Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

1/2 tsp. white pepper 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 5 quarts water
1 1/2 tsp. salt 6 ounces plain fettuccine
1/2 tsp. paprika 6 ounces spinach fettuccine
1/4 tsp. garlic powder 2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp. onion powder 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 small green bell pepper, sliced 1 Tbs cornstarch
1 small red bell pepper, sliced 2 Tbs cooking white wine
1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 small white onion, sliced

( I happened to have a cajun seasoning blend that I used)

1. Make a cajun seasoning blend by combining the white pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bow.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Use about one-third of the seasoning blend to coat the chicken pieces.

3. In another bowl, sprinkle another one-third of the spice blend over the shrimp.

4. Start your pasta cooking by bringing 5 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add both fettuccines to the hot water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

5. While the fettuccine cooks, heat 1 Tbs of the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, saute the chicken in the pan for about 2 minutes per side or until the surface of the chicken starts to turn brown.

6. Add the shrimp to the pan with the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the shrimp from sticking. When the chicken and shrimp have been seared, pour the contents of the pan onto a plate or into a bowl. Do not rinse the pan!

7. Put the pan back over the high heat and add the remaining Tbs of oil to the pan. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and onion to the oil. Sprinkle the veggies with the remaining spice blend and saute for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to turn dark brown or black. (I didn't let them turn black)

8. Add the chicken and shrimp to the vegetables and pour 3/4 cup of the chicken stock in the pan. Cook over high heat until stock has been reduced to just about nothing. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of the stock to the pan. The liquid should become dark as it deglazes the pan of the dark film left by the spices and cooking food. Stir constantly, scraping the blackened stuff on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the broth a bit more, then turn the heat down to low.

9. Combine the cornstarch with the wine (or more broth) in a small bowl. Stir until it is dissolved. Add this to the pan and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly.

10. When the fettuccine is done, drain it and spoon half onto a plate. Spoon half of the jambalaya over the fettuccine. Sprinkle half of the parsley over the top. Repeat for the second serving.

(this made 4 servings for us) and fyi this is now your father's favorite meal!!!

Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 10-ounce box frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, (a handful), chopped
6 cups baby spinach

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro, and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.
4 servings.
(You can serve the spinach salad alone as leftovers with something else if you like. If you don't want the spinach to wilt too much for leftovers divide the mixture before adding the spinach and only add half, then you can add the spinach the next day after heating the beans, it is good cold as well)

Avocado Mango Chicken

Hi girls! Its been a long time since I posted a recipe so I figured I'd better get a move on it. This is so good, and its from self magazine so its lowfat. I altered it a little because I'm usually not a fan of whole baked chicken unless it has a thick sauce (I know. weird) anyway...I put instructions for had I did it at the bottem. enjoy!

Ingredients
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
2 limes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1 large mango, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons sea salt
4 white-corn tortillas
Preparation
Mix Worcestershire, soy and adobo sauces with juice from 1 of the limes in a bowl. Place chicken in a sealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mango, avocado, cilantro, onion, salt and juice from remaining lime in a bowl, then refrigerate. Transfer chicken and marinade to a baking dish and cook until tender and no longer pink, approximately 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, place each breast on a plate and top with 1/4 of salsa. Serve with 1 tortilla each.

So instead of using the whole chicken breast I sort of made fajitas. I marinaded just strips of chicken and then poured it in to a saute pan to cook until it was cooked through. Then I just piled the chicken, and delicious avocado mango salsa in a tortilla. delicioso. I served it with this really yummy bean side dish. you just sautee one stalk of celery and half of an onion until they are soft. Then sprinkle two teaspoons of taco seasoning over them. Then stir in one cup of black beans (I just did the whole can. whatev) and 2/3 cup chicken broth. just keep it on the heat until most of the liquid cooks out. they are so good. and healthy :)

Chicken Pesto

Ingredients
prepared pesto
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
breadcrumbs (I added my favorite italian spices)
4 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

Directions
1 Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2 Spray rectangular dish (9 by 12 inch) with non-stick spray.
3 Moisten chicken with water, shake off excess, and coat complete with bread crumbs.
4 Place chicken in baking dish.
5 Spread pesto sauce evenly over chicken breasts.
6 Cover each breast with ½ slice of provolone or mozzer. cheese.
7 Spread mushrooms over cheese.
8 Bake in oven for 45- 50 minutes.
9 Serve with pasta.
*I waited until about 10 minutes prior to the chicken being done to add the mushrooms and cheese to avoid the cheese being overcooked.
I served with a white sauce pasta, asparagus (boiled then added parm. cheese), and rhodes roles because they are so easy and taste like you baked fresh roles. This recipe was without a doubt one of the easiest ones for how good the flavor is. You are going to love it! Will someone please upload a delicious recipe for me to try? Love you girls.

Mexican-Style Pasta With Chicken and Peppers

A delicious, easy and healthy meal, you're going to love it!

Ingredients
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons sugar
4 plum tomatoes, well drained or 6 whole canned tomatoes, well drained
3 scallions
1 large green bell pepper
3/4 lb vermicelli or other thin pasta (I used bowtie pasta)
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using regular chicken broth)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro


* I added red pepper flakes to taste, stirred in a 1/2 cup light sour cream just before removing from heat and then topped with some shreaded pepper-jack cheese to individual servings.

Directions
1 In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, garlic, cumin and chili powder to a boil over medium-high heat.
2 Meanwhile, coarsely chop the tomatoes, scallions and bell pepper. Break the vermicelli into 2-inch pieces.
3 Add the chicken to the boiling broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool slightly.
4 In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the vermicelli and cook, stirring, until the vermicelli is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. (I omitted this step; I began to cook the pasta, then finished cooking in broth mixture with veges.
5 Add the broth mixture, tomatoes, scallions, bell pepper, green chilies and salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked, about 7 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Mince the cilantro (if using).
7 Stir the shredded chicken and cilantro into the pasta mixture and serve hot.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

• 2 large lemons
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken cutlets or turkey cutlets or veal cutlets
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons drained small capers
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. 1

   Halve one lemon lengthwise and slice one half crosswise into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices.

2. 2

   Juice the remaining 1 1/2 lemons to obtain 1/4 cup juice.

3. 3

   Salt & pepper each cutlet generously and coat each with flour.

4. 4

   Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until hot, add 2 tbsp oil, saute half of the cutlets until medium brown (2 minutes per side).

5. 5

   Transfer cutlets to warm plate.

6. 6

   Add remaining oil and repeat with remaining cutlets.

7. 7

   Add shallot or garlic to pan over medium heat -- saute until fragrant (30 seconds).

8. 8

   Add stock and lemon slices, increase heat to high and deglaze pan; simmer until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup.

9. 9

   Add lemon juice and capers and simmer until sauce reduces again to 1/3 cup.

10. 10

    Remove pan from heat, swirl in butter until it melts and thickens sauce; swirl in parsley.

11. 11

    Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

I made this yesterday and I served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was DELICIOUS! It was really easy to make too. Not really low fat though, sorry.

White Chicken Chili

Hi girls! I know we are all ready for warmer weather and spring, but this delicious chili with a hint of spicy is soo yummy, it is a must try. It is very easy also. You can substitute low fat/fat free sour cream rather than regular, and use low fat/fat free half and half instead of the whipping cream to make this a more healthy dish (although it might not be as thick). If you need a new recipe that you can trust will be tasty, try recipezarr.com. It's an awesome site. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans great dry northern white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies

Directions
1In large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic poweder in oil til chicken is no longer pink.
2Add beans, chilies and seasonings and chicken broth.
3Bring to a boil.
4Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes.
5Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
6Serve immediately.

Over Night Egg Dish

12 slices white bread (trim crusts)
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb ham (ground or chopped)
4 eggs (beaten)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustart (I always use the wet one)
1 Tbsp onion (grated)
3 1/4 C milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can milk

Butter 6 slices bread and place buttered side down in a 9X12 baking dish. Cover with ham, cheese and 6 slices of bread. Mix eggs, 3 1/4 C milk, onion and seasonings. Pour over top and place in refrigerator over night. Remove from refrigerator and mix soup with 1/2 can of milk and pour over top. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy the tradition.

Pasta Puttanesca

Hi Guys! I have become a huge fan of this dish and I bet all of you will like it too. I didn't use actual anchovies because they look gross so I used anchovy paste and it was delicious. I guess you could just not use it, but trust me..if you like capers you'll like the paste!! It doesn't taste fishy at ALL. I used kalamata olives too, instead of black olives. yummy yum!! I used a penne pasta instead of spaghetti just because I thought it went better with the sauce. I love garlic and I love salt so this meal was perfect. Plus its low fat!! yay!

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
A few grinds black pepper
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
Crusty bread, for mopping
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Cook's Note: Get your olives from the bulk bins in the market, rather than buying a jar. The unit price is always much less per pound and you can get just what you need for each recipe.

First Recipe!

What a fun way to stay in touch while getting the chance to try out fun and new recipies all the time! Since this is new to us, maybe we can kick our blog off by trying one recipe per week? We can take turns by age (ascending) since it is easy to remember. I'll start with a post for a recipe I saw them cook on Good Things Utah that looked delicious and fairly simple. If you try it out, feel free to comment with feedback what you thought of it and maybe even side dish suggestions. While we're at it, ways to make the dish lowfat while keeping it tastey! (I know this one isn't low fat, sorry Mom, I know that was your idea... maybe we could alter or omit the heavy cream?) It may be fun to post a picture of you in the kitchen or of your finished product, too. Whatever you gals think or are feeling up to! Good luck and let us all know how it goes!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada

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1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
12 flour tortillas
2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.
Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.
Serves 4 to 6recipe from phemomenon.blogspot.com

mmmm... thanks for the recipe Kim! I loved it! I took a picture of the finished product... kinda pretty! I made rice with some of the lime zest and cilantro. -Amy