Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia (Rachel Ray)

Ingredients

• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the fish with the lemon wedges.

The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Everyday Occasions)

8 slices of Italian Bread

1 cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2/3 cup of provolone cheese, shredded

2/3 cup of swiss cheese, shredded

2 tablespoon of butter

salt & pepper

Divide the bread into 4 stacks of 2 pieces.  butter the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches.  In between the slices, divide up the shredded cheeses.  In a hot skillet - or cast iron pan/griddle works best - grill the sandwiches on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side until they are brown and the cheese has melted. 

Tomato Basil Soup (Everyday Occasions)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned

parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well.  Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes. 

Nacho Ordinary Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing (Menu Planning 101)

Beef:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup salsa
Salt & pepper

Salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 diced red or green pepper
1 cup light old cheddar, shredded (surprisingly, you can't even tell it's lower in fat/calories. The cheese flavor is really bold)
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas, cut into strips

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing:
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime, zested
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add your ground beef, onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until cooked through. Stir in chili powder and cumin and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the grape tomatoes, salsa and salt and pepper and cook for two minutes until the flavors have combined and the tomatoes soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the beef is cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut two tortillas into strips (I like to use kitchen scissors) and throw onto a baking sheet. Toss them with a little bit of oil or spray with cooking spray and place in oven until crispy and brown. This will only take a couple minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a resealable glass jar.

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on the bottom of a serving platter (or individual plates). Top with beef, corn, beans, red pepper, cheese, green onions and avocado slices. Pour on the dressing and top with a few crispy tortilla chips.

Taco Soup

My mom gave me this recipe. Our family loves it and I love it even more b/c it is SOOOOO easy. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lean hamburger ( I used 2 pounds)

1 large onion, chopped

4 cups water

1 (16 oz.) can light red kidney beans, drained

1 (15.5 oz.) can pinto beans, drained

1 (15.5 oz.) can niblet corn, drained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (10.75 oz.) can tomato soup

1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes wth green chilies

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce

1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning mix

1 teaspoon salt

Garnish:shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed taco chips

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven,combine ground beef and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, until beef is browned and crumbles;drain. Stir in remaining ingredients; except for the garnish. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Garnish each serving, if desired.

Or you can cook in a crock pot on low. However, you need to brown ground beef and saute onions first.

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 large chicken

Directions

1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Enjoy!

Fiesta Chicken (The Girl Who Ate Everything)

4 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Take 4 frozen, yes, frozen (or thawed), boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.  Keep in crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Once it is cooked, take it out and shred it. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot.

Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. It may look at little strange at this point. Don't worry. Stir in the cream cheese.

Serve over rice or in warm flour tortillas.

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken (Six Sister's Stuff)

Ingredients:

4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (mine were still frozen!)

1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Directions:

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy cleanup!  Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce.  Serve over rice.

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers (Our Best Bites)

A great meatless meal!

This recipe was adapted from Our Best Bites

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/01/southwest-stuffed-bell-peppers/

Ingredients: 

4 large peppers (red, yellow, green or orange)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C white rice (you could use any type of rice. I did not have any jalapenos so I used Mexican rice to give it more flavor)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 jalapeno, minced (or you could sub a small 3oz can of mild green chilies)
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels or 1 can of corn, drained
2 green onions, sliced
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 1/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides.  Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.   Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. (I used instant rice because I was short on time).  Drain.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add corn, beans, green onions, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Place peppers in a baking dish.  Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro.  Stir to combine well and give it a taste.  Add additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to your liking.  Then evenly divide mixture between peppers.

Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.


I had a lot of the bean/rice mixture left over. We are using it for taco's or over tortilla chips.