Broccoli Bacon Raisin Salad

OK, so I have a small obsession with the Broccoli Bacon Raisin Salad that Sprouts sells. Small obsession meaning I buy a container of it EVERY week and eat it for lunch. I LOVE it! Since I love it so much I decided that I would try to make it. I searched and searched for a recipe that seemed to be the "right" one...there are a ton of them out there and I desperately wanted mine to taste like the one I buy each week. I finally picked this one from allrecipes.com and it is pretty darn close. I just might have given Sprouts a run for its money!

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Broccoli Bacon Raisin Salad

1 bunch broccoli, washed, drained, and broken into flowerets

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 pound bacon, fried, drained and crumbled (I did about half that)

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins (I don't care for raisins, so I left these out)

Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. vinegar

Combine salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Combine dressing ingredients together thoroughly.

Pour dressing ingredients over salad ingredients. Stir to blend. Serve chilled.

YUM!!! It was so good and I will definitely be making it again...perfect for summer! Enjoy! :)

Meaty Manicotti

Oh my goodness...you MUST try this recipe!! I made it this past weekend and was surprised at how good it was. It is super easy (like most recipes I try!) and SO unbelievably good!! Seriously, put this on your menu for next week!

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Meaty Manicotti

14 uncooked manicotti shells

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

3/4 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 package cream cheese, cubed

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook manicotti shells according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage and beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.

Drain shells and rinse in cold water. Put mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and salt into a bowl. Stir the meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Spread 2 cups spaghetti sauce in a greased 13X9 inch baking dish. Stuff each shell with about 1/4 cup meat mixture; arrange over sauce. (This takes a little bit of time and several of my shells tore so bad I couldn't use them.) Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and heated through.

Doesn't this look yummy?? Trust me, IT IS!!! Enjoy! :)

Chicken Caprese

I cut this recipe out of a magazine and I am SO GLAD I did! It was super easy, but looks like you spent a lot of time preparing it. It tastes great too...really light and fresh.

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Chicken Caprese

2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Blend

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters (I used more)

4 low-fat tiny mozzarella balls, cut into quarters (I used more)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking tray with cooking spray. Toss tomatoes with 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Blend

Lightly flatten each chicken breast to 1/4 inch thickness. Place tomatoes and mozzarella balls on each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.

Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar and remaining 1 Tbsp. of Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Blend.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, cover lightly with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Easy, right?!? Aren't these fun? I loved the way they turned out and they tasted delish too! Enjoy! :)

Pesto Chicken Salad

If you love pesto, and you love chicken salad, you MUST try this recipe!!! It is delicious...I could eat it every week. Thanks Paula Dean!!

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Pesto Chicken Salad

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

6 tablespoons chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper (I left this out)

3 tablespoons pesto

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For sandwiches:

6 croissants, split in half

6 slices tomato

6 lettuce leaves

In a small bowl, combine chicken, walnuts, mayonnaise, red bell pepper, pesto, salt, and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To assemble sandwiches, spread chicken salad mixture over bottom halves of croissants. Top with tomato slices, lettuce, and top halves of croissants.

Yes, it is that easy and yes, it tastes like something you would order in a tea room! Enjoy! :)

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

This is one of those recipes from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks that I have passed over multiple times, looked at it, then turned the page. Do you have one of those recipes?? I was intrigued by it, but never felt like actually trying it. Well, I finally did and I am SO GLAD! It is really good, relatively easy, and great in a tortilla the next day as leftovers!

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Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

1 tsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 can Mexican-style corn

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp Taco seasoning

2 cups uncooked instant white rice (I used brown)

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups salsa verde

2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Add 1 tsp of the oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Meanwhile, drain corn; pat dry with paper towels. Add corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove corn from skillet; set aside.

As corn cooks, cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine chicken and taco seasoning in a bowl. Add chicken to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until center is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to skillet. Add rice; stir until well coated with oil. Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, snip cilantro.

To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle with cilantro to serve.

Don't let the number of steps scare you...it gets really fast and is really good!! Enjoy! :)

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

About a month ago, I made my friend Cara's Chicken Capri Pasta. It was wonderful, super easy, and used a fun new little ingredient...Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Have you tried any of these yet?? If not, you NEED to! Right after I made her dish, I tore out a recipe from a magazine that used it also. Again, SO EASY and YUM!

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Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tub PHILADELPHIA Original Cooking Creme

2 cups grape tomatoes

2 cups hot cooked farfalle (bow-tie pasta...I used whole wheat)

12 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

Cook chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Add broth and garlic powder; cook 3 minutes.

This is the cooking creme: Add cooking creme and tomatoes; cook and stir 3 minutes.

Stir in pasta and basil.

That's it! It is that easy. If you love grape tomatoes, you will really love this! Enjoy!

Garlic Alfredo Tilapia

This is another recipe that I recently got from my Dad and I'm so glad I did. It is from allrecips.com and is delicious. It took no time at all to prepare and Kelly and I both loved it!

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Garlic Alfredo Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, or to taste

3 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Alfredo sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Brush tilapia fillets with oil on both sides, season with Creole seasoning, then place in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Bake until the flesh is no longer translucent, and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic has softened and the aroma has mellowed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Alfredo sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and keep warm until the fish is ready. Pour the sauce over the fish to serve and sprinkle with additional Creole seasoning if desired. I served mine over white rice and it was DELISH!! You could probably do it over pasta too if you wanted. Enjoy!