Cajun Chicken Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

Happy Friday! Tonight will be a short post because, come on, it's Friday night! Video games and Netflix are calling my name! :-)

This recipe was fantastic! Everything was cooked perfectly and had an excellent flavor to it! Next time, I think I will add a little more pepper jack cheese to the stuffing and sprinkle a little extra Cajun seasoning on top, but how it came out tonight was awesome! Quite delicious, and definitely one that I will be making again in the near future. Plus, it was very easy to fix and looks pretty, so it would be a great dish to make when you have company over and want to impress them!

Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

Prep time: 15 minutes  Cooking time: 40 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.
4. Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten with toothpicks.
6. Brush each chicken breast with the vegetable oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).
7. Place the chicken seam-side down onto a tin-foil lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
8. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

One Year Anniversary!

Hello! Today marks a whole year since I started my food blog! In the past year, I have cooked and posted 153 NEW recipes! In honor of my food blog's one year anniversary, I am holding a little, friendly contest. You have two weeks to pick out one of the 153 recipes I have posted and fix it yourself and take a picture. You can view all of the different recipes through the archives listed on the right side of the screen. Email me your picture at piratefan86@gmail.com, and in two weeks (July 12), I will put everyone's name in a hat that have sent me a picture of their dish and will mail a cookbook to whoever's name gets picked! Have fun!

Basil Shrimp Fettuccine

I took a picture of tonight's dish, but the picture really didn't come out very well! My husband said that the picture didn't do it justice. It didn't look very pretty, but it was a very tasty meal, so I didn't want you to avoid giving this recipe a try based on the picture. You'll just have to fix it yourself so you can see what it looks like!

I have never made this type of white sauce before, and I think this was the first time I've cooked with evaporated milk, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. When I mixed the milk and flour together, it became smooth, but was still a bit watery, so I was very surprised at how thick the sauce became after I mixed it in with everything on the stove. It was a very thick, rich sauce. But it had a great flavor to it! It paired really well with the shrimp.

The recipe only calls for 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. If you have been following my blog then you may have picked up on the fact that I used to hate hot/spicy food, but have been learning how to appreciate the flavors in hot/spicy food and have actually started to really enjoy such foods, so I decided that 1/8 teaspoon wasn't enough! I'm not sure how much I actually added. I just kept sprinkling and stirring some into the dish. It turned out great! It was ALMOST more than I could handle, but it added a great flavor to the dish and I can now say that my sinuses are completely clear. :-)

Enjoy!

Basil Shrimp Fettuccine
Taste of Home: Everyday Light Meals
Published by Reiman Media Group, LLC in 2010.

Prep/total time: 30 minutes  Yield: 6 servings

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup each chopped sweet yellow and red pepper
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, saute the onion, peppers and garlic in oil until tender. In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth. Add to vegetable mixture. Stir in the seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Reduce heat; add shrimp and basil. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add shrimp mixture and toss to coat.

Italian Roasted Cauliflower Salad

I went through a period where I really made an effort to make sure we had at least one vegetarian meal each week, but that fizzled out. I have posted a few cauliflower recipes in this blog when I was making more vegetarian recipes and remember liking them a lot. So when I came across this recipe yesterday, I got pretty excited and didn't even think about the fact that it was a vegetarian meal!

This recipe was packed with way more flavor than I was expecting! When I took a taste-test bite before dinner, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew all of the ingredients were each good on their own, but all combined was really delicious! You could really taste the roasted flavor in the cauliflower, which added a lot to the recipe. The recipe only lists 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes in the ingredients, but I ended up tripling that, which I am so happy that I did. It wasn't overpowering, but just enough to feel the heat a little and add a delicious flavor!

When you make this dish, definitely take a look at the website where I got this recipe from (listed below). She posted a great step-by-step photo guide as she went through the recipe. Very helpful, especially if you have never cut up a head of cauliflower before. 

Enjoy!

Italian Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Cook time: 30 minutes  Total time: 35 minutes  Yield: 6 servings

1 large head (3 lbs) cauliflower

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

16 pitted Gaeta or Kalamata olives, chopped

3 tbsp capers

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup, if desired. Pull the leaves off of the cauliflower base. Cut off the lower part of the stem.

2. Cut the head of cauliflower into four quarters.

3. Slice each quarter into 6-8 pieces. You want as many flat surfaces as possible on each floret - the flat surfaces caramelize best. Caramelization is the key to giving the roasted cauliflower flavor - those golden, sugary juices take this veggie from good to amazing.

4. Give all the florets a thorough rinse in a colander. Shake them dry.

5. Place the florets in a large bowl and drizzle them with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the minced garlic florets to the bowl. Toss the cauliflower florets till they're coated with olive oil and minced garlic.

6. Spread the florets out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Reserve any small bits of cauliflower that have fallen away from the florets in a small bowl. Sprinkle the cauliflower florets lightly with pepper.

7. Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and let the cauliflower roast for 10 minutes. While cauliflower is roasting, prep your other ingredients - chop the parsley, juice the lemon, etc.

8. After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use tongs to turn over the florets, making sure that the florets with flat surfaces are pressed directly against the baking sheet. This will enhance caramelization. Sprinkle the reserved cauliflower bits onto the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven. Let the cauliflower roast for 10-20 minutes longer till tender. When it's ready you will be able to pierce it easily with a fork.

9. Remove the cauliflower from the oven. Spread it out on a large plate or platter and allow to cool.

10. Throw the room temperature cauliflower into a salad bowl along with the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil, parsley, chopped olives, capers, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes are very spicy, add with care.

11. Toss gently to combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can also add more olive oil to taste, if desired.

12. Serve salad at room temperature. Italians like to serve this salad with warm freshly baked bread and copious amounts of olive oil. Served on its own, it is gluten free, low carb, and heart healthy.

Homemade Salsa

As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband and I just got home last night from a week long vacation. Luckily, thanks to my amazing friend Jen coming by to water my plants, my tomato plants survived our absence. Thanks, Jen! :-) After being gone for a whole week, I came home to an ABUNDANCE of perfectly ripe tomatoes!

Because I had so many delicious looking tomatoes, I decided to make some homemade salsa. My husband and I are both pretty obsessed with salsa. A jar of salsa doesn't stand a chance in our house! I was very happy with this salsa. It has a terrific flavor to it! I love jarred salsa you can find in the grocery store, but I really loved the freshness of this salsa. We both missed the tomato paste that you find in most jarred salsa, but it was still excellent and the freshness was very refreshing :-) I thought the jalapenos added just the right amount of kick to it, but my husband put some salsa in a little bowl and added a bit of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, which definitely added a little bit more of a giddy up. 

We may or may not have eaten the entire bowl of salsa in one sitting this afternoon... :-)

Homemade Salsa

Total time: 10 minutes

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

salt, pepper, cilantro and garlic (to taste)

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, pepper and lime juice.

2. Add salt, pepper, cilantro and garlic to taste.

3. Serve.

4. Store fresh homemade salsa in the refrigerator.

Crab-Stuffed Salmon Fillets

Ahhhhhhh!!!!... We just got home from a week long vacation last night and I feel so relaxed. We had an amazing time and I definitely was not ready for it to be over, but after we got home I got excited to get back in the kitchen!

This recipe was terrific! It hardly took any time at all to put together, and the flavor was outstanding! I love the combination of crab meat and salmon. They compliment each other so well, and this crab filling had a lot of flavor to it. The recipe has you save some of the crab filling and add it to the side of the plate at the end, and I enjoyed having the contrast of warm crab meat in the salmon and cold crab meat on the side. The sauce also added a great dynamic to the meal and paired really well with the fish.

Since we already had the grill going, I decided to grill some asparagus also. I LOVE grilled asparagus! I keep it very simple. All I did was brush a little olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. I placed them directly on the grill for 6-8 minutes, turning them half way through. They may take less time depending on how hot your grill is. They turn out so good cooking them this way and it is such an easy side dish to fix for any meal.

A few notes from the cookbook: 1) Crème fraîche is made from heavy cream with the addition of buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt. It has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. Sour cream can be substituted for crème fraîche in this recipe, if desired, but substitute milk for the lemon juice in the sauce, and 2) For easiest filling and most even grilling, purchase center-cut salmon fillets that are 1 1/2 in. thick.

Enjoy!

Crab-Stuffed Salmon Fillets
Pampered Chef Great Grilling Recipes
Published by The Pampered Chef in 2012.

Prep time: 15 minutes  Grill time: 6-8 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

Sauce
1 lemon 1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill weed
1 1/2 tsp drained capers, finely chopped

Filling & Salmon
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill weed
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp lemon zest reserved from sauce
1 can (6.5 oz) lump crabmeat, drained
4 center-cut salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin removed
1/2 tsp each salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1. Zest lemon using Microplane Zester to measure 1 tsp; set aside for later use. For sauce, juice lemon with Juicer to measure 1 tbsp. Combine juice, crème fraîche, dill and capers in (1-cup) Prep Bowl; stir until blended and set aside.
2. Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. For filling, combine crème fraîche, green onions, dill, pressed garlic and lemon zest reserved from sauce in Small Batter Bowl; mix well with Small Mix 'N Scraper. Gently stir in crabmeat. Place 1/4 cup of the filling in (1-cup) Prep Bowl; set aside for serving alongside salmon. Using Boning Knife, create a pocket in each salmon fillet by slicing into the side of each fillet. (Do not cut all the way through the fillet.) Spoon remaining filling evenly into each fillet. Season salmon with salt and black pepper.
3. Place salmon on grid of grill, covered, 3-4 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn salmon over with BBQ Flexible Turner; grill an additional 3-4 minutes or until internal temperature of filling reaches 145°F and salmon flakes easily with a fork. Remove salmon from the grill. Serve with sauce and reserved filling.

Oven Barbecued Chicken

This is now one of my favorite sauces I have ever personally made! Wow, this barbecue sauce was so good! I could put this stuff on anything!

This barbecue sauce was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Perfect! I tried a little taste of it after it finished simmering on the stove, before I poured it over the chicken, and I'm surprised I didn't just drink the whole batch right there! I had a little leftover after I poured some on top of the chicken, so I mixed the remaining sauce in with the black beans. Let me tell you, THAT was a tasty treat!

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in chicken breasts, so it didn't take as long to bake in the oven. They were pretty thin too, so that also cut down on bake time. I browned both sides in the skillet, then put them in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes. For the pieces of chicken I had, 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time. They came out cooked just right and very juicy. The sauce baked right into the chicken and was quite delicious!

You definitely need to give this recipe a try! This barbecue sauce would also be excellent on ribs, pork chops, or even burgers. It sure was excellent on the chicken (and in the black beans)!

Oven Barbecued Chicken
Taste of Home: Everyday Light Meals
Published by Reiman Media Group, Inc. in 2010.

Prep time: 20 minutes  Bake time: 45 minutes  Yield: 6 servings

6 bone-in chicken breast halves (8 ounces each)
1/3 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown chicken over medium heat. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Recoat skillet with nonstick cooking spray; cook onion over medium heat until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 170°.

Chipotle Shrimp Scampi

This dish was simply amazing! I instantly fell in love with the flavors. The shrimp was juicy and bursting with flavor. The Chipotle Rub was excellent and tasted fantastic on the shrimp! It really gave the shrimp a nice edge that added an enjoyable dynamic to the dish.

I especially loved the noodles. I put the pasta in a bowl and poured the sauce over the pasta and mixed it all together real well and I believe that made such a huge difference! Every noodle was soaked in that delicious sauce and even the bites you got where there was only pasta and no shrimp was terrific! All of the flavors could be picked out, but at the same time they all blended together perfectly. 

A few notes from the cookbook: 1) Removing the Skillet from the heat and then turning the shrimp prevents them from overcooking, 2) Moroccan Rub and lemon juice can be substituted for the Chipotle Rub and lime juice for an interesting flavor twist, and 3) Frozen shrimp are easier to peel than fresh. Place them in the large Colander and rinse them under cold running water to thaw them quickly.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Shrimp Scampi

Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner, Volume 2

Published by The Pampered Chef, Ltd. in 2009.

Total time: 19 minutes  Yield: 6 servings

12 oz uncooked angel hair pasta

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, divided

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lb large uncooked shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined

6 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tbsp Chipotle Rub

2 limes

1 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay

6 tbsp butter

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1. Bring salted water to a boil in covered (4-qt.) Casserole. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, chop cilantro using Chef's Knife; reserve 3 tbsp for garnish. Drain pasta; toss with remaining cilantro.

2. Meanwhile, add oil to (12-in.) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Combine shrimp, pressed garlic and rub in Classic Batter Bowl; toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over bottom of Skillet; cook 2-3 minutes or until browned on one side and edges are pink. Remove Skillet from heat and turn shrimp over with Saute Tongs; let stand 1-2 minutes or until centers of shrimp are opaque. Remove shrimp from Skillet; set aside and keep warm.

3. Juice limes to measure 1/4 cup juice. Add wine to same Skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes or until wine is reduced by half; stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of Skillet using Silicone Flat Whisk. Add butter, juice, broth and salt; cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle pasta with sauce. Top with shrimp; garnish with reserved cilantro.

Balsamic-Mango Marinated Grilled Chicken

I was very impressed with the flavor of this chicken! The marinade soaked wonderfully into the chicken, giving it a fantastic taste and left is super juicy! The chicken was excellent by itself, but then once you took a bite with a chunk of mango also, it was so delicious! This will definitely be a go-to recipe for me from now on.

I highly recommend you make this recipe soon! It is a perfect summery, refreshing meal. We kept it on the lighter side and just made some brown rice to go with it. We also just made the chicken on our George Foreman instead of the outdoor grill, but I know that added smokey flavor from the outdoor grill would have been great!

Enjoy!

Balsamic-Mango Marinated Grilled Chicken
Prep time: 10 minutes + marinating time  Cook time: 8 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless chicken breasts (pounded lightly to thin out if they are too thick) 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
1 cup mango nectar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped
additional thyme springs for garnish, if desired

1. Combine chicken in a large zip bag with mango nectar, vinegar, olive oil and thyme - along with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Zip the bag closed and move the chicken around in the bag to coat with the marinade. Lie the bag flat in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to 2 hours, turning the bag every so often to redistribute the marinade.
2. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Spray the grill with grilling spray (or rub the grates with oil). Drain the marinade from the chicken and grill about 4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Serve grilled chicken topped with chopped mango and thyme sprigs, if using.

Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella

Note to self: next time a recipe calls to shred whole peeled tomatoes with your fingers into a pan, don't wear a white shirt...

I ended up changing a few things to this recipe, but it was very yummy! I would like to try it another time and follow the recipe as it says. I didn't change anything major, just a few things.

I had decided to get ground turkey sausage instead of links, and when I went to the store I accidentally got regular ground sausage. The sausage still added a terrific flavor to the meal, but I would like to try it again with turkey sausage links. Another thing I changed was use regular mozzarella instead of smoked mozzarella. This was not a change I was happy about! If you have been following my food blog, then you know how much I love cheese. The day that I discovered smoked gouda was a very exciting day for me! I went to two different grocery stores looking for smoked mozzarella, but sadly, there was none to be found. I came very close to getting smoked gouda, but because gouda is a harder cheese than mozzarella, I figured it probably wouldn't soften properly when stirred into the dish. It still tasted good, but I bet it would have been awesome with smoked mozzarella!

I also used angel hair pasta instead of rotini (because that was what we already had at the house) and added a little more than a pinch of the red pepper flakes. I used to not be able to stand spicy food, but I've been using red pepper flakes more and more lately and I'm starting to fall in love with the flavor! Overall, a very good, easy to fix, meal. Another one of those great, quick, weeknight meals the whole family will enjoy!

Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella
Total time: less than 30 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 14-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
pinch red pepper flakes
3/4 pound rotini pasta (corkscrew pasta)
salt
3 ounces smoked Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
2. Add the tomatoes to the pan, shredding them with your fingers as you add them to the pan. Include the juices. Add the sausage and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on medium high for 20  minutes, until the sauce is thickened.
3. While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a teaspoon and a half of salt for every quart of water. Cook the pasta according to pasta package instructions, until al dente, or cooked through, but still a bit firm. Drain the water from the pasta. Combine the pasta and the sauce in a large serving bowl.
4. Stir in the cubed smoked mozzarella cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese has softened and is a bit melty. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.