Stuffed Shells

I don't know why, but I was in a pasta mood for about two weeks. All that sounded good was pasta with lots and lots of sauce! It had been a long time since I had made stuffed shells, and since I bought a package of them the day before at Target for only .60, I thought I would make a pan for us to eat now and one to freeze. I didn't follow a recipe. I just added what I thought sounded good. In a bowl I mixed cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, grated zucchini, grated carrot, sauteed mushrooms, chopped parsley, a little crushed rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper. After that was all mixed, I added 1 egg to bind it together. Cook the shells as directed on the package. Place a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Stuff the shells and place stuffed side up. After they are all stuffed, pour a little sauce on top and top with more cheese (optional). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I served these with panko breaded chicken and sauteed summer veggies. Yum!!!

Chili Rubbed Salmon with Baked Potatoes

This meal was simple and delicious. I have told you about the chili rubbed pork I made for my husband a little while ago, but this time I used salmon. It was delicious! I have been craving baked potatoes a lot lately. These baked potatoes were a perfect side dish to the salmon and steamed broccoli. The potatoes were topped with a creamy scallion yogurt sauce (instead of sour cream). My husband preferred this topping over butter or regular sour cream It was full of flavor, cool, creamy and very healthy. The only ingredients needed for this topping are plain non-fat yogurt, 1 scallion, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper. I also added a touch of fresh thyme just because I had some.

Panko Breaded Chicken and Summer Pasta

I have been craving pasta lately. There is something about biting into a heaping fork full of saucey covered noodles that I have been needing. This meal completely satisfied my craving...and I can't wait to have it again tomorrow! The chicken had a flavorful crispy crust on the outside and was tender and juicey on the inside. I didn't follow a recipe, I simply added what sounded good. It is simple and uses basic ingredients, but it really hit the spot!

Breaded Panko Chicken and Summer Pasta

Panko bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese (grated)
Chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

Combine the panko, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Dip chicken breast in the mixture and place in a hot skillet with 1 Tbsp. oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Place under broiler for a few minutes if necessary.

Pasta
Spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
Sauce (I used Classico)
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini squash, sliced
1 onion sliced
1 pkg. mushrooms

Place squash, onion and mushrooms in a hot skillet. Stir fry and season with salt and pepper. Place desired amount of pasta on the plate, top with sauce and veggies. Serve with panko breaded chicken.

Fish Po' Boys

I found this recipe in the Great Food Fast Cookbook by Martha Stewart (one of my favorites). These sandwiches are going to be a regualr at our house. Not only are they quick, delicious and healthy, they are also quite inexpensive to make! Most of those things you may already have! I served this with fresh corn on the cob (we try to eat as much of this as we can in the summer when it is fresh and cheap), and some roasted sweet potatoes. It was just the meal we needed....light, yet satisyfying and extremely flavorful! You should give this a try.

Fish Po Boys

1 pound skinless flounder fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips, and patted dry (I used Mahi Mahi)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (8 ounce) baguette, cut in half horizontally, and hollowed out slightly
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
1 large head romaine lettuce (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

Spicy Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons chopped gerkins (or pickles)
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, if desired

Place fish in a medium bowl. Add cornmeal; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Brown fish (work in batches if needed) on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes (turn fish carefully). Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate; season with more salt, as desired.
Spread both halves of baguette with tartar sauce, and layer with lettuce, tomatoes, and fish. Cut into 4 pieces.
Spicy Tartar Sauce
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, parsley, mustard, and gerkins. Season with hot sauce. Sauce can be refrigerated, covered, 2 to 3 days.

Tandori Chicken and Shrimp

You'll have to forgive me for the bad picture. However, that doesn't excuse you from not trying out this recipe. This marinade is made with non-fat plain yogurt. The yogurt tenderizes the meat and the spices used give it such great flavor. It is a great marinade for summer because it goes so well with a quick couscous salad or rice and a grilled vegetable. I also like to serve some of the reserved marinade spread over grilled flat bread. It is full of all the wonderful Indian spices I like...I LOVE Indian food! I served this chicken and shrimp dish with a salad made from couscous, raisons, garbonzo beans, and cilantro with fresh lemon squeezed over it and seasoned with salt and pepper. I also served grilled veggies and flat bread.

Tandori Chicken and Shrimp

1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ponds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
12 large shrimp

Combine all the marinade ingredients. Add meat and marinade for at least 30 minutes. Thread meat on skewers and grill until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Hoisin Chicken Stir Fry

This recipe was really good and quick to throw together. I made it with a bunch of leftovers because we were going out of town and I didn't want to buy any more groceries until we got back. Trust me....it tastes much better than it looks. I got this recipe from another food blog My Kitchen Cafe. She served it as lettuce wraps, but I preferred to do it as more of a stir fry.

Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls
adapted slightly from Dinners for a Year
Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red pepper, diced small
1 10-ounce package baby portebello mushrooms, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 average-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced small
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, diced small
2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce (you can find this by the soy sauce)
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 cups of hot cooked rice
romaine lettuce leaves
sesame seeds
scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add red pepper and mushrooms and saute for 5 - 6 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add chicken to pan and cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until cooked through. Stir chicken and red pepper mixture occasionally while it cooks. Add water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables. Continue cooking until heated through.To serve, line a single serving size bowl with romaine leaves. Top with a large scoop of rice, some of the hoisin chicken, and a sprinkle of the sesame seeds and scallions.Alternately, you can serve the hoisin chicken mixture wrapped in lettuce leaves or omit the lettuce leaves completely and serve the chicken over rice.

*I also added frozen peas and sliced celery since I had some on hand.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Don't be surprised that I am posting about Pizza again because I am sure you will see it plenty of times. Especially throughout the summer. It is just a great meal. Light but satisfying and oh so easy!!!! Plus, I almost always have the ingredients to make some kind of pizza. This recipe is one that I adapted from Rachel Ray on 30 minute meals. I changed it up by adding sliced zucchini (on my half), olives, and carrots. The marinade for the meat is one that you can use on chicken any time. It is SO tastey!!! Rachel knew what she was doing when creating this recipe. If you have never had plum sauce before (used as the pizza sauce), it has a sweet flavor-but it is not too sweet. Give this recipe a try! It is a refreshing change from the usual pizza.

Thai Chicken Pizza

1 pizza dough, any brand
1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers. Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds ought to do it. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then grill chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice chicken into very thin strips.
While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.
Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts, cut into 8 wedges and serve.

*this is the original recipe-feel free to add what you would like!