Guiltless Chicken Parmesan

Thanks to SallySpins, I found this wonderful recipe.

Guiltless Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 1 28-oz jar crushed organic tomatoes
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste or organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp reduced-fat Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1-inch thickness
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz cooked whole-wheat penne (or your favorite pasta)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add 1 tsp oregano and stir to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until oregano is fragrant. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine panko, Parmesan, remaining 1 tsp oregano, thyme, salt and black pepper. Mix with a fork to combine. Brush both sides of each chicken breast with Dijon. Transfer each breast to panko mixture and turn to coat both sides. Arrange chicken on prepared baking sheet. Coat surface of chicken with cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes. 
4. Top each chicken breast with 2 to 3 tbsp tomato sauce and 2 tbsp mozzarella. Return chicken to oven and bake 10 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.
5. Arrange pasta on a serving plate and top with remaining tomato sauce. Serve chicken with pasta on the side, garnishing both with basil. 

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 439, Total Fat: 12 g, Sat. Fat: 2.5 g, Carbs: 43 g, Fiber: 5.5 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 34.5 g, Sodium: 585 mg, Cholesterol: 70 mg 

Try breading and cooking zucchini or eggplant instead of the chicken for a vegetarian version of this recipe.  Yum!  Enjoy!

Eggplant + Tofu Parmesan

Last night, my meat-loving brother tried tofu for the first time.  He also tried eggplant, but his reaction wasn't quite so... animated?

I prepared a vegetarian mixture of dishes because I was really craving the protein from the tofu, but I had an eggplant that was getting a little soft.  I combined an Eggplant Parmesan recipe with a Tofu Parmesan recipe, and I thought the final product was delicious.

Eggplant + Tofu Parmesan

• 1 eggplant- peeled and sliced
• 1 pkg of tofu- 1/4 in slices
• 1 egg
• 2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• olive oil for frying
• 1 jar of prepared spaghetti sauce
• oregano, basil, salt and pepper
• 2 cups Mozzarella, Romano, and Parmesan shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a bowl.  Beat the egg until incorporated in a separate bow.  Dip each slice of tofu in the bread crumbs until covered completely and place in a pan with olive oil and fry until each side is golden brown.  Meanwhile, dip the eggplant into the egg and then into the bread crumbs until completely coated.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes on each side.  

Cover a 9x13 in pan with half of the prepared spaghetti sauce.  Layer half of the tofu and eggplant slices.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheese.  Repeat layers ending with the shredded cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is completely melted and sauce is bubbly.  

Enjoy!

Banana + Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast

A few days ago, between firing Rodney Yee and keeping Ace calm during the thunderstorm, I promised you this recipe.  I must admit, I found the inspiration for this recipe about 8 year ago when I was on Christmas Break from college.  A roommate and I were at her parents house, and her dad decided to "stuff" our French toast with things in the pantry.  This was definitely the best combination we/he came up with.    

Banana, Peanut Butter, + Granola French Toast

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c milk
• cinnamon to taste
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• thick sliced bread
• creamy peanut butter
• bananas
• granola
• syrup

Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture until completely coated and cook on a hot skillet until each side is lightly browned.  Repeat with each bread slice.  Spread peanut butter on one slice of French toast, top with bananas and granola, and place other slice of French toast on top to make a sandwich.  Serve hot with syrup.  Enjoy!

It's a beautiful day in PdC.  My little brother is officially a certified open water diver, and we are going to take advantage of the weather and go out for a dive and see the ruins at Tulum!  This will be Patrick's first ruin trip since arriving, and Tulum is definitely a good one to visit.  Full recap tomorrow!

Spicy Baked Salmon with Pineapple Mango Salsa

To go with my pineapple, mango, and papaya salsa, I baked some spicy salmon and asparagus.  The combination of flavors was delicious.

Spicy Baked Salmon

• 1 pound wild salmon
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• pineapple, mango, and papaya salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a small bowl mix seasonings.  Pat salmon with seasonings on the side with no skin.  In a large saute pan, heat olive oil until it smokes and cook salmon for 30 seconds seasoning side down until crust forms.  Turn salmon spice side up and place in oven for 7 minutes.  Serve with pineapple salsa.

Baked Asparagus

I've prepared asparagus many different ways, but this is by far my favorite.  It tastes like the asparagus you will find at a fancy restaurant.

• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet.  Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.  Bake asparagus for 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce and vinegar.  Pour over baked asparagus.  

I also imagine this sauce being drizzled over a fillet mignon and served with a nice Cabernet.  

Before our dinner, I snapped some photos of my favorite bulldog.  He has such a rough life.

Mango, Pineapple, and Papaya Salsa

I've said this before, but one of my favorite things about living in PdC is the amount of fresh fruits and veggies available here.  (My other favorite thing:  I can save $100 every other month on highlights.  All natural baby!)

I was browsing for recipe ideas the other day for this HUGE pineapple I bought.  I came across several salsas, and decided to try a variation of my own.

Mango, Pineapple, and Papaya Salsa

• 1 mango or 8 frozen mango chunks- chopped
• 1/2 cup pineapple- chopped
• 1/2 cup papaya- chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño- finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
• Juice from 2 limes

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.  I picture this salsa on a beautiful piece of fresh salmon, sea bass, or even chicken; or enjoy it on tortilla chips.

Roasted Strawberry Brie Chocolate Grilled Cheese

After seeing this post, I was obsessed with trying to recreate this recipe for my hubby and my brother... AND ME!  It has everything I love: strawberries, cheese, chocolate, and bread.

Roasted Strawberry Brie + Chocolate Grilled Cheese

• 6 quartered strawberries
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• butter for each side of bread slices
• multi-grain bread sliced thick
• 3 ounces of brie
• 1 bar of dark chocolate

Line pan with aluminum foil * and preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss strawberries with oil and roast for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, butter each side of the bread and place butter-side down on a hot skillet.  Layer with brie, chocolate, and top with strawberries.  Place another slice of bread on top, and grill until heated through.  Flip over and brown the other slice of bread until golden.  Eat immediately!

* Be sure to line your roasting pan with foil, unless you want to spend the time you could be enjoying these babies cleaning and soaking a pan.

After photographing these decadent sandwiches, I barely came up for air long enough to wipe the chocolate from my face.  I will definitely be making these again.

Black Bean Salsa- My specialty!

If you have ever been to my house for a NFL watch party or we've been to a BBQ together, you have probably tasted my black bean salsa.  It is one of my favorite recipes to make because everything in it is good for you and is really, really tasty!  The best part:  produce in Mexico is super cheap, and I can load up on all my fruits and veggies without breaking the budget.

It's really hard for me to imagine people who don't eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  The hubs and I definitely do.  I truly believe eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables is the way to a disease-free life.  I hardly get sick now, and I credit it to a diet full of anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  This recipe will easily provide you with a good start to 5- a day!  Now, on to the recipe.

Black Bean Salsa

16 oz of black beans- canned or homemade

1 tomato

1 jalapeño

1 avocado

1/2 red onion

1 cup frozen corn

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

Valentine's red salsa or chili powder*

* The secret ingredient that made this batch of salsa my very best EV-ER!

Chop all vegetables and mix all ingredients together.  Let set for an hour and serve with tortilla chips.  YUM!

So delicious!

What's your favorite dish to bring to a BBQ or party?

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

I spent the day doing some deep cleaning.  If you know me at all, you know that my house is never really that dirty, but I'm OCD about sweeping and mopping everyday.  Jade tells me all the time I'm going to be buried with a mop in my hand.  While I was cleaning our shower this morning, I realized how beautiful an all-tiled shower is, but how unbelievably difficult it is to clean every single tile grout!  Did I mention that I have solid glass doors?  Yes, my bathroom is beautiful, but a clean-freak's nightmare!

After about 4 hours of scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, mopping, and polishing, I was ready for something sweet to satisfy my belly and my sweet tooth.  I found this recipe on runningtothekitchen.com.  It was super easy to make and definitely satisfied both my cravings.  My only complaint:  they were really crumbly and very delicate.  I blame the extra crunchy peanut butter!

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

1/2 c Splenda or other sugar substitute

1/2 c Vanilla Protein Powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c crunchy peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated.  Bake 10 minutes at 350.

Enjoy!

Tofu Fajitas

Last night Jade and I decided to have a movie date.  We went to see Avengers.  All my "friends" on Facebook said this movie was awesome and really entertaining, so I was excited to see it.  The movie was just okay.  I am a HUGE fan of the X-Men movies, but Iron Man and the Avengers just didn't do it for me.  I still had a great time because, honestly, the one thing I look forward to the most about going to the movies is the popcorn.  Especially in Mexico.  Going to the movies is pretty affordable here.  On Tuesdays, they have 2 for 1 tickets and 2 large drinks and a large popcorn is less than $10!  Mexican movie theaters also have a VIP theater.

Reclining in the VIP chair!

You get your own private waiter, a nice reclining chair, and whatever you want to eat and drink.  Seriously, beer, wine, alcohol, coffee, chocolate cake, sushi, candy, hot dogs, popcorn.

Before we went to the theater, I made Tofu Fajitas and served them with rice, beans, and guacamole.  Jade isn't a big fan of tofu, so I made him taco meat.  Most of the time he is pretty good about eating my vegetarian cooking, but every so often I end up preparing 2 meals.  Pick your battles couples!

When buying tofu, I prefer to buy firm or extra firm.  I like my tofu to hold its shape.  If adding to spaghetti sauce, soft or medium is fine.  It will grumble and incorporate well into the sauce.

Tofu Fajitas

1/2 block of extra firm tofu
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 green pepper
1/4 red onion
1/2 jalapeno
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
Black pepper
2 TBS soy sauce
1 lime
cilantro

Drain tofu in a strainer and gently push excess water out with a spatula.  Cut tofu in strips.  Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil (1 TBS) and heat over medium heat.  Add all spices and mix well.  Add tofu strips and stir fry until brown.  Meanwhile, cut all vegetable into strips.  Add to frying pan.  Add soy sauce and juice from 1 lime.  Continue to stir fry until vegetables are tender and tofu is nicely browned.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, beans, and guacamole, and garnish with cilantro.

Today, I was planning on going for a long run on the beach, but I woke up to this

And it's been raining all day.  I guess I'm just going to settle for Pilates tonight with some friends.

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

...And a little history.

I never understood why the US celebrated Cinco de Mayo, and Mexico didn't.  I did a little research, and found that after the city of Puebla defeated the French army on 5 de Mayo, 1862 it had a large impact the US Civil War.  It may also be credited as one of the ways the Union defeated the Confederate army.

The French was a large supplier of weapons, food, and clothing for the Confederate army.  When the French military, with Napolean III as commander, invaded Mexico, they were unable to keep up with their commitments to the US.

This is not Mexico's Independence Day as some people believe.  That day is the most important holiday in Mexico and celebrated on September 16.

Now, on to some of my favorite Mexican recipes!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons -- 2 turns of the pot in a slow stream
• 3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted
• 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 to 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (medium to hot heat level), chopped -- available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section of market
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, 28 ounces
• 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
• 3 cups chicken stock, available in re-sealable paper containers on soup aisle
• 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Optional garnishes:

• 1/4 red raw onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.

While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.
Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.


Makes a HUGE pot.  

Skinny Margaritas

 

2 ounces clear tequila

splash fresh lime juice

splash Cointreau liqueur or Grand Marnier or triple sec

ice

salt (optional)

lime wedge 

Rub lime wedge around the edge of the glass and dip in salt if preferred.  Place desired amount of ice in a glass and pour all ingredients over ice.  Garnish with a lime.

Makes one margarita

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/skinny-margarita-358803#ixzz1u6SY9BDy

 

Raspberry Black Bean Dip and a few others.

In my last post, I told you about all the activities and cooking I've been doing lately.  I wanted to give you readers some more delicious recipes to try and to again remind you to BEWARE, some of these recipes are meant to be consumed in moderation.

Raspberry Black Bean Dip

A little background on this recipe.  In college, I worked at a restaurant called So Long Saloon.

This recipe is a crowd favorite.  My friends and fellow wait staff would consume this so frequently I'm sure we created a bean and raspberry shortage.  Enjoy!

1 can black beans- rinsed well
4 oz low-fat cream cheese
4 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 c diced sweet onion
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 jar Broncos Chipotle Raspberry Sauce
Tortilla chips

1.  Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Add onion, and saute until translucent.  Remove from heat.

2.  In a microwave-safe bowl combine cheeses, beans, onion and microwave 2-3 minutes.  Stir.  Add 1/2 amount of Raspberry Sauce and microwave 1 minute longer.

3.  Remove from microwave and add the rest of the raspberry sauce**.  Serve with tortilla chips.

** I like a lot of Raspberry sauce, so this dish is nice and sweet.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

 Peanut Clusters

6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
6oz white almond bark
approx. 42 oz roasted peanuts

1. Microwave the chocolate chips and almond bark together until soft and stir till smooth.

2. Stir in peanuts until covered.

3. Spoon a cluster onto wax paper and allow to cool.

The Peanut Butter Balls and the Peanut Clusters make easy and great Christmas gifts for neighbors and co-workers.  To make them extra special, put these goodies inside a cute little gift bag like this one...

Enjoy these budget friendly ideas for the Holiday season.

Christmas Cookie Cutouts

Last night, the Mr. and I decorated Christmas cookies.  I enjoy baking and decorating cookies, but I don't do it very often.  I especially love that the Mr. J likes to do it with me.  Can you tell which ones he decorated??

If you guessed the ones on the very right, you are correct... Yep, he made me a KSU woman, but he made sure she was sad, and her KU boyfriend was happy.  What a D-O-R-K!!

Here are some that I decorated.  

This recipe was really good and easy to make.  No chilling involved!  I made my own Icing, but didn't really measure out the ingredients.  I just added enough powdered sugar and water until I made the right consistency. 

For a little randomness in today's blog, check out my new hair do.

When my sister came for Thanksgiving, she had this cute little feather in her hair.  I've been wanting to try something different, but didn't want the permanency of hair dye.  What do you think?  

What do you readers do to your hair when you want to change it up?  


PS... A VERY Happy Birthday to my MIL, Vaunda and my BFF, Abby!!