Weekly Recipe Roundup

I'm not the world's biggest chicken fan but this recipe make me rethink that. Chicken is typically either too dry, too bland, or too fried, but not this Asian Barbecue Chicken from Cooking Light. The marinade provides so much flavor both before and during the cooking. The recipe says to marinate for 4 hours but several reviewers suggested overnight. For convenience, I did the overnight method and it turned out great. Another reviewer said she freezes the chicken with the marinade and then just thaws it a night or 2 before cooking. I also used chicken breasts instead of the thighs that the recipe calls for.

To go with the chicken and keep the Asian theme, I adapted this Sesame Noodle Salad from Southern Living. I wanted to add some veggies to the mix so I sauteed some onions, baby bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms and then tossed the cooked noodles in the skillet to rewarm them. I transferred everything to a serving bowl and tossed with the dressing. I did cut the sesame oil in half but otherwise kept the recipe as written. The dressing could easily be halved or you could just increase the amount of noodles to compensate for the excess. Add some chicken or shrimp and you have a well-balanced meal!

I love recipes that take no time to prepare, yet are loved by all! This Pesto Focaccia Sandwich is one of them. I remember making this when to recipe was first published (2005) and I think that was the first time I had ever purchased focaccia. Not that I've bought it a ton since then but it's just funny to look back on my culinary adventures. Wherever you are on your journey, I think you'll enjoy this sandwich.

I didn't want you to worry about me, so here's a sweet treat for the week. This one is adapted from the most recent Parents magazine to be a little more healthy and a little less of a sweet cupcake and more like a muffin. The end result was one of the moistest (is that a word) muffins I've ever had, not to mention the intense banana flavor.

Banana Muffins

adapted from Parents Magazine

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (just because I had a little left - you could use all-purpose)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup organic all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large ripe bananas)

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup oil

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 18 muffin cups (or 12 regular and 12 mini). Combine flours, baking powder, soda, and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl, beat applesauce, oil, and sugar until combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Alternately add flour mix and banana mixture, ending with the flour.

Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

I whipped up a tiny bit of cream cheese frosting to top these with for a little extra punch.