Pepper Feta Salad

I am not a fan of feta. But let me tell you, if I could ask this salad to be my valentine, I totally would. I got the recipe from my Mom who found it somewhere. (I'll try and find the credits) I could eat it for breakfast, it's a serious temptation as the salad is really the best after marinating overnight. So I make it before bed and have dreams of the crunchy zesty deliciousness all night. It's also easily adaptable.

A major revelation has been finding the Olive Garden salad dressing at our Sam's Club. I love the OG dressing, no matter what you foodies may say, it's the best. I'm sure any dressing would do.

2-3 bell peppers of various colors (red, orange, yellow, etc)

1 cucumber

1 bunch of green onions

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded

6 oz (or less- heh) crumbled feta

Italian dressing

Chop the veggies, tomatoes, and slice the green onions. Drop them into a sealable bowl with the feta and refrigerate overnight. Serve with drizzles of italian dressing. 

Spicy Veggie Pasta

This is another one that I just ignore the chicken bits on, too. I hate dealing with meat. Plus when I made this specific recipe, the chicken was all gross anyway. The sauce was not too spicy for the kids, and I added a couple extra sprinkles of red pepper flakes on my bowl and it was excellent.

Source: bakecakery.com via craftyashley on Pinterest

Veggies & Pasta

16 oz. of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (cooked) 
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut in 1″ cubes (optional)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ c. Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, long thin slices 
1 c. Broccoli florets
1 c. Asparagus, chopped in 1″ pieces
1 c. Grape tomatoes

Cook your pasta and let it drain.  (tip: I always add a bit of olive oil to my pasta water during cooking so the noodles don’t stick together). Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until done and golden on all sides. Remove and let rest in a large bowl.

Add the remaining olive oil and begin sauteing the onions for 2 min. Add in the garlic and bell pepper and saute another 2 mins. Then toss in any other woody veggies  (broccoli, asparagus) saving the tomatoes until the very end.

When everything is cooked, combine the veggies with the chicken in your big bowl. 

Spicy Cream Sauce

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour 
2 c. half & half
1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes
1 c. Parmesan cheese- shredded

In the same pan you cooked the chicken and veggies in, melt the butter over medium heat. Toss in the flour and stir, cooking 1-2 minutes.  

Slowly add in the half and half while stirring to prevent any clumps from forming.  Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and allow to simmer until you see boiling action.  Stir periodically.

When your sauce begins to thicken and bubble, turn off the heat and add in your cheese. Stir until melty

To assemble everything I like to add the pasta first so it gets nice and coated with sauce and then pour the rest of the veggies in. 

Momma's Green Beans

One Sunday night for Sunday Night Dinners at my parent's house, my Mom started messing with the green beans. As I was really hoping my 4 yr olds were going to devour the green beans, I got a bit worried. She was making them pretty fancy. Preschoolers tend to shun the fancy-fare. (hi, chicken nuggets)

Much to my amazement, the fancified green beans were the first things off the plate. Of course, I had to get the recipe:

Green Beans (steamed to slightly crisp)

Saute minced garlic in olive oil, add celtic sea salt, (I may try with just regular salt- I'm not that fancy yet)  fresh ground pepper, dried parsley.

Add green beans immediately after steaming into fry pan with hot olive oil (guessing about 1/4 cup - depending on how many green beans).  Add 1/4 stick of butter or margarine.  Toss until butter is melted.  Serve.

Zucchini Muffins

• 3 cups flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place paper liners in muffin tins.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Beat in the milk, oil, and sugar. Stir in the zucchini until well blended. Add the flour mixture to batter a little at a time and stir to mix -- it should be a little lumpy. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon sugar.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them. Remove from tins and cool on a rack.

No Soy Stir Fry

...because the husband doesn't like soy sauce...

3 c. water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
2 c. rice
2 tbl. cooking oil
1 lb. chicken breast (opt)
4 c. assorted veggies (ie: bell peppers, celery, carrots, onion, snow peas, water chestnuts)
2 tea. cornstarch
1/2 tea. garlic powder
1/4 tea. ground ginger

Bring 2 c. water and 3 bouillon cubes to a boil and add rice. Cook until rice is done. Set aside
In skillet, heat 1 tbl. oil and add chicken. Cook until chicken isn't pink. Remove chicken and add veggies, cook for 5-10 minutes and add chicken back in.
In separate bowl combine 1 c. water, 2 bouillon cubes, ginger, cornstarch, garlic powder and 1 tbl. oil. Pour over veggies & simmer for 5 minutes, until thick. Serve over rice.

Serves 4

Kielbasa Potato Skillet

We had this for dinner last night, so we have a picture! Although I made a double batch, so it's huge!

1 tbl. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced bell pepper
1 lb. diced red potatoes
1/4 tea. pepper
6 oz. lean turkey kielbasa, sliced
1 1/2 c. frozen broccoli
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Add potatoes & pepper. Cook 10 mins. Add kielbasa, broccoli, onion, & bell pepper. Cover & cook for 8-10 mins. stirring frequently. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Let cheese melt for a minute and serve.

Makes 3 servings

Minestrone Soup

1 tea. cooking oil
1 c. chopped onion, celery, green bell pepper, zucchini, red potatoes, & carrots
1/4 c. sliced black olives
28 oz. diced tomatoes (you can do fresh or canned)
6 c. water
2 tea. salt
2 tea. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tea. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 can kidney beans
1/2 c. cooked macaroni elbows

In large pot add chopped veggies, olives, oil, water, salt, worcestershire sauce, pepper, tomatoes & bay leaves. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add kidney beans & macaroni, then simmer for 30 mins.

Serves 8-10

Note: low-fat, and safe for diabetics