Spinach Panini

I've kind of become obsessed with the Sonoma Diet. Not obsessed to the point where I am actually participating in the Sonoma Diet, more just to the point where I check out cookbooks with Sonoma Diet recipes and drool on them. Because, how can you not love a cookbook that strives to have olive oil, feta cheese, purple onions and spinach in every recipe. Those are some of my most favorite things.

Anyway, turns out I had most of the ingredients for one of the recipes tonight so I made it, and it was a thousand million times better tasting than I even thought it would be.

I've been wondering lately why I am not a professional recipe blogger, and I've nailed it down to three reasons. 1 - I never take pictures of the food I make and if I do - - it ain't pretty 2- I am not consistent, at all. And finally 3- I simply pilfer recipes off of other recipe blogs, I do not invent recipes, or even get them from cookbooks. Just directly copy other recipe blogs therefore making a recipe blog created by me completely unnecessary.

Anyway, that being said, I did pilfer the image. Photo credit to this completely random website.
My Spinach panini sandwich didn't really look that much like that (but the picture in the recipe book did). But I do get points because this recipe did come from a cookbook and not another recipe blog, so I'm taking drastic strides to becoming a money making recipe blogger. Baby steps.

This was delicious and took approximately two minutes to make.

Spinach Panini
From: The Sonoma Diet Cookbook

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
4 6-inch whole wheat hoagie rolls, split; 8 slices whole wheat bread; or 2 whole wheat pita bread rounds, halved crosswise and split horizontally.( I opted for the wheat bread option)
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (one product I strongly recommend buying at Costco)
8 thin tomato slices (1 medium tomato)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 Tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves (I wish I could keep a basil plant alive)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

* Lightly coat an unheated panini griddle, covered indoor electric grill, or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray.
* Place your carb of choice on a work surface, divide half of the spinach leaves among said carb of choice. Top with spinach and tomato, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Add red onion slices and basil. Top with feta and remaining spinach. Top with other piece of bread or pita or whatever carb you chose.
* Preheat griddle and put the sandwiches on. Grill 2-3 minutes until bread is toasted.

Eat. Feel happy and healthy. Try to not remember that you ate a whole chocolate chip cookie pie by yourself the day before.

PS Happy 8 year anniversary to me tomorrow. We made it through the seven year wanderlust. Barely. Whew.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, Nuts and Raisins (if you want)

*Photo and Recipe from www.perrysplate.com

It's 12:20AM and apparently I will be blogging in bold because despite the fact that I disabled the bold feature, it is still being bold and I have not the patience nor the brain capacity right now to fix it : )

But---- this was really easy and really delicious! You'll love it, and it marks my second recipe that I know to use quinoa for, and everybody raves about the first one, so....you pretty much can't go wrong with the quinoa : ) Or shrimp for that matter.

Enjoy!


Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins
adapted from Food Network Magazine Apr 2010 (Ellie Krieger)

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup nuts (pinenuts or chopped walnuts/pecans recommended)
2 T preferred cooking oil (grapeseed or coconut)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 T fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Serves 3-4.


Grilled Garlic Shrimp
from Perrys' Plate

1 lb large, uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 T butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch Kosher salt
metal or wooden skewers

Combine melted butter and garlic in a small bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the shrimp.

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat.

Rinse shrimp, pat dry, and place on skewers, piercing each shrimp in two places to keep them from moving around too much. Sprinkle shrimp with a pinch or so of salt, then brush the garlic-butter on one side. Place skewers on the grill, butter-side-down. Brush the other sides with remaining garlic-butter. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are mostly pink. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and pink. Don't overcook them or they'll turn rubbery

* I just sauteed my shrimp in a pan with butter and garlic, and I omitted the raisins because ewwww! Bleck, craisins maybe would be good- but this was plenty good without adding toddler fodder into the mix. And I used olive oil. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is another recipe i got from Ali, but since she is really bad at posting her recipes i guess i will just have to post this one for her :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds Hamburger
3/4 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Pepper

SAUCE:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar ( I used White)
2 tsp. Mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all 8 ingredients for Meatballs together and shape into medium sized balls. Cover bottom of a 10 x 15 pan with sauce. Place meatballs in Pan. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 25- 30 min. We served this with rice, but i am sure it would be good with potatoes too. makes 6 servings. Yum. 4 stars

Tomato Tortellini Soup

From my mom's Taste of Home magazine:

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 cans (10.75 oz) reduced sodium tomato soup, undiluted

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups milk

2 cups half and half cream

½ cup chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp salt

½ cup shredded parmesan

Additional parmesan for topping

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese and sprinkle each serving w/ addition cheese if desired.

This seriously took less than 10 minutes to prepare (especially since I used fresh tortellini that takes like 2 minutes to cook) and mostly just used stuff I normally have on hand. I served it with garlic toast and we all really enjoyed it. It was perfect for the rainy weather we've been having!

cheesy italian tortellini

I thought this was yummy. it is a meaty sauce which is what my husband likes, and the kids all ate it, so it is a keeper for me.

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Hours 15 Minutes

Ready In: 8 Hours 30 Minutes
Servings: 6
"A delicious marinara sauce is cooked all day in the slow cooker. When it' s time for diner, just throw in some tortellini, and sprinkle with cheese. When the noodles are cooked -- pass around the bread, and enjoy!"
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 (16 ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced

tomatoes, undrained
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated or fresh
cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain.
2. Combine the ground meats, marinara sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on LOW heat for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Stir in the tortellini, and sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes on LOW, or until the tortellini is tender.

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Start to Finish: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 2- to 2-1/2-lb. deli-roasted chicken
1 15-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups water
1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)
3 medium carrots, thinly-sliced diagonally (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Thai seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. salt
Thai seasoning blend (optional)
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

(We served over rice)

Directions

1. Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken. In large saucepan combine shredded chicken with coconut milk, water, lime juice, sliced carrots, soy sauce, the 2 teaspoons Thai seasoning and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8-10 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.

2. To serve, sprinkle bowls of soup with additional Thai seasoning (this is spicy - so do this at your own discretion) and cilantro. Pass lime wedges.

(Traditionally, you wouldn't do this, but we like to add rice to our coconut soup -- it makes it easier for the kids to eat and it helps fill you up too.)

This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens. Fast, easy, tasty. We're trying to expand our kids palate, so this was good to try to introduce our kids to other foods. It's a keeper for us.

Tex-Mex Stew

This recipe was adapted from the parents.com website. We ALL liked it (and that says a lot because my kids are terribly picky).

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (11 ounces) corn niblets, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel or generic)
1 can tomato sauce
1 packet onion soup mix
2-1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon ground cumin + a couple shakes
1/2 teaspoon salt + a couple pinches
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano + a couple shakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (only used 2 shakes total)
a couple shakes of cinnamon
shake of garlic powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Brown beef with green peppers in 5- to 6-quart large, deep pot over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, breaking up meat with wooden spoon but leaving some large pieces. Drain fat.

2. Add beans, corn, tomato & chilis, tomato sauce, soup mix, 2 cups water, cumin, salt, oregano, cayenne & cinnamon. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup water into flour in small cup until smooth. Stir into stew; cook until thickened, about 1 minute.

We served with tortilla chip scoops. I've edited this post with some of the seasoning tweaks that I think really make the dish -- the cinnamon I think really brought out the flavor. Sorry the measurements aren't exact -- that's how I cook. It's good and it's EASY and it's fast.

Ramen Skillet Dinner

This is fast, easy, and with the exception of the stir-fry sauce, I usually have all the ingredients. Start keeping stir-fry sauce on your always-have condiments list and this is a sure thing!

1 lb ground beef
2 1/2 c. water
2 packages Ramen noodles (one needs to be oriental flavor, although I've used beef and liked the result just fine)
1/2 c. stir-fry sauce
3 cups frozen veggies (I usually use broccoli, carrots & cauliflower mix)

In a large skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Add water, the oriental seasoning packet (note: you only use one seasoning packet, so it doesn't matter what the other one is), stir-fry sauce and frozen vegetables; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover & cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Break up Ramen noodles; add to skillet. Cover; cook 5 to 8 minutes or until sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally and separating noodles as they soften.

Yield 4 (1 1/2 cup) servings (although we always have leftovers and they're so yummy)

Pineapple chicken skewers

"Skewered chicken tenders are brushed with a tropical mixture of pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce, and then they're grilled. That 's all it takes to make these scrumptious kabobs."
Ingredients:
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup light soy sauce

2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins or strips
skewers
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Remove from heat just before the mixture comes to a boil.
2. Place chicken tenders in a medium bowl. Cover with the pineapple marinade, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread chicken lengthwise onto wooden skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken tenders 5 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. They cook quickly, so watch them closely.

I made these for Justin's party and they were a hit! very easy too. I marinated the chicken overnight though and I put the pineapple on with the chicken, i am sure you could add other vegis on there if you want. One can of pineapple yields enough juice for the recipe too. You could also serve this with rice and use the marinade as a sauce, just make sure you boil it good since the raw chicken was in it.

Sheperd's Pie

This is another food storage dinner, and I thought it was delicious!, I used beef soup though and I think it would have been better with actual beef stew because there is a lot of juice in the soup and I just dumped it out, but either way it was a crowd pleaser, and very easy!


1 (40 oz) can beef stew
1 (12oz) can vegetables (peas, corn or green beans)
1 cup potato pearls (from your cannery materials)
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 cups very hot water

combine stew and vegi's then pour into an 9 x 9 baking dish.
Combine potato pearls with water, stir briefly, cover and let stand for 5-10 min (or if you are using another kind of instant potatoes just make it like it says on the package)
Spread potatoes over the stew, top with grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min or until hot and bubbly.

serving suggestion:
instead of using a casserole dish, try dividing the entree into individual ramekins.

Semi- homemade cheddar broccoli soup

Ok so i realize that this is cheating a little bit but oh well.

1 bag cheddar broccoli soup mix (Bear Creek)
diced potatoes
frozen or fresh broccoli
corn
season to taste
Ham (optional)

So this is something that I usually keep on hand for cold days. I try to crockpot pretty much everything so I turned this into a crockpot meal too. I put the soup in the crockpot with 8 cups of water as directed then I just add extra stuff to make it extra yummy. I just add whatever i have, and i add a little salt and pepper and just cook it for like 4 or 5 hours.It is delicious. I usually serve it with fresh rolls or bread bowls. Yumm. We are having this tonight since we have like a foot of snow it really sounded good!

Chicken stuffing bake

Now I got this recipe from the back of a stuffing box but I have changed it so much I will just write it how I do it. This is my brother in laws favorite meal(he lives with us so he eats my stuff a lot)

6 chicken tenders frozen
1/3 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
cheese grated
frozen broccoli
1/2 box turkey stuffing (i like this flavor best)
water to mix into stuffing

I know this is similar to my other casserole but this one takes like 5 minutes to prepare so i love it. Get a small casserole dish, put frozen chicken in the bottom, season it with whatever you like to season stuff with (season all, Mrs. dashes, salt and pepper. Mix together sour cream and cream of chicken, pour over chicken. Put broccoli on that and cheese then mix stuffing with some water to moisten it ( i think it is like a half of cup of water but don't quote me on that) then put the stuffing on top. cook at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until chicken is done. The original recipe has you put this in a 9 x 13 pan, but if i do that i double the sour cream and cream of chicken and do the whole box of stuffing, i just like a little extra creamy stuff. We have this one a lot, i love it!

BBQ Ribs ****

This is by far my husbands favorite meal. I actually don't mind making it either, it is pretty simple and they come out so tender and delicious!

1 Rack of Pork back ribs ( boneless work too, I prefer with the bone)
2 or 3 bottles of BBQ sauce, any kind

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. brown meat on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. put in 9 x 13 pan (you may have to cut the ribs to get them to fit) and just pour on the BBQ sauce to completely cover ribs. Cover with tin foil. cook for 3 1/2 hours, Flip over ribs halfway through and take foil off for the last half hour. Enjoy!

First of all I need to tell you how to buy a good set of ribs. I like Albertson's meat, and I would die before I would eat meat from Walmart, but I also found out that back ribs are much more tender than spare ribs.I buy the Hormel prepackaged ones, but just ask your meat cutter man which ones are the best. I usually make this fast, so I don't brown it and I don't turn it halfway through because I am usually gone while it is cooking. Sometimes I don't even take off the foil for the last half hour. I always make this with baked potatoes so I just wrap up a few potatoes in foil and cook them with the ribs for the whole time, and heat up some corn right when we get home.(It doesn't hurt it to cook for a little longer too if you are not home) So basically you have a full meal with very little prep. We had this yesterday after church and it was sooo good. Your husband will be licking his fingers for days. I wouldn't splurge on fancy BBQ sauce either, it all tastes the same on this for some reason.

Chicken Korma

If there's a Trader Joes near you and you like Indian food, buy this! In 20 minutes or less you'll have a tasty dinner that may be a different flavor from usual fare.

Chicken Korma Recipe:
Cook chicken in bite-size pieces.
Add the chicken to the Korma Simmer Sauce and ... simmer per directions on label.
Meanwhile, cook some rice. Basmasti is excellent with this dish.

I like to add a can of garbanzo beans, too.
That's it.

Serve over the rice, with a plate of sliced cucumbers and a bowl of plain yogurt (to cool the palate :), on the side.
Trader Joes also sells Tandoori Naan that adds to this fast feast. Salaam, y'all.

Asparagus Veggie Melts

Okay, so Blaine is doing weight watchers again (down five pounds in his first week-- yahoo!), so my recipes may seem a little questionable for the next lil' while, BUT, you are a skinny lot so maybe you guys eat like this all the time. I just don't want you thinking I've gone soft and started eating like a bird or whatever. Truth be told I only eat Lucky Charms, BUT this thing I made tonight I remember from when I was on weight watchers and I thought it was pretty darn good.

It comes from one of the best cook books EVER Pillsbury Fast and Healthy Cookbook. You'll see a lot of recipes from there in my upcoming posts. Everything I have made from the cookbook is excellent and everything takes less than thirty minutes to make and uses food you have actually heard of. Awesomeness.

Okay

Asparagus Veggie Melts

6oz fresh Asparagus Spears (there was no asparagus at the store so I got frozen, lame)
1/4 C water
2 Tbs fat free mayo or salad dressing
1/2 tsp dijon mustard or brown mustard
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 (16-inch) or 1 (8-inch) loaf french bread, split lengthwise
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into rings (red peppers are $2, green are $.50, I choose green)
2 slices mozzarella cheese

Break or cut off tough ends of asparagus. In microwave safe dish arrange spears with tips in center. Add water and cover with microwave safe plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until it is crisp tender.

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard and dill, mix well. S0read mixture evenly over cut side of each half of bread. Top each sandwich with mushrooms, cooked asparagus and pepper rings. Cut cheese into one inch wide strips and arrange over peppers. Place on ungreased broiler pan or cookie sheet. Broil 4-6 inches away from heat for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.


Oh yeah, one time I made this for my friend Laurie and she thought it was tasty. So HA.

mixed bean and portobello ragout

I know, gag right? But really? It's pretty good. Not like I would want it every night (especially not right now), but if you've eaten yucky fast food for three weeks this is a good meal to cleanse and make you feel all earthy and healthy again. Seriously, pretty good for being so darn good for you.


1- 10 oz package frozen baby lima beans
1 C fresh green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (let's be honest, frozen or canned work too, just doesn't taste as good)
1 1/2 C sliced and halved fresh portobello mushrooms or button mushrooms (we used canned one time, obviously it works but definitely not as good)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Cold water
2 tsp Corn starch
1 14oz can cajun or italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained (never have these so I usually use 1 can diced tomatoes and add several dashes of cajun seasoning, which you should get if you don't already have, it's yum)
1 Can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

Cook lima beans and green beans in lightly salted water according to lima bean package directions; drain

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook mushrooms in hot oil over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine water and cornstarch (try not to get distracted playing with this magical mixture); stir into mushrooms. Stir in undrained tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir two minutes more. Stir in cooked lima and green beans. Cook through.

Go eat ice cream, you deserve it with how healthy this meal was!

I served with cornbread!

Couscous and Black Bean Salad

I have just been too busy unpacking and getting my internet connected to actually post what I have been cooking (frozen lasagna, anyone?). Now we are finally back into the swing of things, and lest ye think that I never cook, I think I should finally contribute. Here is a salad my little sister sent to me that I made last week to go with some steaks Jim grilled up.

We give it 3 stars (Jim said he would have preferred less couscous and more of the "other stuff")!!! I thought it was super yummy!

Couscous and Black Bean Salad

1C uncooked couscous
1 1/4C chicken broth
3T olive oil
2T fresh lime juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped (I didn't have any, so I threw in 1/4 red onion, diced)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4C fresh cilantro
1C frozen corn kernals, thawed
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I did 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2qt or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 min.

In large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, corn and beans and toss to coat.

Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any large chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt/pepper as desired.

Serve immediately or refridgerate.


Oh, FYI- we served this freshly made the first time and then for leftovers we never heated it up. It was just as good cold as when first prepared.