Cinnamon Quinoa Bake

Very healthy breakfast or snack! Delicious with fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter. Recipe to follow.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Fritters

Oh yeah, these babies are delicious! Amazing is basically the only word that truly does them justice!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup "hot sauce" ( I used buffalo wing sauce)
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 blue cheese, crumbled
1 egg
1/4 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to fry

How to:

Add quinoa and water to pot with lid. Simmer until all liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. I recommend getting it to a boil first then bringing it down to low-heat for the 15 minute cooking period. Once cooked, stir with fork to fluff. Set aside, lid off, until cool enough to handle.

Once quinoa has cooled to handling temperature, add all quinoa, chicken, hot sauce, onion, cheddar, blue cheese, egg, breadcrumbs and salt & pepper to a large bowl.  Stir all ingredients until well combined.

Then, take mixture and form patties. Place patties on cookie sheet and place in fridge for 15 minutes. (Yields between 10-12 patties for me).

In the mean time heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Oil should cover the entire skillet. Once oil is hot, remove patties from fridge and cook in oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked, remove from skillet and place on paper towel to drain.

Viola! There you have a delicious and not TOO unhealthy snack/lunch/dinner. I recommend serving the quinoa fritters with extra wing sauce and blue cheese dressing for dipping. Cut up celery and carrot sticks also make a nice addition!

Enjoy! And as always- if you have comments or suggestions please share them with me!

Gluten Free Donut Muffins

Recipe coming soon!

Gluten Free Snowball Cookies

Something I realized ON Christmas Day this year was the fact that I hadn't made a single Christmas cookie this holiday season! I think it is the first time ever in my life this has happened. I started thinking how this catastrophe could have happened- was I busy with work? Had I lost interest? Then it hit me- being gluten free! All my Christmas cookies are typically chock-full of good old white flour so it didn't dawn on me to alter my recipes. So, last night I decided to alter a recipe to gluten free status and see how it turned out. (They came out deliciously if I may jump the gun and say so!)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour ( I used bobs red mill)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup softened butter ( I left mine out of the fridge for about 4-5 hours)
Powdered sugar (1/4-1/2 cup)

How To:

Preheat oven to 325.  Get out your handy-dandy kitchen aid mixer and remove the bowl so you can add in ingredients. Add all ingredients to bowl except powdered sugar. Attached bowl to mixer and beat on low- medium low until well combined, scrap sides of bowl as necessary. Dough should come together into a ball when done.  Once dough is mixed well, form one-inch round balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet one-inch apart. Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes.

Once cookies are cookies, remove from oven. Let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, sift powdered sugar over the top of them. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Let cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle again with powdered sugar. Viola! Complete! The easiest gluten free cookie recipe is complete. Now, dig in. This recipe yields approximately 30-40 cookies. ( I got 39 out of this recipe).

Delicious Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cooked and Cooled Quinoa
1/3 Vanilla Almond Milk
4 Eggs
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1/4 Cup  Coconut Oil, Melted (Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Organic - 32 fl oz (Google Affiliate Ad)
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, Melted
1 Cup All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour (Bobs Red Mill 21192 All Purpose Baking Flour Gluten Free (Google Affiliate Ad)
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Blueberries (a few extra never hurt!)
___________________________________________________________________

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2, 12-count cupcake tins with cooking spray. Then, combine eggs, vanilla and almond milk in a food processor. Add in quinoa, blended until well combined. Finally, add melted coconut oil and butter and blend well.

In a separate bowl (preferably the one connected to your stand mixer), combine gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Once combined, pour in food processor mixture. Mix on a low setting until well combined. Finally, very carefully fold in blueberries with a spatula. Scoop batter into cupcake tins. (You will probably yield 15-24 muffins depending on how large you make them).

Place in oven and cook for 16-18 minutes. They are done when they slightly bounce back when you poke them. Remove from oven and cook for about 5-10 minutes in the pan, after remove and cool on a wire rack.

They store very well and although I recommend eating as many as possible right away (because they are SO delicious), you should wrap the ones you do not plan to consume within the next 2 days and putting them in the freezer. Definitely take the time to wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, it makes a difference!


Original recipe from http://groovyfoody.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/moist-and-fluffy-blueberry-muffins-gluten-free/ - I made a couple alterations in my version though.

Swiss Chard With Egg and Cheese

Delicious and even decadent (and gluten free) breakfast below! (However, I may have had it for dinner last night!!)

Recipe for a single serving:

Ingredients:

5 Leaves of Swiss Chard (stems and leaves chopped separately and left in 2 piles)
1/4 Cup Onion, Chopped (approx)
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Tsp. Olive Oil (Academia Barilla 100% Italian Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 750ml.)
1/4 Cup Cheese, Shredded (I used cheddar)
1 Whole Egg
1 Tsp. Butter

How To:

Preheat oven to 350. Rub butter on the inside (sides and bottom) of an individual sized ramekin ( "7-Ounce Stackable Ramekin in Cherry" ) to coat and keep dish from sticking. Next, sautee onions and swiss chard stems in olive oil over medium heat until they start to soften but not brown. Add in garlic then swiss chard leaves. Mix and turn until well combined. Let cook for a few minutes, flipped and mixing ingredients every 30 seconds or so until the swiss chard leaves have cooked down. Then, turn off stove and immediately add (almost all of) the cheese to the vegetable mixture. Stir till combined. Place vegetable and cheese mixture into the buttered ramekin, spread evenly in the dish. Crack the egg on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook in preheated oven for somewhere between 14-20 minutes (depending on how you want your egg yoke done). For example: I cook mine 18-20 minutes because I like my yoke cooked well. Carefully remove from oven and serve immediately right in the ramekin, perhaps with a piece of buttered (gluten free if you are me) toast! Delicious!

Enjoy!!!

Salmon Burgers with Cilantro Mayo

Recently Rob and I have been trying to broaden the types of fish we eat. Typically we just eat cod but we have trying to add in salmon as of late. I am not a picky eater, in fact, I cannot think of many foods I despise. However, in the past I have steered clear of salmon. I tended to find it too "fishy" tasting. Now I realize, it is all in the type of salmon you buy and how it is prepared. Tonight we had salmon burgers with homemade cilantro mayo, corn on the cob and zucchini (well, I had zucchini, Rob had the guacamole I made earlier today). Below I will tell you how the burgers with cilantro mayo were made.

Ingredients:

Burger-
2 Salmon Burgers (we used frozen from Whole Foods)
2 Slices gluten free bread (or regular bread or bun)
Cooking Spray (Spectrum Naturals 23460 Canola Oil Spray With Butter Flavor)

Cilantro Mayo-
1/3 Cup Mayo (I used light)
1 Cup Cilantro (fresh and chopped, stems & leaves)
1 Clove Garlic (fresh, minced)
2 Tsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper (Simply Organic 28644 Organic Black Pepper)

How To Make the Cilantro Mayo:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap until burgers are ready.

How To Make Burgers:

Remove frozen burgers from freezer. Cook in a skillet on medium heat, cooking 5 minutes on each side.

Assembly:

Spread one (or both!!) sides of the bread with the cilantro mayo, place burger on top and enjoy! You can obviously add other toppings to the burger. I had mine with chopped red onion & a little yellow mustard (in addition to the cilantro mayo), Rob has his with lettuce, red onion & yellow mustard. Whatever tickles your fancy!

As always, leave comments or questions if you have them. Enjoy!!!

The Sabbatical is Over

Okay, so I was not really on sabbatical, just got lazy and sidetracked planning my wedding. Now that the event is over and there is no more crazy planning to do- I intend to start writing my cooking adventures in this blog again! Although I did not actually need to write a post for this, I figured if I did, I would hold myself accountable.

Updates since I last posted (what feels like forever ago)--- I am now gluten free. Imagine that, the girl who loves beer, pizza and dessert can no longer eat wheat/gluten. So, from here on out, all recipes coming from me will be glutenus minimus. (Unless Rob sneaks in a post of course...)

Sweet Corn and Black Bean Salad

This recipe is SO easy to make and would add nice color to any BBQ! To top it all off, it is gluten free, vegan & high in fiber! Doesn't sound good? Well, I challenge you to make it and then tell me it does not taste good... come on, I dare you! Hint hint- you will lose because its delicious!

Ingredients:

1 Can of corn, rinsed and drained
2 Cans of Black Beans (no salt added), rinsed and drained
1/3-1/2 cup diced red onion
1.5-2 Tb seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tb Olive Oil
1 Tb Lime juice (fresh squeezed!)
1/4 Tsp. Sea salt
1/2 Tsp Ground black pepper
1/2-1 Whole Red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

How To:

Take beans, corn, diced onion and red pepper and put them into a strainer. Rinse thoroughly and let sit to dry. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly until ingredients are well combined to create a dressing. Then, combine the bean mixture into the dressing. Toss until incorporated. Cover and chill for about 2 hours. Add cilantro before serving. Enjoy!

Tips:

*After adding the cilantro and you serve the dish, if all is not eaten- it keeps well in the fridge for a few days.
*The reason you rinse the red onion is to get rid of the sharp flavor

Homemade Granola Bars

Do you ever find you are too busy to make yourself a healthy breakfast or even make breakfast at all? Well, this recipe will solve all your problems! Not only are these homemade granola bars nutritious and delicious they are super easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 Cups Oatmeal ( I used quick cook)

1 Cup Sliced Almonds

1 Cup Shredded Coconut

1/4 Cup Flax Seeds

3 TB Unsalted Butter

2/3 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (I used light brown)

1-2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/4 Tsp. Salt

1 Cup Dried Fruit, chopped (I used strawberries)

How To:

Preheat your oven to 325. Then butter an 8x12 or 9x13 inch glass baking dish and sprinkle a little flour in it. Set this aside for later. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oatmeal, coconut and almonds. Spread onto a baking sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes,  stirring occasionally. Coconut should start to brown a little. After 10-12 minutes, transfer bake into mixing bowl and stir in flax seeds; set aside.

Into a small sauce pan, add the butter, brown sugar, honey, salt and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir for 1 minute. Pour  over oatmeal mixture; add fruit. Mix well.

Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Press mixture evenly into the pan with your fingers or a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let your creation cool for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours before cutting. Cut into individual bars, wrap in plastic wrap and store in pantry.

Enjoy!

Notes:

I used dried strawberries, but if your want a cheaper option you can substitute strawberries for raisins or cranberries.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Tonight I had the urge to bake so I made chocolate peanut butter bars, yum yum! This recipe is so incredibly easy and so delicious!


Ingredients:


1 Cup Peanut Butter (creamy)
6 Tb Butter, softened
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Flour
1/4 Tsp. Salt
2 Cups Chocolate Chips, divided


Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla, and mix until creamy. Blend in flour and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread into ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle all remaining chocolate chips over the top of the dish. Let stand 5 minutes, this should give the chocolate enough time to start melting. After 5 minutes, use a spoon to spread the chocolate to an even layer across the entire top of this dish of deliciousness! Let it cool completely before serving.

DIG IN!

Suggestions/changes:

The recipe says to let the dish cool completely before serving... I definitely jumped in and cut myself a bar after about 15 minutes out of the oven and it was still extremely tasty! Also, the recipe calls for creamy peanut butter- I used fresh ground and it worked just fine. I could see how creamy peanut butter would work butter, but fresh ground was all we had and it did the trick!

Kale Chips

Something Rob and I recently started making rather frequently are kale chips. They are super easy to make and delicious! Something nice about cooking with kale is that it is SO good for you. Whole Foods uses a scale to measure nutrition called ANDI that basically rates foods 1-1000, 1 being least nutritious and 1000 being most. Kale is 1000 on that scale. However, I believe by making them chips it diminishes some of the nutrition but they are still fantastic!

Ingredients:


1 Bunch of kale
1 Tb Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Process:


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash all kale but do not dry completely. Rip leafy part of kale away from the stem in medium-large sized pieces. Once you have all leafy pieces pulled away from stems, place leafy kale pieces in a bowl and toss completely with olive oil (throw stems away). Once covered in olive oil, sprinkle a small amount of pepper and toss again. Then, spread kale onto a cookie sheet (I cover mine with aluminum foil). It is okay if the pieces overlap, but try to spread it out the best you can. Place in the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, take kale out of the oven and flip over. Some pieces should be starting to slightly brown and become smaller. Once pieces are flipped, place them back in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Make sure to keep your eye on it- it can easily burn. Kale is done when all pieces are crispy. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Serve immediately!

Yummy yummy! We enjoyed our kale chips with spaghetti with meat sauce but they really go with so many different types of meals! They also make a great snack.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Sunday, and for the past 3 Sundays, Rob and I have made Chicken Tortilla Soup. Needless to say.. we are addicted. The nice thing about this dish is that it provides dinner for the night you make it and at least 2 lunches afterwards and it only costs around $10! See a picture below (before we add cheese and chips of course):

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs

1 Cup Chicken Broth (Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, 32-Ounce Containers (Pack of 12))

2 Cans Organic diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and olive oil (Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes, Diced, 14.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12))

1 Can of Organic Black Beans, drained and rinsed (Eden Organic Black Beans, No Salt Added, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)_

1 4oz. Can of diced green chilies (Chi Chi's Green Chilies Diced, 4.25-Ounce Units (Pack of 12))

1 Yellow Onion, diced

3-5 Cloves of garlic, minced

1-3 Tsp. Cumin

Lawry's seasoning salt

Pepper

Garlic Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Sprinkle of Chili Powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Tortilla Chips

Process:

To begin, take out your crockpot and turn it onto high heat. Add chicken to the crockpot and cover chicken with chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, onions, garlic and all spices. (I did not specify quantity of seasoning to put in but use your judgement, you do not need a ton of each spice; spice to your own taste). Mix items in crockpot until well blended, make sure chicken is covered completely. Let cook for approximately 3 hours on high heat. After 3 hours, spoon chicken out of the crockpot and shred it with a fork. Once shredded, return chicken to crockpot and turn it down to low heat. After about 10 minutes, add your diced cilantro to the crockpot; mix well and turn crockpot down to "keep warm" setting (basically whatever setting stops cooking but keeps the food hot). Let sit for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, serve. I choose to serve it in bowls with shredded cheese over the top and pieces of tortilla chips spread around the sides of the bowl. See below:

You can also serve it with chips on the side however I like serving it with the chips in the bowl so they slightly soften in the broth.

Serve hot and enjoy! Per usual, if you have comments or suggestions on this recipe or any of my other recipes, please feel free to share and leave a comment.

Oven Baked BBQ Wings

Tonight Rob and I made oven baked BBQ wings and they turned out beautifully (And, were incredibly simple)! To make them, we partially used a recipe we found online but subtracted a few things and added a few things of our own. We served them with oven roasted red bliss potatoes and salad.

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs chicken wings

1 Jar BBQ sauce (Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce Original Flavor 1 pint)

1 Medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tb Butter, chopped into small pieces

3-5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

Lawry's Seasoning Salt (Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 16 oz * Economy Size)

Garlic pepper (McCormick - Garlic Pepper Seasoning - 1.23-Oz. Grinder (Pack of 3))

Italian Seasoning (McCormick - Italian Herb Seasoning - Grinder - .77 Oz. (Pack of 3))

Pepper (William Bounds Key Mill "WB-1" Pepper Mill)

Process:

Preheat your oven to 420 degrees. Spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray and spread pieces of butter around the dish (leaving the butter in chunks). Then, place chicken in the dish and cover with the onions and garlic. After, sprinkle your desired amount of seasonings onto the chicken. Finally, drizzle BBQ sauce over the wings in a criss-cross pattern. DO NOT use all your BBQ sauce now, use about half of your total desired amount. Then, cover the dish completely with aluminum foil; poke about 5 or 6 small knife holes in the aluminum foil. Place dish into the over for 45-50 minutes. After the amount of time, remove the dish from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Mix up everything in the dish, making sure the chicken is coated. Once mixed, pour your remaining amount of BBQ sauce over the chicken. Place dish back in the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. After time is up, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before eating-waiting this amount of time will allow the sauce to thicken. After 5 minutes- DIG IN! The wings will literally be fall of the bone delicious!

As you can see from the picture, I used a ton of BBQ sauce. I probably did not need to use the extreme amount that I did but oh well, they tasted amazing!

I hope you get a chance to try this dish- they were truly the easiest wings I have ever made. Very little prep time and nothing I had to keep my eye on while they were cooking. It definitely was a pop it in the oven, set a timer and go watch TV, kind of meal!

Homemade Apple Pie (with gluten free crust!)

For months Rob has been wanting us to make a homemade apple pie and we just never got around to it. Yesterday we gave in and made not only 1 but 2 apple pies! And... lets just say, it has been less than 24 hours and only 1 pie is left. Check them out:

As you can see, we did not use a top crust for the apple pie, instead we created a crumbling topping to cover it. Now, I am not going to lie to you--we bought the gluten free crust premade at Whole Foods (it came 2 to a pack) BUT every other part of this pie is homemade! See below how you too can make your own delicious apple pie! NOTE: Ingredient list below is for 1 pie


Ingredients:


1 Premade, gluten free pie crust
5 Peeled granny smith apples, diced into thin pieces
Cinnamon (Frontier Cinnamon Powder Certified Organic (3% Oil), 16 Ounce Bags (Pack of 2))
Nutmeg (Cole and Mason H277130 Classic Nutmeg Grinder)
Vanilla extract (Simply Organic Vanilla Extract Certified Organic, 4-Ounce Glass Bottles (Pack of 2))
1 Egg, beaten with 2 Tb of cold water and set aside
________________________
1 Stick unsalted butter
3 Tb Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Water
________________________
1/2 Stick of butter, partially melted
1 Cup of granola (we used vanilla almond from Whole Foods)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
White Sugar

Process:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. First, take all of your diced apples and place them in a large bowl (you need to be able to mix them). Then, sprinkle about 1-2 tsp vanilla extract and some cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples; mix until it looks like the cinnamon and nutmeg have spread out/no clumps. Each apple should have a little bit of spice on it. Note: You should use more cinnamon than nutmeg. Once the apples are coated, set them aside.

Now, in a medium skillet melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, add flour. Whisk until smooth. Then add in both sugars and water; turn heat to medium high and whisk until smooth. Once smooth, turn down to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes; whisk occasionally.

While the mixture on the stove is cooking, lets make the topping for the pie. With a fork, mix the butter with the granola. Once combined, mix in both sugars, a small amount of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Mix until well combined. This mixture should be crumbly.

Now lets assemble the pie! Take your apple mixture and pour them into the bottom of the pie. Then, take the stove mixture and pour over the apples. Finally, carefully spread the crumb mixture over the top of the entire pie-taking the time to cover the top and the sides. Once the top of the pie is coated bake the pie for about 40-50 minutes on 325. After 40-50 minutes, take the pie out and lightly brush the visible crust with the egg & water mixture. Once you are done with that, put the pie back in the oven at 350 degrees for about another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out the pie and voila! Complete! Let the pie sit for at least 15 minutes before you serve it.

This picture was taken after I made my first helping! YUMMY!

Oven Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters

I made chicken leg quarters tonight just how my mom always tells me-- and they came out fantastically!  The best part about getting this type of chicken is that its CHEAP; two legs cost us under $2 (from Whole Foods, with skin on)! There are multiple flavors you can make your chicken leg quarters (BBQ, Buffalo, etc) but tonight I just went with a traditional flavoring. Here's how we make them:

Ingredients:

Chicken Leg Quarters, washed and dried
Italian Salad Dressing
Olive Oil Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle
Garlic Pepper Simply Organic Garlic Pepper Certified Organic, 3.73 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)
Lawrys Seasoning Salt Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 16 oz * Economy Size

Process:

Preheat your oven to 350 and make sure it is completely preheated before putting food into it. Take your washed chicken and place it into a glass cooking dish that has a small amount of olive oil in it. Gently pull the skin away from the chicken (do not rip it off!!! just gently pull it so there is space between the chicken and the skin). Drizzle italian dressing and crack garlic pepper into the space you have just created. Then, drizzle olive oil and italian dressing over the top of the chicken (on top of the skin). Finally, sprinkle lawry's seasoning salt and garlic pepper over the top of the pieces of chicken. Put the chicken in the oven for approx 1 hour at 350 and up the heat to 375 for the last 10 minutes. Flip twice while cooking. Finally, before you take the chicken out of the oven, broil the skin for about 1-2 minutes so it starts to get a little crispy, YUM! Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Our Prep:

Tonight we served the chicken with bow tie pasta with pesto basil sauce and shredded cheddar cheese on it and peas (Rob had salad since he loathes peas). But--- its chicken--- serve it with whatever you want and enjoy it!

Baked Zitti and Homemade Sauce with Chicken

Tonight I made everyone's (my family and Rob) all time favorite, my homemade sauce and baked zitti. It literally just got done cooking so I want to go eat it... but here is a picture (UPDATED, RECIPE BELOW):

Alright-- so I am back and let me tell you it was delicious!!! Here is the recipe for the sauce (cooked in a crock pot of course! I love using the crock pot):

Ingredients:

1 to 2 whole yellow onions, diced

4+ cloves of garlic, minced (I say 4+ because everyone likes a different amount of garlic.. I used about 8 cloves)

1 Lg. can crushed tomatos (do not strain)

3 Reg. Cans of diced tomatos with basil, oregano and garlic (do not strain)

1 Sm. Can of tomato paste

2 tomato paste cans full of water

8+ Large fresh basil leaves, chopped (I like to use ALOT of basil)

1/8-1/4 cup of olive oil (approx)

1 Tb butter

1 Lb. Chicken, parboiled

Pepper (approx 1/4-1/2 tsp)

Lawrys seasoning salt (1/4-1/2 tsp)

Oregano (1/4 tsp)

Parsley (1/4 tsp)

Minced, dried garlic (1/2-1 tsp)

Italia seasoning (1/2 tsp)

Garlic salt (1/4 tsp)

Process:

First saute onions in a little olive oil and butter until soft over medium heat. Once onions are soft, add all fresh minced garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes (make sure the garlic does not burn). Then, add the onions are garlic into your crock pot. Turn to high heat. All everything else except for the chicken. Let it cook for about 1 hour on high heat, once hour is up, add chicken. Cook for an additional 3 hours. After 3 hours-- open the crock pot and gently shred the chicken apart. Once chicken is shredded, turn it down to low and let it cook for a least 1 more hour (preferably 2-3 more hours). Before serving, turn crock pot down to the "keep warm" setting for at least 10 minutes. And... that is it! With almost no work you have yourself a delicious and homemade sauce! YUM!!!

Baked Ziti assembly:

To make the beautiful dish you see at the top of this page... first cook 1 box of pasta so its almost fully cooked, but not quite. Once cooked and drained, take half the pasta and spread it into a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish. Cover that pasta with lots and lots of the delicious sauce you made. Then, cover that with lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and an italian mix blend of cheeses. Once you have your desired amount of cheese... cover it with the rest of the pasta and cover the pasta with more yummy sauce. Make sure the pasta is completely covered with sauce. Then, sprinkle more cheddar and italian blend cheese over the top of it. Finally...cover the top of the dish with circular pieces of provolone cheese. Pop the dish in the over for 28-30 minutes on 350. Make sure you watch it so the provolone does not burn... it should turn brown, but not burn. After it is cooked, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving,this will allow the dish to come together and settle. Cut and ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicken & Beef Chili

This recipe has become a staple; I probably make it twice per month. The best part about it is 1) delicious of course and 2) the recipe makes plenty for dinner and provides lunches for about 2 days. The ingredients I am listing, per usual, may not be 100% exact because I send to switch it up and do not measure. Another thing to note is for this recipe I am listing the ingredients as 1 Lb of ground white chicken and 1/2 Lb of 85/15 ground beef... you can change the quantities as the total remains around 1.5 Lbs.

Ingredients:

1 Crockpot
1/4 cup olive oil (Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle)
1 Lb. Ground White Chicken
1/2 Lb. 85/15 Ground Beef
1-2 (small-medium) Whole yellow onions diced
1 Red Pepper, dices
1 Poblano Pepper or Habenero Pepper (I like poblano, Rob likes Habenero), diced
3-5 Cloves of freshly minced garlic (Use REAL garlic)
2 Cans of Roasted diced tomatoes with green chilis Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes, 28-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) This is the brand I use, just not the flavor)
1 Can of Roasted roasted garlic diced tomatoes
1 Tb of tomato paste
1 Can black beans, rinsed and dried (Westbrae Natural Vegetarian Organic Black Beans, 15 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12))
1/3 of a jar of tomato sauce (preferably a regular flavor like marinara) (Cucina Antica Tomato Basil Sauce, 16-Ounce Jars (Pack of 6) This is a yummy brand!!)
Chili Powder
Cumin
Pepper
Lawry's season salt
Oregano

Procedure:

First, turn your crockpot onto low heat and add all but 2 Tb of the olive oil into it, leave it alone to start heating. Then, in a large skillet (on medium heat), add the remaining olive oil. Let the olive oil heat for a minute and then add all the diced onions to start sautéing. Sauté the onions for about 2 minutes then add in the diced red pepper and poblano pepper). Let these sauté until they start to become soft but not brown. Once vegetables are soft(er) add in the ground beef, chicken, about 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of Lawry's and a 1/2 tsp of pepper. Sauté until cooked through. Once the meat is cooked, turn the skillet down to medium/low heat and add in the freshly minced garlic. Make sure you mix it around so the garlic goes all through your skillet mixture. Allow that to cook for 2-3 minutes. Once that has had 2-3 minutes to cook, dump everything in the skillet into the crockpot. Cover the crockpot and turn it up to high.

Now for all the cans... open all 3 diced tomato cans and dump them into the crockpot, juice and all. Then add in the tomato sauce and add in black beans. Finally, add in the tomato paste along with spices. Approximation of the spices are as follows: 2 Tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of oregano and 1/4 tsp black pepper (this is in addition to the spices you added to your skillet mixture). Mix well and allow to cook on high for about 2 hours without stirring. After 2 hours (or it starts to bubble) turn down the mixture to low heat for at least another 2 hours, preferably 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, turn the crockpot down to the "keep warm" setting, this allows for the chili to start to settle. After 30 minutes, serve in bowls with spoons-- ENJOY!
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I like to sprinkle either a little cheddar cheese or sour cream on the top (sometimes freshly chopped scallions) and serve corn muffins (Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 8.5oz) on the side.

This recipe really warms you up on a fall or winter day! If you have any thoughts or suggestions please let me know! If not.. hope you enjoy this!

Oven Baked Breaded Chicken

The other night Rob requested I make my homemade breaded chicken with sauce, cheese and pasta. It is basically chicken parm, but not quite. The thing I like about making it... is that it is SO easy and you can make it look so fancy! Here is how you make the chicken:

Ingredients:


1 lb of boneless, skinless, chicken cutlets
1 Package of bread crumbs (I use italian style panko bread crumbs) (Ian's Original Panko Breadcrumb, 9-Ounces (Pack of 12) )
2-3 Eggs
1/8 cup (or so) of cold water
2 Tb melted butter
Pepper
Dried minced garlic (McCormick Minced Garlic 3-Ounce Unit (Pack of 6) )
Lawry's seasoning salt (Lawrys Seasoning Salt, 16 -Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6) )

Process:


First, preheat oven to 350.  Then, rinse the chicken and leave it to dry. Get out 2 medium sized bowls. In one bowl add eggs and water, slightly whisk until lots of the big egg chunks are well mixed. In the second bowl, add bread crumbs (not the whole package! Maybe half) and add some extra spices to them; dried garlic, pepper and lawry's seasoning salt, mix well. Now, go back to the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Take the chicken piece by piece, and dip one piece into the egg wash then dip it in the bread crumb bowl and make sure the piece of chicken is completely covered in bread crumbs. Once each piece is covered place them in a single layer in a glass baking pan. Sprinkle a small amount of extra bread crumbs on each piece of chicken and pat them down, then drizzle a little bit of melted butter on each piece of chicken. NOTE: The chicken should not be covered in butter, just a small sprinkle on each piece. Once that is complete, place the chicken in the oven for about 30 minutes (give or take). Then, after 30 minutes remove it and et it sit for 5 minutes. Viola! Your delicious chicken in complete!!

Plating:


Now, if you want to make your chicken with sauce and pasta and cheese--- and you want it to look pretty... First, take a plate and put a small serving of pasta on it, put a little sauce of the pasta and a little cheese. Then, take one piece of chicken and place it on on top of the sauce and pasta, place a piece of provolone cheese on top of the chicken and cover the chicken with sauce. Then, top off the plate by sprinkling some freshly grated cheese on. It will look lovely and taste even better!!

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Hope everyone enjoys this! You can obviously pair the chicken with whatever sides or dishes you are in the mood for but I just happen to make it with pasta, sauce and cheese... so I thought I would share that with you! As always, any thoughts.. critiques, suggestions or other ideas... feel free to let me know!

Homemade Fresh Salsa

I have obviously not written in awhile... not because I have not been cooking, but because I have been a little too lazy to post.  Over the next few days I am going to post about the meals/side dishes I have cooked over the past month or so starting with one of my favorites, my homemade fresh salsa!

Ingredients:

1 Package of cocktail tomatoes (10 oz.) (NOTE-- you can use cherry tomatoes too, if you use cherry tomatoes, use a whole package)
1/3 of a Red Onion (that is an approximation... go with what seems like enough onion for you... I like a lot!)
3 Cloves of fresh minced garlic (again, that is an approximation)
Lime -- The juice from 1/2 a lime
Cilantro -- About 1/3 of a bunch (sold at Whole Foods)
Dash of Salt (Morton Iodized Table Salt - 4lb. box)
Dash of Pepper (NoMU Just Pepper Black Pepper Grinder, 2.1-Ounce Grinders (Pack of 4))

Process:

Literally, all you need to do is dice up all of the ingredients. Mix them together, add salt and pepper, mix again. Done!

You can eat it right away or if you can let it set for a few hours and then eat, it is all preference. The most important thing is that you dice the ingredients so you get nice chunks of fresh cut veggies; the color scheme is beautiful. If you used a food processor to dice the ingredients it is just not the same, although it is easier... it is worth taking the time to cut all the veggies yourself.

Enjoy!