Zucchini & Squash

We are on a zucchini and squash kick.  It's just so summer-like.
Tonight we couldn't decide what would be the better way to cook the vegetables.  Foil pack on the grill?  Sauteed on the stove? 
What's the best way to decide?

COOK OFF!!!



pre-cooked vegetables



Breeze headed out to the grill.  I headed to the couch to relax until there were only 10 minutes left for the food on the grill, then to the kitchen.

The recipes were similar, but I kept mine a secret until dinner was served.  Mine had to be just a little bit different than his...

Breeze's Method:

He put the zucchini and squash slices along with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  He sees nothing wrong with excess amounts of ingredients.  He then placed the veggies on the grill at the same time as the hamburgers and flipped them a couple of times. 

Jenni's Method:

First, I put a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet and let it get hot.  Second, I placed the zucchini and squash slices in the skillet with salt, pepper, and a large pinch of red pepper flakes.  Third, I sauteed the vegetables on the stove top for about 10 minutes until they were cooked but not too soft.  While the veggies were still hot, I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top. 

post-cooked vegetables.  don't they both look good?!

The Results:

A tie?  They were both very good.  Breeze's had a bit much oil and mine could've used a little more seasoning.  If you had to nit-pick. 



Vegetables together.  Like bffs. 

As my mother would say, they were just a little different but real vegetables.  Wouldn't you say that, mom?  :)

Red Sauce

The pasta bake recipe I posted last night called for your favorite red sauce. 
Here is the recipe for mine.

I've adapted it from the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch cookbook.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp EEOO
1/2 onion, diced
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp (10 or so) fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp oregano or mixed dried herbs like an Italian mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp agave nectar, optional

How to do:
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion, stir occasionally (making sure to avoid browning) for 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, again stirring. 
2.  Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and bring to a boil by increasing the heat. 
3.  Once at a boil, remove from heat.
4.  Stir in the red wine vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper. 
5.  If the sauce is too acidic, add the agave nectar.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Depending on what recipe I am using the sauce for, I like to use either diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano or fire roasted diced tomatoes.  If you haven't tried fire roasted, you definitely should!!

Enjoy!

Pasta Bake

Cheesy.  Pasta.  Bake. 

Sometimes I crave cheese, pasta, and meat.  It's typically when I'm tired.  So after an entire weekend outside in the sun, I was super tired and super hungry.  I searched the Internet for recipes with cheese and pasta and found exactly what I wanted.  The original recipe was only meat, cheese, pasta, and red sauce.  Luckily for me I have a husband who LOVES his veggies so we made the dish much healthier!!  It makes me so happy!  When we went to the grocery store to get meat, we scoured the veggie section trying to decide exactly what we wanted to put in the pasta bake.  We decided on green peppers, zucchini, squash, and some delicious looking sweet and mild cubanelle peppers.  He also picked up some broccoli and cauliflower to snack on pre-dinner.  So cute!


clockwise from the top: yellow peppers, green bell peppers, squash, zucchini, and chopped fresh basil.

 Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
1/2 box spaghetti noodles, 1/2 box rotini noodles
1 small zucchini
1 small summer squash
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 1/4 pounds ground beef (leaner beef is preferred)
salt and pepper
20 basil leaves, chopped
3-4 cups your favorite red sauce
1 package Italian blend cheese

How to do:
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
All at once, you have four tasks to complete at once.  They are the following:

1. In one pan/skillet, brown meat mixed with the onion.  Set aside.

2. In another, mix zucchini, squash, peppers, and garlic for 2-3 minutes just softening.  Add the basil at the very end.  Set aside. 

3. Cook your pasta as directed on the box, shortening the time by a couple of minutes.  My pasta said to cook 7 minutes, so I cooked it 4.  It will keep cooking as it bakes.

4. In another pan, make your pasta sauce.  Set aside.

Once everything is completed, pour into one big bowl.  Stir it up as best as possible. 
Pour half of the pasta mixture into the pan.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the pasta.  Pour the rest of the mixture on top, followed by more cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbly!

I attempted to make garlic bread to go with our pasta. 

This is how it turned out.  Oopsie!  I was reading The Pioneer Woman's blog and forgot about the bread until I felt my eyes burning from the smoke. 



Good thing we had roasted green beans too!

Everything (except the bread) turned out delicious and it was just the hearty comfort food my tired, sunburned self needed.  Thank god I won't have to wear a bathing suit again until next weekend!

Pasta bake servings, roasted green beans, non-toasted bread with butter

Enjoy!

Spin Class & PB Cake



I forgot to take a picture until we already tried the cake last night.  It's not the prettiest cake anyway...  But it is delicious!

 I took my first spin class tonight with my sister.  We were super nervous about what to expect and praying that we would make it through the class without a. barfing and b. looking ridiculous. 
Well.... it was AWESOME!!
I can't say it would be great for everyone, but for me and my current fitness level it was perfect.  I can't wait to go back!

So do you think Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting counts as my post-work out protein?
Okay, probably not.  But I'll definitely be having a sliver later this evening. :-)
If you like peanut butter and chocolate, you should totally try it!

Ingredients: 
for the cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
for the frosting:
2/3 cup milk*
3 T maple syrup
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

How to do:
1. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. Separately, cream the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3.  Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the wet ingredients, alternating back and forth in thirds.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch cake pan.  Bake on 350 for 25 minutes or until the batter is pulling away from the edges.  Turn the cake over onto a plate and let cool.

After the cake is cooled, prepare the frosting.
1. Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl.
2.  Bring the milk to a simmer over the stove.
3. Pour the milk over the chocolate chips and add the maple syrup.  Stir until smooth.
4.  Let cool for about 15 minutes.  Pour the frosting over the cake (there's lots of pouring going on) and refrigerate for 25 minutes before diving in!
5.  Wipe the chocolate off of your face after you take a bite and it drips down your chin.

* The original recipe called for non-dairy milk.  I missed that detail and my frosting was a little bit clumpy.  I'm not sure if that is why, but I have my suspicions. 
By the way, this is the original recipe: Peanut Butter Cake.

I know spinning and cake probably don't seem like they go together in the same post, but let me explain.
I think if you are going to eat dessert, it might as well be something really really good.  Something that comes from your kitchen.  Not something chalk full (is that the expression I'm looking for?) of ingredients that you can't pronounce.  This cake is nothing short of fabulous.  It reminded me of a grown up Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. 

Enjoy!

Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon

Continuing on with the jalapeno theme this week, please welcome to the party- stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. 

I feel like these are a pretty popular dish, but so fantastic they were worthy of the blog.  Their spiciness and crispiness are like a bomb going off in one's mouth.  Mmmmm.

My friend Joel told me he was making them a few weeks ago and since then we've had them three times. They are pretty easy and pretty quick, making them an ideal side dish for summer.  Just don't wipe your eyes after de-seeding.  Or ask someone else to do the seeding (like, say, your husband). 

pre-grilling

So you want to make these bad boys?
Ingredients:
Fresh jalapenos
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 block reduced fat Neufchatel cream cheese
1/3 cup diced green peppers
5 slices turkey bacon

How to do:
1. Cut the jalapenos down the middle and de-seed the peppers.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, and green peppers.
3. Stuff the mixture into the peppers.
4. Wrap the bacon around the stuffed peppers and secure with a toothpick.
5. Grill in foil for 15-20 minutes.
6. Place peppers on grill grate for about 2 more minutes, searing the peppers.

Time:  About 25 minutes    Servings: 2 (5 peppers)
*Make sure you allow them to cool before serving!  I found them easiest to eat when cut into bites with a fork and knife. 




Oopsie!  Someone took a bite of her hamburger before the picture got taken.
 I was starving, okay!?

We ate our stuffed jalapenos with hamburgers, Pop Chips, and corn on the cob.  It was such a manly meal.  There was nothing girly about this feast except the skinny foccacia buns.  I didn't tell Breeze they were skinny or foccacia.  He thinks they were just buns.   
Enjoy!

Jalapeno Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Some nights I cook dinner because we have to eat.  Other nights I cook dinner because I'm over the top excited to try a new recipe!  Tonight was the latter.

I got this really new and exciting pasta from the River Market this weekend in Kansas City.  Green Jalapeno.  Seriously. 

In fact, everything we bought at the market had jalapeno in the title (except our all natural cookies).  I must get my love for spicy food from my family. 
I've had mixed feelings about the pasta since we bought it.  I was super excited to try it, but also nervous that my sauce wouldn't go with it and it would be a waste.  I couldn't waste green jalapeno pasta.

• I forgot to lay out chicken
• I spent the weekend with my vegetarian cousin, Hannah
• It's Monday, as in Meatless Monday

So, I made a vegetarian creamy avocado pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

Jalapeno Pasta

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Medium Avocado

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil 

1/2 Tsp Salt

Salt & Pepper, Optional

Parmesan Cheese, Optional 

 How To Do:

1. Boil salted water.  Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, using either a food processor or blender, blend lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic.  Add pitted avocado, basil, and salt.  Process/blend until smooth and creamy.

3.  Drain the pasta and place in a bowl.

4.  Pour the sauce on the pasta and toss for pure deliciousness.

5.  Add salt and pepper and cheese if you please.

The creamy avacado sauce was found at this blog.

The pasta can be found at Pappardelles website.

Boiling the pasta.  I prefer mine Al Dente.

Toss it up.  It is so creamy and it coats about 6 oz of pasta.  It was plenty of food for Breeze and myself.

Add a salad to the pasta dish for a fullfilling meal.

Stuffed.

I got so excited when I found this recipe, I almost peed my pants.  Combining jalapeno pasta with creamy avocado sauce completely lived up to all the hype I gave it. 

Enjoy!

Fiesta + Chicken!

Crunchy Taco Chicken

I had a sudden urge this afternoon for really crunchy chicken.  Like I said yesterday, I love Mexican themed foods.  So tonight for dinner I made taco chip crusted chicken.  It turned out delicious.  Not QUITE as crunchy as I had hoped, but overall really good!



Taco Bell Sauce

Having a gallon size Ziploc baggie full of taco bell sauce on hand at all times is normal, right?

If you will notice, the bag is almost empty.  GASP! 

Breeze reassured me that since I'll be out of town this weekend, he's pretty sure it will get refilled.

Anyway the sauce is important, but I'm sure any kind of hot sauce would work for this chicken entree. 

To get started, grab the following:

6-8 packets Taco Bell sauce

2 chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken tenders

~ 2 cups of crushed up tortilla chips, corn chips, or a combo of both

Crushed taco chips and corn chips, TB Hot Sauce

1. Dip the chicken in the hot sauce.

2. Dip the chicken in the chips.

3. Place on the wire rack that is placed on top of baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Pre-Cooking

4. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray to increase crunchiness.

5. Bake in the oven on 450 for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

Serve with some extra hot sauce or salsa for dipping and some corn on the cob for a simple, yet delicious meal!

Enjoy!