Devilish Chicken

1/4 c. dijon or spicy brown mustard

1/4 c. reduced fat greek yogurt

1 T. hot sauce

1 lb. chicken tenders

1 1/3 c. panko bread crumbs

4 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, yogurt, and hot sauce. Add the chicken, turning to coat, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes (or cover and refridgerate up to 12 hours).

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Working the chicken one piece at a time, coat in the bread crumb mixture. Place on wire cooling rack. Spray chicken lightly with olive oil or cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked and golden brown.

*This is a recipe I modified from Rachel Ray.

Super easy and has great flavor. You can modify the amount of hot sauce you use to make it more or less spicy.

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Cream together:

3/4 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Add:

1/2 c. water and mix well

Add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix well.

Add:

2 c. quick cook oats

Mix well.

Add:

12 oz mini chocolate chips

Mix well.

Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake!

These are my husband's favorite cookies. The recipe comes from my mother-in-law. I'm not sure if she made up the recipe herself, or where she got it.

Mexican Rice

1 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion (1/2 c.) chopped
1 green bell pepper (1/2 c.) chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed beef broth
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
2 1/4 c. uncooked rice (instant)

Heat oil in a 2 qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, cumin, and chili powder. Heat to boiling. Stir in rice. Cover and cook over very low heat for about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

*I got this recipe from my aunt. I think it might be from a Cooking Light Mexican Food cookbook, but I could be mistaken.

I made this recipe (doubled it) for my small group potluck and it went over very well. I used red pepper instead of green because that's what we had on hand (and I'm not a big green pepper fan). I used a low-sodium beef broth and I definitely think the regular is the way to go. A little salt added brought out a lot more flavor.

Our Pefect Zesty Chicken Tortilla Bake

1/4 c. Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
4 oz. shredded cheese, divided
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c. salsa
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
8 flour tortillas, 6 inch

Heat oven to 375. Mix dressing and flour in a medium saucepan with whisk until well blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened. Add 1/2 c. cheese; cook until melted, stirring constantly. Reserve 1 cup sauce.

Stir chicken, salsa, and parsley into remaining sauce. Spoo 1/3 c. down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place in 13x9 baking dish (greased). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Top with reserved sauce and remaining cheese.

Bake 25 minutes, or until heated through.

*This recipe is from the Kraft Food and Family Magazine. I have modified it so that it is just a 1/2 recipe. The full recipe fills 2 13x9 baking dishes.

My family enjoyed this recipe, though I felt it could use more kick. I would try this again with some diced green chilies and/or spicier salsa. I served it with the Mexican Rice recipe.

Cavatappi with Spinach, Beans, and Asiago Cheese

8 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
4 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 6 oz uncooked spiral shaped pasta)
1/2 c. shredded Asiago Cheese
2 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (19oz) can cannellini beans or other white beans (drained and rinsed)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper, if desired. Makes 4, 2 cup servings.

*I think this is a Cooking Light recipe, but it was just a clipping from a magazine that I had saved from years ago, so I'm not certain on that.

My husband and I both enjoyed this recipe much more than I thought we would. The flavor is wonderful and the dish feels light. We both felt you could easily add grilled chicken to the recipe. We ate this as a meal, but it could easily be a terrific side dish. *I did not find Cavatappi pasta at the store I went to the day I bought ingredients for this dish so I used Penne instead.

Banana-Carrot Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 eggs, separated

1 Tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. grated orange peel

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a smaller bowl, beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Beat in honey and orange peel. Fold in bananas, carrots, and applesauce. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. In another small bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter a third at a time.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray (if using muffin cups, spray them). Fill 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cook 5 minutes before removing from pan onto a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.

*I have no idea where this recipe came from . I cut it out of a magazine a long time ago and can find no information on the clipping regarding where it came from.

These muffins are healthy, moist, and absolutely delicious! I was actually surprised at how much I like them. I had some shredded carrots in my freezer (shredded from left over whole carrots...I LOVE MY CUISINART!) that I wanted to find a use for. I am not disappointed! I'm actually glad I still have more shredded carrots in my freezer so I can make these again very soon.

Nutrition: I have to comment about the nutritional value of these muffins. Yes, there is 3/4 cup of sugar and a bit of honey in them, but with 2 bananas, a cup of carrots, and 1/2 cup of applesauce, combined with the fact there isn't any oil or butter in them, makes them a very low-fat and rather nutritious snack/breakfast. I did substitute 1/2 of whole wheat flour for 1/2 of the all-purpose flour when I made mine. I like to use whole wheat flour whenever I can.