Cheesy Veggie Pillows

Cheesy pillows are the name my daughter came up with for these yummy, cheesy, meaty delicious bites.  You can fill them with any meat-cheese-veggie combo and they can be served as a side with dinner, as an appetizer or as hors d'oeuvres at a party.  They do take a while to put together but they cook really quickly and are totally worth it.  Today I made veggie pillows as a side for dinner and nutella banana pillows for dessert.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of wonton wrappers

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 cup cooked spinach

Fresh fontina cheese

Cream cheese

First assemble the pillows.  Have a small bowl with water set next to you.  Place a tomato half, some spinach, a piece of fontina and a dab of cream cheese in the center of the wonton.  Then dip your finger in the water, moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper and fold all four corners into the center as pictured below.  Repeat till you're done with all the wrappers.

 

Heat a pan with a coating of olive or canola oil and then cook the pillows.  They cook really fast - just a minute or two on each side so don't leave the pan.  Then serve :)

For dessert pillows do the same thing except fill with dessert ingredients - we used nutella, banana slices and a few chocolate chips.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar after cooking - so yummy!!!

Open Faced Egg and Goat Cheese

If there's one thing that New Jersey is famous for it's diners.  Diner food is total comfort food and one thing that I know everyone who grew up in NJ did was go to a diner for breakfast after a night of heavy drinking.  I used to swear that eggs and cheese could cure a hangover until I reached my thirties and I realized that the cure for hangovers is being in your twenties.

This is a healthier, classed up version of a diner staple - the egg and cheese sandwich.  It is low calorie and has more than one serving of vegetables in it.  The goat cheese adds creaminess but keeps it lighter than smothering it in butter would.  One serving is approximately 275 calories. 

INGREDIENTS

Organic whole wheat toast

1 organic egg

1 slice roasted pepper

1/2 cup organic arugula

2 teaspoons goat cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Toss the bread in the toaster.

Heat a pan with a very thin layer of olive oil.  When pan and oil are hot crack in the egg.  Cook until done.  I usually flip mine once and leave the yolk a little runny but not too runny.  Season with salt and pepper.

Spread goat cheese on bread.  The arugula goes on next with the egg on top of that - this wilts the arugula a little which is what you want.  On top of everything goes the roasted pepper.  

That's it!  This dish takes less than 10 minutes to make so you can even prepare it before work and have a healthy and delicious start to your day :)

Tracy's Slow Cooker Jersey Chili

This is my Jersey-fied version of chili.  It's one of those dishes that everyone in my family eats and loves and is also good for you.  Since it's made in the slow cooker it's the perfect meal for days when you have some free time in the morning but will be busy later on in the day.  I make it with ground turkey but you can substitute that with ground chicken, beef or pork or a combination of ground meats.  

I use dried beans because I hate anything out of a can (Can = gross!).  Dried beans are also cheaper :) Just put them in a bowl, cover with water and put in the fridge the day before you are going to use them.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey

1 cup pre-soaked pinto beans

1 cup pre-soaked garbanzo beans

1 1/2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes

1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped

1 whole small red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

(sometimes I add in a couple tablespoons of salsa but if you don't have any it's still good without it)

Sour cream and shredded cheddar to garnish

First turn the slow cooker on high and add the olive oil, garlic, onion, beans, roasted pepper, tomatoes.  

In the meantime heat a pan with a little olive oil and cook the ground turkey almost all the way through.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the turkey is done add it into the slow cooker with the chicken broth and all the spices. 

If you want the chili done quicker keep the slow cooker on high the whole time and it can be done in about 4 hours.  I start it on high for the first 2 hours and then turn it to low and cook for a total of 5-6 hours.

After 4 hours I usually taste it to see if it needs more salt, pepper or any other spice.  If it does I add them in and let it go another hour if not - still let it go another hour.

Serve in a bowl topped with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and tortilla chips on the side for dipping - freaking delicious!!!

Mexican Chicken

I know when you think of New Jersey you don't really think of Mexican food but all of the produce in this dish does grow in NJ so it keeps with my theme :)  This is one of my go to quick and easy recipes when I don't really have much time and have not planned ahead what to make for dinner.  It's impossible to mess up and kids love it.  As usual I use all organic ingredients :)

1 lb chicken cutlets cut into strips

1 cup salsa

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 of a small onion chopped

shredded cheddar cheese

1 ripe avocado

2 tablespoons lime juice

olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat a pan coated with olive oil and throw in onions and chicken strips, season with salt and pepper.

While that is cooking cut open the avocado and throw it in a bowl with the lime juice right away (the lime juice keeps the avocado from browning).  Mush it with a fork and add salt and pepper to taste.

When chicken is cooked add in mushrooms, wait a minute and add in salsa.  Cook for another minute or so and top with cheese.  Turn heat off and cover pan with lid to melt cheese.  

Plate the chicken and top with the avocado, serve with a salad and a few organic tortilla chips you have an incredibly easy and healthy dinner.

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate pudding from scratch is soooooooooooo much better than the instant powdered crap and once you see how easy it is to make you will never go back to instant again.  If I know I'm making pudding for dessert I usually start it right after breakfast so there is enough time for it to set by dessert time and I don't have to worry about it later when I'm making dinner.

Since strawberries are starting to come into season that is what I am going to top my pudding with today but bananas are just as delish :)  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• whipped cream for topping
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In a saucepan on low heat, bring 1 1/2 cups of milk, sugar and cocoa to a low simmer.  Check every few seconds to make sure you do not scald the milk.

In the meantime whisk together remaining 1/2 cup of milk, egg yolks, vanilla, corn starch and salt.

Gradually whisk half of hot mixture into cool mixture then return everything to the saucepan and continue whisking until boiling.  Then remove from heat and whisk some more - for about 3 minutes.  The pudding should be starting to thicken at that point.

Pour into a bowl or individual serving cups and cool in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Serve with fresh whipped cream :)

Whore Pasta

First off I have to start by saying I have some bad news...Summer Wine Glass is no longer with us.  I broke it the other night when I was reaching for something on my overcrowded, ridiculously small kitchen counter.  However, I know that the most important thing to Summer Wine Glass is that I continue on in my wine drinking while keeping her in my memories.  In honor of Summer Wine Glass I will be drinking extra wine this week - it's what she would have wanted.

Now, onto my recipe.  If there are two things that NJ is not short on it's pasta.....and whores (Omg, jk!).  But seriously, there are cute little Italian restaurants all over the place here and most of them are pretty good and they all serve pasta.  I am not a big fan of regular marinara sauce so I always try to make my sauces more interesting and fresh, here is my own twist on Pasta Puttanesca - basic translation, Whore's Pasta.  It's origins are sketchy but it possibly originated in brothels in Naples to serve to the waiting customers.  I probably only like making it so much because of the name or I definitely only like making it so much because of the name - does it really matter?

I don't use anchovies because even though I like anchovies in it no one else in my house does - so I replace them with a little green olive juice because anything that's good enough for a dirty martini is good enough for anything else.  I also don't use any tomato product out of a can because to me that makes the sauce taste like can - it's highly possible that it's just my own craziness that makes me think that but also almost all cans are lined with BPA which is just a plain old nasty chemical that I do not want in my food.  So my sauces are made from mostly fresh ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

3 small organic tomatoes (any type but I like heirloom)

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

1/2 cup chopped green olives

3 cloves minced garlic

1 small onion or half large onion diced

Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley and basil chopped about 1/3 cup combined

Grated cheese to sprinkle at end

1 package of pasta any type - if you have fresh, way better

Start off with heating your pan and coating it with olive oil, add onions and cook on low heat for about 5-10 minutes.  Add garlic and continue cooking on low heat.

Then fill your pot with water for the pasta and put it on high heat.  Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

In a food processor liquefy the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper and about 1 teaspoon of olive juice.  Then add them to onion and garlic pan.  Heat on medium about 10 minutes to reduce a little.

While that is going on your pasta is probably ready to go in so throw it in and cook for 1 minute less then it says to.

  When pasta is done throw it in the pan with the sauce to finish it.

At the end add olives and cook for 1 more minute.  Then plate and sprinkle with grated cheese and chopped herbs.

Serve with a side salad and it is a great vegetarian dish - especially if you use whole wheat pasta which has protein in it.  Not so vegetarian?  You can add cooked chopped bacon at the end :)

Wine Time!!!

It's wine time - California Chard in my summer wine glass ;)

Lunch Quesadillas

Quesadillas are an easy kid and adult friendly lunch because you can add anything to each individual one.  I love olives and mushrooms but you can throw any in-season veggie and meat in between two tortillas with shredded cheddar and it will taste yummy.  Then you just heat a pan with a thin coating of olive oil and cook each side until lightly browned. 

Some other suggestions are leftover chicken and spinach, tomatoes and onions, ground turkey and zucchini, bell peppers and hot peppers, ground beef, salsa, olives and tomatoes, shallots and shredded mozz and pretty much any combination of meat, veggie and cheese.

Plus if you measure out a quarter cup of cheese and load the tortillas up with veggies the whole thing is about 450-500 calories so just eat half and you have a super-light lunch.