Blender Pesto

Here's a quick and easy way to use up any extra basil leaves you might have hanging around the house.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic

Add all ingredients to blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

Morrocan-Spiced Bulgur and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/3 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1/2 cup matchstick cut carrot
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 tsp fresh chopped mint
• 1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, drained

In a large bowl combine boiling water and bulgur; let stand 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. In a separate bowl combine first five ingredients (lime juice through pepper).

Add carrots and juice mixture to bulgur and toss well to coat. Cover and chill. Enjoy!

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

I've posted a recipe before for my Tomato Herb and Goat Cheese Tarts so when I came across this recipe I wasn't really sure whether it would be good enough to post. Yes it looked easy but would it be as tasty? I have to say that it was quite tasty and is a great alternative when people get sick of the other goat cheese and tomato tarts.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard (or if you are like me Trader Joe's Hot and Sweet Mustard)
• 10 large fresh basil leaves
• 20 Campari tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Place puff pastry on a baking sheet and perforate with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove pastry from oven and let cool.

Brush mustard over entire surface of tart. Lay basil leaves on top and then cover with tomato halves. Crumble goat cheese over tomatoes. Season with pepper if desired and then drizzle with olive oil. Bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Quick and Easy Bean Dip

Saturday mornings I teach a nutrition class for families. We start with a 45 minute nutrition lesson, followed by 45 minutes of physical and ending with a cookign demonstration and sampling. This recipe is one of the recipes that we use during the program and I am always surprised by how well it goes over with the families and just how easy it is to throw together.

Ingredients

• 1 15oz can of low-sodim black beans
• 1 4 1/2oz can chopped green chiles
• 2 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Baked tortilla chips

Mix beans, chiles, green onions in a medium pan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes or until warmed throughout. Sprinkle cilantro on top of bean mixture and serve with baked tortilla chips.

The Best Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich Ever

When I was visiting one of my friends she made me quite possibly the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had. In my family we always had grilled cheese sandwiches from our sandwich maker. Quick, easy and in my opinion, the best grilled cheese sandwich ever. Until I tried this one.

Ingredients

• sourdough bread
• Trader Joe's Hot and Spicy Mustard
• Cheese (English cheddar works really well
• Sliced Ham
• butter or margarine

Butter the outsides of two slices of sourdough bread. On the inside of the bread, spread hot and spicy mustard and cover with slices of cheese and ham. Heat frying pan or griddle over medium heat until warm. Place sandwich, butter side down on frying pan/griddle. Let sit two minutes, then flip. Cook two minutes more or until both sides are browned and cheese has melted. Enjoy.

Home Made Tortillas

I can't for the life of me remember where I found this tortilla recipe. I know it was on the Internet somewhere but it was one of those days when I really wanted to make something bready and had very few ingredients in the house. Being afraid of yeast knocked out the majority of bread products until I found this tortilla recipe. No yeast, four ingredients everyone usually has in the house and they are made so quickly, what more was there to think about? In fact the ingredient list has been on a post-it note on the inside of my cabinet ever since.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (I use regular all-purpose flour but I've heard Maseca makes better tortillas)
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil, I use canola but you could also use vegetable
• 1 tsp salt

In a medium sized bowl add flour, water, oil and salt. Mix until dough forms. Knead for a few minutes until dough is elastic. Place frying pan on stove and heat over medium heat. Separate dough into 18 small balls. Roll dough balls out until 1/4 inch thick. Place uncooked tortilla in frying pan and cook for 90 seconds. Flip tortilla. Cook for an additional 90 seconds or until both sides are white and have light brown spots on them. Place on plate and continue until all 18 small tortillas are cooked. Enjoy.


**As a person who usually cooks for one I like to make this recipe a little smaller. I use 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup water, eye-ball 1/3 of a 1/3 cup for the oil and add a pinch of salt. This makes approximately 6 small tortillas.

Pumpkin Soup with Chickpeas

This is one of my favorite fall recipes. Not only is it easy to throw together but it is so tasty. In Donna's version she roasts a fresh pumpkin and then purees it in the food processor with some of the stock. I prefer to save myself a little time and effort by using canned pumpkin puree. Either way, this is one delicious soup to enjoy on a cold fall evening.

Adapted from Donna Hay's Off The Shelf

Ingredients

• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 4-6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed

Add oil, onions, and cumin to a medium pot and over medium heat cook until softened. Add mustard and honey, stir until combined. Add pumpkin puree and stock. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas. Enjoy!

Herbed Ricotta Spread

I'm usually not a fan of cheese but when it comes to ricotta all bets are off! Ricotta is great to spread on a sandwich instead of mayo, tastes delicious stuff inside of pasta shells, and for this dish mixed with a herbs and spread over crostini.

Herbed Ricotta Spread

• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (dill, parsley, chives, mint or a combination of any of these)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Spread over crostini/crackers or serve as a dip for vegetables. Enjoy!

Easy Appetizers

White Beans, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Basil Bites

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 8 fresh basil leaves, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch strips
  
• 3 tablespoons drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  
• fresh lemon juice
  
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• 1/2 cup white beans
  
• Carr's roasted garlic and herb table water crackers
  
• 2 oz ricotta salata cheese, coarsely grated

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until pale golden. Add basil. When leaves are wilted and crispy, add sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and pepper to taste. Add beans and cook until warmed through.

Arrange crackers on serving tray. Spoon 1 tbsp of tomato bean mixture on each cracker, top with grated ricotta salata and serve.




Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey

• Carr's table water crackers
  
• 4 oz artisanal-quality blue cheese at room temperature
  
• 3 tbsp lavender honey

Arrange crackers on work surface. Divide cheese onto crackers and drizzle with honey. Arrange crackers on serving tray and serve.

Honey Rosemary Lamb Sandwich

If you feel like reminiscing over sloppy joes this is the perfect adult twist on the old childhood favorite. Easy to make and even more delicious to eat it's also perfect for a cool fall evening.

• 1 1/2 lbs ground lean lamb
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 can tomato puree
  
• 1/4 cup honey
  
• 1 tsp rosemary
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• sandwich rolls
  
• goats cheese
  
• spinach

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the lamb. Add onion and garlic, stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients (through salt and pepper) and cook for 10 minutes. Serve on a roll with goat cheese and spinach.

Allie's Hot Artichoke Dip

• 1 can artichokes, slices
  
• 1/2 cup mayo
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350F until bubbly and brown. Serve with wheat thins, bread, or other whole grain crackers.

French Toast

The beauty of Thanksgiving is waking up on Black Friday and finding the kitchen full of leftovers. The sliced baguette that was perfect for our appetizers yesterday, is even better for french toast today! This recipe is a guesstimate of what I usually use because honestly it is usually just thrown together by eye. If you have a lot of leftover bread, add another egg; only a little, stick to what is below.

• day old sliced baguette, the harder the better
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
  
• sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired

Turn griddle on to medium heat. Whisk together egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Immerse baguette slices in liquid mixture until coated. Place on griddle. Cook until golden, flipping once. Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon and Herbed Goat's Cheese Toasts

Happy Thanksgiving! This is a slight twist on a dish my family enjoys every holiday season. Usually we spread cream cheese on melba toasts topped with smoked salmon and dill. I'm not sure which one I prefer but both are absolutely delish!

• baguette
  
• goats cheese
  
• fresh dill
  
• zest of 1 small lemon
  
• sliced smoked salmon

Turn oven on to broil. Slice baguette on the diagonal, place on baking sheet and toast in oven until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Mix goats cheese with fresh dill and zest of 1 lemon, to taste. Spread over toasted baguette slices. Add smoked salmon on top.

Enjoy!

Crema de Coliflor (Cream of Cauliflower Soup)

This recipe is the first one I have made out of my Sopas y Guisados cookbook that I bought last summer when I was living in Mexico. After two months of delicious soups I just had to have a cookbook so I could relive a little bit of Mexico after I returned to the US. I just can't believe it has taken me this long to try one out. Although the creamy whiteness of the soup isn't visually stimulating, the flavor is unbelievable.


Crema de Coliflor

• 1 head of cauliflower
  
• olive oil
  
• 3 cups vegetable broth
  
• 1 cup nonfat milk
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cauliflower into small florets. Place in a large soup pot and drizzle with olive oil. Cook over medium heat, approximately 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft. Turn off the heat and let cool. Add milk and stir to mix. Liquidize in batches in a blender until smooth. Reheat and serve.

Caprese Salad

Easy Peasy Caprese! If I were to pack a lunch today I would have made myself this salad. I had some leftover tomatoes and basil from yesterday's dip, so why not. It's both flavorful and refreshing.

Caprese Salad

• Tomatoes
  
• Fresh Basil Leaves
  
• Fresh Mozzarella
  
• Olive Oil
  
• Balsamic Vinegar

1. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer tomato slices and mozzarella with a basil leaf. Drizzle with olive oil and a shake of balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Today's lunchbox consists of a few snacks as I will be going out to lunch with my coworkers:

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt with 2 tsp flax seed and 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Gala Apple

Kashi Granola Bar - Honey, Almond, Flax Seed

Vegetarian Moroccan Couscous

Today's lunchbox has a melange of items I found in my kitchen:

Lentil salad with salmon patty

Kashi Granola Bar - honey almond flax

1/2 cup yogurt with 2 tsp flax seed and 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Celery sticks with crunchy natural peanut butter

After raiding my pantry I realized I had a box of couscous that I haven't touched in the past month. So today I present to you an adapted Barefoot Contessa recipe. It seemed like an easy dish to throw together with the ingredients I have on hand and the leftovers will be a perfect little something extra to take to work for lunch tomorrow.

4 tbsp butter/margarine
3/4 cup chopped shallots
3 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted*
1/4 cup currants

Melt the butter/margarine in a medium pot, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the vegetable stock. Raise the heat until the stock is boiling, add the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let the couscous sit for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and currants, stir and serve.


*To toast any nuts place in a medium frying pan over medium heat, stir constantly until golden.

ADDENDUM
This is a super easy dish to throw together. However since it is very midly flavored I suggest you pair it with an entree that has a lot of flavor.

Dessert Wraps

You didn't think I would flee the country before giving you another recipe, did you? Well of course not, this is NaBloPoMo! So before I leave I thought I would wrap it up with a recipe that I would like to try. Coming to you straight from the food network this dessert wrap sounds like it would be absolutely delicious. Even a modified version of the recipe below with items you have on hand at home would be good too!

Tortilla Dessert Wraps
1/2 cup almond paste
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut flakes
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat a grill to low.
Spread almond paste evenly on each tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 of the marshmallows and 1/4 of the chocolate chips and 1/4 of the coconut on half of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and wrap in heavy-duty foil; seal tightly. Grill over low heat until heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove foil and place on a plate. Garnish with fresh sweetened whipped cream or prepared whipped topping. Serve vanilla ice cream on the side.

Mexican Wrap

With the weather so cold outside I decided it was time to head south of the border. I guess, technically, this wrap could also be called a burrito. Just heat it up in the microwave for a 30 seconds before eating, serve with salsa, and you are ready for a lunchtime pick me up.

In my Mexican Wrap: whole wheat tortilla, black beans, diced tomatoes (with the seeds removed to prevent soggy-wrap-syndrome) and lots of fresh cilantro. Other ingredients to consider for your wrap: drained canned corn, rice, lettuce, avocado, chiles, chicken/steak/pork, cheese, etc.

In the lunch box:

Mexican Wrap

Granny Smith Apple

Baby Carrots

Plain Hummus

1/2 cup yogurt with 2 tsp flax seed and 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Kashi Granola Bar - peanut butter

Chinese Wrap

In the lunchbox:

Chinese Wrap with a side of teriyaki sauce

Grapes

Kashi Granola Bar - peanut butter

Carrots with hummus

Sadly it is now 2:30pm and all those items are still in the lunchbox. A little nausea this morning combined with errands to run at lunch means I didn't get around to eating anything. Although I am considering getting the carrots and hummus out right now.

As for the chinese wrap, it was super simple to throw together. Just dry stir fry* some veggies (eggplant, enoki mushrooms, and bok choy) with a little bit of ginger, wrap it up in a whole wheat tortilla and you're ready to go! For a little kick I added a side of teriyaki sauce to drizzle on my wrap when I finally get around to eating it.




*Make sure to skip the sauces and seasonings so you don't have a soggy wrap at lunch time. If you simply cannot stir fry without them either pack your stir fry separate from your wrap and wrap right before you eat or drain your stir fry before wrapping making sure to line your wrap with some sort of lettuce or spinach.

Tuna Salad Wrap

Against the advice of one of my friends I have decided to bring tuna for lunch today. My favorite tuna salad comes from Coral Tree Cafe where they mix it with celery, jicama, olive oil and white wine vinegar. This is one of the only places that I know of that makes their tuna without mayonnaise, perfect for a person with a mayo-aversion.

Unfortunately I didn't have any jicama to include in my tuna so I just added some sliced celery for crunch. I also lined my whole wheat tortilla with lettuce so that I wouldn't be faced with a soggy wrap at lunch.

As for the rest of my lunch, here's what's in the box today:

Tuna Salad Wrap

Grapes

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, 2 tsp flax seed, 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Baby Carrots

Kashi Granola Bar - trail mix