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.

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

I made these delicious, spicy deviled eggs as an appetizer for our Easter dinner. They were spicy, tasty and a hit!

1 dozen eggs

1/3 cup mayo

2 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce

½ tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp jarred Jalapeno juice

2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Sea salt & Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

To boil eggs, place eggs in a pot covered with 1 ½” of water; bring to a boil. Once water boils, cover and remove from heat for 10 minutes. Remove eggs and place in an ice bath. Peel under warm water. Slice eggs in half and scoop harden yolks into a bowl.

Mix yolks with the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more Sriracha to make spicier. Add more mayo to make creamier.

Piipe mixture back into egg whites. Garnish with a dot of Sriracha sauce and cilantro.

Easter centerpiece made of jelly beans, Peeps and fresh flowers.
Thanks, Pinterest!

Pink Lemonade Cookies

I thought these cookies would be a great colorful treat for Easter, especially if you used a combo of pink and yellow cake mixes.

1 box Pink Lemonade cake mix  (or just use lemon cake mix)
1-8 oz container of Cool Whip
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients well. Drop teaspoons of batter into a bowl of powder sugar; roll to coat. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes.

Happy Easter!

Spicy Asian Chicken with Sriracha Cream Sauce

2 Chicken breasts

¼ cup Ponzu sauce

1 tsp dried ginger (or use fresh ginger if you have it)

1 tsp dried pepper flakes

2 Tbsp mayo

2 tsp Sriracha sauce

In a small bowl, combine Ponzu sauce, ginger and pepper flakes. In a bowl or bag, add chicken and Ponzu sauce mixture. Marinate for 30+ minutes.

Over med-high heat, grill chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked all the way through. Let chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing.

While chicken is cooking, whisk mayo and Sriracha sauce together in a small bowl; set aside until ready to use.

Serve chicken over rice mixed with sautéed vegetables. Drizzle with Sriracha cream sauce.

Helpful hint: To drizzle sauce over chicken, spoon sauce into a small Ziploc bag. Using scissors, snip off the edge of one corner. Try to get the air out of the bag, then use as a piping bag.

Basil and Yellow Pepper Chicken

2 large bell peppers, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 thin chicken filets
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
10-12 fresh basil leaves, sliced
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 slices of butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a medium sauce pan over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and sauté peppers and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add orange juice and stock, turn heat to low, cover and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic and parsley. Prepare chicken by season both sides with salt and pepper. Lay filets out and spread cream cheese mixture on one side. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Roll up each filet, tuck thin end in and secure with a toothpick.

In a separate frying pan, heat a few drizzle of EVOO and butter over med-high heat. Fry fillets for about 10 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and cooked all the way through.

While chicken is cooking, blend peppers and onions until smooth. Strain peppers through a sieve, or wire mesh strainer, and back into pan.

Serve chicken and sauce over noodles or rice. Garnish with fresh basil.

Spicy Indian Chicken with a Cool Cucumber Salad

4 chicken breasts
Juice of one lemon
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes
1 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and the next 7 ingredients. Score tops of chicken breasts. In a zip lock bag, add chicken and yogurt mixture. Marinate overnight.

The next day, cook chicken by baking on 425 degrees for 15 minutes on each side, or grill over high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle.

Plate over white long grained basmati rice cooked in chicken broth and tossed with freshly minced cilantro. Serve with a cool cucumber salad, below. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Cool Cucumber Salad

2 cucumbers, sliced thinly
½ small onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk EVOO and next 3 ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cucumbers and onions; let marinate for 1+ hours.

Spoon into a shallow bowl.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Vegetable Stir Fry Rice

2 salmon filets
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Juice from one lime
1 cup white long grained basmati rice
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, peel of ribbons
½ yellow onion, sliced
About 5 asparagus, cut into ½” pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Sea salt
EVOO

In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice until combine. Marinate salmon for 30+ minutes.

Cook rice in chicken broth in rice cooker until done.

Preheat grill to med-high heat. Grill salmon skin side down until crispy. Flip filets and turn heat to med-low. Remove skin and cook until just flaky, but not over cooked.

In a wok or large sauté pan over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and cook vegetables, garlic and cilantro for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and drizzle with a few dashes of extra soy sauce. Add cooked rice and mix together.

Serve grilled fish over a bed of vegetable stir fry rice.

Note: If you’d like to spice this up a bit, add freshly sliced jalapenos to the vegetable stir fry or add pepper flakes when seasoning.