Italian Chicken and Orzo

2 4oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. dry oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
cooking spray to coat pan
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp minced red onion
1 cup cooked orzo pasta

Pound chicken to an even 1/2 inch thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pat chicken breast with oregano and pepper, coating both sides. Brown chicken in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Remove chicken from skillet. Add tomatoes to skillet and scrape up any browned bits. Add chicken broth and onion. Return chicken to skillet. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken to baste. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, turning chicken once, until chicken is cooked through. Turn heat up for the last few minutes to reduce sauce slightly. Serve over 1/2 cup of orzo for each serving. Spoon extra sauce over chicken and orzo.
Makes two servings.

Weight Watchers POINTS value: 5

My husband and I recently joined Weight Watchers; from now on recipes will include POINTS values. This recipe is from the weight watchers website. The original recipe called for whole wheat orzo, which I didn't have so I used regular white pasta. If you use whole wheat the POINTS value is 4 instead of 5. I only had Spanish style diced tomatoes on hand, but it still turned out great, just a little spicier than if I had used Italian style diced tomatoes.

Cookies till You're Content

I LOVE TO BAKE!!! I've decided to start adding new cookie recipes as well as new dinner ideas to my blog. I got a wonderful cook book this weekend and I can't wait to start using it!

Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken

1 pound penne pasta
2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain well.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.
Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

*** I hope you like lemon if you try this recipe! I would recommend adding the lemon juice a little at a time and testing it to get the flavor you want. I put all the lemon juice in at once and it was to strong for me.

Rio Grande Spice Rub Strip Steaks

4 sirloin strip steaks (8 to 10 ounces each) 1 inch thick

1 1/2 tbsp dark chili powder

1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 large red onion, cut into 4 thick slices

Olive oil to coat onion

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat grill to high heat. combine spices for rub and rub well into steaks.

Coat red onion slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill steaks and onion slices about 5 minutes on each side, remove from heat. Let meat stand for about 5 minutes. Top with grilled onion rings and serve.

*** Go easy on the spice rub! A little goes a long way with strong flavors like these. The spice rub recipe made enough for twice as many steaks as the recipe calls for.

Pasta al Forno

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound penne rigate (with lines)

softened butter, for baking dish

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 pinches cinnamon

6 slices bacon, chopped and extra crispy

1/4 to 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Put a pot of water over high heat to boil. when water boils add salt and pasta. Cook pasta to al dente (soft on the outside with a little crunch on the inside), about 7 minutes. Once pasta water comes to a boil preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Butter a medium size baking dish or casserole. Ad olive oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. cook onions and garlic in olive oil 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Add cream and season sauce with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add chopped bacon to sauce and stir with cooked pasta to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer pasta to baking dish. cover pasta with cheese and place in oven. Bake until top is lightly brown and pasta is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

*** This pasta was so very good. The recipe makes enough for a 9x13 pan which fed my family for a week! Just go easy on the cinnamon, the flavor is really enhanced when you bake it.

UPDATE: Zucchini Parm Crisps

I made the zucchini parm crisps (recipe below) to go with dinner last night and they were SO good. My husband hates zucchini and he even gobbled them up. They are a must try! So good!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

I just found this recipe on the food network website. I have to run to the store and get some zucchini, but I will definitely be making these soon! I'll post an update about how they turn out later.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.