Apple pecan stuffed Cornish hens with roasted cauliflower and couscous

Last night I made frozen pizza for dinner so out of guilt, I had to make a nice dinner tonight.  I decided on Cornish game hens with roasted cauliflower (purple because it's my daughters favorite color), couscous and salad.  For the stuffing, I diced a leek and two stalks of celery and sauteed it in olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Next, I added a diced Granny Smith apple, 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  I let that cook a couple more minutes and and then added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of chopped pecans and removed it from the heat.







Next, I got the butter ready - a tablespoon of softened butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of chopped dried cherries, mixed together to form a paste.

My sous chef (taking notes on her 'recipes')

Then came the fun part - letting my daughter stuff the hens!


She stuffed the two hens and we had a bit of leftover stuffing (I used the leftover stuffing in the couscous, yummy). I rubbed the cherry butter under the skin of the breasts and on the outside of the hens and put them in a 400 degree oven and let them cook about an hour (until they were 165 degrees). I let them rest for 5 minutes and then served them up.

While the hens were roasting, I tossed the purple cauliflower with salt, pepper and garlic powder and drizzled them with olive oil.  I threw them in the oven and let them cook the last 20 minutes.  I also made the couscous and added the leftover apple pecan stuffing to it.  Really great meal!

Mediterranean Chicken

I made a good, quick, healthy dinner a few nights ago that I 'd like to share.  It only took 30-45 minutes to prepare from start to finish.  First, I started the roasted squash - while the oven was preheating to 450, I chopped, tossed with oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and then roasted for about 20 minutes (flipped half way through).










Next, I started the chicken -  I sliced an onion and crushed 3 cloves of garlic then cooked in a heated  sauté pan for a few minutes.  Then I added the chicken (I used 3 large breast and sliced them in half) and four slices of bacon (diced), turning after the chicken browned a little.  Next I added 8oz (pre) sliced mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning, salt and pepper, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and about 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes (the dried ones not the ones in oil). I covered it and let it cook for about 20 minutes.  While it was cooking I made a box of whole wheat couscous.  Quick, easy and yummy!