Cajun Chicken with Peppers

This was another attempt (a successful one if I can brag) to get rid of the wilting peppers in my family fridge, and everyone loved it! It's the perfect combination of spices, with a little cayenne to add a kick to it. To be honest, I have no idea what category I would put this in...it's a mix of Mexican, Italian, and Indian...so...win win win? I dunno. As you can probably tell, I am the absolute worst when it comes to converting serving sizes and measurements since I'm cooking for a large crowd, and I have no idea how many you're cooking for. So be patient with me, or just come up with your own measurements.

Ingredients

Chicken breast, cut into slices

1 large red bell pepper

1 can of corn

1 can of italian-style tomatoes

2 Tbsp. of Cajun seasoning

For more spice, add a tsp of cayenne pepper

2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. shrimp (optional)

Alrighty step one. Heat 1 Tbsp of your vegetable oil in a large pan. 

Saute  your peppers until they start to soften. Set them aside in a bowl.

Put your 2nd Tbsp of oil into the pan and cook your chicken until

almost fully cooked. Toss your peppers back in, then add the corn,

tomatoes (with juice), and shrimp. 

Mix everything together and cook until chicken is done and the

peppers are as tender as your want them. Serve over brown rice.

Enjoy!

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Mac and Cheese with Peppers

Excuse me while I state the obvious here: being broke sucks. As much as I love eating quesadillas for lunch all the time, they get old after awhile. So I decided to spice things up by eating, yes, mac and cheese. The old childhood classic. However, to my mother's disappointment I refused to eat it with the healthy sides of apple slices and a tuna sandwich. Instead, I decided to do my family a favor and get rid of the bell peppers that were starting to wrinkle because no one wants to eat them. I'm a saint, I know. I was feeling really tired (I got off work at 11:30 pm and had to wake up at 6:00 for a dance exam) and didn't want to put too much effort into it, and came up with this. I present to you...(dramatic pause) my mac and cheese!

This is about as simple as it gets. Follow the box instructions, saute stuff, eat. It's kind of awesome.

Ingredients

box of mac and cheese (cooked according to directions)

1 small bell pepper, whatever color, chopped

1/2 Tbs minced garlic

1 Tbs butter

Melt butter in a pot. Saute chopped pepper until they start to soften.

Add the garlic and saute for another minute. 

After prepping your mac and cheese, toss the peppers on top.

Garnish with a little bit of ground black pepper.

Enjoy!

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BBQ Roasted Chicken

So...I have a big family. When I cook, I have to cook a lot. I didn't have a whole lot of time today, so I turned to my "go-to" ingredient: chicken. After using a package of 7 drumsticks and a small whole chicken, I added a brown sugar and BBQ rub chopped some veggies, and let it cook while I was in class. It was so great. For being in a hurry and doing a total improv of what to add for flavor, it was fantastic. I've tried to reduce the amount so it serves about 4 instead of 10.

Ingredients

4 chicken drumsticks

small bag of baby carrots (or you could chop up carrot sticks, your choice)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 or 4 Tbs. butter, melted

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, ground until it's pretty much sand

4 Tbs. paprika

4 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. salt

1 Tbs. pepper

1 Tbs. garlic powder

1 Tbs. onion powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 Tbs. dry BBQ rub

1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350.

Step One: mix all your dry ingredients together until everything is even throughout.

Step Two: chop vegetables, melt butter, and set everything aside.

 

Step Three: brush melted butter onto both sides of drumstick, and

add a generous amount of rub.

Step Four: place your drumsticks into a well greased baking pot

(make sure your pot has a lid, and obviously is oven safe)

Step Five: Place your chicken in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Pull out, add your vegetables, and bake for 20 more minutes.

Step Six: serve and enjoy!

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Amazing Mussels

I know what you're all thinking: "Seafood is so expensive! How is this cheap?" Oh darling readers, have more faith in me. Walmart has pre-cooked, 2 pound bags of mussels for $3.25. Yes people, 2 pounds for $3. I'm your favorite, I know. Now that I've had my prideful moment, let's get down to business. This recipe is rich in flavor and protein, and I made it even more so by adding shrimp. My siblings usually turn their noses up at seafood, but they actually liked this recipe, which is seriously saying something!

Ingredients

1 pound of mussels

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 cup beef or chicken broth (I used bouillon)

1 or 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 green onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. flour for thickening

1 Tbsp. greek yogurt or 2 Tbsp. light cream

Pepper to taste

Step One: Melt the butter in a large pan, adding garlic and onion. 

Cook until a light golden color, stirring constantly.

Add 1/2 cup of broth, red pepper flakes, and greek yogurt.

Dissolve the flour in the other 1/2 cup of broth and stir into pan.

Let simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Step Two: If you used the pre-cooked mussels from Walmart, you're

good to just toss them into your sauce! If you'd like to be a copy cat

(which is awesome, nothing wrong with that) and add shrimp, throw

them in with your mussels. Cook them for about 5 more minutes

so they can soak in all that delicious flavor!

Step Three: You can serve it over pasta or simply eat it straight up!

Enjoy!

To view the original (and more expensive) recipe, go to: All Recipes: Amazing Mussels

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Shrimp and Fruit Salad

This is a typical Kara dish. I love shrimp. Like....love love shrimp. I could eat it all day every day. But it can be a little pricy so I have to stop myself from eating it as much as I would like. This "recipe" (or "Kara's-hungry-but-has-no-food-to-her-name" dish) is very cheap and beyond easy.

Ingredients

4 or 5 shrimp

fruit (I got a 1 lb. bag of frozen fruit at the dollar store)

iceberg lettuce

raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

whatever seasonings you want on your shrimp

Saute your shrimp and set them aside. Tear apart a bowl of lettuce and place shrimp on top. Toss on your fruit, and drizzle on your dressing. Told  you it was simple.

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Simple Coconut Shrimp

Ingredients

3 cups of oil and a fryer

1 egg

3/4 cups of cornstarch or flour

2/3 cup of coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cornstarch or flour

1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut

1/4 cup of cornstarch or flour

Step one: plug in the fryer so it can heat while you prep your shrimp

Step two: put 1/4 cup of flour in small bowl
Step three: in a separate bowl combine egg, 3/4 cup of flour, 2/3 cup of coconut milk,
and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Step four: in another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut, and 1/4 cup of flour

Step five: lightly coat the shrimp in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the shrimp
into the batter, then cake with the coconut and flour.

Step six: fry shrimp fo 2-3 minutes then flip. Continue to fry until both sides are a deep
golden brown.

 

As always, enjoy! I was surprised at how filling and simply delicious these are. My fiance couldn't stop eating them, even when he claimed he was too full to keep eating. These are really quick, which was convenient since I only had an hour between classes. I think the entire thing took me about 20 minutes. So if you're looking for something quick, easy, and delicious this is the recipe to go to.

To view the original recipe, visit: We Are Gluten Free

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Simple Veggie Lo Mein

This recipe is really easy to make, and great for the times you're craving Chinese but can't afford the take out. You can use angel hair pasta or spaghetti. Spaghetti is cheaper, but the angel hair gives more of an authentic feel to it.
Serves 4.

Ingredients

8 oz. of angel hair pasta

1/4 cup of soy sauce

3/4 chicken broth (or water with chicken bouillon)

1 Tbs cornstarch (I used flour)

optional:

mushrooms

celery

carrots

bell peppers

snow peas

snap peas

onion

baby corn

bean sprouts

Cook angel hair pasta until desired tenderness

In a wok, heat 2 Tbs of oil and stir fry vegetables until slightly underdone

In a separate bowl, mix together cornstarch, soy sauce,  and chicken broth.
Add to the vegetable mix, on medium heat until sauce thickens.

In a serving bowl, mix together veggies and pasta. Enjoy!

To view the original recipe, visit Allrecipes.com

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Sunday Egg Salad Sandwiches

Because my family makes these on lazy sunday afternoons for a quick and filling lunch, I figured naming it after the day was appropriate. These are super easy and the entire recipe is to taste!

Ingredients

2 eggs

Mustard

Onion powder

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Pickles (optional)

Boil eggs for about 10-15 minutes (or until the shells start to crack)

Add mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder

Mash the eggs until relatively smooth. Taste to make sure it has the flavor you want. If not,
add more of the spices (if the mustard is too overwhelming but the mix is still too dry, add a spoonful
of mayonaise. 

If you decide you want the pickles,  chop into small pieces and stir into the egg mixture.

Place egg mixture onto toasted bread (I used whole wheat honey bread).

As always, enjoy!

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Pf Chang's 30-Minute Mongolian Beef

Now for a taste of deliciousness. Price wise it's not as cheap as my previous posts, but I can help you with that. I used a 3 pound roast, and we all know those can be expensive. However, after I cut it into strips I froze down half of it for future use. If you don't want to pay for beef, it is cheaper to buy pork, and it works just the same!

Ingredients

Vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger (I didn't have any, so I used ginger powder)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 lb beef roast (cut into 1/4 in strips)

1/4 cup cornstarch (again, I didn't have any so I used regular flour)

3 scallions (green parts only), cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb beef, cut into 1/4 inch strips

Heat 2 tsp oil in a small span over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until golden. Add the soy sauce and water, stirring together. Stir in the brown sugar and increase the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

Take the beef slices, and toss it with the cornstarch. Shake off any excess cornstarch. Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the beef to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until it is seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center. Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the wok.

Take the sauce and put it into the wok. When it's warm, add the beef. Cook it at a boil for 2 minutes. Add the sliced scallions, cooking until desired tenderness.

Serve over long grain rice.

*Tip: when I cook my rice, I add a little oil and salt. This keeps it from becoming sticky.

To view the original recipe, go to: Justataste.com

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Mini Tortilla Pizzas

Meet my new favorite snack: mini tortilla pizzas. When I first found this recipe, I was more of, "Eh....I guess I could try this..." but when I started eating them, I knew it just had to be shared. It doesn't matter how hungry you are, these will help. If you want a snack, you can eat one or two. If you're starved you could be like me and eat 10!
One of the perks of this recipe is that there's no measurements. No teaspoons, cups, or a million other numbers to memorize. It's so simple.

Ingredients

Soft tortilla shells

Pizza (spaghetti) sauce

Shredded cheese

Whatever topping you want!

Preheat your oven to 350.

Use a cup or tin can to cut up the tortillas

Softly press the pieces into a muffin tin

Add the pizza sauce

Add the cheese and whatever toppings you decide

Throw in the oven 7-10 minutes (I left them in until the edges were golden brown)

Let them cool for 2 minutes, then use a fork to lift them out. Enjoy!

To view the original recipe, go to: fabulousfoodblog.com

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