Jambalaya

 Ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 chicken breast, cubed (about 6-8 oz) and sprinkled with salt and pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 oz turkey sausage, chopped
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (I used a mixture of green, red and yellow)
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove chicken from the pan and add in sausage. Cook the sausage until lightly browned. Add in onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, celery, and garlic.

 Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add in rice, and stir for 2 minutes.

 
Add in broth, paprika, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and red pepper.

When the mixture comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken, and cook until all liquid is absorbed.

 Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook about 5 minutes or until they're done. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Top with green onions, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired.

 

Source: Slightly adapted from this Cooking Light recipe

A Valentine's Day Dessert

Looking for a dessert to make for your Valentine? Try these mini heart shaped cheesecakes with homemade strawberry sauce. I made them over the weekend and they turned out pretty well. I was kind of making them up as I went, so they weren't absolutely perfect the first time, but I added a few tips at the end of this post for how I would make them even better next time.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. package cream cheese (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
2 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
1 egg
2 refrigerated pie crusts
10-12 large strawberries
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp Creme de Cacao (optional)

Yields 20-24 mini cheesecakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Unroll pie crusts on a clean floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out until smooth. Here's where your art skills come into play....Carefully cut out heart shaped sections of the pie crust (they should be about 3-4 inches wide). If you have a large heart shaped cookie cutter, you can definitely use that too (or anything heart-shaped that you can use as a template).

Press hearts into greased mini muffin cups.

Using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp lemon juice until fluffy. Add in egg and mix until completely blended.

Fill each heart with the cream cheese mixture, about 3/4 full or so.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust turns golden.

To make the sauce, begin by cutting the strawberries into large chunks.

In a small bowl mix together remaining 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice with cornstarch. Combine strawberries, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice/cornstarch mixture, and remaining 1/4 tsp vanilla in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Stir in Creme de Cacao, reduce heat, and cook about 5 more minutes until the mixture turns into a thick sauce.

When the cheesecakes are done, remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Once cheesecakes and strawberry sauce have cooled, top each heart with a spoonful of sauce, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

A few suggested changes:
- I think next time I would make them in regular size muffin cups. The crust to cheesecake ratio was a little heavy on the crust and there wasn't as much cheesecake flavor in each bite as I would have liked. (The cooking time would likely need to be increased for the larger size.)
- Also, if you want to add a little kick of sweetness and hint of sparkle, try sprinkling a little sugar on the crust before baking.

Let me know what you think!

Spicy Southwest Chipotle Turkey Burgers

I think the warmer weather the past couple of days has put us in a grilling mood, because we were both craving burgers tonight. And what recipe in the Wiley household would be anything without a little spice? These were an experiment...that turned out to be pretty good if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:
10 oz. lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 1/2 tbsp Southwest Seasoning
1/2 large onion, sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 hamburger buns
1 avocado
1 tomato
Lettuce

Yield: 2 burgers
You can adjust the amount of turkey you use depending on your desired burger size.

Preheat your grill. While it's warming up, mix together the turkey, cheese, chipotle peppers, and seasoning in a medium sized bowl.

 
Form the mixture into two patties and grill for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked throughout.

While the burgers are cooking, saute the onion and yellow peppers over medium heat until tender and browned.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns. Top with lettuce, slices of avocado and tomato, and onion/pepper mixture. Add a little ketchup to make them spicy and sweet.

Southwest Seasoning

This seasoning is quick and easy and can be used on all sorts of things - poultry, fish, beef, pork, veggies, pretty much anything!

Mix together the following ingredients, and your southwest seasoning is ready to go:

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Grasshopper Pie

If you ask me, anything that combines mint with chocolate is near perfection. :) Here's another family holiday favorite that goes back as long as I can remember.

Usually, it's made as one regular-sized pie, but this time, I tried something different and used a muffin pan to make little individual pies. The ingredient amounts for the crust vary slightly based on whether you are making the mini pies or the traditional size. The amounts listed below are for the mini pies, but I've noted the alternative amounts in parentheses for the regular pie.

Ingredients:
Crust:
12 chocolate graham crackers (full rectangle) (9 for traditional pie)
5 tbsp margarine (3 tbsp for traditional pie)

Filling:
24 large marshmallows
2/3 cup milk
3 tbsp green Creme de Menthe
2 tbsp Creme de Cacao
1 cup whipping cream, whipped OR 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Yields 12 mini pies

To make the crust, crush the graham crackers (I used a food processor). Melt the margarine and add to the cracker crumbs, mixing thoroughly.

Press into muffin pan cups (or pie dish if you're making the regular version).

To make the filling, melt the marshmallows in milk in a double boiler. Using a double boiler is important to avoid burning the marshmallows. Cool.

Add Creme de Menthe and Creme de Cacao. IF you're like me, you may be tempted to add in extra Creme de Menthe. Try not to do this as it will prevent the filling from freezing appropriately. Fold in whipped cream until smooth.

Pour into pie shell(s) and place in the freezer for several hours, or until firm.

Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a couple mint leaves, if desired. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili with a Kick

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
7 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz diced jalapeño
12 oz diced green chiles
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garlic salt
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
4 cans cannelini beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cilantro (optional as garnish)

Yields about 8-10 servings.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and saute until tender.

Add in garlic, jalapeño, chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, and garlic salt.

Stir ingredients together and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Mix in the broth, the chicken, and the white beans.

Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and corn.



Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the cheese.

Serve with a little cheese sprinkled on top, and cilantro, if desired.

Source: allrecipes.com



Grilled Pork Chops with Apple Chutney

We made these when Clay's parents were over for "Thanksgiving" dinner. They came the night before Thanksgiving, and since all of us were going to have turkey the next day, we decided to do something different. Clay and I had made these pork chops before, and loved them, so we thought they'd be a great choice.

Ingredients:
Chutney:
1 tbsp butter
5 cups cubed peeled apple (I used Granny Smith)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp allspice

Pork:
3/4 tsp ground chipotle chili pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 bone-in pork chops
Cooking spray

Yield: 4 servings

To prepare chutney, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the apple, and saute until it starts to brown. Add in the cranberries and stir. Then add in the brown sugar, cider vinegar, ginger, salt, mustard, and allspice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.

While the chutney is simmering, combine the chipotle pepper, salt, garlic powder, coriander, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix together.

 
Lay the pork chops out on a baking pan, and sprinkle each side with the mixed spices.



Sear pork chops over high heat on the grill for about 4 minutes on each side (or until desired level of doneness is reached).

Continue to stir chutney occasionally while pork is cooking.

 

Once the pork is cooked, top with the apple chutney. I served it with a Gorgonzola and walnut risotto, and green bean bundles. Yum!

Source: Cooking Light recipe