Avocado Pear Turkey Burgers

This was an experiment gone right!  :)  First, I had never put pears on a burger.  Second, I have never made turkey burgers.  Turns out it is quite tasty!  Give it a try.

Avocado Pear Turkey Burgers

3 lbs ground turkey
two handfuls of Parmesan cheese
1/2 handful of garlic powder
1/2 handful of dried thyme
one egg

Mix the above and separate into 6 patties. 

Sliced pears and mozzarella cheese.
While grilling the pears, top the patties with pear and melt the cheese on top of it. 

You can serve these any way you would like but I did so with chipotle mayo, avocado, and tomato on toasted whole grain bread.  :)  I made up a side of sweet potato fries (frozen...I cheated) and that's what we had for dinner at my house tonight!!! 

Asian-Accent Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise in thin strips
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark Asian sesame oil
1 Tablespoon corn oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
4 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup water or fat-free chicken broth

Place the chicken strips on a plate and dredge with the cornstarch and brown sugar. Sprinkle with the soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss well with 2 forks to coat strips evenly.
Place a wok on nonstick skillet or on a burner over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon of the corn oil. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the chicken , andcook until no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining corn oil and ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and water. Stir for 1 minute, or until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat. Serve with steaming-hot brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Brown Rice

2 cups brown rice
4 cups water
1 tsp. water

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover. Turn down heat all the way to low and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes until water is absorbed.

Chicken Enchiladas

Well, wouldn't you know it? By the time I got home from the baptism this evening, my children had already given up on me and bought pizza. :( But I did make up the enchiladas so they are all ready to pop in the oven after church. This is also a family favorite.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 large onion, chopped
16 fresh mild green chilis or 2- 4oz. cans
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons flour
6 cups chicken broth
2 scallions
5 cups shredded chicken (sometimes we add a can or two of beans as well)
salt
1 teaspoons cumin
Monterrey jack - about 2 cups grated
Cheddar - about 2 cups grated
Flour Tortillas

Chop onions & chilies. Mince garlic. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and chicken broth. Add chilies, garlic, salt to taste and cumin and chicken, simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors of sauce.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease rectangular baking dish. Grate cheese. Slice scallions. Put some of the chicken mixture in a strip down the tortilla and top with 2 -3 Tablespoons of cheese. Roll it up and put in baking dish seam side down. Repeat until pan is full. Pour any remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and scallions. Bake until hot and bubbly - about 30 minutes. Serve hot. Garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, salsa, etc.

Chicken penne alfredo

This is an easy dish and my husband really likes it.  It is really filling, especially if you use a whole wheat pasta and it's an easy way to stretch chicken, too.  I'm not amazing with estimating the servings as I'm not one to just have one "serving size" portion of something I like but if I had to take a stab at it I'd say this would feed 6 adults.  If you added a side salad and some dinner rolls or crusty bread it would go even further!  Hope you like it. 

Chicken Penne Alfredo
(from Meg's kitchen)

1 lb penne pasta
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1 carton of mushrooms
1 bag of frozen peas
1 lb bacon
4 chicken breasts
Salt & pepper for seasoning chicken

Season chicken and bake at 350 until internal temp is 170 F. (aprox 15-20 min) Slice chicken into strips.
While chicken is cooking, boil penne in a large stock pot to aldente and drain.  Return pasta to pot.  Defrost peas according to directions on the package.  (I used a microwave)
Cook bacon on a griddle until crispy and then crumble.
Add chicken, bacon, peas, mushrooms, and alfredo sauce to the cooked pasta and heat through.
Enjoy!  :)