Cyclone Pasta

About 4 years ago Sean and I went to Outback Steakhouse and we ordered the Cyclone Pasta. We loved it so much we went back a couple month's later and it was taken off of the menu! We were so disappointed. I came across a copycat recipe this week and I was so excited! We tried it tonight and although it wasn't as good as I remembered, it was good. I would definitely alter the recipe next time! Here is the original, and and my notes!
 

* 1 cup sun-dried tomato
* 1 cup shiitake mushroom
* 1 onion (I used half an onion)
* 1 (16 ounce) jar alfredo sauce, I used THIS recipe

* 1 cup chicken breast, chopped and cooked
* 1 cup of shredded ham (I omitted this)
* 1 (16 ounce) box penne pasta, cooked (I used a 13.5 ounce box of whole wheat pasta)
* swiss cheese, Italian blend, as much as you like
* oregano
* thyme
* garlic

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

1. Mix all ingredients together in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
2. Bake at 375F until golden.

I remember the original recipe having artichoke hearts in it. I added less noodles and more sauce and thought it turned out really great. I also added extra cheese. I baked it for 30 minutes and thought it was yummy! It was a little on the oily side but I never said it was going to be healthy :)

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 onion chopped (more if desired)
1 lb ground sirloin (plain ground beef works too)
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
2ish cups of prepared brown rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4-6 peppers (depending on size) in red, yellow, orange or green

* Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove from water and drain. Sprinkle the inside of each pepper with a little bit of salt and set aside.

* In a large skillet, saute beef and onions until beef is browned. Drain excess fat  and season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, rice, and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff each pepper with beef and rice mixture. Place peppers open side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.

* Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are heated through. I cook mine uncovered, but several recipes I have seen say to cover the peppers... your call!

Quinoa and Black Beans

From my awesome friend Lachelle


* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
* 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 cup frozen corn kernels
* 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the
onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season
with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a
boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,

3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5
minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro


** When Lachelle gave me the recipe, she suggested adding chopped tomatoes and avocado to the final product, just before serving. I did and it was delicious, but I thought it needed just a little something more. I love to sprinkle a little cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top as well. So yummy and SO good for you. If you don't know much about quinoa, learn about it. It is a great source of complete protein and calcium. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps That Kick PF Changs Lettuce Wrap's Butt

2 T Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - thawed 
1/2 C chopped Almonds
2/3 C Mushrooms
3 T chopped Onion 
2 t minced Garlic 
5-6 leaves of Romaine Lettuce
Stir Fry Sauce (see below)
Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Mince mushrooms and onions about the size of peas.
Saute chicken breasts in Olive Oil for 4-5 minutes per side (or until done).
Remove chicken from pan and when cool chop it the same size as mushrooms.
Add mushrooms, garlic, onions, and almonds to the pan and saute.
Add the chicken back in.
Add the stir fry sauce and saute for a couple of minutes.

Wash the lettuce.


To serve, place a tablespoon of the chicken mixture on a piece of lettuce then top with a dribble of Kraft Asian dressing on it. Wrap and eat (make sure you have napkins handy).

*Stir Fry Sauce:
In a small bowl mix 2 T Soy Sauce with 2 T brown Sugar and 1/2 t rice vinegar.

Mediterranean Chicken

8 oz Orzo pasta
1 lb chicken breast halves
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 tsp minced garlic (2-3 crushed cloves)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
½ cup white grape juice
14 oz chopped tomatoes- Italian style with garlic and oregano
4 oz feta cheese

Bring unsalted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until tender (app. 8 min). Drain and set aside.
Heat oil over medium heat. Chop onion and add to skillet. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and add to skillet. Raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is done Add garlic, oregano and basil.


When chicken is cooked through, stir in grape juice and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes with their juice and feta cheese. Cook 1 more minute.

Serve over hot, drained orzo pasta.

** This recipe orginially called for white wine, not grape juice. My college roomie and I changed it up to suit our beliefs (and budget!). I usually top each serving with extra feta cheese, but I love feta cheese... My husband is not a feta cheese fan, but in this recipe he loves it. I don't know if cooking it helps, but somehow in this recipe the feta also seems more mild than eating it plain. So, if you aren't a feta cheese lover, I still suggest trying it with this recipe because that's what gives it the Mediteranean flavour. Also- try to use Greek oregano. There is a difference! I buy it in bulk for less than 50 cents an ounce at my local health/whole foods store. 

**Also, I've made this recipe using fresh tomatoes from the garden and it tastes awesome that way! I cut a small "x" at the top of the tomato then blanch it (dip it in boiling water for about a minute, then immediately immerse in ice water). The skin then slides off. Then I chop them, add some garlic, oregano and basil, then add to the recipe same as if I were using canned tomatoes.

Southern Fried Chicken

Several chicken breasts, cut into pieces
Salt to taste, plus 2 tsp
Fresh ground pepper to taste, plus 1 tsp
2 cups buttermilk
1-2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
6 cups canola oil
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp paprika

Rinse chicken & pat dry. Season with salt & pepper. Place in a large dish, cover & refrigerate for 1-4 hours. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and Tabasco sauce, pour over chicken, coating thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Place in a colander to drain excess buttermilk from chicken. Heat oil. Combine flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper & paprika. Coat chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Fry in oil until cooked through.

For crispier chicken, dip in buttermilk, then flour mixture a second time before frying.
Delicious served with corn on the cob and biscuits.

** Just as a side note- I tend to change recipes to suit my needs... in this case, the original recipe called for using a whole chicken cut into pieces. I have a hard time with meat anyway- for the most part if I deal with it raw, I have a hard time eating it, so the thought up cutting up a whole chicken was too much for me! Instead I use chicken breasts and because I really like the breading, I cut them into small pieces so the "chicken to breading ratio" is higher! Also, I am not a fried chicken fan but my husband could and would live on KFC if allowed! I found this recipe in my Williams Sonoma catalog and decided to try it, and I absolutely love it! We've finally found fried chicken that we can both enjoy!

Curry Chicken Salad

1 can chicken (2-3 chicken breasts boiled and shredded)
20 grapes, cut in half
1 stick of celery, chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
3-4 Tbsp mayo (I substitute plain yogurt and use at least 1.5 times as much as the recipe calls for)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp curry powder

Mix lemon juice and curry powder until curry powder dissolves. Mix into mayo. Add chicken, grapes, celery, and onion. If salad is too dry, add additional mayo.

Serve with yummy bread, croissants, or eat plain!

** We don't eat mayo at our house as neither of us like it! So whenever a recipe calls for mayo, I use plain yogurt. Mayo lovers can't even tell the difference! I usually add more yogurt than the recipe calls for, otherwise its more dry than I like. This is the recipe my friend made for my Michigan bridal shower, oh so long ago. (That's not important... just a random fact!)