Pineapple Salsa

I have been in the kitchen a lot lately, and it has made me very happy! Baking, preparing meals, having get togethers with friends--and rather than feeling like a chore as a lot of cooking can often feel, my kitchen has been a place of happy days for me.

I have lost a good bit of weight over the last year, and cooking healthy, light meals is a priority for me. Before my diet, I very seldom ate fish. I didn't really care for it, and only ate it when absolutely necessary. Fast forward to today, and I eat fish an average of 3-4 times a week. "Fishy" fish is still something I avoid; mild, flaky fish is my top choice. Tilapia, grouper, red snapper and mahi mahi are my favorites.

Since I eat fish so often now, I am always trying to think of new ways to prepare it. Pineapple is so good right now, so I came up with this salsa to go on the tilapia we had this weekend. It is so delicious--it really tastes like something you would have in a restaurant. I encourage you to try it! This recipe, like most of the ones you see on this blog, is simple and fast--so easy to prepare! And this one is naturally gluten-free--always a plus.

Pineapple Salsa
1/2 cup finely diced pineapple
2 Tablespoons finely diced red pepper
1 scallion, sliced
2 Tablespoons pineapple preserves
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon juice from pineapple (if you have it; if not leave it out)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Serve over fish, chicken, pork tenderloin, or anything!

(In case you're wondering, I seasoned tilapia with salt and pepper, lightly dusted it with gluten-free flour, and sauteed it in a pan lightly coated with 2 teaspoons of olive oil until done).

If you read my blog and enjoy it, please let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear if you try any of the recipes!

Also, I am adding a feature on each post that will allow you to print out the recipes. Just click on "Printable Recipe" and it will allow you to do just that.

Printable Recipe

Almond Coated Chicken

After moving our youngest child to college in August, I gave myself a little while to get over the shock of her leaving, and then determined that I needed to find some slightly different, yet still simple, meals to prepare for my husband and I. I generally try to cook four-five nights a week, and I find myself going to the grocery store and staring at the meat counter, unable to be inspired by anything I see. It seems like I cook the same things over and over again. Does anyone else feel that way?

Some of my favorite fish dishes that I used to eat before being diagnosed with celiac disease were pecan or almond crusted. Now I normally cannot have these when we dine out because they are coated in flour. I had some chicken in my freezer that I wanted to cook, so I decided to try an almond coated chicken. I modified a Southern Living recipe that I had seen online, and it was delicious. For those of you that still have children at home, I think they would love it as well!

First, I placed chicken breasts between pieces of saran wrap and pounded them with a meat mallet until they were about 1/2-1 inch thick. I like to do this with any chicken recipe because they are often way too thick to cook thoroughly otherwise. (It's also good stress relief). Next, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. I used gluten free flour, but regular all purpose flour will work fine.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and honey mustard.
Put the buttermilk mixture in a shallow bowl or pan, put the almonds in another.
Dip the floured chicken in the buttermilk and honey mustard mixture.
Dredge the buttermilk coated pieces in the almonds until they are thoroughly coated on both sides.
Cook the chicken in an oven safe skillet on medium-high to high heat for one minute on each side or until the almonds are nicely browned.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Simple, quick, and amazingly delicious. I guarantee that this will become a regular in your kitchen!
Please comment and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you.

Almond Coated Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour (I used Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey mustard
3/4-1 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap and pound with either a meat mallet or the skillet you are going to cook them in until they are about 1/2-1" thick. Salt and pepper both sides. Put the flour in a shallow pan or a ziploc bag and coat the chicken evenly. Mix the buttermilk and honey mustard and put in a shallow pan or bowl. Dip the chicken in this mixture and thoroughly coat on both sides. Place the almonds in another shallow pan or bowl and coat both sides in them as well. Put the oil in an oven-safe skillet; when hot, place the chicken in it and cook for one minute on each side on medium-high to high. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry

When cooking a boring weeknight meal, it is always nice if you can cook something that makes you happy. This is one of those meals for me. As always, it is incredibly simple, but something about all the beautiful colors makes me smile. And it doesn't hurt to know that the finished product is so delicious!
It always helps to start with a colorful cast of characters like this.
I happened to have some broccollini left in my refrigerator from late last week that I didn't use, and I added to that some red bell pepper, carrots, squash and onions. This is a good recipe to make when you have some leftover uncooked veggies in your refrigerator that you need to use. You can use anything that you like--some other good choices are broccoli, snow peas, zucchini and asparagus.

The first thing to do is chop all of your
vegetables. I usually try to get all of mine approximately the same size.
The amounts in the recipe are approximations. Have fun with this and add more or take away anything you want!

Go ahead and get a pot of rice going--white or brown, whatever you prefer. I usually make two cups of uncooked rice.



Next, I cut up one boneless chicken breast into bite sized pieces. If you prefer to have a vegetarian meal, of course you may leave this out. Or, you could substitute another kind of meat.

Now you have all of your prep work done and you are ready to fire up your wok!

Now don't worry--if you don't have a wok, you can do this in a saute pan. It just might get a little messy, so be careful. Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on high until good and hot. Then put all your veggies into the oil.

Beautiful, huh? Stir all this then add 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce and cook until done, approximately 5 minutes. It's important to keep stirring during this cooking process because it is done over high heat. When done, I transfer them to a medium bowl. Next, I add one tablespoon vegetable oil and cook the chicken the same way.
You're probably wondering why I don't just cook it all together. I have found that I am able to control the amount of "doneness" more if I cook them separately. Sometimes the veggies get overcooked if I cook them with the chicken. Add one tablespoon soy sauce and a little freshly ground pepper on the chicken; cook until done (approximately five to seven minutes). Then I add the chicken to the bowl of veggies.

Next, I put the rice in the hot wok with one tablespoon oil and add three tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir it until thoroughly mixed and heated through (especially if the rice is cool). You can add one to two tablespoons butter at this point if you would like. A little butter always makes it taste better, right?

Now it's time to put it all together. Pour the vegetables and chicken back into the wok with the rice and stir it all together. Continue to stir for a minute or two until you are sure everything is very hot. Also, taste and add anything you think it needs--salt, pepper, additional soy sauce. Sometimes I add a little ground red pepper, maybe 1/4 teaspoon or so.



Now, who wouldn't be excited to eat this in the middle of a hectic week?


Delicious and healthy, and a little out of the ordinary from the way you might usually serve chicken and vegetables. Have fun with it, and smile!
Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry
1 medium yellow squash
2 medium carrots
1/2 package broccollini
1/2 red bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 boneless chicken breast
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
6 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
2 cups uncooked rice
3 1/2 cups water
salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or more if desired)

Chop all the vegetables and the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and 2 tablespoons soy sauce; stir and cook until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a medium bowl and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and the chicken to the wok. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and stir until done, approximately five to eight minutes. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the vegetables. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok along with the rice and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir well until heated through. Pour the chicken and vegetables into the wok on top of the rice and stir to combine. Add ground red pepper. Stir well.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of my favorite times of entertaining is having friends over for a comfortable, not formal, dinner. For such times I like to serve something a little nicer than I would serve to my family on a normal weeknight, but something that is still simple. Part of the enjoyment would be taken away if I prepared a meal that would stress me out too much. This recipe is one of those that is delicious but is a little different than something I would normally do.

The recipe came from my mother-in-law--I asked her where she got the recipe and she thinks she clipped it from a newspaper or magazine a few years ago. It is delicious served with rice, just be sure to put some of the sauce on the rice--yummy! I served it Easter weekend on Saturday night when my entire family was in town, and everyone loved it. I also did a simple salad with strawberries, bacon and pecans and grilled asparagus. Fantastic!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

8 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to be about 1/2" thick
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
20 oz. can sliced pineapple
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube

Salt and pepper chicken, then coat chicken lightly with flour. Brown chicken in oil over medium heat. Place in baking dish. Drain the pineapple. Put syrup in 2 cup measuring cup. Add water to make 1 1/4 cup; pour in medium saucepan. Add sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and bouillon; whisk together over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil two minutes, continuing to stir. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then add one pineapple slice to the top of each chicken breast. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
Serve with lots of white rice; sauce is good over rice. Sometimes I double the sauce recipe to make sure we have plenty!

Hope you have friends over soon--let me know if you enjoy it!