Summery, light, fresh, deliciousness…
2 cucumbers or one large cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 red or white onion, very thinly sliced
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs plain yogurt
3/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste (I use about 1/4 of each and keep tasting it
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Slice the cucumbers and onion and place in a bowl. Combine all other ingredients in another bowl and stir to combine. Then pour the yogurt mix over the cucumbers and serve right away.
I took a trip to the Farmer’s Market today and couldn’t wait to come home and make a delicious meal with the basil, tomatoes, zucchini and spinach I got. I decided to just throw them all together on a pizza. I got the idea from my friend Kristin’s blog, that I absolutely love. It was very fresh and yummy!
Pizza dough (Love this one)
1/2 cup pesto
1 small Zucchini, sliced thin
1 large tomato, sliced thin
couple handfuls of baby spinach
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup feta
Roll out the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Spread on the pesto.Top with 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella. Layer with all the vegetables, sprinkle on the feta and then top it all off with the other 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Bake at 475 for 10-12 minutes.
Have I mentioned that I love asparagus?? Well I do. And here is another yummy way to eat it 🙂
1 bunch Asparagus
2 whole Egg
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
Salt And Pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cooking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil.
Snap off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. On two separate plates, add the eggs (lightly beaten) in one, and the panko, flour, and cheese in the other. Season the panko mixture with salt and pepper if desired. Coat each asparagus spear in eggs, then lay in the panko mixture and thoroughly cover. If the panko won’t stick, dip back in the eggs and roll in panko once again. Lay each spear on the wire rack.
Bake at 425ºF for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
I have seen this recipe several places and it sounded so interesting and good. I bought a ton of Asparagus at Costco because I love it, but I need to figure out what to do with all of it. I made this and it was really good. The garlic herb cheese makes it great I think. I would even add a little bit more of it next time 🙂
Pizza dough
Olive oil, for brushing
8 oz. asparagus spears
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
3 oz. spreadable garlic herb cheese, I used Boursin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven 475 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough (I made mine on a cookie sheet, because I don’t have a round pizza pan). Lightly brush the surface of the dough with olive oil.
Cut the tough woody stems off the ends of the asparagus spears. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the spears into ribbons. You likely will not need all of the asparagus, but use more ribbons than you think you need because it will cook down in the oven.
Place the sliced mozzarella over the pizza dough in an even layer. Pile the asparagus shavings over the top of the mozzarella. Dot the surface of the pizza with the garlic herb cheese. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
Transfer the pizza to the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.
*Adapted from Annie’s Eats
When I saw this recipe on a blog called “What’s Gaby Cooking” I just had to make it. Everything about it sounded fabulous, and asparagus is my favorite vegetable so that just made it sound even better. This was so good and flakey and crunchy and cheesy and…well it’s amazing!
1 sheet of Puff Pastry (I got mine in the freezer section of the grocery store)
1/2 cup Gruyere, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 bundle asparagus
1 Tbs olive oil
Kosher salt
Crushed Black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Thaw the puff pastry either by placing it in the fridge overnight or by laying it on the counter, on a piece of parchment paper, for about an hour.
Trim the ends of the Asparagus by 1 inch to get rid of the woody stalk
Once thawed unfold the flaps and slightly roll out the dough to get rid of the seems.(Make sure it’s not too thawed, or it’s hard to work with) Transfer the puff pastry dough while still on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Sprinkle half the Gruyere and Parmesan on the puff pastry. Line the asparagus on top of the cheese. Scatter the rest of the cheese on top of the asparagus and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry dough has puffed and the asparagus is roasted and cooked through.
Sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper before serving.
I recently just bought my first bag of quinoa (Keen-Wa) and have tried a few different recipes, this one has been my favorite so far. The flavor combinations go perfectly. For those of you who have not tried quinoa, it is packed with nutrients like protein and fiber. It’s cooked basically the same way as rice but it is similar looking to couscous with a slightly nutty flavor. There are so many different ways to eat this. Good stuff!
1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups chicken broth or water
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, about 1 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, feta and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.
This was a hit at our home. My kids call them “The Spicy Noodles” and they ate like three bowls, not kidding! I only use about 1-1/2 tsp of the chili sauce and we think it’s perfect, if you like things really spicy add more. Make sure and add all the fixings! I adapted this recipe slightly from Our Best Bites, so you know it’s good! 🙂
1/2 c. chicken broth
3-4 Tbs creamy peanut butter
1-2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
8 oz. lo mein or linguine noodles
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into quarters
Chopped peanuts
Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.
This is a great dish! I could eat this on a daily basis and be fine with it. Everything goes into one pot too, so it’s simple. This is another recipe adapted from weight watchers, so it is a nice and healthy, but hearty dish! You can really serve it over any rice you like, I thought it went really well with jasmine rice and that seems to be the rice we have on hand the most. Enjoy!
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups jasmine rice, cooked
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion and saute, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and tender, add in the garlic last and cook for about a minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin to desired consistency.
Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the hot rice.
I have been on a Vegetarian kick for a few weeks, not really intensionally, but I really am finding a lot of yummy meatless recipes that just seem lighter to me. I could handle this!
1 Recipe Of Your Favorite Pizza Dough (I used this)
1 jar Prepared Pesto, or make your own
Kosher Salt To Taste
Fresh Mozzarella
Roma Tomatoes
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Press the pizza dough into a sheet pan or pizza stone
Smear the pesto over the pizza dough and sprinkle some kosher salt over it.
Slice the mozzarella thin enough to cover the pizza thoroughly. Next, lay thin slices of Roma tomatoes over the mozzarella.
Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the entire pizza.
Bake the pizza according to the crust directions. I usually bake mine for about 13-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and a little brown on top.
I love salads! They make me think of summer and warmth, and being in Minnesota right now I am craving warmth! I tried this salad for the first time last summer when my sister in law made it for a family party. It was so yummy and fresh, with such unique flavors. LOVED IT! This recipe is from Sunny Anderson on the Food Network.
Butter, for preparing 8 by 8-inch glass pan
1 (8.5-ounce) box cornbread mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 packet sazon seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup salsa
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, cut into strips
Creamy Lime Dressing, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch glass pan with butter. Stir together the cornbread mix with the egg and milk. Evenly spread into prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool completely. Mix together the beans with the sazon and season with salt and pepper. Toss the salsa with the tomatoes. When ready to serve, cut the cornbread into 1/2-inch croutons. Toss the lettuce with 3/4 cups of the dressing. In a clear trifle dish, layer the Tex-Mex Salad beginning with the black beans followed by the Monterey jack cheese, the tomato salsa mixture, the Cheddar, the dressed romaine and top with the cornbread croutons. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
Creamy Lime Dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil until smooth. While machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
I have been a little behind on this blog, we are in the process of moving out of state. But I will update every chance I get 🙂 I love all the freshness that summer brings. I just had to try this recipe and it was really good. It’s very simple and you can kinda do what you want with it. I felt more on the healthy side after eating this 🙂 You can toss this with pasta or spoon over chicken, or even just eat it out of the bowl. 
6 large fresh tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp kosher salt (I would keep adding and tasting till you get it the taste you want)
ground black pepper
Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add the garlic, olive oil, basil and salt and pepper. Toss gently. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. The longer they sit the juicier they get.
This pizza was so amazing that I just have to put it on here. I made this last night with the pizza dough recipe I have on here. We all LOVED it. This is a giada de laurentiis special, and I have never been disappointed when trying one of her recipes. SO GOOD! ( you HAVE to use the Smoked Mozzarella, it just wouldn’t be the same without it)
Cornmeal, for dusting
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded smoked mozzarella cheese ( A little pricey but TOTALLY worth it)
1 packed cup arugula
Flour, for dusting
1 ball pizza dough
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Sprinkle a heavy baking sheet (without sides) with cornmeal. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend the ricotta, garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the smoked mozzarella and arugula. Pulse until just combined but still chunky. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch diameter circle, about 1/4 to 1/16-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Spread the ricotta mixture on top leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the tomato slices on top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the crust is golden, about 15 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut into wedges and serve.