Quesadilla Night!

Tonight, my friend Kate came over for dinner.  She has been reading this blog, and she wanted to try a meal of the college cooker. I asked her what she wanted to eat, and she was craving something Mexican.  Lucky for her, I am always up for Mexican, so I decided to make quesadillas.

1. Cook up some chicken
2. After the chicken is cooked, sauté up a chopped up bell pepper, some pico de gallo, with the cooked chicken and some fajita seasoning.
3. Take a flour tortilla, and sprinkled some cheese on it
4. Spread the saute mix over the cheese-sprinkled flour tortilla, and sprinkle some more cheese on it
5. Firmly press another flour tortilla over everything
6. Put the whole thing in the oven to let the cheese melt
7. Once the cheese is melted, cut and enjoy!

Kate said she liked them...so I am choosing to believe her :)

Serve with some guacamole! (see two posts below) 

Try these other mexican recipes!

Crock Pot Mushroom and Garlic Chicken

I am really excited about dinner tonight.  The aroma of garlic is permeating my apartment and this feeling of malaise from this rainy day is gone the instant you walk in. I am cooking dinner for two of my roommates and my friend Esther.

Warning: This is not the dinner for procrastinators--it requires prior thought.

This meal does require a crock pot, which, if you do not have one of these handy appliances--you should try to get one.  Of course, I am using my roommates. I am not sure what I would do without them. Other crock pot recipes

Here is what you do:

Several hours before you anticipate eating, throw the following in the crock pot:

For this recipe I am using 4 large frozen chicken breasts

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (can also be cream of mushroom with roasted garlic)
2 cups of water
A spoonful of minced garlic
A little bit of salt

Turn the crock pot on low-heat and let cook for the entire day. When it is dinner time, trust me, it will be worth the wait.

Feta Chicken Dinner

Winner winner chicken dinner! If anyone ever asks me for a dinner recipe, this is the default one I give. I call it feta-chicken.

Here’s what you need:

Frozen chicken breast (one for every person you are cooking for)

Minced Garlic

Feta cheese

Lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Here’s what you do:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the frozen chicken breast

Smother a generous amount of garlic over the chicken

Top the chicken with a heap of feta cheese

Squirt some lemon over it all; feel free to leave some lemon slices on the cooking sheet while it bakes.

Cook for about 30 min—or until chicken is fully cooked.

Serving suggestions:

Pasta or salad

Try making this dinner for your significant other; it will be a romantic hit. Pair with a romantic dessert!

Chicken Week: Dinnertime Chicken 'n Rice bowl

Good Evening!

Remember when I said I didn't want chicken for breakfast? Well, forget that! Chicken for breakfast could actually be a delightful meal.

But for now, lets take a look at this delicious dinner that my roommate Katie and I thought up one evening, the Chicken 'n Rice bowl.

What you're gonna need:

Chicken (If you're participating in chicken week, simply cut up some of your excess chicken breast!)
Rice (Katie and I like to use instant brown rice)
Peas (If you don't like peas, try another veggie like corn. Smaller-sized veggies work best in this case)

Mix all of the above ingredient in a bowl, and top with Katie's signature dressing.

Katie's signature dressing is quite easy--simply mix soy sauce and honey in a bowl.

This meal is filling and has a bold flavor that is sure to satisfy.

Chicken Week: Lunchtime panini

Unless you want chicken for breakfast, and I do not, why not whip up a chicken panini for lunch?

What you'll need:

1 Tortilla
Some cut up chicken
Whatever veggies you adore (I put tomatoes and spinach on mine)
Cheese? (Feta, please!)
Condiments, if you prefer.

Put your toppings on the tortilla and grill it--either on a frying pan, a George Foreman, or a grill.  I personally like to use the George Forman, it has revolutionized my sandwiches, but that's another story...

I like this meal because it is filling and healthy.  It is utilizing the chicken I made at the beginning of the week in a unique way, and it is quite tasty and fast!

Serving Suggestions:

Cold day: Serve with a warm bowl of soup
Hot day: Serve with fresh fruit, like strawberries or apple slices.

want more panini ideas?

Chicken Week

Adding protein to your regular diet can be challenging. It can be time consuming to cook, and if you're only cooking for one, it may seem a little pointless.  It would be far easier to just throw that pizza from last weekend in the microwave. But instead of doing that, why don't you try chicken.

This week, I will be showing you a couple different meals you could make using chicken. The awesome thing about it is I cooked 4 frozen chicken breasts up this morning, and I am going to use those throughout the week to add some lean, tasty protein to my meals.  Chicken Nutritional Info

How to cook frozen chicken breasts:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Layout frozen chicken on baking sheet (no need to defrost).

I put a little olive oil on the chicken, as well as some salt and pepper. Feel free to add whatever seasonings you like (garlic salt is one of my favorites, a dash of lemon juice also gives the chicken a refreshing kick)

Cook the chicken for about 25-30 min. Cook time will depend on the thickness of the breasts, so check every once in a while.

After the chicken is done I just cut it up, and put it in a tupperware.  That way, it is ready to use for any meal that week.