Turkey Sausage Pasta with Feta cheese

1 pk. Turkey Sausage (about 1- 1 1/2 lb.)

2 cups Broccoli

1 Yellow squash (quartered)

2 bell peppers (your choice)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 pk. bow tie pasta (cook accordingly)

some fresh thyme

Slice all your veggies, meanwhile brown sausage in a large saute pan, cook pasta 

& add broccoli florets during the last minute.

This was my first time using Jennie-O Turkey sausage and I must say it was pretty tasty :)

Once sausage browns add red onion (cook about 2mins)... followed by the yellow squash
& bell peppers (cook until tender) .

 

Lastly add cooked pasta with broccoli to the sausage & veggie mixture!

Combine the thyme & feta cheese.. I know what your thinking FETA CHEESE?? Yes feta cheese in a warm pasta dish! It added a nice tangy flavor and brightened up the whole dish. We all had seconds & ate the leftovers the following day... even my picky fiance ate his veggies & added more cheese ;)

Easy & light..

ENJOY!!

"Greek Style" Kale Salad

 

Dear Fellow Readers, I'm back!! 

Yay! Ok so I've been gone for over 2 months.. yes I got engaged & I have NO EXCUSE other then I've been in "LA-La land" fantasizing about my future.. still no excuse!!!

 Anyhow, Let's talk Kale... which is known for its rich content in vitamins & nutrients.

I've never tried kale before & was curious about its texture, taste, etc... I'm familiar with all the varieties in ways you can cook kale. For example in salads, soups, sauteed or juiced. I decided on a salad, why? Because you get the most nutrients out of raw vegetables. 

It went from there & it slowly became a Greek style salad with the tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese & the balsamic vinaigrette. I must add... I'm now a KALE fan & you should be too!!

RECIPE:

1/2 to 1 head of Kale

1/2 container of Baby tomatoes

couple slices of red onion

3-4 small cucumbers

Crumbed feta cheese

for the Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 Tb of oregano, salt & pepper... Mixed together! Store leftovers in the refrigerator!

 Begin by striping the stem off the kale leaves & shred the leafs (to your desired size)... wash & dry! Add all the veggies.. Make vinaigrette, serve top with feta cheese & drizzle with Balsamic vinaigrette.

 Its so simple, filling & very taste.

ENJOY!!

Spinach & Mushroom stuffed Chicken Breast

I keep looking at my final product & it looks amazing!!! I took a total of 23 pictures for this dish, I narrowed it down to the most detailed.

As I walk you through this recipe, you'll probably say "I can do this".. which you can!!

As I googled stuffed chicken breast recipes (containing spinach & mushrooms) I found many asked for breadcrumbs, cheese & other ingredients... So I decided to try it my way, omit the other ingredients & simply stuff these with spinach, mushrooms, a small amount of cheese & (onion/ garlic for flavor).

RECIPE:

3 Chicken Breast

about half a small container of mushrooms (chopped)

1 1/2 cup of spinach (tightly packed)

1/4 onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (minced)

some cheese (mozzarella)

Begin by heating up a large skillet, add some olive oil, saute onion & garlic (3 minutes), add mushrooms (3mins), lastly add your spinach & stir to combine... season mixture with salt & pepper. Taste & adjust seasonings if needed. Turn off, set mixture aside.

Butterfly your chicken breast (open up) I'm not sure I knew what I was doing here... but I opened them up & placed them in a ziplock (1 at a time) & banged them with a wine bottle to flatten out.

Next.. divided your spinach mixture into 3 parts or how ever many your making... spoon in equal portions onto middle section of the breast, sprinkle with a small amount of cheese.

Roll on one side & then over lap with the other side.. secure with at least 1 toothpick.. (Do your best)

Season with Salt & Pepper.. & heat up another large skillet. & PreHeat oven at 350!

Saute no more then 2 breast at one time.. or the won't brown (they will steam) about 4 mins per side, remove & place in your buttered or oil sprayed baking dish.. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 mins.

Meanwhile lets make a quick pan sauce!!

 Ingredients: 2 TB of butter, 2 TB of flour, 1/2 cup of chicken stock & 1/2 of white wine, salt & pepper (Halved cherry tomatoes *optional, I added these for fun)

In the same pan you sauteed your chicken breast, add the butter & flour... stir to combine, when butter melts & begins to evenly bubble.. add white wine & chicken stock.. reduce by half.. so pretty much keep stirring on a low simmer until the sauce reduces & thickens (enough to coat a spoon). Season w/ Salt & pepper.. taste! When I removed my chicken breasts from the oven I added the cherry tomatoes to the sauce & only cooked for 2 mins.

When you remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest for about 10 minutes...

So wait, don't cut into it just yet!

OK, now slice it.... keep it pretty...

Transfer each breast to your serving plate & spoon on the sauce, as much as you desire!! Seriously, the cherry tomatoes gave it such a fresh bite.. I really enjoyed them!!! This meal took us about 1 hr. tops.

Yes you dirty a couple dishes.. but the outcome is well worth the effort.

ENJOY!!

Fish Tacos

Tilapia Fish Tacos to DIE for <3

I love love love these tacos... one of my many favorite dishes! (OK, I say that alot... I like to eat) I made these last month.. Enjoy.

This is a family recipe.. not sure of its origin.. LOL

RECIPE:

1 to 1 1/2 lb. of Tilapia

Salt & Pepper

I cut the tilapia into strips.. because each strip with then be a perfect serving for the tacos.. You get about 4 strips per tilapia steak. Season fish with salt & pepper.

Beer Batter RECIPE:

3/4 cup beer (YOUR CHOICE)

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. Mustard

1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together to form a thick batter, almost like a pancake batter. Dip individual strips & Fry about 4-6 mins per side. Drain on a paper towel.

To make the Avocado salsa..

pretty much I combined diced avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, a splash of lime

& seasoned w/ salt & pepper.

Other toppings: Shredded Cabbage, spicy salsa & cream sauce...

Click link below for Mexican slaw recipe, that also compliments these tacos!

http://shesohungry.blogspot.com/2012/11/cabbage-slaw-latin-style.html

Cream Sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt & Pepper

Warm tortillas, add a layer of cream sauce, top with a strip of fish & garnish w/ other toppings...

ENJOY!!!!

Easy Lentil Soup

Lentils pack great nutritional value & many health benefits... great for you & the whole family!

Store well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. An additional tip: when my daughter was a baby, I stored lentil soup in mini glass containers in the freezer.. why?? Who has time to make something healthy 24/7 & it's a better option then store bought baby food. Below is my mom's recipe.

RECIPE:

2 Roma Tomatoes

1/4 chopped onion

1 minced garlic clove

1 cup of Dry Lentils

1 1/2 Tb of Salt 

Chop all ingredients...

Saute Garlic & Onion (2 mins.)

Add in chopped tomato & cook down until simmers..

Smash everything down with a potato smasher... Season with salt & add lentils..

Fill your pot 3/4 the way up.. Remember Lentils expand & absorb water..

Cook for 45 mins. on a low simmer..

Taste & maybe adjust seasonings.. add a splash of Lime juice!

ENJOY!

Hard Shell Turkey Taco's

A healthier alternative to my favorite fast food... TACO BELL!

Picked up Ground Turkey, Whole wheat hard shells & made a fresh salsa.

RECIPE:

1 lb. ground Turkey meat

8 Hard shells (whole wheat)

1 pk. Taco Seasoning (less sodium)

Your favorite fresh salsa

Ice burg lettuce (chopped)

Cheddar Cheese

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet, add the taco seasoning & water (instructions on package)..

make a simple salsa or Pico de Gallo..

add an Habanero pepper for a KICK!!!!

Assemble the tacos.. meat, lettuce (not pictured) , cheese & top with fresh salsa!

Easy enough...

After he <3 ate his tacos.. I told him it was turkey & whole wheat shells.. haha! He said it was good!

ENJOY!!!

Roasted (no oil) Chicken Breasts

Something different... I'm on a health craze & began P90X... so I'll try to share some of my "healthy" dishes I prepare or what I consider to be healthy ;)

 

RECIPE:

3-4 Bone-in/ Chicken Breasts

1 cup (low sodium) Chicken Stock

1 Lemon (sliced)

6-7 Garlic cloves

Seasoning Salt

1 Tb dried Rosemary

Place chicken breast (bone side) down. Sprinkle seasoning salt all over.

With a small pairing knife stab each breast in slide in a whole garlic clove. Sprinkle with dried rosemary and place lemon slice on top. Pour chicken broth into dish, cover & roast for 45mins.

(Apparently it was so tasty I forgot to photograph the finished product) haha!

ENJOY!!

Zucchini Rice

Recipe:

1 cup Jasmine Rice

1 3/4 Water

1 Tb Salt

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 zucchini (grated)

 

PreHeat your favorite rice pan, add a bit of oil & saute garlic for about a minute. 

Add water & salt.. cover and bring to a boil.

Add rice & zucchini, cover. Cook for 15mins.

 

Enjoy!!

Brown Rice w/ Edamame (& Orange Chicken)

& Trader Joe's Frozen Orange Chicken....

 which is to die for! LOVE IT!

RECIPE:

1 cup of Brown Rice

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 cup frozen Edamame

Cook orange chicken according to packaged directions. (I cut the pieces in half).. I also made sure to brown the chicken pieces well.. for a crunchy bite.

For the rice. In your favorite rice pan.. heat up olive oil, add garlic & saute for 2 mins, add water (amount depending on rice, the bag usually states amounts), 1 TB salt. When water comes to a boil add rice, cover, cook for 35 mins.. open & pour in edamame (incorporate with a fork) cover & cook for remaining 10 mins. Rice should cook for a total of 45 mins.



SERVE...



ENJOY!!