Black Bean Goat Cheese Dip (w/wheat pita chips)

Adapted from Delish.com 

I really enjoyed this dip and the homemade pita chips. It's crazy how different something can taste when it's toasted. I only made half the recipe and made a few changes, but I plan on following the directions more closely next time. This makes a great side dish for a meal! I served it with cilantro lime grilled chicken. Mmm :)

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
7oz goat cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
6 wheat tortillas, cut into wedges

Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and cook 30 seconds. Add 1 can beans and lightly mash using a potato masher. Stir in chicken broth and remaining can of beans. Simmer until thick (not pasty), about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange tortilla wedges on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and top with salt if desired. Bake for 10 minutes or until crisp. Meanwhile, in the bottom of a baking dish spread half of the bean mixture. Top with half of the cheese (crumbled), half of the scallions and half of the cilantro. Repeat layering once more ending with the cilantro. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Tiny Pecan Tarts

Recipe revised from AllRecipes.com 

So around every holiday I try to bring some type of dessert. Since father's day is this month I decided to try to make some pecan tarts. The recipe I picked had rave reviews so it seemed like a good one to  use...it was a great decision! These things are amazing! Fluffy light crust and sweet delicious filling! I only made slight changes and that was thanks to reading the reviews. Pressing the dough into each mini cup is a little tedious, but everything else is very simple.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbs melted butter
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:
To Make Pastry - Cream butter and cream cheese. Add flour and mix well. Make into 3 or 4 balls and place in the freezer for about 45 minutes. Once chilled make the dough into 48 balls (I only did 24 at a time since I only had one pan). Use your thumb to press each ball into a mini cupcake pan. Then use your thumbs and fingers to spread each ball evenly.

To Make Filling -  Break the eggs into a mixing bowl, do not beat. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans. Mix well. Fill the tarts 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Use a butter knife to pop them out of the pan and place on a cooling rack.

Tips:

• Only make half of the filling at a time if you only have one mini cupcake pan. 
• I first sprayed the pan with flour cooking spray, but many reviews said it wasn't needed. Mine slipped right out w/o any problems. 

Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Mushroom Saute w/Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes

Anyone who likes a lightly sweet asian sauce will love this recipe! I personally LOVE sweet sauces, but my husband on the other hand unfortunately doesn't have the same opinion. He doesn't necessarily hate them, they just don't make him go mmmm like they do me :)

The only negative thing about this recipe is there are a lot of steps...nothing difficult, but a little time-consuming. Oh and the picture makes the dish look bland, but I promise you it's not.

Ingredients for the Chicken:
3 medium chicken breasts
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Salt, Pepper, & onion pepper

Ingredients for Saute 
1 cup uncooked quick cooking barley
2 tsp dark sesame oil (divided)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
12 oz steam in bag - bag of green beens
10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs agave nectar (or honey)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare chicken cut each breast in half vertically and lightly season each side with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat the 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 1-2 minutes on each side. While browning, mix the brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a small baking dish & pour the mixture on top. Bake the chicken for about 8-10 minutes or until barely done.

To cook the barley start by heating 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Toast the barley for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Once lightly toasted add the salt, water & chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Let barley set for 2-5 minutes and then transfer to a large bowl or dish. 

While barley is cooking, steam green beans in microwave per directed on package. Drain green beans and cut in smaller pieces (to your preference). 

Add the remaining ingredients - mushrooms, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, and ground ginger in the skillet used for the barley. Heat to medium-high, add the green beans and saute the mushrooms & beans for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cooked barley and mix well, letting in saute for another minute. Last but not least cut up the chicken in bite sized pieces and add to the skillet to re-heat, mixing everything together for about 1 minute. Then serve and enjoy! 

Salisbury Mushroom Steaks

Adapted from Bettycrocker.com

This was a cross between meatloaf and salisbury steak to me. Either way it's a great way to use ground beef. The recipe is pretty simple and they tasted great!

Ingredients 
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup skim milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp thyme
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbs canola or olive oil
1 package mushroom gravy mix (or other brown gravy)

Directions
Finely chop up 1 cup of the mushrooms. In a medium bowl, mix chopped mushrooms, beef, bread crumbs, egg, milk, thyme and half of the ketchup. Shape mixture into 5 large patties or 8-9 small patties (like I did).

In a non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add patties cooking for about 6 minutes on each side (or until cooked through). When fully cooked brush the rest of the ketchup on the top of the patties.

Saute the remaining mushrooms in the same skillet as the patties or another skillet for about 3 minutes. While the patties are cooking make the gravy as directed on the package.

To serve place sauteed mushrooms on top of patties and then spoon gravy on top of both.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you need something quick to fix for lunch or dinner, this is a great recipe for that. Super simple and it tastes great (especially if your craving buffalo wings). I typically use pre-packaged buffalo chicken strips, but feel free to make your own!

Ingredients:
Buffalo chicken strips (frozen)
Salad mix (I prefer half baby spinach, half romaine)
Baby carrots
Celery
Ranch dressing
Blue cheese crumble
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
*Use as little or as much as you like for all of these ingredients*

Directions:
Cook the chicken strips in the oven as directed on the package (should take about 20 mins).

While the chicken is cooking add the salad mix to a large bowl(s) and toss with ranch dressing. Then slice up some baby carrots & celery and add to each salad bowl. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles & shredded cheddar cheese.

When chicken strips are fully cooked, cut them up into bite size pieces and add to salad. Serve and enjoy!

Louisiana Catfish with Okra & Corn

Adapted from EatingWell

I think New Orleans is calling my name! I absolutely love this recipe. It's simple yet packs so much flavor and is something different than my boring chicken I cook so often (though I do enjoy my chicken lol).

Ingredients:

4 catfish fillets, patted dry (or other white fish)

2 cups fresh or frozen sliced okra

1 can of corn kernels (15oz), drained 

1 medium red onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil 

Cajun seasoning (any kind)

Salt (optional) 

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the okra, corn & onion on top. Sprinkle with as much or as little cajun seasoning you want. Roast, stirring twice, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile sprinkle both sides of the catfish with cajun seasoning. I used McCormick cajun seasoning first and then used the fish & seafood grinder to add some larger spices. I also sprinkled one side of each fillet very lightly with a little salt. You may or may not need this depending on how much salt is in your cajun seasoning. 

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the fillets and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. 

Serve with roasted vegetables. Brown rice also makes a nice addition to this meal. 

Mediterranean Sandwich

Something a little different than your everyday sandwich...

Ingredients:

1 tbsp hummus (any kind)

1 flat bread (or pita pocket)

1 1/2 oz sliced smoked turkey

1 1/2 oz black forest ham

1/4 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

3 slices medium tomato

3 thin slices of red onion

8 baby spinach leaves

Goat cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

Spread the hummus on the flat bread. Layer the rest of the ingredients in any order and enjoy! Use as little or as much ingredients you like depending on preference and size of bread using.  

Super Simple Carrot Cake

Recipe from Stone Soup

So I've come across this cooking blog where a Food Scientist has chosen to only make recipes with 5 ingredients or less. I personally think that is a fabulous idea! The frittata I made was among her recipes and now I've decided to try one of her sweet treats...carrot cake. Click on the recipe link above to watch a YouTube video of her making this cake.

This cake is moist, sweet and delicious! Feel free to top it off with some cream cheese icing or serve with vanilla ice cream. Personally I thought it was great just by itself.

Ingredients:
8 1/2 oz brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or peanut oil
3 eggs
8 1/2 oz almond meal or self-rising flour
8 1/2 oz carrots, coarsely grated
(I was lazy and just used a food processor for the carrots)

Directions:
Preheat your oven with a baking sheet on the middle shelf to 350F. Line a 8in springform pan with baking paper. Grease the base and sides of the pan with a little bit of oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time mixing to combine. Stir in almond meal (or flour) and carrots. Pour mixture into prepared pan and level with a spoon.

Bake 1 hour if using almond meal or 30 minutes if using self-rising flour. Top of the cake should be golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin.

Chickpea & Rosemary Baked Frittata

Recipe from The Stone Soup

I had never tried chickpeas before nor really did I know what to expect...well I wasn't very impressed. I don't think I'm a chickpea fan. This was also my first time using fresh rosemary and I was stunned by how strong that stuff is! As soon as I opened up the package the smell just overwhelmed me. Well the recipe says to use 2 sprigs, but I do not recommend it. Just a little goes a long way and I think I would prefer it chopped up really finely instead of left in pieces.

So by this point you may be asking yourself why in the world would she post this recipe if she disliked it so much? Well the answer is this...it gave me some great ideas! Just substitute the chickpeas for some sausage or potatoes and this would be great! Change out the cheese to cheddar if you want or any kind your heart desires. Add whatever seasonings you prefer and frittatas can be great for breakfast, brunch or lunch! I've made omelette style dishes before, but never in the oven. Making this in a springform pan and baking it in the oven worked out great! I was able to make a side salad and cup up some fruit while it was baking. It's nice to not have to to watch something on the stove at every minute.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
Large handful freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 can chickpeas (14oz), drained
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked
Salt & Pepper (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F and place a baking tray on the middle shelf. Line a 8in springform pan with baking paper and grease with olive oil.

Lightly whisk together the eggs and parmesan. Season with salt & pepper if you desire. Place chickpeas in the prepared tin. Pour over the egg mixture & scatter the rosemary on top.

Place the pan on the preheated baking tray and bake until golden and puffy and the center feels firm and springy, about 15 minutes.

White Chocolate Macadamia & Maple Cupcakes

Adapted from I Love Sugar cookbook

As these cupcakes baked a wonderful sweet aroma filled the kitchen...that's one of my favorite things about baking. Mmm it's interesting how certain smells can remind you of past memories. If you've ever had a White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookie then you can guess what these cupcakes might taste like. It's pretty similar just in cupcake form and less doughy. I typically like a more fluffy frosting for my cupcakes, but this was a nice alternative. 

Ingredients:

- Cupcakes -

6 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup 

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup self-rising flour

1/3 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1/3 cup white chocolate morsels

1 tbsp milk 

- Frosting - 

2 tbsp butter, softened 

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/3 cup cream cheese (room temp)

3 tbsp macadamia nuts, chopped

3 tbsp white chocolate morsels, chopped 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put 9 paper liners in a muffin pan.

Put the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg. Sift in the flour and using a metal spoon, fold into the mixture with the nuts, chocolate and milk. Spoon the mixture into the paper liners.

Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

To make the frosting, beat the butter and maple syrup together until smooth. Sift in the confectioners sugar and beat in throughly. Gently beat in the cream cheese. Swirl the frosting on the top of each cake and sprinkle with nuts and chocolate.