Greek Tortellini Salad

Keeping with this months salad theme here is a hearty, flavorful salad that is easy to whip together for a quick lunch. I always keep tortellini in the freezer, it comes in handy when you want to make a simple meal or snack.


Ingredients 

fresh whole wheat cheese filled Tortellini Pasta, family size
1/2 cup of pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
1/2 a jar of roasted red peppers marinated in oil, sliced
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Directions 

Cook your tortellini till it is al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes once your water comes to a rapid boil. It is very important to not over cook your pasta, because then your salad is soggy. Drain your pasta and place in a large bowl. Add to you pasta all of your chopped vegetables, olives and cheese. The oil from your chopped peppers and artichokes make a nice natural dressing. There is no need to add more oil. Add your feta, toss and serve. This salad is delicious warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Lemon Orzo Salad

Happy New Year! 

2012 is going to filled with healthy delicious cooking. To start this new year off right I am dedicating the whole month of January to salads. This first salad is a quick, light, pasta salad that is not only nutritious but bursting with tons of tangy flavor!



Ingredients

12 oz. Orzo
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lemon, zest and juiced
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
1 cup of freshly grated parmesan
kosher salt and pepper


Directions

Cook orzo, blanch asparagus the last minute of cooking the pasta. Add cooked orzo, asparagus and sliced tomatoes to a large bowl.

Mix olive oil, lemon, zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk. Drizzle the oil dressing over pasta. Stir in fresh parsley and parmesan. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Herb Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

This dinner is my husbands favorite meal. The meal itself looks intimidating but really it's quite easy. I make this dish at least twice a month in the winter. We are only a family of three but I always roast two birds for leftovers. As for the mashed potatoes, I am the queen of potatoes. I could live off them, so you know my mashed potatoes are the best, YUM!


•Herb Roasted Chicken• 

Ingredients 

2 fresh whole chickens
1 stick of butter, softened
1 bunch of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 bunch of fresh sage, chopped
1 bunch of thyme, chopped
1 apple, quartered
2 lemons cut in half
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 cups of dry white wine
salt & pepper to taste


Directions 

I buy disposable foil pans big enough for one bird. This just makes clean up much easier! I always roast two birds so there are plenty of leftovers. Gather your herbs and chop all of them together. Loosen the chickens skin and place half of the chopped herbs under the skin of each chicken. Rub each bird with a half a stick of butter and sprinkle the rest of the chopped herbs over your chickens. Pour one cup of wine in each of the bottom of the foil tins. Chop two lemons in half place one of the chopped lemons inside the chicken cavity and the other chopped lemon in the foil tin. Quarter your onion and apple and place in the foil tin. Season your birds generously with salt and pepper. Cover your birds with foil and place both birds in a preheated 450˙oven. Bake your birds covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 45 minutes, basting now and then with the juices in the pan. Your chicken should be golden brown when finished cooking. Remove your chickens from the oven and transfer to a serving dish to let rest. Reserve one cup of the chicken drippings for your gravy.


•Mashed Potatoes•

Ingredients

6 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 quarts of chicken broth
2 cups of sour cream
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Peel and chop your potatoes, place them in a large boiling pot. Add your chicken stock to the pot, your potatoes should be all the way covered by the broth. Boil your potatoes in the chicken broth, until completely tender. Drain about one cup of liquid off your potatoes and mash with one stick of butter and 2 cups of sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.


•Gravy•

Ingredients

1 cup of chicken drippings
1 cup of chicken broth
1 Tbs of flour
salt and pepper to taste


Directions 

In a large sauce pan on medium high heat add your chicken drippings. Add a tablespoon of flour to your drippings, stirring constantly cooking your flour for about two minutes. Add the chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly until thickened, serve.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Thumbprints

How about a virtual cookie swap? One of my dear childhood friends organized this fun recipe swap, thank you Kristen for including me. I love baking this time of year and one of my favorite Christmas cookies is the Raspberry Thumbprint. This cookie is a buttery shortbread that melts in your mouth with a chewy raspberry center. Head on over to the other yummy food blogs to find some of their favorite holiday cookies!


Kristen Gough, My Kids Eat Squid 

Brette Sember, Martha and Me 

Jodi Reinman, Garlic Girl 

Teresa Robeson, Raising Our Home  

Laura Davis, Del.ic.ious  (me)

Susan Johnston, Building Community Through Creative Food

Melanie McMinn, Frugal Kiwi 

•Raspberry Thumbprints•

Ingredients

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

1 cup of flour

1/4 cup of raspberry preserve 

Directions

In a mixer cream together butter and sugar, add the vanilla, salt and egg yolk. Beat this mixture until fluffy. Add the flour until the dough forms a stiff dough. Scrape the dough onto a large sheet of wax paper. Roll the dough until it forms a 12" rope that is 3/4" in diameter. Roll your dough rope up in the wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove your dough from the fried and let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 300˙. Unwrap and slice your dough into 1" slices, roll them into little balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press your them into the center of each cookie ball, fill each hallow with 1/4 teaspoon of preserve. Bake your cookies until they are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool 5 minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. 

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatloaf

These long winter months are sometimes tough to get through without eating heavy unhealthy foods known as, comfort foods. Here is a lighter, healthier version of a family favorite, Turkey Meatloaf. This recipe is full of flavor and really satisfies that need for a warm and hearty meal.

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbs. of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 tsp tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
1/2 cup of italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup of ketchup

Directions

In a medium pan saute chopped onion, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme in olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Add chicken stock, worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, mix well. Allow to cool. Combine your ground turkey in a bowl with the bread crumbs and one egg. Add onion mixture to your ground turkey once cooled. Mix well. Add your seasoned turkey to a lightly greased loaf pan. Spread ketchup evenly over the top of your turkey loaf. Bake at 375˙ for 1 1/2 hours or until meatloaf is cooked through. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Caramel Corn

• Happy Halloween •

 Here is a tasty treat that I only make once a year on this special Halloween day. It's sweet, chewy, crunchy and fun to make with the whole family!

Ingredients

Corn

1/2 cup of corn

3 Tbs. oil (I use coconut oil, it's healthier)

In a large pot over medium heat add your oil and corn. Cover and slightly ajar the lid so the steam can escape. When the popping slows, remove pan from heat.

Caramel 

1 cup of brown sugar
1 stick of salted butter
1/4 cup kayro syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 qt. popped corn


Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan, when these ingredients have melted stir once and let the mixture boil on medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir once while cooking. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in soda until foamy. Put your popped pop corn in a large brown paper bag that you have your groceries packed in at the grocery store. Pour the caramel syrup over the corn stir with a wooden spoon. Close the bag and place in the microwave for 1 1/2 min. Remove and shake closed bag vigorously. Pour your caramel corn on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper to cool.

Enjoy!

Kung Pao Tofu

I love a good spicy kung pao with lots of crunchy vegetables. I thought I would try this dish at home with tofu and brown rice and my family loved it. The next time I make this dish I might make it with scallops or shrimp.


Ingredients

1 pound of firm tofu cut into cubes
1 zucchini sliced and then the pieces cut in half
3 carrots chopped
2 cups of sugar pea pods
Brown rice, cooked

2 Tbs. white wine
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sesame oil
2 Tbs. cornstarch, dissolved in water
1 Tbs. Sriracha, chili sauce
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tbs. garlic, chopped
1 handful of unsalted peanuts


Directions 

Marinade:
Combine, 1Tbs. wine,  Tbs. soy sauce, 1Tbs. oil and 1Tbs. cornstarch and water mixture, mix together. Place tofu pieces in a large zip lock bag add marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes, then drain.

Combine 1Tbs. wine, 1Tbs. soy sauce, 1Tbs. cornstarch/water mixture, 1Tbs. oil, chili paste, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl mix well. Add sauce to a medium high skillet add green onion, garlic, and peanuts  heat sauce until it slightly thickens. In a separate skillet add a little bit of oil in a medium high pan sear your marinated tofu. Add your chopped vegetable and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tofu and vegetables to your thickened sauce, mix well. Serve over brown rice.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Pizza

I love making homemade pizza's, especially on days I don't feel like making a big fuss in the kitchen. Here is a yummy pie with all my favorite vegetables. This pie is light, flavorful, crunchy and chewy.  

•Pizza Toppings•

4 Tbs of pre made pesto, for the sauce

1 cup of crumbled feta

1/2 cup of marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup of julienned tomatoes

1/2 cup of a zucchini, thinly sliced

•Crust•

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour


Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. If you are limited on time sticking the whole bowl into a warm oven (200˙) works beautifully. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza topping recipe.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Protein Pasta Salad

In my home my family and I have beef red meat free for about twelve years. This past week we have decided to go vegetarian, to be specific we will be practicing ovo-lacto vegetarianism (diet includes both eggs and dairy products, excluding meat products)


I have always been more of a herbivore than a meat eater and also a strong advocate to stop animal testing and cruelty, so the transition seemed logical. We will see how this change goes, in our quest to eat clean and meat free.

My first vegetarian recipe is my Protein Pasta. I have packed this pasta salad to the brim with protein. This salad is always better the next day when all the flavors have melded together.



Ingredients

Spiral vegetable/protein pasta, cooked al dente
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red, bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup of whole raw almonds
1 can of pitted black olives
2 cups of cubed mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Dressing

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste



Directions 

In a large pot cook your protein pasta al dente. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile chop your peppers into big pieces, and cube your mozzarella cheese. In a large bowl add your cooled pasta, nuts, peppers, black olives, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

For your pasta salad dressing, chop up two green onions and place in a food processor alone with 1 cup of parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. Blend until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add your dressing to the pasta salad and mix.

Enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman's•Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

I am a huge fan of Ree Drummond also known as The Pioneer Woman. Ree's enthusiasm is intoxicating and inspires me on a daily basis. Recently I was thumbing through her awesome blog and came across this recipe. This pasta dish was such a huge hit with my family that they requested it twice in one week! Thank you Ree. :)

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 4 lemons
2 Tlbs. honey

Place your chicken breasts in a ziplock baggie and lightly pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and honey. Mix and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Grill and slice.


Pasta Sauce

1/2 stick of butter
3 whole lemons, juiced
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of half and half
1 1/2 cups of freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
20 whole basil leaves, chopped

1 pound of penne pasta, cooked


Directions

Cook pasta reserving 1 cup of the hot pasta water. In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons, whisk together. Pour in cream and half and half, dump in your grated cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Add Some of the reserved hot pasta water if sauce is to thick.
Pour the drained pasta right into the skillet with the sauce. Sprinkle with basil and top with your grilled sliced chicken.

Enjoy!