Meatball Stroganoff

A quick and tasty meal with a spin on the traditional beef stroganoff.

 

 

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 small onion, minced

1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced

1 egg

¼ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (if mixture is too wet, add more) 

 

4 large white or Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

 

McCormik stroganoff seasoning (yes, I'm cheating and using a packet...that's what makes it quick!) 

 

In a large bowl, mix ingredients for meatballs together until well combined. In a large frying pan over med-high heat and drizzle oil. Using wet hands, form walnut sized balls from meat mixture and drop onto frying pan. Fry all sides until browned. 

 

Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring around meatballs. Following the directions on the seasoning packet, add water mixed with seasoning to the pan with the meatballs and mushrooms. Before serving , stir in one cup of sour cream.  

 

Serve over egg noodles or rice. Garnish with minced fresh parsley or sprinkle with paprika and freshly cracked pepper.   

Green Chilaquiles with Chicken (Chilaquiles Verdes Con Pollo)

This is my take on a traditional Mexican dish, Chilaquiles. These are like salsa drenched nachos topped with nothing but yummy goodness.

Serves 2-3

Salsa Verde:

1/2 lb tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeno, deveined and seeded
2 garlic cloves
Salt
 
Homemade tortilla chips

1 can of black beans
1 cup of shredded chicken
Sour cream
Red onion, minced
Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped
Cotija cheese
Cilantro, chopped

Salsa Verde:

Add tomatillos into a saucepan, cover with water and boil for 5 minutes, until tomatillos have changed color and are soft. Use slotted spoon to remove tomatillos into a blender. Add jalapeno, garlic cloves and a cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Add salsa to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes. Add tortilla chips to the salsa. Gently turn over chips until they are all well coated. Remove from heat.

To assemble chilaquiles:

To serve chilaquiles, make a bed of black bean on your plate, top with salsa coated chips, chicken, a dollop of sour cream, onion, avocado cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.

Variations:

·         Use red salsa instead of green
·         Serve for breakfast and top with an egg instead of chicken
·         Serve for dinner and top with carne asada instead of chicken

Stuffed Chicken over Almond Pesto

A nice dinner for my hubby's Birthday: I started off with a Caprese Salad and then this main dish of sundried tomato and spinach stuffed baked chicken over homemade almond pesto pasta.

Stuffed Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
¼ cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and water squeezed out, split in four parts
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped, split in four parts
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Almond Pesto:

2 cups of packed basil leaves
¼ cup of slivered almonds
2 garlic clove
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Juice from one lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

½ lb pasta (bow tie or tube)

In a blender or food processor, add basil, almonds, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese and lemon juice; blend and slowly add EVOO while blender is on. Blend until smooth. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice each chicken breast in half and pound until about ¼” thin. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Layout out filets, add a slice of cheese, ¼ forth the spinach and tomatoes on each filet and roll up; secure with toothpicks.

In a sauce pan over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and brown all sides of the rolled chicken. Then bake for 15 minutes, or depending on thickness, until cooked all the way through.

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Then drain and toss with pesto sauce.

Serve pesto pasta with sliced chicken. Drizzle chicken with remaining juices from pan. Enjoy!

Tuna Poke and Avocado Stack

Yesterday, my husband’s coworker asked him if we liked tuna. Of course! Then she went on to tell him her brother just came back from a fishing trip with several pounds of fresh Bluefin tuna. Would we like some? Again…OF COURSE!  And this was how this little beauty was created!

Top layer:
¾ lb Bluefin tuna (or Ahi), cubed
¼ cup soy sauce
2 green onion sprigs, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (I used both black and white)
1/2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce

Middle layer:

½ red bell pepper, minced
1 ½ Tbsp minced red onion

Bottom layer:

1 avocado, diced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
Juice from one lime

Garnish:

Thinly sliced cucumber
Cilantro
Extra sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine cubed tuna with the rest of the ingredients for the ‘top layer’. In a separate small bowl, combine bell peppers and onion. In a third small bowl, combine ingredients for the ‘bottom later’.

Using a greased cylinder shaped measuring cup or 2 1/2” circle ring, add a layer of tuna mixture and gently press down with the back of a spoon. Then add a thin layer of bell peppers and onions. Lastly, add a layer of avocado and gently press down.

Take a small plate and layer a circle of thinly sliced cucumbers. Place the tuna and avocado stack in the middle of the plate and gently tap out. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips.

Jalapeno Crab Stuffed Salmon

I wanted to do something different for dinner with my salmon, so I opened up my cupboard to see if any brilliant ideas would jump out at me. A can of crab and a can of diced jalapenos caught my eye. I love crab stuffed jalapenos, so I wondered what would happen if I stuffed that inside of salmon. Viola! Jalapeno crab stuffed salmon…delicious!

2 salmon filets

1 can of white lump crab, drained
2-3 oz of canned diced jalapenos
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 green onion sprig, chopped
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine crab, jalapenos, cheese and green onion, but do not over mix. Set aside.

Season filets with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the middle of each filet. Stuff filets with crab mixture. Place filets on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn to broil, move fish to the top of the oven and broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Helpful tip: To know if your fish is cooked, it should easily flake with fork and no longer be translucent in the center.

Grilled Shark with Summer Relish

This grilled fish dinner has a Latin flair and uses fresh summer ingredients.

2 Thresher shark fillets
Fish seasoning: Cajun, seasoned salt or lemon pepper

Relish:
¼ cup corn (roasted and cut off the cob)
About 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ large avocado, diced
1 Tbsp diced canned jalapenos (or one fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced)
1 green onion sprig, diced
Juice from one lime
Salt

Rice & Beans:

½ cup rice
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
½ can of black beans

In a rice cooker, cook rice in broth and EVOO.  Once rice is cooked, stir in beans to heat through.

Meanwhile, season and grill heat over med-high heat. Depending on thickness, grill for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked all the way through.

While fish is grilling, make relish. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt and set aside.

To plate, create a bed of rice and beans, top with fish and spoon relish over fish.

Helpful hint: Make sure you rub the fish with oil before seasoning or spray the grill to prevent the fish from sticking.

Pesto Vegetable Pasta Salad

A great pasta to bring to a BBQ and serve with  grilled chicken.

1 lb bowtie pasta

1 small jar of marinated, quartered artichoke hearts
½ red bell pepper, diced
About 10 asparagus spears, steamed and cut into 1”pieces
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, diced
2 green onion spears, diced
4 oz. of jarred pesto
Feta cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on packaging. Drain and toss with the rest of ingredients. Serve warm or cool the next day. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

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.

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.