Smokey Braised Chicken over Pumpkin

I made this for dinner. Everyone loved it and had it again the next day for lunch. I adapted the recipe in the following ways: The recipe called for sauteing everything in oil. I used water when creating the salsa. I did not saute my garlic, I put it in the blender raw. I left out the salt, it called for one teaspoon to be added at the end. I used the fresh roma tomatoes and can chipotle (2 tablespoons).

What Ya Need:
1 Smoky Chipotle Salsa
2 medium round, or 4 to 5 plum, ripe tomatoes, or one 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 pound lean, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium sweet onion, thinly chopped/diced
2 cups sliced Swiss chard
4 cups roasted mashed pumpkin.

What Ya Do:

If using fresh tomatoes, place tomatoes on a baking sheet and place baking sheet 4 inches below the preheated broiler. Roast until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes. Turn tomatoes over and roast on the other side, an additional 6 minutes. Let cool, then peel and roughly chop. Transfer tomatoes and any juices to a small bowl; set aside.

In a large heavy skillet, heat water over medium-high heat. Add onions and chicken; cook, stirring, until chicken is nicely braised, about 10-15 minutes minutes.

Add reserved salsa, tomatoes, and 3 to 4 tablespoons water; stir to combine. Add Swiss chard. Simmer til chard is wilted and all the flavors meld.

Serve over warmed mashed pumpkin.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Also known as chicken cacciatore, this rustic stew cooks in a rich tomato mushroom sauce. We had this for dinner tonight! Everyone loved it... well except for my teenager who hates everything... It's very healthy, fast and tasty too! I really couldn't do much adapting to it to make it any more healthy then it is other then switching to grapeseed oil. Serve over rice or with a thick slice of crusty bread if you don't mind the added calories and carbs.

Ingredients:
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds
* Coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
* 1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed or diced tomatoes
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook chicken, turning when it easily releases from the pan, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tomatoes have broken down, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken to coat with sauce, and serve.

Apricot Curry Chicken

I've been making this dish for my family for some time now and have adapted it into something simple and healthy. They love the sweet and spicy taste of it as well as the different textures. It's an easy warm hearty dish.

1 chopped sweet onion, chopped
1-3 tablespoons curry powder (How spicy do you like it?)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup sugar-free apricot preserves (Smuckers brand works great)
2 medium apples, cored and diced (I use Granny Smith, Galas or Fuji)
1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt

An a large nonstick skillet cook onion and curry in oil until slight tender, 1-2 minutes. Push onion mixture to side of skillet. Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir together chicken and onion mixture. Stir preserves and apples, cook for 5 minutes. Stir yogurt chicken mixture. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. May be served over rice or eaten on it's own. We usually use Jasmine rice for this dish.

6 Serving

Adapted	Unadapted
Calories 208	Calories 419
Total Fat 6.1	Total Fat 6.1
Sat Fat   0.7 g	Sat Fat   1.5 g
Cholesterol 45 mg	Cholesterol 50 mg
Sodium 76 mg	Sodium 97 mg
Total Carbs 20 g	Total Carbs 67 g
Fiber 3.6 g	Fiber 3 g
Sugar 5.6 g	Sugars 40.8 g
Protein 20 g	Protien 20 g

Autumn Chicken and Rice

Everyone in the house loves this one. This is something I've been cooking for some time. It's a nice warm Fall/Winter dish that is quick and easy. I don't remember where I go the recipe. I believe it was from Martha Stewart's 'Everyday Foods' magazine. The only adaptation I made to it was cleaning the skin and fat off the chicken and using the most nutritional Long Grain Brown Rice I could find.

What You'll Need:

3-4 Pounds Chicken; cooked and pulled apart
1 1/2 Pounds Carrots; peeled and halved lengthwise
1 Pound Parsnips; peeled and halved lengthwise
3 Stalks Celery; thinly sliced
2 Large Onions; chopped
2 Bay Leaves
2 Garlic Cloves; smashed
3 Cups Long Grain Brown Rice
Salt and Pepper to Taste

What to Do:
In a extra large soup pot, combine chicken, carrots; parsnips, celery, onions, bay leaves, garlic, rice, salt and pepper. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Simmer partly covered for approximately 30, occasionally stirring to be careful not to scorch in pan or cook all the liquid out.

Serves: 16

Calories    123.6
Total Fat    2.2 g
        Saturated Fat     0.5 g
        Polyunsaturated Fat    0.6 g
        Monounsaturated Fat    0.7 g
Cholesterol    35.8 mg
Sodium    56.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate    15.9 g
Dietary Fiber    2.4 g
Sugars    2.2 g
Protein    10.1 g

BUDGET COOKING NOTE: I usually buy the 10 pounds pack of Thighs and Legs for $4.99 and cook them all at once with a whole onion, celery stalks, carrots, salt and peppercorns. I pull the meat out and make about 3-4 meals out of them. This is one of the meals. I also use the chicken to make Chic and Dumplings and Hunter's Chicken.