Margerita Panini

I love grilling season. Unfortunatley, we can't grill every night in the summer. Sometimes we have to cook inside. Its a bummer because it makes the house hot, but oh well.

Tonight I'm going to make paninis. My step son calls them "bikinis" or "zuccinis" and my three year old insists they're "bananas". I don't know why:-)

This is a light, no meat panini recipe you can make with- or without- a panini press.

I use:
Foccacia bread
Fresh mozzarella slices
Fresh tomato slices
Red onion slices
Spinach or arugula
Pesto
Balsamic vinaigrette (or equal parts basamic and evoo)

The pesto and vinaigrette are for the bread. You can pile everything else on. Then cook it on medium in the press for about 5 minutes. If you don't have a press, you can wrap a brick in tin foil and press it in a pan on the stove (Thanks Rachel Ray... you are good for some things... lol) or you can broil them, open faced in the oven.

Enjoy your "bikinis" :-)

Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing

Busy Mama Recipes



I just made this for salad.  Goes great on wraps too!  SO yummy:-)

In a blender or food processor, combine:
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (It's good with parsley too- makes a "Green Goddess" dressing)
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large egg (or two smaller eggs)
1 tbs honey
1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper

Blend everything until smooth, then slowly pour in 1/4 cup oil.  Grapeseed or a mild oil works best- olive oil is a little strong for this one.

Homemade (Smokey Bacon) Bleu Cheese Dressing -Shop Local!

Bleu Cheese dressing is, without a doubt, my all time favorite salad dressing.  I love it.  I wish it were lower in calories, but I still get it when we go out to eat.  Because it's so fattening, I hardly ever make it at home unless we are having guests or taking it to a potluck or family dinner.

With that said, I absolutely despise when blue cheese dressing is like runny ranch with chunks of mild bleu cheese- it might as well be feta or something.  It drives me insane.  It also bothers me when people spell it "blue"... even though it's sort of correct- it's only in America:-)  Sometimes I need to be more fancy than that...

The key to good bleu cheese dressing is good cheese- duh.  My favorites have been Oregonzola, which is made by Rogue Valley Creamery in Southern Oregon.

I also love a kind called Smokey Blue, made by the same company (adding bacon to a smokey dressing recipe will be amazing on burgers or fries- it would be the hit of a BBQ potluck in the Summer).  

When I worked at Allyson's Kitchen, most of our cheeses (or bleu cheese, anyway) came from the Rogue Creamery.  Since Allyson's started in Ashland, Oregon, the business was supporting another local business.  Although Allyon's Kitchen is now closed, you can still purchase from Rogue Creamery by visiting their website- or going to a store that sells their product.  I would highly recommend it- the cheese is GREAT quality and world renowned- even winning at the World Cheese Awards in England last year. 

Of course, you can get all kind of cheese at your grocery store and other cheese stores.  I also don't like the kind at the store that comes crumbled.  It's worth it to buy a chunk or wedge and chop it yourself.  

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bleu cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup mayonaisse (I like to make my own, but store bought will last longer and is easier for most people, as they already have it in the fridge)
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
zest and juice of one lemon
salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 7 days.  For the Smokey Bacon Bleu Cheese dressing, just use Smokey Blue (or a different smoked bleu cheese; or just add smoked paprika to the original recipe) and add some cooked bacon crumbles.

Note:  You can adjust the amounts of mayo and buttermilk to make the dressing as thick as you would like it.  Making the cheese crumbles smaller or bigger will effect the thickness (small crumbles for a thicker, less chunky dressing).

Do not use an electric mixer in this recipe.  It will be fine at first but the dressing will thicken because of the mayo (eggs) and other ingredients.

One Week of Entrees MADE EASY

Normally I do a post about one recipe, but this one is different.  This is seven days of entrees (and a few easy side dishes) for a family of four.  Of course, because I hardly ever follow "recipes", these are more of guidelines.  If you replace ingredients in these recipes with other favorites, they will still taste great.

Busy Mama Recipes



First, start with your grocery list.  Some of this stuff, of course, you will already have in your fridge and pantry, so don't panic when you see how long it is.  For the entire week, you will need:

Two whole chickens
6 or 7 carrots
celery hearts
4 white onions
4 potatoes
2 lemons and 2 limes
2 large cans of whole, peeled tomatoes (Night 3)
cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch cilantro
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno
3 bunch green onions
rice (Night 5)
2 cans vegetable stock (Optional for Night 5, see alternative)
dry spices, salt, pepper
garnishes like sour cream, lemon wedges, salsa, parmesan cheese, and bread

Night #1: Roasted Chicken and veggies

In a large roasting pan, place both chickens, chopped carrots, celery, potatoes and onion (I have also added brussel sprouts and asparagus).  Rub the chicken with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.  Roast on 350, half an hour per pound, breast up.  The vegetables will serve as a side dish.

NOTE: Only eat one chicken, and save one.  One 6 pound chicken with a side should serve a family of four (two adults, two kids) for two nights.

Night #3

DO ONE DAY AHEAD: Pull the chicken off of the second chicken and chop.  You will have a great mix of white and dark meat.  Save this meat in the fridge for later.  Place the bones in a large stock pot and simmer to make chicken broth.  You can follow the directions from a previous blog post and simplify it by not adding all of the veggies if you don't have them on hand.

In a separate heavy bottom stock pot, follow the directions here to make tomato soup.  For the purpose of being quick and cheap, only use carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomato, stock, cream, basil, lemon juice and spices, along with other ingredients you may have on hand.

This should make about 3 quarts of soup.  If you serve it with bread and salad, you will have enough for two days.

NIGHT #5

This is a recipe that I "borrowed succesfully" from my aunt.  Thanks Angie! :-) It is delicious.  I modified mine a little.  I used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, although if I would have had time I would have done home made like she did, I was just out.  I also used a mix of white onion and green onion instead of sweet like she said, because that's what I had in my kitchen, and that's what I was using with the other meals I made this week.  I also added small diced carrots because I had a lot that I needed to get rid of.

With this series of recipes, you will use the chicken meat from the extra chicken you roasted earlier in the week.  You can use the two cans of veggie stock, like I did, or if you are feeling crafty, you can use the bones from the chicken to make chicken stock.  Follow her recipe here, but skip the part where you roast a chicken, since that part will already be done.

http://www.fitforintimacy.com/chicken-rice-soup-with-lime-cilantro/

This recipe should give enough for two nights as well.


NIGHT #6 or #7

Pasta Primavera!

The next recipe is vegetarian (because we always have a meatless day in our house;-))

Saute veggies in some olive or grapeseed oil.  I use carrots, celery, onion, red pepper, and anything you have left from the week.  Add some garlic and lemon zest and juice.  Sometimes I add butter to make it creamier, but it's not a necessity.

Boil noodles according to the package directions, and serve with the veggies and parmesan cheese.

Stewart helped me make "his" pasta.  It can be made into pasta salad, so if you have any of these ingredients, use them!  They would be delicious!

Good luck! :-)

FAT FREE Spicy Honey Mustard Dressing

This salad dressing is one of my favs - It keeps for a long time, it is fat free, and it is more than just salad dressing: it can be used as a dip or marinade too.


Here we go:


1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mustard (I prefer spicy, smooth dijon, but if you don't like it as spicy, yellow works too)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs dried terragon


Holy yum!

Key Lime Pie- Lime Custard Pie with White Chocolate Flakes

OMG, I know.  Today I am a piggy, because I can't stop thinking about desserts.  Ha.  Oh well.

Here is another recipe, this time LIME instead of lemon.  I like this pie because the layers are so different: Salty, tart, then sweet.  It's the perfect combination.

Crust:

3 cups graham crakers, crushed.
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 tbs unsalted butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Press into a nine inch pie plate.  NOTE: This crust should be thicker than a normal graham cracker crust.  It should also be less sweet.

Bake on 350 for 15 minutes

Custard:

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs flour
4 egg yolks
5 tbs lime juice
zest of three limes

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into the crust.  Bake on 350 for about 10-15 minutes, or until the filling is not runny and barely starting to brown.  Cool for at least one hour.

Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbs vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (Mexican Vanilla is the best for this recipe)

Whip together both ingredients until fluffy.  Spread over COOLED pie.

Top with grated white chocolate (this I had at a restaurant in Portland, I thought it was amazing!) and lime slices.  Serve chilled.

Pardon this closeup.  My dad (yes, my very mature dad) was giving this pie bunny ears.  Unfortunately, it's the only photo I have of it.  Oh well!

Shrimp and Bacon Florentine

Sorry I haven't been on here in forever... I know, how naughty of me:/  Oh well.  This will make up for it! Ha.

This is a recipe for some yummy shrimp I made a couple weeks ago.  I served it with a pasta primavera type dish and broccoli.

You'll need:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced OR 3 green onions, finely chopped
4  strips bacon
1/2 cup heavy cream
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Spinach cut into ribbons (or substitute basil leaves... but, then you can't call it "florentine" anymore)

Chop bacon and saute until it reaches your desired crunchy-ness.  Remove the bacon from grease to drain, but reserve the grease.

In the same pan, in 2 tbs of the bacon grease, saute the shrimp, shallots (if subbing green onions, don't add yet).

When the shrimp is done, add the cream.  Turn to medium low heat and stir often so it doesn't burn.  Add the remaining ingredients, including the bacon.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parmesan cheese.

For a Latin twist, you could sub lime for lemon, and add cilantro instead of basil or spinach.  Garnish with cotija cheese and serve with rice.

Chicken Tarragon Salad

I used to make a version of this at the cafe I worked at in Bend.  Unfortunately, that place has closed it's doors permanently:-(  I try to keep the memories alive by making the food often.  Problem is... I have to do them from memory, because I wrote very few down.  I was skeptical of this one, as I'm not a huge fan of fruit and meat together, but I was proved wrong.  This was one of our customer's favorites for lunch time:

Ingredients
4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped (I used pulled chicken, a mix of dark and white meat)
3 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs spicy Dijon mustard
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced julienne
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved (or quartered, depending on how big you want them)
1/2 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves only, chopped
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Serve on wraps or pita bread with lettuce and tomato.

*** This is a pretty "dry" recipe.  If you want the chicken salad more moist, you can add more mayo and Dijon.

**** Idea: sub craisins for grapes.  The salad will have that tartness and it will last longer for leftovers.  Thanks Deb:-)

Tomato Basil Soup - with Variations for Tomato Roasted Red Pepper or Tomato Florentine Soup

Tomato soup is one of my favorites because you can do so much with it.  You can add almost anything to it, and it wouldn't taste bad.  You could make it any style- Mexican, Italian, Greek, vegan, whatever- and it would make a great main dish, or a yummy side.  Plus, it's very inexpensive to make and goes a long way.  When I make it I usually make a double batch and freeze some for later.


The recipe below is for a creamy tomato basil soup, and below are a list of variations of the recipe and how to make them.  

Busy Mama Recipes


Creamy Tomato Basil Soup


2 quarts canned, peeled tomatoes, whole or diced (You could substitute fresh tomatoes if they're in season)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 large white onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs oil (I ove Wildtree's Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil, but olive oil or any other oil will work)
1-2 quarts stock (I like to use vegetable stock, but chicken stock works too.  The amount of stock you use depends on how thick or thin you want your soup)
1 bunch basil, leaves only,  cut into chiffonade ribbons
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbs dried parsley
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400.  

OPTIONAL: On one baking sheet, spread out the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic evenly.  On another baking sheet, spread out all of the tomatoes (save the juice in a container for use later).  Roast in the oven for about thirty minutes, or until vegetables are slightly browned.  This will enhance the flavor of whichever vegetables you roast.

In a large, heavy bottom stock pot, add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sautee in olive oil until tender, stirring often.  Deglaze the pot with the red wine.  Add tomatoes, simmer until hot and tomatoes are tender- about 15 minutes.


Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning and sticking (the thinner the soup, the less likely to burn). Turn down heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, uncovered.  Take the soup off of the heat and let cool for a few minutes before pureeing with an immersion blender.  Be careful not to splatter.  Puree until you get the desired consistency.  Add the heavy cream.  If the soup is too thick, you can add some tomato juice left over from the jars or more stock.

I can my own tomatoes from the garden, so they tend to be very robust in flavor and acidic.  The heavy cream helps mellow that flavor.  If you want vegan or dairy free soup, leaving out the cream will not hurt.  


Add basil, spices, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. 

• For Tomato Florentine, substitute spinach leaves for the basil.
• Add cilantro and a roasted poblano pepper for a Mexican style soup.  Serve with creme fraiche, lime wedges, and cotija cheese.
• For a Mediterranean style soup, add chopped fennel bulb and eggplant to the veggies, and garnish with feta cheese.
• For a vegan soup, use vegetable stock and omit the cream.

Crockpot Variation:  Add all ingredients except cream to a crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low for 7 hours).  Blend with an immersion blender and add the cream at the end. 

Vegan (or not) Black Bean Soup

We had this tonight for dinner and it was so good.  I made the vegan version (veggie stock instead of chicken stock, omitted the meat) and served it with chicken quesadillas.  I have also made it with meat and served it with a green salad.  This Mexican Salad Dressing Recipe on  a salad makes a perfect soup and salad combo dinner.

Start with Mirepoix:
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, peeled and diced
1 white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled

In a large, heavy bottom stockpot, sautee the mirepoix in a little butter (or EVOO, if your making it vegan).  Stir occasionally so nothing burns or sticks.  In the meantime, work on preparing the remaining ingredients.

Remaining Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, diced (or one can of diced tomatoes in juice)
2 jalapenos, diced
zest and juice of 1 lime
3 cans of black beans
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbs cumin
salt and pepper
chile powder
6-10 cups veggie or chicken stock (the amount you used depends on how thick you want the soup in the end.)

After the mirepoix is tender, deglaze the pan with the lime juice.  This will add flavor to the soup.  Add the tomatoes, all peppers, and black beans (with the liquid) to the soup.  Heat until bubbling.  Turn down to medium low heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the soup off of the heat and lightly puree with an immersion blender.  Don't blend completely, just enough to make the soup thicker.  It will be like having heavy cream in the soup, but without having to add any.  There should still be chunks of veggies and whole beans.

If you don't have an immersion blender (which is my favorite kitchen gadget ever... I use it for everything.  I highly recommend getting one) you can use a food processor or blender to do small amounts of the soup at a time.  Be careful, because if the soup is too hot, it will come out of the top of the blender or food processor.  You have to let it cool for a while before blending it, which is why immersion blending is more convenient.

This Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender is like the one I have.  I love it, and the price is affordable. 

Return the soup to the heat and and simmer while adding the remaining ingredients.  Once everything is stirred in, you can remove from heat and serve with green onion, cilantro, and tortilla chips.  Stewart liked cotija cheese and sour cream on his, but of course, it's not vegan anymore.

Variation: Add chorizo to the soup after you are done pureeing it.  You can also add cooked chicken, shredded pork, or even cooked beef if you wanted.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Drizzle

This is the yummiest way to have asparagus!


Start with fresh, washed asparagus.  Make sure to fill the sink with cold water and wash it, rather than run water over it.  Since it grows in sand, bits can be missed easily.


Cover a baking sheet in tin foil and lay the asparagus on it.  Drizzle EVOO, salt, and pepper all over.  Add minced garlic (the amount is based on the amount of asparagus you have).  Toss it all together so the asparagus is completely coated.  Bake on 375 for 15 minutes.


When it is done cooking, take out of the oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar on it.  


And... enjoy!


PS It's also good when you cook it on the grill instead:-) Use tin foil or a grill basket, and it's perfect for Summertime outdoor picnics!

NOTES:  I have made this with lemon juice and zest tossed in with the oil.  It's amazing.  I have also added onion "rings" which give it a great flavor.

This recipe works with long green beans too!