Pizza Margherita

Pizza, pizza, pizza...who doesn't love it, right? I know we sure do. It's probably the number one food enjoyed in my house. Like many American families we have pizza almost every week. So, I try to mix things up by making different types. This time of year, pizza margherita is in heavy rotation around here since we always have an abundance of fresh tomatoes and basil. If there is such a thing a summertime pizza, this is it!

Just a thin coating of the tomato sauce...too much here makes for a messy pizza.


Add the cheese and tomatoes on top. My husband actually prefers this without the fresh tomato slices, so feel free to omit.


Fresh out of the oven...how good does that look?


Mmmmmmmm....pizza!


Ingredients:

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough

1 14-ounce can peeled whole San Marzano (such as Cento or Muri Glen) tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
8 - 10oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced (optional)
large basil leaves, torn into pieces

Directions:

Set a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°, allowing at least 30 minutes for the stone to heat. Pulse the canned tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stir in the oregano and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sugar and season with salt and pepper.
On a lightly floured surface, stretch out ball of dough and transfer to a floured pizza peel, adding flour where the dough sticks. Brush olive oil all around the edge of the dough.

Spread the tomato sauce over the dough to within 1 inch of the edge. Lay the cheese slices over the pizza and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the fresh tomato slices on top of the cheese and slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. Scatter the basil on top and let stand for 3 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Food and Wine

Lemon Cheesecake Cheese Ball

Need a quick, easy and totally delicious appetizer or dessert idea? Then consider this very, VERY yummy lemon cheesecake cheese ball.

I found this on Annie's Eats and made it for a light dessert after dinner this week. It was enjoyed by the entire family and earns extra points in my book because it is made ahead of time.

If my cheese ball looks a little small that's because it is. I used half a brick of cream cheese (which I had leftover from another recipe) but it was not nearly enough. Definitely go with an entire 8 or 10 oz of cream cheese.


I loved how this tasted with the fresh fruit. The crisp, tart granny smith apple slices goes especially well with the creamy, sweet cream cheese.



Ingredients:

8 or 10 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened
2½ tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 graham crackers

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together with a spoon or spatula until well combined and smooth. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball, wrapped tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours. Reshape if necessary once firm.
Finely crush the graham crackers in a food processor and transfer the crumbs to a plate or bowl. Roll the cheese ball in the crumbs until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Kirstin Jackson for NPR

Chopped Greek Salad with Cannellini Beans

Summer is officially here and boy does it feel like it!! Several times in the past week, the temperture gauge in my car was recording the outside temperature at 100 degrees or higher!!

Needless to say, I have been making a lot of no cook meals and this salad was something I put together the other day. I wanted a Greek salad and decided to add cannellini beans to give it a little more substance. The beans are loaded with protein and fiber, plus they are naturally low in fat. I also used reduced fat feta to keep this salad on the lighter side. The results? A tasty, light yet filling salad.

After chopping everything up, the assembly is a snap!


Light and healthy....this makes for a great lunch.


Ingredients
Serves 2

4 cups of torn romaine lettuce
1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 14.5oz can white beans, drained and rinsed (like Great Northern or cannellini)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved if large (I omitted)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, onion, parsley,feta cheese and olives (if using). In another small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. Add dressing and mix gently, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place torn romaine on a large plate, top with bean mixture.

Source: Chef Mommy

Onion Rings- Baked or Fried

Ever get a craving for something out of the blue and then all you can think about is that food? Well, that's what happened to me earlier this week. Out of the blue, I got a crazy craving for ONION RINGS!

I don't even know the last time I had onion rings. It was probably a year ago or longer and I'm sure I had them at some chain restaurant like, Red Robin. What I had never done was make them myself. So I started looking online and ran across a recipe on AllRecipes.com that sounded good to me and had very high ratings.

I modified it a bit and am very, very happy with the results. I used ground up Panko and added a bit of paprika for color and flavor. The original recipe called for frying but I also ended up baking half the batch to make them a bit healthier.

These turned out crispy and tasted fantastic! They were a huge hit with my husband and kids. I've included both baking and frying directions below. The only other thing I will do next time is to double the recipe. We quickly gobbled these up and really wanted some more.

The baked onion rings. They certainly aren't as pretty as the fried ones but taste wise, they were very close. I will definitely make these again baked and save myself a lot of fat and calories.

After the rings are dipped into the floured batter they are placed on a wire rack to drain. Wax paper placed underneath helps keep things tidy.

I recently found this great product at my local grocery store. Up until now, if I wanted a non-propellant olive oil spray I would use my Misto. However, I often had trouble getting an even stream if I didn't pump it enough and that is why I love this Filippo Berio spray. No pumping required and it sprays beautifully every time!

The only thing missing from these onion rings was a yummy dipping sauce...next time.


Ingredients

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs, finely ground
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable or canola oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a Ziploc bag, combine together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Add the onion slices into the Ziploc bag and shake until they are all coated; set aside.

3. Whisk the egg and milk together. Then add 1/2 of the flour mixture and whisk until all ingredients are combined.

4. Dip the floured rings into the floured batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil or wax paper for easier clean up.

5. Add the Panko bread crumbs, salt and paprika to a plate or shallow dish. Mix with a fork or hands till all ingredients are combined.

6. Place rings one at a time into the Panko mixture and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

To Fry:
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) or in a pan or dutch oven.
Carefully add the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt if desired, and serve.

To Bake:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Spray the pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Add the onion rings in a single layer. Spray the tops of the rings with additional oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turn rings and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and season with additional salt if desired and serve.

Source: Chef Mommy, adapted from AllRecipes.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Houston, we have a problem...my camera is broken :(

I'm not sure what happened exactly. My DSLR now has a small piece that chipped on the camera's body where the lens attaches. So, no pretty food pics (aka "food porn") in the meantime...boohoo

Luckily, I did manage to get these pictures before the camera accident. I found this recipe on Woman's Day and it's a really good one!



This simple pasta salad is what summer is all about. Ripe tomatoes,fresh basil, a little red onion, plus your favorite pasta all tossed in a light oil and vinegar dressing...YUM!! This makes a great side for a picnic lunch or other casual cook-out meal.

I had this with a simple turkey and cheese sandwich. I think next time, I'll add cubed grilled chicken or even mini fresh mozzarella balls and make it a compete meal by itself.


INGREDIENTS
3 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lb), coarsely chopped (3 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
12 oz fusilli pasta (or your favorite pasta)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

PREPARATION
1. Put tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl; toss. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or until tomatoes release their juices, tossing occasionally.

2. Cook pasta as package directs. Drain and add to bowl with tomatoes; lightly toss. Let come to room temperature. Add basil; toss. Serve or refrigerate up to 1 day.

Source: Woman's Day

POM Triple Berry Smoothie

Recently, the good people at POM Wonderful contacted me about sampling their product. I said sure...believe it or not, I had never tried pomegranate juice before. I was used to seeing those adorable POM bottles at my grocery store but never actually bought one. I just wasn't sure I would like how it tasted.

So, once my box of POM Wonderful juice arrived, I dived right in and gave it a try. The verdict...I didn't really like it "straight up". It was just too tart for me. I was bummed:( I really wanted to love it. Especially since pomegranate juice is loaded with antioxidants. I could certainly use the little health kick.

However, all was not lost. I quickly discovered that pomegranate juice is perfect for cooking. Just check out the POM Wonderful website for a ton of yummy and healthy recipes.

One of the first things I made was this smoothie. My son just had his tonsils and adenoids removed 2 weeks ago and he needed a break from all the ice cream he's (we) have been eating. This smoothie fit the bill perfectly. It was cool and totally refreshing. The slight tart taste of the pomegranate juice pairs really well with the sweeter strawberries and blackberries. We loved these and I've made it several times already. I've still got a bottle or two left of POM and will definitely be trying it in some other recipes soon.

Ingredients
Makes 2 servings.

6-7 ice cubes
6 ounces vanilla low fat yogurt (I like Dannon)
1/2 cup POM pomegranate juice
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions
Add all ingredients to blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Source: Chef Mommy, inspired by POM WONDERFUL

Fortune Cookies

I've been wanting to make fortune cookies for some time now. So, when I had chicken and vegetable stir-fry on the menu this week, I decided it was time to find a recipe and give it a try.

I looked through Tastespotting and found this recipe from Martha Stewart on several blogs. I also read over everyone's tips for making these, which was very, very helpful. The biggest tip is to only make 2 at a time (yes, it will take a while to make a complete batch). You will only have seconds with each cookie to shape, so making the entire batch all at once wouldn't work.

I wrote up cute little sayings that my son could read. Next time, I'll also include some with just a small picture for my daughter because she doesn't read yet.



The cookies continue to cool in the muffin pan which helps them keep their shape.


We loved how these cookies tasted...way better (fresher) than anything from your local take out place. However, my cookies never got completely crisp :( The center stayed a little soft. I don't think it's anything I did wrong, because I later read that others have had the same issue. I think I'll try this recipe next time. Overall, I considered these a success. We all loved them!



Ingredients
Makes about 15 cookies (this is 1/2 of the original recipe)

2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
Pour 1 tablespoon of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon into a thin 3.5-inch circle; repeat on the other half of the sheet.

Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (7-8 minutes).

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, or mug. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Beach Cupcakes (Recipe Re-Post)

It's really starting to feel like summer (almost officially here) thanks to the great weather we've been having lately. I know a lot of us will soon be heading to the beach so, I thought I would share these fun, beach inspired cupcakes. I made them last year for a little girl's birthday party and they were one of my first posts on this blog.

I had almost forgotten about them, but just recently Tasty Kitchen did a special section on cupcakes and highlighted my beach cupcakes in their post.

I do love these! They are so cute and the crushed graham cracker combined with the buttercream frosting tastes dynamite!!

Cuteness galore!!!

A close up of the little crabs and starfish.

and all those flip-flops!

All packed up and ready to go.


Ingredients:
This makes 12-14 cupcakes.

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup whole milk

1-1 1/4 cups vanilla buttercream frosting
1 cup finely ground cinnamon teddy graham crackers
fondant decorations (see here for instructions)
cocktail drink umbrellas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Set pan aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Apply frosting to cupcakes. I piped them with a #1 Wilton's tip. Then carefully dip each cupcake in the ground up graham crackers. Top with a fondant decoration and a cocktail umbrella.

Source: Cake- Unknown (sorry this was from my very early blogging days), Decorations- Chef Mommy

'Bella Asada (Veggie) Fajitas

Can I just tell you how excited I was to find this recipe on Hungry Girl...it's a delicious vegetarian fajita!

So many great things about this recipe:
1. It's low fat and low in WW points
2. It's easy and quick to make.
3. It tastes great!

And #4...it's gluten free and casein free!

I have a good friend who has 2 beautiful daughter. Her oldest daughter has autism and my friend has her on a gluten free/ casein free diet. The younger daughter will also be following the diet once she starts on solids and because of this my friend and her husband need to try to follow it as well. However, it can be so challenging... gluten and casein are in virtually everything!!

So, I was so happy to be able to post something that they could make too. I've added a GF/CF tab in my blog and hope to add more recipes in the future.

Look at all those beautiful veggies!


These corn tortillas from Trader Joe's are great. Only three ingredients (corn, lime and water) and no preservatives!


I added a little bit of shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese to my kid's fajitas. They weren't totally thrilled about a veggie only dinner.


Ingredients:
Makes 2 servings

1 tsp. olive oil
2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
3/4 cup sliced bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or green)
3/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. cumin
Dash black pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup roughly mashed avocado
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tbsp. lime juice
Six 6-inch corn tortillas

Directions:
Drizzle a large skillet with oil and bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Add sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion, and sprinkle with garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook for 6 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt. If you like, season to taste with chili powder. Mix well and set aside.

Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and warm slightly in the microwave. Top each tortilla with about 1/2 cup fajita veggies and a spoonful of the tomato-avocado mixture. Fold and chew!

WW POINTS: 5 (3 fajitas, half the recipe)

Source: Hungry Girl

Restaurant Style Salsa

I adapted this restaurant style salsa recipe from Pioneer Woman and must say that it tastes very good and very much like you would find in your local Mexican restaurant. The changes I made were minor and have to do with how much spice and liquid I like in my salsa. For me, I like salsa that is not too watery or spicy (I'm a wimp...I know).

So, first I drained the tomatoes and Rotel. PW's recipe says to keep all the juices but I think this would make the salsa way too watery, especially after pureeing when the tomatoes release even more liquid. I also removed the seeds from my jalapeno. The salsa was still a little spicy but my kids were able to eat it too.

My version of this recipe is below and for PW's original version, just click on the link in the bottom. Oh, one more thing...I only made 1/2 a batch, which yielded about 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

I know these chips look like Fritos but they are actually Trader Joe's corn chips. They are 4 WW points for 10 chips. If you are watching your weight you might want to stick with baked Tostitos, which are 2 points per serving.

I can't wait for my husband to come home and try this salsa...he is a bit of a salsa connoisseur.

Ingredients

1 can (14 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes ,drained
1 can (10 Ounce) Rotel , either mild or original
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 small clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/8 teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice

Directions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

WW Points= 0 (YAY!!!)

Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Shrimp and Asparagus Penne

Talk about quick dinner...this one is done in under 20 minutes...promise!

I whipped this up for dinner tonight. A day that was busy and fun but also tiring (those things always go hand in hand though, right?). I didn't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen tonight and this dish fit the bill perfectly.

Check out those plump shrimp...my husband loves, loves shrimp!!

This recipe is basically a simple shrimp scampi dish with fresh, seasonal asparagus added in. I personally love asparagus and think it works really well in this dish, both visually and taste wise. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. penne
2 cups asparagus, cut into 3 inch pieces (ends removed)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
3/4 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3-4 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the asparagus to the pot for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30-45 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the white wine and let simmer for 1 minute. Add the shrimp to the pan and season with the salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.
As soon as the pasta and asparagus are cooked, drain and add to the pan with the shrimp. Return the pan to the heat, add grated Parmesan cheese and toss till all ingredients are combined. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.

Source: Chef Mommy