Wild Mushroom and Sweet Potato Gratin

What a GREAT side dish! This is also my introduction to Fontina cheese. Edited from yet another Cooking Light recipe!

What you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced cremini mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 3 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced chanterelle mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
• 4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

Chicken Paprikash over Sweet Potatoes

This is a great, slightly spicy little dish that is quick, simple, fun and healthy. This recipe was found in my Cooking Light book and the original recipe is linked at the end of this post. I made a few edits to make it just a little more healthy and a little more flavorful.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken Tenderloins
• 2 tblsp whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 2 Portabello Mushroom
• 1/2 cup fat free/low sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 Cup Light Sour Cream
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Butter
• salt
• pepper

Cook your Sweet Potatoes in the microwave until soft..about 15-18 minutes. Before you put them in there, stab them a few times all around first to let the heat in.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, dice up the chicken tenderloins into bit sized pieces. In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, and all dry ingredients and mix well.

In a large frying pan melt about 1 tablespoon butter on med-high heat. Once it starts melting, add the coated chicken along with the mushroom (which should be cored, cleaned up, scraped, and chopped into cubes) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies become tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Next, stir in the chicken broth and cook until the sauce thickens for about another 5 minutes. Once everything is married and in love in the pan, remove it from the heat.
While off the heat, add the sour cream and mix well.

Arrange the sweet potatoes on a plate and make a small slice in the center leaving the ends uncut so it looks like you poked a pocket into the potato. Take a fork a fluff the inside of the potato as well as you can, but no need to go overboard and be gentle. We don't want to destroy the skin.

Add the chicken mixture into the potatoes by spooning it in, so the sweet potatoes become the bowl. Spoon on some extra sauce.

Serve just like this and eat until stuffed.

Portobella Burgers!

Tired of your same old ground meat burgers? Don't eat meat? Do you want a healthier version of your burgers without breaking bank?? Well try these bad boys out!

Here's what you'll need:

• Portobella Mushrooms
• A clove of garlic
• Onions
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• A nice bread roll
• Olive Oil
• Your preferred condiment topping

Lets begin
You first want to take the stem out of the portobella mushrooms. Next, the gills have to go too. The gills are those brown/blackish strips under the cap of the mushroom. I suggest using a spoon and gently scraping them out. Next lightly brush the mushroom with olive oil to prevent them from sticking and place them in a hot pan. Cook them until they are soft.
For the bread
Which ever type of bread you choose, cut in half if it isn't already and then toast it. Once you reached your level of toastiness cut the clove of garlic in half and rub it on the inside of the bread.
Once everything is completed serve the burgers topped with lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.
Enjoy!

1 Stir fry of Many!!

Here's the deal. I absolutely love making stir fry's, I mean I make them at least once a week.. But I swear, I'm not addicted!! I can stop whenever I want, I just don't feel like it right now.

Here's what you'll need for this stir fry:

• Ginger (No more than 2 tbls)
• Garlic (Word of the wise, you can never have too much garlic!!)
• 1 can Baby Corn
• 1 Can Water Chestnuts
• Broccoli
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Few pieces of Chicken
• 1 c Rice! 
• 2 c Water
•  Pineapple!! (Cubes, optional)
• If you have it, oyster sauce, or a sauce along the lines of that..

Rice / Broccoli
First thing is first, bring a medium pot with 2 cups of water to a boil. Once its boiling throw a cut up crown or 2 of broccoli into the water for 3 minutes allow to get bright green. Once it it bright green remove from water (but don't drain the water!) and shock it in cold water to stop the cooking process. The broccoli should be nice and soft now. Once all the broccoli is removed, return to a boil and throw the cup of rice in and allow to boil again. Once it boils again put as low as possible COVERED! and check it every-now-and-then to stir. You rice should be finished roughly 10-15 minutes (when no longer hard and all water is gone).

Everything Else
For the chicken, first start by cleaning the chicken (and not using the same knife/cutting board for everything.. if you do wash it before you touch veggies..) Cut the chicken into relatively same sized pieces and throw into the oil and allow to cook through. Once fully cooked, remove chicken from the oil. Once you have everything peeled start of by cutting the carrots into relatively same sized pieces and place in a LARGE pan with oil and allow to get tender (nobody likes a crunchy hot carrot :-( ..) This will turn your oil slightly orange, don't worry I see that as extra flavor! While the carrots are softening, get your numb of ginger and mince that as much as possible, along with roughly 2 cloves of garlic. Before you throw this into the pan, cut up the onions and mushrooms as well, it tends to go fast  Once the carrots are soft add the ginger, and garlic and allow mix around for maybe 30 secs. Then add the onions, and mushrooms and let them get soft too. Once those are soft get the drained can of baby carrots and cut them in half and throw those in along with water chestnuts. Heat through and then add the broccoli. Add the cooked chicken and allow to get hot again (if its cold) Finish off the stir fry by turning the heat all the way up and throwing as much soy sauce in as desired.

Once the stir fry is finished, put the vegetables over a bed of fluffy white rice along with the chicken and enjoy!!!

Extra Goodies!
If you like spicy, maybe add some crushed red pepper flakes.
Here's where that optional pineapple comes in. Once you top off the veggies with the soy sauce, throw the pineapple in and allow to get hot. The pineapple adds a sweet element to a salty food. If you don't want warm pineapple in the food, try throwing a bit of the pineapple water in. (It's good, trust me!)