Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

Two fish recipes in two days?! Oh yeah . . .

The sauce is not IC friendly, but my husband really liked it. I just left it off mine and everyone was happy.

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
1/4 c sour cream
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice
1 c thinly sliced white onion
1 1/2 t brown sugar
1 t dried oregano
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground red pepper
4 (6 oz) tilapia fillets
1 T oil
8 (6") corn tortillas
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced

Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine with onion in a small bowl (this is the "bad" sauce, so leave it off yours . . .).
Combine brown sugar and other spices. Sprinkle evenly over the fish. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add fish to pan, cook 3 mintes on each side or until done.
Warm tortillas and divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among them.

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree

I know, sound fancy enough for you? I love seafood and am always up for trying something new, so when I found this recipe, I figured, "Why not?"

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree
2 c chopped cauliflower florets
1 c cubed, peeled Yukon gold potato
1 c water
1/2 c chicken broth 
1 T oil
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops
3/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 1/2 T butter

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil, swirl to coat. Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 t salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove scallops from pan.
Pour cauliflower mixture in a blender and add 1/2 t salt and butter. Secure lid (but keep the center open to allow steam to escape) and blend until smooth.
Serve together.

NOTES
I used mini scallops as that was all I could find, but the big ones would have been a LOT better.

Sausage-Stuffed Loaf

So, if you haven't noticed by now, I use sausage in a lot of things. I've found the Jimmy Dean regular sausage doesn't cause me any problems, but the flavored or spicy kinds make me flare. Try a few brands out and see which ones work for you.

Sausage-Stuffed Loaf
2 (1 pound) frozen bread dough
1 pound sausage
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T butter, cubed

Thaw bread dough and let rise until doubled. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. Drain and place in a bowl. Add spinach, cheeses, oregano and garlic powder.

Roll the loaf into a 14" x 12" rectangle. Spread sausage mixture lengthwise down the center. Gently press the filling down and dot with cubed butter. Bring edges of dough to the center over the filling and pinch to seal. Place on cookie sheet seam side down. Brush with olive oil.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

NOTE: The original recipe makes 2 loaves. I just half it but was too lazy to write it halved on here. :)

Ham and Cheese Puffs

I like poppable foods--things you can just pop in your mouth. These things fit the bill and are a nice change from the usual things I can eat.

Ham and Cheese Puffs
1 (2.5 ounce) package sliced fully cooked ham, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Combine the first 4 ingredients, set aside. Divide crescent dough into 24 portions. Press into greased mini muffin cups. Spoon 1 tablespoon of ham mixture into each cup. Bake at 350 for 13-15 or until golden brown.

NOTE: I didn't have a mini muffin tin, so I used a regular one, and it was fine. Just divide the dough into 12 and not 24. :)

Spinach Chicken Casserole

This is a big deal. Seriously. This is MY recipe. Well, I didn't create it, but I found it and haven't had anything like it. Anyway, to spread the love, I'm putting it out there for all ya'll.

Spinach Chicken Casserole
2 1/2 c uncooked noodles
2 c cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/8 t garlic salt
1/8 t crushed dried rosemary
dash pepper
10 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c cottage cheese
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2 quart baking dish (I use Corningware).
Cook noodles. Combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, garlic salt, rosemary, and pepper in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine spinach, cottage cheese, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Drain noodles and place half in the dish. Layer with half of the chicken mix and then half of the cottage cheese mix. Repeat the layers. Cover and bake for 25 min. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake another 10-15 min.

Tilapia Parmesan

I love fish. Really. LOVE it. I grew up fishing and camping and eating fish baked on the coals of a campfire. I rule cooking fish while camping. However, stick me in a kitchen and give me a fish and I'm lost. I've been exploring a couple of different options and really liked this recipe. Plus D eats it. And he's not so much of a fan of the fishy food.

Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
2 lb tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Line a pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix the herbs together. Season the fillets with the herbs. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for 2 more minutes. Cover the fillets with parmesan cheese and broil for 2 more minutes or until the cheese is brown.

NOTES
Be careful not to overcook the fish. It should flake easily with a fork.

I seriously edited the original recipe to make it IC friendly, but it turned out quite well. Don't be afraid to try a recipe just because it has some problem ingredients. Cut those ingredients out or sub in something else, the worst that could happen is it's bland, it's probably not going to be disgusting. :)

Pork Chops and Gravy

I have a confession to make. I can't make pork chops. Well, I can, but they are usually tough or dry or nasty or . . .
Anyway, I'm constantly trying new recipes and rather liked this one. It wasn't as juicy as those Hormel-cut-your-chop-with-a-fork commercials that continue to mock my failure, but it was good. And it's one pan for the chops and the gravy. Win win!!

Pork Chops and Gravy
6 Pork Chops
1 large onion, sliced (or dried onion flakes, as I usually use)
2 c beef broth
2 Tbsp flour
1 c sour cream
Sage, rosemary, etc

Rub chops with seasoning. Brown chops in a large skillet with onion. Pour broth over chops. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chops. Add some cold milk to flour and stir until smooth. Pour into broth mixture and stir until thickened. When broth is thickened, add sour cream. Stir until smooth. Serve chops with gravy.

Sausage and Kale Soup

My sister-in-law made this for us over the holidays and I LOVED it. It's like the Zuppa Tuscana soup from Olive Garden. There are a lot of recipes out there for this soup, but this one is easy, tasty, and IC friendly. I have no complaints.

For IC people, be careful with sausage. Don't ever get anything flavored or spicy or swimming in preservatives.

Sausage and Kale Soup
Soup Base
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c half and half
1 qt water

Main Ingredients
~6 Potatoes, cubed
1 package mild Italian sausage
2 leaves kale, cut off the stalk and into strips
Dried Onion and Garlic Salt to taste

Saute sausage and drain grease. Mix together the soup base and add main ingredients. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Like I said, easy!

Turkey Roll Ups

This is a recipe I got from my in-laws. I first had it after Thanksgiving, using the leftover turkey. Since I never buy turkey other than Thanksgiving, I use chicken the rest of the year.

Turkey Roll Ups
8 oz cream cheese
1 T chopped onion
1/8 t pepper
2 c pre-cooked turkey/chicken (shredded or cubed)
2 can crescent rolls
Melted butter
Breadcrumbs

Mix first three ingredients, then add turkey. Roll out crescents. Divide the mix onto the rolls. Roll up starting with the large end and tuck the ends up, making balls. Dip in butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Bake at 400˚for 15 minutes (should be golden brown).
Top with sauce (see below) and grated cheese.
Sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
3/4 c milk

Mix and heat on the stove until hot.

Chicken Kabobs

Okay, I know it's been forever, but I've had computer drama. The good news is now I can post the oodles of recipes I have stored up all quick, fast, and in a hurry!

So this recipe needs to be used with a bit of judgement. I can have pineapple if I've been SUPER good for about a week and if I'm not stressed out. Or if I'm cheating. Let's face it, I LOVE pineapple, and next to tomatoes, it's probably been the hardest thing to give up. But not everyone is willing to sacrifice for pineapple. Really, you can put anything you want on the skewer (this isn't a strict recipe) and just go with it! You have to be willing to try new things or food just gets routine and boring.

These kabobs are simple and tasty and work great for the hot summer days when you don't want to use your oven.

Chicken Kabobs
Thawed chicken breast, cubed
Anything else, cubed

Simply take thawed chicken breasts and cut into about 1 or 2" chunks. Coat with olive oil and your own combination of spices. I used garlic powder, rosemary, and basil, but really, you can use anything. The olive oil is key though. If you have time, marinate in the oil, but if not, simply put the chicken, oil, and spices in a bowl and mix. Slide chicken onto the skewers, intermixing with your other ingredients.

I used pineapple to space in between the chicken, but you can use peppers, squash, other veggies, etc. I happened to be low on groceries when we made this meal, so ours aren't very varied. :)
We don't have a full-sized grill, but our camping grill did nicely. They took about 10 minutes to cook, but we made sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Food safety first, and poultry is the worst (needs to be up to 165˚).
They even looked pretty when we were done! If I was smart, I would have made rice and served the kabobs over it. But hey, I'll do that next time.

Baked Salmon

I grew up on fish. There is nothing like a freshly caught trout baked on the coals of a fire while camping at the lake. I can grill fish, I can cook fish on open coals, but I had never tried baking fish or using anything other than trout.

With some advice from a good friend, I made up some salmon tonight and it turned out quite well.

Baked Salmon
1 lb salmon fillet
Onion Salt
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Parsley

Cut the salmon in half for 2 portions. Place one portion on a square of aluminum foil. LIGHTLY brush with olive oil. I dabbed a bit on my brush and did both halves. You don't need much at all. Sprinkle with seasonings (I'm still playing around with the best combination, but NEVER put lemon juice on it with IC--that's asking for death). Wrap foil like an envelope (meet the sides in the middle and roll down, then roll in the ends). Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes. The salmon should be opaque and flake when cut with a fork.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I like tuna, some people don't, but I really do. My problem with tuna noodle casserole was that it was always so dry. Fortunately for me, I married a man whose mom has a GREAT recipe for it that was unlike any I'd ever tried. Granted, there were other advantages to marrying Derek, but that is a story for another time.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 1/4 c macaroni noodles
2 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1 T grated onion (I use about 1/2 T of dried onion)
1 t salt
1 1/2 c grated cheese (mozarella is good, hard cheeses like cheddar can cause IC flares)
1 can tuna fish, drained

Cook noodles according to package, salting the water. Beat the eggs until well blended and add everything else. Mix noodles and sauce together and bake in a 1.5 quart dish uncovered at 350˚ for 30-40 minutes.

I stir it at about 30 minutes and if it's completely soupy, I leave it in for a few more minutes (it should be moist, but not runny). If you leave it too long, sometimes the cheese will get funky, so I tend to err on the side of too short, not too long.

Go-To Meals-Brown Sugar Chicken

Once upon a time, I was living on oatmeal and pasta, and life was very bland. While I was figuring out what foods triggered my IC, I went on an elimination diet--meaning I cut out pretty much everything and added foods back one at a time to see what triggered flares. Needless to say, food was rather plain. This was a recipe that I figured out early on because it's very simple and yet added some flavor to my otherwise dull meals.

I cook my rice in a rice cooker because one, I can't cook it on the stove and two, it is VASTLY superior to minute rice. But minute rice works too, depends on how much time you have.

Brown Sugar Chicken
Rice
Chicken
Brown Sugar
Carrots
Celery

Wash the rice and start it in the rice cooker (takes about 20 minutes, by which time everything else will be done). Defrost a chicken breast and cut into cubes. Cook in a saute pan on medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the chicken starts to turn white and opaque, sprinkle about 1 T of brown sugar over it. Continue cooking until chicken is done (completely white and opaque). While the chicken is cooking, dice carrots and celery and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add about 1 T of brown sugar to the water. Boil on medium for about 10 min or until veggies are soft (yet still firm).

When everything is done, serve chicken and veggies over rice, using the extra juice from the chicken as a sauce.
Simple, fast, and flavorful. Gotta love it.

Go-To Meals-Chicken Broccoli Fettuccini

Still in that week of not wanting to use the 400˚ oven, so another go-to meal of mine is pasta. I try to dress it up with veggies and chicken, but it's really just pasta. Tasty, easy, non-400˚-oven pasta.

Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine
Pasta
Broccoli
Chicken
Alfredo sauce

Yup. That's why it's a go-to meal. :) Just cook the pasta according to package directions. While cooking, wash, cut, and steam broccoli and warm up some chicken. Mix together and cover with alfredo sauce.

I actually can eat the Classico brand of alfredo sauce, but if you have IC, be careful, everyone is different on what artificial ingredients they are sensitive too.

A great alfredo sauce recipe can be found here. Thanks to SIL Brooke!

A note about chicken. For a lot of my go-to meals, I use pre-cooked, frozen chicken either that I made myself or that comes in neat little packages like this. It saves time and tastes fine and is all natural so it doesn't make me sick. :)

Go-To Meals-Quesadillas

So here's the deal. This week was hot (mostly) and I REALLY don't like cooking when it's hot. Usually the summer of my childhood consisted of pasta salads, potato salads, anything COLD. However, I haven't found a lot of cold IC recipes (pasta salad has vinegar dressing, potato salad has mayo, etc). So I'm still looking for those if anyone has suggestions.

My solution has been using the oven as little as possible, and that turns into quick meals that I don't really have recipes for. They are so easy, I feel a little silly putting them up, but maybe it's something you didn't realize was so easy, so it'll help you . . . maybe.

Quesadillas
Flour tortillas
Cheese
Warmed Black Beans
Pre-cooked, warmed chicken
*You could put anything--olives, tomatoes, peppers, etc. This is just what I can have and what I usually have on-hand.

Really, that's it. Derek LOVES them, and they take about 5 seconds to make (more like 10 minutes from start to finish, but still, fast!). You put the beans all over the tortilla, then the chicken, then the cheese. Place in an pre-warmed skillet and cover with another tortilla. Flip when bottom tortilla becomes stiff. Then I slice it with a pizza cutter. Pretty simple. Derek usually dips his in BBQ sauce. But he's been dipping just about everything in BBQ sauce lately . . .

Meatloaf

I know, you either love it or hate it right? The meatloaf of my childhood was good, but pretty much inedible without a healthy slathering of ketchup all over it. You can eat anything if you like ketchup. :)

Unfortunately, my ability to slather things with ketchup has gone the way of the Dodo. Thus, I had to find a new recipe that wasn't just like eating a loaf of meat with no other flavor.

Tada!

Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 c oats
1/4 c chopped onion (or ~1/2 T of dried)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients and then add the egg while the meat is defrosting. Then mix in the beef (I definitely recommend mixing the dry ingredients first, otherwise you end up with a loaf that's really salty in one place and sweet in another). Press that mixture into an 8x4x2" loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ until a meat thermometer reads 165˚ (~45 min). IMPORTANT: Ground beef is very dangerous. Mucho bacteria-o. Be sure your thermometer reads at least 165˚, don't just go off of the color of the meat.

Problem. This recipe is made to be slathered in BBQ sauce. I simply leave that off (though the hubby doesn't). The problem is that for me, the meat is almost too sweet. I don't have that tangy flavor of the BBQ sauce to balance it out. Any ideas on how to balance this recipe w/o using tomatoes? Or acid-laden sauces? Or vinegar? (You see my problem?)

Before
After:
Finished dinner

Stuffed Manicotti

I love Italian food, but there's the little problem of everything has tomatoes in it! Not that I'm bitter. :)
This recipe has a great flavor, even leaving out the tomatoes. I cut the quantities in half since there are only two of us (yes that picture is a half recipe). Then I usually make it again about a week later since I have all the stuff ready to go!
Stuffed Manicotti
1 pkg manicotti shells
1 16 oz carton cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 quart spaghetti sauce (I use Alfredo sauce, but the red would have looked nicer on top)

Cook manicotti according to package. Drain. While cooking, mix the cheeses, eggs, and parsley in a bowl. In a 9x13 pan, spread sauce to cover bottom of pan. Fill each shell with cheese mixture until it spills out both ends. Place shells in pan. Top with sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350˚ for 25-30 min or until cheese is melted.

Variations:
I cook a chicken breast in the pressure cooker, then shred it and add it to the whole mix before stuffing. I gotta have some meat in my dinner. :)

I also add a dash or two garlic powder.

I use nowhere near a quart of sauce. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and the top of the pasta.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Okay, who doesn't love soup, right? With IC, I can't eat tomatoes, preservatives (bouillon), extreme spices, etc. Thus, a lot of soups are ruled out and I'm left with bland, boring water with some vegetables. Not very exciting. This recipe is great because it's hearty, flavorful, and a nice change from just plain ol' chicken noodle.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
1 T oil (I use olive oil-yummo)
1 onion, chopped (I use dried onion flakes and some green onions)
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 large chicken breasts
3 1/2 c water
1 can organic chicken broth
2 c wide egg noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put first four ingredients in a pot and saute until vegetables are soft. Add chicken, water, and broth and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred. Add noodles and simmer until tender (~10 min). Add canned soup and chicken and heat through (~5 min).

Variations:
Cook the chicken breasts in at least 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Use that resulting stock to sub out plain water and can of chicken broth. This also speeds up the process as you don't have to boil the chicken for 30 minutes. :)

I go back and forth between regular pasta and whole wheat. The wheat pasta is thicker and more filling, but more expensive. Either taste great, so you can't really lose!

I also add some sprinkles of rosemary, parsley, garlic powder, etc.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I struggle with pork chops because I always seem to dry them out. Then it's like you're eating leather, which (let's face it) no one really wants to do. This recipe keeps them moist and has a good flavor, but I'm still looking for that perfect pork chop recipe. Ideas?

Crock Pot Pork Chops
4 Pork Chops
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 Tbs apple juice
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbs flour
2 Idaho-sized potatoes (or about 6 normal sized ones)

Cube potatoes and put on bottom of crock pot. Mix soup, juice, thyme, garlic, and flour and put half of it over the potatoes. Place the pork chops on top and cover with remaining soup mixture. Cook 6-7 hours on low (or I did 4 hours on low and the last hour on high--whatever you have time for).