Sriracha Honey-Garlic Wings

If you haven't tried Sriracha yet, well... why not? If you're a true foodie you've probably been hearing about this for a while, maybe you've tried it, maybe you put it on everything you eat/own, or maybe you've been waiting for an awesome recipe like this to get on board. Sriracha is a hot chili sauce identified by its iconic rooster on the front and green cap; you'll most likely find in your local grocer's international aisle (in the Asian food section). It was created by a Vietnamese man after he moved to California, and it has quite the following. In fact, there is a Sriracha cook book (with a blog that also features funny posts from other Sriracha enthusiasts). I feel like I'm a little late getting on board the Sriracha train, but since I bought our first bottle of Sriracha hot chili sauce about a month ago, I've witnessed my husband put it on his breakfast, lunch, and dinner (in the same day).

The thought that has come to many foodies that have tried Sriracha - what if I made hot wings out of this delicious sauce? I don't know how I would describe the flavor of Sriracha - it's much better than hot sauce as it doesn't have that vinegar-y taste, it's thicker, it's slightly sweet, and it's just really delicious. This recipe cuts down on the heat with some honey and other ingredients for a sweet and spicy and garlicky wing. It's got a good amount of heat so adjust accordingly if hot hot wings aren't your thing.

Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad

If you like hot sauce, this is your recipe. If you don't, don't even bother reading on (and shame on you... I never understand a dislike of all things spicy unless of course for medical reasons). Yummy chopped salad full of healthy vegetables such as broccoli, cucumbers, and carrots gets topped with spicy pan-fried buffalo chicken strips and blue cheese. Drooling, yet? Because I am (yes, I confess I drool at the sight, smell, thought of hot sauce). Sometimes I get an unbelievable craving for buffalo wings, but don't feel like leaving the house or consuming the calories of deep-fried butter-and-hot-sauce-laden chicken wings. This recipe uses skinless boneless chicken breast cutlets, a light coat of breading, and pure hot sauce to get that lip-puckering, mouth-burning taste I crave. Meanwhile, the salad and blue cheese helps cool down the fire in your mouth.

Hot sauce and blue cheese poses a difficult wine pairing. Spicy foods pair well with a glass of semi-sweet Riesling. For a bottle of red, opt for Zinfandel. Otherwise, reach for a bottle of hoppy IPA (India Pale Ale) - if that's your thing, I'm not a fan - or a "sweeter" beer such as Blue Moon or a variety of Belgian Wheat.

Tangy Chicken Soft Tacos

When in need of a quick & easy weeknight dinner, look no further than these yummy, tangy, healthy chicken tacos served on whole wheat tortillas. I left the topping choices customizable so that you can use whatever you have in the kitchen or leave off whatever you don't like and control the heat level.

Home-made tacos can be healthy, and not like their widely available greasy fast-food counterparts! Whole wheat tortillas and black beans are a great way to add heart-healthy fiber to your diet. Opting to add cayenne pepper and chili peppers such as jalapeno adds immune-boosting capsaicin and vitamins. Avocado (in guacamole) often gets a bad rap for its fattiness but studies show these fats are actually anti-inflammatory and increase our absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like carotenoids (such as those found in previously discussed chili peppers).

Since I always seem to be opting for spicy, tangy dishes... my wine choices may seem repetitive ... or maybe it's my cooking that's getting repetitive? Whites like Rieslings and Gewurtztraminers are the way to go here to balance the spiciness of chipotle, cayenne, and jalapeno in this dish. Enjoy!

Southwest Mac & Cheese

Everyone loves mac & cheese, right? I wanted to make a meal out of this well-loved classic and make it a little more grown-up. This recipe is spicy, flavorful, and packs a lot of protein by adding chicken breast and black beans. If you'd rather go vegetarian, you can leave out the chicken and still get plenty of protein from the black beans and cheese. I would leave out the hot sauce if you're serving to kids and save it on the side for adults to add, if desired. I debated adding chopped spinach to the mix at well, but I didn't want to add so many things that it stopped looking like mac & cheese.

As far as wine pairing for the adults, my go-to wine for spicy dishes is a nice Riesling or Gewürztraminer, which are both sweet German wines that work well to balance out the heat of this dish.

Chicken Parmigiana

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love cooking Italian dishes, though I'm not Italian. There's something very comforting about these Italian classics, not to mention they're easy to make. This recipe for Chicken Parmigiana is loosely based off of Bobby Flay's, though I use more spices and seasonings, and it is the best I've ever had. I think what makes this recipe particularly delicious is the thinness of chicken breast, so if you trim and pound out chicken breast halves, make sure they're thin. Or, you can also buy a package of thin sliced cutlets and I would recommend pounding them out a little more so they're extra thin.

My wine pairing for Italian dishes is becoming pretty predictable as well, I love an Italian sangiovese or chianti, but you can mix it up by trying different red Italian wines in your local wine store and you'll almost always have a good pairing.

I also served up this dish with a simple caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, shredded carrots, tomatoes, and light caesar dressing (my favorite is Ken's).

Fettuccine & Roasted Garlic Alfredo

Another classic Italian dish that you can easily make at home: fettuccine alfredo. Alfredo sauce is so easy and inexpensive to make at home (and tastes so much better than anything you get in a jar when you do so). To add color and extra nutrients, I used Ronzoni Garden Delight fettuccine. Throw in some chicken breast for lean protein, some broccoli for extra crunch, and roast some garlic for extra yumminess.

Want some wine for this meal? Make it Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.

Sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken with creamy rosa sauce

One Saturday night, I was in need of a quick dinner. I just so happened to have all these ingredients on hand. The sun-dried tomatoes can be found in your grocery store, in a jar packed in oil. The citrus-y tanginess of sun-dried tomatoes pairs well with the woody, saltiness of smoked bacon. Although rule of thumb says don’t pair your oaky Chardonnays with tomatoes, the complex roasted flavors of sun-dried tomato and this cream sauce really loved my bottle of Red Tail Ridge (Finger Lakes, NY) Chardonnay. Although, almost any dry white will do.

Chicken Piccata & Roasted Balsamic Asparagus

Chicken Piccata, a lemon-garlic Italian chicken specialty, is one of my favorite dishes. However, I don't get an opportunity to cook it often, as my husband particularly dislikes lemon-y chicken and even more so capers, so I waited until I was home alone and indulged. When I was in college, chicken piccata was one of the first things I learned how to cook for myself that wasn't from a box. I partnered this dish with asparagus, because it is in season and complements nicely with lemon flavors. So in this posting, you'll be getting 2 delicious recipes: Chicken Piccata and roasted balsamic asparagus. Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata is very agreeable and will pair well with most dry or semi-dry white wines. I love a buttery Chardonnay with the lemon and garlic flavors of this dish.

Chicken stir fry

This recipe is legendary in my household, or at least I've decided it is. When I recently got married, my husband insisted that he hated stir fry. I made this one night to see if I could change his mind, and he absolutely loved it. Many people insist on shortcutting with frozen stir fry vegetables, but I love the crunch of fresh vegetables. You can also change up the recipe to suit your tastes, adding mushrooms, water chestnuts, baby corn, but this is a good starting place. 

(no take-out boxes necessary)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This chicken cordon bleu recipe started with a mission. My husband was asking for chicken cordon bleu but does not like swiss cheese. so I sought out a recipe without. This is a modified version of a chicken cordon bleu recipe from cooking light, so I tried to alter it without adding to many calories to keep the recipe "light". Serve with a salad and a glass of pinot grigio!