KITCHEN KREATION: Fresh Tomato Pie

Ok blog family, I know I have been missing in action lately, but I am truly blaming it on the fact that things have been really busy and hectic around here. I narrowly missed not one but two tornadoes this past week, I got to fly to Philadelphia to visit some family, and then had to come back and put my car in the shop. Wooo! It has been a crazy week...

So anyway, I decided to make it up to my dear hubby who has been so supportive and patient with the craziness around here. Tonight I decided to make my BBQ Chicken pizza which he loves and I decided to experiment with a new drink (the Watermelon Lemonade Spritzer). Thanks, Monique, it was AMAZING!!! I also tried another one of her recipes the Fresh Tomato Pie. Now keep in mind that I am NOT a fresh tomato eater at all and even I had to say, dang, this is good! Tomorrow, I will be experimenting again with an Okra and Sausage Stew (and no I don't eat okra either). Of course all recipes have my spins on them based on what we like to eat over here, so be sure to stay tuned!

The tomato pie recipe actually came from the YesDivasCanCook blog email, but she said that she will put up the video in a few weeks. Here is my slightly adapted version of her recipe. If you like tomatoes or even if you like Italian food, you have GOT to taste this! It tasted like everything that should go in spaghetti without the actual pasta. Hubby gave this recipe two thumbs up and as the self-proclaimed tomato hater of the family, I even had to admit it turned out really delicious. Hope you like it.


INGREDIENTS

Pie Crust
5 tomatoes, seeded & diced
1/2 small red or yellow onion – sautéed
1 clove garlic - minced
3 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup Light Mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
fresh basil, chopped (optional)
cooking spray


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Press pie dough into 9-inch pie dish plate and poke holes in crust to prevent crust from rising.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden.
4. Sauté onions in skillet using cooking spray until tender.
5. Add minced garlic to onions and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute. Stir well.
6. Season diced tomatoes and onions with Italian seasoning, oregano, salt & pepper. Stir well to coat the seasonings. Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
7. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and spread evenly.
8. Mix mayonnaise and cheeses in small bowl.
9. Spread mixture evenly over the onion and tomato mixture.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.
11. Top with fresh, chopped basil (optional)
12. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
13. Serve warm or cold.

NEW NOTE: Hubby just had his 2nd piece and said, "Babe, you just made a pie out of tomatoes and it's the freakin' bomb!" LOL

I just entered all the data for this recipe into the SparkPeople recipe calculator and 1 serving (1/8 of pie) is only 221 calories! It would probably be even less if I used fat free mayo (may have to try that next time).

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair pasta

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair Pasta

So, all week long, I have been having this craving for Italian food. I scoured the internet looking for recipes and finally decided to take their ideas and make my own.

Let me tell you, this has got to be one of my best "kreations" yet. The chicken came out so flavorful and tender. The hubby said that it tasted like something from the Olive Garden (high praise indeed). So, give it a try and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS
Thin-cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Ragu spaghetti sauce (Your choice. We used Sautéed Onion & Mushroom)
Angel hair pasta noodles
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup shredded cheese (Your choice. We used the Kraft Italian blend.)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse chicken breasts.
2. In shallow dish add the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Stir to combine and mix well.
3. Season chicken breasts with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings.
4. Spray chicken breasts with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Dip chicken breasts in parmesan/bread crumb mixture.
6. Heat olive oil in skillet and add breaded chicken breasts when hot.
7. Brown chicken breasts on both sides, approx 6-8 minutes.
8. While chicken is cooking, prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions.
9. When chicken is browned, add approximately 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to chicken.
10. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
11. Add shredded cheese to top of chicken breasts, cover again. Remove from heat.
12. Drain angel hair pasta and return to pot.
13. Add remaining spaghetti sauce to pasta, stir well to combine.
14. Plate and enjoy!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

One of the blogs that I follow is named "Cooking with Cynthia". I have been eyeballing one of her recipes for a homemade pizza and I finally decided to make it tonight.

Of course, I had to change and adapt the recipe just a little bit (that's what I do). Let me tell you, I think that Cynthia has made me a convert from the store-bought and restaurant pizza lover to a home-made pizza lover. On top of knowing exactly what is going on my pizza, the amount of salt, etc., I feel like it is a lot healthier. That is probably just a delusion considering the amount of cheese I layered on this thing, but at least I did good and only ate one slice. Hmm, as of this exact moment, I have only had one slice... [LOL]

This pizza is really easy to make and let me tell you, it was delicious! Cynthia's original version can be found here on her Chicken Alfredo Pizza page. For my version of her recipe, here are the ingredients and directions:

Ingredients
4-5 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (thawed, cleaned, and cut into chunks)
1 can Pillsbury pizza crust
8 oz. bag of shredded cheese (I used the mixed Pizza blend)
1/2 cup Ragu Alfredo sauce
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Pam cooking spray
Seasoning - to taste
(I used Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, Italian seasonings, black pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder - approximately 1/2 to 1 tsp each.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions

1. Place chopped spinach in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
2. Season chicken with whatever seasonings you prefer.
   
3. Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft and tender.
4. Add chicken and saute in skillet until lightly browned.
5. While chicken, onion, and garlic are cooking, hand roll pizza crust into pizza pan.
   
6. (Optional) Spray pizza crust lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle a light dusting of garlic salt & Italian seasonings onto pizza crust.
7. Poke holes in pizza crust with fork.
8. Spread the alfredo sauce on pizza crust evenly.
9. Add 1/2 bag of cheese (approximately 1 cup).
10. Squeeze moisture out of chopped spinach and use approximately 1/2 of package. Place onto pizza.
11. Add onion, garlic, and chicken mixture to pizza, spreading evenly.
12. Add remaining cheese to pizza (approximately 1 cup).
    
13. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
14. Enjoy!

Again, I repeat, this was super easy to make and came out delicious. Disclaimer: if you aren't a garlic lover, feel free to decrease the amount or omit it all together. My happily-stuffed lab rat (aka my dear hubby) gives this two thumbs and a big toe up! LOL
Hope you enjoy it.