Portobello Pizza

I love mushrooms and one of my favorite sandwiches from a local restaurant is a Portobello BLT. Yum. I was looking through some old magazine clippings and found a recipe that inspired this yummy meal! 

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

4 Portobello mushroom caps

1/2 cup pizza or spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Oregano

Garlic Bread

1 Whole wheat hamburger bun

Olive oil

Garlic salt

1. Turn on the broiler. 

2. Snap the stems off the caps and put belly side up on a sheet pan. 

3. Add the sauce, cheese and a sprinkle of oregano (or a pizza/spaghetti seasoning mix).

4. For the garlic bread, use a pastry brush and brush a light coating of olive oil on the inside of the buns. Sprinkle with garlic salt and put on the pan with the mushrooms.

5. Put the pan under the broiler. I took the bread out after about 4 minutes and the pizza came out at 8 minutes. It will be different in each oven depending on how close to your broiler you put your pan.

So I really loved this dinner. And according to my calculations it is around 400 calories depending on your ingredients and how much cheese you really want to use. My BF, however, wasn't a fan but said if I cut it into strips and told him it was an appetizer he thinks he would like it more lol. He's a meat lover. Whenever I make a pasta dish with veggies he asks me where the protein is... and he never accepts the answer "it's in the beans". Beans don't count with him.

Anyway, these were simple, fast and delish. I have already looked up some more simple dishes to make using mushroom caps. Enjoy!!!

Jalapeño Cheddar Wrap

One of my BF's and my favorite restaurants has this great wrap with queso and chicken. We love it, but isn't it more fun to stay home and make a meal together??? Of course! So here is our version...

INGREDIENTS

1 diced jalapeño

1/4 cup diced onion

2 diced roma tomatoes

Chopped lettuce

Shredded cheese or queso (we've done both and queso is definitely zestier!)

2 thawed chicken breasts sliced 

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

2 -  12 inch tortillas (we used a great Jalapeño Cheddar wrap)

Sour cream or guacamole if desired

1. Chop all the ingredients while heating a frying pan with some non-stick spray. 

2. Saute the chicken, taco seasoning, jalapeño and onion until the chicken is cooked through.

Here are those snazzy wraps I listed above. This is what started the whole dinner!

3. Once the chicken is done, layer in all your fixins!

Wrap it up and eat it! Oh yeah!

It was delish! Better than the restaurant version even!

We've eaten this twice now and the BF says it's the best thing I make! He sure likes his mexican food!

Southwestern Chipotle Pasta

Long time no blog!! Just got back from vacation and I think I need another few days off!!

We sat by the camp fire...

Ate a few too many s'mores...

Grilled up some awesome kabobs...

Ate too much... 

 We stayed in a really cute cottage my mom rented... the pantry was the cutest thing ever...

We even brought the dogs!

Now onto the food...

We stopped in at a shop called Nobel which had some great flavored pastas, nuts and sauces. My kind of place. I took my BF back and we picked out some pasta to take home and try since he is the self proclaimed pasta master. :)

This was the haul of veggies I came back to when we stopped at my mom's to drop off some of the vaca supplies...

So we decided to make the pasta we had bought!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 can black beans
1 diced jalapeño, seeds removed
diced red onions
1 cup frozen corn
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts diced
Pasta
Olive Oil
Taco seasoning

1. In a skillet, sauté the chicken and olive oil.

2. Once the chicken starts to brown, put on a pot of water and cook your pasta.

3. Add all your veggies to your chicken and finish cooking the chicken through. Add in a sprinkle of taco seasoning if desired.

4. Top your drained pasta with the chicken mix and yummy!

The pasta itself was spicy and the topping went with it wonderfully. Sort of. My BF thinks the tomatoes didn't fit but I loved them because they are a hint of sweet plus, the juices really make the sauce. We agreed to disagree and finished it all. :)

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pasta Dough

Last year for my birthday my mom got me the pasta attachments for my kitchen aid mixer. Then for Christmas, my dad and step mom got me a lesson with their neighbor on how to make homemade ravioli with homemade pasta dough.

 Those were amazing and ever since then I've tried a few times to make pasta again. Mostly it has turned out tough or too thick and more like a dumpling but I found a good recipe that was soooo close to the right thickness this time! Pasta has to be really thin!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 cup white flour

1. In one bowl mix the two flours.

2. In a second bowl mix the eggs and water with a fork or whisk.

3. Create a well in the flour and pour in the wet mix. Using your hands, slowly mix the eggs into the flour and create a loose dough ball.

4. Turn out the dough ball and kneed until smooth. DO NOT OVER KNEED!

At this point, it's up to you. Roll it into sheets for ravioli, cut it with a knife, through a machine, pinch some bow ties... endless.

I made some fettuccine. The dough is sticky of course so I had some boiling water ready to go.

I improvised when drying the pasta. :)

Then of course we topped it with my BF's signature pasta: olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers and secret seasoning!

 My pasta was still a bit thick but it was cooked perfectly and the taste was great. Just a notch thinner next time... and there will be a next time!

I just love that as much food as possible is homemade and good for me. I know what is in this dish. And when I can it's from my own garden or organic or local even. It's not easy. No way. But it is delicious! 

And on a side note, drying pasta on a chair is a bad idea. the thick bend in the pasta was going to make it hard to put in a bag so I gently bent it and let it dry on the table. Some stuck together but it still cooks up great.

Man I love pasta!!

Avocado Pesto Pasta

I love pasta. I love pesto. I LOVE fresh avocado. Obviously this recipe was a no brainer. I had to try it. I have it printed out in my stash of "must try" recipes but there is no indication of where I got it from. But just for reference, this is not my original recipe. 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pasta

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 ripe avocados peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh tomatoes to top the dish with

1. Boil your pasta as directed.

2. Meanwhile, blend the basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic and oil in either a blender or food processor.

3. Season with a little salt and pepper. 

4. Drain the pasta when it is done cooking and mix in the dressing. Top with the tomatoes and enjoy! 

This is another pasta dish with warm noodles and a cool sauce. The avocado is so creamy and delicious with the basil. I bet I could add a little grilled chicken and have a dinner right there. Mmmm... :) So easy and so tasty!

Seafood Stir Fry

                                     

In case you haven't noticed, I've been very into seafood lately. Especially scallops and shrimp. If cooked right, you can add them to just about anything you add chicken to. I'm just so tired of chicken! 

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup fresh broccoli cuts

1/4 Cup pepper "squares" ( I used a frozen mix of red and orange bell peppers)

1 Pound of scallops and/or raw shrimp ( obviously I used both!)

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 Can condensed chicken broth

2 Teaspoons soy sauce

Cooked white rice

1. Cook rice according to the directions. 

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saute pan and and cook the scallops and shrimp until the scallops are white or the shrimp is pink. 

3. Add in the broccoli and peppers and continue to cook.

4. In a bowl, mix the broth, soy sauce and cornstarch until there are no clumps of cornstarch.

5. Add the mix to the saute pan and bring to a boil for about one minute.

6. Let cool and thicken for a few minutes and serve over rice.

This was a really great stir fry. Not too much soy sauce so it wasn't too salty. The broth added flavor to the sauce and really complimented the seafood. ENJOY!

Grilled Shrimp and Scallops

I love my grill. Everything just tastes better grilled. Especially seafood! 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 large sea scallops (fresh or thawed) I only had six to work with but there is enough marinade for 8

8 large raw shrimp (fresh or thawed)

1 large yellow pepper cut into squares or strips

1. Mix juice, oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour into a bag with the scallops and shrimp. Seal and set in the fridge for 2-4 hours to marinade.

2. Skewer your scallops, shrimp and peppers on metal skewers or wooden skewers that have been soaked in water. Two scallops and two shrimp seemed enough on each skewer since they were such large pieces. This should make four skewers. 

 3. Grill the skewers until the shrimp turns pink and the scallops are white with grill marks.

4. While this is happening I cooked up a box of Far East rice pilaf and added a little lemon juice to the mix.

This was delicious. I love seafood and I love lemon. The best part was lemon pepper tang everything had. And the rice was the perfect compliment.

Something as easy as this can be made a million different ways. Next time I'm thinking grape tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini with my shrimp and scallops.