Adapted from My Recipes, this chicken recipe is spicy and delicious.  This was my first time cooking with chicken thighs and broiling them made it very easy.   The package of thighs I bought only had 5 thighs, so I used a little less seasoning, however it was very flavorful.

Ingredients
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used 5)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

I placed all of the dry ingredients in a gallon size ziplock bag, and added the chicken.

I shook the bag until the chicken was well coated, and placed it on a greased broiler pan.

I then broiled the chicken for 5 minutes on each side, and added the honey mixture.

I flipped the chicken and continued to broil it until cooked thoroughly.

Directions
Preheat the broiler.  Combine the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, ground cumin, paprika and ground red pepper in a large bowl.  Add chicken to bowl and toss to coat. (I put the spices in a gallon size ziploc and shook the chicken until evenly coated.)  Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Note: I would advise broiling the chicken for at least 2 minutes on each side, and until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

Who doesn’t love the taste of cake batter?  When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it!  As I’m a beginning to learn how to bake, I followed this recipe exact, and WOW it’s DELICIOUS!  The recipe is from Angie River Show.

Ingredients
1 box Annie’s Confetti cake mix (an organic version of the traditional Funfetti)
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup organic milk
1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1 organic egg
1 teaspoon organic vanilla
1/2 cup organic white chocolate chips
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (I added less as I used the confetti mix)

I mixed all of the ingredients in a glass bowl…

and spread them into an 8×8 baking pan.

about 30 minutes later…

Absolutely delicious!  Rich, gooey and very sweet!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Mix together cake mix, milk, whipping cream, avocado oil, vanilla and egg.  Add in the white chocolate chips and sprinkles.  Bake in an 8×8 greased baking pan for 25-30 minutes.  Batter may appear to be undercooked or gooey. DO NOT overcook. Wait 20 minutes before cutting in so the bars set.  YUM!!!

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This was my first time making spinach stuffed shells using tofu.  With the use of mozzarella, I didn’t feel like I was eating just crumbled tofu.  They were actually quite good and I’ll definitely be making them again when the husband gets the real thing!

Ingredients
10 jumbo pasta shells
1 block extra firm tofu (I used Trader Joe’s Organic)
1 cup fresh spinach (I used whatever amount I had left over from my Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe)
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

While your onion is softening, take an entire block of tofu and crumble it using your hands.  It should look like this:

Add the breadcrumbs, onion/spinach mixture, salt, pepper, mozzarella and egg white to the tofu.

Spread sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish, and spoon the mixture into the shells.  Please note I can only eat so much sauce so I only spread a thin amount and didn’t cover the shells in sauce.

They came out delicious!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook shells in a large pot of boiling water, stirring often, until just tender, about 15 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach in batches and toss with tongs until wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess moisture. Let cool.

Combine ricotta, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and mozzarella; mix well. Add the reserved spinach and season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg white.

Stuff each of the reserved shells with a generous amount of the ricotta mixture. Spread sauce in the bottom of your casserole. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer. Top with the remaining sauce (if desired). Bake until the top is golden and the shells are heated through, about 30 minutes. (If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.) Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I often feel bad for my husband because I almost never make “heavy” Italian food.  I decided after living together for a year and only making a lasagna *once*, I was going to surprise him when he came home from work with some stuffed shells!  Since I can’t eat ricotta, I ended up making my own lactose free version, and because I never measure and made the entire box of shells, I also made a Mexican version the next night!  Here are my spinach stuffed shells adapted from Eating Well.

Ingredients
16 jumbo pasta shells, (I really filled mine)
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onions, finely chopped
2 pounds fresh organic spinach, trimmed and washed, or two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 cups marinara sauce

After sauteing onions until soft, I added fresh spinach 2 batches at a time to wilt it down.

I then combined the ricotta, nutmeg, bread crumbs, and parmesan.

I then added the spinach mixture and egg white, and combined.

I then covered the bottom of my casserole dish with sauce, and added the stuffed shells.

I topped it with sauce and cheese, and baked them for 30 minutes.

They came out delicious!  Totally jealous..

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook shells in a large pot of boiling water, stirring often, until just tender, about 15 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. If using fresh spinach, add it in batches and toss with tongs until wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess moisture. Let cool. If using thawed frozen, add it to the onions and toss to mix well. Set aside.

Combine ricotta, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan and nutmeg in a bowl; mix well. Add the reserved spinach and season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg white.

Stuff each of the reserved shells with a generous 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Spread sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer. Top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden and the shells are heated through, about 30 minutes. (If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.) Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Once the weather gets cooler, I love making soup!  One of my favorites is Italian Wedding soup.  I had never had it until about 2 years ago, which I always thought was funny since I’m 100% Italian.  When I first made it I followed Ina Garten’s recipe.  Now I use hers more of a guide and do my own thing.  I personally didn’t like the sausage taste in my meatballs, and I found all of the grated cheese too overpowering.   I also use ground turkey instead of chicken.  Please keep in mind I almost always omit garlic from my recipes as I suffer from acid reflux, however I know it would taste amazing in these meatballs!

Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1 lb organic ground turkey, breast only or chicken
1 organic large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup organic bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan (omitted this tonight), plus extra for serving
1/2 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper

For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 organic carrots, peeled and sliced
2 organic celery stalks, sliced
10 cups chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s organic broth)
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars (I used alphabet)
6 oz organic baby spinach, washed and trimmed
6 oz organc kale, washed with stems removed

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

For the meatballs, place the ground turkey, bread crumbs, basil, thyme, parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine. Form about 1-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan that is lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.)  I always use my leave in thermometer (I LOVE it!), and cooked these until they were 165°F internally, which took about 12 minutes.  Now, boil water for your pasta.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and kale, and bring to a boil.  Once your pasta water has boiled, start to cook your pasta.

Taste the soup for salt and pepper. Add the meatballs and fresh spinach, and cook for 1 minute until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with grated parmesan if desired.

Very simple and took me exactly 1 hour from start to finish.