Tomato Caprese Turkey- Meatloaf

The idea for this post originally started as a burger.  Then I remembered I'm the worst griller ever and I switched to an easy bake option!  (If anyone tries this as a burger, please let me know, I'm sure it'll be delicious!!!)

Many of you have probably figured out that tomato caprese salad/ingredients are a staple in my house. I always have fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella on hand because this is so simple, quick, versatile and delicious to serve as the original or to turn into something new. 

Tomato Caprese Turkey- Meatloaf

1.25 lb lean ground turkey breast

1 egg

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup ketchup 

1/4 cup raw red onion

1 TBS minced garlic

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

8-10 basil leaves, grape tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls

Directions

Preheat oven to 350/ spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl combine turkey breast, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, onion, garlic and vinegar.  Using your hands combine all the ingredients until well incorporated. Take half the mixture and press into a loaf pan.

(Wash your hands) and arrange the caprese ingredients (I went tomato, cheese then basil) in a layer in the middle of the loaf.  

Using the remaining meat mixture cover the caprese and press, lightly, to make sure the entire loaf is sealed. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes (until meat thermometer registers 165 internal temp) and let set for 5 minutes before cooling. 

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and... 

ENJOY!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

I'm not a big fan of fish.  The scales, skin, eyes, smell usually gives me the heebie-jeebies.

That being said, I love tilapia.  Tilapia has a mild taste and you can usually find "clean" (ie minus all the things that freak me out!)  tilapia at the grocery store.  Because of the mild flavor, marinades/crusts for tilapia can easily be interchanged with chicken.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

(serves 6; recipe found on Pinterest)

1 cup parmasean (I used a mix of shave and powdered) 

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic salt

1 Tbs parsley

dash red pepper flakes 

Olive Oil

Directions 

Preheat oven to 400

Mix cheese and spices in a small bowl.  Once mixed, pour into a large plate. Coat fish with olive oil and cover in cheese mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes until fish is white in middle

ENJOY!!

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Pizza.  I've made my fair share of combinations and have tasted many others BUT sometimes, you get bored. Sometimes you need to switch it up the presentation and voila, this is what this is.

I first found this recipe on Pinterest and, of course, had to try it.  

It could not have been an easier recipe to follow and my four taste testers managed to eat an entire 9x11 dish in one sitting! (If that's not a positive review, I don't know what is!)

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole 

(from Sweet Treats and More)

1 package uncooked spaghetti

1lb ground turkey burger (plus 1 TBS olive oil)

1 (26oz) jar tomato sauce

1/2 package pepperoni

1 (8oz) bag shredded cheese (I used an Italian 6 blend)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350* and spray a 9x11 casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in casserole dish.

In a large skillet brown the turkey burger in the olive oil.  Once cooked, pour on top of noodles in the casserole dish. Pour jar of sauce over the noodles and ground turkey.

In the same skillet used for the ground turkey, heat pepperoni for three to five minutes.  Place half of the pepperoni on top of sauce.  Cover the noodles, ground turkey, sauce and pepperoni with the cheese and sprinkle remaining pepperoni on top.  Spray one side of aluminum foil and cover casserole dish (spray side down)

Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown.  Serve immediately.

 ENJOY! 

Italian Bread Soup

When I first saw this soup recipe I was a little confused.

Bread? Soup? (And no it's not in a bread bowl!)

But I like tomatoes and I LOVE croutons so I figured I'd give it a go.

This soup smells delicious and tastes even better!

The bread absorbs most of the moisture and thickens up the soup.

This soup is light but filling on it's own or could be paired with chicken or salad for a heartier appetite.

Italian Bread Soup

(from Sandra Lee) 

(serves 4)

2 cans (14 ounces each) reduced sodium chicken broth

4 cans (14.5 ounce each) fire roasted diced tomatoes

3 cups Caesar-style croutons

1 cup frozen chopped onion

1 packet Italian salad dressing mix

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions
 In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, croutons, onion, and salad dressing mix. Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

ENJOY!!!!

(Notes: while the soup was delicious and easily reheated, I do not recommend freezing it.  Can be made vegetarian by subbing vegetable broth)
(Also, I apologize for the lack of photos... camera incident :/)

CrockPot Italian Chicken

This is one of my favorite CrockPot recipes.

As I've said before I love the CrockPot for being able to set it before a long day and being able to come home after the long day to a hot and delicious meal. 

This recipe is perfect to tailor to your own taste.  Prefer green beans? Toss 'em in.  At the CrockPot party, everyone is welcome!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

(from Sandra Lee)

(Serves 6)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup of Italian salad dressing

1 package of Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

1 (8oz) package of fresh sliced mushrooms

1 (28oz) can of peeled whole tomatoes (drained)

1 (10.75oz) can of cream of chicken soup

1 (10oz) package of frozen artichokes 

Directions:

In the crockpot add the mushrooms, artichokes, peeled whole tomatoes, and vegetable soup mix. Combine the cream of chicken soup, and the italian salad dressing in a bowl and mix until well blended. Add the chicken to the crockpot and pour the soup and dressing sauce overtop of the chicken to coat it. 

Cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours.  

ENJOY!!

(I had a few issues with my camera/upload/accidentally deleting all my pics... please forgive the lack of pictures!)

How to Make Cereal: A guest post

I present my first guest blogger: Patrick.

I've known Patrick for 10+ years.  He's a pretty cool kid (awesome baseball/basketball player!)  and supports (/endures?) all my cooking adventures (including this blog!)

While this is Patrick's speciality, you can guarantee that all cookies, on this blog, have been taste tested (and approved) by Patrick!

THE BEST RECIPE EVER.  CEREAL.  

(by ME.){Patrick.}

Step 0: Make sure you have your favorite cereal.

Step 1: Get a bowl, spoon, cereal and milk.

Step 2: Pour cereal in bowl.

Step 3: Add milk

Step 4: Enjoy! (OR DIE.).

REMEMBER, THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU WILL EVER DO IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.  TAKE THE CHALLENGE OF EATING CEREAL.

TAKE YOUR TALENTS TO FLAVORTOWN.

  

---Thanks, Patrick!

Roasted Red Pepper "Sauce"

This sat on my "Must Make" board since I first joined Pinterest.

For over a year, that poor recipe just hung on, collecting virtual dust.

I finally bit the bullet, a few weeks back, and quickly made it.  Seriously, quick. Less than 20minutes from start to in my belly.

I like quick recipes.

It was just as good as I was hoping and my only suggestion would be to use warm peppers.  The sauce was cool and the gnocchi hot and I think hot sauce, hot gnocchi would've been a million times better.

(disclaimer, I do not have a microwave... that would've been too obvious a solution!)

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

(from How Sweet)

1 jar roasted red peppers
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
4-5 basil leaves, torn
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a food processor , combine garlic, cheese, basil, salt, pepper and peppers.  Puree then add olive oil until smooth.

Serve over your favorite pasta or meat. 

ENJOY!!!!

Moroccan Squash Soup

This is one of my favorite soups

Not only does it make the whole house smell warm and delicious but

 The flavors go nicely together 

and it's the perfect soup for crisp, cool, fall days.

The spices can be adjusted to create for a milder or more intense soup suitable for the whole family.

And you can easily make it vegetarian/vegan if you swap vegetable broth for the chicken broth. 

Moroccan Squash Soup

(serves 6-8)

2 lbs butternut squash (halved, seeded and roasted 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 medium chopped onions

1 tsp black pepper

salt (to taste)

5 large chopped garlic cloves

1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, ginger and all spice

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 sweet/tart apple (honeycrisp works best!) cored and chopped

28 oz chicken broth

3 cups water

juice of one lemon

Directions

Roast squash, insides down, on a baking sheet at 400* for one hour.  Let cool.

While cooling,

In a 6qt pot heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, once warmed stir onion, pepper and salt until onions are browned.  Stir in garlic, spices, apple and sautée an addtional 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.

Scoop squash into pan. Add broth and water and simmer on medium high for 20minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. 

(you can also pour, in small batches, in blender and blend until smooth)

Stir in lemon juice before serving.

ENJOY!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

I know. I know. I know.

Another PUMPKIN recipe. 

I think there is one more and then I'm done...

...maybe.

And to be honest, I didn't even TOUCH pumpkin until 2009!

And it was a fluke. 

But, like most flukes, it was wonderful and now I can barely keep my hands away!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

(adapted Taste of Home)

(serves 10)

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions 

 In a large skillet, saute turkey breast until mostly cook. Add in the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to crockpot and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

ENJOY!!!!

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowl

 I think casseroles have been given a bad rap.

Which I can TOTALLY understand.

But this isn't your Momma's (or Daddy-o's) casserole.

For starters: no cream of something soup!

No oven.

No "crunchy" topping

No, this definitely isn't an old fashioned casserole!

This bowl is full of flavor and spice and a smooth, creamy, cheesy taste all throughout. 

(I will warn you, this IS spicy. If you're not a huge fan of heat go easy on the sauce- you can always add more!)

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowl

(serves 2 easily multiplied)

2 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into cubes)

salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic (to taste)

1/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing sauce (or your favorite sauce)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup cooked quinoa

Directions

In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add cut chicken breast and seasonings and cook chicken over medium heat until cooked through (about 10 minutes) . Pour wing sauce over chicken and stir to coat chicken.  

In serving bowls add quinoa and then chicken.  Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

ENJOY!

Eggplant Parm

Disclaimer:  this may be a cheater recipe. 

Pretty much, this is my chicken parmesan recipe with eggplant subbed for chicken.

BUT it was 

a) absolutely delicious

and

b) my first time using eggplant!

The eggplant was actually quite easy to prepare.

I really think picking it out was the hardest part!

(I picked one that was a little softer and made a hallow sound when I tapped it)

 Eggplant Parmesan 

(serves 2-3)

1 medium eggplant

3 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

salt/pepper

1 jar tomato sauce (I used a chunky tomato basil)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded parmesan cheese

fresh basil 

Directions

 (preheat oven to 350)

Peel and slice eggplant (hamburger style) into equal sized slices.

Place (evenly spaced) eggplant slices on baking sheet and sprinkle with miced garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes and then top with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese

Bake for an additional 5 minutes (until cheese is melted)

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan and top with fresh basil leaves.

ENJOY!!!

Pretzel Chicken

Sometimes I put off eating until I'm at the point of STARVING.

In those situations I usually, desperately, grab random and miscellaneous ingredients, say a prayer and hope for the best!

This was one of those dinners.

And let me tell you, amazing!

(totally worked!)

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

with cheese

(serves 2)

2 chicken breasts (rinsed and dried)

1/4 to 1/2 Cup Pretzel Thins, crushed

Salt and Pepper

Cooking Spray

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*

In a small dish combine crushed pretzels, salt and pepper.

Spray chicken with cooking spray and dip in pretzel mixture

Place in sprayed baking dish and bake for 25-30minutes

(Or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180*)

After chicken is cooked, sprinkle, liberally, with shredded cheese.

ENJOY!

Pizza Party

 I'm spending a few days with my favorite pizza eaters and decided this was the perfect  time to share some of my favorite, quick and easy pizza combinations.

(Andouille Chicken Sausage)

For starters, I purchase a pizza dough ball from Trader Joe's.  I tend to use their whole wheat crust as I like the chewiness of the crust and I've found it holds up the best and really compliments the toppings. 

(Garlic Chicken Sausage)

I also use Trader Joe's light mozzarella cheese and their pizza sauce. Although, I have been known to use a plain marinara or leftover pasta sauce in a bind.

(Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage with onions, peppers and sundried tomatoes)

After the pizza is fully covered with sauce and cheese, it's time for toppings.  Trader Joe's sells really good chicken sausage links that I like to use (in particular the sun-dried tomato and garlic sausages) after I slice them.  I also like to use leftover chicken (cut in cubes).  And nothing beats pepperoni!

(Roasted chicken with red peppers- proof that food doesn't always look perfect!)

A little something extra. Depending on what I have on hand, who I'm cooking for and what type of pizza, I try to pile on some extra flavors.  My standbys are a chicken pizza with diced red peppers and sautéed onions or the sun-dried tomato sausage pizza with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and garlic on top. 

ENJOY!

Thai Lime Cashew Encrusted Chicken

I don't know if you've ever coated a chicken in nuts before but

it's divine.

The nuts toast nicely and the chicken stays moist

PERFECT combination in my opinion.

These nuts, on their own, are pretty powerful and spicy but once cooked- the heat mellows down nicely.

THAI LIME CASHEW ENCRUSTED CHICKEN

(makes 2 chicken breast; easily doubled)

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

3/4 C Trader Joe's Thai Lime Cashews

Olive Oil/ Olive oil spray

Directions

Coat a skillet with olive oil.  Using a food processor coarsely grind the nuts and empty onto a plate. Spray chicken with olive oil spray (this will help cashews adhere to the chicken) and place chicken in ground cashews to coat evenly.  Heat in skillet over medium heat, turning once, until cooked thoroughly (180*)

I served with Trader Joe's Kimchi Rice 

ENJOY!

Quick and Easy Pasta Salad

      Pasta Salad is a quintessential part of summer. 

Pasta salad goes great at any backyard barbecue, picnic dinner or even at the beach 

(AND it's also an excellent "morning after" meal (for when those summer nights don't seem to end before the next day begins!)

I love this pasta salad because it's quick, fresh, colorful and I tend to have all the ingredients on hand.

Pasta Salad 

1 lb of a curly noodle pasta (I use farfalle) 

10 baby carrots (sliced and cut in to bite size pieces)

1 yellow bell pepper (seeded, sliced, and cut into bite size pieces)

1 small cucumber (sliced and cut into bite size pieces)

1 cup of your favorite Italian dressing (I use Kraft Roasted Red Pepper)

10 grape tomatoes cut in half for garnish

Directions 

Prepare pasta according to label. 

While pasta cooks, cut and slice vegetables.  After pasta cooks rinse in cold water and place in large bowl. Add chopped vegetables (except tomatoes) and Italian Dressing.  Mix thoroughly and add tomatoes.  Place in fridge to chill for at least an hour!

Enjoy! 

(oh! If you haven't heard I'm hosting a Virtual Stella and Dot Trunk Show!  Go show off some new jewelry and pasta salad at your next summer event!)