This recipe scales very well.  The photos you see here are from a double batch.  It is wonderful served with hot, fresh bread and freezes very well.  I make mine in a dutch oven but I’m sure it would do well in a slow cooker too.

1 lb chicken breast cut into bite site pieces
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup mushrooms-chopped
1 bag frozen of Italian style mixed vegetables (squash, zucchini, asparagus,carrots)
1 can of diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
½ large can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine
¼ cup barley
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp salt
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp old bay seasoning
1 tsp paprika

Saute garlic, mushrooms and onions in oil in dutch oven.

Add all other ingredients

and bake, covered at 250 for 90 minutes (minimum, can go longer, up to 4 hours)  increase heat to 400 and bake for an additional 20-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tablespoon Lysanders chicken seasoning
• 2 1/4 cups herb stuffing mix
• 1 jar chicken or turkey gravy
• 2 tsp minced onion

Directions

1. Cut the chicken up into bite size pieces and put it into a bowl

2. Add all of the ingredients and mix it up, then press it into a baking dish that you’ve sprayed with oil.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, then turn on broil for a couple minutes to crisp up the top

4. Eat it.

See how easy that was?

Ingredients

• 3 links Garden Vegetable, Mushroom and Asiago Chicken Sausage (Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms
• 3/4 cup chopped balsamic glazed grilled sweet onions (Trader Joe’s find)
• 1 cup Roasted Garlic Marinara sauce
• 1 package Garlic Basil Linguine (Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup shaved Romano & Asiago Cheese (Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Squeeze sausages out of their casings in to a pan

2. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until sausage is cooked through

3. Add marinara sauce and salt and bring to a simmer

4. Cook pasta according to package directions

5. About 2 minutes before pasta is done, incorporate the spinach into the sauce.  It took me about 3 batches to get it all in, stirring each batch until it wilted down before adding the next batch

6. Drain pasta and toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking

7. Spoon sauce over pasta and top with cheese

Ingredients

• boneless skinless chicken breast
• Durkee tomato garlic pesto marinade
• provolone cheese slices
• sliced onions
• creamy horseradish
• mayonnaise
• garlic powder
• barbecue sauce
• buns
• red wine vinegar
• vegetable oil
• chopped, cooked bacon
• tomato slices (optional)

Directions

1. Lay your chicken breasts out on a cutting board, cover with a layer of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet (flat side) pound until they are a uniform thickness all the way across

2. Next, tenderize the chicken (I like to use a blade tenderizer but if you don’t have one then the other side of the meat mallet works too)

3.  Next, take your packet of Durkee Tomato Garlic Pesto Marinade and take out 1/8 of a tsp of the mix and set it aside (look, it made a heart!)

4. Take the rest of the mix and put it in a large zip top bag and mix it according to packet direction then add about 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

5. Place the chicken in the bad, squeeze out most of the air, squish it around to coat the chicken well then set it in the refridgerator for at least half hour (an hour is better)

6. Next, made the spread by combining 3 tablespoons mayonaise, 1 tsp barbecue sauce, 1 tsp creamy horserasdish, 1/8 tsp marinade powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder (this is enough for 3 sandwiches, increase if you are making more)

7.  Now slice up some onions (how many depends on how many sandwiches you are making) and fry them in a pan with a bit of oil until very brown

8.  Go heat up the grill, its time to put the chicken on.  Grill the chicken for about 7 minutes on each side or until done

9. While the chicken is grilling, toast your buns under the oven broiler, then leave the broiler on, we are going to use it again in a minute

10. Once the chicken is done place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped, cooked bacon

11. Pile on the cooked onions

12. Top each with a slice of Provolone cheese

13. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese

14.  Put the spread on the buns

15.  Top with a slice of ripe tomato (optional) and enjoy

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups medium pearled barley
• 4 cups beef broth
• 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
• 12 ounces thinly sliced cooked beef*
• 1/2 cup onion-chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper-chopped
• 1 & 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp cilantro
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing**
  

Directions

1. Bring beef broth to boil, add barley, reduce to a simmer, cook 35 minutes
2. Pour barley into a bowl (its okay if it still has a little bit of liquid on it)

3. Add onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, parsley, mustard, salt & pepper

4. Stir in cheese

5. Stir in beef strips
6. Make dressing by mixing the red wine vinegar with the balsamic vinaigrette.

7. Pour the dressing on and stir to combine
8. Refrigerate overnight if you can then reheat when ready to serve otherwise, serve promptly

*I like to use John Soules Angus Beef Fajita Strips, they are precooked and come in a bag.  I usually get them at Wal-Mart

**My favorite brand is Maple Groves Farms Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette, it works great on salads, as a marinade and in all kinds of sauces

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast (I use turkey breast because its lower in calorie and we are trying to lose weight, but feel free to use ground beef, pork or chicken or any combination of meats)
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper chopped
• 1 can black beans (black beans are essential to this recipe, they have a wonderful texture and flavor)
• 1 can pinto beans (can also use kidney beans or white beans)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 packet chili seasoning mix ( My favorite is Carroll Shelby’s Original Texas Chili Kit but I also like  Brooks or Williams brands)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup medium picante sauce
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Cook the meat until about half done

2. Add peppers and onions

3. Cook until peppers and onions start to become soft

4. Add one can of the diced tomatoes (with  juice)

5. Simmer for about 5 minutes

6. Place mixture in crock pot (or large pot) and add remaining ingredients

7. Stir well

8. Cook for 2-3 hours if using a crock pot or 1 hour if cooking on the stove top (you can cook this all day on low in a crock pot to have a nice dinner when you get home from work or sledding)

Serve straight up or with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, sliced green onion or sour cream.

Nutritional Information (based on the ingredients and brands I use)

Servings: 8 (breakdown is per serving)

Calories: 213

Fat: 3 grams

Cholesterol: 26.5 mg

Sodium: 972 mg

Carbs: 24.5 grams

Sugars: 6 grams

Fiber: 8.75 grams

Protein: 19 grams

Ingredients

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 medium onion-chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely  chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms (dried or fresh)
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp sage
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups whole wheat egg noodles

Directions

1. Remove all of the chicken meat from the bones and set it aside (how much meat you have depends on how much leftover chicken you have)

2. Place the bones and skin in a large pot

3. Fill the pot with water and add the first half of herbs and seasonings (1 tablespoon minced onion, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp sage, 1 tsp kosher salt)

4. Boil for  minimum of 2 hours (the longer the better)

5.  Drain the broth through a colander to remove bones and skin

Make sure its a colander and not  seive, you want the spices and bits of chicken and fat to come through

6. Return the broth to the pot and add in the chicken, vegetables and seasonings

7. Cook for about 1 hour (if you need to add additional water you can, do so 1 cup at a time and taste the broth to make sure the seasonings are right)

8. Make sure soup is at a rolling boil and then add in egg noodles and cook for 20 minutes

Many years ago my friend Warren brought potato soup to a pot luck we were having at work, I fell in love with that soup and got the recipe.  I have made very few changes to the recipe over the years (which is unusual for me).  Its great served with sourdough bread.

Ingredients

• 4-15 oz cans of diced potatoes
• 1 quart half & half
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 stick butter
• 1 medium onion-diced
• 3 oz cooked bacon-chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Drain potatoes

2. In a large pot add potatoes and half of the half & half

3. Mash about half of the potatoes

4. Place on medium heat to start to simmer

5.  In a separate pan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 1 medium chopped onion.  Cook until onion is tender

6. Add the butter&onion mixture to the pot of potatoes and cream

7. Add the rest of the cream and the cooked bacon and cook on medium for about 25 minutes

8. Serve!

• 3 cups of spinach , washed and dried
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• dash of kosher salt
• 1 can of Del Monte diced tomatoes with basil, oregano & garlic
• 3 oz. low fat Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups Egg Beaters
• Black pepper, to taste

1. In a large sautee pan, heat the oil.  Add the spinach and 1 tsp  garlic, stirring continuously for about 30 seconds. Add a dash of kosher salt.  The spinach will wilt down and become bright green.
2. Spray a casserole dish or pie pan with non-stick spray
3. spread the spinach on the bottom of the dish
4. Drain the tomatoes and heat them in the sautee pan, adding 1 tsp of garlic. Heat for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes to the dish, spreading evenly.
6. Sprinkle with 3oz of grated, low fat Italian blend cheese
7. Pour Egg beaters over mixture
8. Grind a few grinds of black pepper on top
9. Bake at 400 degree for 40-45 minute or until set.

Very yummy!

I placed the chicken breasts in a casserole dish-thusly:

Then I made a sauce (looks gross, huh?)

Its made up of these things

• 1 can cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
• 1/4 cup chopped up sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped portabello mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 3 slices cooked bacon-chopped
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp oregeno
• 1/2 tsp roasted garlic red pepper spice (To be had at the soulard farmers market if you are in St. Louis)
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 3/4 cup water

Then pour the sauce over the chicken and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

I served it with whole wheat buttered egg noodles

I think next time I will actually make on the stovetop so that I can brown the chicken and mushrooms and onions then simmer it with the sauce.