Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Whole 30)

 From: Paleo Running Momma

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil plus additional if needed
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot (I used almond flour)
• 1 cup chicken bone broth
• 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat, blended before adding if needed
• 1/2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
• 2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. In a large skillet add the coconut oil and cook the chicken thighs on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.

Add additional oil if necessary and cook the onions over medium heat until soft, then stir in the garlic and cook another 45 seconds.

Whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot, then add the broth and coconut milk. Stir to combine, then stir in the mustard, yeast, Italian seasoning, sea salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken.

Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and allow mixture to simmer until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are softened. Add chicken back to the skillet and simmer another 2 minutes. Serve over cauli rice, zucchini noodles, or with roasted potatoes. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I don't normally cook with chicken thighs and I remember why... they're so fatty! Yes, they were cheap, but I had to trim a ton of fat off. I'd rather just buy breast cutlets next time for this recipe. The sauce, though, I was LOVING! I was a little surprised because I don't like coconut anything, so I was afraid the coconut oil and milk would be too much in this recipe. I couldn't pick out that flavor at all though. I really liked the tanginess of the sundried tomatoes. I think they added a lot to the recipe. All in all, very good, and I will probably make again, although I will half the recipe next time because I could see me doing this for a nice lunch for myself the next time I cook it.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

From: http://randomthoughtsandthrills.blogspot.com/2012/01/recipe-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup.html

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed (I would go with only a cup and a half though)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper


1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love a good tomato soup and this one has a great flavor and is super easy to make! It's on my list to make again for sure! 

Easy Chunky Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T flour
1/2 cup milk
1 jar (26-28 oz) tomato pasta sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened.

Add flour; cook and stir until moistened. Gradually add milk, cooking and stirring about 2 minutes or until smooth and bubbly.

Stir in pasta sauce, tomatoes, and broth. Cover; cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, just until mixture boils. Top each serving with cheddar cheese.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing! It was too easy to change!

What I'll do differently next time:
Maybe add some pasta noodles or ground beef.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Easy and would make again, perhaps with adding the noodles or beef.

Spaghetti with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

From: The "Pasta" Food and Wine Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs tomatoes, about 4, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant with 2 Tbsp of the oil, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and a pinch of pepper. Spread the eggplant out on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add the tomatoes, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Toss the pasta with the eggplant, tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella and serve at once.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I, unfortunately, do not keep fresh mozzarella on hand (and couldn't afford to purchase it just for this one recipe), so I used shredded. Trust me - it was marvelous anyway.

What I'll do differently next time:
I halved the recipe because our whole family is not a fan of sauces on spaghetti. Next time I will not cut the recipe in half. It was so good, I wish I had leftovers!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Great new way to use eggplant (I tend to always make eggplant parmesan or baked eggplant chips) and a great way to dress up spaghetti. Absolutely delicious and I would definitely make this again in the future!  

Eggplant Tomato Bake

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on the cookie sheet and sprinkle Parmesan over the eggplant. Layer one slice of tomato on top of each eggplant round. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese again. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

What I did differently from this recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh, yummy goodness. I had an eggplant that was about to go bad and I have enough in the freezer so I really wanted to try a new recipe. This was so good and simple! Only my 18-month old would eat them with me but I kind of assumed that would be the case with my picky eaters! :)  

Pasta With Fresh Tomato and Corn

From: Sandhills Farm 2 Table newsletter

Ingredients:
8 oz pasta
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn kernels, cooked
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and dried basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes, corn kernels, and scallions. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Toss pasta with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Just tweaked it according to my tastes. I put more corn than it said, less tomatoes (I used about half a tomato) and more onions.

What I'll do differently next time:
Less onions! Yowza!

Verdict:
Neutral. It is totally my fault for adding so many onions. I love onions so much that I went way overboard adding them, and that combined with the vinegar just made it too bitter for me. I honestly think if I had put the recommended amount or less of the onions it would have been incredible. I mean, even with the flavor it had I still ate half of it, so it really didn't taste that bad! This would be an awesome side dish for summer parties.

P.S. I used my fresh tomatoes, corn, and onions all from the food co-op! Yummy!

Pasta w/ Fresh Tomato and Corn

Ingredients:
8 oz pasta
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn kernels, cooked
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and dried basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes, corn kernels, and scallions. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Toss pasta with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Grilled Chicken BLT

From: Lawry's Website

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/2 cup Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt Marinade, divided
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 Kaiser or other crusty rolls, toasted
8 slices cooked bacon
1 medium tomato, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp of the remaining marinade in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-7 minutes per side or until cooked through, brushing with remaining 2 Tbsp marinade. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on rolls. Top with chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I quartered it because I was just making one sandwich for myself.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Delicious! I don't normally add anything to my BLT - I think it is perfect just the way it is. But I got some Lawry's marinade in the mail today and this recipe looked so good I just wanted to go ahead and whip it up! Actually, I got some seasoned salt from Lawry's as well so I made homemade french fries (got a 5-lb bag of potatoes at the store today for $1.00!!!) and made them with seasoned salt instead of sea salt. Yummy!!

Grilled Chicken BLT

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/2 cup Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt Marinade, divided
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 Kaiser or other crusty rolls, toasted
8 slices cooked bacon
1 medium tomato, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp of the remaining marinade in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-7 minutes per side or until cooked through, brushing with remaining 2 Tbsp marinade. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on rolls. Top with chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.

Tomato And Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

What I did differently from the recipe:

Well, I used the pasta I had on hand, and I needed to use some of my fresh tomatoes so I made my own diced tomatoes instead of using canned. That's about it though!

What I'll do differently next time:

I'm not sure what I'd do differently. I'd try to tone down the juice from the tomatoes though. There was too much juice in the final product, I thought - probably my fault.

Verdict:

Neutral. It definitely wasn't bad, but there was nothing about it that stood out. I wouldn't make this again unless I figured out something to add to it. Maybe some sausage or tofu? That actually sounds good...

Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cheesy Italian Chicken Bake

Ingredients:
2 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 package (about 1 lb) chicken breast tenders
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
8 oz uncooked spaghetti

Heat oven to 350. Into ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish, spoon and spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Top with chicken tenders in single layer. Spoon remaining 1 cup sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and chicken is no longer pink in center. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over spaghetti.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Well, I did use mozzarella cheese instead of Italian because we had more of that already open. And then at the end we added Parmesan on top. But that's all!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! What a simple recipe! We loved it - it was almost like the chicken parmesan recipe I make but just different enough, with the noodles and cheese on top and everything. This is going to become a regular in our house, I can tell!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 package (about 1 lb) chicken breast tenders
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
8 oz uncooked spaghetti

Heat oven to 350. Into ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish, spoon and spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Top with chicken tenders in single layer. Spoon remaining 1 cup sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain.

Serve chicken and sauce over spaghetti.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
2 ounces dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet. Pour egg into a shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in separate bowl. Dip chicken into egg, then bread crumbs.

Place coated chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Pour 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into a 7x11 baking dish. Place chicken over sauce, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan on top and return to the oven for 20 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
First of all, I didn't measure ANYTHING. I probably used only a few ounces of spaghetti sauce, because we don't like too much with this recipe. I only did three breasts, so I just poured bread crumbs as needed. And I piled on the cheeses!!!

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above - not as much sauce, more cheese, baby!!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This recipe takes a long time to bake, but not make. It is so good and really filling.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes.

Place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I only had two small tomatoes (thanks mom!) so I didn't measure anything. I just kind of dumped flour, milk and bread crumbs in separate bowls, and only used one egg. I didn't let the slices stand for 15 minutes (in the first step). Not sure if this would have changed the flavor.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Delicious! I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, but I am a huge fan of fried foods!! Seriously, these were really good. The tomatoes being cooked just squirt in your mouth, and the batter has such a good flavor. It was also really easy to make, with ingredients I had in the pantry.