hours or longer in the fridge.
Grill on medium heat for 5 minutes, turn and baste with the reserved marinade. Grill for another 10-15 minutes turning and basting from time to time.
Yields 16 drumsticks or 2 dozen drumettes.
Serves 8
Points: 3 per serving