Vegetable Frittata Squares

I made these for a Birthday breakfast celebration at my work. I prepared the sauté veggies the night before then just added the eggs and baked it in the morning. Include your favorite vegetables and then serve them warm or cool.

6 eggs

½ small red bell pepper, diced
½ small green bell pepper, diced
About 10 thin asparagus spears, cut into ½” pieces
3 large baby Bella mushrooms, diced
2 green onion sprigs, diced
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
A few dashes of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp butter
Shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sauce pan, sauté all the veggies over medium high heat in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Meanwhile, beat eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy and bubbly. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; stir in sautéed veggies.

Pour mixture into a greased 9”x9” casserole dish. Dot mixture with butter pieces and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Strawberry Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A perfect summer time Birthday cake!

Cake:

1 package of white or vanilla cake mix
1-3 oz. package of strawberry gelatin
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained
Flour, for dusting

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Strawberries, to decorate top of cake

2 oz. pecans pieces, to decorate sides of cake

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, gelatin and pineapple. Grease two 9”x9” dish and dust with flour. Bake according to directions on box.

Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and completely cooling on a wire rack.

For the frosting, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

Place one layer of cake on a plate. Spread a layer of frosting and a layer of sliced strawberries. Top with second layer of cake. Cover cake with remaining frosting. Gently brush pecan pieces around sides of cake. Decorate the top with strawberries.

Variations:
·         Instead of pecan pieces use shredded coconut
·         Instead of filling the cake with frosting, use strawberry jam

Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus

This easy to prepare side dish is healthy and tasty. A perfect compliment to grilled chicken, baked fish or pan fried pork chops.

1 small head of cauliflower
About 10 thick asparagus spears
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
½ lemon
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower into florets and place into a shallow casserole dish. Snap off ends of asparagus, cut into 1 ½” pieces, and add to casserole dish. Drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Toss ingredients together.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Variations:
Try adding freshly minced Rosemary, parsley and/or garlic.

Wild Rice

I found this gourmet blend of wild and whole grain brown rice from Lundberg Wild Blend at the grocery store. I’m not usually a fan of brown rice since the texture can sometimes be tough. I cooked the rice according to the directions and it this was actually tasty (and of course healthy, which is the point of eating this in the first place, right?).

½ cup Lundberg Wild Rice Blend

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
¼ small yellow onion, diced
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper

In a pot, add rice, broth and EVOO. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, turn heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan with EVOO, sauté carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Once rice is done, stir in veggies and fluff rice. Set aside and let sit covered for 10 minutes.

Serve with grilled salmon and asparagus. Garnish salmon with a lemon slice.