Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Basil

Perfect light summer dinner!  I don't know about anyone else but when I see the red, orange and yellow sweet cherry tomatoes at the grocery store I grab them and then decide what I can make with them....that is if I don't snack on too many of them.

Source: Cooking Light June 2013

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Add tomatoes to pan; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in basil and parsley. Sprinkle with cheese.

Nutella Popsicles

Chocolate is one of my favorite foods and Nutella is one of my favorite forms of chocolate.  I enjoy making Nutella cakes (Bundt Cake Link), drizzling Nutella on my toast in the morning and now in frozen form!  If you like Nutella, these are easy to make and delicious!

Source: daily waffle

Makes 8 zoku pops
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. Milk

½ c. Nutella

 

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the milk and Nutella until mixed uniformly. Chill mixture for at least 2 hours.
2. Pour into Zoku pop slots and chill for 7-9 minutes, per Zoku instructions.
3. Enjoy!

Lemon Bundt Cake

I brought this cake for a work picnic and the lemony cake was a perfect summer desert!

Source: mix and match mama

Ingredients:
1 box of lemon cake mix

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 small box of instant lemon pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

 4 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

2 lemons, juice plus zest, divided

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease (I use coconut oil) a 10 inch bundt pan

3. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, 1/4 cup juice and eggs with electric mixer.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

4. Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes.  Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling. 

5. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar with the zest and juice of one lemon.  Mix together with a spoon.   (Add more powdered sugar if your glaze is too runny or more lemon juice from your second lemon if it's too thick.)  Spoon over cooled cake.

BBQ Chicken Salad

 



I snatched some BBQ chicken salad off of my mom's plate when we were eating at California Pizza Kitchen recently and enjoyed it so much I found my fork sneaking back over to her plate.  My family joked in the past that my mom needed a long fork to taste everyone's food and I appear to be following in her footsteps :)  Here is a copycat recipe that comes really close to the original!

Source: Figuring Out Dinner Blog

Ingredients:
 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with Montreal Steak seasoning and grilled until cooked thoroughly, then cut into bite-sized pieces and smothered in BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4 in. strips
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can black beans
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and cubed
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
tortilla strips or chips (I used the crumbed chips at the bottom of the bag)
1 c. ranch dressing (I cut this in 1/2 from the original recipe)
1 Tblsp. green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tblsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. dill weed, chopped
1/4 tsp. basil, chopped

Instructions:
1. For the dressing, put the 2 cups ranch dressing, green onions (1 tablespoon), parsley, dill weed, and basil in the blender and blend until smooth.  Set aside until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix.  Serve with dressing and extra BBQ sauce for garnish.

Shrimp and Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach

I have been a bit delayed in posting this and honestly I looked at the picture and I am considering making it again for dinner...  putting the ingredients on my grocery list right now.
 
Source: Bev Cooks Blog

Ingredients (2 servings):

1/2 pound extra large shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
2 tsp lemon zest, divided
1 pinch crushed red pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
2 basil leaves, torn
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cups baby spinach
2 Tbs. lemon juice (or more!)
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. On a plate, toss the shrimp with the crushed red pepper, half the lemon zest, chopped herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it sit while you start the rest.

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes along the remaining lemon zest. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear another minute, or until shrimp is cooked through. Keep tossing the tomatoes just a little bit.

4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the angel hair until al dente, maybe 5 minutes. Drain all but about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss with the shrimp and tomato mixture, along with the spinach. Squeeze a lot of lemon juice right in. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Add as much pasta water as you want to create a thin, glorious sauce.

 

Blueberry-Oatmeal Pancakes

This was one of those recipes I saw on pintrest and had to try.  It did not disappoint.  I did have to add some extra coconut flour to get the right consistency for the pancakes.  I topped with a little drizzle of real maple syrup and more fresh blueberries.

Source: Mom Foodie Blog

Ingredients

1 cup old fashion oats

¼ cup coconut flour (I added close to 1/2 cup total to get the right consistency pancake)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp Kosher salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1½ tsp stevia (3 packets)

1 egg

1¾ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. Pulse the oats in food processor until flour-like in consistency.
2. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and stevia. Pulse to mix.
3. Whisk together milk and egg in a batter bowl, add the flour mixture, and stir well.
4. Once thoroughly mixed, fold in the blueberries, until evenly distributed.
5. Put a lightly oiled or non stick skillet treated with cooking spray over med to slightly over medium heat. Once a drop of water sizzles, you are ready for the pancakes.
6. Scoop a ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Wait until bubbled up in middle and drying at edges before flipping.
7. Flip and cook about 2 more minutes on that side.
8. Stack the blueberry oatmeal pancakes and enjoy with your favorite toppings.

Tomato, Walnut, Mint Salad

This salad is mirrored after one my cousin and I discovered at The Med restaurant in Boulder, CO.  We have been know to order this salad as an appetizer and again as a desert.  True statement.  It really is that delicious!

Ingredients:
1 ripe tomato chopped
1 teaspoon honey (add a bit more if you like it sweeter)
1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
6-8 mint leaves chopped

Instructions:
Just stir, let sit for about 20 min in the fridge to let the flavors combine and enjoy!

Minty Meatballs with Feta-Dill Sauce

Do you ever pull a recipe out of magazine and decide that you are going to make and then wonder where the recipe came from originally?  I had this recipe in my basket of recipes I hope to make someday (the old version of pintrest....)  This one was on top and I had no idea where it came from or how long it had been in the basket so I googled it and found the recipe right away.  I am really loving quinoa these days and it helps to give volume to these meatballs!  I served the minty meatballs and feta-dill sauce on 1/2 of a whole wheat sandwich thin.



 

Source: Self magazine

 

Ingredients for Minty Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (85 percent lean)

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Parchment paper

Ingredients for Feta-Dill Dip/Sauce:
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
4 oz crumbled feta, divided
1 cup fresh dill, divided
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Instructions for Meatballs:
In a bowl, mix together all ingredients until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. Heat oven to 425°. Form meat mixture into 24 oval balls (about 3 tbsp each). Arrange on 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 8 minutes; turn and bake 10 minutes more. Garnish with parsley if desired; serve.

Instructions for Dip/Sauce:
In a food processor, place yogurt, parsley, vinegar and all but 1 tsp feta and 1 tsp dill. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; top with remaining feta and dill and, if desired, pepper.

 



Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Made this for a family BBQ and it was a hit!

Source: Food Network 50 Potato Salads

Ingredients:
2 pounds boiled cubed red potatoes
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 chopped scallions
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
4-6 slices of cooked chopped bacon (I cheated and used bacon bits on top)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients (except bacon) and refrigerate until ready to serve and put the bacon on top when you are ready to eat!