Have you ever made your own whole wheat pizza dough? It is extremely easy and better for you than a white flour counterpart. Granted I sometimes buy the whole wheat pizza dough from my supermarket but choosing to have a whole grain kind is better.

This chipotle chicken pizza was extremely easy to put together. I bought chipotle sauce from a TN store when we went there over spring brake. We go there at least 3 times a year, as we have a condo in the mountains and the kids love going for the many activities they can do.

I used chicken breast for this chipotle chicken pizza which I microwaved for a few minutes until almost cooked. It was not cooked all the way, as I knew it would get thoroughly get cooked in the oven. You can boil your chicken if you like as well but the microwave worked faster for me.

If you don’t have chipotle sauce you can make your own very easily. Just place a few chipotles in adobo sauce in your food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. That is it! I am going to make my own from now on, as it is way more economical and I can alter the recipe to meet my needs.

On another note, I am going to try to make a cake tomorrow to be able to post for my 4th year of blogging. May 6th is my birthday blog. I can’t believe it has been 4 years since I starting blogging. I have learned a lot and met some wonderful and not so wonderful people, but that comes with the territory I guess :-)

Anyhow, I leave you with this easy chipotle chicken pizza version which you can add some veggies if you like. I was in a hurry so this time around I didn’t.

Enjoy!

This is the pizza right before baking. I use a pizza stone, which makes my crusts a lot crispier and better!

Chipotle chicken pizza

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 2 pizzas- 16 servings, 2 pieces each

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs organic chicken breast
• 3/4 cup chipotle sauce, divided, see note below
• 2 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 prepared whole wheat pizza dough, or store bought
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 2 green onion, chopped
• Red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Place the chicken in a microwavable plate and microwave for 6-8 minutes or until almost cooked. It will get throughly cooked in the pizza don't worry if you see some raw pieces. Shred the chicken and mix with 1/4 cup of the chipotle sauce. Set aside.

On a flat surface, like your kitchen counter, place some whole wheat flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll out your pizza dough with a rolling pin.  Place the pizza dough onto the pizza stone making sure you reach the edges. You can also use a pizza baking sheet or a cookie sheet. Repeat this with the second pizza dough.

In a small mixing bowl, add the tomato paste, chipotle sauce, and 1/3 cup water and mix until combined. Divide the sauce among the two pizzas making sure to spread the sauce to the edges. Divide the shredded mozzarella cheese between the two pizzas and top with the chopped onions and chicken.

Bake the pizzas in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes. When baked, top the pizzas with some chopped green onion and red pepper flakes if desired.

NOTE: You can make your own chipotle sauce by placing chipotles in adobo sauce in your blender. If you use this make sure you add a bit less of it because it will be more concentrated. 1/3-1/2 cup of the sauce, depending on how spicy you want your pizza, should be sufficient. 

 

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Here is recipe number two from the Tabasco 10 ingredient challenge.

This one was another easy recipe with few ingredients that it is perfect for any weeknight dinner. This recipe is full of protein and fiber, two healthy nutrition components of a well balance diet.

The preparation time is almost none existent. Besides chopping the chicken and the onion there is not much to do so if you are looking for a well balance nutritional meal that requires hardly any preparation look no further.

Again, for this recipe, I kept the amount of Tabasco to the medium side. My kids do enjoy the occasional spicy food, not too spicy, just a tad spicy, so feel free to add a bit more. My husband did and so did I so when preparing the recipe, you can double the amount of Tabasco for some extra heat.

This dinner also freezes really well. I actually do try to make a bit more quantity at each dinner so that I don’t have to cook each night. I just make sure that I take my leftover frozen dinners the morning off and I am good to go at night.

Tomorrow I will be posting recipe number three of the 10 ingredient Tabasco challenge. Another winner recipe especially on my husbands book so I hope you stay tuned for that one too.

Enjoy!

In a large skillet, over medium to high heat, add the chicken and onions and cook until the chicken has browned a bit, about 3-5 minutes. After that you can add the remainder of the ingredients and cook until the rice is tender. It will take approximately 25 minutes.

Here can see how liquid like it looks but after about 25 minutes the water will be absorbed and the rice will become tender. If you feel like the water has been absorbed and the rice is still hard you can add more water and let the rice cook an extra few minutes.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Tabasco and it contains affiliate links. Tabasco compensated me for the time spent developing and photographing this recipe. All opinions are 100% my own. My sponsors help make this blog possible. The end :-)

No-fuss black beans, chicken and rice

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-5 servings

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs of organic chicken, cut into small chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 15oz canned black beans, drained
• 1 14oz canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tabasco® original sauce, more if you like
• 3 green onions chopped
• 2 cups brown rice, this is the one I used
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

In a large skillet, over medium to high heat, add the oil,  chopped onion and chicken and cook for about 3-5 minutes until the chicken has browned a bit. Add the remainder of the ingredients except the chopped green onions.

Turn the heat to medium-low and add 4 cups of water. Mix the ingredients through and let it stand, covered for 20 -25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Make sure you keep an eye on the rice in case there is more water needed before the rice is tender.

Garnish the rice with the chopped onions and serve while still warm.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings.

The post No-fuss Black beans, chicken and rice appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Wow at last another blog post. Sorry but I have been down South Spain for the past two weeks without a steady internet connection, thus keeping up with the blog has been quite hard. However, I am back now ready to share really good recipes in the next few weeks to come!

Today I have brought you my own version of drunken noodles with shrimp, which in my opinion, they are mighty delicious.

I have tried many versions of drunken noodles before only to find one Thai restaurant that really prepared them right to my taste. Not that I am an expert on Asian cuisine, but even though the base of drunken noodles is made with soy sauce, it is not rare to see them prepared differently just like mine.

For my drunken noodles with shrimp version the sauce base of the noodles was using a Pad Thai sauce mixed in with a chilli sauce. This sauce may sound odd but it is mighty good. This recipe has been a secret of mine for quite some time but today I thought to share it with you so that you can enjoy it with your family and friends as well.

If you live near an Asian market like I do, you will be able to get Asian staples, likes sauces, at a much better price. If you don’t happen to have and Asian market near by you can rely on Amazon. Many of the ingredients can be found there.

This drunken noodle recipe is truly a gem. You can prepare this dish in no time. If you like drunken noodles and Pad Thai I suggest you double the batch. You will thank me later :-)

Enjoy!

On the left picture you can see the two different sauces I used. You can get them at any Asian market but if you don’t live near one you can get the Sweet chilli sauce and Pad Thai sauce on Amazon.

Drunken noodles with shrimp

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 14 oz wide rice noodles
• 16 oz medium cooked shrimp
• 10 oz grated carrots
• 2 organic eggs, scrambled
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
  1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil, regular basil will do
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce

• 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup pad Thai sauce

 

Directions:

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

In a bowl mix sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a large pot, over medium to high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the grated carrots, ginger and green onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked shrimp, basil and combine. Turn the heat off and set aside.

On a separate pan, over low heat, heat 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the scrambled eggs and cooked stirring constantly until done. Add to veggies.

To the veggies, add the cooked rice noodles, sauce mixture, chopped basil and chopped peanuts and combine. Serve while still warm.

Nutrition facts based on the recipe giving 5 servings.

The post Drunken noodles with shrimp appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have been using quinoa quite a bit lately. This Mediterranean quinoa salad is the amazing and I know I will be coming to this recipe for time to come. I just simply love this type of seed. I have bought different types, like a tricolor one which I really liked, but for the most part the plain conventional one is the one that I use.

The most important thing I have found about cooking quinoa is that you must cook the quinoa on a rice cooker. If you have a rice cooker, you must cook your quinoa in it. Your quinoa will come out perfect and not over cooked. I have cooked quinoa on the stove several times and every single time I have messed it up by over cooking it.

If you don’t have a rice cooker I urge you to get one. They are fairly inexpensive and so so convenient. I use it at least 2-3 times per week and now with me making quinoa I will be using it even more. The rice comes out perfect, and so does the quinoa. The rice cooker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances, besides my crock pot and food processor.

I have also found that cooking quinoa with vegetable stock gives the quinoa a very good flavor. You can cook it with chicken stock if you like or just plain water, which is what I do many times as well.

Also, you can add any veggies of your choice and make this salad your own. I am loving quinoa lately, and I think I will be using this seed for a long time to come.

If you haven’t started adding quinoa to your diet you should because it is said to be the seed of the future. Not only quinoa is gluten free but it is rich in iron, B2, fiber, manganese, magnesium and protein.

Let me know if you try this refreshing and yummy Mediterranean quinoa salad. I know I will be making this all summer.

Until my next post,

Stay safe and enjoy!

I think this has become one of my favorite salads. Don’t skip the fresh herbs. They make the salad refreshing and unique with the mint and dill flavors. I am going to make this all summer it is that good!

Mediterranean quinoa salad

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried quinoa
• 8-10 oz Kalamata olives, drained
• 15 oz chopped cherry tomatoes
• 10 oz fetta cheese, cubed
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, free of high fructose corn syrup
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 oz fresh dill, chopped
• 1 oz fresh mint, chopped

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. I cook mine in a rice cooker and it always comes out perfect.

In a large mixing bowl place all of the ingredients and combine. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for 1-2 hours to chill before serving.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 4 servings.

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