Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Whole Grain Pizzas w/Pesto

This recipe is for 1 person, 1 small pita pizza...just increase ingredients and split over number of pizza you want. 

Ingredients:

1 Whole Grain Pizza Crust Pita

1-2 tbsp Pesto 

1 small shallot sliced thin (or can use 1/4 small yellow or red onion)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

3-4 large Brussels sprouts, sliced thin

1 tsp EVOO

1/2 small chicken cutlet, grilled, sliced thin

1-2 pinches red pepper flakes 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Place pita on baking sheet, spread pesto on just shy of the edge. 

Lay shallots (or onions) on top of pesto and sprinkle mozzarella on top. 

Combine Brussels sprouts and EVOO in a bowl and mix to coat fully. 

Top with chicken and red pepper flakes. Finish with a light pinch of salt and pepper and if you'd like a lol more EVOO. 

Bake 8-10 min and enjoy!!

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers w/Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey

1/4 cup egg whites

4 tbsp crushed pineapple, 1 reserved

1/2 tsp maple syrup 

1/2 tbsp red onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp teriyaki sauce 

1/2 tsp franks sweet chili sauce (optional)

1/2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients for turkey burgers, reserving 1 tbsp crushed pineapple for topping. Make into 4 patties and grill to your liking. Top with pineapple. 

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

Ingredients:

1lb green beans, tips trimmed

1 tbsp chili sauce/paste (I used sriracha)

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp honey

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

Directions:

Put green beans in a bowl with 1/4 cup water and microwave for 2 minutes or steam. 

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Add green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, honey and ginger. Cook til veggies are cooked to your liking. 

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

It is a known fact I have a buffalo/hot sauce obsession...so when I found this recipe I tried and fell in love with it!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

3-4 green onions

1-2lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded cabbage (I bought coleslaw mix)

1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (more if you'd like)

1 oz blue cheese crumbles (optional)

2 tbsp ranch dressing (optional)

Salt, pepper and oregano to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Put the cut side down on a pan and cook for 45 minutes or until tender. 

While spaghetti squash is cooking, cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss in garlic and onion powder. Slice green onions, including the whiteboard and reserve a small amount of green for garnish later.  

Heat EVOO up in a large saucepan, add chicken and green onions and cook about 5 minutes or until cooked through. 

Remove spaghetti squash from the oven and let cool. Take a fork and scraps all the spaghetti squash out. Add spaghetti squash, cabbage, carrots and hot sauce to the pan with chicken. Toss and cook for 3-5 minutes. 

Add in ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles, if desired. I found the blue cheese to overpower the dish, but if you like/love blue cheese then add as much as you please. Same with ranch dressing. 

Sprinkle green onions on top and serve. 

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!

Mushroom-Hummus Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons EVOO

2 shallots sliced 

1 1/4 lbs cremini mushrooms, wiped and sliced (I used 2-10oz packages)

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons madeira wine, marsala wine or brandy (I used marsala)

4-6 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 teaspoon thyme (or 2 sprigs)

3/4 cup hummus (store bought or homemade - see my previous hummus post)

Directions:

Heat EVOO in medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook about 15 minutes until liquid from mushrooms evaporates. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add wine or brandy and cook for 2 minutes, scraping any browned bits. Add thyme and broth and simmer gently, stirring occasional for 30 minutes. 

If you used thyme sprigs, remove sprigs...if used dried thyme, there is nothing to remove. Stir the hummus into the soup. 

Transfer half the soup to a food processor or blender (remove cap so steam can escape) and purée to desired consistency. You can either pour back into saucepan or purée the other half. I puréed  the whole soup then heated through for about 15 minutes. 

Optional -- juice 1 lemon into soup, stir and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Soup fully puréed makes (1) 32oz jar of soup. 

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!!

Hummus

Picked this recipe up from a friend...much better than the first recipe I used that was terrible!

Ingredients:

1 (15oz) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed - save liquid in a bowl)

3 tablespoons from 1-2 lemons 

1/4 cup water

4 tablespoons tahini (stirred well)

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 small garlic clove minced/pressed through a garlic press - about 1/2 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (substitute smoked paprika for different taste if desired)

Pinch of cayenne

Directions:

Combine water and lemon juice in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the tahini and EVOO. 

In food processor (or blender) process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne together for 15 seconds til almost fully ground. Scrape down sides with spatula. 

With machine running add in lemon juice/water mixture in a steady flow through the top scraping bowl at end processing for about a minute. 

With machine running again, add tahini/EVOO mix through top and process til smooth and creamy...15 seconds or until the consistency you want. 

I added a little bit of the chickpea juice in after for a little more thickness. 

It makes enough for a 20oz jar. 

Chill for at least 30 minutes...hummus gets better the longer it chills and sets!

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!!

Avocado Egg Salad

A great (and healthier) alternative to egg salad with mayo. 

Ingredients:

2 hard boiled eggs

1/2 avocado

Salt and pepper to taste

Frank's Red Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Peel and chop eggs and put in a bowl. Add avocado. Mix and mash together. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to your liking. 

Refrigerate a few minutes to chill or serve right away. Delicious on toast. 

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!!

Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

4-5lbs Roma tomatoes

2 red peppers

2 bulbs garlic (or 20 individual garlic cloves)

6 basil leaves

Oregano

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut top of bulbs off (or individual cloves) and put in tinfoil. Drizzle with olive oil and close off foil, put in oven for 30-40 minutes. 

Cut tomatoes in half and arrange on 2 baking trays. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and thyme. Place in oven for 1 hour or until they sink in. 

While garlic and tomatoes are roasting, cook peppers over open flame (or under broiler) to blacken the skin. Once blackened, remove from heat, place in a bowl and cover to let cool. After cooled, peel skin/blackened parts off and remove the seeds. 

In batches (I did it in 2 batches) place 1/2 tomatoes, 1 pepper, 1/2 garlic cloves (or squeeze 1 bulb), and basil in food processor or blender. Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Pulse/blend to your consistency liking...letting steam escape through opening. 

Combine batches into a pot or sauce pan and summer to keep warm. 

Makes about a jar (32oz) and a half of sauce. 

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!!

Sriracha-Lime-Ginger Salmon with Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

I've made Quinoa a few different ways, but never found a recipe I have really liked and would make again. Hands down, this is the best quinoa I have made to date! After making a HUGE batch of this for the week, I was on the hunt for another recipe to pair with it one night for dinner - it was either fish or chicken, so when I found Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe for sriracha-lime salmon - I thought it was perfect since both recipes call for lime...and...of course I modified as I always do when trying out new recipes!

The quinoa is also vegan and gluten-free too for my friends who are one or the other...or both!

Ingredients/Directions:

Black Bean & Corn Quinoa...

• 2 cups uncooked organic pre-rinsed quinoa
• 2½ cups vegetable broth
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1 (14.5oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained.
• 1 (14.5oz) can of corn
• bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ½-1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine quinoa and broth in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook, covered for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let sit for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork once more.

Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and over medium heat cook corn, until lightly charred. 

To large bowl add black beans, lime juice, lime zest, salt pepper, cilantro, cumin and red wine vinegar. Add cooked quinoa and olive oil. Stir until combined.

Salmon...

• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 lbs pounds salmon fillet, skin removed
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 425°. In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, syrup, honey, ginger, sriracha and salt. Place salmon in a baking dish lined with parchment paper; pour mixture over top. Roast salmon until cooked through and flaky, 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!

Crockpot Lasagna Soup

I found this recipe awhile back on Pinterest, and decided to tweak it a bit and make it a crock pot recipe instead of a regular stove top soup recipe. It's winter and though Lasagna is a comfort food - what's better than having a comfort food that is also a soup! Double win, double comfort! 

This makes a full crockpot of soup (I think mine is 6.5 quarts) and we ate it for dinner one night, lunch the next with the rest going in the freezer for later!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp exra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb ground turkey (you can use ground beef if you'd like)
• 1 lb hot sausage, about 5 links (can do sweet or hot/sweet combo if you want)
• 2 large yellow onions, diced 
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes (I used 1 with garlic, basil and oregano)
• 2 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used 1 regular, 1 with garlic, basil and oregano)
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8-10 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces (uncooked)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese 
• 8 oz ricotta cheese

• Directions:
• Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble ground turkey and sausage into pan, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook til almost done, it will continue to cook in the crockpot. Drain fat from mixture and put into the crockpot. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in pot, add chopped onion and sauté until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Add in chicken broth and stir to combine, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan for extra flavor. 
• Transfer broth, onion and garlic mixture to the crockpot and add in diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn crockpot on for 7-8 hours on low, put the cover on and come back later!
   
• 
  
  About 45 minutes before the crockpot is finished, drop in the broken pieces of lasagna and stir to make sure they are covered by the soup.
• 
  
  
• In a mixing bowl, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta. 
• Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley. The cheese will melt in the hot soup.
• *The original recipe was cut in half with only ground beef. If you want less, just cut everything in half and use 1 lb of any meat you choose.
• Eat, Enjoy and Be Happy!