Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce Pasta

The truth is, I haven't tried this one yet, but I am dying to, I don't really like heavy italian sauces, red or cream, so when I found this I got way excited, thinking I could finally do italian and have it be a little lighter and fresher. I thinking about combining it with some roasted cherry tomatoes, andor some bruschetta on the side!


1 pkg (16 oz) angel hair pasta
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. pecan halves, coarsley chopped
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. fresh snipped parsley
ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package direstions. Meanwhile in skillet heat oil. Add garlic and pecans; satue 3 minutes. Drain pasta. In large serving bowl combine pasta, garlic-nut mixture, cheese, parselt and pepper; gently toss to caot. Serve immediately.

Cherry Chicken lettuce wraps ****

I got this recipe from my sister in law, and we thought it was delicious, justin even ate it and he considers lettuce "rabbit food". The reviews say it tastes just like PF changs, but I have never actually had them there, but either way they were way good. I did not do the recipe like it says though, it was recommended that I make them according to the viewers reviews, I will post the link if you want to read all the suggestions, but here is the real recipe and I will put the notes after.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cherry-Chicken-Lettuce-Wraps/Detail.aspx


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon honey

1 pound dark sweet cherries, pitted and
halved
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds
12 leaves of lettuce
Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger and chicken and saute until cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce and honey until mixed together. Add chicken mixture, cherries, carrot, green onion and almonds; toss together.
3. To Serve: Spoon 1/12 of the chicken/cherry mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf; roll up leaf around filling and serve.


Changes:
Mix 3/4 cup shredded mushrooms and 1 can drained chopped water chestnuts with the chicken before cooking. Cook them all together. (After the chicken was cooked I chopped up the chicken/mushroom/water chestnut mixture pretty small cuz i guess that is how they do it at PF changs). Omit the cherries. Double the sauce ingredients (but omit the honey) and add 2 Tbs of soy sauce. Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder and some red pepper flakes (to taste)_ to sauce. Use the freshest, crunchiest inner lettuce cups for best flavor (some recommended bib lettuce, but we like the crunch of the iceberg lettuce. It was pretty easy to prepare too.. oh- one more thing, I didn't want to pay extra for toasted almonds so i just bought the regular sliced almonds and toasted them in a pan with sugar until the sugar melted on it.

Garlic Lime Chicken

This is easy, turns out great, and is so yummy! (Plus, it was a great way to get rid of the generic Ritz crackers I bought- they crumble just when you look at them!!!)

1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
3 Tb butter
1C Ritz crackers, smashed
2 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips
2 Tb lime juice
2 Tb Parmesan cheese

In plastic bag, mix everything except butter, chicken, lime juice, and Parmesan. Drop chicken in melted butter then put in bag to coat. Place pieces in well greased baking dish. Dribble lime juice over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 30-40 min at 350 degrees.