Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Shrooms!

This is a delicious, very "fall/autumn" side! Easy to make. Healthy and delicious-very cheap to make. Try it!

What it takes:

2 large sweet potatoes

3 T chicken stock

2.5 T EVOO

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

12 oz mushrooms

2-3 T chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

 

How to Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. 

3. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes

4. Whisk together the chicken stock, oil, balsamic, and thyme. Toss sweet potatoes with half of the balsamic mixture, then spread into a single layer onto baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. 

5. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until beginning to slightly brown.

6. While sweet potatoes cook, wash your mushrooms and dry them. Cut into thick slices and toss with remaining balsamic mixture.

7. Once sweet potatoes are getting tender, (after you 20ish minutes)- remove from oven and turn them. Add mushrooms to the baking sheet and spread everything to one single layer with mushrooms distributed among the potatoes. 

8. Roast about 20-25 minutes more until sweet potatoes are very tender and mushrooms are done.

9. Remove to a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper again if desired. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!

Enjoy :)

Peppered Pork Chops with Parmesan Spaghetti.... SQUASH!

This is a dinner that I made when we had our first house guests. I just got around to remaking it this week! It is actually from one of my Rachael Ray Cookbooks.. yes, I actually opened one of them! 

 

 

 

I actually added an easy spinach side dish to this meal when Amanda and Carter were over, but i was too lazy to go all out for just Nick and I, but I'll post the recipe if you want it!

First, let me walk you through the spaghetti squash! For those of you who have never heard of it, or seen it, it is an oval squash, yellow on the outside, and when you cook it, it SHREDS itself apart like spaghetti noodles!

First, you'll want to slice it in half and seed the squash. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then place squash in the pot, flesh side down. Boil about 20 minutes and then remove. (For this recipe, reserve 1/4 cup of your cooking liquid)

Once its cooled enough to the touch, take a fork and shred the flesh out:

You should be able to get it all the way to the skin:

See that? You use it ALL! Then, just add to a medium sized bowl, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, your reserved cooking liquid, LOTS of fresh ground pepper, salt and 2 t of Olive Oil. Serve it up!

If you don't think this looks good, get an opinion from Amanda:

Onto the Peppery Pork Chops! These are awesome, and so easy!

All you need:

4 boneless pork loin chops, about 1inch thick each

Salt and Pepper

2 T Olive Oil

1 small-medium yellow pepper, sliced

1 small-medium orange pepper, sliced

3 sweet cherry peppers, sliced (find these jarred near the roasted red peppers)

1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth (mainly used to de-glaze your pan!)

 2 T chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)

Salt and Pepper both sides of your chops

Cook in 1 T of your oil in a skillet over medium-high heat about 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from skillet, and set aside

Now, add a little more oil to your pan and throw in your bell peppers. Saute about 5 minutes, then add your cherry peppers. Cook about 5 more minutes and then add your white wine, or chicken broth to get all the yummy parts stuck on the bottom of the pan!

Once most of the liquid has been re-absorbed, pour pepper mixture over your pork chops and garnish with the fresh parsley!

Enjoy :) This is a keeper! And, yes, I know you cannot see the pork in this picture, but its just because of all those healthy veggies covering it up :)

Brussel Sprouts Tossed with Pistachios and Dried Apricots!

Most of the ingredients are right in the title for you! No guess work involved! I got this recipe from a friend in the office! These were SO easy, but SO VERY delicious! Even Nick was surprised by how much he liked them!

Don't skip out on these! Great side dish option!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of brussel sprouts (I got 2- 1lb bags of frozen)

2 T Olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup dried apricots finely diced

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped

Directions:

If you are using frozen brussels, add about 1 cup of water and sprouts to a pan. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water immediately.

If you are using fresh, bring the water to a boil FIRST, then add sprouts and cook the same way until just tender.  Probably more like 3 minutes!
 

Then, heat your oil in a large skillet. Add all ingredients and toss together for about 5-6 minutes!

Serve up and ENJOY!

Don't turn your nose up at this until you try it!

Jerk Turkey Burgers with Grilled Veggie Skewers!

It's time to introduce you all to the latest addition to our family. Webbie! (Our grill!) He did all the work to make this meal, and it was quite tasty! If you don't have a grill, feel free to broil this. I've made these burgers in the oven before, and you can always roast veggies in the oven! Either way, you'll enjoy this one! PROMISE!

Jerk Burgers:

Looks like a lot of ingredients, but its mostly spices you have on hand! 

1/3 cup whole wheat couscous (yes, you can use regular)

1/2 cup water

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine couscous and water and let it stand for 20-30 minutes to absorb all the water and soften up.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, garlic, thyme, curry powder, cumin, allspice, ginger, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cook until bell pepper is softened a little (about 1-2 minutes)

Combine all ingredients. Turkey, bell pepper mix, and couscous. Mix WELL and form into patties. You should get about 6 good sized burgers. Grill until browned and no longer pink on the inside. Cooking times will vary!

I had to take some shots of them on the grill!

Look at these grill marks!

Now, you do have the option to serve these on buns with lettuce and tomato like any other burger! We just didn't!

Grilled Veggie Skewers

3 bell peppers (I used green because they are cheapest!)

1 red onion

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

You'll want to core your peppers and the cut into 1 inch pieces. For the onion, cut it into quarters and then peel off the layers one at a time. For the squash and zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into inch thick pieces. 

Then, toss them in oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Skewer in any variety you choose!

On they go!

Oh, just look at these!

Serve it up. Healthy, low car meal right here!

Enjoy! They are easy, they are summer-y, and they are delicious!

Healthy Herbed Potato Salad .... Perfect for Spring and Summer!

So, this past weekend, I got in the mood to make a spring/summer side dish. I wanted something fresh and potato salad was sounding good. I found a recipe from Cooking Light and decided to test it out. I really, really liked this alternative to mayonnaise loaded potato salad. Sour cream and yogurt will be your "sauce" and you will have NO guilt whatsoever scooping yourself spoon fulls of this picnic-perfect side dish! I do suggest doubling this recipe if serving more than 4.

Ingredients List:

• 2  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes (You could use other varieties)
• 3  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
• 1/2  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/4  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh dill
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Peel potatoes, place in a saucepan, and cover with water. 

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15-20 minutes or until tender. 

Drain. Cool slightly.

Cut potatoes into bite size chuncks. (Aboug 1-2 inch cubes)

Place them in a large bowl; sprinkle with vinegar.

Combine yogurt and sour cream in a medium bowl, stirring with a fork until smooth. Add oil and stir.

Add onion and remaining ingredients; stir.

Add yogurt mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.

I did mine a day ahead of time to really get that dill and parsley to come out and WOW did it ever. So refreshing and so tasty! You won't miss the mayo! Try it ....

And enjoy it :)

A Mighty Tasty Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed SWEET Potatoes

Comfort food at its MAX right here. Unfortunately, we were running late to our small group, so the "End" pictures are not anything worth bragging about as I was trying to scarf down dinner and take some after-thought pictures! HOWEVER, this was one of the best recipes I've found for a healthy meatloaf. My husband polished off the entire thing in less than 24 hours, save the 1-2ish slices I was able to have. Needless to say, its on the menu next week again! WE LOVED IT!

As far as the potatoes go, nothing fancy there, but we loved them as well, so I'll post them after the meatloaf!

"Homestyle Turkey Meatloaf"

Adapted from Eating For Life Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey (I only used 1lb because thats how its packaged here)

1 onion, chopped (I diced mine pretty small)

4 egg whites

1 cup salsa

3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked

1 pkg vegetable soup mix (dry)- this added some yummy flavor!

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, compine the turkey, onion, egg whites, salsa, oats, soup mix, and black pepper. MIX WELL.

Press mixture into prepared loaf pan.

Spread the ketchup overtop.

Bake until meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle, about 60 minutes. (It may take longer. I bumped my oven up to 375 and it barely finished in an hour!) WORTH THE WAIT. I promise!

Enjoy :) 

Easy as it Gets Mashed Sweet Potatoes 

- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes

- Cumin

-Papria

-Salt

-Pepper

- Chili Powder

-DASH of ground red pepper

For you measurement freaks (I am one of them)- get over it. Just eyeball it and taste it. Anywhere from about 1/2tsp to 1tsp would be good!

Dice up your sweet potato (I leave skin on, but you could peel them first) and steam (Or boil, or microwave!) until soft and "mash-able."

Now, I put all of the spices in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl so that when i put the potatoes in to mash, they would start to absorb the seasonings. You could mash, and then add, or add while you mash. If you haven't noticed- this is no sophisticated recipe here.

Just look for an end result like this:

So yummy! Enjoy :) We also had some green beans with our loaf and potatoes. Like I said, a real comfort meal.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Parmesan Zucchini

Possible one of the best dinners I've made to date. No lie! Nick loved it. It was HARD for us to save some for leftovers, but we did it! Well, leftovers for ONE. The zucchini has no special trick to it, but somehow, yields this special taste as if you've been slaving over the dish. The burgers also have barely anything to them, and come out JUICY and tasty. TRY THIS ONE. You won't regret it!

For your Burgers:

1 to 1.25 pounds of lean ground turkey

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1/2 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Mix the turkey, paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Make sure seasoning gets distributed throughout meat. Add more if you think it doesn't look like enough. Then divide your turkey into 4 balls. 

Take those 4 balls, and divide in half again. Take 4 halves and press them into patties onto a greased baking sheet

 

Now, divide your peppers into 4 equal parts and top each patty with them.

Do the same thing with the cheese!

 

With your four remaining meat-balls, form into patties, place on top of each dressed up patty and press edges together to form one STUFFED burger patty

After i had done that with each burger, I topped each patty with pepper and paprika.

At this point, refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook.

You could grill these, about 5 minutes per side. We don't have a working grill, so I broiled mine for about 7 minutes per side. If you have a meat thermometer, you want it to read 165.

 

Serve with ketchup, mustard, spicy mayonnaise, whatever you like on your burgers. Honestly, I didn't need any extra condiments. Nick used some mustard though!

Here's that cheesy pepper stuffing:

They were wonderful. We will be making them on a regular basis from now on! You could stuff these with feta cheese as well and I think you'd get a mighty tasty result! 

For the Parmesan Zucchini

4 medium zuchinni

1 large onion

1 T Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Slice your onion in half, and then make 1/2 inch slices.

Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until soft.

Cut your zucchini into 1/2 inch slices on a diagonal and add to pan with onions.

 

Add salt and pepper and toss frequently for about 15 minutes. I kept mine covered except when I was tossing, so that the zucchini would soften a little quicker for me!

Once cooked through, add Parmesan cheese, stir, and allow to cook about 30 seconds. Remove immediately and serve

You know by now I like close ups

I served all this up with a baked sweet potato that we always top with butter and cinnamon, but you could add any "starch" you want. Rice, couscous, orzo, baked potatoes, you name it! You can't go wrong with the meat and vegetable part, GUARANTEED

 

ENJOY :)

Super Bowl Sunday, all Slimmed Down!

Burgers? Fries? Pasta Salad? Chips and Salsa? You want it all on Super Bowl Sunday, right? Well you got it! Some are recipes, some are just go to the store and buy it! Here's a diary of Mom and Myself cooking up a football sized dinner for our guys!

Turk-en Sausage Burgers

Thats right! Turkey and chicken sausage burgers. YUMM-Y!

All you do is mix one pound ground turkey with one pound of chicken sausage. (Chicken sausage can be any FRESH uncooked chicken sausage. Available at Fresh Market and Whole Foods. We used Green Pepper and Onion Chicken Sausage!)

Add 1 Tablespoon of Mayo with Olive Oil (Hellmann's makes it!)

Add about 1 cup of finely diced onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Form into patties and allow the burgers to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. We made them pretty thin so they would cook up faster!

Grill about 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. (You may want to place them on wax paper while shaping them so you can just flip them over onto the grill- they are a little sticky!)

Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Salad

Dressing:

1 T dijon mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 t dried italian seasoning

Orzo:

1 pound of orzo, cooked

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

1.2 cup black olives, coarse chopped

1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

2 pkgs (5 oz each) italian style pre-cooked chicken, bite size 

2 T chopped parsley

Whisk all ingredients for dressing, except olive oil and italian seasoning. Add those 2 slowly after others are blended. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Mix other ingredients. Pour on 3/4 cup dressing. Fold together GENTLY then drizzle on remaining dressing

SERVE!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

Yes, I've done fries before, but these had a definite kick to them! We did a 3 large potato recipe, just change your spices according to how many sweet potatoes you use!

3 large, skinny sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp chili powder

3 tsp brown sugar

3 tsp salt

3 tsp adobo sauce (From the chipotle canned peppers)

3 T EVOO

I put all the fries in a large bowl and tossed them until WELL coated in the oil and seasoning. 

Once coated, line in a single layer (probably 2 baking sheets) and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip them over (and switch trays top to bottom if necessary) and cook 10 more minutes.

Serve :)

OH YEAH! Even Jack-man liked these french fries, and he's a picky french fry eater

CHIPS AND SALSA!

We obviously STARTED the evening with this, but i can take no credit for the recipe nor the chips, so i'm ending the blog with it!

Go to www.sizzleandspice.blogspot.com for the salsa recipe. Go to Whole Foods for these AMAZING chips! We devoured both bags!

These are 2 bags for 4 dollars- organic- baked- yummy chips. They come in MANY MANY flavors!

Dip anyone?

Killed off the salsa too!

Just because we love him, here's me pushing my little nephew around in a too-small tupperware. That kid will let me try almost anything if it involves pushing/pulling/flipping him.