Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

I loved this recipe b/c it has two of my fav ingredients- asparagus and rotisserie chicken 8) Nothing like an easy throw together pasta for a weeknight meal! Hope you love it as much as we did!

Spaghetti

2 cups asparagus- chopped in 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup egg substitute (I just used 1/2 c egg whites)

1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion 4 bacon slices- cooked/crumbled

1/4 c dry vermouth (from the wine section)

2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken

1/2 c parmesan (I was running low so I used Gouda- DELISH)

2 tbsp parsley

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook pasta in boiling water 10 minutes, add asparagus and boil 3 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking liquid as you drain noodles and asparagus. Combine cooking liquid with egg and evap. milk, whisk. Heat oil in a large pan over med/high heat. (NOTE: you will be putting the entire recipe in this pan, so get a big one out). Add onion, saute 2 min. Add vermouth, cook 1 min. Add pasta and asparagus. Remove from heat. Sir in milk mixture, chicken, and cheese. Place over med heat, cook 4 min or until thick. Remove from heat. Sir in parsley, salt, pepper, and BACON 8)

Easy Spicy Sausage Pasta

Okay, when I say easy I am serious here! This came together really fast and we really liked it.

Egg noodles
Spicy Italian sausage
Sweet basil or other favorite spaghetti sauce, get something with lots of flavor. Ours also had mushrooms 8)
Parmesan cheese

Prepare noodles according to package, drain.

Meanwhile, brown sausage over med/high heat. Slice down the middle, this will open it up "hot dog bun style" Cook it all the way through, then slice it into bite size pieces.

Put noodles, sausage, and sauce into a pan and heat thoroughly.

Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

I LOVE COCONUT-CURRY. This recipe is FABULOUS! We always make it with whatever kind of fish we have in the freezer, usually bass or brem. But Cooking Light suggests Tilapia.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, 1/2 cup sauce, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
4 lime wedges
Preparation
Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Information
Calories:506 (30% from fat)
Fat:17.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.5g)
Protein:29g
Carbohydrate:56.6g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:82mg
Iron:2.7mg
Sodium:616mg
Calcium:47mg

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

This is from Cooking Light, January 2010. YUMMY!

Total: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and about 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture)


Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Nutritional Information
Calories:282
Fat:11g (sat 2.1g,mono 6.4g,poly 1.7g)
Protein:35.9g
Carbohydrate:8.8g
Fiber:1.9g
Cholesterol:94mg
Iron:2mg
Sodium:644mg
Calcium:38mg

Sheperd's Pie

Made this one for the National Championship game tonight- SO GOOD.

1.5 Lb. ground beef- I used 93% lean

1/2 Tbsp Cumin

1/2 Tbsp Red Pepper

Pinch of Curry Powder (like 1/8 tsp)

Pinch of Brown Sugar

1 Shallot, thinly sliced/chopped

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1 Tbsp parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp bread crumbs (mine were italian)

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Mashed potatoes-see photo for my fav.

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1 Cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown the beef with spices through shallots. Drain meat, pour in a bowl and mix in the parmesan and bread crumbs. Pack this down into an 8x8 casserole dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make potatoes according to package.

Cover meat with potatoes. Sprinkle cheese over it. Bake for 10-15 min, until cheese is melted.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

OH BOY, it has been a while... So as I'm sure you can imagine I've cooked a lot since my last post- I have tons of recipes to share with you!

Let's start with a crock pot recipe that I made up. We like to call these types of things "dump recipes" because I dump whatever we have in together and somehow it turns out fabulous. 8)

Here we go-

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP!

1 Rotisserie chicken (I prefer the plain ole' flavor, but if you like the bbq, lemon, or southwestern YOU GO RIGHT AHEAD!
1 Can cream-o-chicken (I really like the one "with herbs")
1 Can cream-o-mushroom
1 Can sweet peas- drained. I love peas, if you're not as big a fan go with half a can.
1 Can chicken broth
1 Can of water (after you dump the broth just fill the can with water and add to crock pot)
1/4 Cup of milk
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp of each: parsley, rosemary, oregano
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice- Long Grain & Wild Rice

Get your crock pot out and dust it off 8) I recently discovered plastic liners for crock pots- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Or if you don't love a crock pot just make it in a big pot on the stove- in this case you'll have to make some executive decisions about cook time since I've only tried it in the crock pot so far!

Cut up all of the usable meat from the chicken. Do not include skin. Think small bite-sized pieces, it's soup. Put the chicken in the crock pot with all other ingredients. Cook on low for 3 hours. I'm not good at leaving the crock pot closed b/c I like to stir, so feel free to crack that bad boy open and stir if you like. Taste it too, make any revisions you see fit 8)

Serve with your favorite bread, you'll love this soup on a cold night- we sure do!

Eggplant & Brie Sandwich with Tomato Basil Soup!

Let's start with the soup-

Tomato Basil Soup- recipe from Bravo in Jackson, MS

• 5 cans chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• Pinch-o-nutmeg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

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• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil

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• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup pesto
• salt and pepper to taste

Simmer first 7 ingredients in a stockpot for 30 min. over med. heat. Puree the soup- I did this in my wee little food processor and wished I'd had a larger one or something hand held. I'd suggest that you get a large bowl and place a stainer over it- THIS IS KEY BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE SOUP JUICES- strain the liquids into the bowl and dump back into the pot. Now puree the tomatoes that are left over in the strainer, adding into the pot as you go. Once you've pureed all of the tomatoes, return to the heat and bring to a boil.

While the soup is reheating, let's get ready to make a roux- whisk the flour and oil together until golden. Whisk into the soup.

When soup is almost boiling stir in the cream and pesto. Continue to stir frequently to prevent scorch. As soon as soup comes to a boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Add S&P. Simmer until desired thickness, skim off any foam or film.

Eggplant and Brie Sandwich-

• 8 (1/2" thick) eggplant slices
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper
• Loaf of ciabatta bread
• 2 tbsp pesto
• Salad style spinach
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Brie cheese- we had a quarter of a round

Preheat oven broiler. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 tsp oil. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise, discard seeds and membrane. Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up on baking sheet with the eggplants- flatten peppers with your hand. Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over- don't turn bell pepper. Broil an additional 4 minutes. Remove eggplants from pan. Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. Place bell pepper in a ziploc bag and seala. Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.

Broil bread slices for 2 min until lightly browned, turning once. Spread brie or your other favorite cheese onto one side of bread. Spread pesto on the other side. Layer each bread slice with eggplant and bell pepper. Toss spinach with remaining 1 tsp oil and black pepper. Divide and spread across sandwich. Stack em up and enjoy!