An Amazing Thank You Gift!

So I walked in the door after work to find a huge Williams-Sonoma bag with this in it:

And in case you can’t tell from the picture, it’s big and HEAVY! Hello… I LOVE Williams-Sonoma & I LOVE wrapped gifts! But this??? It’s not my birthday, it’s not Christmas? What did I do to deserve such a treat?

Well as it turns out, this my friends it the sweetest thank you gift ever! Chad’s buddy Mike was our dinner guest for the Very Vegan Dinner. He was so appreciative of the culinary adventure we took him on that he felt compelled to find us some new hardware for the kitchen. What’s in the box you ask? Well, let’s just say, someone has been perusing some Random Musings, because he knew we not only loved us some W-S, but he knew we were lacking a certain appliance. My squeals of excitement could barely be contained when I tore off the paper to find this:

We have a Panini Maker!!! And not just any panini maker... an AWSOME one!!! No more line-less panini’s (like these)! I’ll have to make lots and lots of painis now. So tell me, what’s your favorite panini recipe?

Before I go… I just have to say Mike, you are too much! Thank you so much for your generous gift! I LOVE IT! There will be MANY more Very Vegan Dinners for you to come over & enjoy!

A Very Vegan Dinner…

Alrightie, so last Thursday we had the much anticipated vegan dinner. Yep, vegan... that means no meat, & no dairy! So, on the menu we had Black Bean Quesadillas with Corn Salsa, Spanish Style Quinoa (for more on quinoa see previous post) & a Simple Green Salad. Um, how do you

make quesadillas without the cheese/dairy product?? Well, I found these cheddar flavored “Veggie Shreds” (basically soy cheese) in the produce department over by the tofu and decided to give it a whirl. And what do you know, it wasn’t too bad. (Don’t worry cheese, you will always be my number one!) All in all this dinner turned out great! We were all exposed to new things. The quinoa very well may be my new BFF, the quesadillas were awesome & the corn salsa was too simple to be that good! And the best thing about this dinner is it doesn’t have to be vegan. We had a vegan dinner guest, but you can change it up to suit your tastes. You can for the real thing and toss on the Mexican blend real deal cheese! You could even add some grilled or shredded rotisserie chicken to the quesadillas. Also, if you aren’t ready for quinoa, stick to your favorite Spanish rice. Vegan, Vegetarian, Carnivore, how ever you like it, you can’t go wrong with this one! Enjoy!

Black Bean Quesadillas w/ Corn Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat, low carb tortillas)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) preshredded Mexican blend cheese (I used the Veggie Shreds)

Salsa:
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used the roasted red bell pepper in the jar)
To prepare the quesadillas, preheat the broiler.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup cilantro, and beans; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Place tortillas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup bean mixture and 3 tablespoons cheese; fold in half. (My tortillas were small, so I kept them round & just topped with another tortilla.) Lightly coat tops with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and tortillas begin to brown. Cut each tortilla into 3 wedges.

To prepare salsa, combine corn and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve with quesadillas.

Calories: 420, Fat: 14.4g

As for the Spanish Style Quinoa, I turned to my favorite Sassy Little Chef and asked her for tips on how she makes her Spanish Rice.  Since this is how I used to make Spanish Rice.  But honestly, now that I know how easy it is to make it your self, I'll probably ditch the bag of ingredients I can't pronounce & stick with the real stuff.  Since it was also the night for the big Quinoa Experiment, I just substituted quinoa for the rice. It totally turned out & it was Fantastic!  So far, after experiment #1, it seems true that anything rice can do Quinoa can do better for you!  But if you want her recipe, you’ll have to ask her for yourself. ;)

Quinoa??

OK, so I'm more than intrigued.  I've been hearing the mention of this Quinoa stuff (pronounced Keen-wah) pop up here & there for a while now... Wolfgang Puck had me completely entranced on QVC as he was rather successfully selling me on why I should purchase his pressure cooker.  A counter full of brightly colored pressure cookers each filled with a great looking meal all made in front of my very eyes in like 7 min!  One contained Quinoa, hmmm, I think I've heard of that before, sorta looks like couscous, I love couscous - I need the phone! Where's my wallet?  Do I want the red one or the teal one... Thumbing through a cookbook, oh there's that Quinoa stuff again.  Then on Monday my hairdresser was telling me how much she loves the stuff.  She cooks with it all the time & It's her new favorite thing. 

Well at this point I was intrigued, I just had to investigate!  I even went I bought a box.  The more I'm reading about this stuff the more I'm learning of it's awesomeness!  I haven't even tasted it yet, but people seem to love it!  It may be new to me, but it has been around for like 6000 years.  The Incas held this this stuff sacred, and called it chisaya mama or mother of all grains.  Quinoa's protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber, it's gluten-free, wheat-free and considered easy to digest. (thank you Wikipedia!)

In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. (the worlds healthiest foods)

And as for the taste... Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to rice or couscous.  I read one blog that said, "Anything rice can do, quinoa can do better!"

So, who's intrigued?  Anyone else have any experience with it?  Do tell!  Favorite recipes you care to share with me?  I'm making it tomorrow night, so stay tuned...

A Berry Patriotic Dessert!

So I've been on strike this week.  Well not really, but I have been completely busy & have not made dinner once.  Um, I don't think the 9 pm garlic provolone grilled cheese sandwiches that were burned on one side(yeah, kinda got distracted on the phone) count as an actual dinner or blog worthy, and they weren't healthy at all... but they were pretty tasty if you scraped off the burned side.  But I digress.  The actual point of this blog is to give you something to get you through the week and to let you know that I have not forgotten about you, the few & faithful!

With June almost behind us and the 4th of July coming up here shortly, I thought I'd dig through my archives and bust out with this little beauty!  The recipe was given to me by the mother-in-law of my bestie (who just so happens to be this Sassy Little Chef).  Carole is one of those great cooks who when I asked her for her recipe she said, oh I don't have a recipe, I just threw it together with this this & this!  I very rarely get that lucky!  She's awesome!  She gave me the list of ingredients, I gave it a whirl, it totally worked out & everyone loved them!  Enjoy!

Berry Delicious Mascarpone Cups
Won Ton Wrappers
Melted Butter
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture

1 Package Mascarpone Cheese
Orange Juice
Honey

Fresh Berries (I used Strawberries & Blueberries)
Optional Topping*

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Brush the individual wonton wrappers with melted butter on each side, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture & place in mini muffin pan.
3.  Bake for approx 10 min or until edges are golden brown.  Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, mix mascarpone with honey & OJ to desired taste.  (careful not to make it too thin) You can even add a little orange zest if desired.
5.  Once wonton shells are cooled, add a spoonful of cheese mixture.  Top with fresh berries and Topping of your choice.  *The first time I had it with whipped cream, even Cool Whip would be great.  In this photo I made it with a white chocolate drizzle for the patriotic theme (get it, the stripes.. red, white & blue?? yeah,  yeah, we get it! OK, just checking!).  You could even do a dusting of powdered sugar if you so desired.  The possibilities are almost endless...


Note:  Find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated produce section of most supermarkets.

Fresh Corn Tomato Salad

So this is one of this recipes that I've made so many times I don't even really need a recipe for it any more.  I've made a couple changes to over the years, but it's basically remained the the same.  I believe it is a Bobby Flay recipe that I found it on the Food Network site.  If you are looking for a change from your usual green salad, this is super simple to make.  It is a wonderfully light and fresh summer salad.  I would only attempt to make this with fresh corn by the way.  This is one place that canned or frozen corn does NOT belong!  Enjoy!

Fresh Corn Tomato Salad

3 Tbls white wine vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup EVOO
6 ears fresh corn, husked
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch scallions (white & Green), thinly sliced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 ½ cups fresh basil
½ bag fresh baby spinach
3 Tbls balsamic vinegar

Whisk the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth dressing.

Shear off the corn kernels with a sharp knife over a bowl. Toss in the tomatoes, scallions, and mozzarella. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and let set for 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Before serving, tear or chop the basil & spinach over the salad, drizzle balsamic and stir.

Turkey Antipasto Panini

Ok, so maybe it's not exactly a panini since I didn't have a panini maker.  Don't think I didn't contemplate going to Target and buying one just for this recipe!  But I decided that I'd make due with a regular pan, a piece of foil and a plate on top to press it down with.  Sure there were no pretty little grill marks, but it was delicious nonetheless!  They were beautiful, fun to make and wonderful to eat.  I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar on mine.  Enjoy!

Turkey Antipasto Panini
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of pesto (I added this part)
8 (0.9-ounce) slices crusty Chicago-style Italian bread
8 ounces shaved lower-sodium deli turkey (such as Boar's Head)
1 (6-ounce) jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup moist sun-dried tomato halves, packed without oil and chopped
1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers
12 basil leaves, chopped
4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese (such as Alpine Lace)

1. Preheat panini grill.
2. Mix mayo & pesto, spread evenly over each bread slice. Top each of 4 bread slices evenly with turkey, artichokes, tomato, bell pepper, basil leaves, and cheese. Top with remaining bread slices. Coat both sides of sandwiches with cooking spray.
3. Place sandwiches on panini grill. Grill 3 to 4 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese melts. Cut panini in half before serving, if desired.
Calories: 361, Fat: 10g (this is the count without the added pesto)

My Big Fat Greek Turkey Burgers

Hello flavor explosion in my mouth!  I've been wanting to do some sort of Greek turkey burger for a while now and these did not disappoint!  I took a recipe from the Cooking Light website & added a couple of things to it to come up with this.  This is in no way a boring dried out turkey burger!  Talk about a juicy & flavorful.  These are a must try.  And don't forget the Tzatziki sauce, it's too good!  Enjoy!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 tablespoons commercial pesto
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives 

1/4 cup chicken stock or broth

2 cups arugula (I used baby spinach)

Sliced Roasted Red Bell Peppers in the jar
2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, toasted and halved (we used the Earthgrains 100 calorie thin buns)

Preparation
1.  Make the Tzatziki Sauce (below) and refrigerate.

2. Combine first 10 ingredients in a bowl; mix until combined. (at this point I put the mixture in the fridge to let the flavors do their thing for about 30 min.  Divide mixture into 4-6 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

3. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Top patties with sliced peppers, spinach & Tzatziki. 

Calories: 303, Fat: 8.8g

Tzatziki sauce: Combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat, Greek-style yogurt; 1/4 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/8 (or less if you don't want too much heat) teaspoon ground red pepper.