Chicken Shwarma

Delicious oven-baked shwarma. Recipe recommends marinading for three hours (or overnight), but can also cook without marinading. Original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, but we never have them on hand.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Tbsp ground cumin
• 3/4 Tbsp turmeric powder (or curry powder)
• 3/4 Tbsp ground coriander
• 3/4 Tbsp garlic powder
• 3/4 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Procedure:

Combine spices (cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic, paprika, and cayenne). 

Pat chicken dry, season with salt, and slice into bite-sized pieces. Place in large bowl, add spices and toss to coat. Add onions, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss, cover, and place in fridge to marinate three hours (if possible).

Preheat oven to 425º (220ºC). Cover baking sheet with foil and spread chicken & onions evenly in one layer. Bake for 30 min. For crispier chicken, end under broiler.

Serve in pita with feta, salad, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce. 

Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Carrot Pancakes

A delicious savory pancake. Great for dinner, could also try with breakfast. Reposted from here.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/4 finely diced red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 shredded or crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (or curry power)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• oil for frying
• salt and pepper to taste 

Procedure:

Combine ingredients. Warm oil in frying pan over medium heat. Form batter into small pancakes and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes on either side.

Taco Seasoning

Delicious blend of taco seasoning. Mix a batch and store it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Combine ingredients. Use in recipes that call for taco seasoning

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

Delicious and easy to make. Can also use breast meat cut into nugget-sized pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg (3lbs) chicken wings
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Sriracha (or a little less) 
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 450ºF (=210ºC). Cut chicken wings to separate winglets from drumettes. Place in large bowl and sprinkle with cayenne, cumin, paprika, and salt, rubbing to get them well covered. 

Mix Sriracha, butter, soy sauce, and vinegar and drizzle over chicken. Toss to cover thoroughly.

Bake on a wire rack over a foil-covered pan for 35–40 min (or 20–25 if using convection oven).

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Makes 4 servings
8g carbs per serving, 5g protein

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut cauliflower into pieces and cook in a steamer until tender, about 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in small skillet and sauté garlic, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat

Transfer half the cauliflower into blender or food processor and blend on high. Add remaining cauliflower, one piece at a time, until creamy. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper and blend.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Delicious stuffed chicken breasts. Reposed from this site.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 8 oz chopped frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions and squeezed dry.
• 3 oz feta, crumbled ( about ½ cup )
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Mix the chopped frozen spinach, feta, cream cheese, garlic and 1/8 tsp salt in a medium sized bowl.

Cut a pocket along the side of each chicken breast: Insert knife 2/3 into the chicken at the thickest part, then cut along to the thin part, stopping before you cut all the way through.

Separate the spinach and cheese mixture into three parts. Roll and stuff into the pocket of each chicken breast. Season with remaining salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan set over medium high heat, then add the stuffed chicken, pocket side down. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the chicken over.

Place the pan into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

One-Pan Parmesan Tuscan Chicken

An instant family favorite. Delicious and sauce, and healthy too! Adapted from this site. (We’ll have to check out more of her recipes.)

Makes 4 servings
8g carbs per serving, 44g protein

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts (or 4 chicken breasts)
• 1 tbs vegetable oil spread
• 8 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs cornstarch + 2 tbs water
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley (optional garnish)

Directions

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet in olive oil on medium high until cooked through (about 8 to 10 minutes a side). Once cooked, remove and set on a plate.

Sautee mushrooms, garlic, and onions in olive oil until mushrooms are brown and tender. Add the almond milk, Greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. Whisk occasionally until the cheese has fully melted and the sauce begins to boil. 

Mix the cornstarch with the water to create a slurry and whisk into the sauce. Once the sauce begins to boil and thicken, reduce the heat to low and add the chicken back to the skillet along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer until the chicken is warm, approx 5 minutes.