Recipes lately

I wanted to post of some recent recipe finds that we have really liked.  The first is a 5 ingredient parmesan crusted tilapia (sooo easy, perfect for a weeknight dinner) and the second is a crockpot chicken and rice soup that I tried to lighten up a bit.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 tilapia fillets
1 lemon, cut into wedges


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes.  Serve the fish with the lemon wedges and your favorite side dishes.

Crockpot Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2-3 chicken breasts

1 package Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice

Salt and Pepper

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

1 cups diced carrots

1 diced onion

1 cup diced celery

Directions:

Put the broth, water, chicken, rice and the seasoning packet, celery, onion, and carrots in the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours (or on high for 4 hours).  Once the chicken is tender, shred and return to the crockpot.

At the end of the cooking time, in a small bowl mix the salt, pepper, and flour.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Stir in flour mixture a little at a time to form a roux.  Then whisk in the half and half and milk, a little at a time, into the roux until mixed completely and smooth.  Then add this mixture to the crockpot and cook on low another 20 or so minutes.