Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad June 9, 2017

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged a recommended recipe in over a year and a half. I still cook new recipes every week and I  still share those recipes with friends but it has been the “old fashioned” way… you know by emailing a link. 😉 . I made this recipe last night and was asked by a few lovelies if I would share it. What a perfect excuse to get back on the bloggitty blog.

 

As with most of the recipes on this blog, the idea is to take a recipe and let my friends know the little things I did to make it my own. The original recipe is by Katya on her site Little Broken. It is a great website and oh my! the photography is stunning. The recipe is pretty fantastic on it’s own but I did make some tweaks.

 

#1 – Sometimes I add a protein hack. I love this as a vegetarian dish but sometimes I like to add chicken. My hack is that I buy the WestEnd Cuisine Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Skewers from Costco. I take the chicken off (6) of the skewers and chop it into bite sized pieces.

#2 – While the butternut squash is roasting, I saute the red onion (or shallots) in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat until they sweat (just a few minutes).

#3- Add cooked chicken and dried cranberries to the pan just long enough to warm them through. Cooking the cranberries for a few minutes really brings out the sweetness.

#4 – I use half the quinoa she calls for in the recipe because I added one cooked pouch of Seeds of Change Quinoa Brown Rice with Garlic. NOTE: You do not have to do this. I originally made this change only because I didn’t have enough quinoa on hand so I had to improvise. I ended up liking the mix of textures so I continue to do this.

#4- I make all the dressing the recipe calls for but I do not use it all at one time. I find it sweet so I just add it to taste. Since it is a delicious dressing I just keep what I don’t use for salads later in the week.

#5- Lastly, I actually like to serve this salad warm and  topped with a little chopped parsley. I have not tried it chilled yet.

 

So that’s it. Let me know what you think. Cheers! 🙂

 

Here’s a link to the original delicious recipe: https://www.littlebroken.com/2014/10/19/butternut-squash-and-cranberry-quinoa-salad/

 

Recipe rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Lemon Parsley Chicken w/ Corn & Tomato Salad September 4, 2013

Hi Friends! I found the following recipe in a recent issue of Cooking Light. It was SUPER flavorful, SUPER tasty and SUPER easy!

A few notes:

– Before seasoning the chicken, pound the breasts lightly to an even 1/2″ thickness with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan to ensure even cooking on the grill

– I recommend mincing the parsley, garlic, and lemon rind together and sprinkling salt and pepper directly on the chicken.

– Don’t just sprinkle the parsley mixture on the chicken as the recipe says, rub it into those babies. You won’t regret it. Our chicken was so flavorful!

– Grilling time was closer to 4 mins. per side

– I added some sliced avocado and crumbled feta to the salad

Ingredients

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tsp minced fresh garlic

3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

3/4 tsp ground black pepper, divided

4   (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, halved lengthwise to form 8 cutlets

Cooking spray

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

5 cups torn Boston lettuce

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to high heat.

2. Combine minced parsley, lemon rind, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with parsley mixture; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

4. Combine juice, oil, mustard, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Follow this link for the full recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-parsley-chicken-50400000130009/

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Chicken Sausages w/ Poached Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash (Adapted from The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook) August 16, 2012

Breakfast for dinner can be an easy way to mix-up a doldrum weekly meal plan. With a recipe like the one below, you might find yourself having breakfast for dinner more often than not! 🙂

 

I have made this dish several times and it is  a bonafide (2) thumbs up winner of a meal. Plus, it is so EASY!!! Jillian calls for chicken apple sausage links in her cookbook but personally I am a fan of using the chicken jalapeno sausage links from Trader Joe’s to add a spicy little kick!

 

This is a delicious and flavorful (even Paleo friendly) dinner. I highly recommend you give it a try and let me know what you think! Also you should definitely check out the whole cookbook, I find it has been an awesome resource for tasty and healthful meals!

 

Chicken Sausages w/ Poached Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash – Jillian Michaels- The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

Ingredients

1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, cubed
1 cup sliced red onion (or shallot)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 apple, cubed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup
1 (11-oz pkg) chicken sausage links

Plus 1 poached egg per person

 

Preparation

1. Precook sweet potatoes in microwave (covered) for about 4 minutes

2. Cook sausage links per package instructions and start the water to poach  your eggs

3. Brown onion, salt and pepper in EVOO or coconut oil

4.  Add apple, cook for 2 minutes

5.  Add cinnamon and sweet potatoes, cook for 5 minutes

6. Lastly add maple syrup to the hash.

7. Serve hash with your chicken sausage link and (1) poached egg

 

**4.5 out of 5 star recipe!**

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Artichokes & Sun Dried Tomatoes January 31, 2012

The following  is a result of several different attempts with a handful of different recipes. I think I finally got it! Chicken Piccata is typically served with capers but since I am not a huge fan of capers, I swapped them out for Sun Dried Tomatoes. Let me know what you think.   

 

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

⅓ cup flour

½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest

½  tsp. paprika

½  tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup white wine

½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped  (julienne cut and NOT in oil)

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 (14 oz.) can artichokes in water, drained and quartered

 

Directions

1. Place chicken in ziploc bag and pound with a meat mallet until approx. 1/4 in. thick. Remove chicken from bag and season all over with salt and ground black pepper.
2. In a shallow dish, combine flour, lemon zest, paprika, garlic powder and mix until well combined. Add chicken and turn to coat. Remove chicken from flour and shake off excess flour.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until golden brown (approx. 2 minutes per side).
4. Add lemon juice, wine, chicken broth, sun dried tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens.
5. If sauce is not thick enough, in a small bowl combine 1 tbsp. corn starch with 1- 2 tbsp. liquid from the skillet. Mix and add mixture back to the skillet.
6. Add artichoke hearts and simmer 1- 2 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over brown rice or alongside parsely red potatoes.

 

Recipe Rating: 4 stars

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf December 12, 2011

This is the easiest recipe you will make ALL week!! The hands on time is literally around 15 minutes then you simply throw it into the oven to cook. How simple is that? REAL SIMPLE… which makes sense since that is where I found this recipe. I served the meat loaf  along side fresh green beans and a garden salad. It was a nutritious and filling meal that didn’t take a lot of effort which I know you will appreciate this busy holiday season!

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

1 small yellow onion, chopped

½ cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Kosher salt and pepper

 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.

2. Combine the turkey, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, Dijon mustard, the parsley, red peppers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Shape the meat into an 8-inch loaf and place in a baking dish. <<Quick Tip: A loaf pan isn’t the best choice for meat loaf. Use a large pan with 1 1/2- to 2-inch sides, or a 7-by-11-inch baking dish instead.>>  

 

3. Bake until no trace of pink remains (internal temperature should be 165° F), about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click on the link for the original Real Simple recipe. http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/turkey-roasted-red-pepper-meat-loaf-10000001707656/index.html

Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin December 11, 2011

HELLOOOOoooo yummy, comfort food goodness! 🙂 I think I could have eaten this entire dish by myself. Seriously! Besides the fact that it was seriously easy to make it just tasted so darned good! I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of red potatoes which I would recommend since gold potatoes are naturally creamier. The leftovers kept really well and made a perfect reappearance for lunch later in the week. This recipe was featured in Cooking Light’s “Feed 4 for Less than $10”. I didn’t actually do the math but I can tell you that I will definitely be making this dish again.

 

Ingredients

2 (4-ounce) hot turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups chopped onion

4 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms

1½ pounds red potatoes, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

Cooking spray

¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from pan; drain. Wipe pan with paper towels. Melt butter in pan. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; sauté 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and salt; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in sausage and broth. Remove from heat. Spoon potato mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with cheese. Cover and bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with thyme.

 

Recipe Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Click on this link for the Cooking Light recipe http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/turkey-sausage-potato-gratin-50400000116795/

Smoky Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo December 8, 2011

I made  gumbo based on a request from my husband. I asked him if he wanted anything special for the week and his reply was GUMBO. Okay??… I’ve never made gumbo before and to be honest I don’t eat it often since I’m not a huge fan of okra. Lucky for Dan I had just seen a recipe in Cooking Light magazine which was lower in calories and sodium than traditional gumbo. So I gave it a whirl and I have to admit that the meal turned out GREAT. Dan even gave me two thumbs up!

 

With that said… it was the most LABOR INTENSIVE meal I’ve made in a long time. The recipe gives a hands on time of 58 minutes. I don’t think so! Maybe if I were a contestant on Top Chef. From making the stock from scratch to making a perfect roux this recipe was hands on and took some time. I don’t believe all recipes need to be quick and easy but for the purpose of this blog that is what I’ve chosen to focus on.

 

So for those interested… please see a link below for the recipe. It really was quite good but give yourself some preparation/cooking time (We ended up eating after 9:00 p.m.!!) Also, I would add a little salt and some more spice. I ended up adding both to taste at the end.

Recipe Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/smoky-shrimp-chicken-gumbo-50400000116793/

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo by Ellie Krieger November 14, 2010

It is no surprise that I love Ellie Krieger. Her recipes are based on the simple principles that I like to follow… healthy, easy and tasty! I recently checked out her cookbook “The Food You Crave” from the library and it is fantastic.

Ellie says the following about the following soup recipe “It is like a girl-next-door chicken noodle soup that’s traveled abroad and returned with an intriguing flair”. It is lowfat but oh so satisfying. The eggs & lemon juice mixture serve as a thickener to the soup which make it so creamy you would think there was actual cream in the soup. I added a 1/2 tsp. dried oregano along with the thyme well because I felt like it. And it was GOOD!
Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
Ingredients
4 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces skinless — boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
1 pinch salt — plus more to taste
1 medium onion — diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery — diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot — diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo — preferably whole wheat
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 4 servings, Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Per serving: Calories 280; Total fat 10g (Sat fat 2g, Mono fat 6g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 26g; Carb 22g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 139mg; Sodium 291mg

**Note: Be sure to follow the directions and do not boil the soup after you add the egg mixture or you might have scrambled soup! Ick.

Recipe Rating: 4 out 5 stars

Albondigas is What? October 20, 2010

It rarely rains in Las Vegas. When it does… people react. My natural reaction of course is to make soup. And what soup sounds more comforting on the first stormy Fall evening of the season than Albondigas? When I made a comment on Facebook about making Albondigas last night I realized there were some people out there who have never enjoyed it. I take for granted that I grew up in Southern California where this bowl of goodness was common place. Literally translated I see that Albondigas means “Meatball” and that really is what it is; just a warm and comforting bowl of meatball soup. So here you go. My version is of course  a bastard child of experiment, love and time. I will not claim that this soup recipe is in any way authentic as I am far removed being  just a Sicilian/Irish kiddo blessed enough to grow up near the San Diego/ Mexico border. (BTW, I do not mix white rice in the “meatballs” which is just my personal preference, do what you will. No judgement here. 🙂

Ingredients  

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped finely and split in half
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. freshly chopped thyme
• ½ bunch chopped flat leaf parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• Salt n’ Peppa, to taste
• 1 ½ lbs. ground turkey (dark meat preferred)
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery (preferably use the inside stalks with all the lovely leaves & flavor)
• 32 oz. chicken broth
• 14 oz. beef broth
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro



Directions

1 Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add ½ chopped onion and cook until tender, for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, thyme, parsley and mint and cook a minute more. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat and let cool.

2 Add the sautéed ingredients to the ground turkey. Prepare the meatballs by forming mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

3 In the same pot, brown the meatballs in olive oil, turning frequently. Cook in batches if necessary, remove from the pan and set aside. 

4 In the same pot, add a small splash of olive oil and sauté the other ½ of the chopped onion, carrots, potatoes and celery until soft and scrape the bits and pieces of flavor from the bottom of the pan.

5 Add the chicken and beef broth, fresh tomato, tomato paste and oregano to the pot one ingredient at a time to make sure the flavors mesh. Cover and let simmer on low for 1/2 hour.

6 Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Note: This soup ALWAYS tastes better the next day which is why I purposely make it a day before I plan to serve it . 🙂

Feta Chicken Re-Deux February 2, 2010

In September 2008 I blogged about the following recipe for Feta Chicken w/ Zucchini. As stated in my entry, this dish is a sure fire “go to” dish for me (especially when I am lacking inspiration). It is tasty not to mention fast and easy. Though I do love the recipe as is, I made a few alterations just to mix it up. 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 medium yellow crook neck squash
• 1 jar drained marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled Feta

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a roasting pan. Remove the zest from the lemon in thin strips; set aside. Thinly slice the lemon. Place half the slices in the pan.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Place it on top of the lemon slices and season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Slice each squash in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons. In a bowl, combine the squash, artichoke hearts, parsley, pepper, and the remaining oil, lemon slices, and salt; toss. Spread the zucchini mixture around the chicken and sprinkle the Feta over the top.
4. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer it to a cutting board and cut each piece into thirds. Divide the chicken, squash mixture, and lemons among individual plates and sprinkle with the zest.

It still gets a happy 4 out of 5 stars for me! 🙂

Follow the link below to the original Real Simple recipe.

http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1192200