Homemade pizza crust topped with flavorful grilled chicken, shredded cheese, veggies, and pizza sauce with some extra kick!
Yield: 

12 slices
Ingredients: 

For the crust:

1 cup warm water (115 degrees)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

For the grilled chicken:

4-6 chicken breast tenders
black pepper
lemon pepper seasoning
garlic salt

For the sauce:

1 cup pizza sauce
2-3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (we use a hot kind!)

Toppings:

12 ounces (3 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup chopped bell peppers (we use a variety of colors!)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced or diced onions (we like the purple ones!)
Sliced black olives, optional
Pineapple chunks (drained), optional
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions: 

1.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the water and salt for the pizza
crust. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and the yeast and stir. Add additional flour
if needed to form a dough. Knead for 5-6 minutes. Set dough aside and
cover.

If you have a bread machine, it’s even easier to make the crust.
Place crust ingredients in bread machine in the order listed (use 2 3/4
cups of flour rather than 3). Start machine on dough cycle. You can take
the dough out of your machine whenever it’s done kneading — my machine
takes about 25-30 minutes.

2. Spray or brush chicken tenders with oil. Sprinkle with pepper,
lemon pepper, and garlic salt. Grill according to grill instructions
(our Weber Q grill takes about 6 minutes). Allow cooked chicken to cool
and then cut into half-inch chunks.

3. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan. Use your buttery hands to spread/press the pizza dough onto the pan.

4. Mix the pizza sauce with the BBQ sauce. Spread evenly over the crust. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

5. Sprinkle chicken pieces over the mozzarella cheese. Add the veggie toppings, and finish with the cheddar cheese.

6. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake pizza for 11-15 minutes, or until done.

I use a non-stick pan with holes in the bottom, and it takes 11 minutes on the top rack of my electric oven.

If I’m using my steel pizza pan (no holes in the bottom), I put the
pan on the bottom rack of the oven, which helps the crust get
browned/cooked enough before the top is too dark. The thicker/heavier
your pan, the more likely that you will need to bake it on a low rack
(close to the heating element) to avoid soggy crust. 🙂

If I’m baking two pizzas at once, the baking time is more like 18-20 minutes (I rotate the pizzas to ensure even baking).

If you like a fluffier crust, allow pizza to rest for 15-30 minutes before baking. We usually don’t wait the extra time though! 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A creamy chicken sauce with steamed asparagus and fresh tomatoes, served over hot pasta
Yield: 

8 servings
Ingredients: 

1.5 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces*
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
8 ounces spaghetti pasta, cooked according to package instructions

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped (OR 1/4 cup dried onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
salt, to taste
Shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions: 

1.
Place diced chicken, onion, garlic, water, and butter into a heavy
skillet and cook over medium or medium-high heat until chicken is fully
cooked.

2. Pour 1 cup of the milk into the pan with the chicken. In a
separate bowl, whisk together the flour and the other cup of the milk.
Add to chicken mixture and cook and stir until mixture bubbles and
thickens.

3. Turn heat to low or warm. Stir in sour cream, basil, and oregano.
Add salt to taste. (I like to make the sauce a little extra salty since I
am not adding salt to the pasta or tomatoes.) Keep chicken sauce warm
while the rest finishes:

4. Steam asparagus just until tender. Alternately, you can boil the
asparagus for just a minute or two and then drain. The main thing is to
just cook until tender. 🙂 Lightly salt asparagus before or after
cooking, to taste.

5. To serve, layer hot pasta and top with hot steamed asparagus. Spoon chicken sauce over asparagus, sprinkle with diced tomatoes, and end with some shredded Parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy! 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A bed of lettuce layered with colorful veggies, black beans, and cilantro, topped with tangy homemade dressing!
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

Dressing Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

Salad and Toppings:

Approximately 4 cups lettuce of your choice, freshly washed and torn
1 cup chopped multi-colored bell peppers (green, red, yellow, and/or orange)
1 cup cooked or grilled chicken, cubed
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced green onion tops
2 avocados, diced
a handful of chopped fresh cilantro Instructions: 

1.
Start by combining dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisking
with a fork or small whisk. Set aside for flavors to combine.

2. Prepare lettuce and toppings by washing, chopping, etc. as specified in the ingredient list.

3. Layer salad starting with the lettuce. Sprinkle colored peppers, chicken, black beans, green onions, avocado, and cilantro.

4. Drizzle dressing on top and enjoy!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A delicious homemade pizza with garlic, chicken, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and baby spinach
Yield: 

16 slices
Ingredients: 

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 2.5 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Sauce Ingredients:

1/3 cup Light or Fat Free Italian salad dressing*
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper

Toppings:

3-4 cups (12-16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups cooked cubed chicken breast**
1/3 cup Sun Dried tomatoes
1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup diced onions, optional
1 cup (or one small handful) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 medium-large Roma tomato, diced

Crushed red pepper, for serving (optional)
Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions: 

1.
To make pizza crust, combine warm water and salt in a mixing bowl. Add
about 2 cups of the flour, along with the yeast, and stir until a sticky
dough forms. Add more flour as needed, and knead dough with clean hands
until a soft, elastic dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes or so.

If you have a bread machine, set machine to “dough” cycle and put
ingredients into the machine in order listed. (Start with 2 cups of
flour and add more as it kneads if the dough looks too sticky.) Dough
should be slightly sticky, but smooth and elastic. I allow my bread
machine to knead the dough for about 15 minutes (or until dough looks
smooth and elastic) before turning off the machine and pulling out the
dough to use.

2. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan. With clean buttery
hands, spread and press the dough into the pan to form a pizza crust.

3. Mix sauce ingredients together and spread over the dough. Sprinkle
toppings on. I listed the toppings in the order I prefer to add them
(sun dried tomatoes can get too dark if they’re added last; the spinach
shrinks substantially as it cooks and will look like a lot less in the
end!).

If you like a thinner crust, pre-heat oven and bake immediately.f you
prefer a slightly thicker/fluffier crust, allow pizza to rest for 15-20
minutes before baking.

4. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes, until
the crust is browned on bottom and the toppings are hot and bubbly.

If I’m using a thinner, non-stick pizza pan, I bake it on the top
oven rack. For a heavier/thicker stainless steel pan, I use the bottom
oven rack to ensure that the crust gets fully cooked.

5. Remove pizza from oven; cut into slices after about 5 minutes. Serve with crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Additional Notes: 

*I have used Wishbone brand, no-name store brands, Kraft, or even homemade (although I prefer the commercial dressing as it is more flavorful).

picy grilled chicken breast served with a fresh salsa made with tomato, avocado, and green onions
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

Chicken ingredients:

4 large (6-8 ounces each) boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt
black pepper
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped cilantro
oil, preferably in a spray bottle
Tapatio hot sauce

Avocado salsa ingredients:

2 cups chopped fresh tomato
4-5 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 large avocado, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) Instructions: 

1.
Lay chicken breasts in a 9×13-inch dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper,
and cilantro; spray with oil and splash with Tapatio. Turn chicken over
and repeat on other side. Set aside.

2. Combine salsa ingredients (except avocado) in a medium bowl and
stir to mix. Add avocado and stir gently to combine. Set aside.

3. Preheat grill.* Grill chicken until done (our Weber Q grill takes 10-12 minutes on medium, grilling with lid closed). Serve hot chicken with fresh salsa.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Thin
crispy crust with a light garlic sauce, topped with grilled chicken,
turkey bacon, mozzarella, baby spinach, marinated artichokes, and feta
cheese
Yield: 

8 large slices
Ingredients: 

Crust Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 teaspoon dry yeast

Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup light or fat free Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper

Toppings:

1/2 cup cubed or thinly sliced grilled or rotisserie chicken breast meat
1 cup (loosely measured) baby spinach leaves
1/3 to 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, blotted dry and cut into bite-size (small) pieces
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 slices turkey bacon (“fully cooked”), chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Green onion slices, optional
Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions: 

1.
To make crust, place warm water and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Add
a cup of the flour and the yeast, and stir. Add remaining flour (1/3
cup) and stir or knead into a sticky dough, adding additional water if
needed. Allow dough to rest, covered with a clean towel, for at least 10
minutes but up to 30-45 minutes.

If you have a bread machine, this first step can be done by putting
all crust ingredients into the machine and using the dough cycle to
knead for 10-15 minutes, until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Stop the
machine and allow dough to rest for at least 10 minutes, or up to 30-45
minutes.

2. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan, and then with your
clean buttery hands, spread dough thinly over the pan. Be gentle and
have patience, as this does make a perfectly thin crust!

3. Combine the garlic sauce ingredients and spread the sauce over the
dough/crust and allow to rest for 15 minutes or longer (up to 45
minutes).

4. Sprinkle toppings evenly over sauce in order listed.

5. Bake pizza in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes or until
top is browned and bubbly, and crust is slightly browned on the bottom.
Watch carefully to avoid burning! 🙂

Cut pizza into 8 slices and serve hot, with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Super simple shredded barbecue chicken for sandwiches or over rice
Yield: 

6 servings
Ingredients: 

4 large or 6 medium chicken breasts (2.5 to 3 pounds)*
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cups barbecue sauce of your choice**
6 sandwich buns or hot freshly cooked rice, for serving Instructions: 

1. Trim fat and skin from chicken. (If using split chicken breast, remove bone as well.)

2. Layer chicken, onions, and sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish or into a slow cooker.

Oven directions (best for BBQ chicken sandwiches!):

Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, or until sauce is thick.

Use two forks to shred the meat. Spread on sandwich buns and serve hot. Or, serve over rice.

Slow cooker directions (best for BBQ chicken with rice!):

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours.

Depending on the kind of sauce you used, the sauce could be rather
thin by the end, so I like to vent the lid slightly for the last hour of
the cooking time.

Serve chicken and sauce over hot rice, or shred the meat and use for
sandwiches (there will be excess sauce if using this for sandwiches).

Additional Notes: 

* I have used split chicken breast, boneless skinless chicken breast, or a combination of thigh and breast meat.

**We LOVE Sweet Baby Ray’s original or honey barbeque sauces! Really, using a good sauce is what makes or breaks this recipe.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A
sliced grilled chicken breast on top of lettuce tossed with apple
pieces, candied walnuts, bleu cheese and a light Dijon vinaigrette
dressing
Yield: 

2 large servings
Ingredients: 

2 small-medium (or 1 huge) heads of Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped bite-size*
1/2 cup thinly sliced and halved red onion, optional
2 red apples, washed, cored, and thinly sliced/diced**
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese***
1 cup Maple Glazed Walnuts (or glazed walnuts of your choice)
1/2 cup of Honey Mustard Vinaigrette or your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing
2 medium grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced**** Instructions: 

1.
In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuce, onion, apples,
walnuts, and bleu cheese (reserve a few apple slices and bits of cheese
for garnish), along with enough dressing to lightly coat. Don’t use too
much dressing, as this salad is very flavorful already!

2. Spoon tossed salad onto a large serving plate. Place the sliced
chicken breast on top and sprinkle with reserved bleu cheese to garnish
(if desired) and garnish edges with apple slices.

Enjoy your delicious salad and feel great that you made it yourself! 😀

Additional Notes: 

*About 8-10 cups chopped greens total. Feel free to use other lettuces for part of the lettuce, or even some baby spinach!

**I used Fuji; I think any sweet crisp red/pink apple would be great!

***If you don’t care for bleu cheese, you could substitute feta or an even milder white crumbled cheese.

****The chicken can be still warm OR be leftover grilled chicken. I
like to have Joshua grill some extra chicken and then use the leftovers
for a meal like this. I’m sure any cooked chicken meat would suffice but
grilled chicken breast is the BEST! 🙂

This salad (1 serving) costs over $10 at Red Robin — plus tax and a tip! Making it at home is easy and fun… and affordable! 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Grilled
chicken marinated in lemon and fresh herbs, served gyro-style on pita
bread with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion, and feta cheese
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

Chicken souvlaki ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cubed for skewers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning, optional
Oil

Tzatziki sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup grated peeled cucumber (seeds removed and juice drained*)
1/4 cup greek yogurt or plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For serving:

4 pita rounds (regular pita bread or whole wheat pita bread)
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 slices of red onion
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese, optional
Lettuce (whole leaves or shredded), optional Instructions: 

1.
Soak bamboo skewers. Toss the chicken chunks with the garlic, lemon
zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and lemon pepper seasoning in a
large bowl or Ziplock bag. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

2. While the chicken is marinating, make the tzatziki sauce by mixing
the cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, and
salt in a bowl.

3. Preheat grill on HI for 10 minutes (or prepare coals for
charcoal). While grill is heating, put chicken on skewers and drizzle or
spray with a little oil.

4. Reduce grill heat to medium and grill chicken with lid closed,
rotating skewers every 5 minutes or so, until chicken is done (about
10-15 minutes depending on the size of the chunks and your grill).

5. Serve hot grilled chicken “gyro-style” — with the pita bread, prepared tzatziki sauce, tomato slices, onion slices, and feta and/or lettuce if using.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

This
Greek dish features grilled lamb seasoned with garlic, rosemary, and
oregano served with tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, and onions on pita bread
Yield: 

10 servings
Ingredients: 

4-5 pounds lamb meat*
10 cloves of garlic, minced

Marinade ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano (if using chopped fresh oregano, use 2 tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary (if using chopped fresh rosemary, use 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dry seasoning ingredients:

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Tzatziki sauce ingredients:

16 ounces plain yogurt (I use lowfat)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced**
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash salt
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

To serve:

Pita bread***, warmed in the oven
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced****
4-5 tomatoes, washed, cored, and thinly sliced
Lettuce leaves, optional
Crumbled feta cheese, optional Instructions: 

1.
Begin by making the tzatziki sauce. Before measuring the yogurt, be
sure to pour off any watery liquid that might be separated in the
container, rather than just stirring it back into the yogurt. Take the
minced cucumber, place it inside a clean tea towel or dish cloth, and
squeeze to remove the liquid. Combine all of the tzatziki sauce
ingredients, and then refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour. This
sauce will keep for several days in the fridge.

2. Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a large glass dish. Rub the minced garlic cloves onto both sides of the meat.

3. Combine the meat marinade ingredients. Pour over lamb steaks.
Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as 6 hours,
turning steaks once or twice during that time.

4. Remove dish from refrigerator and allow the meat to warm to room
temperature. Combine the dry seasoning ingredients with a fork or whisk.

5. Place dry seasoning on a plate or in a shallow dish and then coat
both sides of the steaks with the dry seasoning. After coating, place
steaks on a clean plate (i.e. not back into the marinade dish).

6. Preheat grill to medium. Grill until meat is done (our inch-thick steaks took about 12 minutes total).

7. Thinly slice the lamb steaks. Serve meat on warm pita bread, topped with onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.

Additional Notes: 

*We
use lamb shoulder steak, which has some bone and some fat, so if you’re
using lean boneless meat, I suggest using 3-4 pounds rather than 4-5
pounds. 🙂

**I use a food processor to mince the cucumber!

***We would use about 12 of our homemade pita breads for this recipe. The pita breads can be cut in half and filled (each round bread then makes 2 gyros) or simply filled and folded over like a soft taco (each round bread then makes one gyro). Joshua likes his cut in half and filled, and I like to wrap mine! 🙂

To warm the pita bread, I place the bread inside a damp towel and
then wrap in foil. I put this in a warm oven (not any hotter than 250
degrees) for 20 minutes or so.

****If our onions are rather strong, we like to saute them in a tablespoon of butter before serving. But if you love raw onions, then just add them raw! 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.