Mercy's Russian Chicken

Another quick and easy (and super yummy) recipe from my big Sis. This chicken with a sweet & tart sauce is best served over rice. You'll want to double the sauce if you plan more than 4 servings.

Ingredients:
4 chicken Breasts, or 4-6 chicken breast fillets. (I like boneless skinless for health and simplicity)
1/2 bottle Russian salad dressing
1/2 jar (about 1.5 cups) of Apricot preserves
1 packet onion soup mix
rice (cooked, plan for about 1 cup per serving)

Directions:
Mix salad dressing, apricot preserves and onion soup mix in small bowl. Place chicken in an 8 x 8" (or 9 x 13 for a doubled recipe). Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice.

This made a lovely simple meal served with some green beans, but I may experiment with putting some vegetables into the baking dish with the chicken next time. Thanks again for the recipe Sis!

An Easy Autumn Treat

Pumpkin Pie Sandwich cookies

Ingredients:
1 8oz tub of fat free Cool Whip
2 packs (12 full sheets) of reduced fat honey graham crackers
1 8oz can of organic pumpkin pie mix
Room in your freezer for a small cookie sheet

Directions:
Break up the graham crackers in half so that you have 24 squares while the Cool Whip comes to room temperature. Mix 1/2 of the can of pumpkin pie mix with the Cool Whip. Taste. If you like a stronger pumpkin flavor, keep adding until you’re happy. Scoop the Cool Whip/pumpkin mixture on to 12 graham cracker squares. Cover the mixture with the remaining 12 squares, setting them gently atop the Cool Whip mixture. Do not press them down! Transfer the sandwiches to a cookie sheet and quickly put in the freezer until hard. Enjoy!

My kids are always asking for Hawaiian Haystacks!

This is a simple recipe to prepare, but since there's so many ways to eat it, I prefer to serve it to a group.

Ingredients:
1 pound (more or less) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 cans of chicken broth (assume about a half-can per person)
1/2 cup cornstarch
White or Brown rice, cooked, about 1 cup per person

Toppings:
Pineapple chunks (or tidbits if you can find them)
Chopped green onions
Chopped green pepper
Chopped celery
Diced tomatoes
Sliced water chestnuts
Grated Cheddar cheese
Chow mein noodles
Shredded Coconut
Slivered almonds
Sliced black olives
Frozen peas, thawed (I put them in a strainer and run hot water over them until they're plump)

Directions: Boil chicken in water until cooked through. Remove from water and dice or shred. Return to saucepan with all but 1/2 cup of the broth, turn burner on medium to high heat. Add cornstarch to broth and whisk until well mixed. Add to the chicken and broth heating in the pan. If you like garlic, you can add a clove of minced garlic now too. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until broth is thickened. I like to then pour the chicken and sauce into a serving bowl, but you can just put the pan on the table too.

To Serve: Put a scoop of rice on your plate, or in a bowl. Ladle chicken mixture over rice, and add desired veggies and other toppings. If you don't like something, skip it. I'd love to hear other toppings you guys try and like. I like to serve this meal with a hearty whole wheat bread or roll.

Baked Rigatoni

I'm not sure how I "lost" this recipe, but I looked everywhere for it for weeks, and suddenly it was back in my recipe basket. Hooray! This recipe comes from my old boss, Denise Goldman, who had adapted another recipe to fit her family's low fat lifestyle.

The original recipe makes a 9x13 pan, but I like to split the casserole into two 8x8s. I cook one and freeze one for later use. If you choose to do the same, make the whole recipe as directed, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Move from Freezer to Fridge for about 24 hours prior to cooking, and allow to warm to room temperature in the last hour. Then bake as directed.

Ingredients:
12 oz. pkg. Whole Grain Rigatoni
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsifted flour (I use whole wheat)
4 cups milk
4 teaspoons chicken boullion
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 pound cubed cooked ham
10 oz. pkg mixed veggies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In large pan, cook onion in oil until tender
3. Stir in flour, then milk and boullion. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly; remove from heat.
4. Stir in one cup cheese, stir until melted
5. Combine noodles, sauce, ham and veggies. Pour into a greased 13x9" dish. Top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 30 minutes or until hot & bubbly.

Serve with french bread & salad.

Vegetarian White Chili

I got this recipe off of a new favorite website - Sparkpeople.com. It's a great place to track your nutrition and fitness, as well as a good resource for health information.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans white beans (navy, great northern, cannellini, ) undrained
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• 2 cups water (more or less depending on taste)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a crock pot or soup pot and heat. Serve with Whole wheat rolls. Serves 6. If you have room for some more calories in your day, add cooked shredded chicken breast.

Nutritional Info (without chicken)
Fat: 0.5g
Carbohydrates: 22.0g
Calories:119.4
Protein: 7.9g

So easy my Daughter made it. Filling Fruit Salad

Jello and fruit make this a tasty snack or dessert.

25 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
Ingredients:

• 1 4-serving box of your favorite flavor Jell-o
• 1 Pint strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1 small box of fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Cool Whip

Directions:
Prepare the jell-o as instructed for "jigglers" on the box. Chill until set.Spoon remainder of the ingredients into the prepared Jello, stir and serve. Makes 8 One-cup servings.