Ingredients:

3 chicken breast (butterflied)
Provolone cheese
Smoked ham
Extra virgin olive oil
Paper-thin slices of lemon
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Butterfly a thick, 8 ounce chicken breast.

Cut that butterflied breast into two pieces along the seam that holds the two breast halves together. Imagine it as an open book and cut along the spine. Now you have two thin cutlets.

Lay a slice of ham and then a slice of provolone cheese on each cutlet. You may want to tear the cheese and fold the ham so that they do not extend beyond the cutlet, because they’ll just melt or burn in the oven.

Fold each cutlet over to almost seal the ham and cheese inside. Brush the tops and sides of the stuffed chicken cutlets with olive oil. Sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper.

Cut two thin rounds of lemon and place one on each chicken bundle.

Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Top each baked, stuffed chicken breast with minced fresh parsley to really enhance the fresh flavors.

Enjoy!

~Ingredients

18 fresh jalapeños
One 8-ounce package cream cheese
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion, sliced
18 slices thin bacon, cut into halves
Bottled barbecue sauce
Toothpicks
Rubber gloves (or plastic bags) for working with jalapeños
Cooking Directions

Preheat the grill on one side.

Begin by cutting jalapeños in half lengthwise (see warning in headnote). Try to keep the stems intact. They look prettier that way.

With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and light-colored membranes. Remember: The heat comes from the seeds and membranes, so if you can handle the sizzle, leave some of them intact.

Now, in a bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped green onion. Mix the ingredients together gently.

Next, stuff each hollowed jalapeño half with the cheese mixture.

Wrap bacon slices around each half, covering as much of the surface as you can. Be careful not to stretch the bacon too tightly around the jalapeño, as the bacon will contract as it cooks.

Brush the surface of the bacon with your favorite barbecue sauce. Chutney or apricot jelly works well, too!

Secure the jalapeños with toothpicks and put them on the cold side of the grill and cook for 1 hour, or until the bacon is sizzling.

Serve hot or at room temperature, and watch them disappear within seconds.

Variations:

For a simpler version, omit the cheddar and green onion from the cream cheese.

Cut sliced peaches or pineapple into small bits and press them into the cream cheese before wrapping the jalapeños in bacon.

Use Pepper Jack cheese in place of the cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings, 2 stuffed pepper halves per serving

8 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers or a mixture of all (about 4 lbs)
2 tbsp canola or olive oil, divided
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
16 oz fresh Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing or lean ground turkey (You can use pre-cooked turkey or slices of deli turkey cut into small pieces and use it in place of the turkey sausage, if desired.)
1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa, mild or hot
2 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed and chopped or 1 (10 oz) package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove moisture
1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese
2 large avocados, peeled and pit removed, sliced
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, slicing from the stem to the bottoms, leaving the stems intact. Remove the white pithy ribs near stem and down length of inside. Remove the ribs and seeds and discard. Place the peppers in a shallow 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Drizzle the peppers with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cover the dish with foil, and bake the peppers 15 to 20 minutes, until they start to soften.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin; cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage to the skillet. Cook, breaking it up with a slotted spoon or potato masher, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the salsa and the spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked brown rice and quinoa (optional).

Carefully fill the pepper halves with the turkey mixture. Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the filling is hot and the peppers are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil, and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the peppers. Return to oven; bake, uncovered, until cheese has melted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Top the peppers with a heaping tablespoon of the yogurt. Place slices of the avocado on top of each pepper. Sprinkle with the basil. Serve immediately.

Halibut:

1/4 c panko
2 T grated parmesan
minced zest 1/2 lemon
S&P
4 tsp purchased pesto
2 halibut filets, 4 oz each 1″ thick

Crazy Water

1/4 red onion, minced
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 t olive oil
1/4 dry white wine
2 c water (orig recipe calls for 2.5 - I’d go less in the future)
1/2 c halved grape tomatoes
1/4 dry orzo pasta
1 t sugar
2 sprigs fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme from the garden)
1/2 c coarsely chopped zucchini (I shredded about half of one on a box grater)
1/3 c jarred roasted red pepper, cut in strips
1/4 c halved kalamata olives
2 T chopped fresh parsley
juice 1/2 lemon
Lemon Wedges

Preheat 450. Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Combine panko, parmesan, lemon zest, S&P in bowl. Spread pesto on each halibut filet and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Press panko mixture onto pesto side of fillets, spritz crumbs with nonstick spray, then refrigerated til ready to roast.

Saute onion, garlic, and pepper flakes in saucepan over med high for the crazy water. Cook til soft, then deglaze with wine. Simmer til nearly evaporated then stir in water, tomatoes, pasta, sugar and thyme. Cook til orzo is tender, about 9 min.

Roast fish in the meantime. Cook til crumbs are golden and flesh flakes easily w/fork, 10-12 minutes depending on thickness.

Add zucchini, red pepper, and olives to crazy water. Simmer til heated through. Off heat add parsley, lemon and season to taste w/S&P.

To serve, divide broth between 2 bowls, top each with fish and garnish with lemon wedges.

RECIPE INGEDIENTS
1 lb ground turkey breakfast sausage (comes in a tube)
1 tablespoons Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons diced tomato
3 tablespoons green onion, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
5 large eggs
6 ounces mexican cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

RECIPE DIRECTIONS
In a 12″ saute pan, brown your turkey breakfast sausage on med-high heat. Add red onion and continue browing until onions are soft and the meat is golden brown.
While the sausage is cooking, in a large bowl, crack the eggs. Whisk in the whipping cream, green onions, tomato, salt and pepper and keep it moving for about a minute. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Remove the pan your sausage has been browing in from the heat and let stand for a minute or two to cool off before adding the egg mixture.
After a few minutes pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage and red onions. Cover with cheddar and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for three minutes before serving.