Whole Grain Pancakes with Wild Blueberry-Maple Syrup

This was the cover photo recipe of Bon Appetit, February 2008, and it looked AMAZING.

1 C plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 C frozen wild blueberries
2 C whole grain complete pancake and waffle mix (the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen used Kodiak Cakes® brand)
2 C buttermilk
6 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

Boil 1 cup syrup and blueberries in heavy medium saucepan until reduced to generous 1 cup, about 13 minutes. Cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, combine pancake mix, next 4 ingredients and 2 tablespoons blueberry sryup in meduim bowl and whisk to blend (batter will be thick).

Melt 1 tablespoon butter on griddle or in 2 large nonstick skillets over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle or skillets and quickly spread with back of spoon into 3- to 4-inch rounds. Cook pancakes until brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining butter at batter. Serve with syrup.

Chicken Stir-Fry

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp garlic, minced and divided
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cooking oil, divided (I used PAM Canola Oil)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 colorful peppers (I used orange and yellow)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (I used 2 carrots)
1 cup sliced celery (1/2 inch pieces) (Didn't use - I almost never have celery)
2 cups broccoli
2 small zucchini
Rice

1. Cut chicken into 1/2-in. strips; place in a resealable plastic bag. Combine broth, soy sauce, 1 Tbsp garlic, and ginger; add to bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade, set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil; stir-fry chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken (keeping any juices in the pan) and keep warm.
3. Add remaining oil (if desired); stir-fry onion and 1 Tbsp garlic first, then peppers, then broccoli, celery, carrots, and finally zucchini (goal is crisp-tender veggies). Add reserved marinade. Return chicken to pan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
3. Serve over rice.

Adapted from allrecipes.com and Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

Try #1 - March 30, 2010
This was great! I combined two recipes, and added some extra vegetables. The chicken was very moist from the marinade, and the extra juices left after cooking the chicken seasoned the onions really nicely. I will definitely make this again - it is labor-intensive, but I cut the vegetables ahead of time so when evening came I just had to throw everything in.

Tzatziki

From Prevention magazine, April 2010

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cucumber (grated and squeezed to remove extra liquid)
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped dill or mint or a combination.

Mix together!

Try #1 - June 2010
Delicious!!!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I saw this recipe in Prevention magazine (Apr. 2010) and decided to try it because it looked simpler (and maybe healthier?) than the recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. However, the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens was really good, so if this doesn't match up, I'll be returning to that one. :)

2 lbs all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese (5 oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set oven rack to top position.
2. Layer potatoes and cheese in a well-oiled 8in. x 8in. baking dish, ending with cheese on top. Season each potato layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3. Pour in milk. Drizzle oil over potatoes and cheese.
4. Bake on top rack of oven until bubbly and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Try #1 - March 31, 2010
This was good - definitely not as creamy as the BH&G recipe, but still good. I did, however, probably use almost double the amount of cheese it called for, so it was kind of greasy (but also delicious)... so not sure if it's actually any healthier than the creamy version. :) But it was definitely easier to make, so that's a plus. The fresh ground pepper also made it really good.

Chicken Marsala

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried marjoram, crushed
1/8 tsp salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (about 8 oz)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (2)
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry Marsala or dry sherry
Hot cooked pasta, such as angel hair or linguine (optional)

1. In a shallow bowl stir together flour, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Lightly coat chicken pieces on both sides with flour mixture, shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet cook mushrooms and green onion in 1 Tbsp hot butter over medium-high heat until tender; remove from skillet. In the same skillet cook chicken in the remaining 2 Tbsp hot butter for 5 to 6 minutes, turning to brown evenly.
3. Remove chicken from skillet. Return mushrooms and green onion to skillet. Carefully add broth and Marsala to skillet. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Season sauce to taste with additional salt and pepper. To serve, spoon mixture over chicken. If desired, serve over pasta.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Try #1 - June 7, 2010
Soooo good! Delicious flavors, and easy to make!
A few changes: I used 3 chicken breasts (fit perfectly in the skillet), one medium onion instead of green onions, and added a little parsley at the end.

Black Beans and Couscous

Yummy lunch! Abby liked it too!

Black beans
Frozen corn
Fresh cilantro
A little cumin
Whole wheat couscous
Avocado
Tomato
Plain Yogurt

Mix and heat beans, corn, cilantro, and cumin on the stovetop. Serve over couscous and top with avocado, tomato, and yogurt.

Salmon Patties

From allrecipes.com

1 (14.75 ounce) can canned salmon
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil

1.Drain and reserve liquid from salmon. Mix egg, onion, bread crumbs and salmon together.
2.Make into patties. If mixture is too dry to form into patties, add reserved liquid from salmon.
3.In a frying pan, heat olive oil. Place patties in pan. Brown on each side, turning gently. Drain on paper towels and serve.