Spicy Garlic Roasted Broccoli

SPICY GARLIC ROASTED BROCCOLI

This is ladychicago's famous broccoli recipe. It is, honestly, the only way to eat your broccoli. The flavor is amazing. Be prepared to fight for the garlic slices leftover in the pan! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 large broccoli florets
olive oil
4-5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or more, or less)
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional, but recommended)
salt, to taste
lemon pepper (or black pepper), to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Clean the broccoli by rinsing with cold water. Next, trim the base of the stem. Cut the broccoli into large chunks and place on a baking sheet.

Coat the broccoli with olive oil. Add the garlic slices, crushed red pepper, salt and lemon pepper. Toss to coat.

Bake for 15-20 mins, or until the garlic begins to lightly brown.

Creamy, Tender Pork Chops!

CREAMY, TENDER, PORK CHOPS

I made these today and I will say they were the best pork chops I've had in a long, long time. I will definitely be making these again. I could barely pull the chops out of the slow cooker in one piece. They were so tender! Yum!

INGREDIENTS:
4 thick center cut pork chops
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup
1/2 soup can of water
1/2 soup can of dry white wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice


DIRECTIONS:
Trim excess fat from chops, rinse with water and pat dry. Spray slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, dry mustard powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in skillet. Brown chops on both sides. Place chops in slow cooker.

Combine soup, white wine, water and lemon juice. Pour over chops.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you do not have a slow cooker, you can also bake these at 350 degrees for 1.5-2 hours. Be sure to coat your baking dish with nonstick spray.

Blackened Chicken

BLACKENED CHICKEN

I love blackened chicken. I've been making this a lot lately ... like 3 times this week. Not only is it healthy, it's tasty and easy to throw together. I found the original spice recipe on Allrecipes and have changed it to suit our taste.

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Rinse the chicken breasts under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Once combined, rub the spice mixture on both sides of the chicken. Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-30 mins, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Lemon Pasta

LEMON PASTA

I had seen this recipe on Brooke's blog today and just had to try it. The 'original' version of this recipe comes from Lovestoeat.

I made a few changes to the original recipe and it turned out delicious. Such a light, flavorful dish that went great with our blackened chicken. We'll definitely be making this again!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 box whole wheat thin spaghetti

2/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1-2 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano

Crushed red pepper, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Whisk all other ingredients together. Toss pasta with the lemon sauce and serve immediately.