One Pot Chicken Pad Thai

Ordering a Pad Thai from a restaurant, I have never been a fan. Saw this recipe on tasty, my sister and I thought we'd try it. When we made it the first time, everyone was very impressed and thought it couldn't be the first time. It is a good recipe. I've made it myself 3 times and I know my sister has made it a few times as well. Can be ready in 30 minutes for a quick and delicious dinner! Has a little kick to it too from the sriracha! 

Pad Thai Sauce:
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs lime juice
2 tbs sriracha

Noodles:
8 oz package of Pad Thai Noodles 
2 tbs Sesame Oil2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 Diced Chicken Breast1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 cup of Shallots
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup Bean Sprouts1/2 cup Crushed Peanuts1/4 cup Green Onions1/4 cup Cilantro


Directions:

Combine all ingredients to make the sauce in a bowl. Set aside. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Strain and toss with 1 tbs. of sesame oil in a bowl and set aside. On medium heat, pour 1/2 Tbsp. of sesame oil into your pot and add two lightly beaten eggs. Stir eggs constantly and cook for approximately 1 minute (or until cooked). When the eggs are finished cooking, set aside in the bowl with the noodles. Pour another 1/2 tbs. of sesame oil into the pot and add 1 diced chicken breast. Add to bowl with noodles and eggs once chicken is fully cooked and slightly brown. Add 1/2 tbs of vegetable oil to the pot. Add shallots & red peppers to the pot and cook until the shallots lightly browned and fragrant. Because of the egg and chicken being in there before, it is likely that the pot will start to get some stuff sticking to the bottom. Try and scrape it up. Add 1/2 the pad thai sauce to deglaze the pot and get all the brown bits off the bottom. Then, add your noodles, eggs, and chicken back into the pot. Pour in the rest of the pad thai sauce. Mix everything to incorporate and then remove from heat. Top with bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, green onions, and cilantro, and stir until well blended. Dish up and garnish with extra peanuts, green onions, and cilantro. Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Lasagna

I've only ever had a few "Italian" lasagna's that I really liked, but I was oddly in the mood to make one tonight. When I started to google recipes, I came across Rachael Ray's Mexican Lasagna and decided tonight would be Mexican night, not Italian.

This can legit be ready in 30 minutes and is very delicious.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons EEVO
2 lb ground chicken breast
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tbs chili powder (I mixed chipotle and regular)
2 tbs cumin (her recipe calls for 2 tsp... I did tbs by accident and I'm not mad about it)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can beans (black beans, kidney beans, whatever you've got!)
1 cup medium or hot taco sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, halved or quartered for easier placement (we used a mix of spinach flavour and tomato basil, because why not?)
2 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar

sour cream and green onions for topping

Preheat oven to 425. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground chicken. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is almost completely cooked. Add chili powder, cumin and red onion. Continue cooking for a minute or 2. Add taco sauce. Add beans and corn. Season with salt. Cook for another two minutes or until mixture is heated through (especially the beans and corn). 

Coat a shallow baking dish with the remain olive oil (approximately 1 tbs). Build lasagna in layers of meat mixture, cheese, tortilla and repeat. End with a layer of cheese on top of the last tortilla layer. Back for 12-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. 

Sherry Chicken with Olives

This is an unbelievably easy and very delicious chicken (if you like olives that is... which I have not always). Can be ready in less than 30 minutes. I'm pretty sure this is another thing of my childhood that I didn't entirely appreciate when it was made at home, but I now crave it.

The recipe below is based on five chicken breasts as I was doing the whole pack, but in doesn't really need to be adjusted if you're doing less (unless you're only doing one) You'd just have more delicious sauce to chicken breast ratio.

Ingredients: 
5 chicken breasts
ground black pepper
~ 1/2 cup flour (this is for coating the chicken)
1-2 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup mixed green and Kalamata olives, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup dry sherry wine

1. Sprinkle pepper on chicken. Lightly coat each chicken breast in flour. This can be done by filling a bowl with flour and one at a time dredging the chicken in the flour.
2. Heat a large pan on medium to high heat with 1-2 tbs of olive oil. When the pan is hot, sear the chicken browning it on all sides. You will probably need 3-5 minutes a side. The chicken should be mostly cooked. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat of the stove to medium-low. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil (if there is none left), add in the olives, garlic and thyme. Mix around for about one to two minutes. Add the chicken back in and give it at least one flip so the chicken is slightly covered in the olives/garlic/thyme.
4. Add the sherry wine. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the sherry has reduced and has begun to become a little thicker (this is due to it mixing with the flour that was previously on the chicken). Flip the chicken at least once so that it becomes nicely coated in the sauce while it is cooking.

Double check the chicken is fully cooked through and you're done! If it is not after this time, just continue to cook it for a few more minutes in the sauce.