Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

 

Ingredients

2 pound chicken breasts - sliced thinly , in ½ inch wide strips, trying to make them as uniform

                                                in size as possible.

1 red pepper - sliced

1 green pepper - sliced

1 yellow pepper - sliced

1 onion - halved and cut in slices

¼ - ½  cup olive oil

3 teaspoons chili powder

1 ½   teaspoon cumin

¾  teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch of chili flakes

1 ½   teaspoon salt

¾  teaspoon ground pepper

Tortillas

avocado or guacamole

sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400

In small bowl combine oil, chili powder, cumin, chili flakes, garlic, salt and pepper.

Slice your chicken and veggies about the same thickness to ensure everything is done at the same time.

Toss chicken, veggies and oil mixture together on a large sheet pan with one inch edge.

Spread out evenly.

Bake for 25-30* minutes until chicken is cooked and the veggies are soft with a crispy edge. Check the chicken after 20 minutes to see if it is done. Do not overcook or your chicken will be dry.

Roll up chicken and peppers in warmed tortillas. 

*Serve with sour cream, avocado and all your favorite fajita fixins! 

  We usually make Goya yellow rice as a side dish to go with the fajitas. 

**Use the convection feature on your oven if you have it, it will brown the veggies nicely.

 ***Do Ahead – slice your veggies and chicken and store separately. Then when time to prepare, just

        dump in a bowl with the oil and seasonings.

Adapted from http://laughingspatula.com/sheet-pan-fajitas/

Old-fashioned Pumpkin Cookies (muffin tops)

These are very soft cookies - almost more like pumpkin muffin tops with frosting.

2 1/4 cups Flour                                                      1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda                                             3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder                                         2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt                                                               1 1/2 cups (1 15 oz can) pumpkin
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg                                            2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar.
Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
Beat until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together.
Add to pumpkin mixture. Mix until well blended.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet lines with parchment paper or silicone mat. (This is important!. The bottoms of the cookies stick to the bottom of an unlined cookie sheet. )
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 17 minutes. Cool cookies.
Frost with below frosting.

2 cups confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp milk
3/4 tsp vanilla

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Sandwich

Inspired by a poster at Panera advertising their BBQ chicken flatbread sandwich, I thought I would try to make it at home.  I basically made this up tonight, so not sure if the proportions of ingredients are quite right.

Yield: 4 large flatbread sandwiches
Ingredients
shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken *
2 packages naan bread (this is sold at Jewel by the fresh baguettes)
BBQ sauce
avocado, sliced and sprinkled with salt & pepper
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed
1 cup fresh spinach leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 425.
Lightly toss shredded chicken with BBQ sauce (to taste). If chicken was refrigerated, warm on a plate in the microwave until chicken is just warmed through.
Put naan bread on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with water, then bake for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, being careful not to cook too long or it will burn and get too crisp.
Take naan bread out of the oven. Layer on the BBQ chicken, red onion, avocado, cilantro, spinach leaves, and extra BBQ sauce (if desired). Fold the naan bread in half.
Enjoy!

Make Ahead Prep
* Buy a rotisserie chicken and while still warm, pull out all of the chicken from the bone and rip into smaller pieces.  This is much easier done when the chicken is still warm. Refrigerate the chicken in a tupperware.

Glazed Salmon Teriyaki

Yay! A fish that all 5 members of the family will eat!

5 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry cooking wine
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or I use about 2 tsp of the Christopher Ranch chopped ginger in the jar, NOT dried ginger).
cornstarch
green onions

Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, vegetable oil, minced garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk well until combined.

Place salmon in a pyrex glass baking dish.
Pour the sauce over the salmon. Cover with saran wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning the salmon once.

Preheat the over to 450. Remove the salmon from the fridge. Carefully pour the marinade into a small saucepan.  Make sure the salmon is skin side down in the baking dish.
Whisk a little cornstarch into the marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, being careful not to burn it. The sauce should thicken.  Spoon the sauce over the salmon and sprinkle slivered green onions on top. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until fish is to the desired doneness.

Serve with jasmine rice and edamame.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients
2 cups pureed strawberries (about 2 quarts worth of berries)
4 cups sugar
1 (1.75 ounce) package Sure Jell 100% Natural Premium Fruit Pectin (dry)
3/4 cup water
1 - 2 tsp lemon zest (this is needed to cut the sugary taste)

Directions
Prewash all your jars and lids.
Cut the tops off the strawberries and mash them in a large bowl, then puree them with an immersion blender. This is a necessary step if your kids don't like "chunks" in their jam.
Mix pureed strawberries with 4 cups of sugar and 2 tsp lemon zest and let stand for 10 minutes. *Note - Don't try to reduce the sugar in this recipe or the jelly will not set properly.
Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute. Stir the boiling water/pectin into the strawberry mixture. Mix well for 3 minutes.  Pour/ladle into jars.  Leave 1/2 inch space at the top. Place the tops on the jars and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, the jars can be put in the refrigerator or freezer.
Yield - 6 - 7 8 oz. jars of jam

Note - Jam will last approx. 3 weeks in the fridge. Jam is easily stored in the freezer.  Simply put a jar in the refrigerator overnight and you'll be all ready for jam and biscuits in the morning!

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Avocado Salsa and Tsatsiki (adapted from Gourmet March 2009)

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Avocado Salsa and Tsatsiki (adapted from Gourmet March 2009)

Yield – 4 servings

Tsatsiki Sauce                                  Cucumber & Avocado  Salsa

1 seedless cucumber                          ½ seedless cucumber

¾ cup greek plain yogurt                   1 avocado, diced

½ cup sour cream                               ½ pint grape tomatoes

1 – 2 tsp lemon juice                          1 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped              

1 garlic clove, minced                        ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt & pepper                                     1  tsp lemon juice

                                                           3 garlic cloves, minced, divided

Gyros                         

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded

    (best done when first bought and stored in  fridge)

Salt & pepper

2 packages naan bread (4 8-inch pieces) *Jewel sells Stoneface brand

Make Tsatsiki sauce (Can be done ahead and stored in fridge)

Peel and grate (with a cheese grater) 1 cucumber, then squeeze the shreds with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together cucumber shreds, yogurt, sour cream, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper.  Cover and refrigerate.

Make Cucumber Avocado Salsa (Can mostly be done ahead and stored in fridge)

Peel and chop cucumber. Place in medium bowl. Quarter cherry tomatoes and add to bowl. Finely chop 1 Tbsp of red onion and add to bowl. Chop parsley and add to bowl. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together. Cover and refrigerate.  You will add avocado right before serving so it doesn't brown.

Make Gyros

Preheat broiler. Add olive oil, oregano, rosemary, and garlic, and salt & pepper to medium saucepan. Heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.  

Add chicken to the pot and toss.  Keep in pot on low, stirring occasionally until warmed.

Heat bread on a 4-sided sheet pan, bread covered with foil, 4 inches from broiler for 3 minutes.  Uncover and broil until golden,  watching carefully about 2 minutes or so, being VERY careful not to burn the bread.

Remove from oven. Add chopped avocado to the salsa and toss together.

Spread some tsatsiki on warm bread and top with chicken and salsa.  Serve with additional salsa and tsatsiki sauce on the side.

* Note – If your kids will be picky about the salsa and tsatsiki, serve the chicken in the naan bread with the salsa and sauce on the side, or just a side of sliced cucumbers and avocado.  It’s a way to serve them the same meal, but slightly modify it to make it more picky-eater friendly.