Easy air fryer chicken

 I’m a little embarrassed about being into chicken Caesar wraps right now, but is what it is! I cook it longer because it really depends how thick it is.

https://sweetphi.com/wprm_print/18434

Ingredients

• 4 thin chicken breasts or two chicken breasts cut/pounded to be thin
• 1 cup milk
• [1/2 cup panko bread crumbs]
• 3/4-1 cup shaved Parmesan-Asiago cheese blendcan use any type of hard shaved or shredded cheese like Parmesan, Asiago, Romano
• salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the cooking basket lightly with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl place the milk and chicken breasts. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Allow to marinate in the milk for 10 minutes.
• In a shallow bowl combine panko bread crumbs and shaved cheese.
• Dredge chicken breasts through panko and cheese mixture (press the mixture on top of the chicken generously) and place in the air fryer basket. Make sure that the basket is not overcrowded. I fit 2 chicken breasts in the basket, so I did this in two batches. Spray the top of the chicken lightly with cooking spray (this 'locks on' the cheesy bread crumb topping).
• Cook for 8 minutes, flipping the chicken breasts halfway through.
• Remove from the air fryer, repeat the process with any remaining chicken breasts. If you want to warm everything, you can add the already cooked chicken breasts into the basket and cook them for 1 minute to warm them! Enjoy

Gluten free carrot cake

 I made this for thanksgiving and it was devoured entirely and complemented often. One of our family’s favorite gluten free desserts! Can’t beat that homemade cream cheese frosting YUM

From https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-carrot-cake-cupcakes/

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used king James)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (109 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)
• 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
• ½ cup (55 g) chopped pecans plus more for decorating (optional)
• ½ cup (3 ounces) white or dark chocolate chips 
• 3 cups (270 g) peeled and grated carrots (from about 3 large carrots)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 8 ounces whipped cream cheese at room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) salted butter at room temperature
• 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 glass baking pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and milk, and mix to combine. Add the (optional) pecans and chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout.
• Add the grated carrots to the mixture, and stir until evenly distributed throughout the batter. The batter will be thick, but relatively soft.

TO MAKE A CAKE.

• Put the batter in a 9x13 glass pan
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is uniformly light brown on top, and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan (I baked for 40 minutes).
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before frosting.

MAKE THE FROSTING.

• While the cakes or cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), place the cream cheese and butter.
• Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the salt, and 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the frosting is thickened and fluffy.
• Add more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.
  Put all the frosting on the cake and serve it right in the pan

Butternut squash soup

 https://www.loveandlemons.com/butternut-squash-soup/

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
• Freshly ground black pepper

For serving

• Sour cream
• Tapatio
• Cumin or toasted cumin seeds
• Toasted pepitas
• Crusty bread

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste and serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.

Easy crockpot shredded chicken, baked taquitos

 https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/easy-crockpot-shredded-chicken/

Ingredients

• 3 Pounds Chicken Breasts About 4 Large
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

Instructions

• Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot.  Pour chicken broth and seasonings over chicken.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
• Remove chicken broth from crockpot carefully, and shred the chicken breast immediately with a hand mixer on low speed, right in the crockpot. Or use two forks if you must, but the electric hand mixer is so fast and effective!
• Use the chicken right away in your favorite recipes.  Or, allow chicken to cool and portion into zip-top bags and freeze for up to two months.

Notes

NOTE:  For servings on this recipe I labeled it as 6 cups of shredded chicken TOTAL, rather than serving per person.

NOTE:  Cooked/Shredded chicken is good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, and in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Store in a well sealed zip-top bag.

Used in this recipe among others:

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wprm_print/10922

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I use rotisserie)
• 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
• 1/4 cup salsa , your favorite kind
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Cilantro to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper for taste
• (I serve on the side the below)
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves , chopped
• 15-20 corn or flour tortillas

For serving:

• guacamole, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce

Instructions

• Add cream cheese, salsa and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (except the tortillas and spinach) and toss to combine. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed.
• For corn tortillas, heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat. Cook tortillas for about 15 - 30 seconds on each side until soft and pliable. Remove tortillas to a plate covered with tinfoil to keep them warm and pliable.
• Place a large spoonful of filling in a line along each tortilla and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
• Baked Taquitos: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the tops of the tacos with cooking spray , or brush them lightly with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shells are crispy.
• Fried Taquitos: Add about 1 1/2 inches of oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Once hot (the tortillas should sizzle immediately when added to the oil). Fry the taquitos in small batches, for a few seconds on each side, rotating them as they cook, until they are golden and crispy on all sides. Place them on a paper towel lined plate.
• Serve taquitos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Creamy Tuscan shrimp

 https://gimmedelicious.com/wprm_print/16169

Creamy Tuscan Shrimp (Keto friendly)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound shrimp, deveined, and tails removed
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes (or sundried tomatoes)
• 3-4 cups baby spinach
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced (or parsley)

Instructions

• Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is super hot and the butter has melted, add the shrimp and a generous sprinkle of salt & pepper, sautee for 1 minute. 
• Remove shrimp from pan and set aside then add the garlic, tomatoes, and spinach to the same pan. Saute for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. 
• Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and basil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced about 2-3 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

 https://lillieeatsandtells.com/easy-low-fat-slow-cooker-crispy-carnitas

 

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds pork tenderloin
• Seasoning Salt
• 16 oz jar herdez green salsa
• 8 cloves of garlic 
• 1 medium white onion diced

Instructions

1. Trim fat off meat and pat dry.
2. Cut into chunks, 3-4 inches long. (This helps the pieces be shorter later like carnitas.)
3. Season liberally all over with season-salt and sear on all sides in a hot pan with cooking spray to lock in flavor. Get a nice brown crust on it.
4. Move to a crock pot and cover with the salsa, garlic, and onion and cook for 4-6 hours or until tender. Shred it and toss in juices. (I like to pull out my chunks and shred them in a new dish then pour a little more than half of the liquid over it.  Toss in those juices and then proceed to fry it up.
5. ***You can use the meat like this, or spread it on a pan and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes to get some crispy pieces, more like authentic carnitas. OR… my favorite way (AND THE ONLY WAY WE DO IT NOW… AND FOR SURE WITH ANY LEFTOVERS) is just crisp up as much as you need in a hot fry pan.  Quicker than the oven and SOO good when it gets a good brown on it!

 

Recipes from Kel

 

Pad Thai (adapted from tastesbetterfromscratch.com):

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:

8 oz flat rice noodles

1.5 lb cooked and shredded chicken (or shrimp or tofu)

2 eggs

4 bell peppers (all colors)

1 bunch asparagus

1 container mushrooms

1 bunch green onions

 

4 limes

½ cup fresh cilantro

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

5 tbsp light brown sugar

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp Sriracha (or to taste)

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter (or to taste)

 

Instructions:

1. Cook noodles according to package instructions.

2. Mix fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, Sriracha and peanut butter and set aside

3. Chop veggies nice and thin and then lightly sauté in cooking spray. Make room in the pan and scramble two eggs in the middle, chopping them up.

4. Add noodles, chicken, and sauce and mix to combine over low heat until everything is reheated.

5. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and lime.

6. Sometimes I double the sauce ingredients and then add as necessary (in MFP you could make the sauce as its own recipe and track accordingly).

Macros (approximate): 373 kcal (10g f / 25 g c / 44 g p)

 

Honey Sriracha Protein Bowl (copycat of Happy + Hale Bowl):

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

0.5 cup Sriracha

6 tbsp honey

2 tbsp salted butter

4 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

 

20 oz. cooked shredded chicken

15 oz. canned black beans

5 oz. roasted corn

5 c. chopped kale

25 oz. chopped and roasted sweet potato (400F until tender)

1 package of bacon - cooked

5 oz. goat cheese

 

Instructions: Combine sriracha, honey, butter, soy sauce, and lemon juice in saucepan and bring to simmer to combine. Evenly divide remaining ingredients into containers. Top with sauce before serving.

Macros (approximate): 670 kcal (26 g f / 70 g c / 53 g p)

 

Carnitas:

https://lillieeatsandtells.com/easy-low-fat-slow-cooker-crispy-carnitas/