Recipes

Mary’s Famous Mexican Dip

Yes I know I have been quite negligent with my blog lately! I am so sorry everyone. I made a promise to myself this morning to do better and I will!


Today’s recipe I have tried to get for years! Everytime I visit my sister Michele in NJ for any type of party she always has this dip. Her mother-in-law Mary makes it and showed Michele and everyone falls in love with it! Even the kids! So on a recent trip there, Mary happened to be in attendance as well and the dip was on the menu. So with camera and notebook in hand I got it! FINALLY! It’s a type of layered dip that you serve on a platter. Serve it with tortilla chips. I would recommend using stronger chips as well because this dip has so many yummy things you don’t want to lose anything because of a broken chip! We’ve all been there, digging in to a great dip and snap! Broken chip. You try again. Snap again! Another broken chip. So find your best thicker/stronger chips for this recipe.  I am also playing with an idea to make this as an Italian dip as well. I’ll post that when I work it out! So for now, here’s everyone’s newest favorite party snack! Thanks Mary!! (Now I want to go and make some to snack on!)

Mary preparing the famous dip!

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (you can use light cream cheese if you wish)

1  jar (16oz.) of your favorite salsa

Shredded lettuce, about 2 cups

Shredded cheddar cheese, about 8 ounces

3-4 campari or plum tomatoes, chopped (Or you can use 1-2 large)

3-4 scallions, chopped (use whole scallion)

¼ cup jalapeño slices

1 small can sliced black olives (You can use green if you don’t like black)

So pretty!

Directions:

  1. On a large platter spread cream cheese to cover bottom.
  2. Spread salsa over the cream cheese.
  3. Add shredded lettuce on top of the salsa.
  4. Add the shredded cheddar evenly over the salsa.
  5. Top with the chopped tomatoes.
  6. Add scallions.
  7. Add jalapeño slices.
  8. Top with black olives.

Serve with sturdy chips!! Eat some before it disappears!

It's going fast!

Edamame Fried Rice

Who loves edamame? Me! Who loves fried rice? Me! Who loves edamame fried rice? Me! And hopefully everyone else who reads this! I found this recipe some time ago and when I made it I of course didn’t take a photo. So the photo with this is not mine. The recipe also calls for one of my favorite (not!) vegetables in it, peppers. I of course leave it out when I make it. I’m trying to like peppers, I really am! I’ve actually started to eat roasted peppers in dishes and they weren’t so bad. So I guess there may be hope for me yet! Either way, this is a delicious recipe. Simple too. It works best with pre-cooked  cold rice too. I also use jasmine brown rice in this but feel free to use a rice of your choice.

Whenever I make rice I always make extra and freeze some just for recipes like this. And for those of you who have eaten edamame in Japanese restaurants don’t worry, you don’t have to shell all 3 cups needed for this recipe! You can also buy them already shelled. Simple again.

Make up a batch for the holiday weekend, it’ll be something different! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 carrots, shredded

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

5 scallions, minced

3-4 tablespoons tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

3 cups cooked shelled edamame

4 cups cold cooked brown rice
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, bell pepper and scallions, and stir-fry until just tender, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add tamari, edamame and rice, and stir-fry until combined and heated through, about 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Meatless Taco Casserole

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Well here I am again. It has been quite a while since I last posted. But it took getting sick and staying home ‘resting’ to get back into my blog. I have missed it so much! I’ve missed all of you readers as well! Sorry for the long delay in coming back. I promise to do better!

Well a few weeks ago I bought a bag of Morningstar Farms Meal Starters. I got the Grillers Recipe Crumbles. I had heard so much about this stuff and after having had a bad experience or two with ‘Boca burgers’ in the past I was leery but I thought I would give them a try. I am so glad I did! Wow, I was completely surprised at how good this stuff was when mixed with other ingredients!  It’s 100% vegetarian, has 75% less fat than ground beef and is only 80 calories per serving (about 2/3 cup)! Even my husband liked it! I had first made it in chili (didn’t take pics of course) and then tried it in a taco casserole. It was so delicious! And filling! I also added my fave Shirataki Tofu Noodles as well, which gave me more fiber! I only used 2 cups of the stuff in the recipe and it really goes a long way. So if you were considering trying this, go ahead, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love my ground beef as well, but this is a nice alternative!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles

½ large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used my recipe)

 1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes

1 package Shirataki Tofu Noodles (fettuccine style)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare tofu noodles as directed on package, set aside.

2. In large skillet add and heat olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté till soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the “Crumbles” to the pan and mix well, cooking and stirring till heated through. Add the taco seasoning and mix well.

4. Add the can of tomatoes and mix well. Heat through.

5. Add the tofu shirataki noodles and mix well. Divide the cheese in half and add ½ cup into the skillet. Mix well.

6. Pour mixture into any shaped casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese.

7. Bake at 350ºF for about 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbling. Serve hot!

Add sour cream to top if desired.

Makes 2-4 servings

Fast & Easy Taco Bake & A New Venture!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick side note. I am now writing food articles/recipes for www.examiner.com. I am in the West Palm Beach, FL edition under food and drink. I have only written one article so far so keep checking back or subscribe. Some of it will be the same as the blog but I am going to include past stuff as well as new. I am actually getting paid to do this, and while I won’t be quitting my job just yet, it will give me good experience. So check it out! My first article is at http://www.examiner.com/american-food-in-west-palm-beach/cooking-with-quinoa.

If you want to become a writer as well, click on this link. Referral Program Or when signing up put my name, Andrea Genua in as a referral! Thanks!

Now on to the recipe!

As usual when I get home from work these days it’s a scramble to get dinner ready. Sure it would be easier if I planned it out on the weekends but what fun is that? Since I no longer work at home the weekends are full of laundry, food shopping and errands. So cooking ahead of time never enters my mind. So last night when I got home I had defrosted nothing, of course. I heard someone earlier in the day talking about tacos and that sounded good! But I didn’t want to deal with the extra calories of the taco shells. So I defrosted some beef in the microwave and made this recipe instead. Instead of shells I put in a package of the tofu shirataki noodles. Never missed the shells! We pretty much finished the entire dish so I guess it was a hit! Easy and pretty fast considering I had nothing ready.

Ready for the oven!

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped or minced garlic

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 can (approx. 15 oz) diced or chopped tomatoes with garlic/onion flavor

1 package Tofu Shirataki noodles, prepared according to package and cut into smaller pieces

1 cup 2% or fat-free shredded sharp cheddar cheese

light or fat-free sour cream

hot sauce as needed

Ready to eat, all bubbly and yummy!

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare noodles according to package directions and set aside.
2. Brown the ground beef and drain.
3. Add the onions and garlic, mix well and cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the taco seasoning, mix well. Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
5. Add the noodles. Pour mixture into a round or square casserole dish and stir in ½ cup of the cheddar cheese. Top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 350º F for about 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

Yum!

Serve hot! Add a dollop of sour cream if desired. Hot sauce can be added as needed.

Makes 4 servings

Tricolor Quinoa w/Roasted Garlic and Broccoli

Once again I have found a new “color” for quinoa! I was in Whole Foods looking for the red one and they didn’t have it. I did discover a really cool looking one though. Tricolor Quinoa!  So pretty, tiny grains of red, white and black. So I figured I’d give it a try. Delicious! As usual! This time I made it with some roasted garlic and fresh broccoli. So yummy!! And I keep forgetting that a little goes a long way. I made a cup of quinoa and it’s enough for two meals. It’s just me and my husband and we just love it, fresh or leftover! First night we had it with t-bone steaks that we grilled on the barbecue and tonight it is being served with roasted chicken! It’s a very versatile side dish!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup tricolored quinoa

2 cups water or chicken broth

6-8 cloves of roasted garlic, roughly chopped

1 bunch of broccoli crowns chopped into small pieces

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup grated Locatelli Romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium pot add water and quinoa. Bring to a boil, stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered. Simmer until all liquid is gone.

2. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan heat olive and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Place broccoli mixture on a cutting board and chop finely.

3. Add broccoli mixture to cooked quinoa and mix well. Add the grated cheese and mix well. Add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Garlic (No oven needed)

Well today the hubby and I were cleaning the house as that is now our weekend thing. (Have I mentioned I hate not working from home!)  We also usually have a bottle of bubbly as well. Ok maybe two bottles. But today as a ‘snack’ with our bubbly we went with something different. I wanted to roast some garlic to make garlic butter and garlic mayo. Didn’t quite get that far today. I swear I roasted at least 20 heads of garlic (I buy those huge bags in BJ’s). My husband started to eat it right out of the roaster, so I continued. Discovering that eating the garlic this way was extremely addicting. I have one of those electric garlic roasters and use it all the time. Today it got quite a workout. I put a little olive oil and kosher salt in the little pan inside and let it roast. Once it’s done I sprinkle on a little more kosher salt for flavor. Eat it warm. It’s like eating a garlic candy or something. Soooo good. I can’t even tell you all how many we ate so far. Heads of garlic I am talking about remember.

Also remember when you roast garlic the flavor mellows quite a bit and it’s like an orgasmic garlic bite of happiness. For those of you who don’t like garlic, I feel very sad for you. Try it this way! I won’t post a recipe for it as there really isn’t one. Just garlic, olive oil and kosher salt. I recommend investing in one of these little gadgets if you like to roast garlic. No oven needed. And it’s way faster! And all the tips I cut off before putting in the roaster, I save for cooking. Why waste it! So try it, you’ll LOVE IT!! And no you will NOT have garlic breath! Honest! And besides, garlic is good for you! We just took a fork and pulled out the little buds of yumminess! I swear you’ll love it!

My awesome garlic roaster

Garlic all ready for the roaster

No I should not have opened the lid...All turned out okay though...No worries!

Ready to eat!

White Sake Sangria

Wow this recipe sounds awesome!  I like sangria, I like sake, I like white sangria…Get the point? I found this recipe in the local newspaper and it’s for one of the great local sushi chains, RA Sushi. I would actually make it right now but I don’t have enough peach schnapps! We used it on our lychee martinis! So once I restock and get a sour mix I will test it out. Sounds like a wonderful spring/summer cocktail. And I sure could use a new cocktail these days. Since I haven’t been able to blog as much as before I am trying to do more on the weekends. RA Sushi has restaurants all over the country but we go to the one here in Florida, in Palm Beach Gardens. Check them out if you have one in your area and love sushi. They have great happy hour deals. Always love a bargain! And the sushi is fresh and delicious! But for now, just whip up a saké cocktail and relax…Monday is almost here.. 😦

INGREDIENTS:

4 ounces Sauvignon blanc

2 ounces sake

1 ounce peach schnapps

2 ounces orange juice

2 ounces pineapple juice

½ ounce Yuzu sour (or other sour mix)

Couple splashes soda

4 lime wedges

2 slices of lemon

2 slices of orange

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a cocktail shaker, squeeze in 2 lime wedges and lemon slices. Add the other ingredients and ice. Shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime and orange slices!

Makes 2 cocktails

One Year Anniversary of Blogging! (Avgolemono Spinach Chicken Soup)

Well today is one year since I started my blog. It’s been a long year full of new experiences and new friends. I originally started this to give me something to do while searching for a job and it’s been wonderful. I am now working full-time again but it is a seasonal job till August. Since going back to work I haven’t been able to blog as much as I did before and I miss it. I am trying desperately to get back to posting every day again but it’s been a challenge. But in honor of my first recipe posting I am going to repeat the recipe today. It’s Avgolemono Spinach Chicken Soup.

I have made many new blogging friends and love the community. I have gotten many new recipes myself and learned a great deal about people. So enjoy this ‘flashback’ and I promise to increase the posts as much as possible. I am hoping to be able to find a job working at home again, enabling me to post more often! Happy eating!

(REPOST FROM MARCH 8, 2010)

This is an awesome hearty soup. My husband loves it and would have it every week if I made it! I got the basics from a Weight Watchers recipe and made it my own. Anyone who has eaten at a Greek restaurant has probably had one form of this. It’s easy to make and delicious!


Ingredients:

4 C reduced-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock (I use reduced sodium/fat-free)

1/2 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast (about 1 large breast or 2 small)

2 large eggs

1/2 C lemon juice (use 1/4C if you don’t like too much lemon)

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach

2 C hot cooked rice (I used jasmine brown rice but you can use any kind you like)

Parmesan cheese, for finished soup


Directions:
1: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring the broth/stock and chicken to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken and, when cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces.

2: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon juice until frothy; gradually whisk in 1 Cup of the hot stock.

3: Add the spinach to the stock in the saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; stir in the rice. Slowly add the egg-stock mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling; continue whisking until a little thickened, 3 minutes (do not boil). Stir in the chicken and heat to serving temperature. Season with pepper and serve at once.

Serves 4

Per Serving: (1/4 of soup): 261 cal, 7g fat, 2g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 140mg cholesterol, 163mg sodium, 28g carbs, 2g fiber, 22g protein, 141mg calcium.
I used fat-free chicken broth so the fat content will be lower!

Spicy Crab Dip

Long time no post! I’m still trying to get in the routine of blogging when I get home from work. Being I don’t get home till 7pm it’s been tough. But I am determined to get back into this everyday, again. Today’s recipe I found through Taste of Home magazine. I had gotten it in an email. I used to get the magazine but have had to cut back so now I just get emails. This recipe is simple, quick, low-calorie and delicious! Plus it won’t break the bank. It uses the imitation crabmeat but feel free to use the real stuff if you want! I also substituted light mayonnaise and light cream cheese for the full fat ones. Again, feel free to use the regular kind. It can be served with crackers or veggies. Your choice! Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional

2 packages (8 ounces each) light cream cheese, cubed

1 pound imitation crabmeat, chopped


 DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the crabmeat, mix well.

2. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm with crackers or vegetables.

Makes 4 cups

Chocolate Coconut Martini

This is not your usual chocolate martini. I saw it on Hungry Girl’s new television show on The Cooking Channel. We haven’t made it yet but plan to very soon. The only change I made to this was using regular Reddi-wip instead of fat-free Reddi-wip. This is a low-calorie martini as well. Using the Diet Hot Cocoa mix which has only 25 calories saves many calories. We use the Diet Swiss Miss Cocoa package. The sugar-free or no sugar added ones have more calories. I don’t understand it but as long as it tastes good who cares! Check out the original recipe on Hungry Girl’s TV show page.


INGREDIENTS:

1 packet Swiss Miss Diet hot cocoa mix

2 ounces hot water

2 ounces cold water

2 ounces sugar-free coconut syrup

2 shots (3 ounces) vodka

2 tablespoons whipped cream (Reddi-Wip)

unsweetened coconut shavings, for garnish

chocolate shavings, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large glass add dissolve the hot cocoa mix with the hot water. Add the cold water and stir.

2. Add coconut syrup, vodka and whipped cream. Stir well.

3. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well!

4. Pour into chilled martini glasses. Top with coconut and chocolate shavings.

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