Chicken Taco Soup

Colleen's take: "This is one of my favorite dump and go crock pot recipes, I make it every couple of weeks because it cooks up beautifully and full of mexican flavor as well as plenty of delicious leftovers for us to eat for lunch the next few days. I've also substituted a pork loin to this instead of chicken. It's got so many ingredients that you could exclude the meat making it vegetarian, I haven't tried that yet, let me know if you do! This meal is great for the pocket book too, it costs us around $1.25 a serving!" 

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (or broth)
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional garnish after cooking)
sour cream (optional garnish after cooking)
crushed tortilla chips (optional garnish after cooking)

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze for later if you want a quick make ahead meal. Thaw and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot once cooking is done (I usually take it out to shred). Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. Served approx. 5-6 people. (I usually get 7-8 servings)

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Colleen's take: "I clipped this Chicken Enchiladas Recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine and it's a good make ahead meal. I've made it earlier in the day, refrigerated it, then just popped it in the oven when it's time for dinner. I've followed the enchilada sauce recipe and i've used canned enchilada sauce, I couldn't really tell a huge difference between the two, so in lue of my laziness problem I choose the canned version. I'd suggest trying this one out, it's tasty and fast."

• 
  
• Ingredients: 
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce
• 3 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 15 ounces)
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 
  
• Preperation:
• 1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
  3. Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.
  
  

  

  
  

Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

  This recipe was pretty good. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn't that it didn't taste good, it just didn't have really strong flavors. I thought that the goat cheese would have had a tart/salty flavor, but I think it was washed out by the cream and the pumpkin. I had to add a lot of Parmesan cheese to bring up the flavor level. 

  I forgot to buy sage so that was not in my dish. I also spilled my heavy cream, so it ended up being 1/8 of heavy cream and  3/8 of half and half.  Try this recipe if you love pumpkin. Otherwise skip this recipe and save your pumpkin for the pancakes I made a couple of weeks ago or for one of my other up coming pumpkin recipes.

1 pound campanelle or penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 oz goat cheese
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper (or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoon of chopped fresh sage
 

Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots, crushed red pepper (if using), and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the  broth, pumpkin, salt, pepper and cream. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk in the goat cheese and 1 tablespoon of the fresh sage.  Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Can add a little of the Parmesan cheese here if you like.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, cover and let sit off the heat for 5 minutes or so.  Place in a serving bowl and top with the remaining fresh sage and a good dusting of the Parmesan cheese.  Serve with additional Parmesan cheese at the table.

Original recipe from Circle B Kitchen

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

  
  Well it is officially chilly here, bring on the soups, stews, and chili's! We both thought that this chili had great flavor. Tyler thought that it tasted better with the chicken, I thought my meatless version was filling with great flavor. 
  The flavor of the cilantro was lost amongst all the other ingredients. Although it is pretty I don't think it was worth buying the cilantro. This is a thicker chili, so if you like it with more liquid add another can or two of tomato sauce. 
  I will for sure use this instead of my old chili recipe ( I used to buy the chili packet and the ingredients it called for on the back, pretty boring). We also garnished the chili with Fritos because that's what Texans do.Thank you pinterest!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points). 

Original recipe from skinny taste

Curried Lentils {Annah}

  
I have made this once before, and I remember liking it alot better then this time around. It had ok flavor, but this time it just seemed plain and bland. I do love that you can throw everything in the Crockpot and it is ready when you are. The last time I made this it was January and in the dead of winter. Maybe that is what made it taste so good.
 
If you enjoy curry, I would recommend trying this recipe. I wont be making in the next month, but I might try this again come December.
 
Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 2 cups lentils
• 8-10 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups baby carrots or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 6 small potatoes, quartered
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place lentils, stock, curry powder, chili flakes, fresh ginger, onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes in a slow cooker.

Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, or until lentils are cooked and carrots and potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Original recipe from  Meatless Mondays

Vegetable Tamale Pies take 2 {Annah}

If you remember Colleen posted this recipe for Vegetable Tamale Pies a few months ago. After planning to make this for a couple months and throwing away about 3 bunches of cilantro I finally made the dish! Sadly I think this was the first and last time I will be make this recipe.

If planned ahead and done in multiple steps this might not have been so horrible. Lets start with the beans. I took Colleen's suggestion and I bought dried pinto beans. I have cooked dried garbanzo beans, and they were simple and cooked easily. I must have been off my game because after 3 hours of simmering on the stove the pinto beans were still not cooked! Needless to say I pulled the beans off the stove too soon (it was 9 pm at this point), and beans had a crunch to them.

Next was the making of the polenta. Now this was not a hard task boil water and put corn meal in it. I forgot about the water boiling, so when I remembered it was at a rolling boil. I whisked in the corn meal and within a minute it started to bubble and burp all over the place. It was all over the stove which was bad, but then the scolding hot mess was getting on my hands. Let me tell you boiling corn meal burns bad when it touches the skin. Now you might be thinking why did she not turn the stove down, well I did, but it was so hot that even at a simmer it was burping enough to get on my hands. For the next 20 minutes I wore an oven mitt on my hand while I whisked the stupid polenta!

I assembled and was so mad at the recipe that I did not cook it in the oven for about 6 days. Once it was baked up and we tried it we were not impressed. Yes it was a change from enchiladas that I make, but the flavors were not causing fireworks in my mouth. I will admit I was holding a grudge so this had to be melt in your mouth good for me to forget the 4 hours of prep time.

I challenge all of you to make this recipe and prove me wrong and side with Colleen, because it sounds like her family absolutely loves this dish. I did say I am looking for guest post. Be gutsy enough to make this recipe so we can do our first ever "Take 3"!

I am going to add the directions for making the polenta to this post so you do not have to go looking for it.

 

Basic Polenta
 
Inspired by Jack Bishop in The Complete 
Italian Vegetarian Cookbook
About 4 servings

What You Need

One cup corn meal
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

1  Bring four cups water to boil in a medium sauce pan. When the water boils, whisk in the one cup corn meal in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until the polenta begins to thicken (around 1 to 2 minutes). Add around 1 tsp salt.
2  Reduce the heat so that the polenta bubbles slowly. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until the cornmeal loses its raw flavor (taste every so often to check).
3  When the polenta is complete, turn off the heat and add 1 to 2 tbsp butter and more salt and pepper. You can cover it to keep it warm before serving. If the polenta becomes too thick, you can stir in a bit of milk or water to loosen it up.

*Alternative: For even more flavor, you can stir in some cheese with the butter in Step 3. For example, add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, or both 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup ricotta.

Corn and Tomato Pizza {Guest Post, Allison}

When Annah said she was looking for some guest bloggers, I knew I would be able to contribute a recipe or two.  This is because I am always trying out new dishes. I am pretty lucky that my husband will eat almost anything. Even when I make something that I consider gross less than edible, he is always willing to eat up the leftovers. This week, I decided to make something that was fairly foolproof, Corn and Tomato pizza.  

         The pizza turned out great. It was the first time I used pita bread as the crust. Pita bread is a great if you want to make individual pizzas. The recipe says it makes 3 mini pizzas. I went ahead and made 4; two for my husband, one for me and one for my lunch the following day.

I probably would have added a little bit more pesto sauce than what was called for. The recipe calls for shredded rotisserie chicken. I already had a chicken breast in my freezer, so I went ahead and boiled that then shredded it. The recipe also calls for fresh basil leaves as a topping. I rarely buy fresh herbs, as they seem to go to waste in my house. Instead I bought a tube of Gourmet Garden Basil, which lasts a lot longer. This is definitely a recipe I would make again.  

Corn and Tomato Pizza

 

Ingredients:

Two small plum tomatoes, sliced

 Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper

1 tablespoon oil (I used canola oil) 

3 pita rounds (I used 4) 

2 Tablespoons Pesto

3/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used canned)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2- 8 oz package sliced mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced ( I used Gourmet Garden Basil, instead)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F 

Place tomato sliced on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Spread oil over pita rounds. Bake pita rounds for 10 minutes. 

Spread pesto over pita, and top with chicken. 

Combine corn, Parmesan cheese and sugar. Sprinkle over pesto.

Top with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes** or until cheese is melted.

Top with basil leaves and cut into wedges. 

** My pita bread was already pretty crisp form the 10 minutes it was in the oven. I only baked mine for another 6 minutes or so. The cheese was melted and everything was warmed by this point. 

Original recipe from http://emeals.com/

 

Allison is my old friend from college. She currently lives with her husband in Cincinnati,OH, but her heart belongs to Michigan! She is a registered dietician who knows a thing or two about food. I am looking forward to a few more healthy recipes coming from an all around amazing friend!

 

Lasagna roll ups {Annah}

  We tried making these in two ways. I had some left over cheese sauce from a recipe that I wanted to use up. We made some of our roll ups with marina sauce and the other with a white cheese sauce. We liked the red sauce over the white sauce. The white ones were just too cheesy and didn't have enough flavor.
  These don't take as long as making lasagna I would say that there was only about a 15 minute difference with cook and prep time between the two. I am not sure if I can say that I like the roll ups better then traditional lasagna, they are both good.
  We also tried two different ways of rolling the noodles. One way was just add a large dollop of cheese to one end and roll. The other way was to spread the cheese evenly onto the entire noodle and then roll. The first way did not seem to have enough cheese mixture it was more noodle. If you want a lighter version do the first way if you like more cheese then evenly spread over the top.
  The only fail I had to this recipe was I bought off brand lasagna noodles and the ruffled edges all broke off while cooking. That is why the roll ups look messy and there are the extra ruffles on top of the roll ups, they still tasted good.This recipe is worth trying, but I think for us I will stick with the normal lasagna.

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup mozzarella
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
marinara sauce or white cheese sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box. While the noodles are cooking make the cheese filling.Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and garlic. Mix until well combined. 

In a 9x13 glass casserole dish spread enough sauce to cover the bottom.

On a clean surface, lay out a few noodles at a time. Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover from edge to edge. The filling does not need to be thick because once the noodle is rolled up, it will be compounded. Make sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the noodles. 

 Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the rolled noodles making sure to cover all surfaces. Cover the dish in foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Pasta with Spicy Fresh Tomato Sauce & Ricotta

Colleen's Take: "Welllll, I liked this one, not loved this one. It could be that I took too much time cutting my tomatoes and by then I think I burned the fennel seeds, it was okay. I will keep the recipe around but I might not use it again until next year when i am overcome with tomatoes. I also just ground up the fennel seeds that I had on hand instead of buying powder. I didn't use the fresno chili because despite what Rachael Ray says, "you can't find it in every supermarket in America", I ended up using the crushed red pepper and only half of it since I was serving it to the kiddos, I think that was plenty spicy enough too!"

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate or other short-cut pasta
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 fresno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 - 6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel or fennel pollen
• 1 cup fresh sheep's- or cow's-milk ricotta
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.
2. While the pasta is working, in a deep skillet or large saucepan, heat 3 tbsp. EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Stir in the fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Stir in the chile and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and the ground fennel (or fennel pollen). Cook, stirring, for 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, cream, thyme and remaiing 1 tbsp. EVOO. Season with salt.
4. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls with large dollops of the ricotta mixture for stirring in as you eat. Pass the remaining ricotta mixture at the table.

 Recipe sourced from Rachael Ray Magazine June 2012 Issue

Italian Chicken with Sausage & Peppers

Colleen: "Now here I go again making a crock pot dish that requires cooking before hand. In case you haven't been keeping up, I think it's stupid.. That's right STUPID. Cooking something before its supposed to go into the crock pot to be cooked all day makes absolutely zero sense! What's the point of a lazy crock pot dinner if you have to do a lot of work?? But I did and I liked it, I added rice & corn, so it kinda seemed like Jambalaya to me (that's a southern dish for those of you who don't know) it was a lot of extra work but I guess it was worth it, I don't know if I will add this recipe to my normal routine but maybe a few times a year."

this is one of the ugliest pictures i've taken! 

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces (I used breasts with bone in & skin)
2 tbls olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 lbs sweet italian sausage
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (19 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (was out of, so didn't use)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook about 10 minutes, turning to brown both side. Remove and reserve. 
2. Add sausage to skillet and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove and cut into 1-inch pieces; reserve. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. 
3. Add bell peppers, onion, carrot and garlic to skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, oregano, basil, and bay leaf; stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to slow cooker. 
5. Add chicken and sausage to slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving. 

Recipe sourced from Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy Parmesan Chicken

Colleen: "I don't like having to do any cooking before I put food in the crock pot, I think that its stupid. But for this recipe I made an exception & it was worth it. I threw this dish over some penne & my little boys just gobbled it up. I did add in some bonus spices such as Pasta seasoning thats mixed with red pepper flakes & rosemary." 

Ingredients:
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Hot cooked spaghetti

1. Place mushrooms and onion in slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour pasta sauce over chicken; add herbs. Cover cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove and discard bay leaf. 
3. Sprinkle chicken with cheeses. Cook, uncovered, on LOW 15 to 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Serve over spaghetti. 

Serving Suggestions: Other vegetables, such as sliced zucchini, cubed eggplant or broccoli florets, can be substituted for the mushroom slices. 

Recipe courtesy of Rival Crock Pot slow cooker recipes

Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato and Cream Sauce {Annah}

    This recipe was lacking in flavor. It came out really creamy and it was really fast to make, but needed more spice. This was a really easy recipe to make that anyone could do it. I have never thought to use a use a can of evaporated milk for Macaroni and cheese, but I think I might use it more often. Tyler thought that this recipe was too creamy and thick, I usually have a problem with my mac & cheese coming out dry.

  This recipe came off pinterest, and I am sure we have all seen something that looked so delicious and easy on there not living up to the hype. I would say this is a pinterest fail. For the amount of calories in this recipe it is not worth the splurge. The only flavor that this recipe has going for it is the sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (8 oz.) dry penne pasta
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• 2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend (I only had Mozzarella)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

Meanwhile, combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Add pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined.

Yields 7 servings 

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan {Annah}

 I have made this recipe on several occasions and Tyler and I really love it. I was a virgin to cooking eggplant until I made this recipe at the end of last year. I have only had eggplant Parmesan from a local Italian restaurant that was mediocre so I don't a lot to compare this recipe too. I would love for others to try it and let me know how it compares.

  I would say that beginners can make this, but you will be spending around an hour in the kitchen preparing this meal. I am going to post the entire recipe that I got off of Food Network (Sandra Lee), however I did not make the tomato sauce that is in the recipe. I have made it in the past, but in my opinion it did not taste as good as what I could buy at the store and safe myself some precious time.

  I always serve my eggplant over penne pasta  I think it taste better that way. The eggplant comes out soft in the middle but crispy on the outside. Also on the plate in the picture is roasted Brussels sprouts. If you are feeling like an Italian meal I highly recommend making this dish! The recipe says it yields 4, they must use 2 very small eggplant. I used only one eggplant and it filled an entire 9x9 pan. Tyler and I would eat two pieces at a time and I think we got 6-7 meals out of it total.

  On a side note for the viewers that are checking out the site often I am sorry for going a week without posting. I am not used to sitting down to write everyday. I vow to at least post twice a week. Also Tyler and I have been busy trying to book an anniversary trip to Costa Rica. If anyone has been there we would love to know which is the best city to stay in.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 2 eggplants
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the sauce for the online round 2 recipe Eggplant and Pasta.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Set up a breading station using 3 baking dishes. In the first dish, add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In the second dish whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup water. In the third dish combine the bread crumbs, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slice the eggplant into 3/4-inch slices. Dredge them in flour, then in the egg wash and then in the bread crumbs. Arrange the eggplant on 2 sheet trays fitted with a racks and bake in oven until crispy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Reserve 4 slices of eggplant for the online round 2 recipe, Eggplant and Pasta.

Turn the oven to broil. Put the eggplant, overlapping, into a baking dish in 2 rows. Cover each row with about a cup of sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Yields 4

Annah's Roasted Brussels sprouts

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Wash, dry, and cut Brussels sprouts in half
• Place sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet
• Drizzle EVOO, slat, pepper, and garlic powder on the sprouts and mix
• Put in oven, check on them and mix them around about every 10 minutes
• When they are lightly brown on the outside, warm and soft throughout they are ready to be eaten

Tilapia Tostadas with Roasted Corn Relish

Colleen's Take: "I loved this recipe, I think I am really taking a new liking to Cooking Light Magazine, I might just have to get a subscription (I've been using old ones that I stole from my mom). First of all this recipe cost me 470 calories for two tacos, uhhhh score!! Second it was delish. My husband loved the chipotle sour cream. I loved the crunchy fish (can you tell I never fry anything?) & the corn relish, it was wonderful. This one did enter into our favorites/repeaters!)"

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup green salsa (I used chipotle salsa)
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup yellow corn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (I used green, didn't have red) 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (I used yellow) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper (I used pickled) 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup diced peeled avocado
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used chipotle chili powder)
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 cup packaged angel hair slaw
• Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine sour cream and salsa.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from pan; wipe pan clean with paper towels. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Stir avocado mixture into corn mixture.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish; dredge fish in cornmeal. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over; cook 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and fish.

5. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on baking sheets; broil 2 minutes on each side or until crisp. Place 2 tortillas on each of the 4 plates. Arrange 2 tablespoons slaw on each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons corn relish and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Original source Cooking Light Magazine