Posts Tagged ‘healthy dinner’

Daily Delish – Kitchen Shortcuts

Who says that taking the long way has it’s rewards? Clearly they’ve never encounter pre-cooked chicken sausage.

Don’t get me wrong, the scenic route is great and making homemade food provides a real sense of accomplishment and added happiness when you eat your dishes. People, this is not one of those times.

This next recipe requires 6 ingredients and makes a complete, delicious meal.

You’ll need (serves two hungry people):

1 package of mushrooms (I used baby bellas – pre-washed and sliced, of course!)

1 package of chicken sausage

Your favorite pasta sauce – about 1 1/2 cups – go with the jarred, people! Save the homemade stuff for a long, winter/fall afternoon.

2 slices of bread

Butter

Parmesan Cheese

First, place a saute pan on medium heat and mist with cooking spray. Add your mushrooms and brown on both sides.

Now that things are getting hot and steamy, add the chicken sausage (make sure to slice it before hand). Since it’s already cooked, you shouldn’t have to cook it long.

Add the pasta sauce an mix, reducing the heat to low/med.

While this is simmering, turn your broiler on to low/med and microwave a few tablespoons of butter. Add Parmesan cheese and stir — keep adding cheese until the butter thickens, resembling a paste (but not too thick). Spread on top of bread and place in the broiler for about 3 minutes.

Remove sausages/sauce/shrooms from stove top and transfer into bowls. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve along side garlic bread, the perfect “dipper!”

Rub your belly and thank yourself for taking the shortcuts ;)

What are your favorite kitchen shortcuts?

Make it Monday – Amish-inspired apricot glazed turkey loaf

A few weeks back, the Mister and I headed out to Amish country with the Mister’s Mama and stepdad to look at…CRIBS! And while I’m sure you all find that topic positively thrilling, that’s not why I bring it up. I bring it up because the Amish know their food. After gorging myself on freshly baked bread, local vegetables and home-cooked turkey, I basically had to waddle out of the restaurant. But not before snatching this…

Apricot jam. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, I just knew I had to have it. I mean, just look how much fun Mrs. Miller is having on the front! At the very least, I figured I’d be having lots of bread. And you all know that’s no problem for me ;)

But I was determined to create a dish that made this jam DANCE! And then I spotted it — a gorgeous photo of marmalade glazed meatloaf. It was then that I knew I would create a similar dish with my apricot jam. After reviewing several recipes (and consulting my original turkey meatloaf), here’s what I came up with:

You’ll need

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup egg beaters
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons Apricot Jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan.

Combine turkey, oatmeal, onion, garlic, parsley, egg beaters, 1/4 cup of the ketchup, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Take off your  jewelry. Now mash it up with your hands – don’t be shy! I actually find this part to be stress- relieving. Make sure you get all ingredients incorporated.

Transfer mixture to loaf pan, patting the top to make it smooth.

Mix together remaining ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Apricot Jam and spread over meatloaf.

Bake until meat is not longer pink, about 55 to 60 minutes, or when an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F.

Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.

This dish serves only 4, so make sure you cut yourself a nice big slice ;)

Look at me! Once afraid of meatloaf! This really goes to show that anyone can overcome foodie fears or apprehension.

As much as I’d love to show my final product, I don’t want to turn you off from making it.

Seriously. No matter what I do, I just cannot seem to get meatloaf to photographwell! Turst me, If I showed you my photo you… hmmm I just won’t go there. Anyway, here’s a professional photo, so just imagine this is what mine looked like:

Delicious, no? Go make this meatloaf and I promise you’ll feel like a domestic goddess.

Have you overcome any foodies fears that you now currently enjoy?

Daily Delish – Giant Soup

OK, people, I know I tend to exaggerate. In fact, many times the Mister simply refuses to believe my “tales.” I mean come on, though — adding some fun details never hurts, right? ;)

But this time, my friends? I am NOT exaggerating.

This time, I’ll even attempt to under-exaggerate. Fair?

OK.

Yesterday I received the biggest bowl of soup I’ve EVER seen. It contained at least a 1/4 gallon of broth. And probably a half pound of pasta.

Take a look at the evidence:

What you can’t see:

How high the bowl was (about 6 inches)

My head (it would be good to see for scale, as the soup bowl was bigger than it)

VeggieGirl, giggling in the background

I’m pretty sure I had to hobble out of the restaurant – and I only ate about 1/4 of it!

If you want to drown yourself too, head over to Pacific East and order the chicken udon soup (I chose the buckwheat noodles, fyi)

Where were you served the biggest portion of food you ever tried to eat?

Make it – Gazpacho – The Perfect Summer Soup

I’m BACK!

Didja miss me?

I have so many lovely updates and photos to share, but first – a recipe!

Just the other day I was out and about with my mom when a craving hit. SOUP. I needed it. Preferably with an enormous slab of bread and butter.

I braced the 90 degree heat and walked to one of my favorite spots for lunch downtown. As my chicken soup was presented, I snatched my saltines and began crunching the perfect accompaniment to my favorite soup.

About 30 seconds later, after I started sweating through my shirt and feeling like I was at death’s door (apparently I’m going to hell), I realized my mistake. Why I didn’t think of it sooner we’ll never know — chalk it up to the fact that when I’m thinkin’ “food,” logic goes out the window. How unfortunate for me.

Unable to finish my beloved soup I chugged a glass of ice water and picked up a smoothie on my way back to the office.

If only there was a COLD soup! I thought angrily.

Duh.

The Perfect Summer Gazpacho – Serves 4

You’ll need:

  • 2 cucumbers, diced
  • 3 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups tomato juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Tabasco
  • Crusty Bread
  • 1 Avocado (cubed)

Combine veggies in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except bread and avocado). Mix well.  Add half the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Combine puree with original mixture. Chill for 4 hours.

Serve with crusty bread (or tortilla chips!) and garnish with avocado. Enjoy!

Do you like Gazpacho soup? What recipe do you use?

Daily Delish – Yummy skewers

Today’s dinner was just the way I like it – easy and delicious!

Chicken and vegetable skewers with Maui marinade. Marinade is basically pineapple juice, ginger and a bit of soy sauce.

Isn’t it crazy how much you can change up the taste of chicken with a simple marinade? I often make the same thing but with BBQ sauce – so tasty!

What is your favorite marinade? Feel free to link back to recipes!

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