Gorgonzola & Pear Salad

I love this combination. The sweetness of the pear and the saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese go together beautifully with the added crunch of toasted pecans and crispy red onion! Perfect for Summer time!

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of flat leaf spinach
- 2 pears
- 1 red onion
- pecan halves
- gorgonzola cheese (blue cheese crumbles work for this too)
- balsamic vinaigrette dressing (or whatever you prefer, but I think the balsamic goes very well)

Directions:

 Start by toasting about 1 cup of pecan halves over medium heat in a small skillet until they are warm. (your nose will let you know when they are done)

  Next dump your bag of spinach into your serving bowl and slice your pears.

Add your sliced pears to the spinach, arranging them neatly and evenly over the top.

  Next slice your red onion and add to the spinach and pears.

Finish by adding your toasted pecans and sprinkling the gorgonzola (or blue cheese crumbles) over the top.

 Now you're ready to serve! Add dressing to each plate after dishing up, or you can add the dressing first, toss to coat, and then serve. I like to let everyone add their own dressing and I just serve this salad as is, after it's assembled.

Fresh Spinach & Tomato Egg White Sandwich

Just got done making this one. After I work out, I try to refuel with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates to help with muscle recovery and to keep energy levels high.  This was something that I thought would do the trick, with the protein in the egg whites and the carbs from the bread, it was just what I was looking for!

This is a simple, fresh twist on your typical breakfast sandwich, it is really easy to make and takes hardly any time at all!

Ingredients:

-1 large slice of sourdough bread (cut in half & toasted)
-2 egg whites (kept separate)
-2 small handfulls of fresh spinach
-2 small tomato slices
-1-2 tblsp olive oil (divided)
-salt & pepper *to taste

*however much you like

Directions:

 Over medium-high heat in a small frying pan, fry each egg white in about 1/2-1 tblsp olive oil and keep separated so you can place one on each half of the sourdough toast. Fry for about 2-3 minutes then flip and fry for another minute or two until egg whites are cooked through. (Season egg whites with salt and pepper while they are cooking on the first side if you choose)

 Once the egg whites are cooked, assemble your sandwich! Open-faced is how I like to eat mine, less bread that way, but you can make 2 whole sandwiches with this if you like.

 Start by placing one egg white on each 1/2 slice of toast, then a small handful of spinach on each, followed by a tomato slice. To top everything off, drizzle the remaining olive oil over each 1/2 sandwich, and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Bon Appetite`!

Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Salad

 This is a great recipe for the warm weather coming up. I threw this one together one very hot summer day in Kansas City, MO. 

Ingredients:

-Fresh baby or regular Spinach

-1 grilled chicken breast per salad (sliced)

-5 or 6 fresh strawberries (sliced)

-1/4 of a small red onion (sliced)

-Toasted pecans

-Feta cheese

Dressing:

-Olive oil

-Balsamic vinegar

-Sugar (white)

-Granulated garlic

-Salt

-Cracked black pepper

*All of the ingredients for the dressing are 'to taste' because to be honest, I've never measured how much of everything I put into it, so I have no idea what the measurements are. :-P

Directions:

Fill a large plate with about 1-2 cups of Spinach.  Add onion, strawberries, grilled chicken, toasted pecans, and feta cheese on top of the spinach. Whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together until combined, then drizzle on top of the salad. 

Tater-tot Shepherd's Hot Pie Dish

This recipe was a HUGE hit with my husband, who LOVES potatoes... He might as well face it, he's addicted to spuds... ;)  He made a request one night for Shepherd's Pie.. but then he couldn't make up his mind between that and Tater-tot Hot Dish. So I thought, why not both!?!?!?

Result: Happy Husband, Easy Entree :)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups frozen Tater Tots
• 2 cups frozen green beans, thawed
• 3 cups hot mashed potatoes
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese (colby works great)

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, garlic salt and pepper.
• Place Tater Tots in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with beef mixture and green beans. Spread mashed potatoes over the top; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken with Baked Eggplant & Tomato

This is one that I tried once and liked, but I would add salt and pepper to the vegetables to enhance the flavors.

Ingredients:

- 1 Red Pepper
- 1 Eggplant
- 3 Tomatoes
- 7oz. Large Button Mushrooms
- 1 Onion
- Canola or Olive Spray
- 1 1/2 Tbs Tomato Paste
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
- 3 Tbs Dry White Wine
- 2 Slices low-fat/ Turkey Bacon
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 4 Small Sprigs Rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pepper & eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, the mushrooms into halves, and the onion into thin wedges. Mix the vegetables together in a roasting pan. Spray with oil & bake for 1 hour or until starting to brown and soften, stirring once.

Mix together the tomato paste, stock and wine, then pour into the roasting pan with the vegetables and roast for 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Meanwhile, cut the bacon in half. Wrap a strip around each chicken breast securing underneath with a toothpick. Poke a sprig of fresh rosemary underneath the bacon. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden on both sides. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the toothpicks. Serve the Chicken on the vegetables, surrounded with sauce.

This dish went well with orzo pasta tossed in a light olive oil with salt & fresh cracked black pepper. A nice wholegrain bread would go nicely too!

Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Asparagus Soup

This one I made myself from scratch. I didn't really know if it was going to turn out well, but it ended up being pretty good! This recipe is very versatile, as most soups tend to be, you could choose to leave out the mushrooms if you don't care for them, but I love the hearty flavor that they add to this dish.

Ingredients:

- 1 small-medium onion
- tsp butter
- 4-6 Chicken breasts (cubed & cooked)
- 4 cups (32 oz.) Chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1lb. Fresh asparagus (cut into 1-2 inch long pieces)
- 4-5 medium sized potatoes (peeled & cubed)
- 1lb Fresh mushrooms (sliced)
- 1/2 - 1 cup half&half
- 1/2 cup flour to thicken (optional) *leave out for gluten-free menu
- Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee onion in butter in the bottom of a large soup kettle until tender and slightly browned. Add a clove of minced garlic if desired.

Add broth, potatoes, asparagus & mushrooms to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken (cooked) and let simmer for 5-8 minutes until vegetables are tender, and chicken is warmed through. Reduce heat to medium-low and gradually stir in half&half, making sure the heat is low enough so that it won't cause the cream to curdle. *add flour if you choose to thicken, bring to low boil for about 2 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste & serve. I usually pair this with a whole-grain artisan bread. Yum!

Chipotle-Chicken Quinoa

 This is my own recipe. I just sort of threw a bunch of things that I had in my fridge/pantry together, & it ended up being pretty good!


Ingredients:


 -1 cup (dry) Quinoa prepared according to package directions in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 
 -1-2 Chicken breasts, cubed & cooked
 -1 can white kidney beans 
 -1 can whole kernel sweet corn 
 -1 diced tomato, or red bell pepper 
 -1 onion, diced 
 - 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced 
 - 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach (or 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped) 
 -1-2 tsp cumin 
 -1-2 tsp cayenne pepper 
 -1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flake 


Directions: 


Combine Quinoa with chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.


 Add cooked chicken, tomatoes (red pepper), corn, kidney beans, and spinach (cilantro). Stir until spinach (cilantro) is wilted and the beans & corn are warmed through. In a separate pan, sautee onions in olive oil until tender. Add garlic & cook for 1 more minute. Add onions & garlic to Quinoa mixture. Add cumin, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flake to taste, depending on how spicy you like it. :) Stir & mix until completely & evenly incorporated. Dish up & serve! Enjoy!