Pesto Tortellini Salad

Another salad for a hot, sunny, day...

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized package of tortellini, we use three cheese
• 1 8.1 oz can of traditional basil pesto
• 1 cup of cooked, cubed chicken
• 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced

Directions:
Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook until soft. Drain. stir in chicken. Stir in pesto. Add red and yellow pepper. Add red onion. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Right before serving, toss with a Parmesan or regianno cheese.

Reactions:
We didn't react, we just snarfed it down. This was a fabulous quick and easy, or make-for-later meal. :)

Super Salad With Crunch

It's been real hot out lately, so we've been making a lot of salads. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
•  salt
• 1/2 cup lime juice (about 12 key limes or 4 regular limes)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (6 cups)
• 1/2 small red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 1 jicama (1 pound), peeled and cut into matchstick-thin strips (4 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, cut into1/2-inch cubes (optional)

Directions:
Heat pan over medium heat until hot. sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. grill chicken 12 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with knife, turning over once. Transfer chicken to cutting board; cool slightly.

Prepare vinaigrette: in a bowl, with wire whisk, mix lime juice, oil, honey, and 1 tsp of salt. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces; place in large bowl with remaining ingredients and vinaigrette; toss to combine. serve immediately.

Reactions:
Jicama is a new favorite veggie in this family. We loved the salad, and it is so refreshing on a hot, muggy, Texas day.

Fruit Salad Salsa

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/

That day that we went to the pool party, we also made some fruit salad salsa. Haven't ever had it? Oh, it is sooo good!

Ingredients:

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 carton of strawberries, diced
• 1 Tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tablespoons strawberry basil fruit preserves (ours was homemade)
• 10-12 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray
• Cinnamon Sugar (1 cup white sugar, 2 Tablespoons cinnamon)

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all your fruits. In a small bowl, combine the fruit preserves and 1 Tbsp each of sugar and brown sugar. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dump your cinnamon sugar into a large zip lock. Coat both sides of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and put them in the large zip lock. Shake it like a Polaroid.

Now arrange the wedges in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with fruit salsa. Try to eat it the same day you made it because it gets watery and droopy after 24 hours.

Reactions:
Ok. Nuff said, we devoured it!

Dijonic Tortispinach Salad

Ok, so...

take this 

 plus this

And you get... oh. We ate it too fast to get a picture. :) But trust me, it's yummy. And we have invented a new, yummy salad that I call Dijonic Tortispinach Salad. It is part Dijon, part Balsamic Vinaigrette, part spinach salad, and part tortellini salad.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 (20-ounce) package cheese tortellini, cooked according to directions, strained, and lightly oiled (so it doesn't stick)
• 1 lb skinned and boned chicken breasts, grilled and chopped small
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2  cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 6 oz feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic - minced
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Honey Dijon mustard (we use Boar's Head)
• 2 Tbsp Citrus Vinaigrette (Maple Grove Farms of Vermont is a great brand)
• Pepper to taste

Directions:
Dump all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate, small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients, whisk, and let set for about 15 minutes. Then whisk again and pour over the salad ingredients. Toss well to coat. Eat and die from the bliss of this strange concoction!

Reactions:

• Daddy - this stuff is awesome. Hard to eat, but awesome!
• Mommy - wow, I love the sweet, tart, bold flavors of the salad
• Briaunna - eh, I like everything separate, but together it is confusing. Maybe I'll like it when I'm "more mature"... (mom replies, "you mean when your older", I reply, "take off the 'er' and your right")).
• Kairi - I don't like it. Well, I like the tortellini and chicken, and I like the pecans and cranberries... but I don't like the spinach (surprise suprise)
• Charis - yum! Can I have more?
• Jocelyn - I'm full. I ate a bite and I'm full.
• Xander - it sticks in my mouth! I want to take a nap.

Spinach Chicken Salad

http://www.recipegirl.com/

We went to our friends house for a pool party on Sunday! So, of course, we had to make pool food!

We saw this pretty salad on pinterest and had to try it!

Ingredients:
 
Salad:

• 8 cups chopped spinach 
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sweet corn cut from the cob
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chipolte seasoned chicken
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place spinach in a large salad bowl. add remaining salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss well. We doubled the dressing recipe because we also added more spinach.

Reactions:
I LOVED the salad, and Jenn, Brian, mom, and daddy all loved it too. My brother and sisters didn't even try it, though, not with fruit salad salsa and ice cream to fill them up! It was super simple too! So we could spend more time in the pool than in the kitchen!

Thai Smoked Turkey Pizza

My mama was craving pizza one night and, rather than order the greasy stuff from down the road, we whipped up this pretty little rustic pizza party in our own kitchen! We got the recipe from How Sweet It Is and tweaked the Thai Chicken Pizza to use up some of our leftover smoked turkey... and this is what we came up with!




Ingredients:

• 1 Batch Of Your Favorite Pizza Dough
• ¼ cups Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Fine Corn Meal
• ½ cups Sweet Asian Chili Sauce, plus more for drizzling
• 1 whole Shallot, Thinly Sliced
• ½ whole Zucchini, Thinly Sliced
• ½ whole green pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ whole red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
• 1 cup Cooked Smoked Turkey, Shredded
• ⅔ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• ¼ cups Chopped Peanuts

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F with a pizza stone in the oven. If you do not have a pizza stone, put a large baking sheet in the oven. (this is what we did because a pizza stone is on my wish list!)

Begin by adding some flour to your rolling surface. Take your dough that has already risen, and lightly knead it. Roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, or however your like the thickness of your crust. Put the dough on a surface that you can use to slide the entire pizza onto the hot pizza stone or pan. The corn meal helps assist with the pizza dough – so it slides off easily.

Spread the Asian chili sauce on the surface of the dough. Not too thick, not too thin. Add the sliced veggies. Top with the red chili flakes and shredded turkey. Top with the cheese.

Place the pizza into the oven on your cooking surface (stone or pan) and cook for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on your crust and toppings so they do not burn.

Once the pizza dough is golden around the edges and the cheese is nice and bubbly, remove pizza from the oven. Drizzle more of the Asian chili sauce over the top, top with the crushed peanuts.

In addition to the Thai Pizza, we also made a white pizza (alfredo, black and green olives, fresh garlic, and canadian bacon - but added cheddar to the mozzarella) for the no-spice kids in our home.

Reactions:

• Daddy - 'This is a really good pizza. Sure beats _______ Pizza'. 
• Mommy - 'Oh. My. Gosh.... a great way to take care of cravings!'
• Bri - 'First a slice of one, then a slice of the other.. and I think I can fit just one more slice of the first one (Thai) in'
• Charis - 'I don't like the spicy, so I will have the alfredo.. but pick everything off except the sauce and the bread'.
• Kairi - 'I LOOOOOVE the spicy pizza!!! Can we have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow?'
• Jocelyn - 'yummy yummy yummy (singing to herself while she eats)'
• Xander - 'Bri, you make good pizzas. Can you make me a pizza for my birthday?'

Goi Cuo

These were really fun to make and turned out really pretty... like food art! 

Ingredients:

• 1 package clear edible rice paper sheet
• 1/2 lb cooked beef, filleted small
• 1/2 lb cooked tiger shrimp
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
• 1 large carrot, 'matchsticked'
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into very thin strips
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 package vermicelli rice noodles, prepared and cooled
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained 

Directions:

Have all meats precooked and cold and the rice noodles prepared already (the noodles should be white, long and at room temp). Make sure all veggies and herbs are cleaned, dried, and set out before you start. Dip a sheet of rice paper wrapper into warm water very quickly, no longer than a second or two (or they will get too soggy) and lay flat on a work surface.

On one edge, lay a small handful of noodles, a few strips of meat, some shrimp, some cilantro and mint leaves, and a little of all of the veggies. Try to keep the 'sharper edged' veggies on the inside (middle) of the stack. Carefully start to roll up eggroll style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up-but not too tightly or the spring roll will split.

These rolls will be thicker than the typical Chinese-style fried eggrolls. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. We had all types, the traditional spicy fish sauce, sweet and spicy, soy peanut, and ginger siracha. 

Reactions:

• Daddy - 'mmm, these are really... good... but I don't think I like Vietnamese food'. 
• Mommy - 'these are awesome, so light. I love them. We can definitely make these again'.
• Bri - 'uh, yeah, these are awesome, can I have another?!'
• Charis - 'mmhmsa sommgh!' (translation: my mouth is full but I love them!)
• Kairi - 'tooo... (gasp)... many... (eek) veggies!!!'. 
• Jocelyn - 'the rolls make me want to gag'
• Xander - 'um, I don't like the blanket, but I like everything else.'.

Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce

We love Asian-inspired dishes in our house. I love Chinese and Pho, but Thai and Japanese are my favorites. When I saw this recipe on Family Fresh, I had to try it! I changed some things in it, but kept the same basic recipe. My picture is not nearly as pretty as hers!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup natural crunchy Peanut Butte
• 1 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
• Juice from 1 Lime
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauc
• 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
• Pinch of Cinnamon
• Pinch of Cayenne
• 2 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup diced Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil, we use organic and unrefined
• 1 cup chopped Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey & seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.

Chicken: Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic, stirring and cooking until just getting smelly ('fragrant' is the proper term). Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir sauce into chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time.

We added crushed peanuts, coconut, and water chestnuts to ours and served it over jasmine rice and with steamed broccoli.

Reactions:

• Daddy, mommy, and I loved it! A total hit! I think Daddy and I had thirds...
• Charis liked it all, except for the fact Jocelyn kept putting her asparagus on Charis' plate...
• Jocelyn ate it, she eats anything, but wouldn't give me more than a scary clown face when I asked if she liked it.
• Xander didn't like the 'peanut butter green stuff' and made a stink face.. then again, he is getting into the picky 5's.

Egg McMuffins

Ok, I found this recipe on Belleicious Kids, and am planning on making some more things from that blog too! It's not really Egg McMuffins because, well, McDonald's makes us barf. One of the drawbacks of eating a healthier diet is that your body won't let you eat junk. Another reason it isn't really a McMuffin is because there is no bread. For her review, see here.

So, here you are!


Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup carrots, minced in food processor
• 1/2 cup broccoli, minced in food processor
• 2TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped ham
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

Directions:

First in a large saucepan heat 2 TBSP of olive oil and add your carrots, onions, broccoli, zucchini and bell peppers. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning

Using a 12 cup muffin tin, grease each cup and start by placing the chopped ham in the bottom then the veggie mix, next the cheese and lastly the beaten egg mixture. Be careful to ONLY fill the muffin cups to about 3/4 full so they do not overflow while cooking. Optional: sprinkle with a dash of paprika and bake in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Timing may vary depending on the size of your muffin tin.

Reactions:
These were so good that our whole family snatched them up for breakfast 3 days in a row. When the last of them was gone, the kid who didn't get one pouted! So, This was a healthy and yummy way to sneak in some power-packing veggies for a quick and healthy breakfast! 

Pan-fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Grrr... again, no pictures. I keep forgetting to take pictures, by the time I am done cooking, I just want to eat. :)

Ingredients:

• approx. 15-20 brussel sprouts
• about 1 cup sliced (lengthwise) carrots
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Morningstar veggie bacon, crumbled
• ½ an onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• half a lime

Directions:

Soak brussel sprouts in water for about 15 minutes, Cut sprouts in half, chop garlic. In a large pan, heat oil and butter on medium heat, place brussel sprouts cut/flat side down, and carrots, sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until bottoms of Brussel sprouts are browned. While cooking, make rice according to package for 6 people. Add onion, garlic, and pepper to Brussels sprouts/carrots during last minute or two. Crumble and stir in bacon, Squeeze lime over everything and serve with rice.

We added a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar before serving to add to the sweet and tangy, but it was good without it too. 

Black Bean Chicken Salad

More cold meals for the hot Texas summers!

Ingredients:
1-14.5 oz can black beans (preferrably goya)
1 roma tomato (seeded)
1/2 medium white onion
1 good sized avocado
2 ears of corn (uncooked)
EITHER 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
OR 1 cup walnuts, broken well
1/2 lime
1 tsp chili powder
3 'twists' of fresh black pepper

Directions:
Rinse and drain the beans well. Chop the tomato and onion into bite sized pieces. Shuck the raw corn. 1/2 the avocado, remove (but save) the pit, then skin the two halves and chop the avocado into bite sized pieces. Throw it ALL into a large bowl and toss with your hands. Add your nuts or chicken (whichever you chose to use... heck, use both, maybe it's good). Squeeze the lime over it all, sprinkle your chili powder over the mess, and crack your pepper. :) Again, get your hands messy mixing it! :)

Throw the pit of the avocado into it to keep the avocado from browning. Let it marinade for about 30 minutes. You can eat this on blue corn tortilla chips, with naan bread, or by itself on a bed of lettuce. We ate ours all three ways because we had leftovers twice. :)

Closing:
I didn't get pictures of this one, but it's really good. I also didn't ask my sibling's reactions, but I loved it, didn't hear any complaining, and my mom and dad loved it too!

Migas ala Brigas

My mom threw a whole bunch of ingredients on the counter and told me to be creative. I thought I was making up a whole new recipe, something never before consumed by mankind. In fact, I had made Migas... ala Bri.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cheese
• 1 egg for each person
• 1 sausage for each person
• 1/4 tsp. garlic
• salsa (optional)
• 1 corn tortilla for each person

Instructions

In one pan, cook eggs until almost all the way cooked. put cheese and garlic in and cook the rest of the way. At the same time your eggs are cooking, put sausages in another pan and put just enough water in the pan to cover the bottom. Cook the sausages until water has completely evaporated, turning occasionally. Once done, chop sausages up and put into the eggs. Put mixture into tortillas and top with salsa.

Serve with juicy summer watermelon!  Service with a smile! 


Reactions
This was a meal just for the kids.
Bri (me): "I love this. Can I have another one?"
Kairi: "I want another one... hey Bri, you took the last one!"
Charis: "Can we split it please? I want another one too!"
Jocelyn: "mfo mfow mewmf" (that's full-mouth speak for "I gotta nother one!")
Xander: ... .... no talking, just stealing our food when we weren't looking (grrr.)

Grilled Chicken Marmalade with Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad

Since it was a hot summer day, we decided to grill out. BUT, since it was also my night to cook, daddy helped to make this meal by doing the actual grilling.

Grilled Chicken Marmalade
Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
• 1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rubbing sage
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Mix ingredients 2-6 in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until warmed through. Start grill and cool mixture while the grill is heating. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and place on grill. Brush with sauce. Continue to baste often, turning chicken 1/2 way through cooking (around 6 minutes per side).

Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of fresh broccoli
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup bacon, cooked to crisp, drained, and crumbled (about 3-4 strips)
  

Directions:
Begin by cutting off the tops of the broccoli (florets) and breaking into small pieces. Cut off the stump of the broccoli, then, using the side of the knife, pull (shave) off the length of the broccoli stem, throwing the shavings away, leaving the softer inner meat of the stem. Then, dice the stem into bite size pieces. Place all of the broccoli (except the shavings and stump) into a large bowl. Add the red onion, raisins, and bacon.

In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, and both salad dressings. Mix well until smooth, adding what you need to make it the flavor and consistency that you need. Pour the dressing over the veggies in the bowl, cover with saran wrap, and shake the bowl well to coat all. Serve immediately.

We ate our meal of grilled chicken, broccoli salad, and cubed cantaloupe out on the deck, pool side, on a nice hot late spring day. I hope you enjoy it too...

The family says, all together, "YUM!!!"

There was nothing left on their plates!

Mexican Low-Fat Pizza

It has been a loooooooooooooooong time since Bri has posted any recipes on here. We have been through some major transitions, but she is starting to cook again! (applause inserted here).

Since we are still working on completely fail-proof computers, though, mama is going to post tonight's masterpiece (left-over night surprise).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups taco meat, prepared
• 2 Tbsp ranch dressing
• 2 Tbsp medium salsa
• 1 cup shredded colby cheese
• 2 cups lettuce
• 2 flatout wraps

Lay both flatout wraps on breathable cookie pan (if you don't have one of these, you might want to cook your pizza right on the rack). Preheat broiler to LOW.

Combine ranch and salsa in small bowl. Spread on flatouts. Top with meat, lettuce, and cheese. Broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, until starting to brown at the edges and cheese is bubbly. Serve with corn chips and salsa and black olives to wear as weird looking fingernails/

Good Old Spaghetti

For last Friday night, we had good old spaghetti since I wanted a kid's food.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium green zucchini, diced small
• 1 pkg whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1 jar Ragu Garden Chunky spaghetti sauce

Brown the ground beef in a saucepan while crumbling with spatula. While that is browning, bring a large pan of water to boil over high heat. Drain and rinse meat before putting back into the saucepan. Add the onion, sauce, and zucchini. Bring to a simmer. While that is simmering, add the package of noodles to the water, cover, and boil according to the directions. Drain noodles before serving.

Serve the noodles covered in the spaghetti sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese. I served our meal with corn (that was steamed with butter and crushed garlic cloves) and garlic bread (french bread, butter, garlic, minced onion, parsley, and salt).


KID RATING: ****

• Chef Bri - "I ate two servings of it all."
• Kairi - "It was so yummy. I slurped my noodles and they hit me in the face!"
  
• Charis - "Bri, you can make this tomorrow for breakfast."
  
• Jocelyn - "Isn't there any left? I want more please."
• Xander - "Nana - mmmmm!"
  
• Daddy - "This is wonderful Bri, very flavorful."
• Mommy - "This is honestly probably the best chunky 'mock-homemade' spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted Bri. A great comfort food meal!"

Toasted Sammies

We had Family Movie night on Sunday instead of Friday this week so we had sandwiches on a blanket in front of the TV.

Ingredients:

• 8 thin slices of Boar's Head pastrami
• 6 thin slices of Muenster Cheese
• 1/4 cup Boar's Head Sundried Tomato Pesto Mayonnaise
• 1/2 small white onion, sliced thin
• 1 small zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 medium loaf french bread, cut long
• Country Crock butter
• salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, saute the onion and zucchini in butter until onions are clear and the zucchini is starting to brown. Set aside. Spread mayo on both insides of the bread. Lay cheese on top of the mayo. Lay meat on top of the cheese. Spread the onions and zucchini on top of the meat. Place the whole loaf, opened, under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, close the loaf of bread, and cut into sandwich sized portions.

We served ours with Pasta Puttanesca and anjou pear slices.



KID RATING: **

• Chef Bri - "I LOVE the sandwich."
• Kairi - "Uh uh. I don't like the vegetables and it tastes funny"
  
• Charis - "If I don't want my sandwich, can I still have desert?"
  
• Jocelyn - "I like the meat and cheese and bread"
• Xander - "mmm?"
  
• Daddy - "This sandwich is excellent!"
• Mommy - "REALLY tasty Bri!"