Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Makes 8 cups

12 oz smoked beef sausage, sliced or quartered

½ onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, chopped (1 can stewed tomatoes can be substituted)

1 cup white rice, uncooked (if using brown rice cook in rice cooker beforehand)

2.5 cups chicken broth, low sodium

hot sauce, for topping

Cajun Seasoning:

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. thyme

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté for five minutes until starting to brown. Add garlic and tomatoes. Simmer for two more minutes. Add chicken broth, rice and Cajun seasoning and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is fully cooked. Serve with hot sauce.

432 mg sodium/cup

Suzanne's Note: This was really good. I used precooked brown rice from my rice cooker. It had a lot of flavor and I didn't feel the need to add any extra salt, since most of the salt comes from the tasty sausage. Very Satisfying.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Sauce

So I just made this tonight and it was awesome! Everyone loved it including the kids. Don't mind that my fish looks a little burnt because my stove cooks very hot. The fish is crusty on the outside and the sauce adds a really great creamy note that puts it over the top.  I  rate it a 9 out of 10.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Sauce

courtesy of life ambrosia

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup cream
• small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 6 tilapia fillets
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• oil for frying
• Instructions:
  1. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add cream. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Sauce will turn slightly pink and coat the back of the spoon. (Note: It is okay if the sauce boils slightly.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, pour enough oil just to coat the bottom of a skillet and heat over medium heat. 
  3. Rinse and pat dry the tilapia fillets. Season both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
  4. Combine Parmesan, panko and granulated garlic.
  5. Dredge the seasoned tilapia fillets in the flour. Shake off excess. Dip in egg. Press into Parmesan/panko mixture.
  6. Place fish in heated skillet, in batches if necessary and cook 3-4 minutes per side. Fish will be golden brown and will flake easily when done.
  7. When you remove the fish, chiffonnade the basil (Note: To do this, simply roll up a few basil leaves and gently chop). Stir the basil into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
  8. Lay fish on a serving platter and spoon sauce over the top. Serve. I served this with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Wow! This was so good. Everyone loved it. I served it with Naan bread and a green salad. The only place I have found that sells the red or pink lentils as they are sometime called is a store by me called Sprouts Farmers Market. They don't sell them in Walmart (curse Walmart). They usually sell them in health food store or whole food stores. But their texture is creamier then regular lentils so the texture would be slightly different if you use regular lentils. The regular lentils are found at Walmart if that is your only option.
 courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (or Up To 2 Tablespoons If You're A Big Curry Fan)
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 2 whole Carrots, Peeled And Diced
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• ⅓ cups Tomato Paste
• 7 cups Water
• 15 ounces, fluid Coconut Milk
• 2 cups Dry Red Lentils
• 1 can (15 Oz Can) Garbanzo Beans/chickpeas, Drained
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
• ¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped
• Lime Wedges, Optional Garnish

Preparation Instructions

To a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the spices are fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes.

Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes, followed by the carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.

At the very end, stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or spices as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks via Scaling Back.

Apple Pie Bars

So These are delicious. I just make them in a pie dish and it looks just like apple pie. I love it because if you are scared of making homemade crust then, these are perfect because the crust part is really easy and you don't have to roll it out or shape it.

Courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING:
• 4 whole Apples, Peeled And Chopped Coarsely
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 2-½ Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• FOR THE CRUST AND TOPPING:
• ¾ cups Butter, Softened
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ cups Walnuts Or Pecans, Finely Chopped, optional
• ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To prepare the apple filling, in a large pan combine the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes until apples are tender. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the apples and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make the crust, beat butter on medium speed of an electic mixer for about a minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about an additional minute. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until well blended but still crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping, and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.

Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust.

Stir the chopped walnuts or pecans and cinnamon into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over the apple filling.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting.

Whole Wheat Crepes

courtesy of http://www.100daysofrealfood.com

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted + extra for cooking

DIRECTIONS

1. Put all ingredients in blender and mix well. Let stand about 15 minutes.
2. Melt and swirl around a small pat of butter in an 8 or 10-inch frying pan over medium heat.
3. Angle pan and pour enough batter on one side to thinly and evenly cover the pan. Very quickly swirl the batter around to cover the pan in one thin layer.
4. Immediately use your cooking spatula to push down the thin edges of the crepe around the perimeter.
5. After about 1 minute (and once it is golden brown on the bottom) carefully flip it over without tearing the crepe.
6. Fry for 1 more minute on the other side (until it is golden brown as well) and then roll up each crepe.
7. Serve with 100% pure maple syrup.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

recipe courtesy of Mels Kitchen Cafe

*Makes 14-16 taquitos (It is easy to freeze the leftovers in a ziplock and then heat up in the microwave, good for a few months)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup green salsa

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

1 green onion, sliced finely

1 Chicken breast cooked and shredded, about 2 cups

1 cup grated monterey jack, cheddar, or pepperjack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)

fajita size corn or flour tortillas (I buy mine at walmart for $2)

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray (this helps them get crispy) and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in ranch, salsa, sour cream, guacamole.

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Rotini

1 chicken breast cooked, diced
2 T all purpose flour
2 T butter, unsalted
10 oz milk , about 1-1/4 cup
1 pinch pepper
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
7 oz Rotini pasta, whole wheat, about 1.5 cups uncooked pasta
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped, optional
2 heads, approx. 12 ounces broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

Directions

Start heating a pot of water for the pasta. In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, (I use olive oil) over medium heat. When pan is preheated add onion, bell pepper, and zucchini if using. Saute for 5-10 minutes until cooked. When cooked leave vegetables in the pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter has melted add the flour to make a paste.Cook stirring for one minute. Don't let it turn brown. Add milk a little at a time to the mixture and continue to stir until the flour mixture absorbs the milk. Continue adding until all the milk is in the pan. When the sauce starts to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last minute of the pasta's cooking, add the chopped broccoli to the water. Allow to boil for one minute.

Drain the pasta and broccoli. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and broccoli with the chicken. cover with the sauce.

Suzanne's Note:This was a really quick and easy meal. It would be a great one to make when you have leftover chicken to use.