0030. Baked Blackened Catfish

Cook Time:

30 minutes

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Servings:

4

Wait Time:

0 minutes

Ready Time:

40m

Rating:

• 1/4 (teaspoon) cayenne pepper
• 2 (teaspoon) lemon pepper
• 2 (teaspoon) garlic powder
• 2 (teaspoon) salt
• 2 (teaspoon) pepper
• 1 (pound) catfish fillets
• 2 (tablespoon) butter
• 1 (cup) Italian-style salad dressing

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter. Rub fillets with the spice mixture on both sides.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
5. Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

From FoodOnTheTable.com

0029. chocolate pudding strawberry center cupcakes

I'm TOTALLY making this for Monkey.

Ingredients:

1 package cake mix, chocolate
1 package strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 package pudding, chocolate
Fresh mint sprigs, optional but awesome

Directions:

1. Prepare cupcakes according to package and let cool. Using a paring knife, core out a well down into each cupcake, for your strawberry to fit into. Prepare your pudding according to the package. Let set until nice and pudding-y (solid - wet gloopy pudding will ruin the cupcakes, so don't be in a rush, let the pudding firm up!)

2. Stick the strawberry pointy side down into your cupcakes. Take the piece of the cupcake that you cut out, and place it on top of the strawberry, after you push it down into the cupcake.

3. Top liberally with pudding in lieu of frosting.

4. Add a sprig of mint if you like. I think it adds a certain something, and my neighbor had some growing in her kitchen and shared…but don’t go out and buy some.

5. I cut each cutcake in half and set it on a plate, because presentation is everything with these suckers. They are DELICIOUS and super easy!

0028. chile burritos

Chile Colorado Burritos

Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)

· 1 large can mild enchilada sauce (at least 19 oz.)

· 2 beef bouillon cubes

· 1/2 can refried beans (optional)

· 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas

· 1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours*, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.) I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. More meat, more time. A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.


Serve.
Makes 5-7 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

*Note: You may have to adjust the cooking time depending on this size of your chunks of meat. Larger chunks (like 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks) may need a little longer. Scrappy sort of chunks that are less than an inch may need a shorter cooking time.

0027. cheesecake stuffed strawberries

Ingredients:
-1 lb large strawberries
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
-3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-graham cracker crumbs

Directions:
1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary (some may already be hollow inside). Prep all strawberries and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

0026. Cajun Chicken stuffed with spinach & cheese

**If you have little ones eating this or your spice tolerance is fairly low, halve the Cajun seasoning and double the breadcrumbs. Also, try substituting some of your favorite vegetables in place of the spinach. Some of my favorites include broccoli (parboiled before stuffing in the chicken) and crunchy chopped celery.

Ingredients:
Serves 4


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

· 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

· 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)

· 1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

· 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)

· Sea salt, to taste

· Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

· Lots of toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.

Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.

Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks. I typically use about 8 toothpicks in each roll to ensure none of the filling seeps out. Be sure to count how many total toothpicks were used.

Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).

Place the chicken seam-side down onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the toothpicks before serving. Count to make sure you have removed every last toothpick.

0025. Bubble up Enchiladas

Start off with browning some ground turkey or beef, whichever you prefer.

Open a can of biscuits and cut the biscuits into 4ths, like the picture shows above.

Add in your favorite jar/can of enchilada sauce. Or if you’re feeling up to it make your own. Here you can also add in other ingredients to, like corn or black beans.

Layer your biscuits on the bottom of the dish and spread the biscuits out.

Add in the beef mixture on top of the biscuits.

Then top it with some cheese and bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 350. Serve with your favorite taco toppings.

Nutrition Info: Calories 390 | Fat 11.5g | Carbohydrate 36g | Fiber 2g | Protein 33g

Weight Watcher Recipes 6 points (old points)

Points Plus: 10

Serves 6

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 (8oz ) can of tomato sauce (this optional, I do not use this but the recipe says to add it in with the enchilada sauce)
1 16 oz can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 ¼ cups shredded low fat Mexican Cheese

Extra Ingredients
Green Onions, black olives, salsa, etc.
Fat Free Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown turkey and drain if needed. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Cut the refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole (I use 8 X 11) and bake for 25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through. Usually I use a tooth pick to see if the biscuits are done. Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: Add in a can of black beans or corn (when the beef is cooking in the pan), or sprinkle with some green onions. Top with a tablespoon of fat free sour cream.

You can make into 8 servings

0024. Brie and Apple tart

In a pinch you can wrap crescent rolls around apple and brie slices and pop 'em in the oven. The cheese is a little understated so don't be shy with it. You might also consider bringing another cheese or two to the party if you have other interesting fruit and cheese pairings on hand.

Individual Brie and Apple Tarts

1 box (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed
1 green apple
1 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 medium wedge of brie
1 egg
flour (for rolling)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a good-sized slice of brie and 3 or 4 this slices of apple the middle of each of the 4 squares. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and brown sugar and top with a pat of butter. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

0023. Banana Split Pie

Crust

· 2 cups crushed graham crackers

· 1/2 cup sugar

· 1/2 c. butter

Mix together. Press into 9×13 pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling

· 16 oz. cream cheese

· 1 cup sugar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together. Spread over cooled crust.

Layers – (on top of cream cheese filling)

1. Three sliced bananas.

2. 12 oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained

3. 12 oz. whipped topping

4. 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

5. Chocolate syrup (drizzle over all)

6. 4 oz. maraschino cherries, halved

Refrigerate several hours, until served.

*** Make sure the pineapple covers the bananas well. They’ll keep the bananas from getting brown too fast.

*** This is a good one to make for a crowd, because it needs to be eaten about 24-hours after being made… again, because of the bananas.

0022. Baked tacos

If you want the tacos crunchy, you will want to make sure you place the shells so they are not touching each other. If you want to save time, you can use packaged taco seasoning instead.
Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells
Optional Condiments-
lettuce (shredded)
tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine dried minced onion, chili powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, and prepared taco seasoning. Mix well.
Step 3: Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.
(Makes 8-10 Servings)

0021. baked cream cheese spaghetti

This isn't quite the recipe I usually use when baking a spaghetti casserole, but I found it on Pinterest and it looks really good.

12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

0020. bacon wrapped jalapeno chicken bites

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 16 bite-sizes

Chicken spread with cream cheese and jalapenos, rolled and wrapped with bacon, then grilled.

Ingredients

§ 8 chicken tenders, flattened and cut in two

§ 3-ounce package softened cream cheese

§ 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

§ 8 slices bacon, cut in half

Instructions

1. Dab 1/2 teaspoon (more or less) of cream cheese on top of each chicken tender. Sprinkle a scant 1/4 teaspoon of peppers over cream cheese. Fold or roll chicken to enclose cream cheese mixture. Wrap each roll with one piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

2. Grill until bacon is brown and crispy on both sides.

Notes

Be sure to wear plastic gloves when handling fresh jalapenos. The oil will attach itself to your hands and is not easily washed away. An inadvertent swipe of the hand close to your eyes could be an unforgettable experience.

For reference, if you are substituting for the chicken tenders (i.e. dark meat, large pieces of chicken breast, game meat), the size of the tenders I used were 5-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide before flattening and cutting in half.

Try flattening meat inside a zip-lock bag as pictured above. No flying pieces, no contamination on your cutting board from the chicken, and cleanup is super easy.

0019. bacon wrapped chicken

Chicken, and bacon, better yet, crispy bacon. They are two of my favorite foods both in one easy recipe. I had some extra boneless-skinless chicken breasts on hand and was looking for an easy dinner which brings us today’s recipe for Bacon Wrapped Chicken. What really surprised me was the amount of ingredients in this recipe, there are very few! I feel the chive and onion cream cheese is a huge ingredient in the flavor department and does most of the work for you. Try and pound the chicken breasts down with a mallet as thinly as possible because they will roll up a lot easier. If you want to do some outdoor grilling these can also be grilled as well. They go great with a side dish of pasta or flavored rice. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
12 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
2 (8 oz) cartons chive and onion cream cheese
12 slices of bacon
salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Between 2 sheets of wax paper with a mallet flatten chicken breasts to ½” thickness.
Step 2: Spread 3 tablespoons of cream cheese over each chicken breast. Then Dot with butter and season with salt. Wrap with bacon and stick a toothpick through the rolled chicken breast to hold it together. Roll up and stick a toothpick through to hold it together.
Step 3: Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes (or until juices run clear).
Step 4: Turn on the broiler and broil six inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

0018. avocado egg salad

Want to make the perfect boiled egg? Martha Stewart is the queen -- the method.

To make the avocado egg salad, you need the following . . .

· 4 hard-boiled eggs

· 1 large avocado, cubed as you see above

· 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

· 1 teaspoon curry or fenugreek powder (I prefer curry)

· Pinch of salt and pepper

But all you do is combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mash together with a fork. Adjust the salt/pepper/mayo to your tastes. Then slap between two slices of bread or in a wrap and enjoy.

0017. Avocado Bruscetta

Avocado Bruschetta recipe from Vegetarian Times

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, minced

2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed

6 slices of toasted baguette, rubbed with garlic cloves

Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, and black pepper in small bowl.Whisk in the oil until thoroughly combined, then stir in the herbs. Gently toss the avocado cubes into the sauce. Spoon the avocado and sauce mixture onto toast slices.