Garlic Chicken Spaghetti

I love a good pasta dish. This is total comfort food. My girls actually love it. This makes a great weeknight dish because you can throw it together in about 20 minutes. To find sun-dried tomatoes not packed in oil look by the fresh veggies and you may find dried ones. I like to buy these better because I think they last longer. To make it quicker, buy presliced mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 1 package (1 pound) spaghetti
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup minced fresh or 1 Tbsp dry parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a small bowl; add boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and chop tomatoes; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and garlic salt. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
• In a large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Add the broth, wine or additional broth, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Stir in the reserved tomatoes and chicken; heat through.
• Drain spaghetti. Add chicken mixture and cheese; toss to coat. Yield: 8 servings.

Greek Tilapia

If it isn't obvious yet, we eat a lot of tilapia. I found this recipe in my cooking magazine and it is wonderful. The pine nuts add a crunch that is wonderful. Serve with rice.

Ingredients:


6 tilapia fillets
4 tsp butter
1 egg
1 cup (4 oz) crumbled tomato and basil feta cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
   OR 1 can petite diced tomatoes rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
   OR 1 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:


1. In a large skillet, brown fish in butter in batches. Transfer to a 15x10" baking pan coated with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the egg, cheese, milk and cayenne; spoon over fish. Sprinkle with tomato, olives and pine nuts. Bake uncovered at 425º for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

3. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon juice and pepper; drizzle over fish.