Dirty Brown Rice

Tastes ALOT better than it sounds. This was a really simple/cheap dish to throw together. I like it rich in veggies so I went overboard with veggies.

2 cups of brown rice
1-2 Green peppers
3 stalks of celery
1 onion

1 clove of garlic crushed

5 Spicy Italian sausages
5 cups chicken stock and or water.

I know the Italian sausage prob isn't the most 'girl-envied' product but  hey, I had them in the freezer and bc I used them I used no other spices other than a little salt. So don't judge me. You could just as easily use chicken sausage or whatever kind of 'meat' you like.


I took the sausage out of the casing and sauteed it about half way through with my diced green peppers,onions,celery and crushed garlic.

Once the sausage is cooked about half way through I added it to the deep cover baker. This was my first time truly 'baking' a full meal in it, and Karen was right, this thing IS magic. I can't wait to get my hands on my own, I was borrowing hers :) So add this mixture to the Deep covered baker and mix in your uncooked rice.

Always add about 2.5 times as much chicken stock/water as I do rice. I have been sort of annoyed with this brown rice in the past so I was hoping the deep covered baker would work its magic and cook the brown rice to my liking. So I did 2 cups of rice and about 5 cups of chicken stock...

Then pop it in the oven with the top on for about an hour an half on 425. I would check on it half way through and give it a stir to make sure it doesn't need more water.



This is a pic of the final product, all the water is soaked into the veggies and rice all the flavors are blended and it was delicious. Although I highly recommend making this in the deep covered baker you could make it on the stove top or in a regular casserole dish. I'm not sure about the cook times and how well the brown rice will turn out, but the most important part is to seal the dish really well when baking. Foil doesn't do as good as a job in the oven as a heavy stone top, but you could try the stove top and use the top for a pot.

Buffalo Chicken Dippers

So this is a realllly easy recipe that is always a crowd pleaser.. I haven't met one person that doesn't like it.

You will make this buffalo dip that I blogged about earlier. And instead of serving it all as dip, make little dippers that can travel easy and no need re-heat.

Once you make the dip, line your mini-muffin pan (or cupcake pan) with either pieces of crescent (like this recipe) or an alternative I just learned is that you can take raw Pillsbury FLAKY biscuits and sort of peel them apart and line the pans.

Once you line the pan with your dough of choice, scoop in some 'dip' mixture and then pop them in the oven for about 15-20 min on 375. I like them golden so its closer to about 20 mins when I do it.

You could probably top each little dipper with a few shreds of cheese if you really want but you won't miss it if you don't. 

Enchilada Soup!

So recently my Sundays have turned into Mexican crockpot Sundays...  This was a soup I threw together last minute before I played my FIRST 9 holes of golf ever. Alex is a great teacher and being the natural that I am, I got a PAR.

This was my victory meal later that night. literally took 13 minutes to prepare. Bring it Rachel Ray 30 min meals.

What I used (look no spices!!)

3 stalks of celery
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 green pepper
3 precooked chicken sausages
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 24 oz can enchilada sauce
2 cups chicken stock

This recipe basically has two steps. Chop it all up. And dump it all in.

I diced my celery (not pictured), zucchini and chicken sausage. 

Before (sort of, I got antsy and started chopping)

About 25 seconds later...

I also chopped up the onions this small. Different sized veggies gave the soup some depth. For me it was mainly a vegetable soup and for Alex it was a chicken sausage/veggie enchilada soup.

Dump all of the ingredients, including your beans (strain out the can goop first) into the slow cooker.Add more broth/water as needed I cooked  it on low for about 8 hours.. 

.

This soup was really good, it was a bit spicy  (I think I got a hot version of enchilada sauce) so we added a little cheese to make it more mild. I served it was some homemade tortilla chips as well..

mmmm. VICTORY!!!

                                       

Chicken Salad Melt

I really started this with two large cans of Premium white chunk chicken, some celery and some greek yogurt, the basics for a chicken salad, right? Well  I started mixing and playing and this turned out really refreshing!

Ingredients

2 Large cans Premium white meat chicken
2 celery stalks
1 zuchinni
1 cup olives
1 cup Spinach
about 2 cups non-fat Greek Yogurt, use your judgement.
2 tbsp Parmesean cheese
2 tbsp basil pesto
Salt & Pepper ( I did cayenne too)
handlful of Grape tomatoes
1 clove garlic crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
4 slicees of bread (I used sandwich thins)



Drain the chicken the dump it into your mixing bowl, add in your olives.

Chop it all up.

Dice your zuchinni and celery and add it in. Mix the ingredients up. Add in your greek yogurt, basil pesto, salt and pepper. After you mix it up do a taste test and add some more salt and pepper if needed. Cut up your tomatoes and gently 'fold' them in. You don't want to be a psycho mixer with these bc then they will look old and mushy. Place the salad in the fridge.


Preheat your oven to 450

Lightly olive oil your bread, crush the clove of garlic over the bread, spread.

 Sprinkle about 1/2 tbsp cheese on each slice.

Top with spinach a tad olive oil & salt/pepper.

Pop in the oven for about 2-5 mins.

Bring them out and top generously with your chicken salad.

Mexican Lasagna (Crockpot, duh)

I guess Sunday turned into Mexican Sunday. Oh well :)

1 Box Whole Wheat Lasagna

Greek Yogurt+Spices

2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Onion Salt
1 tsp Oregano
2 cloves crushed Garlic
3 cups nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cups shredded cheese
24 oz Red Salsa
2 cans black beans
1 cup Salsa verde (the green salsa)
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 large onion
2 Green Peppers

So I know the ingredient list looks overwhelming but its really not. If you don't have all the spices on hand and don't feel like dealing with it, just go ahead and buy one f those taco seasoning packets and you are good to go.

Mix the greek yogurt and the spices in a mixing bowl. Then add in the shredded cheese and the Red Salsa. This should be pretty watery from the Salsa but that's what you want. Taste this mixture and make sure its spicy enough or mild enough to your liking.

In a separate bowl mix the black beans, the Salsa verde and the juice from the lime. I think I ended up using the entire lime bc I like the tang. Set aside.

Chop up your onions and green peppers. You're now ready to assemble


Use your empty Salsa Jar, Fill it with water and sort of mix it around to get all the remains from the salsa, and put a little of this on the bottom of the crock pot, about 1/4 cup. Then begin the assembling.

Break the noodles to fit into the crock pot. This won't be perfect but it doesn't matter. Then layer some yogurt mixture, then some chopped onion/green pepper, black bean mixture, a little more yogurt then noodle.

Repeat. For the top layer, I did noodle, some chopped onion/pepper and the yogurt sauce.

Cook on low for 4 hours. The great thing about this meal is there is 0 meat. I waited for Alex to be about half-way through to tell him, his response: " what... there's no meat?"Basically all the veggies and the beans make it so hearty no one has any idea whats going on. You could also layer in some Spanish rice if you wanted but I like the beans and veggies.

Salsa Quiche Bites

EThis is a really easy recipe that I like making for a lazy breakfast that lasts all day and it tastes just as good 5 hours later while you're on the couch watching football.

What you'll need:

2 Reduced Fat Crescent Roll tubes

1 cup Salsa

1/2 cup milk

6 eggs

2 tbsp cheese

You'll need to make two batches if you don't have two pans.

I used my mini-muffin pan so when cutting up the crescent rolls I cut each triangle into 3 pieces and put them into the pan, I push them down  with my fingers, it won't be perfect so don't freak out.

In a mixing bowl whisk your milk and eggs once that is mixed well add in your salsa. You could also do sausage or just cheese this is  a recipe that can go in any direction.




Pour/scoop the egg mixture into each muffin tin. I fill it up all the way so its sort of messy, but who cares. You could also add more cheese because I know everyone loves cheese but it really tastes great with just a shred or two on each bite!

                                                                          Bake for 15 mins on 375 in the oven.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

These Fries are WAY better than actual fried ones that you get at  a restaurant

What you need:

4-5 Sweet Potatoes
1 tsp Paprika (optional)
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Olive oil

Wash your sweet potatoes really well, I don't peel the skin off bc that where the majority of the nutrients are and I love the skin so its really important to wash thoroughly and if you don't like the skin you should probably start.

Slice the potatoes into steak fry size and toss them into a mixing bowl. Add your ingredients and mix it up. You can use any spices really, I think old bay would be good too.

Preheat the oven to 425, bake for 30 mins..halfway through the cook time flip over the fries.

Mcdonalds' got nothing on these fries...Serve with BBQ sauce

Shrimp in a Tomato & Feta Sauce

I had leftover pasta from Moms Marsala and no more Marsala (Alex took the rest to work for lunch) so I wanted something light and crisp. I found a recipe similar to this on a recipe blog and made adjustments according to real life circumstances aka I don't own all the spices in Harris Teeter.

What you'll need

10-15 Raw Shrimp
1 tbsp Dill ( I used dry)
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
1 large onion
2 (14 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes, or canned diced tomatoes
2/3 cup feta
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil

In a pan heat olive oil and saute the onions for about 5-10 mins, adding in the chopped garlic. Once the onions are soft add in the tomato sauce, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10 mins allowing the tomato sauce to reduce a bit and absorb the flavors. Add in the tbsp of dill and taste the sauce to make sure there is enough salt and pepper. I really liked the taste of the dill with the tomato sauce I never really use dill unless its incorporating Greek yogurt so I really liked experimenting with these flavors.


Now add your butterflied shrimp simmer on low, stirring often, crumble in the feta cheese about 2 mins after adding the shrimp. 

Thats it. Dunzo. Serve on pasta. 

We both REALLY liked this. The dill and the tomato sauce was on point. For lunch Alex got the lefites with the pasta and I took a scoop of this added chicken stock so I'll be heating it up as a soup for lunch!

Mom's Chicken Marsala

This is one of my favorite meals my mom would make growing up, makes sense considering it was full of red wine :)  

What you'll need

2 Chicken Breasts

1 cup flour

1 clove crushed garlic

3-4 cups favorite red wine (I used Shiraz)

lotsss of mushrooms

1 box thin spaghetti

Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Marsala wine is known for its sweet taste, personally I like this dish with the same red wine I would drink in a glass so I went with the Shiraz. This is a meal that is definitely for a red wine lover...

Get your water boiling for your pasta, in another pan start cooking your mushrooms, remember, no oil, no salt, no nothing, just a pan and mushrooms. Let the mushrooms sweat out the water for about 15 mins on medium high heat stirring often. Drain the mushrooms and set them aside.  

Slice the 2 chicken breasts in half making it into 4 thin chicken breasts and cover the chicken breasts with flour.  Put the chicken breasts into a heated pan (medium high, closer to high) with olive oil, I like to lightly salt and pepper the chicken at this point too. Cook them for about 3-5 mins on each side, you will want to cook them about 75% through, you will cook them completely through with the wine.  

Once the chicken looks mostly cooked, remove from pan and add in your red wine and crushed garlic. Let wine reduce for about 5-10 mins, this lightens the tart taste of the wine and just gets really good.  Add your chicken and mushrooms back in and simmer for about 15 mins. Flip over the chicken and stir the pan often.

Drain your pasta, add olive oil, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese to taste.

Generously pour the red wine sauce over the pasta and serve the chicken and mushrooms all over it.

Dinner and Drinks in one plate :)

Pinwheel Appetizer

This is a version of one of my go-to appetizers, however this time I was working with an unusually empty fridge so  I had to just go with it....Typically I make it with cream cheese and various herbs (or alloutte cheese if I'm feeling fancy) and if feeding hungry boys I add in turkey pepperoni. However this time, I searched my fridge and all I had was 


Smoked Turkey Breast
Hot Pepper Jelly ( there is a great one local one you can buy from Whole Foods "Bigg Riggs")
1 Tube Reduced-Fat Crescent roll


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
 
Remove crescent rolls from container and unroll flat onto greased cookie sheet or fabulous baking stone (3rd picture).  Make sure the the dough is pressed firmly together at the perforated edges in order to make one solid rectangle.  Spread one layer of Hot pepper Jelly on top of the entire surface of the dough. 

Add a few slices of deli meat.    

Roll the dough lengthwise in order to make a long cylinder shaped roll.This next step I skipped bc we had no eggs, I'm not kidding when I said we had an empty fridge ... But I really think this really adds to the appeal of the pinwheel esp when serving for guests. Whisk an egg in a separate bowl and brush on top of the roll. This step gives the roll that yummy golden glow.


Using a serrated knife cut the dough into about 10 pieces,  you don't want to cut all the way through the roll just about 2/3 of the way through.


Bake for 10-15 minutes or until Crescent Roll is browned and looks delish.  Remove roll from oven and let it cool for 5 min. And EAT!

Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks

This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time and just pop in the oven for 35 mins and you're set.  I never know what to do with drumsticks, they seem so complicated. I adapted this recipe from one of Giada's on the food network and  it was delicious. Its also a  nice dish to show off at a dinner party and seem really fancy when you're not.

Marinade
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 honey or Agave Nectar (I used Agave Nectar its a vegan form of honey)
1/4 sugar (brown if you have it)
1/4 Soy sauce
3 cloves crushed garlic
Pepper to taste.
3 "sprigs" of Rosemary


10 drumsticks
grape tomatos (optional, but look how pretty it is)

Mix all your marinade ingredients except the rosemary in a bowl making sure to whisky thoroughly considering the agave and sugar tend to sink to the bottom.   In my measurements above I already reduced the sugar for the marinade but be sure to taste and change up the ingredients to your liking.

Meanwhile take your raw drumsticks and pull the skin back. If you leave the skin on the look will be more appealing, it will look like a super glazed drumstick however unless you're going to eat the skin most of the taste is left on the skin, gross. Basically, pull the skin back....which is what I did, and look still pretty...

Now add your chicken to your marinade, trying to cover all of the drumsticks and add in the rosemary. Seal (I used the same tupperware I used to mix the marinade, you could use a large Ziploc bag if you prefer) and place in the fridge for 2 hours. Because mine was in tupperware after about an hour I rearranged my chicken to ensure all of the drumsticks got the proper amount of love from the marinade.

Preheat the oven to 450, prepare your roasting pan by laying down aluminum foil, and add in your drumsticks and if you have grape tomatoes go ahead and add them in between the drumsticks. pour the remainder of your marinde over the chicken.  Cook for about 30-35 mins, when you think they are complete, take out the largest drumstick, cut into the center, if its cooked, all of the drumsticks should be good to go.

I would serve this with couscous or some wild rice but because I was being lazy and in a 'leftover' mode
with my Greek salsa from my nachos  I added the salsa to a bed of spinach, and quickly sauteed some mushrooms with soy sauce, pepper and a little agave as a side. PS the tomatoes are the bomb.com