Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa +-

From: Sarcastic Cooking

• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ½ Teaspoon of Paprika
• ¼ Teaspoon of Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon of Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
• 2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup of Quinoa
• Juice and Zest from One Lime
• A Dash of Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado
• 2 Tablespoons Plain Greek Yogurt

Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.

Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.

Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.

After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.

Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.

For the sauce, place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa, and avocado sauce over the entire dish.

Mango Quinoa Salad +-

From: Our Best Bites

• 2 cups cooked quinoa at room temperature, or chilled
• 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium mango, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• Optional: Sliced, peppered Chicken

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Strawberry Sparkle Cake +

From: Pioneer Woman

Angel Food Cake

• Angle Food Cake
• 15 whole Egg Whites, At Room Temperature
• 1 teaspoon Cream Of Tartar
• 1-1/2 cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar, Sifted Three Times
• 1 cup Cake Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Filling

• 1 package (3 Oz.) Strawberry Jello
• 2-1/2 cups Boiling Water
• 1 package (1 Pound) Frozen Sliced Strawberries

Icing

• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine cake flour and salt and sift together five times. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy (lots of bubbles but still liquidy and loose.) Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff.

With mixer on medium-low, slowly sprinkle in sifted sugar as it mixes in.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sifted flour gently until it's all combine. Sprinkle vanilla into the bowl and fold gently.

Spoon batter into tube pan---make sure there's no grease or butter in there! Smooth the top and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer stuck all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Don't open the oven while it's baking!)

Carefully remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it on a bottle. Let it cool completely while hanging upside down. Once totally cool, remove it from the pan.

To make the filling, sprinkle the jello powder into a bowl and pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add the bag of frozen sliced strawberries. Stir to cool the mixture and set it aside.

Turn the cake upside down so that the end that was stuck to the bottom of the pan is now facing up. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the top 1-inch of cake from the top. Remove it and lay it beside the cake. Next, with a small paring knife, make two concentric cuts in the cake: one cut is 1 inch from the outside rim, the other cut is 1 inch from the inside rim. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the cake! Leave about an inch from the bottom.)

Tear out a trench in between the two cuts and save the torn cake pieces for another use.

By now, the strawberry mixture should be cool and somewhat gelatinous. IMPORTANT: If mixture is not thick, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it thickens and sets. Carefully spoon the mixture into the trench in the cake, filling it all the way to the top and ever-so-slightly above to allow for a little settling. Place the top of the cake back on top, lining it up just right.

Refrigerate cake for a couple of hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so if you're in a hurry!)

To serve, whip together the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread all over the cake. Cut into slices and serve!, festive, fresh, fabulous cake!

Optional: Garnish with fresh strawberries. 

Baked Eggy Custard ✔+

From: Betty Crocker

• 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• dash of salt
• 2 1/2 cups very warm milk (120° F to 130° F)
• Ground Nutmeg

Heat oven to 350°F.

In medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt with wire whisk or fork. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into six 6-ounce custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place cups in 13x9-inch pan on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1/2 inch of tops of cups 

Bake about 45 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Remove cups from water. 

Eat it warm, or chilled

Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice +-

From: Pioneer Woman

• 1/2 whole Pineapple, Cut Into Spears And Skewered
• 2 cups White Or Brown Rice, Cooked
• 6 whole Pork Chops
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil Or Canola Oil
• 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced
• 6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (more To Taste, Or If More Liquid Is Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha, Or Other Hot Sauce
• Salt To Taste
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 jar (small) Drained Pimentos
• 1-1/2 cup Frozen Peas (or fresh asperagus)
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (additional)

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Grill or saute pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.

(Note: soak wooden skewers in water for a few hours first.)

Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color.

Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.

When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.

Baked Lemon Chicken ✔+

From: My Recipe Box

• Frozen chicken breasts
• Lemon Pepper
• Lemon Juice

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place the frozen chicken breasts in a baking dish.

Pour the lemon juice over them until they have a nice frozen coat.

Sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste.

Cover with tin foil.

Pop it in the oven for about 50 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken breasts).

Remove from the oven and serve.

Spinach and Sausage Cream Sauce +-

From: My Recipe Box

• 2T Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Shallot, minced
• 2 Chicken Sausages, sliced (you can use whatever kind of sausage you want)
• 1/4c flour
• 2 1/2 c cold milk
• 1/2 - 1c shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 c (or more) cream
• chopped mushrooms
• fresh spinach leaves

Heat the olive oil in the pan.  Add the garlic and shallots. Mix the garlic and shallots until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots are translucent.  

Add the sausage and brown.

Sprinkle the flour over the sausage mixture and mix until the flour just begins to turn golden.

Add cold milk.

Heat the mixture until it begins to thicken.  Add the cheese and salt to taste.

Add the cream.  Heat the mixture through.

Add the mushrooms and cook until tender.

Removed the sauce from the heat and add the fresh spinach leaves.  Stir until the spinach has wilted into the sauce.

Serve over your favorite type of pasta.