Cheesy Spinach & Bacon Quesadillas

I started with a recipe tonight for these, but altered the already small ingredients list enough times that I think it is no longer the same recipe, so I will just share mine instead.  I was sort of concerned before making these that not only would there not be enough filling for each quesadilla (compared to past quesadillas we’ve made), but that we’d be hungry still after eating them as our dinner tonight.  It’s a fine line some nights to come up with a dish that is low enough in calories for my dietary needs while still being filling, but also high enough and filling for my husband as well who gets a lot more calories a day than me.  Quesadillas are a pretty light meal in general, but just looking at the ingredient amounts I was concerned these would be even more so.  It turns out that I was wrong, and these were more than satisfying.  I actually started to feel pretty satisfied after one to tell you the truth, but I managed to eat that second one somehow lol.

The flavor on these is awesome.  The little bit of heat from the tortillas, matched with the creamy smoked flavor of the cheese, and the sweet smokey bacon and fresh spinach is just perfect.  I think serving these with a bit of sour cream would be even better, but it’s definitely not necessary if you are hoping to keep the calories down.

I want to take just a moment to talk about the bacon…. if you have never cooked your bacon in the oven you don’t know what you’re missing!  Not only is there no splatter of oil to clean up and ruin your clothes or burn you, but each piece is perfectly done with ease, and stays nice and straight and looks amazing!  Thick cut bacon works best, but you can certainly do it with any bacon you have.  You just have to watch it closely because the time in which is crisps happens so quickly.  I am going to go ahead and say every oven is different, and so is every bacon so there is no cut and dry temperature/time combo that will work best, but I will list what I used tonight as a guideline to get you started and you’ll just have to try it for yourself to find out what works best in your oven.

Serves : 2-4                            Time to make : 10 minutes (not including bacon preparation time)

Ingredients :

• 4 Jalapeno Cheddar Tortillas (they are large and the brand is Mission)
• 3 oz. nonfat cream cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded gouda
• 8 strips of thick cut bacon, crispy
• 1 cup of fresh baby spinach (or basically a large handful)

Directions :

1. First make your bacon… either in the skillet if you prefer, or in the oven as mentioned above.  To make it in the oven line a large cookie (with sides) with foil and place a rack on top.  The foil should come up the sides a bit to catch all your grease for easy cleanup.  Spray rack a bit with non-stick cooking spray.  Lay bacon on rack making sure not to overlap them for the best results.  Bake in a 350 degree oven (not preheated) for about 25-30 minutes or until done, paying close attention starting around 15 minutes and flipping them once or twice for even crisping.
2. Once bacon is done, combine the cream cheese and gouda in a small microwave safe bowl and heat for about a minute until melted stirring about halfway through.  Watch closely so it doesn’t burn or anything, but it should be fine as long as you stirred it.  You’ll end up with a sort of sticky, ball of cheese rather than a truly melted sauce.
3. Split the cheese among the four tortillas and spread on one half of each.  Next layer on the bacon.
4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add about a T. of water and throw in the spinach stirring gently.  Cook just until it has wilted down a bit, and then remove it.  Layer that into your quesadillas last before folding them over into half circles.
5. Wipe out any moisture in your skillet left from the spinach and spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat and then cook your quesadillas in there either one at a time, or if you are brave and have a large skillet go for two at a time but it will make it harder to flip them.  Again, watch closely because once they start to brown they will burn fast if you aren’t careful.  It will probably only take a minute or so for the first side to brown up and start to get crispy, then flip it and cook the other side.  Note: the other side will brown even faster so pay attention.
6. Cut in half and serve warm.  Optional to serve with a bit of sour cream as well.

Cauliflower Crust Thai Chicken Pizza

Don’t let the title of this one scare you off… this is an AMAZING pizza.  Not only can you not tell the crust is made from cauliflower, but it’s actually really good.  It might not hold up quite like a regular dough crust, but if I remember correctly (I made this quite some time ago, and just haven’t had time to blog about it) I was able to slice and hold it with some care.  It takes a bit of time, and it might get a little bit messy making this pizza, but it’s definitely worth the effort, and your waistline will thank you too.

Notes: Cauliflower crust doesn’t hold up well for reheating since it’s pretty moist, so plan to eat it all the first night… which is no problem lol.  It won’t smell super appetizing while you heat the cauliflower, but I promise it will taste better than it smells.  When grating the cauliflower use the large holes of a box grater.

 

makes : 1 pizza

Ingredients :

Crust :

• 2 cups firmly packed shredded cauliflower (about half to 2/3 of a large head)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T. (or more) Sriracha
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. olive oil

Toppings :

• 1 (7oz) jar peanut sauce (found in most Asian sections of the grocery store)
• 2 T. peanut butter
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I believe I used rotisserie)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella
• 4 green onions, green parts only, chopped
• 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. and spray a large baking sheet or pizza pan (I used a pizza pan with holes covering the bottom for ventilation) with nonstick cooking spray.  Place shredded cauliflower in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 8 minutes.  Let cool.
2. Add egg, mozzarella, garlic, sriracha, and salt to the cauliflower, stirring to combine.  Pat the mixture into a 12-inch round on prepared pan.  Brush with the olive oil.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.  Remove crust from oven and adjust oven setting to broil.
4. In a measuring cup or small bowl stir the peanut sauce with the peanut butter until combined.  Spread sauce over pizza crust.  Arrange chicken over next, then sprinkle with cheese, green onions, and cilantro.
5. Broil for 3-4 minutes, watching carefully, until cheese is melted and begins to brown.  Cut into slices and serve immediately.

Spiced Vanilla Apple Cupcakes with Vanilla Cinnamon Caramel Frosting

Wow, what a mouthful!  And trust me, you are going to want to have a mouth FULL of these!  A while back I made some caramel apple cupcakes, and they turned out good, but I knew they could be better.  After running out of desserts in our house yet again I decided today was the day to play around and see what I could come up with.

Some of the ingredients I used today might not have been my first choice, but I was trying to stick to things I had on hand.  For example, the confetti cake lol…. I would likely use plain white/vanilla next time.  I might also throw in more than the 15 caramels I had on hand, or perhaps even throw in some caramel syrup to really bring the flavor up front and center in the frosting.  Really though, even with the things used everything turned out great, and if I had those things on hand again I would use them in a heartbeat.

These cupcakes don’t rise a whole lot because of the density from the apples  so I recommend filling them fairly full.  When added the cinnamon to the frosting start with a little and add in small increments until you reach your desired amount.  If you are like me and want to save a bit of time, or enjoy a bit of texture in your cupcakes you can leave the apples unpeeled, however I find kids prefer them peeled.  Also, I know most apple desserts call for granny smith apples, but I used some firm golden delicious today and they worked very well, so don’t be afraid to use your apple of choice for this.

Servings : 24 cupcakes                 Time to make : 35-40 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 box cake mix (confetti or white)
• water, eggs according to box directions
• 1/3 cup applesauce (or however much oil the recipe calls for on box)
• 1 1/2-2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 apples, diced 
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 15-20 caramels
• 1 T. butter
• cinnamon to taste

Directions :

1. Mix cake mix, water, eggs, and applesauce in a large bowl until moist.  Continue on medium speed for 2 minutes.
2. Add cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, mixing well.
3. Fold in apple pieces.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
6. To make frosting : melt the caramels and butter in a glass bowl in microwave slowly, stirring every 10-15 seconds until smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool a bit.  Once cooled fold into the frosting until smooth.  Add cinnamon to taste.
7. Fill a piping bag, cut a small hole in the end, and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.  Then sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon on top.

Day 136 : BBQ Chicken Pizza

Just another pizza night at the Welcome’s!

We’ve really been enjoying the gourmet pizzas of late, so I figured I’d throw in another one this week.  I don’t always like BBQ sauce, but I did really enjoy this pizza.  When I was making it I worried that maybe it would be too blah since there were few ingredients and so many additions were coming to mind, but I refrained from adding any of them and decided to give it a try as intended.  I actually think it was perfect just the way it was, and Jeff seemed to think so too since he quickly claimed it was a 5 star recipe.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Serves : 2-4              Time to make : 25 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 (12 inch) prepared pizza crust (I used a pilsbury one and just baked it for about 8 minutes first)
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 1/2 cup diced grilled chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken)
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup monteray jack cheese, shredded

Directions :

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spread bbq sauce on pre-cooked pizza crust, then the chicken, peppers, and onions, and top with the cheese.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Day 120 : Garlic Lover’s Burger

These burgers are not only packed with garlic flavor but many others as well.  They are SUPER moist, and also so super simple to make.  I like to make them on the foreman grill because they are pretty delicate/moist when starting out, but you might be able to do them on a special rack on the BBQ or in a skillet as well.

I know it seems like a LOT of garlic to cut up and add 3 T. worth, but trust me when I say you want to use it all.  The blend of flavors is out of this world and you will never want to have a simple boring burger again.  Tonight was our first time trying it with the suggested black beans addition and I liked it, but Jeff wasn’t as big a fan.  We usually do add onions though.

I like mine on a bun with just mayo, lettuce and pickle.  Jeff  has also tried it with ketchup and claims it takes on an almost meatloaf taste that way.  Even Archer enjoyed them tonight, so I guess you can say these are “kid friendly”.

Garlic Lover’s Burger

Serves : 3-4                        Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb ground beef (extra lean)
• 3 T. garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 T. ginger paste
• handful of fresh cilantro, minced
• 3 T. soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 4 kaiser buns

Optional

• black beans (1/2 – 1 can… they act as a bulker and add nutrition), rinsed drained, and roughly chopped
• chopped onions
• spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, which makes it more meatloaf style in flavor

Directions :

1. Combine ingredients in bowl and mix with hands.  Take care not to over-work the meat.
2. Shape into 3-4 patties, and grill until done to your liking.
3. Place burgers on buns and top with whatever you like.

Day 119 : Spicy Thai Tuna Roll

Instead of going to the store today I decided to use up some of the stuff we already had again.  Like I’ve said before, it really helps me to use things up and waste less if I have to get creative, and that’s just what I did today.  I was pretty surprised at how it turned out, and though I think it is good as-is, I might make minor changes if I were to plan ahead for it.

For example, I would use fresh basil if given the choice, and I might choose a different cheese like monteray jack, or even different lettuce.  The addition of some finely chopped red peppers might be nice too.  For the tuna I buy these things called Tuna Sensations, and they come in various flavors.  I usually get the lemon pepper or sun-dried tomato ones and have used them in various ways in the past.  This was the first time I tried the thai one and by itself I was not impressed and almost didn’t continue to make my lunch, but after I doctored it I really did like it.  One thing I left out though was the spicy thai pepper on top, since I felt it was pretty spicy already without it.  I also took the crackers out and will just use them elsewhere.

I didn’t really measure everything so I will give estimations below.

Spicy Thai Tuna Roll

Serves : 1             Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 can Tuna Sensations Spicy Thai Chili (use crackers elsewhere)
• 1 1/2- 2 T. mayo (however creamy you like your tuna)
• basil, I used about 1 tsp dried, but I would use maybe 1/2-1 T. fresh or thai holy basil would be great
• 1 T. fresh cilantro chopped
• dry roasted peanuts, chopped (about 1-1 1/2 T.)
• lettuce (I used spring mix) . enough for a layer on the wrap
• low fat mozzarella, small handful
• 1 light Flatout wrap

Directions :

1. mix together tuna, mayo, basil, and cilantro.
2. layer lettuce on wrap, then cheese.
3. place the tuna towards one end about an inch or so in and just make a sort of log shape with it that almost reaches both sides.
4. Sprinkle peanuts on top of tuna.
5. Starting at the side with the tuna, roll up tightly and cut in half.

Day 93 : Green Pancakes with Lime Butter

These are not your typical pancakes!  The bulk of the pancake itself is made up of onions, jalapenos, and spinach, and instead of topping with butter and sweet syrups, you top these bad boys with a spicy lime butter.  They are definitely different, but also definitely delicious!  The striking green color makes for a great presentation too.

I would suggest making the lime butter ahead of time, and allowing it to firm back up for a few hours.  When I made mine I found there to be too much lime juice in the sense that it would not incorporate into the butter.  I just mixed it as much as I could and poured the rest off before putting it into a dish.  I also added the zest from both limes so as not to waste and because I love lime flavor.

Go ahead and use the 10 oz of spinach.  It seems like a lot when you look at it, but it wilts down to practically nothing once you squeeze all the liquids out.  I went with 2 jalapenos and don’t be afraid to use the entire bunch of onions as stated.  It really seems like an insane amount when cutting them up but it works.  I used an ice cream scoop to portion my pancakes and got 9 that way.  I was able to cook three at a time in my large skillet, and then just remember to put a bit more butter down between each new batch.  Cook time below will not reflect the chill time for the butter.

Green Pancakes with Lime Butter

Serves : 3-4                     Time to make : 30 minutes

Ingredients :

Butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 stems of cilantro, just the leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• zest of 1 lime (or both)
• juice of two limes
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Pancakes

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1-2 jalapenos, diced
• 8-10  oz. baby spinach
• 1 cup self rising flour
• 1 1/4 T. baking powder
• 1 large egg plus 2 additional egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2/3 cup lowfat milk

Directions :

1. Mince garlic cloves and cilantro leaves together until very fine.  Put in a bowl with the lime zest and lime juice, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and mix in softened butter.
2. Place in a dish with a lid to chill, or form into a log and roll up in some plastic wrap to chill.
3. In a large skillet over medium high heat put a few T of water (3-4) and add the spinach.  Cover and cook about 2 minutes or so until wilted down.  Take off heat and allow to cool.
4. Melt butter in microwave and allow to cool slightly.  Meanwhile slice your onions, dice your jalapenos after seeding them, and drain the liquid from the spinach.  To do so you can put it in a kitchen towel and twist it up tightly and squeeze it out, then unroll and remove the spinach.  Once drained of all the liquid, chop your spinach.
5. In a mixing bowl combine the scallions, jalapenos, spinach, melted butter, and whole egg… stir.  Then add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cumin and mix.  Last add in the milk and stir well.
6. In a separate bowl whisk the two egg whites 4-5 minutes vigorously until soft peaks form (or cheat and use an electric mixer) then gently fold them into the batter.
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and either spray with cooking spray or melt some butter then drop your batter into the pan using 1/4 cup measurements.  Spread into a 4-5 inch round.  You can probably cook 2-3 at a time.
8. Cook about 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and air bubbles start to form on the top, then flip and cook another minute or so until cooked through.
9. Place in a warm oven between batches to keep them warm.
10. Serve with the lime butter on top.

 

Day 86 : Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

I was browsing recipes when I came across this one and it just sounded GOOD to me.  From time to time we enjoy a nice Hawaiian pizza, or even a BBQ Hawaiian pizza, and the ingredients for this reminded me of that.  With that in mind I was fairly certain I would like this, and I was definitely right!  It was a five star recipe all the way for us.  Such great smokey, sweet, spicy flavor and add in that freshness of the cilantro and you have got yourself one heck of a quesadilla!

I used a nice slab of fresh pineapple already trimmed of the outsides and cored from the store, and then just sliced that up into a few rings and grilled them that way.  I also used 2 large chicken breasts rather than three since they seemed quite big to me.  For the BBQ sauce I used a tangy sauce and it went perfectly with everything else.  I have never made quesadillas before where you brown all the tortillas  ahead of time, and I think you lose a little bit of quality that way since it’s harder to get it to stay together like it would if you were to brown it with the cheese and stuff already in it…. but for the purpose of serving a larger crowd at the same time this worked very well.  I just threw them all into the oven for about 5 minutes on 250 to get the cheese good and melted and that worked just fine.

 

Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

Serves : 4                       Time to make : 35 minutes

Ingredients :

• 8 flour tortillas
• butter (about 1/4 cup divided)
• 2-3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 cups pineapple, sliced
• 3 T. BBQ sauce
• salt and pepper
• chipotle seasoning
• cumin
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 3 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded
• cilantro
• sour cream
• extra BBQ sauce

Directions :

1. Grill pineapple, then cut into pieces and set aside.
2. Pound chicken out until even and salt and pepper to taste.  Season with the chipotle seasoning and cumin as well, to your taste.
3. Grill chicken until cooked through, basting with the BBQ sauce as you go.  Sliced thin and set aside.
4. In a large non-stick skillet, heated on medium heat, drop in a bit of butter and spread it around.  Then brown a flour tortilla on both sides (about a minute or so, just watch it carefully) and stack on a plate to the side as you repeat for the remaining 7 tortillas.
5. To assemble quesadillas, layer 1/4 of the cheese onto one of the browned tortillas, 1/4 of the sliced chicken, 1/4 of the pineapple, 1/4 of the sliced jalapeno, and some fresh cilantro torn up before topping with a second tortilla and placing in a warm oven to melt the cheese.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have 4 quesadillas.
6. Serve by cutting into 6 wedges and topping with some sour cream and additional BBQ sauce.

 

Day 80 : Caesar Club Sandwich

One of my favorite salads is Caesar Salad.  I love the garlicy, salty, lemony, creamy dressing.  So when I came across this sandwich I knew I had to try it.  I had only made my own caesar dressing a handful of times, but never with parsley or mayonnaise!  I was a bit skeptic to be perfectly honest, but I think it really did have a caesar flavor when all was said and done.  And best of all it was super simple to make.  That spread along with the other elements resulted in an amazingly delicious sandwich!  It not only tasted great, but it had so much color to it and looked beautiful on the plate!

I did have trouble finding arugula in my area, so went with a Spring Mix salad that had tango lettuce, baby romaine, & radicchio.  When I did a quick web search for an appropriate substitute it came up with either spinach or watercress.  I would have no better luck finding watercress in my area, and the store was out of spinach that day so I just went with something I would be happy to serve as a caesar salad instead.  I think it worked well for this and it added even more color and texture to the mix.  I also went with shredded parmesan just because I already had some on hand.  To save a bit of time I did use a rotisserie chicken from the store for this.  I think they are really good, and worth getting for any recipe that you need pre-cooked chicken for.  A couple other things I tweaked a bit perhaps were using about double the garlic (because I love garlic), and I have no idea how much sun dried tomato I used since mine were already cut up in the jar of oil.  I just eyeballed it and layered them so they would cover it with some tomato in each bite.  The same with the lettuces and parmesan… I just put enough to cover and eyeballed on amounts.

I did take a couple of liberties in technique tonight as well, but I don’t feel like they changed the overall outcome of the recipe.  One was in using the rotisserie chicken of course, and that was more of skipping a step.  The others were that I cooked the pancetta up in a skillet like bacon, getting it nice and crisp and then laid them out on paper towel to absorb the grease.  I also brushed a bit of olive oil onto the sliced ciabatta bread before sticking it under the broiler for a couple of minutes rather than placing it into the oven.  Time to make below will be for the original recipe as stated with roasting your own chicken, but take note that if you use the store bought chicken it goes much faster.  You can also do like I did, and make the caesar spread earlier in the day, then put it in the fridge.  It not only saves time later, but it allows the flavors to really marry together.

 

Caesar Club Sandwich

Serves : 2-3             Time to make : 50 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 chicken breasts, bone in with skin on
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 4 oz. thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 2 T. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1 tsp. dijon
• 1 1/2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 large ciabatta loaf
• 2 oz. baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 2 – 3 oz. parmesan, shaved

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
4. Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)
5. Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Day 64 : Spicy Chicken with Herb Sauce

Finally a nice leisurely day at home made all the better by this great dinner!  When you’re making this it seems like a LOT of spices, and it is, but ironically it’s not too “spicy” or strong.  The spices create a sort of crust to the chicken, which once blackened in the skillet is SOOO good.  It also seems to help to seal the moisture into the chicken resulting in some of the moistest chicken we’ve ever had from the skillet.  The chicken itself has a nice smokey flavor with just a hint of heat to it, and is pretty good by as is…… then you add the sauce.

The sauce is a great contrast to the spices, giving it a nice fresh flavor.  It’s also a very beautiful green that contrasts with the blackened red/orange chicken nicely.  I think next time I might make it in the blender however because my processor is so large that with so few things inside it tends to slip under the blades and I think I would have gotten an even thicker emulsion if that wasn’t the case.  As it was, it was still very good, but it separated a bit and the oil was in a puddle after a while.  Anyway, this is a very good, “different” way to have your chicken and I recommend it to anyone.  NOT a very easy dish to photograph in a hurry however, so you’ll have to excuse the rushed picture for tonight.

*I made the spice rub earlier in the day and after rubbing a bit of olive oil onto the chicken I rubbed it into the chicken and then placed it in a glass dish covered with foil in the fridge to allow the spices to really penetrate the chicken.  I think that really helps to get all the flavor you can out of the spices.

 

Spicy Chicken with Herb Sauce

Serves : 4              Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground mustard
• 2 tsp. ground fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• oil or butter for cooking

Sauce :

• 1 C. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 C. fresh mint leaves
• 1 C. fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 T. dijon mustard
• 1 T. diced green chilis
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. To prepare the chicken, combine paprika, cumin, mustard powder, fennel, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Rub your chicken with a bit of oil or butter and then rub the spices into the chicken patting them in well.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken breasts in some additional oil or butter for about 5 minutes per side until cooked through.  Spices will blacken and that is ok.
3. For the sauce, place mint, parsley, garlic, and chilis into a food processor and roughly chop.  Add mustard and salt and pepper, then process again.
4. With the processor running on high, SLOWLY drizzle the olive oil in to create an emulsion.
5. Serve sauce over chicken.

 

Day 63 : Raspberry Almond Pizza

Busy day today finally getting caught up on things around the house and going grocery shopping.  For a family that shops once a week going two weeks is crazy and I am so glad to have a full stocked fridge and cupboards again.  Lots of good stuff for recipes to come!

Tonight’s recipe was found on Key Ingredient and OMG is it good!  Definitely use the marscapone if you can find it because it has such a yummy creaminess to it that cream cheese just could never duplicate.  The recipe image that went along with this looked so much prettier than mine turned out with the marscapone spread out in it’s own layer while mine more melted into the jam, but I am quite sure no taste was sacrificed lol.  It didn’t look bad, just not as good as I was aiming for based on the recipe image.  It really is good as is, but if you are feeling adventurous I think the only thing that could make this even better is some nice dark chocolate shaved over the top!

I forgot to put the confectioner’s sugar on top before taking the pics, but did add it afterward.  It is necessary to sweeten the fresh raspberries just a bit.  There wasn’t very exact measurements for a lot of the ingredients to the original recipe, but it’s fine to just eyeball it.  I used a pillsbury crust for this and it worked perfectly.

Raspberry Almond Pizza

Serves : 4                   Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 pound pizza dough
• melted butter
• sugar
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• 1/3 cup marscapone or cream cheese
• confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• raspberries
• toasted almonds

Directions :

1. Preheat a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven.  Roll out 1 pound pizza dough into a 12-inch round.
2. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake on the hot baking sheet until golden, about 8 minutes.
4. Brush with the 1/4 cup raspberry jam, then bake 2 more minutes.
5. Cool slightly.  Beat 1/3 cup marscapone or cream cheese with 3 T. confectioner’s sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
6. Spread over the pizza and top with raspberries, toasted almonds, and confectioner’s sugar.

 

Day 43 : Salmon-Cilantro Burgers

Until fairly recently I would never have imagined that fish could make a good burger.  The very idea of ground up fish grossed me out for some reason.  I decided to put my fears behind me one day and not only try a tuna burger, but to create my own for my introduction to the fish burger.  Luckily for me it turned out great and I was hooked on the idea!  To my surprise it did not get dried out and nasty like I thought, but rather stays soft and holds flavor very well.  My husband LOVES burgers and though I enjoy them as well, I like to mix things up a bit and the idea of different fish burgers makes that very easy.  They really are so versatile.

Tonight’s came from the Key Ingredients site that goes along with my Demy (digital recipe device I mentioned in an earlier post).  From that site it is credited back to Cooking Light, which is even better because I love not feeling guilty about what I am eating when it tastes so great!  These burgers pack a lot of flavor, and are ones you are going to want to make over and over again.  Thinking back to a post I made a couple days ago about how food should LOOK good as well as taste good these fit the bill nicely with such a pretty pink color, and all speckled with the cilantro and peppers.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but left out the cucumbers just because Jeff doesn’t like them and I didn’t want to get a whole cucumber just for a couple slices.  One thing I did differently was to just make 2 big patties, because it did seem a bit skimpy as 4.  So if you are wanting to make these for guests you might keep that in mind and just increase the ingredients and get a little more salmon.  I also threw in the zest of one of the limes to the mayo because I hate wasting all that yummy flavor!  For the breadcrumbs I used an Italian blend and felt it went along well with the other flavors.  And last, instead of using the grill (or foreman usually in my case) I decided to cook these up in the skillet which worked very well.

 

Salmon-Cilantro Burgers

Serves : 2-4                           Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
• 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. fresh lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (1 pound) salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 T. cilantro leaves
• 2 T. chopped green onions
• 1 T. chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
• 2 T. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• cooking spray
• 4 burger buns with sesame seeds, toasted
• 12 slices english cucumber
• 4 lettuce leaves

Directions :

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, cover and chill.
2. Place salmon in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add breadcrumbs and next 6 ingredients; pulse 4 times or until well blended. Divide into 4 equal portions, shaping into patties.
3. Heat grill pan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan; cook 2 minutes.  Carefully turn patties over ; cook 2 minutes or until done.
4. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mayo mixture over bottom half of each bun.  Top each serving with 1 salmon patty, 3 cucumber slices, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

 

Day 42 : Italian Paninis

These little pieces of heaven are my own creations.  I don’t want to “toot my own horn” but they really are that good lol.  My husband is constantly trying to take the credit for these, but that man doesn’t have a culinary bone in his entire body.  I was watching a Paula Deen episode one day where they made some type of panini that sounded really good but I knew I had never seen most of the ingredients in my area so was forced to get creative and come up with my own.  I have since then published it on Food.com and received glowing reviews.

When I originally made it I used a package of various thin-cut italian meats that I haven’t been able to find lately.  It had hot calabrese, pepper salame, and capocollo in it.  Tonight I was forced to use one that had the capocollo and salame, but pepperoni for the third meat, and though I felt it was still very good, Jeff said he preferred the other meat.  So if you can find that, I would go with the original meats.  You really don’t want to leave anything out of this sandwich or substitute.  Each ingredient really has it’s place in this to create the most delicious blend of flavors, and a balance of sweet/salty/fresh/juicy/savory all at once.  I used to just toast the rolls, and put the cheese on afterward, but I really enjoyed the creaminess of the melted cheese and will do it that way from now on.

Italian Paninis

Serves : 4                Time to make : 15 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3 oz. hot calabrese, thinly sliced
• 3 oz. pepper salame, thinly sliced
• 3 oz. hot capocollo, thinly sliced
• 6 oz. prosciutto
• 8 slices smoked gouda (enough to cover each roll from end to end)
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ts. balsamic vinegar
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• olive oil cooking spray
• italian seasoning (to taste)
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers
• red onion slices
• fresh parmesan, shaved
• parsley (about a tablespoon minced)
• 4 asiago cheese rolls

Directions :

1. Start by cooking your meats for a short time in a medium-high heat skillet.  You just want to do it for about a minute each to get them warmed up, and the juices flowing…. also to get some of the FAT out!  Once done place on paper towels and pat dry to remove more of the grease.
2. Arrange cut rolls onto a baking sheet and spray with olive oil cooking spray.  Season with the italian seasoning to taste, and arrange gouda slices on 4 of the 8 pieces.  Place under the broiler for a couple of minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is starting to melt.
3. Divide the meats evenly between the 4 sandwiches and then layer the onions, roasted re peppers, 1/2 tsp of each oil and vinegar per sandwich, parsley, parmesan, and then lettuce before topping off with the other half of the roll.
4. ENJOY!

Day 35 : Tuna & Artichoke Paninis

These are probably my all time favorite way to eat tuna!  I have made this recipe SO many times since first discovering it a couple years ago.  For me it’s a no brainer because I like all the ingredients used in this (well minus the tomatoes I guess), but even my husband who dislikes artichokes, kalamata olives, and tomatoes gives these sandwiches 5 stars!  The olive spread really is amazing and is what MAKES this great.  With that in mind I often do about one and a half batches of the spread and just eyeball the amounts beyond what is already listed.  I like to have a generous smear of each sandwich, and maybe even a little left over for use on other things because it’s THAT good.

I know when you think of tuna, and especially from a can, it doesn’t really bring to mind dinner guests.  However, this panini is gourmet enough that I think even dinner guests would be impressed.  It’s not every day that you pair tuna, artichokes and kalamata olives together afterall.  We have made these on both the recommended ciabatta rolls and some asiago cheese rolls (which are pictured here tonight) and either works really well for this.  Back when we were on all sorts of diet restrictions because of my son’s allergies I even made these with Veganaise and it was still good!   Best of all there is no cooking involved!  These are great for a busy night or a hot summer night when you can’t bear the thought of cooking in a hot kitchen!

Tuna & Artichoke Paninis

Serves : 4                     Time to make : 15 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) ciabatta, halved horizontally
• 1 tomato, diced

Directions :

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  I find that roughly chopping your garlic before adding allows it to mix in better since pieces can tend to get caught under your blade.
2. In a medium bowl combine your artichokes, tuna, lemon juice and pepper.
3. Spread some of your olive spread onto both the tops and bottoms of each roll.  Then divide tuna mixture between them and top with the chopped tomatoes.  (I really like a generous amount of the spread on each sandwich)

Day 30 : Roasted Garlic Turkey Burgers w/ Portabella Mushrooms

30 days now!  Depending on how you look at it, that could be considered an entire month!  So that means, one down and 11 to go….

It occurred to me that it may look like I am overly kind when it comes to reviewing a recipe since for the most part I only give 4 or 5 star reviews.  The reason for this is because after so long at searching out and making recipes I have come to know what I like and don’t like in a recipe and either choose them accordingly, or alter them to better suit our tastes as I make them.  If I come across a recipe I have chosen for this blog that I honestly don’t like, I will not hesitate to be honest in my review.

Tonight’s recipe comes from Food.com, and is a very nice change from the basic burger.  Not only do you get the better health benefits of the ground turkey, but you get to step out of the comfort zone yet again and mix things up with some portabella mushrooms and some blue cheese.  Well, for me at least it is out of my comfort zone, since I had never been a fan of blue cheese.  Something about the smell and “off” flavor just doesn’t do it for me lol.  However, in this dish, I felt it added a nice tanginess/texture and was just the right amount.

The recipe suggests white button or crimini mushrooms as alternatives to the portabella, but I did use them tonight.  Likewise they recommended using either sourdough, french, or kaiser rolls, or ciabatta bread as the bun.  I found some great looking whole grain ciabatta rolls that were very good for this, but may have left them a tad drier than I’d prefer.  I think a bit of some sort of herb mayo could be the perfect solution though.

Roasted Garlic Turkey Burgers w/ Portabella Mushrooms

Serves : 4                       Time to make : 35 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb. ground turkey breast
• 1 T. olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 oz. portabella mushrooms
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 T. blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 rolls (french, sourdough, kaiser, or ciabatta)
• 4 lettuce leaves

Directions :

1. In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, heat oil.
2. Add garlic cloves and cook until browned, turning to ensure even cooking.  Set aside to cool.
3. In same skillet cook onion slices and soy sauce until onions are tender.
4. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until they are also tender.
5. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir until dissolved (about 30 seconds), then remove from heat.
6. Mince garlic, then combine with turkey, mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper, forming into 4 equal sized patties.
7. Either on a grill, or in a skillet (sprayed with cooking spray) cook burgers until no longer pink.
8. Slightly reheat the onions and mushrooms then stir in the crumbled blue cheese until it just begins to melt.
9. Assemble burgers with lettuce on the bottom, burger, and mushroom/onions on top.