Archive for the 'Food and Drink' Category
August 31, 2010 @ 6:01 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,Soul Food
Some of our weeks are truly crazy.
With MJ’s work schedule, we’re sometimes separated for two - three days and nights at a time each week. By the time he drives back into town from whatever kind of week he’s had, he’s ready for a few good things.
Namely – his home, his bed, his table.
I guess my burgeoning love for cooking and spending time in my kitchen originally stemmed from the sheer knowledge of this. It became important to me to find ways to make his arrival home each week something for him to anticipate.
That’s not to say that there is always ample time on my part – or in my own schedule – to prepare a labor intensive meal or spend loads of effort on ambiance. But I’ve learned that in setting a table I’m also setting a heart, and that doesn’t require a lot of time or money or even effort.
It merely asks that I care.
I care deeply.
The next time you find an occasion to prepare a table – or a heart – here is a great recipe that is beautifully pleasing and deliciously memorable!
Farfalle with Tomatoes & Spinach
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions; drain.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Add pasta and spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.
Serve with Olive Flatbread: Preheat oven to 450°. Unroll 1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough onto a baking sheet. Combine 1½ tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1 minced garlic clove; brush over dough. Sprinkle dough with ⅓ cup chopped kala-mata olives. Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until browned and done. Top with 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil.
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 24, 2010 @ 6:34 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Easy Bavarian Cream
Fold 3 stiffly beaten, pasteurized egg whites into a bowl of prepared, cooled instant sugar-free/fat-free vanilla, butterscotch, white chocolate, banana or chocolate pudding. Chill for 2 hours in individual custard cups or one large serving bowl. Now you’re on the way to the elegant dishes below.
To make a trifle: Layer the Easy Bavarian Cream in a 2-quart glass bowl with 24 purchased lady fingers and 3 cups fresh berries or sliced fruit.
To make a Bavarian cream parfait: Spoon alternating layers of fruit and Easy Bavarian Cream into clear wine glasses. Here are some flavor combinations we enjoy:
- Vanilla Bavarian cream with orange sections
- White Chocolate Bavarian cream and raspberries
- Butterscotch Bavarian cream and sliced bananas
- Chocolate Bavarian cream with strawberries
- Banana Bavarian cream with kiwi fruit slices
Creamy Chocolate Mousse
Prepare a cook-and-serve sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding mix according to the package directions. Transfer the hot pudding to a bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 1 hour or until cool. Fold 1 1/2 cups fat-free, non-dairy whipped topping into the cooled pudding. Chill 2 hours in individual custard cups or in a large serving bowl, or make one of these tasty desserts.
To make a frozen chocolate mousse pie: Pour the mousse into a baked low-fat pie shell and freeze.
For a frozen chocolate mint mousse cake: Add 1/2 teaspoon mint extract to the pudding with the whipped topping. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Crush 16 low-fat chocolate wafer cookies and sprinkle them on the sides, pressing if necessary to make them stick, and on the bottom of the inside of the pan. Pour the mousse over the crumbs and freeze for 4 hours.
For individual frozen chocolate mousse desserts: Line 6 muffin tins with paper muffin cups and fill with the chocolate mousse mixture. Freeze until firm, then serve with a spoon.
Other Pudding Dessert Ideas
- To make a pudding jelly roll, bake a packaged angel food cake mix as directed by the box. When it’s cool, spread the roll with prepared sugar-free/fat-free pudding (any flavor and either instant or cook-and-serve) and roll up as directed.
- To make pudding ice cream, prepare any flavor sugar-free/fat-free instant pudding as directed on the package. Pour immediately into a pre-chilled ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Serve immediately.
- To make frozen fudge pops, prepare instant sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding as directed. Pour into small paper cups and freeze 1 hour or until a popsicle stick will stand up when inserted. Insert one popsicle stick into the center of each; freeze until hard.
Weight Watcher recipe – healthy & light!
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 17, 2010 @ 6:44 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
Ingredients:
- Corn, 2 cobs
- 1 medium sweet red bell pepper
- 1 medium sweet yellow pepper
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 cup mushrooms
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Shrimp, deveined, cooked
- Lowry’s herb & lime seasoning, 2 tbsp
Directions:
Mix Lowry’s seasoning and olive oil in a ziploc bag. Add shrimp and massage well to coat. Place in refrigerator for one to two hours to marinate.
Cut corn from the cob. Chop peppers and onion. Dust with salt and pepper.
Saute corn and vegetables in olive oil on medium heat until tender, about ten minutes. Remove shrimp from refrigerator.
Slice mushrooms. Add to vegetables once they are tender. Remove succotash to serving dish.
In the same skillet, saute the marinated shrimp until opaque. Serve alongside succotash.
Delicious and healthy!!
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 10, 2010 @ 8:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Poppy Seed Salad
with Fruit
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
| 6 | cups of romaine (chopped), baby bok choi or cabbage (thinly sliced) | |
| 1 | apple, cored and chopped | |
| 1 | cup red grapes, sliced in half | |
| ½ | cup slivered almonds | |
| Dressing: | ||
| ½ | cup sunflower oil | |
| ¼ | cup apple cider vinegar | |
| ¼ | cup honey | |
| 2 | oz. soft silken tofu (about 3 T) | |
| ¾ | t dry mustard | |
| ½ | t salt | |
| 1 | T poppy seeds | |
- Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat until barely brown. Cool.
- Combine greens, fruit, and nuts.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 3, 2010 @ 5:50 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cilantro
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
- 2 medium yellow peppers, seeded and sliced
- 2 medium red peppers, seeded and sliced
Instructions:
Puree the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and water in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a zip-close plastic bag and add the salmon. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the salmon. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil nonstick spray. Arrange the bell peppers in a single layer in the dish. Bake, turning once, 20 minutes.
Drain the salmon and discard the marinade. Place the salmon on top of the bell peppers. Bake until the fish is just opaque in the center, 10–12 minutes. Remove the skin before eating. Yields 1⁄2 salmon steak and about 1 cup peppers per serving.
*Only 8 Weight Watcher points. Delicious!! This is a MUST TRY!
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
July 27, 2010 @ 8:33 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (adds an extra “kick” – you can leave it out if you want!)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 (15 ounce) corn, drained
- jalapenos, chopped, to taste (I like a LOT, Mike – not so much!)
Directions
- Mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and red pepper flakes together. Add milk, egg, sugar, oil, corn and jalapenos.
- Pour into heated and oiled cast iron skillet (I used the wedge cast iron pan that belonged to my grandmother).
- Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
This is a SCRUMPTIOUS recipe – ENJOY!!
July 20, 2010 @ 6:24 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
Wanna try the recipe that won Ella a spot on Restaurant 101? Here you go!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 garlic cloves, pressed
8 slices (1/2-3/4 inch thick) sourdough bread
1 medium red bell pepper
1 small red onion
1 medium eggplant
1 medium yellow summer squash
1 medium zucchini
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 slices (1 ounce each) Provolone cheese
Directions:
1. Melt butter in microwave on HIGH 20-25 seconds or until melted; add garlic. Brush one side of each slice of bread with butter mixture; set aside.
2. Slice bell pepper crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings. Slice onion crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat. Lightly spray pan with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Place bell pepper and onion into pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from pan; set aside and keep warm. Spray pan again with vegetable oil. Cook eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini 3-4 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan; set aside and keep warm.
4. To assemble sandwiches, arrange four pieces of bread buttered side down; top each with 1 slice cheese, 2 slices each eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini and bell pepper rings, and 1 slice red onion. Top with remaining cheese and remaining bread, buttered side up.
5. Heat pan over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and grill marks appear on surface of bread, turning once with Nylon Turner. Serve immediately.
Delizioso!!!
Yield: 4 sandwiches
July 13, 2010 @ 6:17 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast- 1/2 medium pineapple
- 1 medium green pepper
- 1 medium sweet red pepper
- 1 large onion
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice, or orange juice
- 3 medium garlic clove(s), minced
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 spray(s) cooking spray
- 2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept hot
Instructions:
Weight Watcher recipe – 6 pts per serving |
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
July 12, 2010 @ 6:25 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,Friends,Pure Sunshine
Every once in a great while you meet someone that truly leaves a lasting impression.
I met Thomas this weekend, and I feel just that way about him. I’m telling you, he is a young man to watch; He’s on to something, and will go far in this big, blue world!
We strolled the Natchitoches Farmer’s Market along the Cane River, perusing the booths, sampling the salsas, stopping every now and then to snap a few photos.
And then we came upon Thomas’ booth and I was instantly drawn to him. Besides the fact that he had a large inviting basket of homemade bread and invited us to step inside and sample a bite, he had that special little something that you can’t quite put a name to. But you know it’s the “it” factor, and you know it will take him far.
And then I tasted the tiny, mini-muffin style piece of bread and I. Was. In. Instant. Love. This bread was the best I’ve ever had, I kid you not!
“It’s all natural,” Thomas insisted, pointing to his signage. “All you add to the mix is 12 ounces of carbonated beverage.”
Carbonated beverage? Like…Coke? Diet 7-Up? Sprite?
Turns out that ginger ale and Diet 7-Up makes the BEST bread! Who knew? At this point I could no longer resist the jarred bread mix, the samples, OR the cute little dark-headed boy selling me on the product.
It was a package deal and it totally sold.
Thomas doesn’t yet have a website, but I told him he’d soon be on my blog and that I was going to tell ALL my friends about his great bread mix and that he’d better prepare for the onslaught of business.
Be on the lookout for Thomas, folks! And watch out, Mrs. Bairds…there’s a new cowboy in the bread world today!
July 6, 2010 @ 6:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life,Uniquely Me
- 8 oz whole wheat short tube-shaped pasta
- 1 sweet red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Weight Watcher mozarella string cheese sticks
- 1/2 lb cleaned, cooked shrimp
Preheat broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse pasta with cold water; drain again and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred, 7 – 8 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes until cool enough to handle.
Marinate shrimp in 1 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. desired herbs & garlic. Place all in zip-lock bag, massage well, and then chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Chop mozarella into bite size pieces. Mix the pepper strips with the mozarella, basil, pasta, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; toss.
In a small bowl, prepare salad dressing by mixing together oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic.
Pour dressing over pasta and vegetables and toss thoroughly to coat. Add marinated shrimp. Cover and chill about 2 hours.
Yields about 1 cup per serving.
Light, healthy, delicious!!!
