Recipe Week Continued!

Time for some more spicy dinner recipes! Enjoy these great finds submitted by some of my family members and friends.

First up, from the kitchen of Sherri McKeen (a wife and mother of 2)

My sister, Sherri and her new baby 'Emma'

Peanut Chicken Pasta:

At about 70 calories a cup, spaghetti squash is a great sub-
stitute in any pasta dish!

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Teryiaki Marinade of your choice
4 Servings of spaghetti (option to use spaghetti squash for fewer calories)
Bag of Spinach (get off of the salad bar to save some $$)
Peanut Sauce - found at this post

Directions:
Marinate chicken in teryiaki sauce (30 min. to 24 hours) in refrigerator. Cook 4 servings of spaghetti per instructions. (For spaghetti squash directions click here). Dice chicken and cook in teryiaki sauce on medium in large pan. Once cooked, remove and cook a bag of spinach in the same pan. Once the spinach is cooked (wilted), add chicken and spaghetti back in. Add peanut sauce and stir.
Makes 4 servings

Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Sage Grits
Better Homes and Gardens - submitted by Elizabeth Warren
Ingredients:4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. Canola oil
1.5 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1.5 cups water
2/3 cup instant grits
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage
1/3 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange chicken in 13x9x2 baking pan. Drizzle chicken with oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, the cinnamon, and the black pepper. Rub spices all over the sides of the chicken. (I mixed the salt, cinnamon, and pepper together first, and then I rubbed it onto the oiled chicken). Roast in oven 18 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. I was really pleasantly surprised at how juicy the breasts stayed. I don’t make a lot of chicken breast recipes because I can’t stand a dried out chicken breast, but these were wonderful.

[Important note to cooking meat: don't pierce it over and over to check for doneness. The juices will just run out of your meat. It's best to cook your meat, let it rest for a few minutes, and then slice it to serve it. I use a meat thermometer so I don't have to cut into my chicken and look for pink.]

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring water to boiling, stir in grits. Stir in pumpkin, sage, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Return to boiling, reduce heat, stir in cheese. Serve chicken on top of the grits. Add some sage leaves if you are feeling fancy.

Makes 4 servings

Lastly, from the kitchen of Nancy Brown (a wife, mother of 4, and grandmother of 2)

Me and my mom, Nancy

Black Bean Cakes 

Baxter Station Bar & Grill - submitted by Nancy Brown (my mother:)

Ingredients:

1 large white onion – cut into chunks or about 8 wedges

1 red pepper – cut into chunks

2-8oz cans black beans - rinse well and drain

2 cups self-rising flour

Olive oil for frying

Sweet chili sauce for dipping – I use El Pato Tomato Sauce Mexican Hot Style – found at Kroger around the Mexican foods is a little yellow can with a duck on it

Directions:

Also best if you have a LARGE bowl to put mixture in to make patties and have either a very good blender or a food processor

In a food processor fit with a steel blade, quickly pulse the onion and peppers until just past diced. Add beans and blend until mixture is still chunky, but with pieces no bigger than ¼ inch long. Spoon into a large bowl add flour – (ADD FLOUR ABOUT ½ CUP AT A TIME MAY NOT NEED THE WHOLE 2 CUPS)

Heat oil in nonstick skillet set over medium heat (do not let oil smoke) rub some oil onto your hands (mixture is very sticky) and flatten about 2 tablespoons of mixture into a patty. (I usually do this as I place into the skillet – fry about 3-4 at a time in the skillet. About 3 minutes on each side. Add oil as needed to pan as you fry.)
Your hands need oil each time to make patties– is a little bit of a mess.
Depending on how big you make the cakes – makes about 12 of my size
Makes 4 servings