Category: Main Dishes

Lean n’ Mean Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meatloaf and Garlicky Green Beans

Lean n’ Mean Turkey Meatloaf
Recipe Type: Fall Dinners
Cuisine: American
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
This recipe is truly not “yo’ mama’s meatloaf”! A bit lighter due to using turkey instead of beef, with a secret ingredient that never fails! Serve with sweet potato fries and green veggies of your choosing!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 packet “Beefy onion soup mix”
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
  2. Add oil to a hot saute pan on medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms and onions until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in packet of onion soup mix, scraping off blackened parts from bottom of pan.
  3. In large bowl, mix together turkey, eggs, bread crumbs, ketchup, black olives, 1 tsp each salt and pepper, and mushrooms/onions. Combine all with spoon (or if you’re feeling really keen on getting down and dirty with your food… your hands!). Pour mixture into a regular size loaf pan. Drizzle additional ketchup or BBQ sauce on top if you so desire!
  4. Bake at 350 deg for 55-60 minutes.
  5. Drain excess drippings from pan and allow meatloaf to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  6. *You can also freeze this for later! Just wrap tightly in tin foil and seal in a ziplock freezer-safe bag.

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ClaireLeave a comment

“Tex Mex Meets Sweden”: Chicken Tamale Cornbread Casserole w/ Roasted Corn on the Cob

Ben and I had the pleasure of welcoming our dear friend Rebecca to Durham for a night before she heads back to Sweden! Rebecca has been serving in full-time ministry in Uppsala, Sweden for the past year, and was able to come back to the States for a few months this summer to raise support for the next year. It’s amazing to hear what God has been doing overseas through her and her teammate, Rachel (who is another good friend from college that we unfortunately didn’t get to see this summer). God has smiled on both of these amazing women and we are so blessed to have them both in our lives!

To celebrate Rebecca’s stay with us, I decided to cook up one “last” Tex-Mex meal for her. Rebecca is from Texas. If that needs any more clarification, she loves anything and everything with beans, meat, and cheese. Tortillas are the icing on the cake. When I asked her what she wanted for dinner tonight, she said “Tex Mex! Or anything from your blog!” Apparently she hasn’t had enough Tex-Mex for being back in TX for the past month… I suppose some things never get old. Well, now she can make some good ol’ fashioned Texas home cooking from her apartment in Sweden- AND it’s something from my blog! Win.

(This is a slightly adapted recipe from Cooking Light’s Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe. You can find it here. I added pinto beans and the peppers and onions in with the chicken when I cooked it, as well as the taco seasoning for some extra flavor!)

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Spray bottom of crock pot with cooking spray. Layer onions, peppers, and chicken breasts. Dissolve half a taco seasoning packet in 1 cup water and pour over chicken. Sprinkle remaining seasoning over top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken is tender.

Chicken Tamale Casserole 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together creamed corn, milk, egg, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, pinto beans, cumin, red pepper, green chiles, and corn muffin mix until just blended. Batter will be lumpy. Spread evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×12 casserole dish. Bake at 400 deg for 15 minutes until just set. Remove from oven and pierce liberally with a fork.

Pour enchilada sauce over top. When chicken is done, shred and mix into peppers and onions. Pour over top of casserole and sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese over top. Bake 15 additional minutes at 400 degrees.

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Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and roasted corn (recipe below) or a green salad on the side (or both)!

Roasted Corn:

To make some succulent roasted corn in the oven, simply preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place corn, in husks and all, on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. To tell if corn is done, lightly squeeze sides of husks. Corn should be slightly tender.

Husk the corn (the husks and silk comes off easier when the corn is cooked!) and smear on some salt and butter (even though it doesn’t really need either one!) or chipotle seasoning. The best part of this recipe is that once you pull down the husks, they double as a handle to hold on to as you sink your teeth in! 🙂

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Chicken Tamale Cornbread Casserole
Recipe Type: Casseroles
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
A great go-to comfort food casserole for those summer nights when you’re not sure what else to make! I love the cornbread on the bottom mixed with the creamed corn- it adds a little bit of sweetness underneath the heat of the enchilada sauce!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese, divided
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 14 oz can cream-style corn
  • 1 8.5 oz box corn muffin mix (I used good ol’ fashioned Jiffy!)
  • 1 14 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 4 oz can green chiles, drained
  • cooking spray
  • 1 14 oz can red enchilada sauce
  • 1-2 lbs chicken breasts
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 green pepper, minced
  • sour cream, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place onions and peppers in bottom of a well sprayed crock pot. Layer chicken on top.
  2. Mix 1/2 packet taco seasoning with 1 cup water. Stir until dissolved. Pour over chicken and vegetables.
  3. Sprinkle remaining taco seasoning on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken and vegetables are tender.
  4. Shred chicken and mix into veggies. Turn crock pot to “warm” setting.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Mix 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper flakes, cream corn, corn muffin mix, and pinto beans until just blended. Batter will be lumpy.
  7. Spread in a well-sprayed 9×12 casserole dish. Bake at 400 deg for 15 minutes, or until center of cornbread is set.
  8. Remove from oven and pierce liberally all over with a fork.
  9. Pour enchilada sauce over casserole. Layer chicken, pepper, and onion mixture over top.
  10. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
  11. Bake 15 additional minutes (or until cheese is melted) at 400 degrees.
  12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve with a dollop of sour cream!

 

ClaireLeave a comment

Balsamic Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, Onions, & Chickpeas

Fire-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes and Onions

Fire-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes, Onions, & Chickpeas
Recipe Type: Healthy, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
An easy summer go-to dinner packed with protein and bursting with flavor! Serve with your steamed leafy greens of choice and chicken if desired!
Ingredients
  • 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and sliced into quarters
  • 1 onion, sliced thinly
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp good balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large bunch fresh kale, steamed with a few drops of red wine vinegar
  • Cooked chicken breast (I rubbed a little olive oil and some creamy peppercorn dressing seasoning onto it before cooking from frozen)
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa (I roasted my uncooked quinoa first)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Feta cheese, to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix tomatoes, onion slices, garlic, garbanzo beans, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour over tomato mixture and stir. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to marinate.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Spread tomato mixture evenly into a 9×12 casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until onions are slightly soft and sweet!
  3. Serve over cooked quinoa and steamed kale. Add chicken on side if desired. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

ClaireLeave a comment

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is my new favorite way to bake chicken. Throw some veggies and herbs into a casserole dish, top with some chicken breasts or thighs, rub with a bit of EVOO and a few more spices, and bake! The best part of this way of baking chicken is that all the juices from the chicken seep down into the veggies while they cook, adding a lot more flavor and keeping everything super tender! Oh, and the fact that it’s all in one dish to stick in the fridge for leftovers after. If there are any leftovers. We seem to have a problem with that in our house. 🙂

First step is adding all the veggies into the bottom of a greased casserole dish. I used a bag of frozen spinach (thawed and cooked), some chopped fresh kale, frozen basil from our garden, about 3 cups of broccoli florets, and some sautéed onions. I tossed in about a teaspoon of Better than Bullion (love that stuff), a bit of hot water to dilute, and some garlic powder.

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Next step is to add the chicken on top. This chicken was marinated in a regular old freezer bag for a few hours (flipping the bag about halfway through) with just about a fourth cup of olive oil, about half a cup of balsamic vinegar, about 2 tsp of minced garlic, some dried basil, and a bit more garlic powder. Don’t worry about exact measurements for this part- I eyed it all. Oops. 🙂

Carefully lay the chicken on top of the greens n’ onions like so:

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Sprinkle a bit of rosemary on top, and some more dried basil if you wish (can you tell I like my spices?), and now you’re ready to stick ‘er in the oven!

Bake at 375 deg for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomato mozzarella and basil salad. Drain a can of diced tomatoes in tomato juice, chop up a few grape tomatoes, remaining fresh basil, and a small block of mozzarella. Mix all together in a bowl and try to refrain from eating it by the spoonful like I wanted to after this picture.

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When the chicken has about 10 min left on the timer, spoon about a 1/3 cup of the tomato-mozzarella mixture on each breast. Cover with tinfoil and return to oven for the rest of the time!

When you take it out, it should look something like this.

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Or this:

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Ok I’ll stop now. I just like taking pretty pictures. 🙂

Serve over quinoa (I toasted mine first) with a little drizzle of balsamic reduction and some garlicky pita bread on the side!

But just one more. For kicks and giggles.

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Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Recipe Type: Entree, Chicken, Dinners
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
My new favorite way to bake chicken! All in one dish and plenty (let’s hope) for leftovers!
Ingredients
  • 6 chicken breasts, thawed and pounded thinly
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder, plus more to taste
  • 1 tsp dried basil, plus more to taste
  • 1 10-12 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
  • 3 c. fresh broccoli florets
  • 2 c. fresh chopped kale
  • 1 onion, chopped and sliced thinly
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 c. cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped finely
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Garlic pita bread, for serving
  • Balsamic reduction, for serving
Instructions
  1. Place chicken breasts in large ziplock storage bag. Add olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried basil, and balsamic vinegar. Shake bag to coat chicken evenly.
  2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, turning bag halfway through.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
  4. Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
  5. Heat skillet to medium high and sauté onion until golden and soft.
  6. In a large bowl, combine onion, spinach, kale, broccoli, and remaining garlic powder and dried basil. Spread evenly in bottom of casserole dish.
  7. Top with chicken breasts and additional spices, if desired.
  8. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh chopped basil in a small bowl.
  10. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken.
  11. Cover casserole dish with tin foil and return to oven for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted. (I also reduced the heat to 350 because I’m paranoid.)
  12. Serve over toasted quinoa.

 

ClaireLeave a comment

Lemon-Dill Chicken & Bean Bake

This is literally one of the easiest chicken dishes I’ve ever made. And SO DELICIOUS! The key is to bake the chicken right on top of the veggies so that the juices seep down and flavor the vegetables while it’s in the oven. I love this dish because you can vary it up any way you want, too! I originally got the idea from one of my favorite blogs, Kath Eats Real Food (I swear she is my long-lost twin), where she tops garbanzo and green beans with chicken and seasons them simply with salt, pepper and garlic. The opportunities are endless- cumin-rubbed chicken over black beans and corn, curry-chicken over broccoli and quinoa, etc. etc.

The smell of this wafting out of the oven was almost enough on its own to get me eating it right out of the casserole dish! Hopefully you like it just as much, and create your own spin off of it! When you do, make sure to share with the rest of us! 🙂

I sprinkled some feta on top and sliced up half a lemon to add some zing to the chicken thighs.

I also served this with warmed pita bread and some broiled, sliced-up peaches- just sticking them the broiler while the oven is still hot for about a minute really brings out their sweetness! Yum!

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Preheat oven to 425 deg. Get all of your ingredients ready to go. This means chopping up the garlic into small pieces, chopping the dill and cauliflower, slicing the lemon, and rinsing/draining the beans.

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Next, spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the white beans, green beans, cauliflower, garlic, dill, the juice of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of garlic powder and red pepper flakes (if desired). Mix it all together in the dish.

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Place the chicken thighs on top. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, a bit more salt and pepper, dill, and lemon slices from the remaining half of the lemon.

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All set to stick in the oven! Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes and prepare your tastebuds (and nostrils!) to be amazed!

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with feta. While oven is still warm, stick the pita bread and peach slices for 3-4 minutes. Remove pita bread and turn on the broiler to high. Broil peaches for about a minute, or until very soft and beginning to brown!

Serve chicken over veggies and beans with pita, additional feta, and peaches.

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Lemon-Dill Chicken & Bean Bake
Recipe Type: Easy Chicken Dishes
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 6 chicken thighs, skinless-and boneless
  • 1 10 oz bag frozen green beans
  • 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 lemon
  • ~6 bunches dill (comes to about 4-5 tsp, chopped finely)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
  • red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/3-1/2 cup feta cheese, as desired
  • 2 pita rounds, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 deg. Get all of your ingredients ready to go. This means chopping up the garlic into small pieces, chopping the dill and cauliflower, slicing the lemon, and rinsing/draining the beans.
  2. Next, spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the white beans, green beans, cauliflower, garlic, dill, the juice of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of garlic powder and red pepper flakes (if desired). Mix it all together in the dish.
  3. Place the chicken thighs on top. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, a bit more salt and pepper, dill, and lemon slices from the remaining half of the lemon.
  4. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes and prepare your tastebuds (and nostrils!) to be amazed!
  5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with feta. While oven is still warm, stick the pita bread and peach slices for 3-4 minutes.
  6. Remove pita bread and turn on the broiler to high. Broil peaches for about a minute, or until very soft and beginning to brown!
  7. Serve chicken over veggies and beans with pita, additional feta, and peaches.
Serving size: 1 chicken thigh and 3/4 cup bean/veggies Calories: 515 cal Fat: 14 g Carbohydrates: 55 g Fiber: 11 g Protein: 43 g

ClaireLeave a comment