Main Dishes

Sesame Chicken

My mom and grandmother have been making this chicken for as long as I can remember. It’s a favorite in our house, too. The key is using a thin cut of chicken so it gets cooked all of the way through without burning the breading. Plus, it makes for a shorter cooking time. This chicken is great straight out of the pan, but I especially like it cold in a sandwich or on a salad the next day.

Sesame Chicken
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 3/4-inch thick and cut into pieces
  2. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  3. 1 large egg, beaten
  4. 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  5. 1 cup plain bread crumbs
  6. 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  7. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  8. Several dashes of cayenne pepper (to taste)
  9. 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  10. 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Put flour in a bowl. Combine egg and soy sauce in another bowl. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs, sesame seeds, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
  2. Coat the chicken pieces in the flour, dip in egg mixture, and then in the bread crumbs.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken in batches, and cook about 4 minutes per side, until breading is golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  4. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt.
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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Like many, I’ve tried to cut carbs from my diet as much as possible and found spaghetti squash really is a delicious substitute for pasta. I typically roast the squash, scrape out the flesh, and top it with homemade spicy marinara sauce and turkey meatballs. But last night I was feeling creative and decided to attempt making spaghetti squash lasagna, and it turned out great! Between the sauce and the squash, there was a lot of liquid in the pan and I was worried it wouldn’t hold up when I cut and served it, but it wasn’t a problem. Just be careful slicing the squash — they are very tough to cut!

 

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Serves 6
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Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
45 min
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 spaghetti squash
  2. 1 lb lean ground beef
  3. 1/2 white onion, diced
  4. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  5. 24 oz. small curd cottage cheese (or ricotta)
  6. 1 large egg, beaten
  7. 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
  8. 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  9. 4 cups prepared tomato sauce
  10. Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Carefully slice squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place halves cut side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with a few tablespoons of water, cover with foil, and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  3. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef until no longer. Drain excess fat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté about 5 minutes until onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, beaten egg, 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, and minced parsley.
  5. With a fork, scrape the flesh from the squash shell into a large bowl (should yield about 6 cups). Stir into the squash the remaining 2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce.
  6. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about 2 cups of the squash in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer half of the meat. Then spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the meat layer. Repeat the three layers (2 cups of squash, meat, and cheese). Add the remaining 2 cups of squash to the top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
  7. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes.
  8. Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Quinoa “Fried Rice”

I have a confession: I’m addicted to Pinterest. I sit every night pinning recipe after recipe, but then I rarely make any of them. So when I couldn’t decide what to make for dinner last night, I decided to turn to Pinterest for some inspiration and found a recipe for quinoa fried rice I had pinned months ago. And it was delicious! I definitely will be making this recipe again and adding chicken or shrimp to it.

Quinoa "Fried Rice"
Serves 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed with cold water
  3. 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  4. ½ white onion, diced
  5. ½ cup frozen peas
  6. 2 eggs, beaten
  7. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  8. ½ tsp. fresh ginger, grated
  9. Sauce
  10. 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
  11. 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
  12. 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  13. 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  14. 1 clove of garlic, minced
Instructions
  1. In a small pot, add quinoa and 1½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed. Pour quinoa into a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess liquid. Let sit to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add carrots and onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until just tender.
  4. Add garlic and ginger to the pan. Sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
  5. Add to the pan the cooked quinoa, sauce, and frozen peas and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  6. Push quinoa to the sides of the pan. Add beaten eggs to the center, scramble, and then stir into the quinoa.
Adapted from Cooking for Keeps
Adapted from Cooking for Keeps
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/