Caprese Pizza

I am a pizza lover and I am not ashamed to admit it. One of our favorite pizzas to enjoy is based on one of our favorite appetizers: caprese. Just tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Can't be beat!

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust, uncooked

3 tablespoons marinara sauce

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

1 handful basil

1. Preheat your oven as hot as it will go (mine is 550 degrees).

2. Top pizza crust with sauce, mozzarella slices, and tomato slices.

3. Bake for 5-8 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese starts to brown and bubble. 

4. Remove from oven and toss basil on top. Enjoy!

Serving suggestion: Drizzle a little quality balsamic vinegar over the top. You won't regret it!

Strawberry Grilled Cheese

Should this be breakfast? No. Could it be breakfast? Yes. Shoot, we had it for dinner. It should probably fall into the dessert category, but everyone needs a treat for dinner now and then. It feels so sinful. It is decadent and a real treat. Who needs pancakes and waffles when you can have a strawberry grilled cheese!

1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz marshmallow cream
8 slices prepared French Toast
butter

1. In a small mixing bowl mix together strawberries and sugar. Set aside.

2. In another small fixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and marshmallow cream until well combined. Set aside.

3. Spread butter on one side of each prepared French Toast slice. Flip over half of the bread slices. Layer cream cheese mixture, strawberries, and top with more cream cheese mixture. Top with the remaining French Toast slices, buttered-side up.

4. Working in batches, cook the sandwiches until the cheese and strawberries warm and the bread is golden, about 5 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Tacos and Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

De-lish.

One time when I was a little girl my mom made spaghetti squash for the first time. I don't know what she did to it, but that meal lives to this day in infamy. It was disgusting. No one ate it, including my mom. I've had mixed feelings toward spaghetti squash ever since.

Fast forward to today. I made spaghetti squash tacos for dinner and loved it! Who needs meat when you can make delicious, crave-able tacos using fresh veggies. I served the tacos on oatmeal tortillas with a fresh fire-roasted tomato sauce and a little bit of queso fresco. Oh.....my!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH TACOS

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Red Onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin


1. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the "guts." Put both halves face down in a 9x13 pan. Put enough water in the pan to cover the bottom of the pan twice over (this will keep your squash moist). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute onion and jalapeno for 5 minutes. Add in chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Saute for another couple of minutes until fragrant.

3. Scoop out the cooked squash and add it to the onionhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif mixture. Mix it all up.

4. Serve on tortillas (preferably whole wheat or oatmeal tortillas to keep it healthy!) and a little fresh salsa.




FIRE ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

3 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt


1. Roast the tomatoes and onion under your broiler until they begin to blacken.

2. Toss everything into a food processor (or blender).

Zucchini Pasta

I feel like the incredible shrinking woman lately. I'm losing all my baby weight fairly quickly. I wasn't able to get the breastfeeding boost. It's all due to diet and exercise. One of the things I have been missing is pasta. So, when I came across the idea of zucchini pasta I jumped on it. My husband had been repeatedly requesting to have Cajun Chicken Pasta. I kept turning him down because I couldn't afford to eat the calories in the sauce AND the pasta! So, I made my zucchini pastas and made a dish out of that instead. Delicious! It totally fulfilled my craving for "pasta" and didn't scream zucchini either. I bet if you mastered the art of shaving off the "noodles" you could trick kids into eating a green veggie.


Zucchini
Olive Oil

1. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off strips/noodles of zucchini. Peel down the zucchini until you get to the core (that's the part with the seeds). Discard the core.

2. Saute the "noodles" in a little olive oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to get translucent.

3. Serve with whatever sauce you'd like.

Zucchini Fritter

Summer is coming upon us which means many gardeners out there will be overloaded with zucchinis. This is a delicious recipe to use up some of those zucchini.


3 cups grated zucchini (squeeze dry it with a paper towel)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste
olive oil


1. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, mozzarella cheese,cayenne pepper, basil, garlic, and salt. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping spoonfuls, press down on it a little to make a little cake, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

*Great served with a little marinara sauce or sour cream.
**Can be served on a bun or roll as a sandwich/slider.

Quinoa and Black Beans

One of my new favorite ingredients: Quinoa. Seriously, where have you been all my life? Quinoa is one of those healthy ingredients that might scare a lot of people. If it is so healthy, how can it possibly be any good? Let me tell you, it is awesome. You could use it instead of rice in a lot of recipes. Let me tell you, it is a lot more palatable than brown rice. It is becoming more and more available. In fact, quinoa is probably better for you than brown rice. It is a complete protein and a good source of fiber among other things. You can pick it up for a good price at Trader Joes or Winco. Who knows, you may be lucky enough to find it in your local grocery store. This recipe is a great recipe to try it out. Trust me, it is delicious!


1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with chicken broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

***Serve with a small dollop of sour cream for added deliciousness.

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Glaze

Special occasion? You can't go wrong with melt in your mouth filet mignon. This simple recipe will let you enjoy the tender cut meat in all its delicious glory.


2 (4-6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons apple juice

Directions

1. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over both sides of each steak, and sprinkle with salt to taste.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place steaks in hot pan, and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and apple juice. Cover, and cook for 4 minutes on each side, basting with sauce when you turn the meat over.

3. Remove steaks to two warmed plates, spoon one tablespoon of glaze over each, and serve immediately.

Breakfast Strudel

This is my go to recipe for brunches or anytime you need an impressive breakfast dish. It's easy, it's quick, it's tasty, and it looks like you know what you are doing. It can also be made ahead.

1 box puff pastry dough (1.1 lb.) Thaw according to package directions.
2 T butter
½ C diced onion
1 C frozen hash browns
1 C red or green bell peppers, diced
11 eggs
4 oz cream cheese
2 T fresh chives (or 1 tsp dry)
2 T orange juice

----
1 egg, beaten
1 T water
2 T Parmesan cheese, shredded


1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add potatoes and saute 5 minutes.

2. Add bell pepper and onion. Saute 3.

3. Whisk eggs, chives, salt and pepper (to taste) together. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until just set.

4. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and juice. Stir to combine.

5. Unfold pastry and roll to 10“ x 12”. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly mark dough lengthwise, in thirds. On each outside section, cut 8 slices.

6. Fill the center section with half the egg mixture. Fold the strips, right then left, over the egg to form a rbaid.

7. Beat the single egg and 1 T water. Brush on the strudel. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

8. Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Goat Cheese Arugula Pizza

1 unbaked pizza crust
6 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce (see below)
3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 (5-6 ounce) package seasoned goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh arugula
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins, and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic. Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
3. Place pizza directly on preheated pizza stone. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden.
4. After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a few handfuls of arugula.



PESTO
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend together.

Green Chili Burgers

(makes 4 burgers)

1 lb ground buffalo (alright, you can cheap out and go hamburger if you want)
salt and pepper
4 slices pepper jack cheese
1 onion, sliced
1 can whole green chilis
lettuce
4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Sauce/Spread
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 pinch salt


1. Season ground buffalo with salt and pepper and form into patties. Cook on grill. When they are almost done, put cheese and green chili on top until cheese is melted and green chili is heated through.

2. Meanwhile, sautee onions until soft and semi-transparent.

3. To make the spread simply mix the spread ingredients together.

3. Put the hamburgers together layered bottom to top: bottom bun, meat, cheese, chili, grilled onions, letttuce, spread, top bun.

Vegetable Cornish Pasties

Based on tasting the filling by itself I was skeptical of these little English treats called pasties. But once in it's little dough pocket I found myself quite pleased.

Ingredients

1 package puff pastry dough
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tablespoons water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Thaw pastry dough according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and allow to melt. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown. Add carrot, turnip, potato, peas, water, salt, pepper, and paprika. Lower heat and cover skillet. Allow mixture to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve bouillon in milk. Whisk in 1 egg. Stir this mixture into cooked vegetables. Add cheese and stir until it is all melted in. Set aside.
5. Divide pastry dough into 4 square portions. Roll it out if necessary. Place 1/4 of filling on one half of each pastry square. Fold pastry diagonally and seal edges.
6. Place pasties on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Bierocks (Runzas)

My Granny is a full blooded German woman who has been serving me German food since I was a little girl. Needless to say, this kind of food reminds me of her. You could make smaller versions of these and serve them as appetizers.

Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tsp yeast
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
- 1/2 pound ground sirloin
- 2 shallots, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 small head cabbage, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds


1. Put bread ingredients into a bread mixer. Run on dough only cycle and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

2. Saute beef and shallot in a large skillet over medium high heat, until beef is browned. Add garlic, salt, and lemon pepper. Saute for 1 more minute. Add cabbage, worcestershire sauce and caraway seeds. Cook until cabbage is limp, about 15 minutes. There shouldn't be a need to drain any liquids since you should be using a nice lean ground sirloin.
.
3. Roll out the dough into a large 18 x 18 inch rectangle. Cut into 9 six-inch squares. Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling onto each square until all of the filling has been used. Pull the opposing corners of the square up over the filling, pinching them closed at the top. Make sure you pinch it well to get a good seal so it doesn't burst open during cooking. Place each bierock onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. Serve hot, or wrap and freeze for heating later.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 ounces linguine pasta
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp cajun seasoning
2 T butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
1 c heavy cream
Cajun Seasoning to taste (1 Tablespoon-ish)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Place chicken breasts in a baggie with cajun seasoning (see recipe below). Shake until covered.
3. Cook chicken in frying pan over medium to medium-high heat or cook chicken on a grill over high heat until cooked through. Remove chicken, slice into strips, and set aside.
4. Melt butter in frying pan used to cook chicken (no need to clean it). Saute bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Return sliced chicken to pan.
5. Add cajun seasoning to taste. You can add more later as the sauce thickens.
6. Add heavy cream. Allow to cook until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
7. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

*** You can mix up the veggies in the pasta. I love to add zucchini to mine when the mood strikes.


Cajun Seasoning:
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper (if you have it, if not, don't fret)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or less depending on how much heat you can handle)
4 1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp salt

Make a batch and save it in a little jar or baggie. This can be used on tons of different stuf

Asian Greens and Noodle Stir Fry

I got a mix of Asian leaf vegetables from my co-op. The mix included bok choy, choi sum (Chinese flowering cabbage), kai-lan (Chinese broccoli), and gai choy (Chinese mustard greens). What better way to use them than to come up with a stir fry! This turned out quite delicious and was definitely a hit.

Ingredients
- 1 lb Spaghetti noodles (you can use asian noodles, but spaghetti will do just fine)
- Favorite mix of stir fry vegetables
- 4 T Corn Oil
- 4 T Sesame Oil
- 4 T Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you want it)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a wok or large skillet heat oils and soy sauce. Add in stir fry vegetables. If you are using a mix of Asian greens cook them until they wilt and soften up. If you are using more americanized stir fry vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc) cook until they soften up a bit, but remain crisp. Stir frequently.

3. After vegetables are cooked, add in ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirying frequently.

4. Add cooked noodles to the wok/skillet and toss everything until well mixed.

Spinach Lasagna

1 8 oz package lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 oz frozen chopped spinach
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I recommend Wild Harvest Organic Pasta Sauces)
2 cups ricotta cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, in a sauce pot over medium heat saute onion in the olive oil. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Add oregano, basil and spaghetti sauce (reserve a little to put in the bottom of the pan) and the spinach; simmer 10 minutes.

4. In a large bowl mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg. Reserve some of the mozzarella to top of the lasagna.

5. Place a small amount of reserved spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place 4 cooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of spinach mixture. Add 4 more noodles and layer with half of the cheese mixture, put more of the spinach mixture on top of that. Add 4 more noodles and repeat with the cheese mixture and spinach mixture. Add 4 more noodles, add the spinach mixture and top with mozzarella.

5. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Steak Rub

There is nothing like grilling up some steaks that are good enough to stand on their own two feet. No sauce, no dip, just meat.

1 T Sea Salt
1 T Garlic Powder
1/2 T White Pepper
1/2 T Black Pepper
1/2 T Onion Powder

***Steaks should be set out 30 minutes to an hour before grilling or cooking. Rub the meat down when you first take it out of the refrigerator and let the meat soak in some of the flavor.

Indian Frybread

 

This recipe comes from my dear Aunt Bonnie who learned how to make frybread from her friend Beverly, (Goshute). I have fond memories of devouring her frybread. You can put a little honey and powdered sugar on them for a dessert frybread, or you can make delicious Indian tacos.

4 cups flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
1 ½ or more cups HOT tap water
½ cup vegetable oil
frying vegetable oil or shortening

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add water gradually; mixing with your hands until very sticky. It will turn slimy like snot when it relaxes. Let sit for a couple of hours. Pour vegetable oil over top. DO NOT MIX. Cover hands in oil to keep the dough from sticking to your hands, then carefully stretch out a ball of dough to paper-thin. The thinner, the better. In a large fry pan, heat more oil or shortening until almost smoking. Cook stretched fry bread in VERY HOT oil, turning once. Transfer plate covered with paper towels to drain oils. Serve warm.

Fried bread can be kept warm in the oven until there is enough to serve.

**For those that get tough dough or crackers, you've kneaded or worked the dough too long or added too much flour. As for cooking frybread, I always try to use an old black cooking skillet. It keeps the oil or shortening temperature more consistent. 

Chicken Crepes

Crepes
3 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt
⅔ cup flour
1 cup milk


Filling
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup sliced black olives (small can)
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
¼ cup finely chopped celery
2 cups diced, cooked chicken


1. Beat crepe ingredients together.

2. Cook using an oiled omelet pan.

3. Combine filling ingredients, then fill shells.

4. Bake 30 minutes at 325°. Remove from oven and sprinkle on 1 cup grated cheese.

5. Bake 10 more minutes, until cheese is melted.

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

We love lamb, but we also like to keep our wallets fat so we don't get to eat it very often. Last week Lamb Chops went on sale so I whipped some up using this recipe that I got from allrecipes.com It is so delicti-ably delicious!


Ingredients

* 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* salt and pepper to taste
* 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 cup minced shallots
* 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
* 3/4 cup chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
3. Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Dang Hippie Soup

As a tribute to my brother Spencer, I am calling this recipe Dang Hippie Soup. Apparently anything that is healthy is hippie food to him.

It has finally gotten cold around here so I made a hearty, brothy soup last night and loved it. It really hit the spot. It is really healthy for you: lots of vegetables, low fat, low calories. Can it get any better?

4 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium size sweet potato, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp mustard
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


1. Saute onion, celery, sweet potato, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. 5-7 minutes.
2. Add in paprika, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, mustard, bay leaf, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat. Simmer on low heat 15 minutes
4. Add black beans and tomato. Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5 more minutes).