Panini-Palooza

Oh the day after a Bar-B-Que... many left overs, a hungry boyfriend, and a shiny new panini maker just begging to be put to the test!  Of course it wouldn't be a cluttered kitchen if we had just made one kind of panini... sheesh, where would the fun be in that??  We'll have a smorgasbord of paninis and make three different types.  Oh variety is the spice of life my friends!

No real recipes here, just guidelines to give you ideas...  Jump in have fun and enjoy!

For panini number one, I smeared some pesto mayo on some leftover french bread and added leftover tri tip.  (I like to chop it making it easier to bite into.)  Topped with chopped sun dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese and since I have a HUGE weakness for American cheese I threw a slice of that on there as well.

For panini number two I used the same pesto mayo on french bread and added sliced, grilled chicken breast.  Topped with chopped sun dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese, a balsamic drizzle & fresh cracked pepper.

Finally, for panini number three I went with plain mayo and Dijon mustard.  Added sliced, grilled chicken breast and topped with sharp cheddar cheese.  Now believe me, I was tempted to open up a package of bacon and fry up a piece just for this one, but decided that was a bit ambitious.

So there you have it... three delicious paninis in less than 15 minutes all with the leftovers I had on hand.  Just go with what you like and what you've got & you cant go wrong!  And don't forget, if you don't have an awesome panini press like me, you can always improvise!  Enjoy!

A Repeat...

So with all the chaos of getting ready for a very busy weekend, I decided to forgo a new recipe a revisit a previously blogged about dish last night.  I knew I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I went with the Grilled Chicken with Rustic Mustard Cream and just like the last time it was darn tasty.  The Green Beans w/ Country Mustard and Herbs are the perfect side dish for it and oh so yummy.  So, if you didn't notice it before, take another look... trust me on this one!

Cute as a button cupcakes...

So I decided to forgo a "Push Sasha, Push" cake (seen here) for my dear friend's baby shower and go a little less vulgar with some cute as a button cupcakes.

Betcha Believe Me Now Chicken and Couscous Salad

So Chad’s dad didn’t know I knew how to cook anything healthy. He only knew of my previous style of cooking… you know, that really, really good but really, really bad for you kind of stuff. I tried to tell him, I’ve found a new way. (No, I didn’t forget the old way, don’t worry.) I tried to tell him that we’ve been eating all this great healthy stuff. But you know what… I don’t think he believed me. He didn’t think I could change my wicked little ways… that is until he happened to discover this Blog! That’s right; the Big Boz himself took time out of his very busy day to read my Random Musings! And you know what? He wanted to try one of those healthy dinners. So Chad's parents joined us for an impromptu dinner. I found this recipe on the Cooking Light web site and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!  As long as you don't mind a little bit of chopping, this salad is so simple and it is off the charts delicious!

Chad and I love couscous, and since I knew we had a box on hand I decide to go with it. But I’m sure you could substitute my new buddy Quinoa & it would taste just as great! I upped the veggies, added a tomato for the tomato fans, avocado for the avocado fans, doubled the dressing and served it over a bed of raw baby spinach.  Oh and I used my new panini maker to grill some whole wheat pita triangles that I served on the side.

Chicken and Couscous Salad
Salad:
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (5.7-ounce) box uncooked couscous (Try the Near East brand Toasted Pine Nut. It's so good I always keep a box on hand.  It also makes a quick and easy side dish.)
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, shredded)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3 large)
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts; toss gently to combine.

To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine.

Note: You can toast nuts quickly in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, and as soon as they become fragrant, remove the nuts from the pan.
Calories: 334, Fat: 10.9g

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...