Daily Archives: June 2, 2014

Lemon Curd Blueberry Trifle

Posted on by

No picture with this one…

So, I made a Trifle the other night, and it actually turned out SOO good! I combined a couple of different recipes and ideas, and really liked it. I, of course, didn’t take any pictures of it, but I’m putting the recipe on here so that I won’t forget.

Step 1: Make Angel Food Cake (Pound cake may also be good!)
I used a boxed Angel Food Cake. All I had to do was add water, mix in my mixer, and bake! 35 minutes later, you flip it over (in the angel food cake pan) and let it cool. EASY!

Step 2: Buy or make lemon curd. I bought a jar of it because I was a bit busy. BUT, you can pretty easily make it. It’s basically eggs, sugar, lemon and butter. So, if you have all of that, just make it!!! (http://www.chefscatalog.com/blog/gift-from-the-kitchen)

Step 3: Blueberries!! Blueberries are just starting to be in season here right now and are DELICIOUS!!!! I had 2 small containers. I washed them and drained them and set them to the side to dry.

Step 4: Make mousse! I got the recipe for the mousse here: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/96616354480891681/
I made the recipe exactly the same, but then instead of Basil, i used mint, and refrigerated the mousse in 1 large glass bowl instead of separate dishes. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2736718

Step 5: Assemble!
Use scissors or a serrated knife to cut the angel food cake into approx. 2-inch squares. Then, you layer. Start using 1/3 of the angel food cake pieces, and layer in the bottom of a trifle dish, or large punch bowl. Then layer in the lemon curd, blueberries and mouse. I just dolloped bits of everything in there until the layer was nicely covered, and then topped it with lemon zest. I then repeated 2 additional times until there were 3 layers, and then topped it with chopped mint.

Easy Peasy lemon squeezy!!! HAHA! 🙂

Tex-Mex Calzones

Posted on by

texmexcalzone

Ok… not the best picture… but seriously… these are AMAZING! I had to get this off of my phone. Better pictures in the future. PROMISE!

Original recipe credit: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=653363

All things that I added or changed will be marked by parenthesis or an asterisk.

1 pound ground turkey, extra lean  (I used 85/15 Ground beef)
1/2 c onion, chopped fine (I never use as much onion, probably 1/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced ( used 1 tsp pre-minced garlic)
3/4 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t dark chili powder
1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped fine
3/4 c salsa verde, fire roasted ( I used regular salsa)
1 (11 oz) can pizza dough, refrigerated, thin crust (I used Publix pre-made bagged dough. They have whole wheat if you prefer. In the bakery section of most grocery stores, or refrigerated sections.)
1 c Mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 egg white, beaten (I used olive oil)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Adjust oven rack to upper third of the oven.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground turkey (or ground beef) and cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add spices and cook for 1 minute to bring out the flavors in the spices. Add chopped pepper; continue to cook 1 minute.
Remove mixture from heat and stir in salsa.
Unroll dough and divide into 4 equal portions. Working with one rectangle at a time place, 1/2 cup of turkey mixture on half of the dough then top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
Using a pastry brush or fingers, brush the egg mixture (or olive oil) on the border of the dough. Fold dough over turkey mixture and press with a fork to seal. If you prefer a crisp crust, brush some additional egg wash (or olive oil w/some sea salt and oregano) over the top of the calzone.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.*** I then had about a TB of sour cream (or you can use PLAIN greek yogurt) and dipped these into it.

HEAVENLY!!!

ENJOY!

Light Chicken Parmesan with Wilted Spinach

Posted on by

Lightchickenparm

Original Recipe Credit: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=10972
All things that I changed, I have added in parenthesis or with an asterisk

12 ounces white meat chicken (one double breast) (I used 6 frozen, boneless skinless chicken tenderloins)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs (I used plain panko crumbs)
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 tbsp onions, dried (I used onion powder)
Crushed red peppers if desired (I omitted these entirely… I’m not into spicy in my Italian food..)
1 -2 tbsp olive oil
Approximately 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce (as much as you’d prefer)
Mozzarella cheese (grated)

I soaked my chicken tenderloins in coconut milk for 30 minutes in the refrigerator in a baggie while I was cutting the strawberries, prepping the breading and taking the stems off of the spinach.

Mix panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little bit of oregano in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet, but 2 TB of olive oil, and heat on med to med-high heat. When hot, a drop of water will sizzle.Take the chicken out of the bag of coconut milk (you can also use buttermilk) and dip into the breading mix. Coat well on both sides. Place onto hot skillet. Try to fit all 6 tenderloins into pan. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until brown. I used tongs to flip. 

While the chicken is cooking, prep a cookie sheet with tin foil (or not, if you don’t mind scrubbing baked cheese off of a cookie sheet). Place all 6 pieces of chicken onto baking sheet. Top with marinara/spaghetti sauce. Then top with mozzarella and a little bit of parmesan cheese.Put into oven on Broil (LOW) for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is broiling to melt the cheese, and finish the cooking of the chicken, place the spinach in a small skillet with 1 – 2 TB of olive oil and salt. Toss for about 2 minutes until wilted, but still bright green.Remove the chicken and make sure FULLY cooked. If needed, cut one in half. Make sure that there is NO pink left.

 ENJOY!

Easy Peppered Pork Loin

Posted on by

porktenderloin

EASY Peppered Pork Loin (with carrots and onions) with homemade honey wheat rolls and rosemary potato wedges

Ok. So, this will be REALLY easy, especially if you have a Trader Joes nearby.

Step 1: Purchase Trader Joes peppered pork loin.

Step 2: put in crock pot.

Step 3: add peeled and cut (into about 2-3 inch pieces) carrots and add to crock pot

Step 4: add 1/2 onion chopped into large pieces.

Step 5: add 1 cup of water, and pour over top, and add salt & pepper

Step 6: cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours (4 hours on high)

That’s IT for the pork!

Potato wedges:

5 potatoes
Olive oil
Salt (I use pink Himalayan salt grinder from TJ)
Garlic powder
fresh rosemary

Wash and scrub potatoes, and then dry. Slice potatoes in half, and then wedges, as thick as you’d like, just try to make sure they are all relatively the same size. Line a cookie sheet or pan with tin foil ( I LOVE the new non-stick tin foil… just sayin’)

preheat oven to 425 degrees
in a glass bowl,  toss the potato wedges with 2-3 turns of olive oil, salt, pepper, and FRESH rosemary (it smells AMAZING!).

Spread over the tin-foil covered pan and bake for 15 min. Then, take tongs, or a spatula and turn them over, and bake for another 15-25 minutes (depending on thickness of wedges) until tender.
DONE! Not bad huh?

Oh… now for the rolls. I followed this recipe to the T, so here it is: (IT’S SOOO EASY!
30-minute honey wheat rolls recipe: http://www.ihearteating.com/2013/07/29/30-minute-honey-wheat-rolls/

They are perfect…. and delicious. All 12 were gone in 2 days! YUM!

There’s that!

Grown-ups Mac&Cheese

Posted on by

Myversionmac&cheese

I’m going to call this MY version of grown-ups mac&cheese. Because truly, this is what I would pick over baked Mac&Cheese, or anything similar. This is my comfort food. YUM!

original recipe credit: http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/parmesan-spinach-orzo/

(Anything that I Change or Add, I will put afterwards with a parenthesis or an asterisk *)

  • 2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat orzo (*I used high-fiber orzo)
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 green onions, chopped (* I used a sweet onion)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp. flour
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim!) (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
  • 2/3 cups spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish

I then cooked 2 pieces of pre-cooked Trader Joe’s uncured bacon in the microwave until extra crispy, and set it aside. (approximately 40 seconds)

Take 4-6 frozen Trader Joe’s boneless chicken tenderloins and put into skillet w/2-3 turns of extra virgin olive oil. (They do not need to be thawed). Put salt&pepper, garlic powder and a little bit of Mrs. Dash to each side of the tenderloin, and simmer on medium to low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until firm. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Directions:

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.
  3. Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
  4. Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.
  5. Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and *crumbled bacon and add *chicken to top or chop the chicken into bite size pieces, and serve immediately.

Orangey Chicken

Posted on by

orangychicken
Original Recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=871143

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme (MY recipe, I used fresh mint)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white or black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (**I used 6 TJ frozen boneless  /skinless chicken tenderloins)
2 small to medium oranges (I used California naval oranges)
3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar  (**I had Rice vinegar, and white wine vinegar… I did half of each, and it tasted great!)
2 tbsp honey ( **I recommend to use local, raw honey)1. In a glass dish, mix together the oil, thyme (**or fresh mint),
salt, and pepper for a quick marinade.
2. Place the chicken flat on a cutting board, remove
any fat, and slice each breast into quarters
so that you have 1- to 1-1/2-inch thick strips. Add
the meat to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover
and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. (**OR, put the frozen chicken tenderloins directly into marinade, the fat already removed and they do NOT need to be thawed.)
(You can also do this in the morning.)
3. Zest the orange by using a grater to remove
just the orange part of the peel (not the white
pith). Using a sharp knife, cut away the remaining
peel and pith, then, holding the fruit over a
bowl to catch the juice, cut sections from the
orange, working in a V fashion to cut away any
membrane. Reserve the fruit and juice for the
sauce. (**I did this directly over a juicer to catch everything, but filter out the seeds and pith)
4. Preheat a nonstick skillet to moderate heat.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray (**Or use 2 turns of olive oil), then add
the chicken once the pan is hot. Discard the
marinade. Cook the chicken until firm and no
longer pink, about 5 minutes.
5. While the meat is cooking, place the vinegar
and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a
boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture
is reduced by half. Add the orange, juice,
and the zest to the sauce, stir, and remove from
the heat. Divide the chicken onto 4 plates and
pour the sauce over the meat.I served this with white rice and Trader Joe’s green beans that I had sauteed in a skillet with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper until done. Whole meal under 500 calories! (not including my wine… 🙂  )

My FAVORITE homemade Salad Dressing Vinaigrette!

Posted on by

The juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. grated parmesan cheese
Equal parts olive oil (or a lighter oil) to lemon juice
2 TB fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 TB honey
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

Blend together. I have a Pampered Chef salad dressing mixer that I use. You can also wisk it and store it in an old jam jar or mason jar. You can store it for 10-14 days in your refrigerator.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Posted on by

quinoatabouleh

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/quinoa-tabbouleh

Warning: I have learned that you ALWAYS rinse quinoa well. Rinse (just like rice) and then I cooked mine in my rice cooker.

My goal is to cook and post meals that are all 500 calories or LESS. That’s all inclusive, all sides, etc. (Not including a glass of wine that I may have with my meal.)

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Rinse quinoa thoroughly, and put in rice cooker (or sauce pan) and add 1 1/4 C of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes after done, and then fluff with fork.
Meanwhile juice 2 lemons. Put the juice in a bowl with the minced garlic and whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
** I added grated parmesan cheese at this time in the dressing. Not all tabbouleh has parmesan cheese.
Add the cucumber, tomato, herbs and scallions to the dressing and toss. (** I did not add mint, I just put extra flat leaf parsley)
Add quinoa and toss thoroughly.
Salt and pepper to taste. Then, either serve or chill tightly covered. Can be made up to 1 day in advance.