Veggie Lasagna

This recipe is from the Trader Joe's Cookbook. We ate ours last night and it was REALLY good. This thing was so quick and easy to make too, which is what I'm looking for these last days of pregnancy when I can only stay on my feet for so long. The ingredients for this one were a little pricey, so I don't know if I'll do it again, but it is an awesome meal for quick and yummy.

Your directions:
Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes and sprinkle the Italian Parsley on top before serving. Side: Ceasar salad with garlic croutons and freshly grated parmesan.

Enjoy!!

Bacon, Gruyere and Arugula Quiche

So, excuse the blurriness of the picture above...I said I can cook not take pictures! I just wanted to show you how pretty this quiche turned out. I almost didn't want to cut it. But, my taste buds got the best of me and I gave in. Meghan gave me the starting point recipe for this basic quiche. You can add just about anything you want in to it.

Quiche basic recipe:

6 large eggs

2/3 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche

1 cup milk (preferably whole)

8 ounces gruyère, emmenthal, or other Swiss-type cheese

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, salt, pepper and garlic to taste

After you make the basic recipe, just add whatever you feel like adding. I added some chopped grilled onion (grill it in the bacon fat...just do it!), bacon pieces, shredded gruyere cheese and fresh arugula. Then simply pour it in the pie crust, which I bought at Trader Joe's and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Watch to make sure your pie crust isn't getting too brown. If it is, simply throw a piece of tin foil over the whole thing and continue cooking.

I served our quiche with a nice simple spinach salad with toasted almonds, freshly sliced strawberries, red onion and feta. Toss with Trader Joe's Raspberry Vinaigrette.

The best thing about quiche is that you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is so versatile and filling. Plus, you have plenty of leftovers to carry you through a busy week. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I had never made chicken noodle soup from scratch before... it always seemed somewhat daunting and involved and it's never been my favorite type of soup. But, it's been cold, and rainy, and gray and that kind of weather makes me think of soup so I thought I'd give it a try.

This recipe from Bon Appetit via Epicurious seemed easy enough (you don't have to make your own stock) so I decided it was time to make some soup! I read through a bunch of the comments and seasoned the chicken with Lawry's seasoned salt but I should have done more - I ended up adding some into the soup right before serving. Next time I might try it with rice instead of noodles but it was pretty good! Serve it with your favorite salad and some bread for a warm, hearty meal.

Irish Tacos with Fried Cabbage

No trip to Trader Joe's is complete without swinging by the sample kitchen and seeing what's on the menu for the day! (Liv reminds me if I forget!) I have gotten a number of great ideas from their samples and a few of them have become part of my regular cooking repertoire. This week's sample was something very different but also pretty tasty and with my swap day falling on St Patrick's Day this week, I thought this was a fun thing to make!

INGREDIENTS:

*1 package corned beef (I used TJ's premade, but you could certainly make your own)
*1 package corn tortillas (12)
*1 package TJ's frozen mashed potatoes (Super convenient, but of course you could make your own)
*1 package creme fraiche (7.5 oz)
*12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

*1 bag shredded cabbage (10 oz)
*1/2 cup diced onions
*1 tbsp butter
*1 tbsp cider vinegar
*1 tbsp sugar
*2 tbsp water
*TJ's organic micro greens

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To fry the cabbage: melt butter and saute onions until tender. Dissolve sugar in vinegar, add to cabbage, then add to onions in the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water and cover. Simmer until done.

2. For tacos: Cook corned beef according to package instructions, then shred. Toast corn tortillas on both sides in a hot pan. Cook mashed potatoes according to package instructions. Layer tortillas with potatoes, corned beef, creme fraiche, cabbage & cheese. Garnish with micro greens & enjoy a twist on the traditional St Patrick's Day dinner!

Mexican Casserole

Photo to come... maybe of us eating tonight. This is such a staple recipe in our house and I do it for moms who have a new baby and get rave reviews. It's so filling and leftovers taste great. I just love Mexican food....

INGREDIENTS
1 rotisserie chicken (I get mine from Costco because they seem bigger/juicier/tastier and I know they add no hormones/steroids)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can organic tomatoes, diced w/ juices
1 can organic black beans, drained/rinsed
1 sm can diced green chilis
1/2 bag of frozen roasted corn (from Trader Joes)
1.5 cups salsa (again, my fave is kirkland brand medium salsa)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Four 8-inch flour (or corn) tortillas, cut into quarters
Tortilla chips
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350. Shred up the meat from rotisserie chicken and place in large bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except for the last 3. Place the torn tortilla's on the bottom and sides of a casserole dish. Pour chicken mixture in and then scatter the chips on top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese, and bake uncovered until the top is golden and crusty, about 15 minutes.

We eat it just as it is. But you can always add quac, sour cream, or whatever you like. Serve with your Mexican salad: Mixed greens, crunched up organic blue corn tortilla chips, cilantro dressing

Meatball Parmesan Sliders

Here is the link for this weeks recipe. This meal was a big hit in our household. I modified it a little bit to fit our taste and needs. I opted to make the meatballs out of beef only. I would have added some ground pork but couldn't find any suitable. I also tripled the garlic...like I do for almost every recipe. I used more fresh parsley than stated and I added fresh basil as well to season the meat a bit more. I had never made homemade meatballs before and I have to say I will probably keep this as a staple in the freezer for those nights I find I want to just throw some spaghetti in the pot for the kids and with some frozen pre-cooked meatballs in the freezer I could pull a few out and thaw them right in the sauce. I used my big kitchen mixer and threw all of the ingredients together and then rolled out about 48 meatballs. My fear in making meatballs is that they might crumble or fall apart when cooking in the sauce...not so! Gently turn them over in the sauce if the sauce isn't covering the whole meatball and they will cook through nicely. Now, I couldn't find brioche bread either, so I opted for the mini slider buns at Trader Joe's and I think they were pretty good. Simply butter each side of the slider bun and toast for a minute in the toaster oven. Add the meatball and kind of push it down a bit so it won't roll off. Then I added a piece of provolone cheese, some red onion and a few fresh basil leaves and returned to the toaster oven until the cheese melted. You can also scoop an extra bit of marinara sauce on right at the end. Scrumptious! Throw in a ceasar and you have dinner girls!

Spicy Steak Salad

One of my favorite things to make almost weekly is a hearty, steak salad. You can really be creative and make this salad with everything you love and customize it to fit your families needs. Last week I made this steak salad with organic mixed greens, sliced cucumber, baby pearl tomatoes, red onion, marinated mushrooms, crumbled sheep feta and of course spicy tri-tip. We used a balsamic dressing from Trader Joe's but one of my absolute favorite stand by dressings is just sprinkling rice vinegar and sesame oil over the salad. It gives it a nice, subtle Asian kick. I wish I could remember who first introduced me to this easy dressing because I would probably kiss them. The way I like to marinate mushrooms is to heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the mushrooms in to cook for about 3 minutes. After the mushrooms soften, add some generous splashes of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder or fresh minced garlic if you have it. Let the mushrooms continue to cook and simmer down. Go ahead, walk away and even forget about them for 15 minutes until the aroma in your house is undeniable. The come back in turn them off and add them warm with the juices into your salad. Your husband will thank you....at least mine did.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Collards with Turkey Sausage & Shrimp

From Clean Eating Magazine, March 2011

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 tsp chile powder

* 1/2 tsp paprika

* 1/4 tsp sea salt

* 1/8 tsp each ground black pepper & cayenne pepper

* 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail off

* 1 tbsp olive oil, divided

* 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced

* 2 lean deli-fresh turkey sausages (7 oz), casings removed**

* 1 bunch collard greens (about 1 lb), stems removed & leaves chopped***

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together chile powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with 1 tsp spice mixture until coated.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large saute pan or wok on medium-high. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until softened. Add shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 more minutes, until just turning pink. Transfer shallot-shrimp mixture to a bowl and return pan to heat.

3. Heat remaining 1 tsp of oil in pan. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for about 3 minutes, until browned. Stir remaining spice mixture and collard greens into pan. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove lid, stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Add shallot-shrimp mixture back to pan, stif and cook for 1 more minute, until heated through. Serve immediately.

NOTE

** I used chicken sausage because that's all they had a Trader Joe's.

*** I used Trader Joe's Southern Greens mix (Mustard, Turnip, Collards & Spinach Leaves)

Dijon Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, dijon, milk and honey. Put aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together panko crumbs, cinnamon, pecans, salt and pepper.
3. Dip the chicken in the egg mix, and press in the pecan mix.
4. Place chicken in a baking dish and pour melted butter over the top.
5. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Turn to broil for last minute to toast pecans.

Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas

From www.campbellskitchen.com


2/3 cup salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Fresh cilantro leaves

Stir the salsa, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions in a medium bowl.

Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold the opposite sides over the filling. Roll the tortillas up from the bottom and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tortilla rolls with butter.
Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. Serve with additional salsa. Garnish with cilantro.

Tonights Side: Trader Joe's low fat organic refried pinto beans - salsa styled

Sesame-Crusted Tilapia with Gingered Green Beans

From Clean Eating Magazine March 2011

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
* 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger, divided
* 4 tsp olive oil, divided
* 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
* 4 6-oz tilapia fillets, skin & bones removed
* 2 tbsp sesame seeds
* 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
* 3 cups trimmed green beans (12 oz)
* 1/2 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F

2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp olive oil & 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Place tilapia in a shallow nonstick or foil-lined baking pan and pour lime juice mixture over top, turning fillets to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over top of tilapia and bake for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Broil for 1 minute at the end to toast the sesame seeds!

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add remaining 4 tsp ginger and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add broth, beans, salt and pepper, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until beans are bright green and tender-crisp. Remove from heat, add remaining 1/2 tsp sesame seed oil and toss to coat.

4. Using a thin heat-proof spatula, lift tilapia from pan and arrange on serving plates. Drizzle with pan juices and serve immediately with green beans, dividing evenly.

Grilled Lemon-Oregano Chicken Drumsticks

J... you missed this one when you were in Seattle. We took them as appetizers over to my parents house to watch the Oscars and it was a hit. My side dish was heather's green beans from pioneer woman.

From Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
8 chicken drumsticks


INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Pour marinade into 1-gallon resealable plastic bag; add chicken and seal. Turn bag to coat chicken. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes or in refrigerator up to 2 days, turning occasionally.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place chicken, with some marinade still clinging, on grill rack; grill chicken until cooked through and golden brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 30 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.