Asian Barbecue Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup honey

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 minced cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sliced scallions for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, scallions, ginger and cayenne pepper. Pour into recloseable plastic bag, add chicken, turn to coat, and marinate 1 to 2 hours in refrigerator. Remove chicken. Boil marinade in a small pan for 2 minutes. Arrange thighs on rack of broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack on foil-lined broiler pan; place pan on oven shelf on medium position. Broil about 7 minutes; turn and broil about 5 minutes more, basting occasionally with marinade until thighs are done, taking care not to burn. Garnish with scallions and serve.

I replace the honey with corn syrup or agave nectar since Andrew is allergic. I've also replaced the orange juice with lemon juice and it tastes just great as well.

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

1 6 oz. package long grain & wild rice
3 cups cooked diced chicken
1 cup mayonnaise
1 10 oz. box French cut green beans, thawed
1 can cream of celery soup
1 small onion, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook rice according to package directions. Combine rice and remaining ingredients in large casserole dish. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake 45 minutes. Freezes well before baking.

Substitutions... you can use any condensed cream soup with good results, also if you can't find frozen french cut green beans, the canned variety works just as well - they're just not as firm.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce or tomato juice

2 cups water or chicken broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp diced green chilis

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups cooked chicken, cut in bite sized pieces

1 zucchini or yellow squash, diced

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with the following to be added as desired:

broken tortilla chips

sliced black olives

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

diced avocado

Lentil Stew

1 lb lentils
1 lb smoked sausage
4 cans (8 cups) chicken broth
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Rinse lentils and remove any stones. Cook lentils, sausage, and broth 30 minutes. Add spices and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

This is a favorite stand by that my mom used to make when I was little.

Just pan fry your pork chops until brown on each side, then smother with sauerkraut (be sure to add some of the juice too!) and cover the skillet and simmer for about 20 minutes.

The kids pick off the sauerkraut, but love the flavor of the pork.

Baked Pasta

I needed something to throw together at the last minute, so I made the following sauce and tossed it with cooked rotini noodles, then covered it with mozzarella and baked until melted.

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/4 lb ground sausage, browned and crumbled

Mix together over medium heat until flavors are combined - about 10 minutes.

Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche

This is a healthy twist on quiche... instead of using those very fattening pie crusts (although they are sooo tasty), we use slices of potato - the secret is to give the potatoes a head start in the microwave so they won't be crunchy when you're eating the quiche. Also, can I please ask you to repent of buying frozen spinach and make you promise never to buy it again! Any recipe that calls for frozen spinach can be made with fresh spinach just as easily and with a much better tasting result. I just pack the spinach leaves in my food processor and chop them until I can't see any leaves left and use that where a recipe calls for frozen spinach. Below is the recipe I use....

2 medium baking potatoes

4 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

2 cups packed spinach leaves, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Microwave the potatoes 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked but still firm enough to slice. Slice the potatoes in 1/4" slices (we like to leave the skins on, but you could certainly peel them if that suits your fancy). Spray a 9" pie dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer the potato slices on the sides and bottom of the dish to form a crust. (There will be spaces, but don't worry about them as the egg will fill in the gaps.)

Beat the eggs and yogurt together until well blended. Add salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach, onions, and cheese and mix well. Pour the egg mixture in the potato crust. Spray the uncovered potato with butter or cooking spray to keep it from getting dried out. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe is easily adaptable for whatever meat or veggies your family will eat. I happened to have only broccoli and onions on hand so that's what I used. The thing that makes the dish work is the sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp cooking wine (can also use grape juice or apple juice)

2 Tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Blend the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. If you are using meat, cut into bite size pieces and cook until brown. Remove to a plate. Add veggies, cut into small pieces, to the skillet (you may need to heat a bit more oil first). Cook until firm tender - you still want them to have a good crunch. If using multiple vegetables, add the crispier ones first (like broccoli or carrots) and the softer ones (like snow peas or scallions) after the other vegetables have been cooking for a few minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. When the vegetables are cooked to the desired crispness, move them towards the outside of the skillet. Mix the sauce and pour in the middle of the skillet. Stir it around until it begins to thicken and then toss with the meat and vegetables. Serve over rice.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Loin with Roasted Cauliflower

I decided to just roast the pork loin, so I used my food processor to make a paste out of rosemary, garlic and olive oil and slathered that all over the roast, threw some carrots, celery and onions in the pan and stuck it in the oven for awhile. Everyone seemed to like it, but the surprise hit of the night was the roasted cauliflower! Finally a cauliflower recipe that I can enjoy! And it was surprisingly easy... so check it out.