Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Wow, as if indulging in Charleston wasn't enough, we then headed south to spend the holidays with our families. Cookies, cake pops, fudge--you name it we ate it (have you ever made cake pops? They are actually pretty easy. Check out the picture below for my finished result. I used this recipe). As soon as we got back home we looked at each other and said "Chicken for dinner EVERY NIGHT!"

The menu this week was simple, and included a lot of old recipes, so I will keep this blog post short and sweet.

Monday--Rotisserie chicken over lettuce with chopped vegetables
Tuesday--Whole wheat rotini with fresh spinach, Martha Stuart's marinara sauce and a side of homemade meatballs
Wednesday--Chicken marinated in Cindy's Kitchen Double Garlic Ginger Lime dressing, grilled and served with brown rice and steamed broccoli and snow peas
Thursday--Pineapple Cilantro-Lime Chicken served with pico de gallo and fiesta rice
Friday--Eggplant parmesan with zucchini marinara

PS--A picture of my cake pops. YUM!

From freezer to table: Making the most out of what is in your house

I know Farm to Table is big right now, but you know what's big in our house? Freezer to Table. As much as I try to incorporate fresh produce into all of our meals, there are nights that I have to just work with what we have in the house. This seems to especially be true the week before we are heading out of town to visit family or go away on vacation.

Last night I had to scrape together what I could with pantry staples and whatever we had in the freezer. I came across some frozen turkey taco meat but really was not in the mood for the 800 dishes that seem to pile up when I put a taco bar together. My husband had just given me a large rectangular Pizza Stone from Williams Sonoma as an early Hanukkah gift and I was eager to use it. That was how my Turkey Taco Pizza came to be.

Turkey Taco Pizza
Ingredients
1 batch Martha Stewart's Cornmeal Pizza Crust
1/2 pound 93% lean ground turkey or soy crumble meat substitute (for my vegetarian friends out there)
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 cups shredded 2% Mexican cheese blend


Directions
-Place pizza stone on bottom rack in oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
-In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, saute onions and peppers until soft. Add turkey (or soy crumble) and cook until all the pink is gone. Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.
-Spread a large amount of cornmeal on your work surface. Roll out pizza dough so that it is a large rectangle. Transfer rolled-out dough onto a well cornmealed pizza peel (if you don't have a pizza stone or pizza peel, you can use a cookie sheet).
-Spread turkey mixture evenly over your dough, leaving a 1/4 inch boarder around the edge to form your crust. 
-Top with cheese.
-Carefully transfer pizza to your pizza stone and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble and turn brown.
-Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
-Top with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo for an extra treat!

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Gouda and Champagne detox--recovering from a weekend away

After returning from a weekend away with my hubby that included ridiculous amounts of champagne and cheese, I am looking forward to getting back to cooking. In an effort to detox from the Brie and Gouda, this weeks menu is going to be simple and focus on incorporating as many whole foods as possible.

Sunday--Oatmeal-turkey burger and sugar snap peas
Monday--Agave-balsamic marinated turkey tenderloins with patty pan gratin
Tuesday--Alyssa's four-bean vegetarian chili and corn bread
Wednesday--Red onion chicken and mashed potatoes
Thursday--Chicken Caesar salads

Breakfast is also going to be a focus for me this week--I need to start the day out with protein. It's really the only thing that keeps me full until lunch, however, I hate making eggs in the morning just because I am so tired. The solution? Mini-fritatas. I tried these out a few weeks ago when I catered my friend's baby naming and they were a big hit. Also, they freeze amazingly well and their are endless combination that you can make. This week I made Huevos Rancheros fritatas, inspired by my indulgent breakfast at Charleston Place.

Huevos Rancheros Mini Fritatas
2 PointsPlus per serving

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese
1 small yellow onion, quartered and sliced
salt/pepper

Directions
-Heat oven 350 degrees and spray a half-dozen muffin tin with PAM.
-Spray a small frying pan with PAM and saute onions over medium heat until they are golden brown.
-In a medium-sized bowl whisk eggs and milk together. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
-Spoon egg mixture evenly into greased muffin tine.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops look golden brown.
-Remove from oven, let cool, and remove fritatas from muffin tin. Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, or freeze and defrost as needed.


Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Feast for my Family--Thanksgiving is here

This year my husband's entire family will be joining us for Thanksgiving! I am SO excited that they are here, and that we get to do all of the cooking! I am making a few of my favorites, plus throwing in some new recipes to mix things up. This year I was smart and ordered the gravy and corn bread from Fresh Market (I am just not good at making gravy).

Appetizers: Baked Brie with Apples and Cranberries served with Cupcake prosecco
Starter: Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Salad: Spring Mix with Pomegranate Seeds, Goat Cheese and Orange Slices topped with Glazed Pecans
Turkey: Rolled Turkey Breast filled with Apple Fennel Stuffing
Sides: Nannie Anne's Tzimmis, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, corn bread, gravy
Dessert: Signe's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, lemon filled birthday cake, assorted River Street Sweets (a must-have if you ever come to Savannah)

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Maddness--Butternut squash, goat cheese and thyme ravioli

So remember that butternut squash sauce I made for the cheese raviolis last week? Well the dilemma ended up being that I did not know what to do with the other 1/2 butternut squash that was sitting in my fridge. Then it hit me--rather than make the butternut squash soup for Thanksgiving that we usually have, I would make butternut squash ravioli and serve it in a brown butter sage sauce with toasted hazelnuts.

I have seen Giada make raviolis 100 times on TV, so I new that if I could just get my hands on some wonton wrappers I would be all set. These were fairly easy to make, the only part that took a little time was filling the wonton wrappers. Make sure not to put too much filling in--it just makes them impossible to seal.

Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Thyme Ravioli
Makes 48 raviolis
PointsPlus Value: 1 point per ravioli (does not include sauce)
38 calories, 1g fat, 6 carbs, 1g protein


Ingredients
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed
1 onion, peeled and cubed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt/pepper
2 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 package wonton wrappers (about 48 wrappers)

Directions
-Pre-heat oven 375
-In a large bowl combine squash, onions, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Spray a large glass dish with PAM. Spread out squash mixture and roast until all veggies are soft and begin to caramelize--about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the thyme sprigs (you don't want the woody portion in your mixture--the leave are fine).
-Dump cooled veggies into a food processor. Add goat cheese and process until smooth.
-Lay wonton wrappers out on a large surface. Put a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) filling in center of wrapper.
-Brush edges with water, fold wrapper in half (making a triangle with the filling in the middle) and press closed, making sure that all the air is out.
-You can either lay them all flat on a sheet and freeze for a later date, or you can boil them in water for 3-4 minutes.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Magic Mystery Tour Knock-Off--Pesto pizza with spinach, goat cheese, mozzarella and sun dired tomatoes

Little Man was invited to a Halloween bash this week with all of his buddies. He was excited to go, and I was even more excited when I saw that their was Mellow Mushroom pizza to be had. Before moving to the South I had never even heard of Mellow Mushroom, but everyone raved about their  topping combinations and the unforgettable taste.

They were right! I fell in love with the Magic Mystery Tour pizza--a pesto-based pizza topped with spinach, portobello mushrooms, mozzarella and goat cheese. I knew it wasn't healthy, but damn it was good. It's high in both points and calories, but worth the occasional splurge for sure!

Pesto pizza with spinach, goat cheese, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes
PointsPlus value per slice: 8
Calories per slice: 350

Ingredients
1/2 a batch of Kitchen Aid pizza dough
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 onion
1/2 cup pesto
8oz fresh mozarella, sliced
3 oz soft goat cheese
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms

Directions
-Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a round pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.
-While oven is heating up, saute spinach,  mushrooms and onions together over, making sure that all of the liquid from the spinach has evaporated.
-Roll out your pizza dough on a well floured surface. Using a large cutting board, CAREFULLY slide the rolled out pizza dough onto the hot pizza stone. Bake for 4 minutes.
-Remove  pizza dough and top with pesto. Evenly spread out the sauteed spinach mixture and top with both types of cheese.
-Bake pizza for 8 minutes. Pull out rack and sprinkle with sun dried tomatoes. Bake for 3 more minutes.
-Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying!

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A Taste of Fall--Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Cheese Raviolis

I can't believe that it is already November 1st. Thankfully it is finally cooling down and some of the leaves are changing color, giving me that touch-of-home that I miss from growing up in New England.

This time of year always flies by, and I often forget to make use of some of the more hearty produce that is available right now at the store. Tonight I decided to go out on a limb and make something new--Butternut squash and caramelized onions over cheese raviolis. I was inspired by a recipe in Woman's Day, but felt their version could use a little "umph"--like caramelized onions and cream (what could be bad).

Here is our line up this week:
Tuesday--Butternut squash and caramelized onions over cheese ravioli*
Wednesday--Jerk-style chicken with mashed sweet potatoes
Thursday--Mushroom beef burgers
Friday--Red onion crusted chicken and mashers (for vegetarians out there, you can substitute eggplant slices for the chicken--comes out great!)
Saturday--Chicken pot pie

*Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Cheese Raviolis
Serves 4
PointsPlus value per serving: 12
250 calories, 10 g fat, 9g protein, 31 carbs

Ingredients
1 pound frozen cheese ravioli
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb butternut squash (about 1/2 a medium squash), peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbs fresh thyme
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper

Directions
In a large pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add butternut squash and saute 5 minutes.
Add onions and saute until squash is soft and onions are translucent.
Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes and remove pan from heat.
Cook raviolis according to directions on the package. Drain but reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water.
Reduce heat to low. Return squash mixture to heat and add cream and thyme, let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add raviolis, Parmesan cheese and a splash of pasta water. Mix well and serve.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.