Mexican Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

I've subscribed  to a website called Punchfork that I'm loving! This chicken recipe was found  there and by God, it is delicious! But since this week my CSA was broccoli, red onions, cheery tomatoes and kale. I'm sick of Broccoli Soup! So I thought, pasta!


This is kinda of a mash-up so first the chicken: 


Mexican Chicken 
from pickypalate.com


Ingredients: 

• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Garlic Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Sicilian Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Coarse Grind Black Pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs (fryer) chicken breast with rib meat

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Place ancho pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a small bowl, stirring to combine.  Sprinkle over both sides of chicken, then rub.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.  Add chicken cooking until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes each side.  Place pot in oven and continue cooking for 25 minutes.

Broccoli Pasta 

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 18 ounces dry penne pasta
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and add chicken; cook until slightly brown. Add onion and garlic to cook for about 5 minutes or until garlic is golden and onions are translucent.
2. Add tomatoes, broccoli, salt, pepper and oregano; stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain and add back into pot. Pour chicken sauce into pot and mix well.
4. Add basil and toss well; top with Parmesan cheese. Serve.

Notes: 

- Well, obviously I didn't use the chicken in the second recipe. I just started from the onions and moved on.

- I didn't canned diced tomatoes. I had a lot of cherry tomatoes so I saved  some of the pasta water and added a bouillon cube. I also added a bit of kale. 

Thai Tomato Soup

I made this a while back ago and I was kinda surprised as to how good it was, as well as how easy it was! 

Thai Tomato Soup

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoon canola oil

• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons sugar $
• 1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt $
• 1/3 cup light coconut milk $
• 6 lime wedges $

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, chile paste, and salt. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Place one-half of tomato mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed tomato mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining tomato mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in coconut milk; cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

Carrot, Apple and Honey Muffins

I'm on a super big muffin kick right now. They're just so fun and easy! And I got a bunch of carrots in my CSA this week, along with some leftover from last week. What is a girl to do? There is only so many carrots I can take! Why muffins of course! 


I also remembered that had a bunch of honey in the pantry that I wanted to use. I love honey with just about anything: cheese, oatmeal, fruit, etc. So I found the perfect recipe at Baking Bites.com 


Carrot, Apple, and Honey Muffins
from baking bites.com


Ingredients: 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrot, drained and packed

3/4 cup diced apple (1 medium apple, peeled)

Directions: 

1- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

2- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat bran, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.
3- In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey, buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour buttermilk mixture into the well. Stir until just combined, then add in the shredded carrots and diced apples.
4- Divide evenly into muffin tins and bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
5- Cool muffins on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 muffins.

Notes: 

- So I didn't have buttermilk or brown sugar on hand. I just used white sugar and regular milk. I also used whole wheat flour and added a little extra applesauce, so it didn't try out.

- I added oats because they were on hand and they added a nice texture. The muffins were a little dense after that, but still good! 

- I like to heat them and add different types of jams that I've made! 

Enjoy!