Southwestern Chicken with Mango-Peach Salsa

Eating healthy is not boring.

That's what everyone thinks, right???

There are many great recipes and foods that are so good for you and taste awesome! Too bad I'm just now figuring this out, but better late than never!

Sandra Lee has created this refreshing recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southwestern-chicken-with-mango-peach-salsa-recipe/index.html When I decided to make this dish, I was more curious about the taste than the fact that's it is good for you. In fact, she doesn't even advertise how healthy this dish is! Which is crazy since it is sooo yummy, different, and healthy!

I have to admit, when it comes to the seasoning Sandra Lee uses, I usually just try to create my own or just use what I have because I can never find the specific seasoning at the grocery store. So for this recipe, I didn't even look at the chicken part. Therefore I'd prepare the chicken breast however you want with a little bit of spicy seasoning.

It is the salsa that is great in this recipe! I would have never of thought of salsa to be made out of mango and peaches-- but it refreshing and not something you have everyday and that's why I love it! The recipe notes that it is easier to cut the fruit while it is still frozen, but I disagree. I had an easier time cutting it when it was thawed (I zapped it in the microwave to thaw a bit and the fruit was not ruined). Lastly, scrap the jalapeno seeds out if you are not a fan of spicy! Don't eliminate the jalapeno from this recipe because the sweetness of the mango and the peaches combined with the heat from the jalapeno and the cilantro really is what makes this salsa!

Here's to good health!

Peanut Butter Caramel Swirled Brownies

Holy deliciousness!!!!!! If you want to impress people and show off your baking skills, this is the recipe to do just that. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/peanut-butter-caramel-swirled-brownies-recipe/index.html Bobby Flay has amazed me yet again! This man can do no wrong with food! This recipe I saw on a episode of throwdown with Bobby Flay-- he lost against goat cheese brownies if I remember correctly. Man, I gotta try those goat cheese brownies because his recipe is off --the-- charts AAAAmazing!

This recipe is not as hard as it looks. There are a lot of steps but the recipe went surprisingly smoothly for me. I did not have corn syrup so instead of buying a whole bottle I was never going to use, I substituted agave nectar and it still turned out great! Also just in reading the ingredients quickly and rushing off to the store to buy them, I did not notice that the recipe states 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, plus 4 ounces. So obviously you need a total of 6 ounces obviously and I ended up being short 2 ounces. :0 Yet the brownies still turned out amazing!

I'd keep an eye on the sugar and water because once it starts turning brown it does so fast! I think it happened in less than 5 minutes for me. When melting chocolate over boiling water, use a glass bowl for best results.

It is risky but following the directions for pulling out the brownies before they are completely done makes them so rich and soft and, oh, just plain decadent......mmmmm..... I had to leave mine in there for a few extra minutes but once the top was set I did pull them out and let them cool.

See???!!!! How pretty!!!!!

Carmelized Onion, Sausage, and Basil Pizza

This pizza is sooooooo goood! From now on when I want a meat lover's pizza, this is the pizza I will make! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/caramelized-onion-sausage-and-basil-pizza-recipe/index.html

The recipe time did take longer than what it states. To caramelize the onions it took about 40 minutes for me. You want the onions to be caramelized and golden brown. I was not an onion fan for a long time but I added some olive oil to them and I'm completely in love with them now! Then the meat I picked was an awesome mild Italian pork sausage I got from the butcher at whole foods. I think it was what put this pizza on an amazing level! Now, Gorgonzola cheese and blue cheese are intense and not for everyone. I love cheese but I admit these two are not my favorite. So I added the cheese to half of the pizza, it's good but a little too intense for me. If you are like me, I would suggest to use feta cheese. You could leave the cheese out but it definitely acts as a binder between the sausage, onions, and the dough.

As for the dough, I used the same recipe as I did for the Arugula, Ricotta, and Smoked Mozzarella pizza. The cornmeal is great for the dough not to stick to your cookie sheet. Some tips for rolling out pizza dough into a circle-- start from the center and consistently rotate. I haven't perfected rolling dough into a circle so many times I am satisfied with a rectangle but if you are going for perfection just keep rotating the angle from which you roll. Don't stick to 90 degrees. 45 degree angles should do the trick!

Arugula, Ricotta, and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

I love pizza..... I always have. Growing up that was the answer I put when a question asked me favorite food. That's probably why I love making it! And why I'm so excited about all of the different creations one can make with pizza.........

Oh sorry, I was daydreaming. Back to this wonderful recipe by Giada: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/arugula-ricotta-and-smoked-mozzarella-pizza-recipe/index.html It is very different and wonderfully cheesy with some hidden nutrition! And it is so easy to make! Basically you combine the ingredients in a food processor and put in on the dough. The recipe states blend a couple of ingredients first, but you can put them in all at the same time. Giada does when she makes this recipe on the show. After you pulse the mixture together (it need to be pulsed, don't just turn on the food processor) and you can spread it on the pizza. It spreads so well because of the ricotta cheese! And the rest of the recipe is simple. (Yes, even though the olive oil is good for you yet fattening make sure you use it for this recipe!)

I love making dough from scratch. I like to try different recipes from time to time, and this time I tried Giada's. It is not my favorite recipe; it takes the longest but the dough is nice and smooth-- unlike other recipes. I get apprehensive about a pizza dough recipe that does not allow time to make sure that the yeast is activated-- which sadly this recipe does. It still worked out fine for me though!

I never knew about the greatness of arugula before starting this cooking hobby. It's an absolutely fantastic lettuce that is hidden in this recipe. Great for kids (and adults) that don't like the eat their vegetables! Also, the different kind of tomatoes are something I've learned as well. I now, hold you breath, like Roma tomatoes! I've enjoyed Roma tomatoes since there is actually meat inside the tomato instead of watery goop! ;) Two veggies in this yet I still love this pizza!

Hope you do too!