Sesame Quinoa with Chicken

Here is a quick and easy dinner idea to use up some of that well-intentioned Quinoa sitting your pantry. If you've never used sesame oil before, give it a try. It's a very strongly flavored oil so you only ever need to use a little bit for a great flavor payoff. Works really well with most Asian flavors and is a great addition to stirfries of all kinds. This is also a perfect recipe to use up left over cooked chicken.

Sesame Quinoa with Chicken
(from howsweeteats.com)

1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and uncooked
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
6 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp soya sauce

1. Heat sauce pan over med high heat. Add 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add garlic and quinoa. Stir to coat then toast 3 min, stirring often.
3. Add chicken stock and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer 15 min. Fluff with a fork.
4. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
5. Add chicken and green onions to quinoa. Toss in dressing and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Arugula Pesto Pizza

Arugula. It's one of the great food dividers, right up there with cilantro. You either love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it. It's by far my favorite salad green. I love it in a simple salad with oil and vinegar, I love it topped with a poached or fried egg and, much to my husbands horror, I love it on top of pizza. In this recipe, I've hidden the arugula in the topping and put it right on the pizza. You still definitely get the peppery bite that I love, but it's masked a bit with the smokey flavor of the Gouda and the creaminess of the ricotta. Brilliant!

Smokey Arugula Pesto Pizza
(inspired by Weeknights with Giada)

3/4 cup ricotta
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda or smoked Mozzarella
2 cups packed arugula
1 pound prepared pizza dough
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
olive oil

1.Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. In bowl of a food processor add ricotta, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth.
3. Add cheese and arugula to food processor and pulse until combined.
4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface place on pizza pan. Drizzle on a bit of olive oil. Throw it in the oven for 3 minutes to start the cooking and ensure a crispy crust.
5. Take pizza out of the oven. Spread the cheese and arugula mixture over the dough. Top with sliced tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for about 15 min until crust is golden around edges.

Seuss Style Grilled Cheese

Everyone has heard of Green Eggs and Ham, but how about Green Grilled Cheese? This, my friends, is brilliant. This recipe makes 4 sandwiches but leaves a TON of left over cheese/butter mixture. Just wrap in parchment and freeze and you can use it anytime. Or,and this would be amazing, toss with hot pasta and diced tomatoes for a quick and delish dinner.

And don't forget people, there is a huge amount of spinach hidden in this great sandwich, perfect for kids and veggie avoiding husbands!

Green Grilled Cheese with Pancetta and Tomato
(inspired from 'Weeknights with Giada"

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 cups shredded White Chedder Cheese
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cello pack (3 cups or so) fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
5 tbsp warm water

3 eight-inch sliced of pancetta, diced and crisped up
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
8 slices bread

1. Mix together first 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Spread a few generous tablespoons of the mixture on both sides of the bread for each sandwich. Top with crisp pancetta and 4 slices of tomato. Put the sides together and grill in a panini press or a hot pan until browned on the outside and warmed through.
3. Let rest for a minute or two then slice and enjoy the oozy deliciousness.

Better than bought Bruschetta

I can't believe I've never made bruschetta before. It's crazy. It's one of my all time favorite things and for some reason, I just keeping buying it. Well, no longer my friends. This recipe rocks my world. So simple and delish! Try it with french bread, on crackers, or on flatbread or pizza. The fresh tomatoes, the garlic, the basil. O.M.G.

Bruschetta

1 1/2 lbs of plum or cherry tomatoes diced(about 2 pints of cherry, or about 6 plum tomatoes depending on the size.)

6 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1-2 shallots, finely minced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup Olive Oil

salt and pepper

1. Chop up the tomatoes. Give the chopped tomatoes a little squeeze over the sink to get rid of some of the juice, otherwise, it's a bit to liquidy.

2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper (taste it! to check seasoning.)

3. Let sit at room temp for at least an hour or so if you can stand it, to let the flavors come together.

Bask in the deliciousness.

Best Ever! Breakfast Bars

Mornings can be tough. When I've got a few minutes I love to start my day with a dill and Gruyere omelet. Furthermore, I like to eat early, within minutes of getting up. Yummy! But, if I'm being totally honest here, living with a 3 month old sometimes means it's 10:30 before I even think about breakfast these days. I really like the idea of a grab and go breakfast, even if I'm only going 10 feet away to the playmat. I definitely don't do the store-bought granola type breakfast bars, I find they are too high in sugar (and mystery ingredients!) and really have very little nutrients. I came across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs www.healthytippingpoint.com, the original comes from www.fannetasticfood.com.

I followed the basic recipe here and made a few changes based on what I had on hand. I think this would work with almost any combination of ingredients. If you have allergies or food sensitivities, this can easily be adapted. Same goes for the peanut butter*, use another nut or seed butter as you wish.

*A note about peanut butter: Avoid the name brand peanut butters that contain hydrogenated vegetable oil if you can. You'll find it listed on the ingredients near the top. That stuff is terrible for you. Try a natural variety in this recipe. I used a natural organic no stir peanut butter that is sweetened with touch of cane sugar. Find it with the other peanut butters at the grocery store.

Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup mixed cereal (I used Quinoa Puffs and Chex)
1/4 each (TOTAL of 1 cups) of 4 types of nuts or seeds (I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds, sliced almonds)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
1/2 to 3/4 cups of brown rice syrup (health section of grocery store)
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Microwave wet ingredients for about 30 second and stir well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well. Press into an 8 x 11 dish. Refrigerate or wrap individual bars and refrigerate.

Spaghetti al limone

I first posted this recipe way back over 2 years ago. Since then, it's become a staple at our dinner table. I thought it deserved a little attention once again...

I'm always amazed when I try a new amazing group of flavors. I always think "why didn't I think of that before?" This is one of those combinations. It's not really a recipe at all, just throwing together some ingrediants and ending up with an incredible dinner. It only takes about 5 min (plus the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta)and it's light and fresh tasting. I love it.


Spaghetti Al Limone (from Oprah's Cookbook)


1 Pound Spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
cup or so of fresh grated parmesan cheese
handful of fresh basil, torn in to pieces
salt and pepper



Cook spaghetti and drain, but keep about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid aside.


Whisk together the lemon juice and cheese. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Stir in zest and salt and pepper.


Pour lemon cheese mixture over hot spaghetti. Add as much of the hot cooking liquid as needed to make the sauce creamy. Toss in the fresh basil.


Enjoy!

Pasta Celebrating Summer Tomatoes

It's the season of amazing tomatoes and they are super yummy cut up with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. But if you're looking for something a little more substantial, try this minimal ingredient 15 min fresh summer pasta.

1 box spaghetti or any other pasta
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbs Olive oil
handful of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
handful fresh Basil, chopped
Salt and Pepper

1. Cook pasta according to directions until al dente in heavily salted water. Be sure to save about 1 cup of pasta water in a measuring cup before draining the pasta.

2. While pasta is cooking, place tomatoes, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil on an oven sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until softened.

3. In a large skillet pour in 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 min.

4. Toss the drained pasta into the skillet followed by the pan of roasted tomatoes and garlic.

5. Grate in some fresh Parmesan cheese and give it a good stir. Add more pasta water if needed to create more sauce.

6. Remove from heat and toss in basil.

Thai Chicken Wraps!

In another attempt to get through dinner without turning on the oven in this heat, I made this delightful Thai Chicken Salad Wrap last night. I roasted a couple chicken breasts earlier in the week (on a cooler day!) but you could definitly use a store bought rotisseri chicken. This would be amazing for a picnic too, makes enough for 4 pretty big wraps.

I love the Thai flavors in this, really bright and fresh. It has the signature sweet, sour and spicy that sets it apart. Definitly not your typical chicken salad! (Don't freak if you hate cilantro, just leave it out and add some italian parsley instead...)

Thai Chicken Salad Wrap
(adapted from kitchenconfidante.com)

4 large wraps
2 chicken breasts, roasted and shredded
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup shallots, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soya sauce
1 carrot, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 cucumber, seeded, sliced lenthwise into thin strips

1. In a medium bowl, mix together shredded chicken, mint, cilantro, green onions and shallots.

2. In another bowl, whisk together lime juice, mayo, sriracha, sugar and soya sauce. Pour over chicken mixture.

3. Scoop a generous amount of mixture into the middle of a wrap. Add a few lengths of cucumber and carrot. Wrap up, tucking in the ends. Cut on the diagnal.

Enjoy!

Overnight Oats!

I was thinking about "Overnight Oats" the other day when talking to some girlfriends about using oatmeal to help boost milk supply when breastfeeding. Obviously oats are good for everyone, but who wants to cook up oatmeal on the stove when it's 40 degrees outside!?! This is also a great idea for those people (ie my husband) who are too rushed in the morning to eat a proper breakfast or for momma's with little ones who suddenly remember breakfast at 10:30am when the babes go down for a nap. Super fast breakfast with staying power.
Anyway, this is a base recipe for overnight oats. You can literally add anything you like. Look it up online for some more variations (overnight oats, oats in a jar, refrigerator oats etc.)

Mix together equal parts (1/3cup each) uncooked oats, milk (regular, soy, almond, anykind!) and yogurt in a mug or jar or a cup. Add a pinch of salt. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning add in whatever else you like and stir it up! You can also do this omitting the yogurt, just double up on the milk of your choice.

Fresh or dried fruit, nuts (and nut butters,) and seeds all work well for overnight oats, you can experiment with textures by adding the extras to the mix the night before or just stirring them in right before you eat.

Add in ideas:
Peanut butter, honey and banana
Chia seeds, walnuts and dried cranberries
Cinnamon, apples and raisins
Maple syrup and pecans

Perfect for Summer: Curried Spelt Salad

With the heat of summer in full swing we've been trying to do as little oven and stove top cooking as possible. That being said, we are having a serious lack of curry at our house lately. Here is another great grain salad that is perfect because it makes a very good size batch and you can eat it all week.
This time the grain is Spelt, which is a type of wheat berry. You should be able to find this in the health food section of your grocery store or any specialty grocer. (I used the 'Bob's Red Mill' variety.) If you can't find spelt, you could use farro or quinoa or even barley. It's crazy good and, like I said, lasts a week in the fridge. This recipe makes a TON, perfect for a bunch of lunches for bringing to a potluck or BBQ.


Curried Spelt Salad
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

2 cups Spelt (Bob's Red Mill), rinsed
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp veg oil
3 tsp yellow curry powder
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard
6 small carrots, diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 lemon cut lengthwise, finely chopped with peel
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups cilantro leaves, picked and chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 apple, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Place spelt and salt in a medium pot. Add water so that it covers and goes over the spelt by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and let simmer for about 1 hr until the spelt is tender. Drain and place in a large bowl.

2. Heat veg oil in a pan. Add curry powder, mustard, cardamom and corinader. Cook 2 min.

3. Stir in carrots, lemon and onions. Cook for 5 min.

4. Add vinegar and stir until evaporated. Remove from heat. Pour into bowl with spelt.

5. Stir in chicken, apple, cilantro, pecans and olive oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if nessesary.

Enjoy room tempertature or cold.