Caprese Quinoa Bake

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
   
• 1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, divided
• 1/2-1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large bunch fresh basil, cut into ribbons
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat tomato sauce and tomato paste over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream, parmesan, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa. Fold in half of the mozzarella and half of the tomatoes, then chop 6 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire quinoa mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds or shredded mozzarella and the remaining tomatoes.
3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the broiler on and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
4. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil ribbons. Allow to sit five minutes and then serve.

http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/creamy-caprese-quinoa-bake/

Autumn Chopped Salad

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

http://espressoandcream.com/2010/11/autumn-chopped-salad.html

Fruit dipped in yogurt and rolled in sprinkles

I have to come up with a catchier name for this concept - because it was a HIT. I saw it in a magazine somewhere, and tried it out tonight after dinner. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

1) Chop banana slices, strawberry slices, any other fruit of your choice.

2) Dip in vanilla yogurt

3) Roll in sprinkles


And present a delicious, nutritious and festive snack or dessert to a happy crowd.

I'm sure there are other variations to be considered, like crushed nuts or granola, have a ball!

Curing your chocolate craving - 1 minute brownie in a mug

We don't eat desserts normally around our house, it tends to be a weekend treat. Because I am CRAZY for chocolate, I keep a stash of chocolate mints in a jar that's just for me, and that keeps me from buying or baking sweets.

However, when the weekend comes, I have more time for baking, and I always want to make brownies!!! But then we're left with a giant pan, and having brownies after every meal is too excessive. Can you see my dilemma?

So I found this recipe online for a mug brownie. There are various versions on the web, but this is my modification taken from this link (sent to me by Erin, thank you!) While not gourmet, this recipe does the trick when you are craving a single serve brownie, and the fact that it's done in one minute is almost too good to be true.

Here is my version, I basically cut out the oil and substituted it for plain Motts applesauce. The result is gooey and cakey and wonderful with a tall glass of fat free milk! Indulge yourself and thank me later! :)

3 tbsp flour
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp applesauce
dash of salt
dash of water to smooth out batter to desired consistency
1 (or 2) tbsp of your favorite chocolate chips


Mix ingredients together, microwave in a pre-greased mug for 1 minute and ENJOY!

Powerball Recipe - super snacks for super kids

Power Ball Cookie Recipe: Healthy snacks for your little ones.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup honey until smooth.

Gradually add in 3 cups old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup ground flaxseed.

Add one cup chocolate chips and 1 cup any combo of nuts and soft dried fruit and mix gently in your standard mixer or mush together by hand.

Roll into ping-pong size balls and put into mini muffin cups.

You can eat them right away, but they’ll be less sticky after a night in the fridge.

Recipe found in Wondertime Magazine

Thank you Jess for letting me use this!

Meatball Soup

MmmmMMMMMMMm .... it's always cloudy with a chance of meatballs at our house. After reading the book "Grandpa's Soup" with Dominic a dozen times, I decided I wanted to make my own meatball soup. I did it in the crock pot since I was teaching RE tonight and needed to have a low-maintenance meal for Daddy to serve. It was delicious!

Mamma Mia Meatball Soup (I just made that up. I'm SO clever I can't take it! :)

meatball mixture
- 1 lb ground beef
- garlic cloves, 2
- italian bread crumbs - maybe about 3/4 cup, I eyeball it and mix in slowly
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix, round into balls, pour a little olive oil in a skillet, cover them and cook for about 10 mins on medium high, then turn over until they finish.


crock pot soup mixture

-small baking potatoes (4) OR pasta of your choice, penne, bowtie, wagon wheels etc.
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth
-2 crushed garlic cloves
-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste
- frozen veggies, toss in at the last hour

Combine ingredients in crock pot, stir. Add meatballs once those are done cooking. Slow cook on low for about 3-4 hours. Serve with parmesan cheese on top!

*** If you add pasta instead of potatoes, make sure to add 3 more cups of beef broth or pre-boil the pasta...the noodles soak up all the moisture!

Mom's Lasagna

I recently hosted my husband's colleagues. It was a big group, so I needed something that would feed a lot of people while not tying me up in the kitchen. I thought Italian would be the best option and Lasagna would be perfect. While everyone seems to have a favorite lasagna recipe, and I, myself, have made several variations in the past, my mom's lasagna always comes out perfectly. I wanted to share it and also keep it for posterity. I'm not sure where the recipe comes from, but this is what she uses:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb lasagna noodles (no need to cook!)
32 oz tomato sauce
1 lb ricotta (or cottage cheese)
1 egg (my addition for easier spreading ability)
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a saucepan, brown meat. Drain fat and add sauce to the meat.
3. Mix 1 egg with ricotta cheese.
4. On the bottom of a 9x13 pan, pour 1 C of meat mixture, then layer:
1/2 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese/egg mixture, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, (1/2 parmesan cheese,) sauce, repeat.
5. Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes or until noodles are done, cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

It's perfect as it is, but there are so many ways to vary this recipe. My mom has made a half beef, half Italian sausage mixture which turns out well. I roasted some red and yellow peppers with 1/2 onion that I then mixed with the ricotta cheese mixture. It was yummy! To be a bit healthier, you could use whole wheat noodles, easily cut out the parmesan cheese, use the mozzarella cheese sparingly, and make sure you are using a lowfat ricotta. It's also a great recipe to sneak in vegetables. I've used fresh spinach in the past. If you make your own sauce, there is so much you can add and the kids won't even notice it! Enjoy!