Find us on Facebook for the latest recipes and updates!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I had this salad at a friend's house and just HAD to get the recipe. It's so light, refreshing and super tasty. It's a great salad to take along to a cook-out or serve for either brunch or lunch. Really, I'd eat it all day long.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken & Pasta with Roasted Garlic, White Cheddar & Wine Sauce

This recipe reminded me of something you could get from The Olive Garden (which I, Holly, thinks is authentic Italian even if it isn't to some of you out there!). The flavor is amazing and it tastes worse for you than it is, who doesn't love that?


Ingredients:
12 oz pasta (I used orecchetti)
1½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste*
1½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched until crisp-tender

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

*To make roasted garlic paste, peel the outer papery skins off two heads of garlic, leaving the heads still intact. Slice about a quarter off the top of each head so that all of the cloves are partly exposed. Wrap the heads in foil and bake at 350˚ F for one hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels and smash with a fork to make roasted garlic paste.

Directions:

Combine bread crumbs, italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika in a small dish. Dredge chicken in egg and then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake on 375 until cooked through (about 30 to 40 minutes depening on thickness of chicken). I cooked my chicken while roasting my garlic.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the roasted garlic paste and cook just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Whisk the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Stir the white wine and broth into the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and stir until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the broccoli florets and cook just until heated through. Mix in the cooked pasta until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve warm with the baked chicken.

*recipe adapted from Annies Eats 

Blueberry French Toast

Yum, yum, yum! I have made this on a few occasions when entertaining and it was a big hit! It's so easy to throw together and you can even make it the day before and just pop it in the oven in the morning!

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 ounces)
1-8 oz. package of cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam
6 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk

Blueberry Syrup:

1/2 cup blueberry jam or preserves
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. butter
A dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Grease a deep-dish pie pan.
Place half of the French bread cubes in the bottom of the prepared pie dish.
Equally distribute the cream cheese cubes, fresh blueberries, and Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam over the top of the bread cubes.
Top with remaining bread cubes.
In a medium size bowl combine the eggs, maple syrup and milk. Whisk until uniform. Pour over bread mixture.
Place in refrigerator several hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake approximately 30 minutes more, or until the casserole is set and the top is golden.
While the casserole bakes, combine the syrup ingredients in a small sauce-pan and heat over low heat on the stovetop.
Serve the casserole hot with the syrup drizzled over each portion.

Easy Broc Quiche

This quiche is so quick and easy. I use it as one of my 'go to' breakfasts when we have guests stay the night. It takes awhile to cook but the prep time is super fast!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
 1 onion, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (I food process it after I sauté it.)
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
 Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

Grilled Barbecue Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

I made this over the weekend and it was AMAZING. My favorite part was the avocado spread.

Ingredients
4 (3-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (use your favorite or experiment and make your own, it's easy!)
Cooking spray
4 (0.7-ounce) slices 2% reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Green leaf lettuce leaves (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)
4 (1.8-ounce) white wheat hamburger buns

Spicy Avocado Spread 
Ingredients
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mexican Lasagna

Looking for an easy Mexican dish? Look no further! This is delicious, filling and fairly healthy if you get a low-fat cheese.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
8 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas,
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped (optional)


Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add meat and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

We like to eat this with spicy sour cream.