Recipe Round-up: Chicken, Jack Cheese and Tomato on Garlic Bread

Ok people, prepare yourselves for a little piece of heaven. Low cal or NOT. Boy howdy is this good- Read directions ahead so if you want to make any of the same changes we did you can.

Chicken, Jack Cheese, and Tomato on Garlic Bread
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.
Makes: 4 Servings


3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each) (We just butterflied it)
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette (8 oz.) halved lengthwise (Not to be confused with french bread!)
1 clove garlic (We used minced)
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 slices reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (about 3 oz.) (We used a Mexican Fiesta shredded mix since it was the only one that was reduced fat with Jack cheese in it)
1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices
8 fresh basil leaves (We just used dry and sprinkled it on)
Our other additions:
Coriander
Garlic powder
 

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Toss the chicken with the oil, salt, pepper, coriander, garlic powder. Coat a nonstick grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through but still juicy (We just threw it on the grill- Adds a fantastic flavor!). At this point the recipe says to thinly slice the cooked chicken- We didn't, it seems kind of dumb to if you butterfly the chicken before cooking. It's the perfect size this way. 
3. Meanwhile, place the baguette on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until toasted. Let cool slightly, then rub the cut sides of the bread with the garlic clove. Spread with the mustard. Arrange the cheese over the bottom half of the baguette and return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven and top with tomato, basil, sliced chicken, and the top half of the bread. Cut crosswise into 4 sandwiches.

Serve with salad made with romaine lettuce, chopped tomato, and 70 calories worth of dressing- See your dressing bottle for serving size.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Serving size- 1 sandwich
Calories: 330
Total fat: 8 g
Saturated fat: 3.5 g
Sodium: 860 mg
Carbs: 35 g
Dietary fiber: 1 g
Protein: 28 g
Calcium: 15%

Recipe Round-Up: Veggie Pizza

When we were living in Arizona we frequented the Rancher's Market (oh how I miss that place...) and would always get LOADS of produce for DIRT CHEAP. And so we decided to try and find a way to use lots of veggies in one meal. This what we came up with.

Now, for the crust I've started buying Fresh & Easy's pre-made whole wheat pizza dough and have also used the store bought pre-cooked thin pizza crusts. But if you need a good white flour pizza dough recipe I've included this one.

ROGERS FAMILY VEGGIE PIZZA
AKA: Yummy Goodness

PIZZA CRUST

(We only used half of this recipe and it covered a whole jelly roll pan- This recipe makes a TON. Like enough for two pizzas and some bread sticks)

2 envelopes dry yeast (2 Tbs.)

2 Tbs. sugar

2/3 c. warm water

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. garlic salt

2 c. cold water

½ tsp. dry oregano

3 Tbs. corn oil

6 ½-7 c. flour (Can use half wheat, half white flour combo)

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 2 tsp. of sugar. Let stand 5 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
2. Beat in half of the cold water, oil, the rest of the sugar, salt, oregano, and about 2 cups of flour. Beat smooth.
3. Slowly add remaining water, then add enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is no longer sticky and can be kneaded in the bowl with floured knuckles. Let stand 15 minutes in a warm place.
4. Cover the bowl with another inverted bowl or let it rise in a plastic bag—just 15 minutes—and in sunshine if possible.
5. Shape the dough to fit a greased or cornmeal dusted jelly-roll pan or cooking stone.
   AT THIS POINT WE COOKED THE DOUGH BY ITSELF TO PRE-COOK THE CRUST FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AT A PREHEATED OVEN TO 450.
6. Cover with sauce and toppings as desired, then cook for 18-20 minutes at 450 or until crust is brown and cheese in the center is bubbling.
   

SAUCE
Real Mom Kitchen: White Pizza Sauce
*Only change is I either make my own ranch dressing using light mayo, or use light ranch
(super yummy! It's a creamy Parmesan type of white sauce, we use it all the time!)

TOPPINGS (in order)
Spread white pizza sauce evenly over dough
mozzarella cheese
clean/fresh spinach leaves- cover whole pizza!
sliced yellow & green bell peppers
broccoli florets (cut smaller if needed)
Layer of thinly sliced yellow onion
4-5 artichoke hearts broken up and sprinkled over pizza
1 cooked & chopped chicken breast
(after thawing we cubed it, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic & Italian seasoning then just cooked it quickly in a pan on the stove in a little olive oil)
Sprinkled a small amount of bacon bits on top (the ones we had were pre-packaged)
Top with a light sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese
(not the dry, sprinkle out of the can kind)

Cook for about 20-25 minutes, until all cheese is bubbly and veggies are cooked. The dough will already be pretty much done, so it's merely a matter of heating/melting everything else until it's done.

I know it sounds pretty intensive, but it's SO worth it! Totally delicious, and not a lick of guilt! If you want to go SUPER healthy you could find/use a whole wheat pizza dough recipe. But I just used what recipe we normally have on hand. The other great thing I realized about this meal is that you can do most of the prep ahead of time and just refrigerate until you're ready to assemble. Then it'd be REALLY quick! But it's a great way to get TONS of veggies in a single meal- which as a mom I love, because this is a favorite with our toddler.

Please let me know if you try this recipe! I'm interested to hear other reviews!

Below is the nutritional info, NOT including the crust (since it's all up to you): 

5 Servings

Calories: 401.1

Total Fat: 24.4 g

      Saturated Fat 11.5 g.

      Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g

     Monounsaturated Fat 4.8 g

Cholesterol 70.9 mg

Sodium 940.9 mg

Potassium 441.0 mg

Total Carbs. 15.0 g

     Dietary Fiber 2.5 g

     Sugars 2.6 g

Protein 31.6 g

There's LOT of nutritional value (by way of vitamins) because it's so high in veggies, but some to take note of daily nutritional values:

Vitamin A: 58.3% 

Vitamin C: 108.9%

Calcium 74.2%

Recipe Round-Up: Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Salad with Chipotle Mayo.

Let me just tell you right off, this stuff is SOOOO good! It's pretty easy to throw together if you have some left over chicken, but if not it's easy enough but you just have to take into account the time necessary to cook a chicken breast.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound or 1 can (15 1/2 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 C. cooked corn (I just use a back of the BirdsEye Steamfresh bags of frozen corn, but a canned corn also works well)
2 pounds grilled chicken breasts, cubed (I just thaw and cook 2 breasts- I suggests seasoning prior to cooking for added flavor. Nothing special, a little salt, a little pepper, a little garlic powder...)
1/4 c. minced cilantro sprigs, washed well and dried
1/4 c. minced bottled roasted red pepper or pimento (I'm not a huge pimento fan, and don't particularly love the bottled stuff, so I'll just roast a red pepper over my burner until it starts to sweat and look roasted with black blisters all over the skin. Or you can even just chop one in half and throw it on your George Forman with the chicken)
1/2 c. plain yogurt (don't be scared, you won't taste it- It's mostly for consistency)
1/2 c. chipotle mayo*
3 avocados, halved and pitted (then I chop them into small cubes)

*Chipotle Mayo:
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce (just one pepper, not one can)
1/2 tsp. adobo sauce from the can
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
1 cup. mayo (I use light mayo)

(NOTE!: This makes way more than the recipe calls for, but is a fantastic condiment to keep around for wraps, spice up some sandwiches, or throw on some pasta if you're feeling brave-)

HOW TO:
In a large bowl, toss together the black beans, corn, chicken, cilantro, and red pepper. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, mix your yogurt and 1/2 c. of chipotle mayo and stir sauce into chicken mixture until well combined. Add avocado pieces and gently mix into the salad.


If you want you can cover and chill for 1 hr. for flavors to develop. But it tastes good fresh too.


We then serve it in bowls with white corn (Santitas is the only way to go) tortilla chips for spoons. Adds that touch of salt and crunch. Or if you want to have some fun communal eating, just leave it in the big bowl and share it fondue style!


ENJOY!!
{We always fight over the leftovers the next day, so I'm just sayin'...plan ahead. Have a secret spot ready in the fridge. This is your fair warning...}