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.

Mozzarella and Provolone Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives and Grilled Onions

It's National Grilled Cheese month! And I am a grilled cheese lover. This month I'm going all out and making amazing, innovative, and down-right tasty grilled cheese sandwiches.

Today I bring you a pizza inspired grilled cheese. Yet, this sandwich tasted like so much more than a pizza. It was delicious, gooey, and definitely restaurant worthy.

To make 4 sandwiches you will need:

8 slices country artisan bread
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 big slices of tomato
Salt and Pepper
1 onion, sliced
20 kalamata olives, butterflied
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
4 slices provolone cheese
Olive Oil


1. Place tomato slices on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for about 5-7 minutes.

2. Saute onions in a little bit of olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. About 5 minutes.

3. Assemble sandwiches. Drizzle olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Stack in pairs with the oiled sides facing each other. Top each stack with mozzarella, then tomato, then onion, then olives. Sprinkle with oregano and basil. Top each stack with provolone. When you are ready to cook them just take the stack, leaving the bottom slice) and place it in the pan. Take the remaining slice and put it on top.

4. Cook over medium heat until each side is browned and cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy!

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 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.

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.

Quick Pasta

Sometimes I don't want to make dinner. I'll admit it. This is one of those dishes I throw together on those nights. It is quick and simple. 15 minutes from start to finish and healthy to boot! In fact, this pasta is so quick I failed to snap a picture of it.

1 package whole wheat thin spaghetti (I recommend Healthy Harvest, your kids will never know it is whole wheat)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
2 lemons, juiced

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan saute onion, zucchini, and mushrooms in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add in crushed garlic and continue to saute for another 2 minutes.

3. Add in tomato, lemon juice, and cooked pasta. Stir up and cook another 2 minutes so that everything heats through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.


***Other vegetable ideas: artichokes, sugar snap peas