Spice is Nice

We love spicy foods. Love them. This recipe appeared in my inbox and was immediately saved. We don't keep snapper in the house, but tilapia was a very nice substitution. Yet another fast, easy meal that's a keeper! The fish was nice and flaky with a nice twist to our normal broiled tilapia.



Baked Tilapia with Chipotle Butter
Source: Cooking Light
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely minced


DIRECTIONS

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Combine first 4 ingredients and sprinkle evenly over fish.
-Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
-Bake 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
-While fish bakes, combine butter and chile.
-Spread butter mixture evenly over baked fish.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 175.9
Total Fat 4.5 g
Cholesterol 90.3 mg
Sodium 251.3 mg
Potassium 333.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate .5 g
Fiber .1 g
Protein 31.6 g

If he wags his tail...

...they must be good!

In my quest to make Jackson his own dog treats, I came across a new recipe for rather simple dog biscuits. I love coming across recipes with everyday ingredients, especially since I make a lot of these treats late at night and they're not pre-planned very well. This made a LOT Of treats, but froze relatively well. The only thing about them is that they have a tendency to grow a bit of mold (ick!), even when in an air-tight container, so they're best stored in the fridge.



Everyday Biscuits
Source: Bullwrinkle.com
Makes 100 1" square treats

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons dry parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg
5-6 cups whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 10 minutes.
-Insert the beater for the mixer and stir in parsley, garlic, broth, honey, and egg.
-Gradually mix in flour. After approximately 2 cups, switch from the beater to a dough hook. Continue adding flower until you have formed a stiff dough.
-Shape the dough into a ball, and roll to 1/4-inch thick.
-Cut dough into desired shapes for biscuits.
-Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1/4 inch apart.
-Bake for 30 minutes.
=Remove from oven and turn over.
-Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on both sides.
-Let cool completely before storing.

Tuna!

How many ways can you make stuffed shells??

I'm on version three now, and while this is probably my least favorite, it's still a decent meal. Perfect for Fridays during Lent or another night when you want a meatless meal. The sauce is quite thin, which I didn't care for, but the actual shell itself is pretty good. Next time I make these I need to adjust the sauce to make it thicker! I did freeze half of these and they did very well. I'm starting to love these cook once, eat twice meals!!



Tuna Filled Shells
Source: Allrecipes
Serves 6 (2 shells each)

INGREDIENTS

12 Jumbo Pasta Shells
5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 celery rib, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 slices white bread, crumbled (I used 1/4 c bread crumbs)
1 (12 ounce) can light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

-Cook shells as directed on the box.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Meanwhile, combine the flour, milk, dill and salt until smooth.
-Boil flour mixture and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened.
-Pour 1-1/4 cups of sauce into a 2 quart baking dish and set aside.
-Sautee celery and onion in a skillet until tender.
-Add bread, tuna, salad dressing and cheese. Mix well.
-Fill cooked shells with tuna mixture and place open side up in a baking dish.
-Drizzle remaining sauce on top.
-Cover and bake until bubbly, approx. 25-30 minutes.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 299.7
Total Fat 10.5 g
Cholesterol 31.2 mg
Sodium 529.6 mg
Potassium 333.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 27.9 g
Fiber 1.5 g
Protein 22.8 g

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Yummmmm. When a lot of people think of this recipe, they think of Giada's version. I decided to do a slight twist and bake them to eliminate the EVOO. The result? A nice, yummy pork chop! This meal is perfect for the nights when you need something quick and easy.



Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Source: Food Network (see link above), with customization
Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. Pork Chops
1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg (I used Egg Beaters)


DIRECTIONS:
-Mix parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a bowl. Pour onto a plate for easy coating.
-Whisk egg if needed, dip each of the 4 chops into egg.
-Coat each chop with the bread/cheese mixture, place in baking dish.
-Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 292.1
Total Fat 15.6 g
Cholesterol 71 mg
Sodium 338.2 mg
Potassium 557.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5.4 g
Fiber .3 g
Protein 30.5 g