Grilled Chicken with Sausage and Vegetables

This may sound oversimplified but it is SO good, especially when you don't have a lot of time or ideas for a meal that can feed the whole family!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 onion (more if preferred) chopped semi-fine into thin chunks
- 1 lg. garlic clove, chopped fine
- black pepper (2 to 3 teaspoons)
- Seasoning salt (1 to 2 teaspoons)
- Olive Oil (2 tablespoons)
- 4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 links of sausage, sliced to bite-size
- 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (I chose one with carrots, squash, zucchini, green beans and red and green peppers)


NOTE: I own an electric "George Foreman" grill (you can buy a small one for $20), which is great for the kitchen on the fly, but any grill will do.


Directions:

1. Say a little prayer (if you're so inclined -- it helps!)
2. Rinse chicken breasts.
3. Grill chicken breasts 1 - 2 minutes on each side, then remove from heat
4. Lightly season chicken breasts with seasoning salt on both sides
5. Slice chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks on a cutting board
6. In a large skillet, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until somewhat caramelized
7. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper to sautee mixture and blend together
8. Add chicken breast chunks to sautee mixture and blend together, let chicken cook a minute or two
9. Add sausage to chicken and sautee mixture, blend thoroughly and let cook a few minutes, add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper
10. Add frozen vegetables straight from package, blend them underneath the already cooked meat
11. Let vegetables cook a minute or two then re-blend with meat
12. Cook vegetables until they look slightly softened from the heat then remove skillet from heat.
13. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Preparation time: Approximately 10 - 20 minutes (slightly more if using outside grill)
Cook time: Approximately 10 minutes

What I like about this recipe is that it gives the chicken that "grilled" taste, which goes well with the sausage, but adds a stir-fry element with the frozen vegetables. It's quick, cheap (I got all the ingredients for less than $15 at the grocery store), easy, healthy and it TASTES GREAT!!!

Suggested side-dishes: mashed potatoes, white rice or wild rice blend

Allen's Texmex Spicy Chicken Soup

Note: If you like your soup really spicy, feel free to use medium to hot salsa. If you need to make it milder for yourself or your kids, feel free to use 1/4 jar of the mild salsa and diced tomatoes without the green chilies. Or just use regular tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Ingredients:

- 4 large chicken breasts, cut in halves or 8 smaller chicken breasts
- 1 10.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1/2 jar of mild salsa
- One 10 ounce can of beef broth
- organic chicken broth (about 1 cup or to taste)
- Vanilla-flavored Silk soymilk (3 tablespoons or to taste)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 5 cups water
- 2 cups long-grain white rice


Instructions:

1. Wash and prepare chicken breasts (cut in half if they are large).
2. Lightly salt on each side of chicken breasts and add pepper on one side only
3. Brown the chicken breasts in a skillet with no oil. Do NOT cook all the way through (it will make the meat too tough)
4. Once the chicken is browned on both sides, remove from the skillet to a cutting board. Slice into thin strips with a knife.

Note: I grilled the strips with my large George Foreman grill but you could also cook them in the oven in a glass casserole dish with a little bit of water on the bottom and covered with aluminum foil at about 350 for 10 minutes (check them at about 5 minutes to see if the meat has gone from pink in the center to white; if ready at 5 minutes, remove from oven, DO NOT OVERCOOK!)

5. Once meat is cooked through and tender, cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes and set aside, cover chicken in aluminum foil)
6. In a large saucepot, add beef broth at high heat
7. Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies and stir into beef broth
8. Add the mild salsa and stir into soup mixture
9. Add Vanilla-flavored Silk soymilk and stir into soup mixture
10. Add organic chicken broth and stir into soup mixture
11. Add 1 cup water and stir into soup mixture
12. Add chicken chunks and stir into soup mixture
13. Bring to a boil then turn off heat
14. In a large cooking pot, put in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil on high heat
15. Add 2 cups of long-grain white rice and reduce heat to low
16. Simmer for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR RICE.
17. Turn off heat, stir rice.
18. Serve soup over rice. Easily serves 4 - 6.

Non-Dairy Chicken Stroganoff

I decided to test a theory that it is possible to make stroganoff without dairy ingredients. A challenge, to be sure -- but I did it and it turned out great (it passed the "kid-approved" test)! Imagination, improvisation and prayer led to the following version of Chicken Stroganoff...

Ingredients:

* Four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut up into bite-sized pieces.
* 1 package/can of beef stock (preferrably organic)
* 1 package/can of mushroom stock (preferrably organic)
* wide egg noodles (12 oz. or larger)
* Flour
* 1 large clove garlic
* 1/2 sweet (or yellow) onion
* Black Pepper
* Sea Salt (or table salt will do)
* Worcestershire Sauce
* 1 8 - 12 ounce package Better Than Sour Cream
(or other tofu-based sour cream substitute, if available)
* Blended cooking oil (or plain vegetable oil)
* Plain Silk Soymilk
* Paprika


Instructions:

1. Rinse chicken in water, then season chicken liberally with sea salt and pepper
2. Coat chicken lightly in flour
3. Sautee garlic and onion in a skillet in about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until slightly carmelized
4. Cook chicken in onions and garlic till chicken is a light golden brown
5. Remove skillet from heat and cover
6. In a large cooking pot, heat about a quarter-cup of flour, mix in a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil at medium heat (DO NOT BURN THE FLOUR)
7. Add 2 cups of beef broth and stir into flour mixture
8. Add 1 cup of mushroom broth
9. Lower heat and stir to thicken gravy
10. Add 2 tablespoons black pepper, 2 tablespoons paprika and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
11. Add beef and mushroom broths to taste
12. Add 8 ounces Better Than Sour Cream
13. Add 1/4 cup Silk Soymilk
14. Stir in chicken, onion and garlic mixture
15. Remove from heat
16. Boil water in a large pot (add 2 teaspoons olive oil before boiling)
17. Add wide egg noodles
18. Boil till egg noodles are soft and tender (al dente)
19. Remove from heat, drain water through a strainer
20. Return noodles to large pot
21. Serve noodles, topped with gravy

This recipe easily serves a family of four for a couple of days. Enjoy!