Roasted Mediterranean Shrimp with Artichokes, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

Roasted Mediterranean Shrimp with Artichokes, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

This delicious shrimp dish comes together in 15-20 minutes and I have made it in the oven, but it would also work in a grill pan on the barbecue.  You quickly marinate the vegetables in olive oil, oregano, garlic and lemon, and toss them onto a baking sheet and roast in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the bottom.  In the same bowl you marinated the vegetables, add the shrimp and toss to coat with the remaining marinade ingredients.  Remove the vegetables from the oven and turn over and then scatter the shrimp on top and continue roasting for another 6-8 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked almost all the way through.  Sprinkle feta cheese and fresh oregano over the top and you have a healthy, quick and delicious meal in less than 30 minutes!   Click here for the recipe….

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Bahn Mi Sandwich

Bahn Mi Sandwich

I love all the flavors in this Vietnamese sandwich with the sharp-sweet bite of the pickled onions and carrots and the crunch of the fresh cucumbers.  They all work together to make this a fabulous sandwich.  You make ground pork patties with cilantro, basil, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, onion, and sriracha, and grill them or sauté until cooked through.  I lightly grilled the bread and made a sriracha mayonnaise spread to put on the sandwich along with fresh cilantro and the onions, carrots and cucumbers.   You could also use ground turkey or beef for the patties.  The crunch of the vegetables and and the spicy, juicy patty are a great combo.  I like to make a large batch of the pickled onions and keep them in the refrigerator to add to salads, hamburgers, and sandwiches.  Click here for the recipe….

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Riley is 3!

Construction Theme Birthday Party for Riley

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It’s such a cliche’ but it is so true…. where does the time go?  Hard to believe Riley is now 3 and it is so much fun to watch him grow and learn.  I had a family birthday party for him and since he loves anything to do with large construction vehicles, I wanted to make his party about that.  I got a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and made a banner, some caution birthday cones, printed out some napkin rings and gathered all of his construction vehicle toys and put them on the table and even on the cake.  I bought several rolls of caution tape and put it all over, and borrowed some construction signs from a friend to announce the theme of the party as everyone arrived and had their pictures taken at the door.  Riley chose his birthday cake on Pinterest and that made it easy for me to replicate.  I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did making it for him. Click here for the free printables and recipes….

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Korean BBQ Kalbi Beef

Korean BBQ Kalbi Beef

I was inspired to make this dish after watching Judy Joo on the Cooking Channel.  I have been to Korea several times and loved walking through the markets and seeing the large baskets piled high with fresh peeled garlic, the huge variety of chile powders, dried shrimp, fish and all the ceramic pots filled with the many kinds of kimchi or pickled vegetables that are eaten at most meals.  I found a lot of the food was a little too spicy for me and wanted to make it at home where I could maybe control some of the heat.  I was in Seattle shopping at my favorite Asian store – Uwajimaya and was able to pick up all the ingredients I needed like gochujang – Korean chile paste, doenjang – Korean fermented soy bean paste, mirin – a Japanese rice wine because I was almost all out and Asian pears. These products keep for a while in the refrigerator so you can experiment with other Korean recipes.  It’s an easy dish to make because you make a marinade with grated Asian pear to tenderize the meat, soy, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, and sesame oil and marinate the Korean short ribs overnight or an hour, and grill them quickly.  You make the Ssam Jang Sauce which has the chile and soy bean paste along with toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, garlic and green onions, make some rice, and wash some lettuce leaves to wrap everything in and you have a fairly quick and healthy dinner that is exploding with flavor.  Click here for the recipe….

 

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Lebanese Chicken – Chicken Tawook

Lebanese Chicken – Chicken Tawook

I had this chicken at a Lebanese restaurant and it was delicious with the strong lemon, garlic, and sweet subtle spice flavor and wanted to make it at home.  I combined several recipes together and it is delicious.  It starts with a yogurt base with allspice, cardamom, oregano and cinnamon and a lot of acid with the lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Marinate the chicken for a few hours and then you can grill or sauté it and finish it in a hot oven.  I served it over an orzo pilaf with onion, celery, red pepper and cherry tomatoes. You can also cut the chicken in 1-inch cubes and make shish kebabs and thread it on metal skewers and alternate with onion and red or green peppers.  Click here for the recipe….

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Scallops and Mango Wrapped with Prosciutto with a Dill Cream Glaze

Scallops and Mango Wrapped with Prosciutto with a Dill Cream Glaze

These appetizers are so good with the sweetness of ripe mango and scallops and the salty prosciutto for balance.  I like to buy frozen scallops and thaw them myself.  That way, I know they are fresh and have not been sitting on ice at the store.  You can also use papaya instead of the mango.  I try to make a little assembly line and then put the skewer through them so I can make them quickly.  You can make the scallops the day before, and make the dill sauce the day before, but brush it on right before you broil them.  If you have longer skewers, wrap the ends with foil so they won’t burn under the broiler or grill.  Click here for the recipe….

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Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce

 

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a traditional British pudding (dessert).  It is decadent, rich, sweet, caramelly (is that a word?!) and a very moist cake made with dates.  You chop dates and macerate them in brandy, rum or hot water and allow them to reconstitute while you make a basic cake batter and mix the cooled dates into the cake.  While it is baking, you make a caramel.  After it has baked, you poke holes all over the top and drizzle the caramel over the entire cake and allow it to absorb all the gooey caramel and then serve it with some whipped cream.  Can’t go wrong with a recipe like that!  Click here for the recipe….

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Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

This is a low calorie version of Eggplant Parmesan and it doesn’t sacrifice any taste or gooey browned cheese finish.  I set up a breading station with flour (with garlic powder and oregano mixed in), egg whites, and panko bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.  Place the eggplant slices on a baking tray and spray with some olive oil and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove the eggplant slices to an oven proof baking dish and cover with good quality store bought marinara sauce and sprinkle low fat mozzarella cheese over and bake for 20 minutes.  Add fresh basil if you have some and serve.  I roasted some green beans in the oven while the Eggplant Parmesan was cooking and it made a great vegetarian and low calorie meal.  It was 4 WW points.  Click here for the recipe….

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Reece’s Peanut Butter Cookie Bites

Reece’s Peanut Butter Cookie Bites

These Reece’s Peanut Butter Cookie Bites are really moist and there is chocolate and creamy peanut butter in every bite.  I made them for Valentine’s Day and put them in pretty little heart decorated paper cups and drizzled white and pink chocolate over the tops.  A great little gift for your peanut butter loving Valentine.  Click here for the recipe….

 

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Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

This coconut cream pie has tons of coconut flavor.  You make a custard with coconut cream and add toasted coconut to the custard and then sprinkle coconut curls, flaked coconut and white chocolate curls over the whipped cream topping.  Even the pie crust has coconut!  I decided to make another level of taste and brushed the baked and cooled pie shell with a chocolate ganache, but if you are a coconut pie purist, you can omit this (but who would want to!).  Click here for the recipe….

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