Tortilla Pizza

Usually when Dave and I make pizza, we get the fresh dough from the supermarket or local deli and rock the pizza stone.  Of course, the result is always delicious (especially when we add the cornmeal underneath the crust...love that!).  

However, if we are short on time, this recipe is a great stand in!  Made with flour tortillas and cooked in a cast iron skillet, the total preparation AND cook time goes down to about 10 minutes.

Last night - Super Bowl Sunday - we made 2 varieties of this tortilla pizza (and no, we did not watch the game).  Dave made the point that caramelizing onions defeated the whole "quick and easy" idea, but it was tasty nonetheless.  

Ingredients

Large flour tortillas

Pizza stuff (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc)

Directions:

• Preheat the broiler
• On the stove top, heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan, over high heat until it starts to shimmer.

• Once hot, drop the heat to low and spread around the oil with a paper towel, absorbing any excess.

• Place a tortilla in the pan, with the small bubbles facing down

In the pic above, the small bubbles are on the left, and the large bubbles are on the right.

The large bubbles should be facing up.

• Add your toppings!  Our first pizza used pizza sauce, with mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheeses.  We also threw on some hot pepper flakes.

• By this point, the cheese will start to melt and the bottom will crisp up a bit.  Now it's time for the broiler!

• Cook under the broiler for about 1-3 minutes.  Ours were done in 1 min 30 seconds.

The pizza ends up so crispy that you can hold the whole thing without it flopping over!!

Our second variety uses this awesome fig jam we picked up at Wegman's:

I caramelized some onions...

...then deglazed the pan with beer:

 I spread a thin layer of the fig jam onto the tortilla, followed by the onions and cheeses.  This one was a little sweet for me, but Dave loved it!

Pizza Hats

Ingredients

Large flour tortillas

Pizza stuff (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc)

Directions: 

1. Preheat the broiler 
2. On the stove top, heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan, over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Once hot, drop the heat to low and spread around the oil with a paper towel, absorbing any excess. 
3. Place a tortilla in the pan, with the small bubbles facing down 
4. Add your sauce and toppings. 
5. Cook under the broiler for about 1-3 minutes. Check it to make sure it doesn't burn!

Korean Beef Short Ribs

"Bow Chicka Bao Bao!!"
(yes...Dave and I kept saying that as we made this.  And yes...we think we are so clever)

Now, let me put this out there before anyone says anything.  I'm not sure what makes this meat "Korean," except for the fact that I adapted the recipe from an existing recipe that claimed it was.  Either way, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten!!  When trying to figure out what to serve it with, I immediately thought of a steamed Bao bun.  What an amazing combination!

Ingredients:
for the beef:
2-3 cloves garlic
3/4 inches of ginger, peeled
1/3 cups soy sauce - we used low sodium
1/4 cups brown sugar
3 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/5 pounds beef short ribs - we used boneless
a bit of cornstarch and water

for the steamed buns:
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour, plus about another half cup for kneading

for the cucumber slaw:
1 cucumber
1/2 carrot (or 1 small carrot)
4 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
large pinch of salt
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:
for the beef:

1. Finely mince garlic and ginger.  Mix with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. 
2. Place short ribs into a crock pot and pour sauce over ribs. 
3. Cover, and cook on low for about 8 hours. 
4. When the meat is falling apart, turn off the heat, remove from the pot, and shred the beef.
5. Pour the juice from the crock pot into a container and place in the fridge to cool while you prepare the other components.

 this is how you know it's ready

once I removed the sauce they got a little dry. don't worry- they will be rejuicified  later!

for the steamed buns:

1. Place the yeast into the warm water, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes to activate.
2. Once bubbly, add the sugar and oil to the yeast mixture.
3. Combine 2 cups of flour with the baking powder, then add to the yeast mixture.
4. Mix the dough (it will be very sticky).  Knead and continue to add flour until smooth (for us, it took about a half cup of extra flour)
5. Cover dough, put it in a warm place, and let rise for 30 minutes.
6. Once risen, cut small pieces of dough and flatten into discs.
7. Place each disc onto a square of parchment paper, and steam for 10 minutes.

thanks, Dave, for doing the tough stuff! :)

 

 haha, that little disc got out of frame, and Dave wouldn't let me try a second photo!!

amazingly fluffy and delicious!

for the cucumber slaw:

1. Peel cucumber and carrot and chop into matchsticks. 
2. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. 
3. Add the dressing to the cucumber and carrot and mix well.

 
to finish:

1. Remove the sauce from the refrigerator- by now you should be able to skim off the excess fat.
2. Place in a sauce pan and simmer until thickened. I wanted it a bit thicker so I added some cornstarch mixed with water. 
3. Pour the sauce on top of the meat, and stir to combine 
4. Serve on buns with some of the slaw and enjoy!

Beef recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Bun recipe from this video on YouTube

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce

This was a meal I whipped together the other night, and it was so delicious! I know that my recipe for the sauce in no way even comes close to competing with the tomato sauce that mom/grandma/Matt makes. Buuuut it was quick and easy.  I like that!

Since this was thrown together on the fly, I'll do my best to write down the ingredient amounts...

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
28 oz can Whole San Marzano Tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
1 onion (I used a red onion, because that's what we had)
Basil (fresh would of course be better, but all I had was dried)
a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Roast the spaghetti squash. I cut mine in half, placed it in a shallow dish with about a half inch of water, and cooked it for about 35-40 minutes in a 450 degree oven.  That did the trick!  Scrape the spaghetti squash with a fork and use tongs to remove and put into a separate bowl.
2. While the squash is roasting, chop the onion and garlic.  I was crying profusely from the onion (usually I make Dave deal with onions, but he wasn't home) so I only had about 4/5 of it chopped.  
3. Heat a pot with some oil (I used our Le Crueset) and saute the garlic and onions until soft. 
4. Add the entire contents of the tomato can to the pot, and use a spoon to break up some of the tomatoes. Throw in some basil, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to medium, put on the lid, and cook for about 20 minutes.
6. Once the sauce has finished cooking, taste to see if it needs anything else, then lightly puree with an immersion blender. Make sure to leave big chunks!  Those are awesome :)
7. Serve the sauce over the cooked spaghetti squash.

This made 3 good sized servings. Since I tagged it as "healthy," I figured I should share the nutrition info per serving:

Calories: 178
Fat: 8g (from the olive oil used to saute)
Sodium: 90mg
Carbs: 23g
Protien: 3g
Sugars: 8g (mostly from the squash)

Corn & Coconut Curry Chowder with Pale Ale

 Hooray - a new post!  This evening I made a yummy soup for dinner...very flavorful!

Ingredients:
6 large ears sweet corn, or 2 bags frozen corn (rinsed in cold water to thaw)
4 tbs olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/3 cup pale ale (we used Sierra Nevada)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups vegetable broth (chicken will work as well)
2 cans (13.5 ounces each) coconut milk (we used light)
4 tsp red curry paste, or more to taste (we used about 1/2 tsp more)
large pinch cayenne, or more to taste
10 large leaves basil, thinly sliced
2 large red peppers, roasted and chopped (we used jarred)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 if using fresh corn, 450 if using frozen.
2. Place on a baking sheet, roast for 20 minutes. If using fresh corn, remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Cut the kernels off the corn, set aside.
3. In a sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until soft, about 5-10 minutes. 
4. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beer, salt, pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry paste, corn kernels, and cayenne. 
5. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.  Stir in the basil and the red pepper.

Recipe adapted from The Beeroness

French Onion Soup Potstickers

This was our first time making potstickers- they were easy, and this non-asian twist was delicious!

Makes 20 potstickers

Ingredients:
2 jumbo sweet onions, cut into quarters then sliced thin
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 small dried bay leafs (or 1 big one)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (we only had gouda, so we used that)
20 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil

For the Au Jus Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash garlic salt

Directions:
1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion slices and season with salt and pepper, then add Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves, sugar, and beef broth to the skillet and stir well. Turn heat up to high, bring broth to a boil, then turn back down to medium heat.

2. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until very soft and dark brown. About 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the onions completely, then place into a bowl and mix with mozzarella cheese.

3. Lay 4 wonton wrappers out on a clean, dry surface, then place 1 Tablespoon onion mixture into the center of each wrapper. Wet all four sides with a pastry brush or your finger, then fold the bottom right-hand corner up the top left-hand corner and seal the edges, being careful to remove all air pockets. Transfer potsticker to a wax paper-lined baking sheet and press down gently to create a flat bottom. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

4. To freeze: Place baking sheet into the freezer until potstickers are frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. When ready to eat, cook the same way as fresh.

5. To cook: Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a medium-sized skillet. Place potstickers, being careful not to crowd, into the skillet, getting oil on the bottom of each potsticker. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, then add enough water to come 1/3 of the way up the potstickers (we found that a little less water worked better). Place a lid on top and let the potstickers steam for 2-3 minutes.

6. When there is just a couple tablespoons water left in the skillet, remove the lid and allow the water to cook out and the potsticker bottoms to crisp back up. Use a spatula to gently unstick the wrappers from the skillet and serve with Au Jus dipping sauce (heat ingredients in a small saucepan or in the microwave.)

Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Thai Quinoa

Dave and I trying REALLY hard to be healthier eaters. We've cut out most added sugars and fats from our everyday diets.  Of course we won't give up amazingly rich foods and desserts, but we will try to limit ourselves to one "fun" meal per week.

....but what we discovered the past few weeks is that healthy food can be fun too!   Take this Thai-style quinoa for example.  Nice and flavorful, and filling as well.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (we used red quinoa)
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth (note: next time Dave and I will try 1.5 cups coconut milk and .5 cups broth)
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon microplaned or minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic (I really like garlic, so I used a full tablespoon)
1 cup frozen peas (we didn't have peas, so I used frozen sugar snap peas)
1-8oz can pineapple tidbits, drained (we didn't have this, so I cubed up a mango)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (haha, we also didn't have this, so it was omitted)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
juice of half a lime
chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan over high heat. Add coconut milk and chicken broth, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly as to not burn the garlic.

3. Add peas, pineapple tidbits, and cilantro and cook for 1 additional minute.

4. Push the ingredients to the sides of the wok to create a clear space in the center. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl, then pour into the wok. Stir with a spatula until the eggs are scrambled, then stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.

5. Add cooked quinoa, soy sauce and lime juice to the wok, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute or two, or until the quinoa begins to crisp up. Serve with optional chopped peanuts on top.

Yum! Any foods that we deem "healthy" will get a "healthy" tag on the blog.  To me, that means low cal, no added sugars, and the good-for-you fats.  Also, I will try to add some nutritional info.  Here's what this recipe racks up (as prepared, split into 4 servings- with peanuts):

Calories: 372
Fat: 15g (if you omit peanuts, subtract 5g)
Cholesterol: 86mg
Sodium: 601mg
Carbs: 45g
Fiber: 5.8g
Protein: 15g

Recipe from: Iowa Girl Eats

Mulligatawny Soup

*Insert Seinfeld Reference Here*

Dave and I made this wonderful and easy to prepare soup last night. Although not traditional Indian food, it had great Indian flavor, and was warm and comforting!

Ingredients:
1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
(we had shredded slow-cooked chicken on hand that we used instead)
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1/4c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp curry powder (we used 3 tbsp...we like spicy!)
32 ounces chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half (milk works too)
1 whole granny smith apple, peeled and diced
1 tbsp white or brown sugar, more or less to taste (we used brown)
2 tsp salt, more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
cayenne pepper (optional, for spice) (we didn't have any, so this was omitted)

Directions:
1.  Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat .  Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.  (We did not do this step since we already had cooked shredded chicken.  The shredded was amazing in this soup, so I highly recommend it!)
2.  In the same pot, add the remaining 2 tbsp butter and reduce heat to medium.  Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook.  Cook until onions start to brown.
3.  Sprinkle flour over onions, and stir to combine.
4.  Stir in curry powder, and cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.
5.  Pour in chicken broth.  Stir to combine then cook for 5 minutes.
6.  Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar.
7.  Cook for another 5 minutes
                     

(Here's what the soup looked like as we swirled in the half-and-half)

8.  Add chicken and diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
9.  Turn off heat and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

-----------------------------------
We served ours with some store-bought wheat naan:

Just amazing!

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

----------------------------------------------------------
Updated!  Dave and I made some variations this last time, and it was also amazing!  When we sauteed the onions/garlic, we also put in some thinly sliced carrot.  Instead of adding flour, we added 2 tbsp corn starch mixed with a bit of water (that change was with Melissa in mind!).  Then in lieu of half-and-half, we put in one can of light coconut milk.  Lastly, as an alternative to chicken, we put in 1 package of firm tofu, drained and cut into small cubes.

Sesame Crusted Chicken

A quick and easy meal!

Ingredients:

• 18 oz chicken tenderloins
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 6 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp course salt
• 4 tbsp panko
• olive oil spray
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray.
2. Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl, and the sesame seeds, salt and panko in another.
3. Place chicken in the bowl with the oil and soy sauce, then into the sesame seed mixture to coat well.
4. Place on the baking sheet; lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray and bake 8 - 10 minutes.
5. Turn over and cook another 4 - 5 minutes longer or until cooked through.
6. Serve with rice (optional)

Servings: 4 1/2 • Serving Size: 2 chicken tenders •
Calories: 196.9 • Fat: 9.1 g • Protein: 22.9 g • Carb: 5.7 g • Fiber: 1.5 g • Sugar: 0.3g Sodium: 400 mg


Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Asian Beef Tacos

Wow, it's been months since I last posted! Matt, Melissa...where are your recipes? Haha, I know I've been bugging you guys to add something- sorry!

Last week Dave and I helped our friend Theresa paint her living room. We brought over some ingredients and ran the crock pot all day so we would be rewarded for our hard work with a delicious meal! (recipe serves 4)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 lb flank steak, cut crosswise into 2 1/2 inch strips
4 scallions, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 small head lettuce, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (we omitted this since we did not have any cilantro)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
8 small flour tortillas
Toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. In a 5- to 6- quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce and cinnamon. Add the beef and turn to coat. (it doesn't look like much liquid, but trust me, it's fine!) Cover and cook until the meat is tender and shreds easily, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Fifteen minutes before serving, thinly slice the scallions lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the lettuce, scallions, cilantro and vinegar. Serve the beef in the tortillas and top with the lettuce mixture. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

This recipe was juicy and delicious (we kept trying to savor the "precious juice" that was left in the crock pot!)


Sorry for the poor cell phone photo! We'll definitely make this again soon, so we'll update with a better pic.

Coconut Chicken Salad

Yep....another coconut recipe. Dave and I really don't use coconut all that much, but when I find a new recipe that does, I'm always tempted to try it.

This one was really quite simple, and tastes great. (Sorry for the horrendous photo- we had no natural light and my photoshopping skills couldn't quite fix the coloring this time)

Ingredients:
6 (about 12 oz) chicken tenderloins
6 tbsp shredded coconut
1/4 cup panko crumbs
2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs (we used Corn Chex)
1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites (we used 1 whole egg with a splash of milk)
pinch salt
olive oil spray (we used Pam)
6 cups mixed baby greens
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 large tomato, sliced (omitted)
1 small cucumber, sliced (didn't use- the cuke we bought tasted funny!)

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Combine coconut flakes, panko, cornflake crumbs and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites or egg beaters in another bowl. (NOTE: We toasted our coconut in the oven at 350 for 6 minutes before combining with panko and cereal crumbs. It made it extra crunchy)
4. Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip the chicken in the egg (and milk mixture), then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup. 5. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway, or until chicken is cooked through.
6. Place 2 cups baby greens on each plate. Divide carrots, cucumber, tomato evenly between each plate.
7. When chicken is ready slice on the diagonal and place on top of greens.
8. Heat dressing in the microwave a few seconds and divide equally between each salad; a little over 1 tbsp each.

*We also added some fresh mango...it tasted great with the chicken, but not so great with the vinaigrette!

Recipe (and a better photo!) from Skinny Taste

Stuffed Peppers

Dad's famous "recipe". And I use quotes, because there was never really a written recipe, it was just a general idea that you had to feel your way through. Here's an attempt to quantify the ingredient amounts and put a step by step recipe together.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

4-5 colored bell peppers

1/2 to 1 full packet of chili powder

3/4 jar of ragu sauce (26 oz jar)

1 can sliced mushrooms

shredded mozzarella (optional)

1 box instant rice (only part of the box will be used)

2 1/2 cups water

ground red pepper or cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Peppers:

1. Half the peppers the long way and remove ribs

2. Put halved peppers onto a baking tray and into the oven at 350

3. After peppers seem baked well, but not burned, flip them and put them back in the oven

For the Filling:

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet

2. Drain the excess fat

3. Add chili powder, sauce, mushrooms, and water (add water incrementally and see what looks right)

4. Bring mixture to a slow boil on med/hi heat

5. Add ground red pepper / cayenne and rice (amount of rice is personal preference, make the mixture look the way you want it to be)

6. While cooking, add more ground red pepper / cayenne to desired level of hotness.

7. Cook until the rice is done and the sauce thickens up. If during the cooking process, it seems too watery, add more rice. If it seems like there is not enough liquid for the rice to fully cook, add more water.

8. Add the filling to the peppers

9. Bake filled peppers for 20 minutes

10. Just before peppers are done, add shredded mozzarella cheese and melt in the oven on the top rack or broiler (optional)

UPDATE- (this is Jen) I just added a pic from when Dave and I most recently made this. Thanks again for writing up the recipe, Matt/Melissa!