Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Magic Noodles (Spicy Thai Peanut Curry Noodles)


A spicy thai-inspired dish with rice noodles and a sweet peanut curry sauce! Loaded with veggies and chicken. It is named "Magic Noodles" because use it fuels workouts.


SERVES 6 -8 , 6 portions
Ingredients
Noodles
1 (14 ounce) package of linguine style rice noodles
Sauce
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (chunky is good!)
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce (1 tablespoon if you don't enjoy a little kick!)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, level
1 tablespoons yellow curry paste (red works too!)
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 (10 ounce) cans coconut milk (shake well before opening)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Vegetables
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup broccoli floret
1/2 cup asian style pea pods
Chicken
8 ounces chicken breasts or firm tofu
Directions

Begin by poaching the chicken breast. (If you are using tofu, bake, fry, or steam your tofu. That is up to you!). Wrap chicken in a tin-foil wrapper and place in a baking dish. Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes or until cooked completely through. While the chicken is baking, begin the sauce.
Pour the coconut milk into a large skillet with high sides and gently warm on medium heat for a couple minutes. Add the peanut butter and melt. As the peanut butter melts, add in the rest of the sauce (save 1/2 cup chopped peanuts) ingredients and stir fully. Let gently simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Start a large pot of water to boil for the noodles.
Rinse and slice the peppers into thin strips.
Rinse the rest of the veggies and add all of the veggies to the sauce.
Cover and let continue to simmer on lowest heat.
When the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the oven and the foil & let it rest for a few minutes or until cool enough to slice. Slice the chicken into slices or chunks and add to the sauce and toss.
Rice noodles cook fairly quickly, so keep your eye on them. Add rice noodles to boiling water and let cook according to the package directions (about 6-8 minutes). Test by eating one of the noodles for doneness. Noodle should be al dente -- cooked but not overcooked.
Drain noodles.
Turn off heat.
Add a small amount of the coconut peanut butter sauce to the large pasta pot.
Return the noodles to the pot.
Pour the rest of the sauce with veggies on top of the noodles.
Toss thoroughly.
Serve with a garnish of chopped peanuts on top.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Chicken Marsala




4 chicken breasts
2 T flour
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sweet marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Variety of mushrooms, sliced
1 can chicken stock

Chopped parsley (optional)

Lightly brown chicken breasts in a skillet and set aside. *Chicken does not need to be fully cooked, only nicely browned.
In the same pan, add olive oil and mushrooms, garlic, and onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until the mushrooms and onions become tender.
Add in butter and let melt.
Sprinkle in the 2 tablespoon of flour and cook for another minute or two, stirring.
Once the flour has had a chance to cook for a minute, turn up the heat to med-high.
Pour in the wine and stir fully.
Replace the chicken breasts into the pan of wine sauce.
Cover the chicken with the sauce and let simmer for about 2-3 mins.
The sauce will thicken.
Add in 1 can chicken stock and stir to combine.
Let simmer about 10-15 minutes on low heat.
At the very end, add in the heavy cream and stir well.
Sprinkle with generous amounts of parmesan cheese.

Serve over pasta and top with chopped flat leaf parsley.

*Note: using a fat free heavy cream or light cream can sometimes curdle in dishes using acidic components (wine, tomatoes, lemon).

If you use a full heavy cream, the dish will be rich and will not curdle.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Balsamic, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Focaccia Salad Pizza



Ingredients
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar (white is ok too)
1 frozen pizza dough, ball (available in the freezer section of most grocers)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil
1 large ripe tomato or 2 ripe roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese


Directions
1Thaw and allow frozen pizza dough to rest.
2Balsamic Glaze: Put 1.5 cups aged balsamic vinegar and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring. When it becomes syrupy, take off heat and put into another dish.
3Chill for 30 minutes.
4Once frozen dough thawed and rested, stretch or roll out dough to be about 1/4 thick in an almost rectangle shape.
5Lay on pizza sheet and brush on 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle all of the dough with garlic salt and the parmesan cheese.
6Bake in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes.
7Pull out and poke the dough several times with a fork.
8Put back into the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
9Slice fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and chop basil.
10Arrange mozzarella and tomatoes on foccacia and sprinkle with lots of fresh basil. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the top. Use extra virgin or any good olive oil.
11Drizzle with Balsamic glaze and serve with extra balsamic glaze for dipping.


Friday, September 18, 2009

BBQ Chicken Pizza




I was bored with every flavor combination I had come up with recently and decided to make a BBQ Chicken Pizza. I liked it well enough from when I worked at CPK and figured it wouldn't bore me. I love the way cilantro, red onions, and bbq sauce taste together.

1 frozen pizza dough ball, thawed and let rest
1 T olive oil
Garlic Salt

8-10 oz. Chicken Breast, boneless skinless
1 cup bbq sauce (your favorite! I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 Open Pit Original)
Bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, diced finely
2 cups shredded mozzarella

2 T Ranch Salad Dressing (high quality, don't use Fat Free or Kraft -- they taste so bad that they aren't worth it)

Stretch or roll out the pizza dough to fit the size of your pizza pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle crust with garlic salt.
Put in a preheated 400 degree oven for 4-5 mins.

Grill/poach chicken breast, dice, and toss in BBQ Sauce.

Pour chicken and sauce over the crust, sprinkle with a lot of shredded mozzarella and diced red onion.

Put back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes.

After the pizza is golden brown and melty, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with Ranch for dipping.

I like to have a nice green salad with this pizza.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Fresh Tortilla Chips



1 package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 T chopped garlic
1/2 can artichoke hearts
1/2 jar alfredo sauce
2 packages of cream cheese, *softened
1 tsp. garlic salt
dash pepper
1 tablespoon SAMBUCA(optional)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
diced tomatoes for garnish
4 flour tortillas
canola oil

Thaw and squeeze out spinach. In a bowl mix spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, alfredo sauce, the SAMBUCA, 2 packages cream cheese, half the shredded mozzarella and half the parmesan cheese. Mix to combine thoroughly.
Chop up 1/2 can of artichoke hearts (drained well) and add to the mix.


Pour into a baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Do not over bake.
Take out of oven and top with remaining cheeses and diced tomatoes. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese melts.

In a non stick skillet, put 2 T canola oil. Cut the flour tortillas into 1/4's and fry for about 1 minute on each side until lightly brown. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
Serve on the side with the spinach dip.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Bengabi Pizza


Ingredients:

Bengabi Pesto:
1 cup zaatar spice
5-7 sprigs of fresh thyme, thyme removed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil

2 thin loaves of pita bread or 1 frozen pizza dough ball (pictured with pizza dough)
1-2 ripe roma tomatoes
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 Preheat oven to 380
2 Mix zaatar, thyme, garlic, oil in bowl and let sit 1-2 mins.
3 Smear onto pita, but don't get too close to the edges; leave a little crust
4 Top with slices of tomato
5 Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella per pita

Bake in oven on the rack for about 7 minutes or until crust is crispy and cheese is melted.
If it is not done at 7 mins, check on it after 10 and it should be done.

Add crumbled goat cheese or fresh mozzarella to make it realllllly good!

Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella and Fresh Basil


Ingredients
4 large good sized boneless chicken breasts
1 cup mayonnaise (lite mayo works fine!)
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cups panko (usually in the asian section of a regular grocery store)
1 (20 ounce) jar of good marinara sauce (Prego, Ragu, etc.)
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic (or 2 cloves, chopped)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 dash salt and pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh basil
Directions
1Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2Mix italian bread crumbs with panko in a large dish.
3Slather each chicken breast with mayo and dredge in breadcrumbs.
4Put chicken breasts side by side in baking dish and cook in oven for 15-18 minutes or until they start to brown on the outside.
5Begin the sauce with jar of pasta sauce, can of tomatoes, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper (add a little onion if you wish). Simmer on low-medium heat until chicken is browning.
6Remove chicken from oven and pour all of the sauce over the tops of the breasts.
7Reduce oven temp to 375 and bake, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.
8In the last 5 minutes, pull the chicken out again and layer on slices of FRESH MOZZARELLA all over the chicken and return to oven.
9I usually turn the broiler on for about 2 mins to start the melting process then turn it back to the oven.
10Once the cheese has melted and started to bubble, remove from oven.
11Top with lots of torn Fresh Basil leaves.
12Serve with pasta.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Buffalo Chicken Pizza


1 frozen pizza dough ball
8 oz. grilled or poached boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
6 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 cup franks red hot
olive oil
garlic salt
Chopped Romaine
Chunky Bleu Cheese dressing or high quality ranch (not Kraft, blech.)

Thaw dough ball and let rest
Roll or stretch dough out to size of pizza baking sheet.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Mix diced chicken with red hot and pour all of the mixture onto the pizza crust.
Top with shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 400 for about 12-15 mins.

I sometimes turn on the broiler feature to help melt the cheese (only for a minute or two!).

Served topped with chopped romaine and chunky bleu cheese dressing.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Indian Chicken Curry




I've been doing a lot of research on Indian Cuisine lately and have come up with a whole lot of conflicting information - Northern vs. Southern, regional recipes, traditional recipes, signature recipes, etc. that over the years have all been combined, mixed up, combined again, mis-named, re-named, and now we have it.

But, I've created a great curry that is delicious and very close to what most Indians would agree is a Tikka Masala, with yogurt or cream added.

You can modify this recipe in the ingredients you throw in. This morning, I had to make 2 meals (lunch and dinner) for myself to take to work. I am too too busy, and not exactly rich, so I need to cook & can't eat out.
Today, I made it vegetarian with extra firm tofu, rinsed chick peas, and of course, the garnish of chopped onions, cilantro, and cucumber.

But no matter what you put in it (chicken for most) the sauce goes like this:

2 T Canola Oil
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger
1 T brown sugar
2 T masala spices (email me for the exact ingredients and I'll direct you)
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
3 spoonfuls of yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream


Optional Ingredients:
Chunks of chicken breast, tofu cubes, chick peas, peas, spinach, paneer

Garnish:
Chopped cilantro, red onion, cucumber (For me, this is a must!)

Begin by gently sweating/sauteeing diced onions in the oil, in a large skillet. After about 10 minutes, add the 2 T of spices and stir. Cook for another 2-3 mins on low/medium heat. Add in the paste and tomatoes, sugar, ginger & garlic. Stir and let simmer.
Add in your optional chosen ingredients and continue to cook. If you use chicken, add 1/2 cup water to your sauce and let simmer until the water reduces and the chicken is cooked through. If you use tofu or other vegetarian ingredients, do not use the extra water.

Seperately, mix the yogurt and cream together.

Once the optional ingredients are cooked or heated through, add in the yogurt/cream mixture and let heat thoroughly.
Stir to combine fully.

Serve with Jasmine Rice, naan, and the garnish.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Lasagna



 This is my recipe for a traditional lasagna. Enjoy!

1 small tub ricotta cheese
1 package cream cheese
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 T tomato paste
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
Fresh Basil for garnish
5-7 lasagna noodles (I use the no boil ones)

Brown the beef, add in the onions and garlic and sautee until the onions are soft. Drain excess oil and add in the tomato paste and sauce. Stir well and set aside.

Let cream cheese come to room temperature and mix with the whole tub of ricotta. Add in the dried basil and salt/pepper to taste. I do not add an egg to this mixture; personal preference.

Slice fresh mozzarella and set aside.

In a bread baking dish (I use a larger, glass bread baking pan, use whatever you have), put a few spoonfuls of just the sauce in the bottom of the dish.
Lay down 1 lasagna noodle and sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella. Ladle on 2 large spoonfuls of the meat sauce and then another lasagna noodle.
Then, add a few spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella and a couple spoonfuls of the sauce, and then another lasagna noodle.
Then, add a few slices of fresh mozzarella and some meat sauce. Add another lasagna noodle.
Add some more ricotta cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella, and sauce, then another lasagna noodle.
Repeat until the bread pan is filled.

Add 1/2 cup water to the rest of your meat sauce and pour that all on top of the lasagna you've put together.
Top with shredded mozzarella and slices of fresh mozzarella.

Let lasagna sit in the fridge for 1-4 hours before baking, for best results. This step is not necessary however.

Bake covered with tin foil for 1 hour on 350.
In the last 15 mins of baking, remove foil.

Let stand for 10-15 mins before slicing and serving.

Garnish with chopped fresh basil.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Shy's EASY flourless chocolate cake




3/4 cup of good quality cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 stick butter
6 large eggs
2 T kahlua

Preheat your oven to 350.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool
Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy.
Add in the kahlua and continue to beat.
Gradually add in the cocoa powder and beat until fully incorporated.
Finally, add the butter and continue to beat for about 1 minute.

Butter a 2-quart glass baking dish and pour the batter into it.

Place the baking dish into a larger baking pan and fill the larger pan with about 1 cup of hot water.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until the top begins to crack.

If you would like a more gooey cake, reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Pesto Pizza with sliced tomatoes and sundried tomatoes



This a great, flavorful pizza. I always use FRESH MOZZARELLA cheese for my more italian style pizzas because it has better, creamier, richer flavor. However, feel free to substitute any grated mozzarella cheese if you are saving cash.

Crust: I am a huge advocate of the frozen pizza dough that is available in many grocery stores. In mine, it is a secret gem at only $1.50 per ball and that feeds about 3-4 people!
Let it thaw completely and rest for about 1 hour in a bowl with some olive oil on top, covered with saran wrap.

***NOTE: You can also often buy a dough ball from your local pizzeria. This is economical as well.

Once the crust is thawed and rested, punch it down and then slap it back and forth in your hands until it starts to open up. You can also stretch the dough and/or roll it out. Use flour if you want.

Preheat oven to 425. Spray pizza pan with a non-stick spray or canola oil. Lay crust on pan and bake for 5 mins. (You may need to poke the dough with a fork a few times to let air bubbles out.)

Brush or coat the top of your crust with olive oil and then a good amount of garlic salt sprinkled on the crust.

PESTO:
Put 1 large bunch of fresh basil, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup nice parmesan cheese, grated, and squeeze of lemon into a food processor or blender. I also add about 1/2 tsp. salt. Blend until smooth. Add in a couple TBSP. of water if you need to get it to move more freely. I don't use pine nuts for this sauce because of the added expense, but feel free to add them if you have them!

Slice your tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella into slices.

Take out your par-cooked crust and smear all of your pesto sauce all over the middle and out to the sides.

Top with tomato slices, sundried tomato pieces, and lots of fresh mozzarella.

Bake an additional 10 mins, THEN change oven to broil and broil for 3-5 mins.

***If you want to make it super decadent, add 5-6 small goat cheese rounds to the pizza too.

Top with additional fresh cut basil, if you wish.

Serve!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shy's Guacamole




4 large ripened avocados
1 clove garlic
1 small lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 or 2 TBS. hot tomato salsa (your favorite brand)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
a couple grinds of black pepper
3 dashes tabasco sauce

Mash the avocado with chopped garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper and your favorite chunky tomato salsa.  Pop the lime in the microwave for 20 seconds and then roll on the counter to loosen the juices.  Squeeze all of the juice of 1 lime into the avocado mixture.  Add in the tabasco sauce and cilantro & mash until combined.  I like to keep the guacamole a little chunky, so don't mash it until it is a puree.  Serve with chips or on tacos, chicken, or anything you'd like!   Leave one avocado pit in the guacamole to help keep it bright green.  If you need to store the guacamole, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate; this will keep it from browning.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Mozzarella Stuffed Spaghetti and Meatballs



This is a great traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe but the secret is that the meatballs are filled with little balls of boccaccini (fresh mozzarella)!!!

Meatballs:
2 lbs. ground sirloin
2 T A1 steak sauce
1 T worsheshire
1 T grill seasoning
1 T tomato paste
Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup paremsan cheese
2 pieces of bread, crumbled and soaked in milk (squeeze out excess milk)
Dash bread crumbs
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced *optional
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 eggs

Combine fully and set aside.

Sauce:
1 large can of high quality whole tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar of your choice of pasta sauce
Dash sugar
3 cloves garlic, diced
Italian Seasonings

Cheese:
boccaccini (small balls of Fresh Mozzarella)
parmesan cheese

Spaghetti

Fresh basil

Great served with homemade garlic bread!!!

Form meatballs around little balls of boccaccini and set aside. Make sure the cheese is fully encased in the meat.
Make up to 20 meatballs. Boil large pot of water. Drop 7-10 balls at a time into the rapidlly boiling water. Allow each ball to boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from water and set on a baking sheet or in muffin tins.

Bake meatballs for 30 mins on 375.

Combine sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and smash up the whole tomatoes. Let simmer while meatballs are baking and then add the meatballs to the sauce. Let cook additional 15-20 mins.

Top spaghetti with GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF SAUCE and 3-4 meatballs each. Garnish with lots of fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Curry Noodles



I love curry!

This thai dish is pretty easy to make, and really really good. Plus, you can really add any veggies and protein that you'd like. I like scallops.

2T of red curry paste (available in any grocery near the Asian foods)
1 can coconut milk (not light)
1 T brown sugar
1 T thai garlic chili sauce
Rice noodles
Chicken, shrimp, scallops, beef -- anything you'd like (par-cook it first)
Broccoli, bok choy, bell peppers, pea pods, pineapple chunks, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.

Heat the coconut milk over medium heat. Add in the curry paste, brown sugar, and thai garlic chili sauce. Stir well to combine the curry with the milk fully. Taste and re-season. It might need a tad more sugar.
Add in your veggies and par-cooked protein.
Simmer over low until the veggies are tender and cooked.

Serve curry sauce over soaked rice noodles.

Delish!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

That One Salad



This is one of the best salads on earth! That is why it is called THAT ONE SALAD.

SERVES 4 , 1 salad (change servings and units)

Ingredients
1/2 small head romaine lettuce
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup lightly toasted unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1-2 ripened tomatoes
8 ounces white balsamic vinegar
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
garlic salt
2 loaves of thin pita bread
1 (4 ounce) triangle bleu cheese (the higher quality the better)
1 (8 ounce) chicken breasts or 2 (4 ounce) chicken breasts

What is White Balsamic Vinegar, you ask???
CLICK HERE: http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--34772/white-balsamic-vinegar.asp

Directions
1Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2Grill/brown the outside of the chicken breasts (you can do this in a non-stick skillet with a little canola oil or on a grill pan like a George Foreman). After one side is slightly browned, place the chicken in tin-foil and wrap tightly. Bake the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes depending on thickness. When you remove the chicken from the oven, check for doneness. If the chicken is not cooked all of the way through, put back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes.
3Meanwhile, brush pita with a small amount of oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Place loaves into oven on the racks and let back for 5 minutes or until bread is firm and lightly brown. Remove from oven.
4Chop romaine and spinach, and tomatoes and put in large bowl. Toss with the dried cranberries and all of the toasted walnuts.Add 1/2 of the bleu cheese to the salad, crumbled.
5Put the white balsamic vinegar into a blender or food processor on medium/high and slowly drizzle in the remainder of the oil. Allow to emulsify for 30 seconds or so.
6Once the chicken is fully cooked and is cool enough to handle, dice into medium/small pieces and toss into salad.
7Pour entirety of the dressing over salad and toss/mix together.
8Serve salad on top of the crispy bread!
9Serve with extra bleu cheese crumbles on top & cracked black pepper.

Pear Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad




This is a great salad!
It is great served on top of a baked pizza crust.

1 small head of romaine lettuce
1 cup of baby spinach
1 ripe bartlett pear (the red pear)
1/2 cup whole pecans
1/2 cup craisins
4 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar

Make a balsamic vinegar reduction with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. sugar.
Chill.

Chop the romaine and toss it with the spinach.
Slice the pear and add it to the lettuce mixture with the craisins.
Gently toast the pecans and add them to the salad.
Add half of the goat cheese to the mix and toss again with 2 T of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.

Assemble salad on a plate, crumble the remaining goat cheese on top and drizzle with generous amounts of balsamic reduction.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Taco Pizza



1 Frozen Pizza Dough Ball
1 lb. ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes and/or salsa
Shredded Mozzarella
Sour cream
Garlic Salt
Olive Oil

Optional:
Jalapenos
Hot Sauce
Ranch Dressing
Tortilla Chips

Thaw the dough and let it rest. Stretch/roll it to the size of your pizza pan and brush with olive oil and sprinkle crust with garlic salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425.

Brown ground beef in a pan with the taco seasoning and the amount of water recommended (I use less water and only about 1/2 the seasoning packet -- personal taste).

Bake the pizza crust for 5-6 mins in preheated oven.

Take out of oven and top with the ground beef and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Reduce heat to 400 and bake an additional 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is fully melted.

Top the whole pizza with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and/or salsa, sour cream and other taco toppings.

Cut into slices and enjoy!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Lamb and Pine Nuts in a Cup



Tonight I wanted to experiment. I had some left over pot sticker wrappers (like wontons) from an attempt at making ravioli out of them gone awry.
(Making ravioli from wontons is yucky!!!)
So, I did some research on how to bake them in a muffin tin and create little cups to hold fillings.
I was in the mood for something Greek/Middle Eastern, so I filled them with a combination of ground lamb, beef, pine nuts, feta, garlic and parsley.

They were really good!

I served them with Orzo with feta and beans.

1 lb. ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Seasonings:
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried thyme
1/2 T cumin
1/2 T garlic salt
1/2 T red chili flakes
1 tsp. cinnamon

About 20 gyoza wrappers (pot sticker wrappers)

4 oz. feta cheese

Olive oil for brushing

Canned diced tomatoes, optional.

Brown the beef and onions on medium/high heat and then add the lamb. Mix together and cook until the pink is gone. While cooking, add in all of the seasonings and stir to combine. Add in the garlic, but keep the chopped parsley aside for now.
Continue to cook for about 8-10 mins on low/medium heat & allow the flavors to combine. Stir occassionally.

In a seperate pan, spray with non-stick spray and lightly toast a handful of pine nuts. More if you like more! We like more.

Drain fat from the meat mixture.
Add chopped parsley and pine nuts and stir to combine.
Add in crumbled feta, stir, and keep warm on low heat.

In a muffin tin, spray with non-stick spray, and in each cup lay 1 wrapper on one side of the cup and wet the bottom with a tiny bit of water (dip your fingers in water and run over the bottom of the wrapper) and lay in another wrapper on the other side of the cup.
Do this until you fill up the whole muffin tin.
Brush each cup with a bit of olive oil.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until beginning to brown.
At this point, I took them out of the oven and carefully removed each cup. I placed them all on a flat cookie sheet (or pizza sheet) and filled them with the meat/cheese mixture.
I replaced them in the oven for an additional 5 mins.

Remove from oven and serve with yogurt sauce and your favorite side dish!

Yogurt sauce:

1/2 cup of plain yogurt, allowed to let drain all day and thicken
handful of fresh mint, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Let yogurt sit in a strainer or coffee filter in a set-up where the yogurt will not touch the bowl it is in and will allow it to strain the liquid out. Or, just buy Greek Yogurt.

Add in the fresh chopped mint and garlic and serve with the meat pies above.




Oh oh oh! In 1/2 of them I added half of a can of diced tomatoes, just to see if that would taste better. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste better. The nice flavors of the lamb, pine nuts, garlic and cheese was a great combination and the tomato flavor was overpowering.

It did taste more Italian though, so if you like a more Italian flavor, you might enjoy it with tomatoes more.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Quinoa Tabouli


I got the idea of making tabouli with quinoa to up the protein factor.  But, then I found out that bulgur wheat is pretty high in protein too (less amino acids though!).

1 cup of quinoa, prepared and chilled
2 bunches of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch of mint, finely chopped
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare all of the ingredients and toss to combine.  Chill and serve with lettuce leaves and pita bread.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

I'll write the recipe later.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Butternut Squash Soup


I have a new uncle now named Kirk and also a new cousin named Cody and they came over for dinner last week. I made a starter of butternut squash soup and it was really quite good. So, I thought I'd share.

1 whole butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and chunked (or, I cheated and bought the pre-diced package butternut squash)
1 package frozen winter squash puree (in the freezer section)
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1 can water
1 small onion, diced
2 T brown sugar
Salt/pepper
Dash cinnamon and nutmeg
Oil for tossing and sauteeing (so about 2 T tops)
1/4 cup Heavy cream *optional

Begin by tossing the squash chunks in a bit of oil, coarse salt, and black pepper.
Sprinkle about 1 T brown sugar all over the squash.
Roast in an uncovered pan in a 400 oven for 30-35 mins.
Meanwhile, dice up a small onion and gently sautee/soften in a bit of oil. Salt the onion once it starts to soften. Do not brown the onion.
After it is soft, add in the squash puree, stock, water, and spices and 1 full T of brown sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce to a low simmer.
After the squash is done, add it to the soup. Let cook for another 10-15 mins on low heat.

Now, either use a HAND BLENDER or you'll need another pot.

Ladle the soup and squash chunks to a blender (you will want to work in batches; about 3 batches will do for this amount of soup), and puree on high for 30-60 seconds per batch until smooth. Move each batch to a new pot.

Once all of the soup has been pureed, taste and re-season.

More salt? More pepper? (Maybe a dash more sugar??? Probably not, but maybe.)

Stir in heavy cream and let cook for 5-10 more mins on low heat.

Serve.

I love it with multigrain crackers or graham crackers!!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Pork Tenderloin Chops de Giada




So, this isn't really my recipe. I got it from Giada DeLaurentis but I've modified it slightly. It is sooooooo good, so I'm putting it on my blog for you.

1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine (drinking wine)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 head of fennel (anise)
capers
lemon (juice and zest)
parsley
olive oil
salt/pepper
1/2 tsp. white sugar
3-4 large thick cut pork loin chops (boneless)

Season then brown the pork chops in a skillet and set aside (they should not be cooked through, only browned on the outside)
Chop up garlic and fennel
Add 2 T olive oil the the same pan the pork chops were browned in and then add the fennel and garlic.
Lower heat and gently sautee for 4-5 mins.
Deglaze pan with white wine and stir to get all of the goodness off of the pan.
Add in tomatoes, salt/pepper, and sugar. Stir stir stir.
Chop up a handful of flat leaf parsley and toss it in.
Reintroduce the pork to the pan and nestle them into the sauce.
Turn the heat to medium and cover the pan.
Cook for 10-15 min, depending on the thickness of your chops.

After cooking, add in 2 T capers and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice along with some lemon zest. Garnish with more chopped parsley.

Yum!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Healthy Veggie Fajitas



1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 white onion
1-2 large portabella mushroom caps
chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

6 flour tortillas
(Or 6-8 ice berg or romaine lettuce cups for substitution, if you are watching carbs)

Jar of Salsa
Low Fat Sour Cream
Romaine lettuce (chopped)
Cilantro (chopped)
Lime (optional)

Slice the peppers, onion, and mushroom and cook in a hot skillet with oil and garlic stirring often until veggies begin to soften. Reduce heat half-way through if veggies are starting to brown too much.
Add in 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa and stir.

Heat tortillas in microwave for about 20 seconds to steam.

Make fajitas by piling veggies, more salsa, sour cream, lettuce and cilantro (and a squeeze of lime) into the tortillas (or lettuce cups) and enjoy.

*Some people like shredded cheese, but I don't.

**Don't hesitate to add in other vegetables to the above recipe if you have them and like them. This is a great way to get your vegetables but make them taste like a decadent mexican meal.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Spicy Seafood Pasta

 

This is what I made before a 10 mile run!

1 lb. live mussels
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deviened
1/2 box fettucini or linguine pasta
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine (drinking wine)
1 jar marinara sauce (good quality)
3 T butter
Salt/pepper
Chopped flat leaf parsley
Parmesan cheese
Toasted crusty bread

Begin by boiling the water for the pasta.

In a large pot add the wine, garlic, butter, crushed red pepper, and half the jar of marinara sauce.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes, then add in cleaned live mussels.  Increase the heat and cover tightly.  Allow the mussels to cook for 4 minutes stirring once at 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat. Once the mussels are cooked and have opened, remove the meat and return it to the sauce. Discard the shells.  (I left a few mussels in their shell, but that was just for presentation.)

Cook the pasta for 10 minutes or according to the package.  In the last minute, toss in all of the cleaned and de-shelled shrimp.  Do not put the shrimp in until the pasta is pretty much done.  More than one or two minutes in the water will overcook the shrimp.  Drain pasta and shrimp and return it to the pot.  Toss the pasta, shrimp and sauce with the mussels together with the remaining marinara sauce and chopped parsley and some salt/pepper.  Heat until the sauce and pasta are hot.

Serve with toasted crusty bread.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Creamy Chicken Enchilladas


Ingredients
1 lb boneless chicken breast (thighs ok too)
1/2 chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoon oil (canola or vegetable)
1 (12 ounce) jar alfredo sauce
1 small tub sour cream
1 small jar medium or hot salsa
1/4 cup sliced jalapeno (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups chopped lettuce
1 ripe tomato, diced
8-12 ounces mozzarella cheese
6  medium flour tortillas

Directions
 Lightly brown chicken in skillet with oil.
After chicken has a light brown color (does not need to be cooked through), add chopped onion and 1/2 jar of salsa to pan and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat and let simmer on low-medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring and shredding the chicken as it cooks.
Preheat oven to 375.
Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or coat with a light coating of oil.
Add 1/2 jar of alfredo sauce to shredded chicken and stir to combine.
Add in sliced jalapenos if you are adding them.
Spoon equal amounts of the chicken mixture into the 6 tortillas, rolling the tortillas and placing them seam side down into the baking dish.
In a bowl, mix together the rest of the alfredo sauce, the sour cream and 1/2 cup water. I usually warm the water and that helps the sour cream and alfredo sauce come together smoothly.
Pour that alfredo/sour cream mixture over the top of all of the enchillada rolls.
Pour 1 line of salsa down the middle of the rolls.
Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and cover with tin foil.
Bake for 30 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes, remove the tin foil and allow to brown in oven.
Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro and more sour cream.

French Onion Soup


2 large sweet onions, sliced thinly and quartered
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T sugar
salt/pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup sweet marsala wine
1 qt. beef broth
2-3 T Olive oil

Croutons
Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
Parmesan *optional

Slice onions very thin and quarter them.  Sautee in oil over medium heat.  Do not char the onions; let them caramelize gently, stirring often. After about 2 minutes, add in the thyme and salt/pepper. Let them cook for another 5-7 minutes and then add the sugar and garlic.  Continue to let them cook until they become a light caramel color.  Add in the marsala wine and turn up the heat to high.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes and add in the beef broth.  Stir and let cook for another few minutes until the flavors blend and the soup is steaming hot.

Ladle into fire safe bowls and top with croutons and slices of cheese.  Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly.  Garnish with some parmesan.