Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
kalamata olives




DIRECTIONS

Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach (good way to do this is wrap it in a dish towel). Mix the spinach, feta and sun dried tomatoes.

Butterfly the chicken breasts and place the spinach mixture inside.

Fold the chicken breast over and secure it with 2-3 toothpicks.

Place the stuffed chicken breasts in a crockpot and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Add a can of diced tomatoes, I usually add salt and pepper again along with dried basil - to give the tomatoes some more flavor. Add the kalamata olives.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Creamy Salsa Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/3 cups water
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups shredded Tex-Mex cheese, divided
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mild salsa


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place rice and water in a casserole dish. Place seasoned chicken on top and put dish in oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and salsa. Pour mixture over chicken and bake for another 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and sauce is bubbly.

Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and serve.


This is one of those quick and easy "go-to" meal and it's so very tasty. It's also very forgiving/flexible...

...use Mozzarella or Marbled cheese instead of Tex-Mex
...switch out cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken or cream of cheddar or even cream of celery
...use diced tomatoes instead of salsa (with Jalapeños, Italian, Greek, plain or whatever you like)


This recipe is also linked to...

Food on Friday: Stews and Casseroles

Zucchini and Coconut Bread with Coconut Rum Lime glaze

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar (you might want to increase the amount, if you like yours more sweet)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated (about 2 zucchinis)
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp rum or rum extract (I used Malibu)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan.

Cream butter and sugar then beat in eggs, one at a time. Add zucchini, yogurt, vanilla and the rum. Beat until well blended. Stir in coconut and all dry ingredients until just blended. Don’t over stir. Spoon batter into loaf pan.

Bake for about an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the bread. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then transfer to serving plate.


INGREDIENTS FOR GLAZE:

3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rum or rum extract (again used Malibu)
3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
enough coconut milk to get glaze to the right consistency (you can use regular milk)
toasted coconut for garnish
lime zest for garnish


DIRECTIONS FOR GLAZE:

Mix all ingredients except coconut milk in a medium bowl. Add coconut milk until it becomes a thick but smooth glaze.

Drizzle glaze over bread. Top with toasted coconut and lime zest.