Baked Stuffed Jalapenos

I made this for two separate BBQs this weekend and they were a hit. These will spice up any fiesta!

15 jalapenos, sliced, seeded and deveined

Crab filling:
1can of crab, drained
4 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
1 green onion sprig, minced

Bacon and Cheddar filing:
4 bacon slices, crispy and chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
½ shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a bowl, mix filling of your choice and stuff jalapenos halves. Bake on 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Summer Corn and Zucchini Saute

I love summer and eating LOTS of fresh corn! I like to add to everything and anything….almost.

2 small zucchinis, chopped

1 ear of corn, corn cut off the cob
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup walnuts pieces
Crumble goat cheese
Fresh chives, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a large pot of boiling water, cook corn for about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut corn off the cob.

In a skillet over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and sauté zucchini for about 4 minutes. Add corn. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in walnuts.

To serve, top with crumble cheese and sprinkle with minced chives. Enjoy with BBQed chicken or fried pork chops.

Variations:

·         Use feta cheese
·         Use toasted pine nuts

Steak and Veggie Salad

Who says salads are boring?

½ sirloin steak
Cajun seasoning
2 crushed garlic cloves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For Salad:

2 boiled eggs, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced
3 large radishes, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
2 green onion sprigs, sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Crumbled blue cheese
Mixed green salad

In a bag, marinade steak in Cajun seasoning, garlic and olive oil for 30+ minutes. Over med-high heat, grill steak for about 4-6 minutes per side, until desired doneness. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

To serve, make a bed of lettuce, add veggies and top with sliced steak. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with your favorite dressing.

Variations:

-          Use marinated chicken instead of steak

Vegetable Soup with Turkey Meatballs

People ask me if I cook for myself when my husband is out of town. The answer is YES!!! I enjoy eating good food too! Cooking is also a stress release for me and a way to wind down after work. I made this pot of vegetable soup with turkey meatballs tonight, which I’ll eat (and enjoy) for the next few days. My husband was jealous that he wasn’t home to join me.

¾ lb ground turkey or chicken

3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ yellow onion, minced
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 large carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 large jalapeno, diced (optional)
5 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp dried mushrooms
1 cup broccoli florets
1 tsp minced fresh Rosemary
1 tsp minced fresh Italian flat leaf Parsley
2 Bay leaves
2-3 green onion sprigs, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix until combine; do not over mix. In a large sauce pan, drizzle EVOO and preheat over med-high. With wet hands, shape mixture into walnut sized meatballs. Drop into sauce pan and brown all sides. Remove meatballs from pan and transfer to a plate; set aside.

In the same sauce pan, add more EVOO if necessary, sauté carrots, celery and jalapenos. In a large pot, add broth and dried mushrooms; bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, jalapenos, broccoli and herbs. Carefully drop meatballs into the broth, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.

Serve in a shallow bowl, sprinkle with fresh green onions and enjoy with sliced, crusty bread.

Note: If you don’t have dried mushrooms, use sliced, fresh mushrooms, such as baby bells, and sauté with the other veggies before adding to the broth.

Variations:

·         Add corn, zucchini and/or diced potatoes
·         Add pasta or rice
·         Add a can of diced tomatoes
·        Make meatballs from beef, pork or a combination of both

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa over Mango Rice

This colorful dish is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy with a tropical flare.

Avocado Salsa:

I large avocado, diced
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
½ small red onion, diced
Juice from one lemon
Salt to taste
(I would have added minced cilantro too, except I didn’t have any on hand)

Mango Rice:

I cup of white long grained basmati rice
2 cups coconut water
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
½ tsp salt
1 mango, diced

Salmon:

2 Salmon filets
Cajun seasoning (or I also like to use Lemon Pepper on one side and crushed red pepper flakes on the other)

For salsa, combine all ingredients, toss with lemon juice and season with salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For rice, in a rice cooker, combine rice, coconut water, EVOO and salt; cook until ready. Stir in mango; set aside.

For grilled salmon, heat grill to med-high. Season salmon. Skin side down, cook salmon until skin is charred. Flip filets over, turn heat to low, remove charred skin, season other side and grill until salmon is cooked through. The filets should flake easily with a fork and still be a little translucent in the middle. Depending on thickness, cook time should be approx. 6-8 minutes per side.

To plate, make a bed of mango rice topped with salmon. Spoon avocado salsa over salmon. Enjoy!

Grilled Oysters on Tomales Bay... A Perfect Day

On my recent trip home, my mom and stepdad decided to take me and my brother to their favorite spot on Tomales Bay to grill oysters. They’ve done this several times and wanted to share this special experience with us.

First we stopped by Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station to pick up some amazing crusty, sourdough bread for our oyster feast, in addition to some extra treats, like the perfect flakey croissant, a fruit filled turnover, a gooey bear claw and a nutty chocolate bar.

Next, we picked up two dozen local, medium sized oysters from Drakes Bay Oyster Company. To get to the oyster farm, you drive down a long, dusty road of crushed oyster shells. At the farm, we watched the fishermen in action on the production line, separating and bagging the live oyster.

fishermen at work

Then we headed to a nearby picnic area in Tomales Bay State Park. We went to their usual spot, which overlooked the bay. I have to keep this part a secret in order to preserve this secluded, perfect spot.

Our view!

 While the coals were heating up on the grill, my mom prepared the sauce. In a small bowl, she combined about 6 crushed garlic cloves, 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, juice from one lemon, a splash of white wine and minced parsley.

our oysters

preparing the sauce

To cook, add the oysters to the grill over high heat. Once they start to open and their juices start to bubble, they are ready to shuck.

shucking

Remove the top shell and be careful to not lose the juice. Add a spoonful of the garlic olive oil mixture to the oyster in the half shell.

Finish cooking to your liking. Enjoy with a nice crusty bread, a squirt of extra lemon and a glass of white wine.

We're a bunch of happy oyster eatin' fools!

Thanks, Mom and Larry, for this perfect day and sharing your special spot with us!  

And we ended the day with a pile of empty shells.

Caprese Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage

3-4 servings

½ lb dried Rigatoni pasta

3 links of hot Italian sausage (turkey or pork)

Handful of baby heirloom tomatoes, halved

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, halved

Jarred sundried tomato pesto

3-4 large basil leaves, sliced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, cook sausages, turning occasionally until they are browned and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest.

Add a drizzle of EVOO to frying pan and lightly sauté tomatoes. Meanwhile, slice sausages.

Drain pasta, return to pot, stir in pesto and coat pasta. Stir in sausage, tomatoes and mozzarella. Serve in a shallow dish and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Three-Cheese Summer Vegetable Gratian

A tasty side dish using summer veggies. I can't wait to make this again. And don't skip the goat cheese, it adds amazing flavor!

4 Servings

2 large yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
1 large tomato, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
¾ cup milk
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 eggs
2 ears corn, grilled and corn cut from cob
4 oz crumbed goat cheese
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2-3 large basil leaves, sliced
About 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 tsp butter, cut into little pieces
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Overlap squash and tomato in a casserole dish, sprinkle with half of basil, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper; roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine milk corn starch and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Cheddar & Parmesan cheese and remaining basil; combine and set aside.

Remove roasted veggies from oven, cover with corn and goat cheese. Pour over milk mixture. Arrange halved cherry tomatoes around the edges. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Dot with butter. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Mahi-Mahi Skewers with Artichoke Vinaigrette Dressing

An elegant summer meal.

Inspired by a recipe found on http://dinanicola.tumblr.com/.

Skewers:
1 lb Mahi-Mahi, cut into 1” pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 small red onion, cut into 1” pieces
Salt & Pepper

Preheat grill to medium high. Make skewers, alternating fish, peppers and onion. Brush with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Grill skewers and grill for 3-5 minutes, turning once.

To serve, drizzle dressing over Mahi-Mahi skewers. I also grilled asparagus and used this as a dipping sauce for that along with a sliced baguette.

The next day, I used the left over dressing for a bean and vegetable salad…yum!

Dressing:

4 Tbsp EVOO
½ tsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp minced cilantro

Juice from one lemon
6 oz jarred, quartered artichoke hearts, drained
½ Tbsp capers, drained
Salt & Pepper

In a blender, add ingredients above and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Lemon Lavender Cookies

Make store bought cookies fancy using the flowers and lemons from your own backyard!

1 package of sugar cookies (should make 3 dozen cookies)
[Additional ingredients called for by cookie packaging, such as egg or butter]
2 tsp of fresh English lavender, minced (best to use it right after it blooms)
Zest from one lemon
1 tsp vanilla
 
In a large mixing bowl or your KitchenAid, combine package of cookies with other necessary ingredients call for by packaging, lavender, lemon zest and vanilla. Split dough into two balls and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about ¼” thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 5-7 minutes, until edges turn golden brown.

Let cookies cool for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely.

Note: It worked best to work with the dough in two batches, otherwise it gets too soft and sticky, making it difficult to handle and roll out.

Summer Vegetable Couscous Salad

I love using this pasta for BBQs or potlucks. Most people don’t know what it is and once they try it, they love it! It’s as easy as cooking any other pasta and adds an interesting twist.

¾ cup dried Israeli couscous 

1 ear of corn

1 large bell pepper, diced (I used red and yellow to add color)

2 green onion sprigs, diced

Crumbled feta cheese

Juice from one lemon

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Cook couscous following directions on packaging. Remove from heat and let cool; set aside.

Roast corn with husk on over medium heat on the grill. Cook until husk is charred, turning occasionally. When the corn is done, let cool before removing husk and cutting corn off the cob.

In a large bowl, add cooled couscous, corn, peppers, green onion, cheese, lemon juice, a few drizzles of EVOO and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Note: If you add the EVOO to the pasta while it’s still warm, the pasta will absorb the oil making it dry. Adding the EVOO to cooled pasta allows it to act as a dressing.

Vegetable Bacon Sauté

Question: How do you get your husband to eat Brussels sprouts?

Answer: Add bacon!

2 medium red skinned potatoes, cubed
1 corn on the cob
2 thick slices of bacon, diced
4 Brussels sprouts, halved
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp Tuscan Style Basil Herb dressing (Safeway Select)
Salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in a steamer until almost tender, about 13 minutes. In a separate pot, cook corn in bowling water for about 5 minutes.

In the meanwhile, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Return pan to stovetop and turn heat to high. Add potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Cook in bacon grease until browned and crispy.

Cut corn off the cob and add to sauté pan. Add garlic and dressing; stir together. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until Brussels sprouts are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with grilled salmon or chicken.

Crock Pot Hungarian-Style Goulash

Serves: 4 

1 lb beef chuck roast, cubed

1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced

1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup flour
Egg noodles

Place beef and sausage in crock pot, and cover with onion. In a medium bowl, stir combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, and 1 cup water. Pour mixture over beef, sausage and onions.

Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours, or until meat is tender.

Mix 1/4 cup water with flour to form a paste, and stir into goulash. Cook on high for 15 minutes, until sauce thickens.

Cook egg noodles according to directions on packaging.

Serve goulash over noodles.

Alfredo Queso

I was rushing through the grocery store to find something quick to make for dinner. I picked up some premade Alfredo Basil sauce and pico de gallo, mixed it together and used it as a pasta sauce. Since I didn’t take a photo of it for the blog, I didn’t post it. Though the next day, I had some of this sauce left over and turned it into a quick queso. I would recommend trying both recipes!

5 oz premade Alfredo sauce

½ cup pico de gallo
¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded Monterey cheese

In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients over medium heat. Stir until combine. Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: To made pasta sauce, omit extra cheese from queso recipe above and just heat and combine 10 oz Alfredo sauce and 1/2 cup of pico de gallo, then toss with your favorite pasta. Top with chicken or shrimp.

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla

3-4 chicken tenders (or a 1-2 chicken breasts)

½ packet of taco seasoning
Juice from one lime
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
½ red bell pepper, sliced
½ green bell pepper, sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, sliced
Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Shredded Monterey cheese
6 large flour tortillas
Margarine or butter
Sliced avocado

In a small bowl, combine taco seasoning, lime juice and EVOO. In a zip lock bag, add chicken, coat with taco seasoning mixture and marinate for 30+ minutes.

On a grill over medium high heat, grill chicken for about 3 minutes per side, or until cooked all the way through. Remove from heat, set aside and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.

In a medium skillet over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and sauté peppers until tender. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Butter one side of each tortilla. In a large skillet over medium heat, place one tortilla butter side down. Add Cheddar cheese, peppers, sliced chicken, Monterey cheese and then top with second tortilla, butter side up. Once cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy and golden, flip quesadilla. Cook for 2-3 minutes more and transfer to a cutting board. Let quesadilla rest for a few minutes before cutting into wedges. Repeat for additional quesadillas.

Serve with sliced avocado, salsa and/or sour cream.

 

(P.S. My hubby thinks it's funny that he's shinning his shoes on the same counter where I'm making dinner, but it's not. It's gross.)

Sautéed Swai with Spinach Mushroom Rice

Swai is a farmed river fish from Asia, which is light and flaky, similar to catfish.

2 Swai fillets

2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

½ tsp minced parsley

Lemon pepper seasoning

SaltExtra Virgin

Olive Oil (EVOO)

Rice:

½ cup white long grained Basmati rice

2 Tbsp dried mushrooms

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach

2 green onion sprigs, sliced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a rice cooker, add rice, mushrooms, chicken broth and 1 tsp EVOO; cook until tender. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, drizzle EVOO and cook spinach until wilted. Add cooked rice to pan, add green onions and mix together; set aside.

(Note: if you don’t have dried mushrooms, sauté fresh mushrooms with spinach.)

In a large frying pan over high heat, drizzle EVOO and heat until oil starts to ripple. Season both sides of fish fillets with cheese, parsley, lemon pepper and salt. Fry first side for 2 minutes, flip fillets, turn heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, until crispy and flakes easily with a fork.

Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich

What a delicious Saturday morning!

Servings: 2

6 slices of bacon

4 eggs
Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt & Pepper
4 slices of hearty sourdough bread
Extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ avocado, sliced

In a frying pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate; set aside. Wipe grease out of pan.

Add a little butter or EVOO to the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan (try to keep the two sets of eggs together). Once the whites are set and the outer edges are just starting to curl up, flip. Season with salt and pepper. Depending on how soft you like the yolks, remove pan from heat when it’s ready.

In a toaster oven, toast bread. On one side of bread, cover with Cheddar cheese and melt.

To assemble sandwich, stack bacon and eggs on slice of toast with cheese. Add sliced avocado and top with second piece of toast. Cut in half and enjoy with some fresh fruit.

Fiesta Flatbread

This Mexican style flatbread is a fiesta in your mouth. Cheesy, I know….literally.

¾ lb Chicken tenders

½ packet of taco seasoning
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Ready to cook pizza dough
Enchilada or Red Chili Sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Sliced yellow bell pepper
Sliced green bell pepper
Jarred jalapeno pepper slices
Chopped or sliced olives
Diced tomatoes
Diced avocado

In a zip lock bag, marinate chicken in taco seasoning, drizzle with EVOO and coat well. Refrigerate for 30+ minutes.

Over high heat, grill chicken for about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside. Let rest before roughly chopping into pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare dough according to desired thickness. For the flatbread, I made a thin crust in a rectangle shape. Spoon and spread sauce over dough. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top with veggies. Bake for about 13 minutes. Remove from oven, add tomatoes and chicken; bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until dough is cooked through.

Let pizza rest for a couple minutes before cutting. Top with avocado and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

NOTE: I made the chicken the night before for tacos and then used the leftovers the next day for this pizza topping. Yum!

Jalapeno & Bacon Grilled Cheese

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day (starts April 12^th and then continues for the rest of the month!), I made this tasty little guy. Enjoy!

Servings: 2 sandwiches

2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut in half lengthwise

4 slices of bacon
4 slices of sourdough bread
Butter
2 triangle wedges of Laughing Cow cheese (you can use any spreadable cheese or cream cheese)
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to broil. Place peppers cut side down under broiler for a few minutes, until skin starts to turn black and bubble. Then place peppers in a sealable zip lock bag and let steam for about 15 minutes. Remove skin from peppers by peeling or using a knife. Cut peppers in slices; set aside.

Cook bacon until crispy. Set on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil; set aside.

Butter the outsides of each slice of bread. Spread Laughing Cow cheese on one side bread, top with jalapeno slices, two slices of bacon and shredded cheese. Top with other slice of bread. In a frying pan over medium heat, grill sandwiches until golden brown and cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Let sandwiches sit for a couple minutes before cutting in half eating. Serve with soup. 

Baked Mac n Cheese Casserole

This comfort food would make anyone feel good after a long day at work. I dare you to not feel better after this cheesy dish!

1 lb shelled pasta

½ cup small cauliflower florets

½ cup small broccoli florets

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

(save a little cheese to top casserole before baking)

Dash of hot pepper flakes

½ cup diced precooked ham

Salt

Pepper

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta for about 6 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, add veggies, just to blanch.  

Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan heat butter over med-high heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Mix in cheese and pepper flakes until combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and veggies. Add to sauce pan with cheese sauce and mix to coat. Mix in ham. 

Add macaroni and cheese to a greased casserole. Top with extra cheese. Bake for 20 minutes on 400 degrees. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: To lighten up this dish, use whole wheat pasta and nonfat milk.