Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Cajun red beans and rice

Ingredients

1 lb kielbasa

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 15-oz. cans red kidney beans

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Preparation

Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown. Add garlic, onions, and pepper and brown. Add beans and seasonings. Barely cover with water and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Salmon With Puff Pastry and Pesto

I am always looking for new recipes for Salmon.   I found this recipe a number of years ago and have yet to try it myself.   I have tons of recipes that I  have seen and said oh that looks good why don’t we try it sometime.  Maybe I will make this next time I do Salmon.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday Italian

Episode: Ingredients in 15 Minutes

• Cook Time

  10 min

• Level

  Easy

• Yield

  4 servings

Times:

Prep

5 min

Inactive Prep

—

Cook

10 min

Total:

15 min

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of purchased puff pastry, each cut to be just larger than a piece of salmon
• 4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup purchased pesto
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Also place the 4 pieces of salmon, being careful to make sure they are not touching. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes.

To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Top the pesto with 2 slices of tomatoes each. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and serve.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

A few years ago I discovered this recipe over at Kraft.  It is tasty and easy to make.  As with all of my recipes I season to mine and my husbands tastes.

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 40 min

Makes: 6 servings,
1 cup each

Ingredients

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing
mix is moistened. Set aside. PLACE chicken in 13×9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese.
Top with stuffing mixture. BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS

Serving Suggestion

Serve with cooked green beans and a bagged salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Light Reduced Fat Dressing.

Substitute

Prepare as directed, omitting the garlic and using STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix Italian Style with Roasted Garlic.

Beef and Salsa Pizza

I Know that most people are going to say what this sounds odd but it is really tasty.  Last night my hubby and I were thinking of something to do for dinner and came up with this idea.  Use leftovers from when you make beef and salsa burritos and instead of tortillas use a pizza crust.  The pizza crust can be your choice of homemade or frozen whichever is easier for you

Ingredients

1 pizza crust

1 pkg of mexican style shredded cheese

leftover beef and salsa mixture

prepare your pizza crust and top with the beef and salsa mixture and cheese.  Place in a 425 oven for 15 minutes or until done time may vary with your oven.  Let cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve.

You Genuinely Are What You Consume

Recent dietary research has uncovered fourteen different nutrient-dense foods that time and time again boost good overall health. Coined “super foods,” they tend to feature less calories, higher levels of vitamins and minerals, and numerous disease-fighting antioxidants. Beans (legumes), berries (particularly blueberries), broccoli, green tea, nuts (especially walnuts), oranges, pumpkin, salmon. soy, spinach, tomatoes, turkey, whole grains and oats, and yogurt may completely aid stop and even reverse diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and a few forms of cancer. And where one could have an effect on a certain part of the body, it could in addition to affect the wellness of added body functions and performance, since the whole body makes up connected. With these fourteen foods for the base of a proportionate, hearty diet, weight loss gimmicks and other fly-by-night programs can become a thing of the past in your life. Conversely, the ill-effects of an unequal diet is numerous and variable. Low energy levels, mood swings, tired all the time, weight alteration, uncomfortable with body are scarcely a couple of signals that your diet is imbalanced. An imbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of body tissues, growing and developing, brain and nervous system function, also because problems with bone and muscle systems. Symptoms of malnutrition include deficiency of energy, irritability, a diminished immune system leading to frequent colds or allergies, and mineral depletion that can set off a variety of health concerns including anemia. And since the body is connected, realizing that an unhealthy body will result in an unhealthy spirit only makes sense. When we nourish our body with these super foods and complement them with extra nutrient-dense and healthy fresh foods, our spirit will be vitalized and fit as a direct result. Many modern diets supported prepackaged convenience foods are sorely lacking in numerous vitamins and minerals, which can affect our brains besides, and can cause irritability, confusion, and the impression of ‘being in a fog’ day in and day out. Super foods can be the basis of a sound, healthy, nutritious solution to curing many of these ailments and more.

 

Red Meat can make you Skinny

  I was surfing the internet today in search of some inspiration.  I was reading the yahoo food section and discovered this article on red meat.  I did not know that there were cuts of red meat that were better for you.  I love steak.  We do not eat it often but, I do love the red meat.   I do not think I could ever be a vegetarian as I like my chicken, pork  fish and beef.   I have to have a meat of some kind.

Breakfast Casserole

 My dad made this for my birthday back in December and it is very delicious.  I found out later that my husband uses the same recipe when he carries breakfast casserole to work.  I also found out that my grandmother used to make this when I was growing up.  My dad actually got it from his boss well over 25 years ago.  It is certainly not low in calories but in my opinion if it was it would not taste as good.

6 slices bread
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 or 8 eggs beaten
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. mustard
1 1/2 to 2 pound sausage
2 Tbsp. butter

Preparation

Trim the crust from the bread and spread butter on each side. Place in casserole dish. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard well. Cut the sausage in small pieces and brown the sausage. Drain well. Sprinkle sausage over the buttered bread; add cheese. Pour egg mixture over the cheese. Place in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Aunt Nell’s Chicken Salad

This just happens to be one of my favorite chicken salad recipes.  We were just having a conversation about this over the weekend.  I have not made it in a long time but, plan to soon.
5 chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
1 c chopped celery
2 c seedless red grapes (halved)
1 c slivered almonds (toasted)
1 c mayonnaise
1 c sour cream
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir mayonnaise and sour cream together and mix with chicken, add celery, grapes and almonds, then fold in eggs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Can’t Miss Fish

I was watching Paula Deen and discovered her recipe for Red Snapper. I have made this with Salmon and now am trying with the Red Snapper.

4 (8-ounce) salmon fillets or red snapper, about 1/2-inch thick
2 tablespoons of garlic herb seasoning no salt
1 cup chopped onions
1 pkg tri color peppers chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) garlic herb butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Spread the onions and pepper in a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and place the fish on top. Dot the fish with butter. Sprinkle with a little Worcestershire sauce. Bake for 20 minutes, then baste fish with pan juices. Sprinkle the fish with Parmesan and then place under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until the cheese browns. To serve, spoon the vegetables over the fish.

Easy Feta Chicken Bake

I orignally found this recipe on a package of Athenos Feta Cheese. I purchase the already chopped peppers that you can get in your local supermarket.
Easy Feta Chicken Bake

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lb.)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 pkg. (4 oz.) ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper or whatever color pepper you can get
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Arrange chicken in 13×9-inch baking dish.
DRIZZLE with 1 Tbsp. of the lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper.
Top with feta cheese; drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with red pepper and parsley.