One of my favorites meals to make....

This is not a new recipe for me... and I'm actually surprised this wasn't one of the first things I made after my "no oven rule" was lifted. I really do love making this oven baked fish & sichuan green beans meal. Most of the ingredients are things you already have in your kitchen and it comes together very quickly. Pick any kind of white fish and use whatever spice combinations you like/have on hand.

Oven Baked Fish

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds grouper or other white fish fillets
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon onion powder or garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dill
a little hot sauce (optional if you like some kick)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place fish in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, onion powder, dill, hot sauce, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; drizzle with butter.
3. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley.

Hot Sichuan Style Green Beans

Ingredients
1 pound green beans
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1. Rinse and drain green beans; trim off and discard stem ends. Cut beans into 2- to 3-inch lengths. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, and white pepper.
2. Set a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add beans, onion and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring once, until beans are bright green and slightly crunchy to bite, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook until any remaining water has evaporated.
3. Add oil, garlic, and ginger to pan; stir until green beans and garlic are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir soy mixture and add to pan; bring to a boil and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce thickens and coats the beans, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into a serving dish. Serve hot or cool.

Comfort Food, Cozy Nights

Last week's weather in Chicago made me believe all of the reports about "This could be the coldest winter ever" are probably true. 7 degree high in early December?? Ugh, when it's that cold, nothing sounds better than a cozy night in with some easy to make comfort food.

I've been looking for an easy pot pie recipe and I came across on BettyCrocker.com. The recipe is very basic and I did read some reviews that it did lack some flavor... So I made some additions to the recipe with some spices I had and I think everything came together really nice.

If you decide to use chicken (turkey can be used too), I would recommend cooking 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot. I covered the chicken with water and threw in a bunch of spices -- Garlic Powder, Dill & Grill seasoning. I find its easier to shred meat after its been cooking in the slow cooker.

This meal is great for leftovers. The Bisquick topping did not get mushy, which was a concern of mine. I had many co-workers popping over to my desk asking "what smelled so good?" I love this recipe and I'll be making this a lot this winter!!

Chicken Pot Pie with a Bisquick Topper

Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup
1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed chicken broth
4 cups shredded chicken or turkey
1 bag (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon of dill
2 cups Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups fat-free (skim) milk

1. Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for glass pan). In 4-quart saucepan, add olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook onion for 3-5 minutes. Add soup, broth, chicken, dill and vegetables to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
2. In medium bowl,stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour evenly over soup mixture (crust will rise during baking).
3. Bake about 30 minutes or until light brown.


*** Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes recipe.

Spicy White Bean & Chicken Chili

If you’re looking to steer away from your typical tomatoes & beef chili, I would recommended going for a chicken chili. I threw this recipe in my crock pot 10 minutes before heading out to watch some football on Sunday. The hardest part of this recipe is shredding the chicken, but since it’s cooking in chicken broth all day, it comes apart with little to no effort. My favorite thing about chili is you really can throw whatever you want in it!! You can use this recipe as a guide and then add in extras that you like!!





Spicy White Bean & Chicken Chili

6 skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 lb)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sliced jalapenos (add as many as you like)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
2 cans (15 to 16 oz each) great northern beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) white corn, drained
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Remove excess fat from chicken. In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, salt, jalapeños and pepper sauce. Add chicken.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 5 hours.

3. Remove chicken from slow cooker. Use 2 forks to remove bones and shred chicken into pieces. Discard bones; return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in beans, corn, lime juice and cilantro. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 15 to 20 minutes or until beans and corn are hot.