CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

This recipe is from my friend's recipe blog,  Leesh & Lu's Recipe Box 

Ingredients:

---

For the blackened chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

For the sauce:
1- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2-3 teaspoons cajun/creole seasoning (some brands are spicier than others, so season gradually and taste as you go)
1- 15 ounce jar alfredo sauce (or make your own- This is a good recipe to make, but you only need about 1/2 of it for this particular recipe....I used the rest for my kids since they don't do spicy. Also, I found it to be a little salty, so I suggest adding a little salt at a time, to taste)

1/2 pound linguini, or other pasta, cooked and drained (we like whole wheat or the vegetable pasta)

Directions:

---

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat for 5 minutes until it is smoking hot.
Mix together the paprika, salt, cayenne, cumin, thyme, white pepper, and onion powder. Oil the chicken breasts with cooking spray on both sides, then coat the chicken breasts evenly with the spice mixture.

Place the chicken in the hot pan, and cook for 1 minute. Turn, and cook 1 minute on other side.  Transfer skillet to oven and bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness.  When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165, remove chicken breasts from skillet and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.  While chicken is resting, cook your pasta and prepare sauce.  

* I'm lazy, so I actually just cubed my chicken and cooked it in a frying pan with a little bit of EVOO and added my spices to it

In a medium saucepan, combine crushed tomatoes, alfredo sauce, and cajun/creole seasoning. Heat over med-low, until hot and bubbly.  Slice chicken and serve with sauce over hot pasta.  .  

Notes:

---

The chicken is a bit spicy, if you want to reduce the spiciness, cut back on the cayenne pepper.
This is also really yummy using shrimp instead of chicken.  
If you have leftover chicken and sauce--use them on a pizza! :)

Banana Bread

This recipe is from my favorite banana bread recipe. But we are trying to make eating healthier a lifestyle change so, I am trying to make changes to some of our favorite foods.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/8 cup wheat germ
• 1/8 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Beat the cream cheese. Gradually add the white sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the applesauce,  mashed bananas and vanilla. Add flour, wheat germ, ground flaxseed, baking powder, and soda; mix until batter is just moist.
2. In a small bowl, mix together chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon. (I often omit this step altogether or sometimes just add a bit of cinnamon to the ingredients)
3. Divide 1/2 batter into two greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over batter in pans, and top with remaining batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

When I first told Gary about how I made the banana bread he said, "So, it's gonna taste gross?!" But guess what? He REALLY liked it! I have not tried it yet, but I imagine you could substitute the sugar with something like agave or pure maple syrup....I just can't vouch for such fantastic results if you do. You can also cut back on the amount of sugar you use.