Wednesday, June 4, 2008

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