Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Photo and Recipe from Budget Bytes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Total Cost: $7.15

Cost Per Serving: $1.19

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Blackened Seasoning

• 2 tsp paprika (smoked or sweet) $0.20
• ½ tsp garlic powder $0.03
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
• 1 tsp dried oregano $0.10
• 1 tsp dried thyme $0.10
• ¾ tsp salt $0.05
• freshly cracked pepper (20-25 cranks of a mill) $0.05

For the Pasta

• 1 large (3/4 lb.) chicken breast $1.50
• 1 Tbsp butter $0.10
• 1 green bell pepper $0.85
• 1 red bell pepper $1.00
• 1 yellow onion $0.35
• 1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes $1.39
• 1 oz. cream cheese $0.25
• 12 oz. fettuccine $0.88
• 3 whole green onions $0.28

Instructions

1. Combine the herbs and spices for the blackened seasoning in a bowl. Slice the chicken breast into very thin, two inch long strips. Place the chicken strips in a second bowl, pour half of the blackened seasoning over top and toss the chicken to coat in the spices.
2. Prepare a large pot of water for the pasta. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then add the pasta. Cook the pasta until tender and then drain in a colander.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the bell peppers and onion. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot and the butter is melted, add the chicken and sauté until cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet, add the sliced vegetables, and sauté until they are tender and slightly wilted. Remove the vegetables from the skillet.
4. Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium low. Add the can of fire roasted tomatoes and the second half of the blackened seasoning. Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and add it to the skillet. Whisk the mixture until the cream cheese has melted into the tomatoes and created a creamy sauce.
5. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables back to the skillet with the sauce and stir to combine. If your skillet is extra large, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine with the chicken, vegetables, and sauce. If your skillet is smaller, you can add the drained pasta back to the large pot it was cooked in (with the heat turned off), then add the chicken, vegetables, and sauce to the pot and stir to combine.
6. Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top before serving.

Quick Spiralized Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes

Quick Spiralized Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes

Recipe and Photo from Skinny Taste

Servings: 2 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 2 • Weight Watcher Points+: 3 pt 

Calories: 117 • Fat: 5 g • Carb: 20 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 4 g • Sugar: 2 g

Sodium: 31 mg  • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 lb grape tomatoes, cut in half
• pinch red crushed pepper flakes
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 large zucchini, spiralized with thicker blade (I used two)

Directions:

In a large non-stick pan set over high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the tomatoes soften, 15 minutes. 

Increase heat to medium-high, stir in the zucchini and basil, season with salt and cook 2 minutes. Serve right away.

Makes 2 cups.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

Recipe and Photo from Budget Bytes

 

Total Cost: $3.72Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Cost Per Serving: $0.93

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 1 small onion $0.25
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes $0.59
• ½ tsp dried oregano $0.03
• ½ tsp dried basil $0.03
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional) $0.02
• freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
• ½ tsp salt $0.03
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.11
• 2 oz. cream cheese $0.48
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan $0.42
• ½ lb. penne pasta $0.89
• ½ (9 oz.) bag fresh spinach $0.50

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
2. While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
4. Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
5. Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Cinnamon Roll Bread
Recipe and Photo from Center Cut Cook

Prep Time: 10mn

Cook Time: 50mn

Total Time: 1hr

BREAD INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg - room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk - I used 1%
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

SWIRL INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons water

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat our oven to 350 degrees and prepare a bread pan (about 9x5 inches) by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray or lightly greasing it with butter.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 
3. In a small bowl combine egg, milk, vanilla extract and yogurt or sour cream.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine. You can use a large wooden spoon for this if you wish, no mixer is required.
5. In a small bowl combine swirl ingredients together - 1/3 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 tablespoons water. Use a tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of this mixture over the bread, then use a knife to make swirl designs to incorporate the cinnamon mixture into the bread.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
7. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the glaze ingredients by combining 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk.
9. Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to continue cooling completely.
10. When the bread has completely cooled, pour the glaze over the top and serve.
11. Enjoy!

Samoas Cookie Pie

Samoas Cookie Pie
Photo/Recipe - Averie Cooks

The textures and flavors of classic Girl Scout Samoas Cookies are all there in this giant cookie. Gooey, chewy, sticky, sweet, and wonderful. It may even be better than the real thing. It’s a fast, easy, no-mixer recipe that comes together in minutes and there’s nothing fussy about it. There's a simple stir-together dough for the crust before topping with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, salted caramel, and a final chocolate drizzle. You can use homemade salted caramel or your favorite storebought. I like salted caramel because the slight saltiness cuts through some of the sweetness but regular caramel sauce is fine. The cookie base is soft, chewy, dense, and the perfect support system for the chocolate, coconut, and salted caramel that gets piled on. With this recipe, it's Girl Scout cookie season year-round. Dangerous.

YIELD: one 9-inch pie, serves 8 to 16

 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: about 35 to 37 minutes, divided

TOTAL TIME: about 4+ hours (or overnight), for cooling

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, loosely laid in measuring cup (not packed)
two-thirds of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (about 10 ounces)
4 to 5 ounces salted caramel sauce (use homemade salted caramel or storebought, regular caramel sauce may be substituted)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish very well with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix.
5. Turn batter out into prepared pie dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges firm up slightly and center will have begun to set up a bit. It's by no means done, but pie will be returned to oven to bake another 25 minutes or so.
6. Remove pie dish from oven, and evenly sprinkle 3/4 cup chocolate chips over the crust.
7. Evenly sprinkle the coconut.
8. Evenly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk (just eyeball it).
9. Evenly drizzle the caramel sauce (just eyeball it).
10. Return pan to oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until there's slightly bubbling near the edge of dish and the center has dried out some and looks more set. Cookie pie will firm up more as it cools. In the last 10 minutes of baking, watch it like a hawk because the coconut, caramel, and sweetened condensed milk will all be prone to burning; better to underbake than overbake if you're unsure.
11. Allow pie to cool in dish on a wire rack while you melt the chocolate for drizzling by adding 3/4 cup chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power. Stop to check and stir and heat in 10-second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
12. Using a spoon (or pastry bag or ziptop bag with corner cut off if you want to be fancier but I didn't bother), evenly drizzle the chocolate in long vertical lines, parallel to each other, spaced about 1/2-inch apart. Pie doesn't have to be cooled to add the chocolate drizzle.
13. Allow pie to continue to cool on wire rack for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before slicing and serving. Don't slice too early because chocolate drizzle needs to set and interior of pie needs to firm up or you'll have a literal hot mess. Pie is best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I store it by slicing into small wedges, wrapping each wedge individually in plasticwrap, and putting those in a large ziptop bag.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Photo/Recipe- Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Filling:
• 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
• 2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
• 1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here)
Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
• ½ cup sour cream
Assembly:
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
• Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.
4. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).
5. Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: Follow the recipe instructions, letting the sauce cool to warm room temperature before proceeding with filling the enchiladas. Assemble the enchiladas as directed in the recipe with the cooled sauce. Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours before baking. Bake according to the recipe, adding an additional 5-10 minutes if needed since the enchiladas were refrigerated. Alternately, after assembling, the baking pan can be covered with a double layer of foil and put in a jumbo-sized resealable bag and frozen for up to two months. Bake from frozen by decreasing the baking temperature to 350 degrees F and baking the enchiladas covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dish is hot and bubbly.

Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper Chicken Taquitos

SLOW COOKER JALAPEÑO POPPER CHICKEN TAQUITOS
Photo/Recipe from:HERE

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

8 hours

TOTAL TIME

8 hours 20 mins

Cream cheese, jalapeños, and chicken all come together in these irresistible crispy taquitos! This is one amazing go-to crockpot recipe you'll make again and again! Serve these up as a main dish or they're perfect for game day appetizers - either way you can't go wrong!

Author: Tiffany

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ⅓ cup jarred whole or sliced jalapeños, roughly chopped (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 16 taco-sized tortillas (I prefer flour but corn tortillas also work well)
• 1½ cups shredded cheese (colby jack, monterey jack, Mexican blend, mozzarella - use your favorite!)
• optional toppings: fresh cilantro, additional jalapeños, dipping sauces such as ranch, salsa, green goddess dressing, OR click HERE for my Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch Dressing recipe (this is the green dressing you see in the pictures)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add chicken, ½ cup water, cream cheese, jalapeños, garlic powder, salt, and cumin to crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. (lesser times are for thawed chicken, greater times for frozen chicken)
2. minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Use two forks to shred chicken and stir it in with the other contents of the crockpot.
4. Heat tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up, this will make them easier to work with. Sprinkle cheese in the middle of each tortilla (just divide the cheese evenly between all of the tortillas).
5. Top cheese with 2-3 tablespoons of shredded chicken mixture. Roll tortillas tightly into a log-shape taquito.
6. Place taquitos on baking sheet and spray heavily with cooking spray. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melty and tortillas begin to brown. (For crispier taquitos, switch the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes - watch carefully so they don't burn!)
7. Serve warm with dipping sauces and toppings if desired.

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili
Photo and Recipe from Our Best Bites

White Chicken Chili

Recipe by Our Best Bites

I call this a chili, but it’s really a soup consistency.
If you want it thicker, just reduce the amount of broth.

1 T Extra virgin Olive Oil
1 lb boneless chicken, cubed (about 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 3.5 oz can green chilies
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 lime
1/2 C chopped cilantro

1 32oz box chicken brothCondiments: (in addition to measurements above)
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro
Pepperjack or Jack cheese, shredded
Avocado
Tortilla Chips or make your own tortilla strips

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside. Sprinkle chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper and add to pot. Add garlic as well. Cook until there’s no more visible pink on the chicken, probably 3-4 minutes.Then add green chills- along with all of the juices in the can. Add beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper. Stir to combine and then add chicken broth.Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and the 1/2 C chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream. Serve with condiments. If you don’t have all those condiments- at least have sour cream! But honestly, it’s best with everything 

Makes about 8 cups of soup.