Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

If my hubby did not want meat every night with dinner, I could very easily become a vegetarian. This sandwich proved it to me again. Every bite was so amazing and completely satisfying. Since he wants meat, I will just sneak in dinners like this once in awhile for a surprise. He really did enjoy it, but I'm sure he would have enjoyed it more, with a hunk of chicken or beef in it! Oh yeah, come to think of it, I'm actually sure I could NEVER give up sushi! But honestly, I could probably eat this sandwich 3 nights a week and be content.

2 slices sourdough bread
2-3 fresh tomato slices
Pesto sauce
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper * Optional

Spread Pesto sauce on both sides of the bread. You can use as much or as little as you would like, depending on how much pesto flavor you would like to come through in your sandwich.

Add cheese slices on top of the pesto sauce. Layer tomato slices on top of the cheese. If you want to add crushed red pepper to your sandwich, then shake some of it over the tomato slices.

Place the other bread slice on the top. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread. Grill on your panini press until the cheese is completely melted and the bread is golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy.

Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

Pizza without all the carbs? Yes please! This is such an easy way to get all the pizza flavor with less calories and so much healthier. I only used Parmesan on mine, because I am trying to cut down on fats, but you could load this baby  up with Mozarella cheese and I'm sure it would only add to the yumminess of it! I loved how quick this was to throw together and after a day of baking Halloween goodies with  my daughter, I sure needed something quick, yet tasty.

 3 Large Portobello Mushrooms
Pizza sauce
 2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped (or any other medium sized tomato)
1/2- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
6 or 7 leaves of chopped Basil

Heat oven to 400°

Wash your mushrooms thoroughly and twist/pull out the stems. Lay the mushrooms out on a paper towel, cap side up, to drain of any excess water.

In a skillet, heat the 2 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are soft. (You don't want them completely mushy....just crisp tender). Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are somewhat soft also. Stir and season with crushed red pepper flakes and salt.

Drizzle some olive oil in a large baking dish and spread it all over the bottom of the dish.

Using a spoon, place as much  pizza sauce as you desire into your mushroom. (I didn't list an amount because this is such a personal preference. I LOVE pizza sauce so I used about 3 Tbsp on each mushroom) Spread it around. Now fill each mushroom with the filling that is warm on the stove, until it is all gone.
Place each stuffed mushroom into the oiled baking dish. Top each mushroom with Parmesan cheese and basil. Bake at 400° for about 10- 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and they are heated through.

Vegetarian Spicy Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

Who says you need meat to make a dinner taste wonderful? These spicy black bean and spinach enchiladas were just as tasty as if they had been stuffed with beef or chicken. The black beans pack a ton of potassium into the meal and the spinach packs in a bunch of Vitamin A! If you are wondering how hard it is to make your own enchilada sauce, don't worry any further. It's super easy and so much better than the canned grocery store variety. You also know what's going into your body when you make it fresh. Can't beat that!

Recipe Adapted From: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/517648032/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas/

For the Sauce:

2 Tbsp olive oil  1 (6 oz) can tomato paste ¼ cup flour 2 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper  ¼ tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp ancho chili pepper (powder) ¼ tsp onion powder  ¼ tsp chili powder 3 cups vegetable broth

Salt/pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:

1 jalapeno, chopped 1 shallot, chopped 1 med red bell pepper, chopped  1 Tbsp olive oil

10 oz fresh baby spinach leaves 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups shredded 3 cheese    1½ cups frozen corn, thawed

6 green onions, thinly sliced

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp chili powder salt, to taste

8 flour tortillas

Directions: 


Preheat oven to 375°

To make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ancho chili powder,  onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, stirring or whisking. Whisk or stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, and set aside. 

Saute the jalapeno, shallot and red pepper in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for about 1-2 minutes until the spinach is slightly wilted. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, combine beans, 2 cups cheese, spinach mixture, corn, green onions, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Taste and add salt if desired.


 Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with Pam. Pour a small amount of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Fill tortillas with spinach/bean mixture and roll up tightly with ends tucked in. Place seam side down in sprayed pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, covering them evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of  cheese over top. Bake about 30 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Fennel and Apple Salad with Maple Cinnamon Vinaigrette

A friend at work loaned me the book "Two Dudes One Pan". I found this amazing recipe in there and I just knew it would be the first one I would try from the cookbook. Boy oh boy am I glad I did. My daughter came by for dinner the night I served this and it was so nice to hear everyone eating saying "mmmm" while they ate it. I love those kind of meals. It was so light, refreshing and had so many things about it that I loved. Slightly (and I mean oh so slightly) sweet, crunchy, a little anise taste from the fennel and a little punch from the Pecorino cheese. Now I can't wait to go through the book and find my next recipe to try. If you get a chance to look at or buy this book, I would suggest doing so. It really is a great cookbook!

Original Recipe From: http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605

For  the Salad:
2 fennel bulbs
2 apples
1/2 lemon (used only if you make the salad in advance of the meal, to stop browning)
1/2 cup very small grapes or grapes cut in half
3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tsp chives, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 oz Pecorino cheese, shave with a vegetable peeler (This is a kind of Romano cheese)

For the Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar (This can be found at the grocery store next to all the red wine vinegars etc)
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 shallot (or 1/4 of a very small white onion)
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp olive oil

Halve and core the fennel bulbs and trim the stalks. Chop up one Tbsp of the green "fronds" (the green feather stuff at the end of the stalks) to garnish the salad and set aside.
Slice the fennel and apples very thin into matchstick cuts. (If you slice the apples and fennel more than 10 minutes before you serve this salad, then here is where you would squeeze the 1/2 of a lemon over the slices to prevent browning.)

Toast the pine nuts by placing them in a dry skillet and turning the heat on medium. Continuously stir the nuts or "swirl" the pan to keep them from burning. The pine nuts are toasted when they begin to turn a darker shade of brown. Remove immediately and set aside. 

In  a bowl, whisk the champagne vinegar,, maple syrup, cinnamon  and salt. Add the shallot and drizzle in both oils while whisking to incorporate it.  Add the fennel, apples, grapes, toasted pine nuts, chives and salt. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or platter and top with the Pecorino cheese. Garnish with the reserved, chopped fennel fronds. Serve

Serves: 4-6

Zucchini and Pepper Frittata

Breakfast for dinner? Yes please! Especially when I have peppers and zucchini growing in my garden this time of year. Now if I just had the time or the room for some hens, I could almost make this meal straight from the yard. This is one of those meals that you just can't go wrong with. I mean it's healthy, it's light, it's filling and most of all it's easy to prepare. It happens to be vegetarian, but if you are just dying to put some meat in it, throw in some bacon or some crumbled, cooked sausage and you have your self a non vegetarian frittata! :)

Recipe Adapted From: 
 http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/frittata-with-zucchini.html

2 Tbsp Olive Oil 

1/2 small onion, finely chopped 

1 medium zucchini (or 2 small zucchinis), diced  

1/4 green bell pepper, dicedd

1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small jalapeno, diced (Optional, leave out if you don't want it spicy)

6 eggs 

2 Tbsp milk 

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Salt/Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter

3-4 zucchini blossoms, Stamen removed (this is the stem on the inside bottom of the flower) and torn in half

Heat the olive oil in an 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and jalapeno and cook until just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

When the zucchini and peppers have softened, remove the pan from the heat and add the zucchini mixture to the eggs. Stir to combine.

Add the butter to the same pan and swirl to melt. Add the egg and zucchini mixture and place the torn zucchini flowers onto the top of the frittata,  if using. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the edges begin to brown and the center has set and is puffed slightly, about 8 minutes.

To serve, slide the frittata out onto a cutting board. Slice and eat! 

Veggie Salad

This is one of my favorite ways to eat raw veggies. I know, you are probably thinking that your favorite way is to cut up some raw veggies and dip them in Ranch dressing. Well, this is a much healthier way to eat them. Let's face it, Ranch dressing is not the healthiest thing in the world. This salad has nothing unhealthy in it at all. There is no measuring, no cooking, it's basically a slice and stir recipe. So next time you are feeling like you just want something extremely healthy to snack on, give this a try. I think you will be surprised at how great it tastes.

You can include any veggies that you like, but these happen to be my favorite. You can add or take away as you please. Also, I happened to use a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar that I had at the house, but plain olive oil and balsamic also tastes great on this salad. I didn't include any amounts in the recipe because this is just a "add the amount you like" kind of recipe.

Cucumber
Celery
Fennel
Red Onion
Tomato
Green Onion
Cilantro
Lemon Infused Olive Oil
Peach Cinnamon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt/Pepper to taste

Chop all the veggies. Throw them into a bowl. Drizzle as much or as little olive oil and vinegar as you would like over them. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Corn with Spicy Butter and Lime

Anything with lime and cilantro has got to qualify as a favorite of mine. So when I found this recipe, I just knew it had to be a good one and I was right. Again, I didn't get to enjoy it because corn is no longer on my eating plan, but I did try a bite and was thrilled with the result. The hubby loved it too! This is super quick and easy to make and I'm not sure you could really do it wrong.

Adapted from: http://eatdrinkdaily.com/bbq-corn-mexican-spicy-butter-lime-recipe/

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like your food too spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For garnish:
1/2- 1 lime, juiced
Chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 400°
Thaw out corn on countertop or in microwave. Set aside. In a medium bowl, place the melted butter, lime juice, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic, sugar, coriander, salt and pepper.  Put the corn into the butter mixture and stir, making sure all the corn is coated with the butter mixture. Pour out the corn into a greased 9x11 pan. (You could also use a square pan) Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with chopped cilantro and lime juice.

Zucchini and Tomato Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

Last night I made a great dinner. I took a bunch of pictures, only to figure out that something is wrong with my camera and all the pictures were dark and blurry. None of them even showed how wonderful the meal looked. Unfortunately I didn't figure all this out until after the food was gone. Oops! Since I had some leftover cooked linguini from last night's meal, I decided that for lunch today I would make another meal like last night's, only I didn't have all the right ingredients. So I had to get creative. I'm glad I did because it actually worked well. The link to the original recipe  can be found here: Linguini with Garlic and Mushrooms.

8 oz linguini
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
2 leeks, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
15-20 cherry tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup half and half (you can use regular cream also)
Salt/Pepper to taste

1 tsp cornstarch
Fresh oregano, chopped
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Chop all the vegetables. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguini and cook for 10 minutes. While the linguini is cooking, heat the tsp of olive oil in a large skillet. When the olive oil is hot, add the zucchini and leeks. Cook until tender, but still firm. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes. Add the lemon juice and the cream. Stir well. Add salt and pepper and stir again. Heat through. In a small bowl, put the cornstarch along with a little bit of juice from the zucchini skillet and stir together. Add this cornstarch mixture to the skillet to thicken the lemon/cream mixture. Serve the zucchini and sauce mixture over the hot linguini. Top with fresh oregano and Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Vegetable Salad

After speaking  with my sister on the phone yesterday, she had mentioned that she had friends from South Africa that make a salad called "Sambal". I decided that I just had to have some of it because it sounded so light and refreshing, not to mention delicious! I have always known Sambal to be a chili type sauce, so I decided to change the name to a lemon vegetable salad just in case the title was lost in interpretation or something. There is no recipe, as it just required blending a bunch of vegetables together and tossing with lemon, salt and pepper. So next time you want to have a side salad and you want it to be lighter and hardly any calories  at all, try this one. Super healthy and amazingly tasty!
*Next time I make it I will try adding avocado and some crushed red pepper. 

Cucumber
Fresh Tomatoes
Red Onion
Fresh jalapenos
Cilantro
Fresh garlic
Bell pepper
Lemon Juice
Salt/Pepper to taste

Chop all vegetables into bite size pieces. Toss together with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Rigatoni with Parmesan and Broccoli

Today was the type of day where I wasn't on top of my game mentally. So when I found this recipe, I had nothing in me to even think about adding to it or taking away from it like I usually do with recipes. I'm actually glad now that I didn't change it at all as it turned out really great. After a wonderful afternoon hanging out with a sweet friend, I also didn't have a lot of time to cook for dinner. So this recipe was perfect because it was very quick and super easy to throw together. Will I make this one again? Definitely yes, although the hubby has requested to put grilled chicken in it next time. Sounds like a great suggestion to me!

Recipe Source: http://allthatsplatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/rigatoni-with-broccoli-garlic.html
*There was much more broccoli and cheese in our dinner. My camera went nuts and only took blurry pictures, so I had to go back and take pictures of our leftovers, after we had eaten most of the goodies out of it! 

1 pound broccoli florets
1 pound rigatoni
5 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄3 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
5 cloves garlic,  thinly sliced
1⁄4- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.Add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Set aside.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta.While the pasta cooks, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over low heat. Add the bread crumbs, stirring, until the crumbs are golden brown. Remove the breadcrumbs to a small bowl and set aside.

Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes.Cook for aout 1 minute, then stir in the broccoli. Stir the broccoli to coat it with the oil and taste for seasoning.  Keep warm while pasta is cooking, but don't burn the broccoli.

Drain the pasta and add it to the broccoli mixture. Cook over high heat for 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs and cheese. Serve immediately.

Zucchini and Basil Pasta

Another meal made with fresh zucchini and basil right out of my  backyard garden? Yep! There is just something to be said for walking into your own backyard and picking fresh, organic ingredients to use for dinner. After a day of pulling weeds and harvesting vegetables from my garden, with my hubby, I knew I would have to plan a fairly easy meal to make. I mean...come on, I'm no spring chicken anymore. A day pulling weeds can knock me out of commission for a few days ;)
Since I had just picked fresh zucchini and I  knew I had a ton of basil growing, this recipe just called out to me. I am so thankful we tried it tonight, because it was simply amazing. The hint of lemon went perfectly with the vegetables and of course fresh basil goes with almost anything!
 Thank you to the recipe developer over at the original site for the recipe:  Zucchini and Basil Pasta
I can't wait to head back over to her web site and try some more of her recipes. Here is a link to her site:
http://achowlife.com/

2 medium zucchini
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups packed fresh, roughly chopped basil leaves
1 pound of your favorite pasta
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Slice the zucchini lengthwise into quarters and chop into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place the zucchini on a plate and sprinkle the salt over the top of it. Let it sit for 15 minutes until the zucchini begins to sweat out it's liquid. Pat the zucchini dry with a paper towel.
Place enough water into a pot to boil your pasta. Bring the water to a boil and follow manufacturer directions on the pasta to cook it "al dente." Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. (You want the starchy water to use later in the recipe.) Drain the pasta in a colander.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over moderately high heat until it's hot. Saute the zucchini, stirring occasionally, until golden but still firm, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the chopped basil. Stir in the pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and gently toss together. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Chickpea Veggie Soup

I was going to try to post something clever and witty tonight, but I guess today was one of those days where I apparently used up all my wit and sass at work with students (gotta love those high school students), so I guess you will be stuck reading a boring old post that talks about how good this soup is. But really....how boring can reading about food be? It cant be!! Reading about, cooking, or trying food is to me what walking through Lowe's is to my husband. I don't quite get it, but he can stare at tools all day long. Me? I'm looking at the tools and thinking "oh I could use that to make some kind of fun thing in my kitchen." You think I'm kidding? That is how my brain works. I see something and I instantly try to figure out how I could work it into my kitchen or a recipe etc!
Oh back to the soup...sorry I lost track. But I guess now it's not a boring old post haha! 

It shouldn't even be called soup. It should be called "a bowl of healthy." There are so many reasons that this soup is healthy and yummy, but I won't bore you with them all. It felt so good to eat such a wonderfully healthy dinner. Now if I can just keep from going to the freezer and digging into the ice cream that is calling out my name!!

The original recipe can be found here:
http://www.ediblexperiments.blogspot.com/2012/02/chickpea-veggie-soup-with-smoked.html

I really only added a couple of little things (jalapeno and oregano) to this recipe to change it. Amy Jo over at www.ediblexperiments.blogspot.com did a fantastic job with this soup already, so not a lot of changes needed to be made for my liking!

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cans (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 large red potatoes, chopped into bite size chunks
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (take out the seeds if you do not want the spice)
4 cups hot water
4 chicken bullion cubes (or 4 tsp of bullion powder)
1 zucchini, chopped into bite size chunks
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges


In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and the sugar. Stir occasionally. When the onions are soft, add the garlic, paprika, ginger, cumin and oregano. Give it a quick stir. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garbanzo beans, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno, hot water, and chicken bullion. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender. This should take about  20 minutes. Add the zucchini and let simmer for another 5 or 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Taste and add salt, pepper, and more paprika as needed. Serve with lemon wedges. Squeezing the lemon into your soup makes it extra yummy!

Chili Rellano Casserole

Don't ask me why I thought it would be a good idea today to turn my oven on in the middle of this hot spring day in So Cal. I guess when I planned this weeks menu, it must have been a lot cooler. I'm sure glad I did turn it on though, because these turned out great! As I was reading through the recipe this afternoon, it dawned on me that I had forgotten to purchase the black beans that the original recipe called for. These days I blame everything on menopause, so I'm sure this clearly had something to do with forgetting them. (*Insert hot flash here*) Menopause will henceforth be called "mental pause".
So I needed to improvise. I substituted corn for the black beans and I really liked it. I think I'll just stick with the substitution or maybe next time I might try adding both. That's if menopause doesn't cause me to forget who I am and what I'm doing at the store that day!

 

Original Recipe From: http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net

5 large Anaheim chiles 

3 eggs 

3 Tbsp flour 

3 Tbsp sour cream 

3.8  oz can of sliced black olives 

Salt/Pepper. to taste

1 bag Mexican blend cheese 

1 can corn, drained (this is where the original recipe called for black beans) 

1 small can enchilada sauce  

Diced green onions

Move oven rack to the top of oven and set the broiler to high. Wash chiles and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet with the chilies, onto the top rack of oven. Watch the chilies closely. They will blister up and char. This is what  you want them to do. Once the entire pepper is charred, use tongs to turn over the chilies to char the other side. Once both sides are charred completely, remove the chilies from oven and wrap each pepper in a wet paper towel & place in a large gallon size, Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes. Remove the chilies from the paper towel and peel the charred skin off completely. Cut the stem and remove the seeds.  Cut each pepper into half.

In a bowl, combine eggs, flour, sour cream, olives, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with Pam. Spread 5 of the chili halves in the bottom of the pan. Next place half the egg mixture on top of the chilies. Sprinkle with cheese. Next add half the can of corn. Repeat the layers one more time. Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the top and cover with cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. When there is 5 minutes baking time left, top with the green onions and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

Home Made Deep Dish Pizza

You will probably think it's strange that I am posting this, given the fact that I am not pizza's biggest fan. I mean it's alright, I can eat it every once in awhile, but not often! So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I was hesitant to try it. I'm glad I did. This is a recipe that is supposed to taste like Pizza Hut deep dish pizza. It totally does!! The crust is so soft and fluffy and if you like  deep dish pizza, you will definitely like this. My pizza only had cheese for a topping, because I happen to only like cheese or  veggie pizza. I had been in my garden working most of the day and didn't have time to chop up veggies.

*Original Recipe from: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/Pizza_Hut_Original_Pan_Pizza41605.shtml
(There is some great recipes on their site. Check it out)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees F)
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for dough)
9 ounces vegetable oil (3 ounce per pan)
butter flavored cooking spray
***Sauce***
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed.

Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into three balls. In three 9" cake pans, put 3 Oz. of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans.

Spray the outer edge of dough with cooking spray. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Sauce:

Combine ingredients and let sit for 1 hour.

For Each Nine Inch Pizza: Preheat oven to 475 degrees F Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge. Distribute 1 1/2 Oz. shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce. Place toppings of your choice in this order: Pepperoni or Ham Vegetables Meats (cooked ground sausage or beef) Top with 3 Oz. mozzarella cheese Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.

Deep Dish Pizza

♫ When the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie, that's amore ♫
Ok, ok, I will stop singing. I felt like singing this happy tune as I was making home made deep dish pizza last night. I'd like to say that I could toss the dough high in the air and catch and twirl it like the pros do, but trust me....that would not have been pretty. (Cut to the next scene....me getting out the hubbies ladder to scrape pizza dough off the ceiling)    ;)
Making home made dough was a little time consuming, as it had to rise in a couple separate intervals, but while it was rising, it gave me plenty of time to get other things done around the house. Besides, there is just pure satisfaction in knowing that the entire pizza was made from scratch, with no pre-made items. This pizza tasted great and was extremely filling. It's not too often that I can say "one piece of pizza filled me up."
If you are thinking that I forgot to add  the cheese, you thought wrong. All the cheesy goodness is hiding under all that wonderful sauce! The pizza was great and today it still tastes great as a leftover.

I used the recipe from the following link, but I adapted it some. I did not use Parmesan as the recipe  called for. I still can't talk my hubby into appreciating a good parmesan cheese. Also, I added some italian seasoning when adding the tomatoes!

 http://annies-eats.com/2010/01/21/chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza/
  
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (8 1/8 oz.) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (1 3/8 oz.) yellow cornmeal
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/8 tsp. instant yeast
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. (5 oz.) water, at room temperature
1½ tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
For the sauce:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. grated onion
Pinch of dried oregano
¼ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
For assembling and topping:
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)
¼ oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 tbsp.)
Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on low speed.  Mix until blended, about 1 minute.  Add the water and melted butter and continue mixing on low speed until fully incorporated, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally.  Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4-5 minutes.
Using your hands, coat a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.  Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat with oil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
While the dough is rising, prepare the sauce.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, oregano, and salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high.  Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until reduced to about 1¼ cups, about 25 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the basil and oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To laminate the dough, turn the dough out onto a dry work surface and roll into a 8- by 6-inch rectangle.  Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges.  Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder.  With the seam side down, flatten the cylinder into a 9- by 2 inch rectangle.  Fold into thirds like a business letter, pinch the seams to form a ball, and return to the oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator until nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  To assemble, coat a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Transfer the dough ball to a dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch disk about ¼-inch thick.  Transfer the dough to the pan.  Lightly press the dough into the pan, working into the corners and 1 inch up the sides.  If the dough resists stretching, let rest 5 minutes before trying again.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the surface of the dough.  Spread the tomato sauce over the cheese and top with Parmesan.  Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Yield: 1 9-inch deep-dish pizza

Cabbage and Ramen Salad

I stumbled onto this recipe on Pinterest this week and realized that I have had this salad many times at baby showers, bridal showers etc. I never knew the recipe, so I was happy when I came across it. It really is a light and refreshing salad and yet still filling! I think the trick is to keep the ramen and the dressing seperate from the cabbage part of the salad until you are ready to serve it.....otherwise, I'm sure it gets pretty soggy. We  will definitely be having this again at our home.

1 head Napa cabbage, chopped or grated ( I think next time I will grate mine for smaller pieces)
4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup butter
2 pkg broken top ramen noodles ( I used the Oriental flavor)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vinegar
3/8 cup sugar (1/4 cup + 1/8 cup)
Both seasoning packets from the top ramen
1 Tbsp soy sauce

In a large bowl, mix together cabbage and green onions. Store in the refrigerator.

In a skillet, melt butter and then add the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds. Stir until lightly
browned. Place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until it's time to serve the salad.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, sugar, ramen seasoning packets and soy sauce. Stir. Keep in refrigerator  until ready to serve.

When you are serving the salad, you can either mix together all the separate portions of the salad at once and serve it, or you can mix individual servings on your plate. This makes it much better if you do not intend to eat all the salad at one meal. It will tend to get very soggy if mixed all together and left in the refrigerator overnight.

Zucchini Boats

This may just be the worst picture I have ever posted on this blog lol. But trust me, these tasted great. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even wait to put it on a plate before I took this shot. Like I always say....I can cook, but I sure am not great at taking pictures. I absolutely loved these and will no doubt, make them again soon. I have tried zucchini boats a lot of different ways, but I think this one might just be my fav!

Zucchini

Olive oil

Chopped garlic

Salt/Pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes

Tomato's (sliced or chopped)

 Fresh Basil

Bread Crumbs

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Cut your zucchini in half lengthwise and trim the bottoms a bit, so they are flat and can lay in a casserole dish. 

Use a spoon to drag along the length of the zucchini to remove the seeds. 

In a bowl, mix together (any amounts you would like) olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes (if you like your food spicy)

Use a pastry brush to brush the oil mixture onto the top of each zucchini half. Make sure your brush picks up the garlic as it will add a lot of flavor to the dish. 

Place the tomato's and the basil on top of each zucchini (into the groove that you hollowed out when you removed the seeds with your spoon). Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and bake at 350 for about 25-30 mimutes. 

Remove from the oven and put the mozzarella and the parmesan cheeses on the top. Place under the broiler for just a couple minutes until the cheese  is bubbly!

Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing

First off I need to apologize about how this picture looks of this food. I had my grand daughter here today and I guess I got sidetracked and forgot to take a picture before we ate. So after everything was all packed away, my brain kicked into full gear and I thought "whoops....I forgot:. So after spending all day running around after a 15 month old, I was just too lazy to take the slaw out of the tupperware I had already packed for the hubby tomorrow for work. So now that the explanation is done, let me move on to the food. This is another Pinterest recipe. I am really beginning to wonder if I am ever going to create my own food again. I have been spending so much time on Pinterest and there are so many wonderful recipes, that I can't imagine how long it will take me to cook so many of them that I want to make. This was such a refreshing, light slaw. I know it's supposed to be Fall, but it was 102 degrees here today, so yes I made a nice cold, refreshing SUMMER slaw!! If you like the taste of Oriental chicken salads at restaurants, then you will LOVE this (minus the chicken of course)!

Here is a link to the original recipe site!
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/asian-slaw-with-ginger-peanut-dressing.html

Zucchini Pizza Slices

Pizza on zucchini slices? Yes! The fact that I had to turn on my broiler temporarily, to melt the cheese, didn't deter me from making this delicious pizza side dish tonight, even though the 106 degree temperature today made it feel as if I was living on the face of the sun!! This is super easy to make and was actually great. I wasn't sure if I was going to love it, even though I love zucchini. I am not a huge pizza fan and had to make one for me without pepperoni, as I'm definitely NOT a fan.

 *Makes 4 slices
2 Zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 jar Pizza sauce
Mozarella cheese, grated
Pepperoni, sliced

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Place face down in a dry skillet and roast for approximately 7 minutes. (Longer if the zucchini is super thick) After it's roasted, it should be semi soft. Place the slices, face up on a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Top with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Place into the broiler on high for approximately 4-5 minutes.

Veggie Sandwich

It's not too often that you eat a sandwich and say "WOW". This is what seems to happen to me every time I eat one of these vegetarian sandwiches. The best part about it is that no skills are required. So if you don't like to cook and you want to eat healthy, this ones for you!!
Basically you just put your favorite veggies on your favorite bread and chow down!!
I used Miltons Multigrain bread
Lite Mayonnaise, spread extremely thin
Cucumber, sliced very thinly
Tomatoes, sliced
Red onion slices
Avocado
Fresh alfalfa sprouts
Seasoned salt and Pepper