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

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

Cheesy Goodness

Who knew that something so easy could be so good? This is the perfect quick meal and the leftovers reheat well. It is originally a Weight Watchers recipe, but the possibilities of modifications are endless. I have heard of people adding broccoli, taking out the chicken all together, etc. We have just made the original recipe, maybe some day I'll get a little more adventurous and creative! I apologize for the poor picture, next time I make these I need to remember to get a good one!



Cheesy Chicken Cups
Source: Weight Watchers
Servings: 10

INGREDIENTS:
1 can buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits)
1 cooked chicken breast cut into small pieces
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
3/4 C. fat free shredded cheddar cheese
1 t. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
-Place each biscuit into a muffin pan.
-Press the biscuits into the holes (and up the sides) to form cups.
-In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, cheese, parsley, and pepper. Mix well.
-Spoon evenly into cups.
-Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 121.3
Total Fat 4.1 g
Cholesterol 22.5 mg
Sodium 440.7 mg
Potassium 8.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12.1 g
Fiber .2 g
Protein 8.9 g

Calzones

Calzone fillings are never ending; my favorite so far is BBQ chicken! So easy and yummy... how can you not like it?



BBQ Chicken Calzone Filling
Source: MrsAllmyer, the Nest
Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

-1/2 a medium onion chopped
-3 slices of bacon (I use turkey bacon)
-5 chicken tenders (or 2 small breasts)
-3/4 cup BBQ sauce
-Handful of cilantro chopped
-1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

DIRECTIONS
-In a large skillet prepare the bacon until crispy then set aside.
-To the skillet add the chopped onion, then the chicken, then half of the BBQ sauce.
-When the chicken is done use a fork to shred.
-Add remaining BBQ sauce, cilantro and crispy bacon (crumbled).
-Lay out the pizza dough and cut in 2.
-Spread the shredded chicken mixture over half of one of the dough pieces.
-Top with shredded cheese then fold the other half of dough over.
-Use a fork to seal edges. Repeat for second calzone.
-Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.


NUTRITION INFO
(based on modifications, does not include crust)

Calories 230.3
Total Fat 7.2 g
Cholesterol 52.3 mg
Sodium 705.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24.1 g
Protein 16.9 g

A Twist on Pizza

Ok, so it's rolled. The pepperoni and cheese bread is easy to make and break away from the regular old pizza routine. It's great because it allows dipping and endless possibilities for ingredients. We chose to dip it in pizza sauce which completed our unique pizza experience. This recipe is so versatile that it could be thinly sliced and served as an appetizer.



Pepperoni and Cheese bread
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

INGREDIENTS
1 roll refrigerated french bread dough OR 1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)
20 pieces Pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni).
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Egg wash (1 egg white, water)
Italian Seasoning (as desired)

DIRECTIONS
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Roll out bread dough and sprinkle with mozzerella and parmesean cheeses, place pepperoni (as much as desired) on top of the cheese.
-Carefully roll the bread dough into a cylinder shape.
-Pinch ends and top to seal.
-Brush top and sides of loaf with egg wash.
-Top loaf with Italian Seasoning
-Make a few diagonal slices in top of loaf for air to escape while cooking.
-Bake at 350 for 20 min.
-Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

NUTRITION INFO
(based on modifications)

Calories 405.7
Total Fat 12.7 g
Cholesterol 54.3 mg
Sodium 1245.9 mg
Potassium 139.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 45.5 g
Protein 27.0 g

Cream Cheese Chicken

Cream cheese and chicken? I made a funny face when I first heard of this, but man is this an easy and delicious meal! This is perfect served with rice and steamed or roasted veggies.

When I brought this in to work the next day, I had 3 people ask me if it came from the back of a Campbell's can. No... sorry! I told them it was as about as easy as opening up that can but tasted much better :)



Cream Cheese Chicken
Source: MaryEllen, The Nest
Serves 3

INGREDIENTS
3 chicken breasts, trimmed and kept whole or cut into strips or chunks
1 can chicken broth, separated
4-8 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
4 oz cream cheese (I used FF)
1.5 tbs flour
2 tsp white wine

DIRECTIONS
- Put chicken in large pan with a little bit of olive oil
- Add red pepper flakes and pressed garlic (I used minced)
- After 1-2 min, add white wine to deglaze the pan and then add ¾ can chicken broth
- Bring to a boil then simmer 20-25 min until chicken is cooked
- Remove chicken and place in a covered dish; keep warm
- Mix flour with remaining broth and add to pan; mix
- Add cream cheese, mix until thick and bubbly
- Pour sauce over chicken

NUTRITION INFO
(based on modifications)

Calories 172.4
Total Fat .7 g
Cholesterol 61.7 mg
Sodium 932.9 mg
Potassium 39 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.4 g
Fiber .4 g
Protein 33 g

The Infamous Cookie

Chocolate chip cookies have so many variations if you take the time to search through recipes. I can honestly say I have never made any other chocolate chip cookie besides my dad's recipe. He loves chocolate chip cookies. I used to make them so much growing up I had the recipe memorized and could make them in my sleep.

The trick to making cookies is to get them to that desired doneness. For my husband, his desired doneness is just baked long enough there's a slight crunch to the outside, but you can still have some of that doughy softness when you bite in. Mission accomplished with my Pampered Chef baking sheet and 12 minutes on 350 degrees!



Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: My dad
Yield 36 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
2 eggs (I used Egg Beaters)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 c Sugar
1 c Brown Sugar, lightly packed
2 tbsp Vanilla
2 1/4 c Flour
1 12 oz. bag Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Beat the Crisco and the eggs until well mixed.
-Add the salt, baking soda, and both types of sugar.
-Mix well.
-Fold in the chocolate chips.
-Slowly add flour and mix thoroughly.
-Drop by spoonful onto a cookie sheet
-Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

NUTRITION INFO
(based on modifications)

Calories 158.7
Total Fat 8.3 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 109.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 20.6 g
Fiber .8 g
Protein 1.6 g

Mmmmm...Soup!

There's nothing better than a good bowl of soup on a cold, dreary day. I came across this recipe on a cooking board I frequent, but when I looked at the ratings on Cooking Light I was a little skeptical. I knew I could trust the girls who posted the recipe, so I gave it a shot.

Talk about a good potato soup! This was extremely easy to make and made quite a bit. A one cup portion is very filling. Definitely one I'll make again!




Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup
www.cookinglight.com
View Original Recipe
7 (1 cup) Servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8-ounce) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
7 teaspoons shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
7 teaspoons fully cooked bacon pieces
7 teaspoons chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS
-Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.
-Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven.
-Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
-Gradually stir in flour mixture.
-Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.
-Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese.
-Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.
-Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

Note: Use freshly shredded cheese for best results.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 223
Total Fat 7.9 g
Cholesterol 31 mg
Sodium 667 mg
Total Carbohydrate 20.3 g
Fiber 2.6 g
Protein 17.3 g

Beans, beans...

I admit. I don't like to eat my veggies. I have the most awful time getting in vegetables throughout the day. I first tried this recipe at Christmas 2006 and fell in love. Up until then, I had hated green beans. Leave it to garlic to add the zing I need! This can also be made up to a day ahead and stored in the fridge. Don't put the bread crumbs on until ready to bake.



Baked Garlic Green Beans
www.allrecipes.com
2 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon butter, melted

-In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
-Add the beans; toss to coat.
-Transfer to a greased 3-cup baking dish.
-Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter; sprinkle over beans.
-Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

NUTRITION INFO

Calories 172.5
Total Fat 13.1 g
Cholesterol 2.0 mg
Sodium 651.5 mg
Potassium 19.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 11.0 g
Fiber .3 g
Protein 3.4 g

Pizza Pizza!

Who doesn't love a good pizza? I found this recipe on Cooking Light and was a little skeptical at first, especially since I couldn't remember ever having something that wasn't a "traditional" pizza. This is now one of our favorites... it's easy to make, pretty healthy, and best of all... absolutely delicious! This recipe makes 1-16" pizza or we have divided it into 3 mini-pizzas and frozen one. It freezes well!



Garlic Chicken Pizza
www.cookinglight.com
8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16-ounce) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I only used 1/2 cup, my husband doesn't care for them)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I omitted)

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat oven to 400°.
-Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.
-Place crust on a baking sheet; brush vinegar mixture over crust.
-Top with chicken, tomato, and mushrooms; sprinkle with cheeses and green onions.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheeses melt.


NUTRITION INFO
(based on modifications; does not include crust)

Calories 89.2
Total Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 27.6 mg
Sodium 219.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.4 g
Fiber .3g
Protein 11g