My new "go-to" Busy night dinner!!

So lately it seems I get home at 5, walk the dogs, pour a cup of coffee, and before I know it, it's 6pm, and Thom is pulling into the driveway... yikes! dinner! umm.. what dinner? Even when I plan a menu (which I am pretty consistent with), it's becoming increasingly harder to pull it all together in order to eat before 7pm.. which becomes a problem because we've committed to this new very cool exercise regime, and let's face it *NO ONE* wants to exercise 10 minutes after eating! Sooooo... in desperation the other night, I had this little light bulb go off..... Pizza.. Now I know, it's really easy (especially in our family, due to "connections - heh-heh.).. to just pick up the phone; but that get's 'spendy' after a while. So here is my solution to those hectic nights when you need something healthy, homemade and best of all are really only a few minutes to throw together. I find one piece with a serving of tossed salad really hits the spot!

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA (serves 4, 1/4 each)

1 BOBOLI brand pizza crust (or your fave brand) * or go low-carb, and use a flour tortilla, reduce cooking time to 5 minutes, checking often.. it's more like a 'crisp crust' pizza.
1 rotisserie chicken
1 jar BBQ Sauce (I recommend Dinosaur Brand Serious Slathering Sauce)
1 tsp (or to taste) red pepper flakes, or chipoltle chile powder
1 pkg. shredded jack cheese.

That's it, folks. Spoon about 1/2 cup sauce onto the crust, brush to within 1/2" of the edge.
Sprinkle the pepper flakes/chipotle powder over the sauce (or stir it in before applying to the crust.) Pull apart the chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces (you won't need the whole chicken) Sprinkle over the sauce. Cover with the shredded cheese. Bake at 450 for approx 8 minutes. Voila.

And I'm sure, you, like me will immediately become inspired with endless variations! Like spinach, fresh tomato, feta; or ham, pineapple, or mozarella, olives, sundried tomatoes... the list is endless...

Hope you enjoy this!

Butternut Squash Soup... to Welcome Autumn!

Isn't it amazing how the hot, humid days of August vaporize when the calendar page flips to September? Suddenly it's Fair time, and apple-picking, and blessedly cool/crisp nights that make for perfect sleep! I'm very lucky to have folks close by who either garden, or who have access to a garden. Lately I've been gifted with tomatoes, zuchini, and butternut squash. The recipe I chose for the butternut squash is a fave, because it includes curry, a spice/flavor I absolutely love! I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is from Food Network's Ellie Krieger. She's amazing! I made a couple of minor changes; I roasted the squash instead of boiling it in the stock, and I added a tin of fat free evaporated milk for a little rich creaminess.
1 T. oil
1-2 med onions chopped (2 cups)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 (2 1/2 pound) butternut squash
6 cups low sodium chicken or veg. broth
1 T plus 2 tsp curry powder
1/2 t salt (to taste)
2 T honey
1 can fat free evaporated milk. (Optional)

• Ellie says to peel the squash and cube it to add to the broth and cook. I prefer to cut it in half lengthwise and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20 mins or so at 350.

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic, saute until soft but not brown, 6-7 minutes.
  
• Add broth, curry powder and salt. Scrape roasted squash from the shell into the broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat simmer for 15 minutes.
  
• Remove from heat, stir in honey and evaporated milk.
  
• Use an immersion blender, or puree in a regular blender or food processor. Voila!

Glorious Glendi!

Wow, hard to believe it's been over a month since my last post! It's been a busy time! We've been to NY state (to the Cabin that belongs to Thom's daughter and family..) and out and about here in NH as well. Last weekend, I went to something called "Glendi", a local Greek Festival that is very popular! Of course the crafts, and displays were amazing, but it's alllll about the delicious food!! I sampled some Lamb Shanks, greek salad, and brought home spanikopita (spinach in phyllo pastry) for Thom. In honor of this, I'm passing along a yummy Greek Casserole recipe that was in the local paper this weekend. Going to try it this week!

Greek Style Skillet Supper

Makes 6 servings. Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground turkey breast

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

1 1/2 cups frozen leaf spinach or cut green beans, thawed

3/4 cup crumbled low fat feta cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook ground turkey and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat with 2 tsp. oil, until turkey is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder; mix well.

2. Stir in broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is nearly tender. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of the feta cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.

3. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

per serving

Calories: 243

Fat: 4 g

Carbohydrates: 23 g

Cholesterol: 48 mg

Sodium: 550 mg

Fiber: 4 g

Looking for Suggestion!

We loved our weekend at Maidstone Lake sooooo much that we are heading back up there this weekend! I'm in the process of planning menus so I can grocery shop for the 2 dinners, 2 lunches, and 2 breakfasts we'll be there.. I'm pretty good for Breakfasts.. usually eggs, or pancakes. And so I'm asking you guys for some suggestions for lunches and dinner! Either make it on the campsite, or ahead, I'm looking forward to any suggestions.

Sunday Paper, Sunday Supper!

Having to work every other weekend does have it's advantages in my job.. although nothing would beat having every weekend off! Anyway, today was a pretty low-key day for the residents at the house; some of us hung out in the kitchen, reading the Sunday paper, sharing our horoscope, and offering opinions on various news items. Individuals who are diagnosed with a severe mental illness such as Schizophrenia, or Bipolar disorder sometimes experience difficulty in social interactions, and situations; it is an aspect of mental illness that can have a significant impact on one's way of life. Because of this common sympton, I try to encourage any sort of activity such as reading and sharing the newspaper with the residents because it enhances social skills in a natural setting. This is a long preamble to dinner, I know... Anyway, while reading the paper I came across this recipe for Marinated Grilled Steak on Grilled Polenta. What a strange combination! I wouldn't have ever thought of this one! On impulse, I texted Thom to defrost some steak I had in the fridge, and I would pick up some ready-made polenta on the way home. This meal was pretty quick and easy to prep.. in fact I didn't bother with the marinade in the recipe, mainly because it is nearly identical to my home-made oil/vinegar salad dressing that I keep on hand, so I had Thom use that. You could probably use a good store bought oil/balsamic vinaigrette dressing too! Otherwise, I made the recipe as directed.. and let me tell you, with a fresh green salad to accompany it, this was a super Sunday Supper, right out of the Sunday Paper!! Enjoy! (AP Photos/Larry Crowe)

The recipe calls for slicing a tube of prepared polenta into rounds, then brushing them with oil and briefly grilling them. Strips of steak then are piled onto each round and topped with sour cream blended with chives and shallot.

GRILLED SIRLOIN WITH POLENTA AND SOUR CREAM

Start to finish: Approx 45 mins (Including marinade time) Servings: 4

For the steak:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic 1
1/4 pounds sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and very thinly sliced (I used 'london broil' shoulder steak, cheaper and just as tasty)

For the polenta:

18-ounce tube prepared polenta
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
Garlic powder

For the sour cream:

1 cup sour cream (I use Light or Fat-free)
1 shallot finely minced
1 TBSP chopped chives

In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, peppercorns and garlic. Puree until smooth, then pour into a stainless steel or other non-reactive bowl. Add the steak, mixing gently to coat, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 8 slices. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat both sides of each slice with oil. Sprinkle both sides of each slice with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside until the steak is ready to grill.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, shallot and chives. Set aside.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Coat the racks with cooking spray or oil.

Grill the polenta slices for 3 minutes per side, or until bold grill marks appear. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the slices to serving plates.

Grill the steak for 1 minute per side. Mound 1 or 2 slices on top of each polenta round. Top each with a dollop of sour cream.

For an alternative, cut that same tube of polenta into bite-size chunks. Toss the chunks in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of milk and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. Heat and stir until smooth and creamy. Spoon some of the soft polenta onto serving plates, then top with steak and a dollop of sour cream. I am going to try this version next time, but the original version was YUMMY~!!

Seared Ahi Tuna on the Deck

This month the weather has been soooo hot and muggy, that most nights I have avoided cooking at all costs..either making salads with a protein (beans, cheese, chicken etc) component, or making reservations! (LOL) Seriously, I was pretty psyched tonight to cook, since Mother Nature gave us a break today, with a manageable 80 degrees and very little humidity! So, we decided on a yummy grilled ahi tuna that I bought on sale at Sam's Club a few weeks ago. This is a frozen item, with the tuna portions running approx 6 ounces, and packed in indvidual vacuum sealed pouches. Very reasonably priced, compared to the $12.00+ per pound previously frozen that is usually what I see at our Market Basket. I marinated the steaks for about 30 minutes in the fridge with a light and flavorful lime/honey marinade, saving 1/2 of the marinade to baste while grilling. For a seasonal side dish, I prepped some fresh Patty Pan squash, which I bought yesterday at our local Farmer's Market. Patty Pan is a summer squash, similar to yellow and zuchinni, but with a much milder, mellow flavor. It's one of my favorites, and I love it grilled, with just a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and some Mrs. Dash seasoning. Because the Tuna cooks so quickly, I chose to make a Couscous seasoned with fresh Thyme from my window box garden, and about a 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese stirred into it once it had cooked. All in all a pretty yummy meal.

Honey Lime Glazed Grilled Ahi Tuna

This very simple glaze recipe is great paired with meaty Ahi tuna fillets. The tangy limes and the sweet honey work so well with the subtle smokiness from the grill. This grilled Ahi tuna recipe is best if the fish is cooked medium-rare.

Makes 4 Honey Lime Glazed Grilled Ahi Tuna Fillets

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 six-ounce Ahi tuna fillets
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup honey
• vegetable oil, as needed for grill

Preparation:

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Lay the tuna fillets on a plate, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and spoon over 1/2 of the glaze, turn to coat evenly. Let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Add the honey to the remaining half of the glaze and mix well.

Heat an outdoor grill on high. When the grates are hot, lightly oil, and place tuna fillets on grill. Cook for about 2 minutes, and turn over, brushing the glaze over the cooked side. Grill 2 minutes more for medium-rare to medium. When fish is cooked transfer to a plate and brush the honey lime glaze over the other side of fillet.

Serve immediately with any remaining glaze.

Finding a Slice of Heaven at Maidstone State Park

Camping for 3 days in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, up at Maidstone State Park, in Guildhall (pronounced "gillhall" by the natives). A beautiful, peaceful spot, where we camped in a lean-to, canoed, explored, and definitely plan to return! Vermont state parks are among the nicest in the area. We love them, because we can leave the tent at home and stay in a site with a huge lean-to, where we set up our air mattress and queen-sized sleeping bag, and have plenty of room for our gear, and even the picnic table, if the weather turns nasty! It really is a little slice of heaven!

Now, you have to know, that I have been camping since I was in diapers, and so I grew up watching my Mum's expertise as a Chef de Camp! That is to say that our meals while camping were made from scratch, just like at home. My mom even baked (with a special oven made to be used on a Coleman stove) while camping! So when Thom and I camp, we cook real food; none of that Hamburger Helper, or Manwhich stuff. For this outing, we had Lentil Curry (look for it in an upcoming post), and Beef Chili Verde, a different take on Chili Con Carne! Easy to make, even at a campsite, and it freezes beautifully, so double the recipe, and have a meal ready for one of those crazy-busy days we all have...

Beef Chili Verde

Chile Verde, usually a slow-cooked stew of pork, jalapeños and tomatillos, becomes an easy weeknight meal with quick-cooking ground beef and store-bought green salsa. You can easily swap out the beef for cooked lentils to make a satisfying vegetarian version! I served our chili with warmed soft corn tortillas and garden fresh sliced tomatoes.

4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

Ingredients

• 1 pound 93%-lean ground beef
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 16-ounce jar green salsa, green enchilada sauce or taco sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed

Preparation

1. Cook beef, bell pepper and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in salsa (or sauce) and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutrition

Per serving : 307 Calories; 8 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 64 mg Cholesterol; 29 g Carbohydrates; 27 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 516 mg Sodium; 641 mg Potassium

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat

La La La Latino! Scallop Ceviche and Tostones!

Super, super busy. What with overtime, the holiday, the HEAT, etc... it's been a bit since I've posted. So much for my intent to blog a dish daily... Well, case in point, if I were to blog about dinner last night, it would have looked like this

So, what happened, was the Ceviche didn't work! Ceviche is a cool dish, where you actually use an acidic marinade (lemon juice, lime juice..) to "cook" seafood, which is then combined with fresh veggies and herbs to make a great "it's a heatwave and I don't want to grill, or be near anything that is hot" recipe!; in this case, I was making a Bay Scallop Ceviche, using lime juice and organge juice. But, I think I messed up on the timing.. it should have been 'done' in 3 hours, but wasn't! No dinner back up plan, so we ended up ordering out from Domino's (the Philly Cheese Steak and Fiery Hawaiian are current faves!)

So, I re-marinated the scallops, and tonight we had the Ceviche on these awesome corn and Jalapeno tostadas. As an accompaniment to the Ceviche, I made Fried Plantains. If you've never made this, you have to give it a try... you may just give up french fries! They are delicious! I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com, from a contributor who is from Puerto Rico. Hope you will try it, and enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

5 - 6 tablespoons oil for frying 3 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1" slices.

3 cups cold water salt to taste

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides; approximately 3 1/2 minutes per side.
2.	Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down. (About 1/4" thick)
3.	Dip the plantains in water, then return them to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information Servings Per Recipe: 2 Calories: 140

Amount Per Serving Total Fat: 3.8g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 14mg

Amount Per Serving Total Carbs: 28.5g Dietary Fiber: 2.1g Protein: 1.2g

Enjoy until next time! Please visit often, and/or keep up on facebook!

Mango, Mango!

I love that summer is here! Today, however, the humidity was pretty high, and I was not at all in the mood to cook.. so I didn't! I chopped, and I mixed some spices, and I opened a can! (Thom did have to grill... but he doesn't mind!) This is a great go-to salsa for just about anything you make! We had it with boneless pork loin chops (I mixed a bunch of spices for a rub, and Thom grilled them), a salad, and black beans (that was the can I opened). Tomorrow, I will mix the remaining beans with some salsa, toss in some cubed cheddar for a hearty lunch salad. Here's a link to a mango-cutting tutorial, if you've never cut one:

Pineapple Mango Salsa
4 pineapple slice rings (preferably fresh pineapple)
1 mango, seeded and peeled
1 jalapeno, minced with membrane and seeds removed
1/2 small red onion, finely mined
1/2 each red and green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely minced
juice of one lime
salt & pepper, to taste
Fine chop all the fruit; add jalapeno, fresh cilantro, onion, peppers, and lime juice.
The salsa tastes best if allowed to macerate, refrigerated, for a few hours or overnight.

The Cook is in da house!

For those who don't know me, I work in a residence that serves 24 hour support for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses. I work days, mostly, including weekends. For the most part, it's like a boarding house. Folks have their own room, and can have a coffee-maker, and/or microwave, refrigerator, etc. Additionally there is a kitchen in the house with all the usual equipment, and folks are free to eat, cook etc in the kitchen as well. Weekends are usually less hectic, no appointments or jobs etc, so I like to cook a "House Lunch" on the weekends that I work. The clients know by now that when I'm cooking lunch, it will most likely be something they've never tried before! In the past, I've made vegetarian chili, quesadillas, black bean soup.. We have some folks here with significant health issues, (high blood pressure, diabetes, gluten intolerance to name just a few) so I'm always mindful of those issues. I have to say, so far everything I've served has been very well received, and I'm lucky, because there are no picky eaters here! So, for this lunch, I made "Buffalo Drumsticks" (legs were cheaper than wings..), Hoppin' John Salad, Celery sticks with ranch and blue cheese dressing; for dessert, fresh pineapple and low-fat strawberry yogurt. Thom grilled the legs the night before, so all I had to do was make the buffalo sauce, using Frank's Hot Sauce, and Smart Balance Margarine. The Hoppin' John Salad is my take on several different recipes I found online!

Hoppin' John is a traditional recipe that originated in the American South. I'm not too sure of the origins of the name, but I do know that as a hot bean dish, Hoppin' John is traditionally served on New Year's Day, to bring good luck. This is a cold salad version; I like it, because it's not your typical bean salad, that usually has a sweet/tart dressing.

Hoppin' John Salad (8 servings, easily doubled, best the next day!)

Ingredients:

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas (You can use dried, it's cheaper!) 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 red onion, diced 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (don't worry, this doesn't make it hot)

1 stalk celery, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley, but I prefer cilantro) 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	In a medium bowl, toss together black-eyed peas, tomato, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, celery, and parsley.
2.	In a small bowl, mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss into the vegetables. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.

Nutrition Information Servings Per Recipe: 8 Calories: 132

Amount Per Serving Total Fat: 4.1g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 478mg

Amount Per Serving Total Carbs: 19g Dietary Fiber: 4.6g Protein: 5.8g

If Mama Don't Cook....

...then there's no recipe for the blog! On Friday, Thom & I spent an incredible day in Cambridge at the Peabody Museum/Harvard Museum of Natural History with Martin and Ivy! If you have yet to visit this little gem, don't hesitate! From the famed hand-blown glass flowers to the awesome native American dioramas, to the animal exhibits, there's enough for everyone to enjoy from age 4 and up! We went by train from Lowell, which for Martin & Ivy was as much a treat as the actual destination! So, instead of a recipe, today I will post a picture, and a link to the museum! (Fan site at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PeabodyMuseum

Call it Cauliflower

It seems rather ordinary to inaugurate my blog with a cauliflower recipe, but it's what's on the menu, along with marinated chicken breasts (which T will grill alongside the cauliflower), and a salad of field greens, tomatoes, cukes and oil/vinegar dressing.

Thom laughs at me, because he says we never eat the same thing twice! He might be right, although we certainly do have our faves. I have to say right here that my interest in food, and cooking actually began with my first husband... who is a very very good cook, and taught me to be brave in the kitchen! So... on to the recipe:

Grilled Balsmic & Parmesan Cauliflower (From Eating Well)

Ingredients

• 8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head; see Tip)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat Grill (or oven) to 450°F.
2. Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To prepare florets from a whole head of cauliflower, remove outer leaves. Slice off the thick stem. With the head upside down and holding a knife at a 45° angle, slice into the smaller stems with a circular motion—removing a “plug” from the center of the head. Break or cut florets into the desired size.

Nutrition

Per serving: 149 calories; 10 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 7 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 4 g fiber; 364 mg sodium; 490 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Folate (22% dv), Fiber (16% dv), Calcium (15% dv)

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

•