Edamame Garden Salad

I found this recipe about 2 years ago when Peter was gone to Korea ....or the Philippines ...or maybe Thailand... somewhere! When Peter is gone, I do not cook much. Mostly because when I have no one to enjoy the food I am preparing (besides myself) it just isn't as fun! So when I really want to cook, I usually invite someone over for dinner. And this particular time I invited Gina Higgins over! Gina lived on the same floor as us in the towers in Okinawa. Of course her husband was gone as well... so why not have dinner together? Anyway, this was just the side dish, but I must say that it took the show! I believe that Gina still uses this recipe to this day! (and so do I) It is an easy yet fresh and healthy recipe that I think you all will enjoy!

Edamame Garden Salad

3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tbsp EVOO

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 (1 pound) package frozen shelled edamame

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

In a medium serving bowl whisk together vinegar, EVOO, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt and garlic. Set aside. Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add the edamame and boil for 3 minutes. Add the corn and boil for 2 minutes. Drain very well and pour into the bowl with the dressing. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, green onions and black beans. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to chill and marinate the flavors. Serve as a side dish or you can serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!

Arugula, Bacon and Mushroom Pizza

PIZZA!!! I love homemade pizza! I have a lot of recipes for different kinds of homemade pizzas and I make them often. A homemade pizza just tastes SO much better than store bought! I will admit that I keep a store bought pizza in the freezer at all times for a quick weekend meal when needed, but most of the time the pizzas at our house are homemade (including the crust). So here is one of our favorites! I hope you enjoy it! There will probably be many more pizza recipes to come!

Arugula, Bacon and Mushroom Pizza

Pizza dough from bread maker or store bought
3-4 slices center-cut bacon
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 (8 oz.) package whole button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 teaspoon Sea salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 Tablespoon EVOO
Minced garlic
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups baby arugula
1/3 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

4 Tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Prepare dough in bread maker. Allow 1.5 hours.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender and moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Press dough onto baking sheet. Drizzle EVOO over dough and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and fresh minced garlic. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven; spread ricotta evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2 inch rim. Arrange onion mixture and arugula evenly over ricotta. Sprinkle with bacon, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake additional 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted.

"No Veggie" Burritos

I recently visited my friend Amanda Templeton for a few days. She made this dish for lunch while we were there and it was soooo good and yet soooo easy! Lately Matias has been refusing to eat green vegetables! I know, he is only 11 months and it has already started! Anyway, this recipe has a "hidden" green veggie that you can't even taste! Amanda's daughter, Abby, swore that she saw some vegetables in the burrito and therefore refused to eat it. Amanda tried to convince her it was just the salsa, but she was not having it! So in honor of Abby, I am naming this the "No Veggie" Burrito! This is a great recipe for those of you who are trying to get your kids to eat some green veggies! Matias loves this burrito! Thanks for the recipe, Amanda!

“No Veggie” Burrito

¼ cup minced onion

1 small zucchini, diced

¼ cup red pepper, minced

¼ cup yellow pepper, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

½- ¾ cup salsa

Extras:

Tortillas

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

Sauté onions, zucchini, red and yellow pepper in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add black beans and salsa, cook until desired texture. Serve on a tortilla with sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Messy, but yummy!

What? There are green veggies in here! No way!

 

Pot Roast Meat Loaf

I love this dish because it is a fix it and forget it meal. I usually make a salad to go along with it, but other than that, the rest of your meal is in one LARGE pan, which means fewer dishes to wash! Those of you who know me well know that I HATE...no DESPISE, washing dishes! I have always told Peter I want to hire someone to come in and clean up the kitchen after I finish cooking a meal. How much do you think that would cost me?... Ok, sorry about my dish washing rant. Anyway, I love this recipe. Let me give you a couple of tips to make it a little easier:

1.Take your ground beef out of the fridge about an hour before you start mixing your meat loaf. Otherwise your hands will be freezing while you are mixing the meat. I learned this the hard way. My fingers were so cold they were hurting!

2. Buy a 10.5 x 14.75 glass baking dish! Otherwise you will not be able to fit all of the potatoes, onions and carrots you will want to eat around the meat loaf. 

Pot Roast Meat Loaf

1.5 lbs. ground beef

1/3 cup bread crumbs or 6 saltine crackers

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup milk

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp. worchestire sauce

4-6 medium potatoes

2 medium onions

small bag of baby carrots

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Using your hands, mix ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, milk, pepper, ketchup and worchestire sauce. With wet hands, shape into a loaf in the center of a 10.5 x 14.75 glass pan. (You can use a 9 x 13 but you will not be able to fit as many potatoes, onions and carrots around the meat loaf. So I recommend using a larger pan.) Slice 2 medium onions, set aside. Peel and slice 4-6 medium potatoes. Place slices of potatoes, onions and carrots around the meat, starting with potatoes first. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Pour about 1/2 cup (1/4 cup if using 9 x 13) of water over the potatoes, onions and carrots. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove meatloaf from oven and uncover. Mix 1/2 cup ketchup and 1-2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. (I kind of eyeball this, so if you think you need more sauce or would like it to be sweeter just adjust it to your taste.) Spread over meatloaf and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

I love corned beef! I also love cabbage! Therefore, this dish is one of my absolute favorites! Some of you may have never heard of corned beef, let alone actually eaten it. But don't turn your nose up too soon, just give it a try! With Saint Patrick's Day approaching, this dish should be a great representation of Irish cuisine! I hope you broaden your palate and give this dish a try!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 (4 lb) Corned Beef Brisket with Spice Packet

1 large onion, sliced

8 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 (14 oz) can beef broth

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 small cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

Trim fat from brisket. Place onion and carrot in a 6-quart slow cooker; place brisket on top of vegetables. Sprinkle bay leaves and garlic slices over brisket. Combine spice packet from brisket, beef broth, brown sugar, mustard and caraway seeds; pour over brisket. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook 8 hours. Add cabbage and cook on LOW an additional 1 1/2 hours or until cabbage is tender. Remove and discard bay leaves. Cut brisket across grain into slices; serve with cabbage, carrots and onions. Makes 6-8 servings.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Have you ever just had a day when you really just wanted to bake something? You wanted something sweet and delicious, but you had minimal ingredients and did not want to go to the grocery store. Well I was having one of those days when I found this recipe! This recipe is supper easy and has very few ingredients. It is a great quick dessert. It doesn't even require a mixer! Just stir it all together by hand! I hope this recipes comforts your sweet tooth!

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

1 box White Cake mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine,  melted

1 Tbsp water

2 eggs

1 ½ cups dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate baking chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x13 pan with shortening and lightly flour. In a large bowl mix cake mix, butter, water and eggs with spoon until dough forms. Stir in cranberries and baking chips. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

I know I said that we do not eat pasta often, but lately I have found some pasta recipes we actually really enjoy! So I might be posting a few more pasta dinners over the next few months. At first glance this recipe did not sound like something I would normally make, but I thought I would give it a try. It turned out to be amazing! It is also a very affordable dinner. Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and pasta kind of sound weird together, but I promise you it will be a huge hit! I hope you step out of your comfort zone and give it a try!

Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

 

Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

1 onion, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup canned solid-packed pumpkin

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup water

2 Tbsp heavy cream

dash of Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Salt & Pepper to taste

½ pound penne pasta

3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Over moderate heat, melt butter in a large deep skillet. Add onion, pepper and garlic, stirring until softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, cook the penne in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Add penne to the sauce, cook the mixture over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring and thinning the sauce as desired with the reserved cooking water. Stir in parsley. Remove from heat. Divide between 2 plates and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!