Blackened Salmon Fillets

From allrecipes.com
Serves 4

2 T ground paprika
1 Tground cayenne pepper
1 T onion powder
2 t salt
1/2 t ground white pepper
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t dried oregano
4 salmon filets, skin and bones removed
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted

In a small bowl, mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, basil and oregano.

Brush salmon filets on both sides with 1/4 cup butter, and sprinkle evenly with the cayenne pepper mixture.  Drizzle one side of each fillet with 1/2 remaining butter.

In a large, heavy skillet over high heat, cook salmon, butter side down, until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes.  Turn fillets, drizzle with remaining butter, and continue cooking until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

From fortheloveofcooking.net
serves 6-8

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 ears fresh sweet corn
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
3 T vegetable oil
1 T honey
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper

Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes.  The corn shouldhave some brown spots and be tender and not mushy.  Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices.  Set aside and let cool.  Slice the tomatoes in half.  Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated.  Be careful not to mash the avocados.  Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle.  Enjoy.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

From familyfun.go.com
Makes 14 Cups

Because it's made with just a handful of basic ingredients, this soup is easy and inexpensive to prepare.  The mild flavor of the soup is pleasing on its own, but traditional add-ins like rice, egg, and onion make it even more appealing and hearty.

1 lb dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
4 C cold water
6 C chicken brother
1/2 t black pepper
2 T olive or canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, passed through a garlic press
1/2 t cumin
1 bay leaf
2 t kosher salt
1 t sugar
2 T white vinegar

In a large pot, bring the beans and water to a full boil.  Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let stand for 1 hour.

Return the pot to the stove and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add 1/2C cold water to stop the rapid boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Stir in the chicken brother and black pepper, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

While the beans cook, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, green peppers, and celery, and saute them until they are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and sugar, and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir the mixture, along with the vinegar, into the beans, cover the pot, and continue cooking for 1 more hour or until the beans are soft.  More water can be added if the soup becomes too thick.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and puree the soup, two cups at a time, in a blender or food processor.  (You can skip the cooling period if you use a hand blender for this step)

Return the soup to the pot to reheat it.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve the soup with side bowls of chopped eggs, minced onions, sour cream, rice, and cilantro for add-ins.

Lemon & Rosemary Chicken Bake

Lemon & Rosemary Chicken Bake
Serves 4

8 chicken legs

1 lemon
1 pound potatoes
10 garlic cloves
4 T olive oil
2-3 T fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
Fresh, coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 t Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 F

Put chicken legs into a roasting dish. Cut potatoes and lemon into wedges. Add in the wedges and peeled garlic cloves.

Add in olive oil, coarsely chopped rosemary, salt and pepper, and toss until all ingredients are evenly coated.

Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes until tender, fragrant, and beautifully browned.

**Notes from Em**
This recipe was AMAZING and so super easy. Next time I make it I think I'll throw in some cubed butternut squash, and maybe some green beans. I served it with a super simple side salad that had a Tuscan herb vinaigrette on it.

Foil Packet Chicken with Snow Peas and Carrots

Makes 4 packets
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

18-24 baby carrots
2 C sugar snap peas
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 small chicken breasts
2 T hoisin sauce
soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut 4 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil about 12 inches square (if you don’t have heavy-duty aluminum foil, use two pieces of regular aluminum foil for each packet). In a small bowl, combine garlic and ginger.

Arrange the carrots and peas on the aluminum foil. Sprinkle with the ginger/garlic mixture, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush the chicken on both sides with the hoisin sauce. Top each portion of vegetables with a piece of chicken. Salt lightly. Add 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce on top of the chicken.

Bring opposite sides of the foil up to meet over the chicken. Fold the edges together in a ¼-inch fold, and then fold over 3 more times. Fold the open edges at either end of the packet together in a ¼-inch fold, and then fold over twice again to seal.

Put the foil packets on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. Transfer the contents of each packet to a dinner plate and serve.

Grilled Chicken Tuscan Style

Serves 2
From Eating for Life

2 portions chicken breast
1 T olive oil
2 tomatoes, diced
2 T capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 t Mrs. Dash Tomato-Basil-Garlic seasoning
1/4 C fresh basil, sliced, divided
2 portions whole-wheat bread

Preheat grill to high

Place chicken on hot grill and cook for about 6 minutes, turnand grill for about 6 more minutes, until no longer pink in the center.

Whilte the chicken is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add tomatoes and capers; saute until soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in Mrs. Dash seasoning and half of the sliced basil; saute for 2 more minutes.

Place a portion of chicken on two separate plates on top each with half the tomato and caper mixture; sprinkle with the remaining fresh basil.

Place a portion of whole-wheat bread on each plate. Serve and enjoy!

**Notes from Em**
I didn't have the correct Mrs. Dash seasoning on hand, so I just seasoned the tomatoes with a bit of sun-dried tomato, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. It was fantastically good.

Baked Apples - No Added Sugar

Serves 5

5 apples
1 C unsweetened applesauce
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 C water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel the apple from the stem out about 1 inch. Scoop out the core from the top of the apple, leaving a well, without cutting through the bottom. Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon in each apple's well, then fill with applesauce.

Arrange apples in a 9x9 pan and put the water in the bottom of the pan, just enough to cover it. Cover loosely with tinfoil and bake about 30 min. Remove tinfoil and bake another 15 min, or until apples are soft and tender.

Re-vamped Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

I made THIS recipe again tonight, but seeing as how we're on a strict diet, I had to find a lower carb/calorie way of doing it. Here's what needs to be changed:

-Don't marinate or bread the chicken, just season with salt and pepper
-Use fat free mayo. Seriously you won't notice the difference
- Add a few drops of Tobasco to the mayo to get a bite of a kick still. 5 drops or so
- Ditch the bun. It's a little messier, but still FANTASTICALLY good
Oh and just for good measure I now add 1t or so of soy sauce to the mayo. Very tasty

Italian-style Shrimp with Lemon and Garlic

From Cooking Light

Serves 4

2 t dried Italian seasoning
2 t Hungarian sweet paprika
2 t grated lemon rind
1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 C hot cooked angle hair pasta
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T chopped fresh parsley
Lemon zest (optional)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bow; stir well. Add shrimp; toss well to coat. Thread shrimp evenly onto each of 4 (8-inch) skewers.

Place kebabs on broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 2 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp from skewers; arrange over pasta. Drizzle with juice; sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with zest, if desired.

**Notes from Em**
Really yummy really EASY shrimp dish. I didn't do this on pasta, I did it with a side of Rice-a-Roni's rice pilaf, which I'll admit I have a slight addiction to.

Corn-Mango Salsa

From Better Homes and Gardens
Serves 6

2 ears fresh corn
1 medium mango, seeded, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 C red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 C red onion, finely chopped
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh mint, finely chopped
1 T fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 t salt

Heat grill to medium-high.

Husk the ears of fresh sweet corn and brush with olive oil, coating all sides. Grill corn on an uncovered grill directly over medium heat until kernels are tender and just begin to brown, turning often. Remove from grill; cool.

Cut kernals from ears. In a bowl gently combine corn kernels and remaining ingredients until well mixed.

**Notes from Em**
I haven't made this yet, but my mother-in-law made it for dinner last night and it was delicious. I have most of the stuff on hand to make it, and will be doing it some time this coming week probably. It's intended to be paired with pork chops, but it would go well with anything.

Chiles Rellenos Made Easy

From Cooking Light
Makes 4 Servings

1 1/4 C coarsely chopped onion
2 C chopped tomatoes
1/2 C low-sodium salsa verde
1/4 t salt
1/4 C fresh cilantro
4 poblano chiles
1 C shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 T goat cheese
3 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3 T cornmeal
1/4 C canola oil

Preheat broiler to high.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in chopped tomatoes, salsa verde, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Place tomato mixture in a food processor; add cilantro. Process mixture until smooth. Set aside.

Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 3 inches from heat 8 minutes or until blackened and charred, turning after 6 minutes. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile; discard seeds, leaving stems intact. Spoon 1/4 cup Jack cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons goat cheese in cavity of each chile.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a small bowl. Place egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold egg yolks into egg whites. Combine flour and black pepper in a shallow dish. Place cornmeal in another shallow dish. Dredge poblanos in flour mixture, and dip into egg mixture. Dredge in cornmeal.

Heat oil in a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot; reduce to medium heat. Add coated poblanos to oil; cook 6 minutes or until crisp, turning to cook on all sides. Place chiles on a baking sheet, and bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with tomato sauce.

Pairs really well with Black Bean & Corn Salad

**Notes from Em**
Chiles Rellenos seem to have a learning curve. I thought they would be really easy, but there are definitely a few things that I learned this time to do differently next time I make them.

1 - Don't cut the chile all the way down. Leave an inch or so uncut at the bottom.
2 - Use toothpicks to hold it closed after you've stuffed the cheese in, otherwise it makes a cheesy mess in your pan.
3 - Do a really THICK dredging in the eggs. This is 90% of your batter, and the batter adds a really fun texture.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

From the Kroger black beans can
Serves 6

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/4 C lime juice
1 t cumin

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until well combined. That's it folks, and it's amazingly good.

Thai Chicken Salad

From Cooking Light
Makes 4 servings

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
4 lime wedges (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine coconut milk and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and cool for 2 minutes. Pour warm coconut milk mixture over lettuce mixture. Sprinkle with peanuts; serve with lime wedges, if desired. Serve immediately.

~*Veg*n Options*~
I left the chicken off but still felt the need for something 'meaty'. I didn't have any tofu handy, and honestly I'm still afraid of cooking it, so I threw some canellini beans on there, and it was really tasty.

Roasted Vegetable & Ricotta Pizza

From Cooking Light
Makes 1 large pizza, about 6 servings

1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
2 C sliced cremini mushrooms
1 C zucchini, sliced to 1/4 inch
1/4 t black pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 medium red onion, cut into thick slices
5 1/2 t olive oil, divided
1 T yellow cornmeal
1/3 C tomato sauce
1 C (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozarella cheese
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/3 C part-skim ricotta cheese
2 T small fresh basil leaves

Position an oven rack in the lowest setting; place a pizza stone on rack. Preheat oven to 500°.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.

Combine mushrooms and next 4 ingredients (through onion) in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Toss. Arrange vegetables on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes.

Punch dough down. Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough out to 15-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon oil. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce; top with vegetables. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. Dollop with ricotta. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until crust is golden. Sprinkle with basil.

**Notes from Em**
- I added an eggplant, and some halved cherry tomatoes, they were super tasty on this pizza.
- My crust ended up going really soggy in the middle because of how moist all of these veggies were. Next time I think I'll roast them a little bit longer, then cook the pizza without them, just throwing them on for the last few minutes.

Chicken and Chayote Casserole

From Basket Recipes 4 You
Serves 6-8

1 pound chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound potatoes, chopped
3 chayotes squashes, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 t salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t ground black pepper
1/4 C oil
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, add in onion, pepper, garlic, salt an dblack pepper. Saute 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add in chicken. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side. Add in potatoes and squash. Stir together and cover. Reduce heat to medium. Stir occasionally until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in parsley and tomatoes. Cook another 2-3 minutes until tomatoes are heated through.

**Notes from Em**
I ended up cooking this with halibut instead of chicken and it was actually really good. It would also be really good vegetarian, or with some tofu. I also threw in some freshly grated parmesan, maybe about 1/4 cup, added a nice subtle flavor. You could throw just about any vegetable in with this and it would be good. Nice way to use up those extra veggies that never seem to get eaten.

Frosted Key Lime Pie (Protein smoothie)

12 oz cold water
1 serving vanilla protein powder
3 T frozen limeade concentrate
6 ice cubes

Pour cold water in blender, then add protein powder and blend on medium speed for 15 seconds.

Add frozen limeade concentrate; blend for 30 more seconds. Add ice cubes and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 more seconds.

Pour into a tall glass, serve and enjoy.

Sparkling Orange (Protein Smoothie)

From Eating for Life
Makes 1 smoothie

12/ oz diet orange soda
6 oz light, fat-free orange-flavored yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 orange, peeled
6 ice cubes

Pour orange soda in blender. Then add yogurt and protein powder; blend on medium speed for 15 seconds.

Add peeled orange and blend for 30 more seconds. Add ice cubes and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 more seconds.

Pour into a tall glass, serve and enjoy.

Pina Colada (Protein Shake)

From Eating for Life
Makes 1 smoothie

12 oz cold water
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/2 C unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/4 t coconut extract
6 ice cubes

Pour cold water in blender. Then add protein powder and blend on medium speed for 15 seconds.

Add pineapple chunks and coconut extract; blend for 30 more seconds. Add ice cubes and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 more seconds.

Pour into a tall glass, serve and enjoy!

Carne Asada

This is a 3 piece meal that I put together a couple of weeks ago, and with the warming up weather, it was INREDIBLY satisfying. It was also really nice to be able to cook outside instead of heating up the house.

2 pounds carne asada
2 avocado
8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 limes
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 C white rice
1/2 packet Sazon seasoning
4 tortillas

Cook rice according to package directions, adding the Sazon seasoning to the boiling water.

Preheat the grill to 350F.

Slice open the avocado's and remove the pit. Spoon out the fruit, roughly dice it, and place it in a serving bowl. Add cherry tomatoes, juice of 1 lime, some cilantro, and then season to taste with salt and garlic powder.

If the carne asada comes unseasoned, then season as you desire. Cook the meat on the hot grill for approximately 3 minutes on each side.

Once everything is done, serve the rice, guacamole, and steak. If you want, you can also put this in a tortilla.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

From Cooking Light

Serves 4

Mayo:
1/4 C reduced-fat mayo
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 t fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Chicken:
1/4 C egg substitute (or 1 large egg)
3 T hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2 ounces baked tortilla chips (about 6 cups)
2 T olive oil

Remaining Ingredients:
4 Kaiser rolls, split
12 red onion slices
4 lettuce leaves

To prepare mayo, combine the first 4 ingredients

To prepare chicken, combine egg substitute, hot sauce, oregano, and salt in a large zip-top plastic bag. Cut chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Place tortilla chips in a food processor; process 1 minute or until ground. Place ground chips in a shallow dish.

Working with one cutlet at a time, remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Coat chicken completely in chips. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and chips.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Spread mayo evenly over cut sides of rolls. Layer bottom half of each roll with 3 onion slices, 1 lettuce leaf, and 1 chicken cutlet, top with top halves of rolls.

**Notes from Em**
We barely had enough of the mayo to do 3 sandwiches, so I would definitely at least double it next time. There was also a comment on the original website saying that Swiss Cheese was a good addition to this tasty sandwich.

I used the left over chicken to make a mock Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Just stick it on a hamburger bun with mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickle.

10/24 I made this again today and didn't do enough of the corn chips, so I used some Panko. I think that's what I'll use from now on. It was a lot easier, and it stuck to the chicken better.