Italian chicken bruschetta soup

This soup was made for my Soup & Sandwich Swap event, which you can read about HERE for more recipes and pictures.
Joelen’s Italian chicken bruschetta soup
1 large can marinara sauce1 large can whole tomatoes w/basil3 tomatoes, chopped and seeded1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped1 onion, finely minced3 cloves garlic, minced2 cup low sodium chicken [...]

Spicy vegetarian chili

This soup was made for my Soup & Sandwich Swap event, which you can read about HERE for more recipes and pictures.
Betsy’s spicy vegetarian chili

1 teaspoon olive oil2 medium onions, chopped1 medium green pepper, chopped1 medium red [...]

Stuffing It… In a Healthy Way!

Today was a dreary, cold, wet and cloudy day… a typical fall night in Chicago. It definitely called for a warm and comforting dinner, but I wanted it to also be healthy. (Often times, warm and comforting means starch heavy and sauce laden meals in our house!)
It’s been a few nights since we had some [...]

WW: Eggplant Rollatini with Tomato Basil Sauce

For dinner tonight, I had a special guest over… my 6 year old nephew. To keep things healthy yet kid friendly, I made something similar to a lasagna (a favorite of my nephew’s) – Eggplant Rollatini. Little did he know that it was completely vegetarian! I served this with a baked bone-in chicken breast, seasoned [...]

Goat Cheese Baked in Tomato Sauce

The following recipe was made and shared at my Tapas party. You can read about the event and view links to the other recipes shared HERE.
Goat Cheese Baked in Tomato Sauceshared at the event by Johnrecipe from here
2 garlic cloves, minced1/4 cup olive oilbaguette of bread, sliced8 ounces goat cheese1 to 1 1/2 cups marinara [...]

Comforting Italian…

I think I mentioned before how my husband isn’t much of a pasta guy. However I do like pasta and well, he’ll eat what’s for lunch or dinner regardless. So today, I was considering chicken parmagiana… breaded & fried, slathered with sauce and topped with gooey cheese. But with my recent efforts of getting back [...]

Balsamic Tomato Couscous

The follow recipe was shared at my Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Event. You can read and view links to other recipes that were featured HERE.
Balsamic Tomato Couscousshared at the event by Lori

recipe from Recipezaar
2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried basil1 teaspoon minced garlic1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons olive oil1/4 teaspoon ground pepper5 [...]

Papaya Salad

The following recipe was featured for my Thai Cooking Class. You can read and view other recipes from the class HERE.
Papaya SaladJoelen’s recipe
1 tablespoon chili garlic paste2 tablespoons fish sauce1 tablespoon sugar1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste or 1/2 shrimp bouillon cube2 cups shredded green papaya2 tablespoons roasted peanuts2 tablespoons fried garlic1 medium tomato, chopped & seeded1/2 [...]

Black & Green Tapenade

The following recipe was shared during my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting recipes of Chef Wolfgang Puck. You can view other recipes and pictures of the event HERE.
Black & Green Tapenadeshared at the event by JennOriginal recipe here
The tapenade can be served as an hors d’oeuvre, in a small bowl, surrounded with tiny toasted bread slices [...]

Fresh Tomato, Basil, & Garlic Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta

The following recipe was shared during my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting recipes of Chef Wolfgang Puck. You can view other recipes and pictures of the event HERE.
Fresh Tomato, Basil, & Garlic Sauceover Angel Hair Pastashared at the event by JoelenOriginal recipe here
2 pounds ripe tomatoes3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 red onion, finely chopped3 garlic cloves, [...]