So this may not look like something that special, but trust me, it' seriously DELISH, and super easy!
What you'll need (serves 2):
My Vinaigrette Dressing (here)
1 head of Romaine
20-25 medium frozen shrimp
1 cup whole wheat pasta
2-3 corn tortillas
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Start by chopping up the romaine, slicing cherry tomatoes, combine in a bowl and set aside. Now you'll cook 3 things sorta at the same time: pasta, shrimp, and tortillas) Start your pasta cooking, I used whole wheat rotini, but you can really use any kind you like. Once it cooks, you'll want to strain and rinse with cold water. When it is cool, add it to the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Next, slice your tortillas into small strips good for frying. Then heat a skillet with a healthy drizzle of frying oil (peanut. safflower, or canola). Throw the tortillas in and sprinkle with salt. Cook until crispy, stirring around occasionally. When they are done, place on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. While thats cooking, you'll also want to cook the Shrimps. Heat a skillet with some cooking spray and put the shrimp in frozen, let them defrost, then add about 3 Tablespoons of dressing, and let it cook and thicken on the shrimps, and let them get a little crispy. When all of that is done, drizzle the lettuce, tomato, pasta mix with dressing and toss, and then add some parmesan cheese and toss that in. To serve, place the salad down first, then pour the shrimps over, and top with the tortilla strips, and enjoy!!
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So recently, I have become a big fan of hummus. After some research into what goes into it, I realized it must be easy and CHEAP to make!! Also, SUPER versatile and customizable to your taste. So far I have made 2 different types and both turned out amazing! The basic recipe is as follows:
1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 2 T Olive Oil 3-4 cloves Garlic Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste How easy is that!? All you have to do is combine it all in a food processor, or even a blender. I suggest adding in everything but the beans and combining well, then add the beans last, this makes it so that you don't get like uneven chunks of anything in there. Now, you can pretty much add whatever else you want, as long as it won't change the overall consistency of the hummus (i.e. too much liquid, or something that doesn't puree very well). You can also substitute a different type of bean. Although I haven't tried it yet, I have heard most beans will do. I tried some spin offs including: Roasted Red Pepper, and Jalapeño - Cilantro: Roasted Red Pepper 1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 2 T Olive Oil 3-4 cloves Garlic Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 head of parsely 2-3 large roasted red peppers (the kind that come in a jar) Salt and pepper to taste Jalapeño - Cilantro 1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 2 T Olive Oil 3-4 cloves Garlic Juice of 2 limes 1/2 head of cilantro 1 jalapeno Salt and pepper to taste French Toast Casserole. Looking for a Christmas morning breakfast? This is the perfect thing. It serves a lot of people, and you do the work the night before, so all you gotta do in the morning is pop it in the oven!
Here's What You'll Need: 1 Loaf of french bread, sliced and then halved 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (at room temperature) 8 eggs 2 C milk 1/2 C cream 1/2 C maple syrup (pancake syrup) 1 T cinnamon 1 t vanilla extract 2 T powdered sugar Start by taking a baking dish and spraying with cooking spray. Then slice up your bread. You can also do it in 1 in cubes, and it makes it more like a bread pudding. Then beat your cream cheese until smooth, and then add in 1 egg at a time on low speed. Add in the milk, cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Now layer your baking pan with the bread slices, and pour the mixture over the bread. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, take it out and press the bread into the mixture again, and then let it sit for about a half hour while the oven preheats to 350. Bake for 45 min, and then slice into square pieces, sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Here's What You'll Need (Serves 2):
2 Tilapia filet flour tortillas (small size) 1 tomato 1 head shredded cabbage (Or be lazy like me and buy the packaged kind, I love you, Trader Joes!) 2 T Canola Oil "Blackening" seasoning (You will probably have too much of this, but you could always save half or make extra so you have leftovers!) 1 T chili Powder 1 T paprika 1 t Cumin 1 t garlic powder 1 t onion powder 1 t salt 1 t pepper 1 t dried oregano 1 t corn starch 1 t flour Dressing: 2 T mayonaise Juice of 2 limes 1 T Franks (or favorite hot sauce) 2 T olive oil 1 clove minced or crushed garlic 1/4 t pepper 1/4 t chili powder So you'll want to start by making your blackening mixture, and dressing, and set aside. Then take your tilapia and slice into thin pieces (about 1 in wide, and 3-4 in long) coat the fish in a thin coating of the mixture and place into a heated skillet with vegetable oil. These will cook FAST, depending on size. Only about 2-3 mins on each side. While they are cooking, cube your tomato, and mix it into the cabbage and toss with the dressing. You can also warm your tortillas in the microwave, or steam them. When the fish is done, place 2-3 pieces in each tortilla and top with cabbage salad. Happy Eating! If you love cheesy creamy deliciousness (who doesn't), then you'll love this! Let me just warn you now, this isn't ideal for your New Years Resolution Diet... But when it's feeling like a cheat day, try this! ;)
What you'll need: 1 can artichoke hearts 4 cloves garlic 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 cup spinach (defrosted) 4 oz. softened cream cheese 1/4 cup greek yogurt 1/2 package of whole milk ricotta cheese 1 1/2 cups cheese (I used "Quattro Formagio" from TJ, but parm, asiago, mozarella, or any shredded italian mix would do.) 1/2 teaspoon italian herbs (dried) 1/8 t pepper 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Start by pulsing your artichoke hearts, onion, and garlic in a food processor, if you have one. It not, you can just chop them up into smallish pieces, finely chop the onion, and mince garlic. Then place into a large mixing bowl, add in the cheeses, spinach, yogurt, and seasonings, and mix until well combined. Make sure you get the cream cheese well incorporated. If its getting too thick for your liking, you can add a bit of milk. The great thing about this is that you can easily store it in the fridge for 1-2 days prior to serving. When you are ready to serve, put the mix into a shallow baking pan, top with a layer of cheese (whatever you choose), and bake at 400 for about 20-30 mins until its bubbly and cheese is browned. (You can also throw it on broil for the last few mins to get the cheese browned). Serve hot with corn chips or baguette rounds. The other great thing about this is the versatility. You can mix in some sausage and make stuffed shells, or any stuffed pasta. You can also put it between bread and make grilled cheese. I have also spread this on a pizza crust and its amazing! Happy eating! If you're looking for the perfect picnic lunch, or make ahead dinner for a rushed night, this is it! It's really easy, and it tastes delicious! You can pretty much customize to your hearts content too!
Here's what I used: 1 ciabatta loaf Roasted red pepper hummus (homemade) Deli meats: ham, salami, and turkey Sliced roasted bell peppers Sliced pepperoncinis Provolone cheese Sliced tomato Basically you will start with slicing your Ciabata loaf lengthwise, and spread a healthy layer of hummus on. You can also subsitute this for pesto if you please. Then on one side, layer the pepperoncinis and red peppers fairly thick, or as many as you like. (I love pepperoncinis so I layed those on pretty thick). Then you can just layer on your cheese and deli meat in whatever configuration you like. You can see my layers in the photos below. After you have added all the insides, put the top of the loaf on, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Then place it in the refrigerator overnight with a weight on it. ( some people use bricks or skillets, I used a big Pyrex baking pan) The following day, unwrap and slice into triangular pieces, and enjoy! |
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