Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

I am one of those people that LOVES seafood...I could probably eat it for every meal and order it when eating out almost all of the time. However, it is not my most successful thing to cook. I often try recipes thinking they will turn out "restaurantish" and they fall terribly short. So, when I find a seafood dish that actually tastes wonderful, it is always a keeper! I recently made this Rachael Ray dish and it did not disappoint! So, if you are anything like me, give this one a shot...you will be glad you did! (Oh, and did I mention that it is only 5 ingredients and super easy?!?)

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Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total)

1 lemon, cut into wedges

(You will notice that I halved this recipe)

Preheat oven to 400. In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

As Rachael would say, YUM-O! Enjoy! :)

Pizza Quesadillas & Quick Marinara Sauce

I love cooking fun, and even sometimes fancy meals. But, I have a few standard go-to meals that are quick, yummy, and a hit with my little guy. Pizza quesadillas are one of those meals. I make his with pepperoni and cheese and add more goodies for my husband and I. Quick, easy, delish! I recently found a Quick Marinara Sauce from Skinny Taste that made this dish even better!! It is SO GOOD...tastes like you picked it up to go from your favorite Italian restaurant. So, make some pizza quesadillas and get to dipping!! :)

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Pizza Quesadillas

tortillas

mozzarella cheese

pepperoni & other toppings of your choice

cooking spray

Quick Marinara Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed (I used my garlic press)

1, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 small bay leaf (I left this out...didn't have any)

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

For your quesadillas, layer your cheese, pepperonis (and other toppings) and more cheese.

Top with second tortilla and place in sprayed pan. Cook on medium until the bottom tortilla is slightly brown and the cheese is beginning to melt. Flip and repeat.
Cut in quarters to serve. Yummy!!!

For the marinara sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

I'm telling you, this sauce is fantastic and the quesadillas were so good dipped in it!!! Enjoy! :)

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

OH.MY.YUMMINESS!!!! I pinned this recipe from My Recipes and tried it last week and it was a HIT! It definitely ranks in my top 10 favorite recipes. I love how fresh all of the ingredients are! You must give this one a try!!

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Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Chicken:

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I made 3)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Salsa:

1 cup chopped plum tomatoes (about 2)

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (I used red)

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

To prepare chicken, combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. (I let mine stand much longer!) Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. The recipe said to cook the chicken on a grill pan, but I grilled mine outdoors. It is beautiful outside here...gotta live it up!

To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine.
Serve salsa over chicken.

I'm telling you...this is FANTASTIC!!! You have to make it!! I served mine with Zatarain's yellow rice and it absolutely made the dish. Enjoy! :)

Fiesta Lime Rice...with chicken!

If you like ordering bowls from Chipotle, then you are going to love this! I got this from Skinny Taste, but I think it might be a spin off of a Weight Watchers Recipe. It is super healthy and I just love the colors. I am weird like that! The recipe was just the side, but I added grilled chicken to make it a meal. Delish! We ate it healthy, but you could definitely add some cheese, sour cream, guacamole and really feel like you are at Chipotle!

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Fiesta Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice

3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and heated

3/4 cup cooked corn

1 large tomato, diced

1 large scallion, diced fine

2-4 tbsp chopped cilantro (to your liking)

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine hot rice, heated corn, heated beans, tomato, scallion, cilantro, lime juice and salt if needed.

Toss and serve! Almost too easy!

I marinated some chicken in Lawry's Mexican Chile & Lime and then grilled it, cut it up and tossed it in the bowl. Voila...a meal!

So easy, healthy, and yummy! The best part about this one, is that you can change it up a bit. I think next time I might add some pico or salsa, and maybe red onion. Enjoy! :)

Gorilla Bread...yum, yum!

I was going through my pictures and realized I never posted this WONDERFUL Paula Deen recipe! I made this over Christmas and honestly, my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. I just might have to make this recipe this weekend! It is THAT GOOD!!

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Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count) (I accidentally bought the Grands, 8 count...a few of them ended up a little too gooey, so definitely get the 10 count!)

1 1/2 cups coursely chopped walnuts (I forgot this part...oops!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.
Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar.

Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing dough around the cream cheese.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cook for 5 minutes. (Please excuse the well loved bundt pan...it is my moms and is one of the old, heavy ones...it is awesome!)

Place a plate on top and invert.

Seriously, how delicious does that look?!? It was AWESOME...I LOVED the cream cheese filling when you bit into it. Pure heaven! Enjoy! :)