Roasted Tomato Basil "Cream" Sauce

This whole 'dairy free' thing has turned out to be a wonderful change of pace for the family.  Finley is actually eating more (and hopefully gaining weight since she's a skinny minnie), Andrew has already lost two pounds and while I haven't lost any weight (but I'm crossing my fingers I do!), I feel great because we're eating so much healthier than we did before.  I'm also enjoying that going dairy free has pushed me out of my cooking comfort zone and forced me to try new recipes, like this one!

This sauce truly felt decadent while we were eating it, but I loved not feeling guilty about it since there wasn't actually any cream or butter in it!  The sauce is so flavorful from the roasted tomatoes, garlic and loads of fresh basil.  Really, how could you go wrong with those ingredients?!?  Even my carnivorous husband happily ate every bite without any comments/complaints about the lack of meat.  Finley and I happily ate our dinner and then we had leftovers for lunch the next day.  While the leftovers still had a wonderful flavor, the sauce had disappeared (i.e. absorbed by the noodles), so these noodles are definitely best served immediately.  Or just serve the sauce on the side rather than tossing them together.

Roasted Tomato Basil "Cream" Sauce 
adapted from Oh She Glows

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
6-7 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Roast for about 25-30 minutes, or until tomatoes are slightly charred and bursting.  Let cool.

Meanwhile, put water on to boil for the noodles.  When boiling, add noodles and cook according to package directions.  Drain.

In a blender or food processor, add tomatoes, cashews, chicken broth and tomato paste.  Blend until fairly smooth.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  When hot, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add tomato mixture and stir to combine.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to the sauce if it is too thick.   Let sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat and stir in most of the basil (reserving some for garnish).

Toss sauce with hot pasta.  Garnish with reserved basil.

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Key West Chicken and Veggie Skewers

This past weekend we had glorious spring weather and that put us in the mood to bust out the grill for the first time in 2012.  I love grilling, mostly because it means I don't have to do all the cooking myself since my husband is the Grill Master!  This marinade was so simple (as in I had everything I needed for it already) and delicious.  And I love that I got the main dish and a side dish all in one - that makes this mama very happy.  You know what else makes this mama happy?  The fact that any food on a skewer will automatically be consumed by my child.

Key West Chicken and Veggie Skewers
adapted from Grocery Budget 101

for the marinade:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 limes, juice and zest
1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

for the skewers:
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 zucchini, cut into thick slices
1 yellow squash, cut into thick slices
8 oz fresh whole mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
wooden or metal skewers (if using wooden, soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling)

In a small bowl, stir together all the marinade ingredients.  Pour marinade into a large ziplock bag.  Add chicken and cut vegetables.  Close bag and shake well to evenly distribute marinade.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping bag over once.

Preheat grill.  Drain marinade and discard.  Threat chicken and veggies onto skewers.  Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, flip and move the skewers to indirect heat for another 4 minutes, or until juices run clear.

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Greek Marinated Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouli

I know I've mentioned on here before that my family lived in the Middle East for several years when I was quite young.  Because of those experiences, we grew up eating a lot of Middle Eastern food way before it was cool to do so.  In junior high, I'm pretty sure I was the only kid who had ever heard of cous cous, tabbouli or baba ghanoush.    Of course, all I ever wanted to do was raid the pantries at my friends' houses to eat "normal" food.  Luckily I've since come around to loving more adventurous foods.

This recipe is wonderful since almost all the work is done ahead of time.  The flavors are simple but utterly delicious and addicting.  There will most likely be quite a bit of tabbouli left over, but it makes for a quick and fantastic lunch, especially served with some pita bread and hummus.  (In fact, this is my go-to lunch most days!)

Greek Marinated Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouli

chicken recipe adapted from All Recipes, tabbouli recipe adapted from my mom

for the chicken:

1/3 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

2 lemons, zested and juiced

4 chicken breasts

for the tabbouli:

1 cup quinoa

1/4 cup olive oil

2 lemons, juiced

3 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped

4 green onions, very thinly sliced

1 cup parsley, minced

1/2 cup mint, minced

salt

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Using an immersion blender, mix well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour marinade into a large ziplock bag.  Add chicken to bag and refrigerate for 8 hours.  

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa well.  Combine 1 3/4 cups water, quinoa and a little salt in a small pot.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, green onions, parsley, mint and about 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Add cooled quinoa and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the chicken, you can really cook it however you prefer - stovetop, grill or oven.  I think it would be best cooked on the grill but since the weather was not good for grilling, I cooked it in a saute pan on our stove.  I quickly seared it, flipping once, over medium-high heat and then reduced the heat to medium-low and cooked it for an additional 10-12 minutes.

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Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing

Since I'm playing major catch-up after having a sick computer for almost two weeks, I'll keep my recap short and sweet.  (PS - I'll update this post with a picture as soon as I figure out how to export my data from my external hard drive to my computer.  I tell you what, it's really difficult to be not tech-savvy in today's world!)

This dish is wonderful!  It has bright, flavorful tastes, comes together quickly for an easy weeknight dinner, the leftovers are great, and it's healthy to boot.  What more could you ask for?  The whole family liked this one and I think it will be served often in our kitchen.  The avocado really pairs brilliantly with the dish so please don't omit it.

And if you've never perused Confections of a Foodie Bride's website, I highly recommend it.  Her recipes are always good and her photography is stunning!

Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

the juice and zest of 1 orange
the juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (I had to substitute 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder because my
     grocery store was out of ginger and it turned out fine...but fresh is always better!)
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, sliced
1 cup brown rice

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl (or blender), combine orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, oil, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.  Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until all ingredients are well combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To the dressing, add chicken, edamame, and bell pepper and toss to thoroughly coat.  Spoon mixture over cooked brown rice.  Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

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Bibimbap

If you eat Korean food, then you've probably heard of bibimbap. If you watched last week's Top Chef episode, then may remember that Ed made bibimbap. Otherwise, you've probably never heard of this Korean rice dish that is loaded with bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), cooked vegetables and topped with a fried egg. Yum!

The recipe as written takes quite a bit of prep and cook time, but if you plan ahead, you can use leftover vegetables and/or leftover bulgogi meat to save lots of time. This is a nutritious and delicious Asian dish that I just love. I'm a sucker for fried eggs so to me it was pure heaven mixing the runny yolk with the rice, meat and veggies. It's hard to even decide what my favorite part of this meal is - I love the spicy zucchini, the crunchy sweet carrots and the marinated beef is excellent. Oh and did I mention, there's a fried egg on top?!? While those things are my favorites, it turns out that Finley loves the mushrooms - she ate all of them! Andrew and I had to give her the ones of our plates too! And after all the really rich food, I've been eating for most of December, bibimbap is a wonderful change of pace.

Bibimbap

recipe adapted from Food Network

Steamed white rice

Bulgogi, recipe follows

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sherry

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

3-4 cups baby spinach

1 zucchini, halved and cut into thin strips

1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)

Eggs

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Soy sauce, to taste

Sriracha, to taste (the original recipe calls for Gochuchang paste but I didn't want to make an extra trip to the Korean market so I substituted the well-used Thai hot sauce)

Peel the carrot into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Set carrot strips aside on a large plate.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes and then add sherry. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are softened and have released their juices. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to the plate with the carrot strips.

In the same pan, wilt the spinach in the mushroom liquid. Remove spinach to the plate with the mushrooms and carrots.

In a microwave safe dish, place zucchini slices and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain carefully and toss zucchini with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of garlic chili sauce. Remove zucchini to the plate of vegetables.

(I did all of the vegetable prep and cooking ahead of time. Just before serving, I microwaved the veggies for 30 seconds to take the chill off. The hot rice, meat and egg sufficiently heated the vegetables.)

In a saute pan, cook eggs over easy and set aside.

To assemble, place the cooked rice in bowls. Place bulgogi and vegetables on top of rice but placed separately so you can see each ingredient. Drizzle the meat juices over the dish. Place egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.

When ready to eat, mix all ingredients together. Let each person season to taste with sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Bulgogi

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 pound ribeye steak

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 pear, grated with juices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 small onion, grated with juices

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I used much less)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 12-oz can lemon-lime soda

Place ribeye in freezer for 30 minutes, or until it is partially frozen. Remove from freezer and thinly slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients in a large baking dish. Toss meat with marinade until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Heat grill (or indoor grill pan) to high. Remove beef from marinade and grill for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to compile Bibimbap.

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Three Healthy Lunch Ideas

Being a stay-at-home mom, I'm in and out of the kitchen all day long. But often times 3:00 will roll around and I will realize that I haven't had much (or anything!) to eat that day. In an effort to eat regularly - that's a good thing, right! - I'm trying to bookmark easy and fairly healthy lunch ideas. Here are a couple that I've made in the past few weeks that I enjoyed and thought I would pass along.

{White Bean and Guacamole Wrap}

White Bean and Guacamole Wrap

adapted from Eating Well - serves 4

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup prepared guacamole (or make your own)

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

4 whole wheat tortilla or sandwich wraps

In a food processor, pulse beans, chili powder, salt and pepper until mashed. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil.

Spread 1/4 of the bean puree, 1/4 of the guacamole, 1/4 of the shredded carrot and 1/4 of the cucumber slices on each tortilla. Roll up and slice in half.

{15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta}

15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

adapted from Oh She Glows - serves 2

6 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted

1/2 lemon, juice and lemon zest, for garnish

2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

salt, to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons olive oil

black pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a food processor, pulse avocado, garlic, lemon juice, salt, basil and olive oil. Process until smooth and creamy.

Toss sauce with hot pasta. Garnish with reserved lemon zest and fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

{Mac N Cheese with Zucchini}

Mac N Cheese with Zucchini

a Baking and Eggs original

6 oz whole wheat short pasta (I used cavatappi)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 oz American cheese

1 zucchini, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, stirring often, until sauce begins to thicken. Lower heat to medium-low and stir in cheeses. Cook until cheeses have melted. Stir in zucchini and toss with pasta.

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