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Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

I have so many thoughts rushing through my head right now that coming up with a coherent sentence is proving to be a huge challenge. But I want to write about these Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings and how good they are. And how they are healthier than your favourite fried chicken wings. And how they are so easy. But it would be nice if I could put that all in a fluffy, beautiful, compound sentences. Maybe I could even throw a few metaphors and similes in there…

Hmm, not today, my friends.

I have a serious addiction to chicken wings. Which you will know if you’ve been reading Living Lou for a while, I’ve shared recipes for Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings and my all time favourite, Living Lou’s Chicken Wings. I knew that the next type of chicken wing I wanted to was a crispy, baked chicken wing that’s healthier than the deep friend variety. I turned to corn starch to create the crunch and a couple of favourite spices – chili powder and cumin – to create a unique chicken wing.This recipe is simple and I have a feeling that kids and adults alike will go crazy for these wings.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs chicken wings
4 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a baking dish with a piece of tinfoil.

Combine corn starch, brown sugar, salt, chili powder and garlic powder in a large bowl. Toss with the chicken wings. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, allowing the spice mixture to absorb into the wings. Toss again, letting to sit another 5 minutes or until most of the spice mixture has been absorbed into the chicken.

Place wings on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and flip over. Cook for another 20 minutes.

Chicken wings are a great way to make something different and delicious for dinner and these Crispy Baked Chicken Wings taste like they’ve been fried without all that added fat.

You see, as much as I love all chicken wings, I have a soft spot in my heart for the crunchy, friend, unhealthy variety…which is not something I want to be eating too often. I set out to create a healthier, alternative and I think I’ve hit the jackpot.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos

I think slow cookers were made for those periods in the year that are just so busy you don’t have time to think, let alone time to make dinner.

February, March and April have definitely proven themselves to be the busiest months for me. I don’t know what it is, but literally everything happens within these three months. It can definitely be stressful and it does test my level of sanity, but the stress is totally worth it when I can finally spend all day Saturday catching up on all the episodes of Chopped I’ve missed. Which I’ve already marked on my calendar…what can I say, I love Chopped.

These Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos are a slow cooker riff off of my favourite Shredded Chicken Tacos. These literally take 10 minutes to prep and then you can dump it all in the slow cooker and come home to a delicious meal. What I love about this recipe is that it makes healthy food easy and fast to prepare, all you have to do is spend 15 minutes in the morning to throw this all together and you com home to a delicious homemade meal – no store bough, sugar filled, frozen meal for dinner.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos (serves 4-6)

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
2/3 cup crushed tomatoes
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

In a pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and spices, cook for another minute or until fragrant. Stir in the crushed tomatoes.

Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker with a little olive oil. Place chicken breasts at the bottom and cover with the tomato mixture.

Cook on low for 3-5 hours.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using two forks. You will have lots of extra sauce so add in as much as you want to the shredded chicken.

Serve shredded chicken tacos with your favourite toppings – I love to put avocado on mine.

These Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos will be a lifesaver on those busy days.

- Lou

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This recipe for Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is a real winner. You can serve it at a dinner party, or as a Sunday lunch, or even just casually on a Thursday night because you felt like it. I mean, there is never a wrong time for good food.

What I love about this dish is that it’s made with such simple ingredients, but when they are put together, they create such a balance and depth. It’s packed with wholesome, flavorful ingredients that really showcase just how amazing food can be. This is the kind of dish that you can be proud to serve to your family.

It’s healthy recipes like this one that make me so happy. Making a Stuffed Pork Tenderloin might seem a little scary, a little out of your comfort zone, but believe me, it isn’t.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (serves 4)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup diced button Mushrooms
1/3 cup finely diced orange pepper (red or yellow would also work)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1 tsp dried sage leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
3 tsp Dijon mustard, divided
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 cups sliced sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sized sweet potatoes)
5-6 pieces of string for tying

Directions

For the filling, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat; saute mushrooms and red pepper for 3-4 minutes or until moisture is released from mushrooms and evaporated. Add olives, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute another 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp Dijon.

Cut tenderloin almost in half lengthwise so it opens like a book; pound to flatten slightly – I used a heavy bottom pan, but a rolling pin would work as well.

Sprinkle the inside of the tenderloin with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Spread and lightly pack the filling down center of pork, leaving a 1” boarder. Fold over the edges, packing down filling as you go, some will spill out the top but that’s fine. Secure with string, tying knots about 2 inches apart. Cut the ends of the string with scissors.

Lightly oil a roasting pan and add sliced sweet potatoes. Place pork tenderloin on top.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil, honey and remaining 2 tsp of Dijon mustard. Pour over tenderloin and potatoes.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Don’t forget to remove string before serving.

This is one of my favourite recipes right now, let me know if you give it a try this weekend.

- Lou

Moroccan Chicken Soup

In our house, there is always a homemade soup in the fridge. When I was a kid, chicken noodle soup was a staple (I would pick out all the carrots and celery!). But you see, having a soup almost weekly means that it can get boring pretty quickly. Experimenting with different soups can be a lot of fun. Some of our favourites are Borscht, Roasted Sweet Potato Soup and Broccoli Soup.

This Moroccan Chicken Soup was inspired by a soup I had at a restaurant back in December. I loved the depth of flavours in the broth and the chickpeas were a nice textural component, I knew right away that I had to recreate this soup for all of you. One of the great things about this soup is that it’s packed with veggies.

A little process photo that I Instagrammed while making the soup!

Plus it’s a great way to use those skinless boneless chicken breasts that I know you have in your fridge right now. Also, it doesn’t even require chicken stock or broth because the soup makes one itself while it’s cooking which means that you get to control the amount of salt in the soup. Hello! Could it get any better?

Moroccan Chicken Soup (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more to taste if you want something spicy!)
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
7 cups water
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 15-19oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
chopped cilantro, for serving

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes, until browned. Flip chicken and cook another 6 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add the onion to the pan, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices, stirring until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in carrots and celery, return chicken to pot. Add water and crushed tomatoes.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Next, remove chicken from soup and shred with two forks.

Return to pot. Add chickpeas and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with chopped cilantro.

We loved this soup. And I mean love as in, we-ate-it-for-breakfast kind of love. I hope you love it too!

- Lou

Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I’m constantly in the kitchen; creating new recipes, photographing new recipes and eating new recipes – this Easy Spaghetti Sauce is a result of one of those sessions. But sometimes, when it comes to writing about the recipes, I can’t think of anything to say.

I could tell you that this spaghetti sauce doesn’t have any onion in it.

Or how when one of my profs asked how The Beatles suddenly got so much fame, I was ready to rattle off about their years in Hamburg.

I could tell you that I tore a muscle in my back and started going to massage therapy. And that I’ve come to the conclusion that massage therapy will always have a place in my heart.

Or that I have that can’t-eat, can’t-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff love for my dog. (A little It Takes Two reference for my 90s guys and gals.)

Or how scary/exciting/amazing/nice/panic inducing it is that people I know in the “real world”, people I went to high school with, people I work with, people I go to school with now, actually read my blog.

Or how sometimes I think about how I could live off of chicken wings and spaghetti.

If you’re like me, and love a good spaghetti dinner this easy recipe is for you. There is hardly any chopping involved (just a couple of cloves of garlic). There aren’t 25 ingredients. It will be ready in less than 20 minutes.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Next, add the herbs. Stirring and cooking for another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lastly, stir in the balsamic vinegar and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti Sauce doesn’t get much easier than that. The flavours are rich and the balsamic vinegar gives it a little je-ne-sais-quois!