Chicken Chilaquiles

This is a nice and easy weekday meal from Handle the Heat. 

Ingredients:

• tablespoon olive oil *I used Coconut Oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• salt
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded (about 4 cups) *I used 3 chicken breasts that had been cooked on low in the crockpot for about 4 hours and then shredded
• 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish *I left this out since I didn't have fresh cilantro
• 4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips *You could also use rice if you didn't have tortilla chips
• 1/4 cup sour cream  
• 1/4 cup queso fresco (or feta cheese)

Directions:

1.  Combine the oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes. 
2. Add the tomatoes, chipotle, adobo sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes.  
3. Add the shredded chicken to the pot and cook for 1 minute, or until warmed through and coated. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.  
4. Divide tortilla chips between 4 shallow bowls and top with chicken in sauce. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and queso fresco. Serve. Chicken in sauce can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Pan Fried Chicken with Brown Butter Caper Sauce

I am so behind on posting new recipes.  Several people have fussed at me for this, so today I'm going to try to play catch up.  :)

Now that I'm at home during the day, one show I'm enjoying watching is The Chew.  This is the first and only recipe I've tried from them, but I hope to try more down the road.  This recipe is really easy and very good.

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Cutlets (pounded thin) *I just buy the thin chicken breast cutlets and skip the pounding part
• 2 cups Flour *I use Organic White/Wheat Flour or Brown Rice Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups Breadcrumbs
• 5 tablespoons Olive Oil (separated) *I often use Coconut Oil
• 4 tablespoons Butter *Try to use real butter if at all possible
• 4 teaspoons Capers (drained)
• 1/4 cup Flat-Leaf Parsley (chopped) *I leave this out since I never have fresh parsley on hand
• 2 Blood Oranges (peeled) *If you can't find blood oranges, regular oranges work just as well
• 1 tablespoon Shallot (minced)

Directions:

1. Juice one of the blood oranges and set juice aside. Peel the white pith off the other blood orange, and then cut between the membranes to release the segments, and set aside.
2. Arrange three shallow dishes: in one - flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. In the second dish, lightly beat the eggs. In the third, add the breadcrumbs.
3. Dredge the chicken cutlets lightly on each side in the flour, then eggs, then the breadcrumbs.  
4. Heat four tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add each of the chicken cutlets, cooking for 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and juices run clear. Remove to paper towel lined, plate. Drain the pan and wipe clean. 
5. Add the butter, and once it has foamed and subsided, add the capers, shallot and blood orange juice, stir and remove from heat.  
6. In a bowl, combine the parsley, one tablespoon of olive oil and blood orange segments. Toss and season. 
7. Spoon the sauce over the chicken cutlets, and top with the orange-parsley salad to serve. 

Pulled Pork with Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Oh. My. Word! This recipe is SO good. If you like traditional Carolina BBQ, then you will love it too.

Courtesy of: girlichef

Ingredients:

Pork

• ~2 lbs. boneless pork butt, cut into large chunks
• ¼ c. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. brown sugar
• ½ Tbs. sea salt
• couple big pinches crushed red chile flakes

Vinegar BBQ Sauce

• 1½ c. cider vinegar
• ⅓ c. brown sugar
• ¼ c. ketchup
• 1 Tbs. hot sauce
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ½ tsp. worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all of the pork ingredients in a slow-cooker. Cook on high for ~5 hours or low for ~10 hours. Drain off most of liquid and pull the meat apart with two forks.
2. While pork is cooking, make sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Add sauce to pulled meat in slow cooker and continue to cook for another hour or two. Good enough to eat with or without a bun.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

Love this recipe! Simple, but very flavorful.

Courtesy of: Handle the Heat

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 spice ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
2. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush other side with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Potato, Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

This soup was really good and creamy, which is exactly what I wanted. I will say, that for next time I will leave a few potato pieces unblended for added texture.

Courtesy of Handle the Heat

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used coconut oil as it is my go-to oil these days)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade stock or organic)
• 2 cups half-and-half
  
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (we used a purple sweet potato which gave the soup an awesome purple tint)
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. In a separate skillet, season the broccoli with salt and cook until crisp-tender.
6. When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and add broccoli.
7. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until as smooth as desired. Leave the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape.
8. Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary.
9. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; season with salt and pepper.
10. Add the cheese, reserving one tablespoon for garnish and stir until melted.
11. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with remaining cheese.
    

Chicken and Dumplings

Courtesy of Passionate Homemaking

Ingredients:

• 2 cups carrots, chopped (about 4 carrots)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 potatoes, chopped
• 2 celery stocks, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups water or chicken broth
• 2-3 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sage
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup milk or further water

Other vegetable additions, if desired: green beans, peas, corn

Dumplings:

• 2 1/4 cups whole grain flour (spelt, kamut or millet work well)
• 1 cup milk, kefir or cultured buttermilk (use kefir or buttermilk if you desire to soak. You may also use water and lemon juice if you are dairy intolerant)
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil (or you can do all butter or all coconut oil as well)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

For Dumplings:

1. Soak flour and kefir or your choice of acid medium, and melted coconut oil/butter.
   
2. Cover and soak overnight or approximately 12-24 hours.
   
3. After soaking, add remaining ingredients. You may need to add a little more liquid to keep it moist. If you do not soak, simply combine all ingredients.

For Filling:

1. Saute chopped vegetables in coconut oil and spices for approximately 5 minutes.
   
2. Add water/broth and heat to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add cooked chicken and milk in the last 5 minutes.
   
4. Pour into a 13×9 baking dish. Top it off with a dash of each of the spices again (sage, thyme & garlic powder).
   
5. Scoop dumplings by rounded tablespoon onto the top. Cook for about 18 minutes at 425 degrees.

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers and a Challenge

Walter and I started the 10-Day Real Food Challenge on Sunday, so I thought I'd share a couple of recipes I've used this week. If you're curious about the challenge, I highly recommend clicking on the link.

Basically you commit to eating nothing but whole, natural foods for 10 days. The reason we are doing this is because I have a really bad habit. My name is Heather and I'm addicted to sugar. Even though I wasn't gorging myself with this tasty little treat, I was definitely eating more than I should and I was starting to feel the effects. Therefore, enter the real food challenge.

The foods you eat during the 10-day challenge must be 100% all-natural (preferably organic/grass fed/ hormone & antibiotic free). If you must buy something that comes prepackaged, the ingredient list can not contain more than 5 items. For example, I wanted to make some granola bars with chocolate chips. I picked up a well-known brand and discovered that even though it said "all-natural" on the front of the bag, the ingredients proved otherwise: cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, sugar and soy lecithin. Since soy lecithin is not an actual whole food item and sugar mentioned is probably highly processed, I couldn't purchase this bag of chocolate chips. Fortunately right next to them was a bag that was completely 100% all natural, more expensive, but it fit with the challenge. This challenge forces you to read each and every label. Time consuming, yes. Eye opening, most definitely!

As far as kicking the sugar habit goes, I decided to use this 4-step plan laid out by The Healthy Home Economist. There are a lot of sugars out there and not all of them are bad or addicting, but the one's that are outlined in the plan are the one's you should generally avoid on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that some things are alright in moderation, so don't think that I will never eat a piece of cake again; I just needed to cut these things out for a period of time as a form of detox.

We are five days into this challenge and we are both doing extremely well. Neither one of us has cheated, but don't believe that we haven't been tempted. The things that have surprised me the most during this challenge is that I'm finding that real foods taste better, I'm more excited about cooking each night and for the first time ever I craved a steak instead of M&M's. Fortunately for me, Walter loves a good steak so he didn't hesitate for a second to run to the store to pick some up for dinner.

Alright, enough about diets, sugar monsters and 10-day challenges. This has become my new favorite recipe. I'm going to be so sad when peppers are no longer available from our Farmer's Market. This recipe comes from the dashing dish blog.

Italics are mine

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (I used grass-fed ground beef)
• 3 red bell peppers (preferably organic)
  
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used my SIL's recipe here, but substituted the spaghetti mix with this recipe)
  
• 1 tsp basil/oregano seasoning (or any blend of italian herbs)
• 1tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed)
• 1/2 tsp salt/pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (or veggie of choice),(de-thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel)
• 2 tbs grated (whole milk) parmesan cheese + 6 tbs to garnish over the top of each pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, (for easy clean up), coat with non-stick cooking spray. (I didn't line my pan with foil to avoid using cooking spray. Obviously there are other things I could use, but I was too lazy) Wash red peppers, and cut around the stem to remove.
2. Remove the stems.
3. Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. Set peppers on baking pan.
4. Meanwhile, cook ground turkey (or beef) in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Stir and break up the meat while it’s cooking. When meat is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and seasonings to the pan. Stir and continue to cook until the meat is completely cooked (when it is no longer pink). Add the spinach and parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.
5. Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.
6. Sprinkle 1 tbs parmesan over each pepper (or another shredded cheese, such as mozzarella).
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and lightly golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy!!!

Seriously! These are the yummiest things ever! A must try!

Mediterranenan BLT

Coursey of: The Cafe Sucre Farine

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 pocketless pitas
  
  12 ounces bacon, cut in medium size pieces and cooked until crisp
• hummus, your favorite
  
• 1 cup Roma tomatoes, diced, or same amount of any other type of tomato
• 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup Kalamata olives, quartered (optional)
• ½ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• Greek salad dressing, this recipe or your favorite store brand
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Heat small (big enough to hold 1 pita) non-stick pan on high for several minutes. For each pita, add 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to hot pan. Heat oil until very hot but not smoking. Swirl oil in pan to cover most of bottom. Add pita to pan and let sear for 20 to 30 seconds or until golden. Flip pita over and repeat. Remove from pan and repeat procedure for all pitas. (You'll be tempted, but don't eat the pitas now or dinner will be a bit sad!)
2. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of hummus down middle of each pita. Top with herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and Feta cheese. Drizzle as desired with Greek dressing. Top with toasted pine nuts.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

This is a recipe that Walter I have both really enjoyed.

Courtesy of: Can You Stay for Dinner?

Ingredients:

• 1lb chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg beaten with 2tbsp. hot sauce
• 2/3 cup break/panko crumbs
• 2tbsp. steak seasoning
• 3-4tbsp. oil
• 1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°. Begin heating 1.5 TBSP of the oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. Line up three separate bowls and fill them in this order- first with the flour, second with the egg mixture, and third with the bread crumbs combined with steak seasoning.
2. Begin by dredging each tenderloin first in the flour (you only need a light dusting- shake off excess), then dip into the egg bath, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture-pressing to coat the tenderloin well. Place each prepared tenderloin on a large plate.
3. Place half of the chicken tenderloins in the hot, oiled pan all at the same time, spacing them evenly. You don’t want to overcrowd your pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, without moving them, so that they develop a nice crispy crust on one side.
4. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a wire rack set atop a roasting pan. Place in the oven and cook at 400 for about 5-7 minutes, just so that the chicken can cook through.When the chicken tenders are cooked through, remove them from the oven and fill a shallow bowl with the hot sauce. Dip each tender into the hot sauce, just to quickly coat. Set the pieces back on the wire rack until you’re done coating all the chicken. Serve with blue cheese dressing and crunchy celery sticks.

Three Cheese Baked Ziti

Courtesy of: Can You Stay for Dinner?

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked pasta, penne or ziti
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, ricotta, marinara sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir to mix well.
   
3. Pour into a greased casserole dish, or individual ramekins, and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan.
   
4. Bake for 15 -20 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Best when eaten immediately.

Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers

Courtesy of: realsimple.com

Ingredients:

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  
• 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
  
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut cross-wise into thirds
  
• 1 cup white rice
  
• 1 avocado, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

Honey Garlic Balsamic Chicken

Courtesy of: bakedbree.com

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
2. Add the chicken to the pan.
3. Cook the chicken until both sides are brown and the chicken is cooked through. It is about 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Take the chicken out of the pan, and put on a plate and cover with foil.
4. Add the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and honey to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken. Use a spatula to get the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan.
5. Slice the chicken on a bias, and spoon the pan sauce over the top.

Black Bean and Guac Burrito

Courtesy of: Naturally Ella via Erin Alderson

Ingredients:

• 2 large flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 can black beans
• lettuce, onion, and tomatoes to taste
  
• 1/3 cup Moneteray Jack Cheese

Directions:

1. 1. * Also for ingredients, you will need a batch of guacamole.
   2. Spread guacamole in the center of the flour tortilla. Place rice, beans, cheese, and toppings on top of the guacamole. Roll into a burrito and tuck in the ends.
   3. Using an indoor grill or a panini press, heat burrito until tortilla browns on each side.
   4. Serve with remaining guacamole or salsa.

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

I made this recipe a couple of months ago and wish I had made a double portion. It was SO good! I highly recommend trying this for a healthier and more grown up version of a childhood favorite.

Courtesy of: The Cutting Edge of Ordinary via Cuisine at Home

Ingredients:

• 1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (I like to use whole wheat)
  
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (or any cheese you like)
  
• 1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese (or any cheese you like)
  
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes
3. Combine Gruyere and fontina (or cheeses of your choice), then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.
4. Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini

Love, love, love this recipe from Handle the Heat! I think it would even be good to stuff a pepper using these same ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium zucchini
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• pinch dried oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/4-inch thick shell. Place zucchini, cut sides up, on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Remove from heat and mix in cheese, pine nuts, red peppers, scallions, oregano. Spoon sausage mixture into hallowed zucchini shells. Bake 15-18 minutes, until the zucchini is cooked and tender and the cheese is slightly melted.

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders

Thanks to Pinterest, I have found a couple of new recipe blogs. I have made two dishes from Handle the Heat and both have become my new favorites.

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 1/2 - 3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• pinch red chili pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 15-20 slider buns or small dinner rolls, split
• coleslaw, pickles, etc.

Directions:

1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. In the cooker, combine onion and green pepper. Add meat; sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Pour broth over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Meanwhile, make the barbeque sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Let simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds, discarding fat. Strain vegetable mixture, discarding liquid. Return meat and strained vegetables to the slow cooker. Stir in barbeque sauce. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.
   

Chicken Bruschetta

Another simple and delicious recipe from Skinny Taste.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 3 oz mozzarella, diced
• 1.25 lbs (8 thin sliced) chicken cutlets

Directions

1. Combine onion, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Set aside a few minutes.
2. Chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo and additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let it sit at least 10 minutes or as long as overnight. Toss in the cheese when ready to serve.
3. Season chicken with salt and fresh pepper. Grill the chicken cutlets on your indoor or outdoor grill, top with bruschetta and serve.

Fried Eggplant

I slightly followed this recipe by Emeril, but kind of just made things up as I went along. These were so good! I highly recommend serving them with a side of marinara sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (or more) flour or cornstarch
• 1 cup (or more) Italian bread/panko crumbs
• salt
• Expeller Pressed Coconut oil for frying (if you're going to fix anything at a high heat, it's best to use coconut oil as it is much better for you than canola or any other kind of frying oil. Olive oil is not recommend at high temps.

Directions:

1. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounded slices.
2. Salt generously and allow to "sweat" for about 30min in a bowl or colander. Place on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
3. Dredge eggplant slices in flour or cornstarch, then egg then bread crumb mixture.
4. Place on a paper towel to dry a little before frying.
5. Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. You'll know it's hot enough when a little water hitting the oil causes a big sizzle.
6. Place eggplants into the frying pan. They will brown really quickly, so be sure to watch them carefully. Repeat this process until all the eggplants have been fried. You may need to add more oil after each batch.
7. Place fried eggplant on a paper towel to dry.
8. Top with some Parmesan, serve with a side of marinara and Enjoy!
   

Turkey Meatloaf

This was my first attempt at meatloaf and I thought it turned out pretty well. It was a little on the dry side (I think adding a little more ketchup will take care of this), but overall it was really good. Thanks skinnytaste for another fabulous recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1.3 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup organic ketchup + 2 tbsp (I use organic because it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup)
  
• 2 tsp worcesterchire sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp marjoram (thyme works as a good substitute)
  
• salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Saute olive oil and onion on low until translucent.
3. In a medium bowl mix turkey, onion, oatmeal, egg, ketchup, salt and marjoram. Place into loaf pan.
4. In a small cup mix remaining 2 tbsp ketchup with worcesterchire sauce and brush onto each loaf to give it a nice glaze.
5. Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes at 350°.
   
6. After baking let it sit for 5 minutes serving.
   

Eggplant Parmesan

Love skinnytaste.com! If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend you do.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (2 lbs)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 12 oz ricotta
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried because it's what I had)
  
• 1 medium egg
• 2 cups mozzarella
  
• 3 cups homemade tomato sauce
• salt

Directions:

1. Start by making the sauce if you don't have any already made. While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and put in a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 hour. Lay on paper towels to soak up any extra moisture.
2. Preheat oven to 450°. Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through until eggplant is golden brown.
3. In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
4. In a 9x12 baking dish, put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce until everything is used up. Top with sauce and the mozzarella cheese and the remaining grated cheese.
5. Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes at 400°. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!