Category: Recipe

Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Bowl with Dried Cranberries, Walnuts and Bleu Cheese

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe1 Comment

I came up with this “recipe” after I had roasted a lot of veggies for the week. We had them as sides, and I was trying to think of something different to do with them. This was amazing. One note: Bleu cheese goes a long way, so remember, you can always add more! The caramelized taste of the roasted veggies, with the addition of the kale, chewy dried fruit and crunchy walnuts were an amazing combination!

Many of my “recipes” aren’t really recipes, they’re more of a guideline – Feel free to experiment with different ingredients or vary from what I have written. This recipe is also something that can be made (mostly) ahead, then heat and assemble the bowls.

This recipe includes roasted veggies (click HERE for a great guide on roasting veggies), cooked quinoa (Trader Joe’s frozen packet that you microwave is amazing – perfect for 2 with a little left over)! I also sauté  the kale, I wash it, dry it,  and add to a non-stick pan with a wee bit of olive oil, cover the pan and add a wee bit of water to help it steam – keep taste testing, once it’s at the consistency that you like, turn the burner off and transfer to a bowl. Chop the dried fruit, nuts. Once you have everything ready it’s time to add to a bowl. Add quinoa, roasted veg, cranberries or cherries, nuts, a wee bit of bleu cheese – this is remarkably good AND good for you!

Click HERE to print the recipe as shown below… I can’t wait for you to try it!

Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Bowl

Quick & Healthy Recipe  – Serves 2 people

Ingredients

●  Roasted Vegetables (see note*)

●  Kale, chopped and sautéed

●  Blue Cheese, crumbled

●  Quinoa, cooked (see note**)

●  Walnuts, chopped

●  Dried Cranberries or Cherries, chopped

1. Roast vegetables: I used onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips and sweet potato – change it up so it doesn’t get boring!

2. Saute the kale by adding washed/dried kale to a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil. After a few minutes cover the pan and add a little liquid (chicken broth or water is fine) – keep taste testing until it’s to a consistency you like.

3. Cook the quinoa. You can make it according to package directions or buy frozen that you zap in the microwave..

4. Chop walnuts, and dried fruit.

5. Plate – Add quinoa to individual bowls, top with vegetables, dried fruit, walnuts and bleu cheese.

Tips

*Roasted vegetables: see link below for tips on how to roast veggies. I basically cut into pieces (the smaller the pieces the quicker they cook), add a little olive oil, S&P in a 400F oven about 30 minutes (depending upon size).

**Quinoa: Trader Joe’s (or similar) frozen cooked quinoa is a real time saver, and perfect if there are just one or two of you!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

 

Greek Salad with White Beans and Pita

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, HEALTH, RecipeLeave a comment
Greek Salad with Cannellini Beans and Pita

Just in the nick of time! After Thanksgiving and maybe being a little overly thankful for all the delicious food – it’s time to take a food holiday – a break… and this recipe puts you back in sync – no meat, tastes great – leaves you feeling like you haven’t stuffed yourself and you still aren’t looking for anything to eat at night – it’s that satisfying.

This is another fabulous recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, what would I do without them? Their recipes are always out of this world good without tasting too healthy! This recipe replaces meat with cannellini beans, it’s tasty and it keeps you full!

Click HERE to print the original recipe from Cooking Light magazine!

What I did differently (for 2 dinner size servings):

I didn’t use red bell pepper. When I mixed up the vinaigrette instead of using garlic powder I took a fresh piece of garlic and made a cut and rubbed it in the small bowl – this gave enough garlic flavor. The only other thing I didn’t do is grill the pita – I don’t have a grill pan, and the first time I made this I heated with a little olive oil in a regular skillet and it really didn’t need all that. Just a quick heat (microwave or in a dry pan for just a minute) worked fine – we used Whole Wheat Pita’s from Trader Joe’s, they have excellent taste.

If you like salad, give this recipe a try, it’s a keeper! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Original recipe via Cooking Light Magazine – Recipe by Adam Dolge

Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice – a FAVORITE!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe2 Comments

What a fabulous recipe! I’ve heard about “riced” cauliflower – wasn’t sure how it would taste. Let me tell you… wonderful!! It has a similar look and feel as rice – the taste… very mild. So it goes nicely with what you pair with it. In this case a stir fry with shrimp, green onions and eggs.

What I did differently: To make it a little more substantial for us, and because we like stir fry with peas and carrots I added those as well. I think maybe I let the cauliflower sit 5 minutes as mentioned above (without stirring) and then added the thawed carrots and peas (however many you like – I used two big handfuls). I also cooked the eggs in a separate small skillet. The first time I made this the egg stuck to the bottom of the “nonstick” pan, therefore the cauliflower rice couldn’t get brown. When you scramble the eggs don’t overcook as they are going back in with the shrimp and “rice” for a minute!

You can make “riced” cauliflower by putting it into a food processor and pulsing until it looks like rice, or you can buy it frozen just about everywhere – I used Trader Joe’s brand and it’s fabulous, perfect for two people!

Click HERE to print the recipe above (my version) the link to print the original Cooking Light version is no longer available…!

I added a bit to this Cooking Light (link now goes to Eating Well) recipe via their magazine – I always find treasures there! The inspiration came from the magazine.

I miss Cooking Light and Eating Well (print magazines)…

Links updated 2/5/25

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Pork Medallions with Fennel Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw – recipe by Cooking Light!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe2 Comments

Pork Medallions with Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw is a fabulous (and dare I say beautiful) recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. It’s the perfect recipe for fall. I thought the Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw (pictured above) was just beautiful alongside the pork medallions! (In my haste I forgot to garnish with fennel fronds, so mine may look a bit bare, but believe me, it’s FULL of taste!).

I always thought I didn’t care for fennel (never having had it) because I heard it tastes like licorice. Let me say. I love it! It does taste a bit like licorice, but it’s different, and the texture is wonderful (similar to celery), especially combined with apples – what a treat! The slices of baked sweet potato add such color to this dish!

Click HERE to print this recipe (via the Cooking Light website – click on the green printer icon) – it’s a keeper for sure! QUICK to put together as well – the recipe shows a total of 35 minutes to put this together.

I made a few changes for the slaw: I only used one (1/2#) pork tenderloin, since there are just two of us. I used 1 medium fennel bulb, 1 large apple, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon shallots for the slaw –

And a few changes for the pork:  I didn’t have grainy mustard (for the pork) so I used a total of 3 tablespoons of dijon – I also used the full 1/2 cup of cider and omitted the butter (initially by mistake – but it was so fabulous I decided not to add the next time I made it).

EXCELLENT recipe!

This recipe is via CookingLight magazine (CookingLight.com) – I made some changes as we all do, but the recipe comes from Cooking Light – my all time favorite magazine for healthy recipes!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Curry Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Dried Cherries- Healthy & Outstanding!!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe8 Comments

Chicken salad. A tasty lunch, served alone, on top of lettuce, inside a pita or between two pieces of bread. However you like it – this is a fabulous recipe. It’s so quick and easy, especially if you bake an extra chicken breast. One night a week we have baked/roasted chicken, we split one chicken breast and make another for a recipe, such as Quick Green Chicken Chili or Chicken Salad.

This is a curry chicken salad – which adds a nice sweetness. I shred one large chicken breast with two forks.  Add celery, green onion, walnuts, dried cherries or cranberries, several shakes of curry powder, salt, pepper, about a tablespoon of canola mayonnaise and a big blob of Greek yogurt.

That’s it! Stir it around – it will taste like something you got at a nice restaurant for lunch! This day I had it on one half of a whole wheat pita with apple slices (apple slices were good tucked into the pita too)! Make it your own, add more of what you like and don’t add what you don’t like. This is so flexible. I have omitted the mayo entirely and it was still good, just a little less creamy and a wee bit more tart. Having a teeny bit of mayo seemed to take care of that!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Baked Chicken to the rescue!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe2 Comments

Baked Chicken. So easy. So delicious. So many sides to serve it with AND recipes for any that may be leftover (I always bake extra). One weekend night we usually have baked chicken, the sides vary – then I use the leftover chicken for chicken salad, soups, salads, Quick Green Chicken Chili that I’ve posted here before.

I use chicken breasts with bone and skin. Chicken skin used to be touted as unhealthy, but studies now show that it’s pretty good for you (in moderation!) – We buy chicken breasts (no hormones/no antibiotics) from Whole Foods. It’s our preference… They are large. We split one for dinner, save one for soup (and it’s plenty after you pull off the skin, pull off the bones and shred) or chicken salad, or another recipe…

To make baked chicken…

Oil, S&P
Perfection!

OVEN 350 degrees F. (Use convection setting if you have it – makes the skin like fried chicken, no lie!)

Pat the chicken dry and then spread a little olive oil on the chicken, S&P. 

Pop into the oven approximately 1 hour – insert meat thermometer – 180 degrees F and it’s done! Let it get nice and golden. 

That’s it. End of “recipe”… How can you beat it? When I store the leftover chicken breast we do take it off the bone, seems to come of easier when warm, but we leave the skin on to keep the meat moist.

In this photo we had the chicken with a baked sweet potato (wrapped in foil baked along with the chicken right on the rack, not next to the chicken) and a bunch of lacinato kale, sautéed very briefly, and then left to steam with lid on.

We also have chicken with roasted vegetables (this is what we usually have) – then we can reheat veggies for the week! There is nothing better than roasted veggies!

A few minutes of prep and you have a good bit of your meals for during the week!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Quick Green Chicken Chili – My version…

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Green chicken chili | artfoodhome.com

This flavorful chicken chili recipe originated from Cooking Light magazine. I’ve been a subscriber of CL for decades, it’s a great magazine full of healthy recipes that actually taste fabulous! This is a favorite recipe – I don’t think I’ll be making beef chili ever again!

We like our soups and chili’s on the brothier side – so I added more chicken broth and less flour (matter of fact I used so little that you could just leave it out entirely). I also forgot to drain the green chiles – it was pretty spicy, but so excellent – not sure that I would change it next time! A happy mistake!

I was leary of cold radishes and fresh avocado on top of hot chili – seemed a bit odd. It’s so wonderful, especially the crunch from the radishes!! I will be (and have been) making this recipe often!

Click HERE to print my version of the Cooking Light recipe for Quick Green Chicken Chili as shown below:

Catch you back here tomorrow!!

This dog loves the sun…

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, Recipe2 Comments

Charlie – he loves the sun, even when it’s hotter than H-E-!-! outside! I snapped this photo of Charlie and was trying to capture the fern but not the house so I tilted my phone slightly and the result was a black background WHICH I LOVE – it looks so mysterious. Not sure I could duplicate, but hey, I’ll take it!

Happy Columbus Day! If you have today off, ENJOY!

Tomorrow’s feature is a FABULOUS, life changing recipe! Woohoo! I love to find something new!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

GUEST POST: Mini Nachos by Brennen McElhaney!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

Today I’m featuring a guest post written by an artist I have featured in the past. He sent me this tasty sounding recipe – and what a perfect idea – to have those of you with good ideas – recipes, art, thoughts, etc. submit something to be featured.

If interested, contact me via my blog (or click on the CONTACT ME page at the top of my website) – send me what you would like to say, include an original image if you like…

For those of you who give this recipe a whirl – be sure to comment on this blog!

Be sure to check out Brennen’s fabulous paintings:

Website  |  Facebook

Here is the post by Brennen – catch you back here tomorrow!

GUEST POST by BRENNEN McELHANEY

Mini Nachos by Brennen McElhaney

Nothing beats a big plate of nachos (and margaritas) shared with friends. But sometimes a smaller “fiesta” is more appropriate. Here is a scaled-back version of the traditional Mexican appetizer.
  • Nacho chips (10)
  • Refried beans (heated)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Chopped lettuce
  • Minced fresh onion
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Sour cream
  • Fresh guacamole
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Lime wedge

Spoon a small portion of heated refried beans onto each chip and line the chips up in a row. Add toppings (in this order): Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped lettuce, minced onions, tomatoes. Top with sour cream, guacamole and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and lime wedge. (Best served with margaritas or your favorite Mexican beer!)

Brown Rice with Tomato, Feta, Spinach

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

IMG_7426

Sometimes you need to whip up a quick side dish. Fred was grilling chicken, so I tossed together this little side dish.

I started with a pack of Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice (freezer section)- zap it in the microwave 3 minutes. Then put into a bowl on top of a few handfuls of grape tomatoes sliced, and some chopped spinach. Let the heat from the rice wilt the spinach a bit as well as the tomatoes. Then add feta and pepper, drizzle some olive oil (can also add a little red wine vinegar) and give it a stir… This takes virtually no time, yet is quite heavenly!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

How To Make Cocktail Sauce (Pair With Boiled Shrimp)!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

During the hot summer months we have boiled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, corn on the grill, cucumbers and Greek yogurt with dill quite often. It’s a quick mostly do ahead meal that is as pretty as it is delicious.

It’s so quick and easy to make your own cocktail sauce and you can tailor it to your tastebuds (i.e. I like a lot of horseradish).

HOMEMADE COCKTAIL SAUCE

Ingredients:

Ketchup, Lemon and Prepared Horseradish

In a small bowl add ketchup, (the amount of cocktail sauce you think you’ll need – for just the two of us I would guess about 1/3- 1/2 cup for 1 pound of shrimp – more if you use a lot of it. Squeeze in a wedge of lemon (again, more if you like it lemony, less if you do not), this will brighten the flavor, and finally add a teaspoon or two of prepared horseradish (to your taste). Give it a good stir and it’s ready!

I know, right? WHY did you ever buy it in a jar when it literally only takes 2 minutes to whip up and tastes far fresher! Enjoy!

BOILED SHRIMP

We boil the shrimp 3-4 minutes (don’t boil too long!), then into an ice bath, drain when cool and into the fridge until ready to eat!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Recipe Favorites For Hot Weather!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

Hot weather. Hmmm. Sometimes it’s just hard to turn the oven on or stand over the stove when it’s sweltering outside. Pair any of these with a refreshing cold drink, lately cucumber water has been a hit – lime water is also nice – great thirst quenchers!

Here are a few of our favorites – from the archives…

Submarine Salad

Cold and refreshing – the little bit of thyme gives it the “submarine” taste without the carbs. Tasty and fresh! Click HERE for recipe…

Summer Med Pasta Salad with Arugula and Feta

Pasta salads are a big hit in the summer months. They can be made ahead and are great for lunch or dinner. To cut back on the pasta I add half arugula or spinach to my bowl and then mix it together. This keeps the greens fresh and allows each person to choose how much they would like. Click HERE for recipe…

Roasted Shrimp and Tomato Orzo with Feta

I have GOT to update this photo, why did I use such a tiny bowl? Anyway, trust me, this is an excellent recipe full of flavor. The feta makes it come alive. I like the grape tomatoes and shrimp best when they’re roasted, but you can always just cut up the tomatoes and give the shrimp a quick boil and then into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes before draining and adding to salad. Good with a slice or two of crusty bread. Click HERE for recipe…

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Tomato, Basil and Spinach

Another cold pasta salad, much like a caprese salad (oh! don’t you just love!) but with the addition of pasta (seeing this photo, I’m going to use bowtie next time). I put half a bowl of spinach, top with this salad and oh boy, fabulous!! Click HERE for recipe…

Roasted Corn Salad

Those are a few of our favorites, along with anything grilled (chicken, corn and veggies mostly) – yesterday I made a fabulous roasted corn salad that we will have for a few meals. (Click HERE for recipe) – I cannot wait! Although you do use the oven for a short time with this recipe, it makes enough to have a few meals (for two), so it’s the ticket! I try to make it earlier when it’s not quite so hot outside.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

Quick & Easy Red Sauce for Pasta!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

I had a handful of Campari tomatoes leftover and didn’t want them to go bad. A red sauce sounded good. Something simple and fresh. I didn’t have enough Campari tomatoes to make enough for two servings, so I added a large can of tomatoes. I also added minced onion, because I like it and a wee bit of minced garlic towards the end. The last few minutes I threw in some fresh basil. What resulted was heavenly. I always thought you had to simmer sauce for a long time for it to be wonderful. NOT TRUE. I simmered this 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes broke up and looked “saucy”. Topped with some parmesan atop penne pasta it was AH-MAZING!

I will make this with all fresh tomatoes soon, while they’re so good. Sometimes I will toss the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute then into an ice bath so that they peel easily, but usually I leave the skin on.

Click HERE to print the recipe!

Quick & Simple Red Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Slice of onion, minced

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 – 28 oz. can tomatoes (I use petite diced or whole, peeled – then break up)

(OPTIONAL): Handful of fresh tomatoes (or more) – I used Campari

Small pinch of sugar (⅛ teaspoon)

S & P

Fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium – large saucepan on medium high heat.

Saute minced onion, after a minute or so, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the can of tomatoes and fresh tomatoes (and their juice!).

Sprinkle in the pinch of sugar, S&P.

Simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until tomatoes are broken up.

You can add the chopped basil right before the sauce is done cooking, or you can add it and remove it if you just want a little taste. Another option is to use dried basil, but if you can use fresh, that’s the best!

Cook your desired pasta and drain, top with the red sauce and top with a sprinkle (or two!) of parmesan.

Freezes well.

This makes enough for 2 servings + a little left over for a lunch the next day (or freeze for a lunch later on).

Enjoy!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Caprese Chicken Recipe – too good!!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, Recipe2 Comments

I remember the first time I had Caprese salad… it was at Carmine’s Italian restaurant in NYC. I couldn’t believe how fabulous. I wanted to eat there every single meal.

This chicken dish has the fabulous freshness from the tomatoes and basil and the added deliciousness of the mozzarella. I used fresh mozzarella, a favorite of mine. This is good served with pasta or rice, or a good salad. I’m thinking that’s what we had with it, a salad.

The recipe is from DELISH.com, click HERE to print the recipe (or save to Pinterest, etc.)

Caprese Chicken – Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

S & P (I used Himalayan Sea Salt)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

4 slices of mozzarella (or shredded, whatever you’ve got)

Directions:

In large skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil.

Then season the chicken with S&P and cook until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side – transfer to a plate.

Add balsamic vinegar to skillet to deglaze, then add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes and season with salt. Let simmer until soft, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil.

Return chicken to skillet and nestle in the tomatoes. Top with mozzarella and cover with a lid until the cheese melts.

Spoon tomatoes over chicken and serve.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Banana-Oatmeal Bread – Good and good for you!

On By Barbara StroudIn Daily Blog, FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

I always like to try a recipe as is the first time, then make alterations based on what we like/don’t like. This recipe was excellent as is. I lightened it up by using less oil and substituting applesauce for 1/2 the oil. (I’ve also substituted applesauce when I’m a wee bit short on bananas – I’ve made banana bread with extra banana in the past and it’s tricky getting the middle to cook, so keep that in mind… I also added walnuts – I think they add so much!

I didn’t use a mixer, so this was quick and easy to toss together and is quite excellent as a hearty breakfast with yogurt and fruit or a midday snack to get you through until dinner!

Click HERE to print this recipe – or click HERE to see original Cooking Light recipe.

This recipe is a favorite that you will likely make again and again – Recipe inspired from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine!

Catch you back here tomorrow!