cilantro spinach chickpea salad {by laurie}

hi everyone!  i'm laurie, one of jenn's friends from way back in the day.  (believe it or not, jenn and i have known each other since fifth grade!)  for as long as i can remember, jenn and i have loved to eat . . . really, who doesn't?  so, i was so excited when she told me she was starting a collaborative food blog.  i am trilled to join the team and to be able to share some recipes here!

i absolutely love cooking and baking.  for as long as i can remember back, i have been helping my mom in the kitchen.  my mom is absolutely amazing when it comes to food, and i definitely get my love of being in the kitchen from her.  now that i'm married, i love being able to cook and bake with my husband too.  we have so much fun creating recipes together for our family and friends.

i share tons of recipes as well as snapshots of my daily life over on my blog love, laurie so be sure to stop by and say hi sometime.

so . . . let's get down to business.  the real reason that i'm here is to tell you about this salad.  since it has been so hot the past few days, i haven't been in the mood for heavy meals.  so the other day for dinner i made this chickpea salad with cilantro and spinach.  it was so light and refreshing (and healthy too)!  ryan has already requested that i make it again soon.  i have a feeling that this salad is going to be a staple in our house over the summer!

cilantro spinach chickpea salad
prep time: 10 minutes
yields: 4 servings

ingredients:
2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas
4 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
dash of salt
dash of pepper

directions:
drain and rinse the chickpeas.  place the chickpeas in a bowl and set aside.  in a food processor, add the spinach and pulse until finely chopped.  add the chopped spinach to the bowl with the chickpeas.
in the food processor, add the cilantro, onion, lime juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder.  pulse until smooth.  pour the cilantro dressing over the spinach and chickpeas.  stir well.  season with salt and pepper to taste.

*you can see my original post of this recipe here on my blog.

enjoy!

love, laurie

Bob's Red Mill Bean & Grain Soup

I can't take much credit for this, as Bob's Red Mill created it and Grandma Ruth shared it with me, but I can say it was worth the wait and I wish I'd made more at once. Many types of beans, grains, and water boiled then simmered for about an hour and a half. Then I added in some onion and shredded some Jennie-O turkey bacon at the end as a topping. Such a great mix, I'll definitely be making more soon :)

Amazing leftovers, and great with potato timbales/sweet potatoes. Mmm!

Next Up- Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers: Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy (mmm)

Inspired by Rachael's Pinterest also, I made this recipe from Can You Stay For Dinner? It can be found here. It was easy to make, made many meals, and is absolutely scrumptious. I've since made these again and stocked up on tuna to make it once again in the near future. The recipe says that it makes 4 patties, but I thought they were too big, so the 2nd time, I made them smaller (which is how I got about 8 patties instead of 4, and they were perfect)

Ingredients: (Note: I love how Andie prices everything out on her blog)
2, 6 oz cans tuna fish, drained and flaked 1.98
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 0.30
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions 0.20 (I used a yellow onion)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 0.20 (I used spinach)
2 cloves garlic, minced 0.10
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper 0.02 (Skipped the pepper)
juice of half a lemon 0.35 (Didn't skip this!)
3 tablespoons sour cream 0.30
1 egg 0.15
4 English muffins 1.25
4 leaves romaine 0.50
1 small tomato, sliced 0.99
___________________________
Total: $6.34, or $1.59 per burger

Combine tuna, bread crumbs, green onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, sour cream, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Form into 4 patties (they will be wet), place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve the burgers on toasted English muffins with romaine and sliced tomato. Spread additional sour cream on each burger, if desired. Note: I also served this with avocado, and it was spectacular.

Nutrition info for 1 burger (not including bun):

Calories: 175.3, Fat: 3.7g, Sodium: 323.4mg, Carb: 9.7g, Fiber 0.4g, Sugars: 0.4g, Protein: 24.2g

Beans & Franks

When I was little and spent many Summer weekends on Long Beach Island, NJ with family, many memories were made around the breakfast and dinner table (most lunches were packed up and eaten on the beach). One dinner that always comes to mind when I think of the shore is beans and franks (sliced hot dogs) and recently I decided to make them myself. I'm sure you could get any variety of baked beans, but I went for a vegetarian option (without bacon) with a maple flavoring, cut up hot dogs and warmed everything up in a saucepan together. Then I toasted a piece of an italian roll and enjoyed a nostalgic trip back in time. Mmm beans & franks, easy and delicious.

Really really really easy homemade pizza

This pizza dough is easy to make, very versatile, and delicious. Don't be scared if you don't know too much about yeast and dough rising, I promise it's not that tough.

1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
3/4 cup WARM water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast into the warm water (not boiling water, you want to wake the yeast up from it's dried state not kill it!) Add oil and salt to the mixture, next add the flours, and mix together/knead till combined (maybe 5 minutes). Put dough into a safe place so it can rise for 30-40 minutes, I've let mine rise for much longer and that's fine. I usually put it in the microwave to rise just so it's off the counter.

After the dough has risen roll it out with a rolling pin or just use your hands till it's the size/crust thickness that you want. Put the crust on a baking sheet/pizza pan/baking stone/whatever you have on hand that is oven safe and add your toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp. I usually make thin crust so it's done in about 15 minutes. Call me if you have any problems (like eating the leftovers, hehe).

Pizza Topping Combo Ideas:
- red sauce, mozz. cheese, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed onions and peppers, pepperoni, parm. cheese
- red sauce, mozz/Cheddar cheese, ham, onions, pineapple
- barbecue sauce, Cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, garlic
- ranch dressing, mozz cheese, shredded baked chicken, red onions, diced tomatoes, peppers

Flounder, Vodka Spaghetti & Steamed Broccoli

Most amazing last-minute get-together ever :) Jenn and Jason came over for dinner last Friday and she had just stopped by Zern's (an indoor farmers/flea market in Boyertown) and picked up flounder and broccoli, among other things. I had just grabbed some vodka sauce and had some spaghetti in the kitchen (wish I'd had penne or something a little fancier, but it was fine) and applesauce, and-- voila-- instant delish dish :) Add some raspberry lemonade with a kick and we had a very nice dinner on the deck! Happy Summer to us! So here's what we had:

Flounder-
We cooked 5-6 pieces of flounder in a Corningware dish that was being neglected in a kitchen cabinet. We laid them out, drizzled them with a little vegetable oil and a little lime juice, then sprinkled on garlic powder and spread on a little minced garlic as well. Covered it up and put it into the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. It came out AMAZING!

Pasta-
Easy enough, boiled water with some salt and a little veg. oil (to keep the pasta from sticking), added in spaghetti, stirred, boiled, threw a piece at the wall to test readiness (yes, I really do this once in awhile- it's too much fun to resist!) and warmed up a little vodka sauce, then mixed it all together. Yum.

Broccoli-
Boiled about an inch of water in a saucepan, washed, cut, and added broccoli, then covered and steamed for about 15 mins. Added salt to taste.

Applesauce-
While I have made my own applesauce once before, this particular applesauce recipe (with cinnamon, bc it's Kyle's favorite) can be credited to Mott's and was served right in the little plastic cups of perfection.

Raspberry Lemonade-
Ingredients:
- Raspberry Ginger Ale
- Sweet Carolina's Lemonade Vodka (or just lemonade, for the youngsters)
- Ice

A fabulous meal, thought up in about a minute and made in about a half hour. Oh, and then I went and made a batch of those incredible Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies (with extra chocolate chips and Diane Miller's peanut butter icing)- best brownies ever.

***Note: Another amazing treat to try this Summer- Turkey Hill's chocolate peanut butter ice cream. By far the best cool combo. of pb & chocolate- and I have tried many, as it's my favorite pairing of tastes. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Matzo Ball Soup- all for yum, and yum for all!

Whether it's Passover or not, and whether you're Jewish or not, you'll want to savor the Matzo Ball Soup experience. My family is Jewish, and since Passover was this past week, I was up for the challenge (*cough* I mean, happy to honor the celebration) of eating unleavened bread (matzo), fruit, veggies, meat and dairy (keeping the last 2 separate, of course) for 8 days. No bread, cake, cookies, crackers, etc. The good thing is, when the Jewish holidays come around, our brains automatically pull up mouth-watering recollections of past holiday meals, all of which are full of delicious-ness: tender, juicy brisket (recipe coming); strawberries and chocolate over meringue cookies (made by the amazing Martha Hochman); and of course, matzo ball soup.
Jenn and I were both planning to make some MB soup last week, so we decided to have a party and make it together. We threw carrots, celery, onions, chicken, a bay leaf (and soup mix) into a pot, let it boil while we mixed, chilled, rolled and dropped the little balls in with a splash, and waited with bated breath. When all was said and done, we had some awesome soup. Sadly, in my excitement and anticipation, I put two batches together (and added some more water, thinking the soup was a little too salty and we could use some more broth for all these matzo balls)...and between some of the matzo balls being forced to stay under water and not being able to fluff up, and the change in water temp while boiling, a number of my little friends couldn't show us their full potential. Thus, I had another matzo ball party of 1 (me) a few days later while making brisket and all was well with the world. So enough talk, let's get to the recipe.
As you've learned vicariously through my antics (and so you have no reason to repeat them), you should only make one batch of matzo balls at a time, even if you have a big pot. Also, you should follow the directions EXACTLY. If you don't, you can end up with toughy (as opposed to fluffy) matzo balls, which won't taste nearly as good. I'll also say now that while these matzo balls will be good, they are made from a mix which means they:

1) probably aren't as good as a Jewish grandmother's homemade matzo balls would be.
2) probably aren't as good FOR you...We like them salty, but I'm sure we had more than our share of sodium this Passover.

You can always try out a homemade recipe when you're feeling bold, but for now, all you need is...(yes, I'm really getting to the recipe)

a box of Matzo Ball Mix
eggs
vegetable oil
stuff for chicken soup

You can find the MB mix in the ethnic section of the store (look for the Jewish stuff- matzo, gefilte fish, and anything that says 'Manischewitz'. You can buy a matzo ball mix, or (as I did this year), you can get a Matzo Ball AND SOUP mix in one with a little packet of salty, flavorful goodness to add into your soup.

Then bring everything home and follow the directions. Mix the matzo ball packet with 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and 2 eggs, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, form into little balls (It helps if your hands are wet, but not TOO wet, and be sure to form the balls fast. You don't want to mess with them too much). I'm not trying to be dirty, btw- there are only so many ways to say 'don't over-handle the balls'.

Drop them in the boiling soup, cover tightly, and lower the heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Do not open it, do not add more water (that was dumb, I admit it), do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just wait and relax. After 20 minutes, the matzo balls should be nice and fluffy. I usually make a bunch, so I'll store matzo balls in one container and soup in another. If I'm really organized, I might make a couple little on-the-go bowls/containers for lunches right away. This year, we also shared some with Kyle's co-workers and a family I babysit, as well as our roommate Julie- all of whom were trying it for the first time and loved it. YAY!

So that's matzo ball soup. Enjoy it and please post any comments or questions you may have. Thanks for reading!!

White Bean Chicken Chili

We recently borrowed a crock pot from friends of ours (they have 2 and were so sweet to lend us one) and I was so excited to make my first crock pot recipe- white bean chicken chili! I found the recipe online at http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl118c19.htm and changed it a little bit- it turned out AMAZINGLY delicious. I will definitely make this again, and it was pretty easy. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
* 1 lb chicken, cut up into small chunks (I actually baked the chicken first and broke it into smaller pieces. It ended up pulling apart and being so flavorful by the end- just an option).
* 1 cup chopped onion (I used a whole onion and stuck it in my Tupperware Quick Chef to chop it up)
* 1 can chicken broth (I used a 15 oz. box of broth)
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely (I used 2 tbsp. from a jar of minced garlic)
* 2 tsp Cumin seed- ground will not withstand long cooking as well (I didn't have any, so I skipped this)
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
* 3 -15oz cans white beans (great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed (I used great northern beans)
* 1 or 2 chopped red, green or yellow bell peppers, or combination (Kyle and I aren't big pepper eaters, so I chopped up one yellow pepper)
* jalapeno chili peppers, fresh, jarred or canned, optional or 'to taste' (we used some chile peppers- not too hot- from a can. Didn't do a whole lot, but did add another flavor.

Prep:
In a 4 or 6 quart crock pot, combine the chicken, onions, broth, garlic, (cumin) and oregano.

Let cook awhile on low (approx. 3-5 hours, depending on your schedule)
Then add drained beans.

Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers no earlier than the last hour or hour and a half before serving or it'll get mushy.

Top each serving with shredded Monterey jack cheese and or broken tortilla chips if desired (we also put some sour cream on top).

Thanks to 'boathoff' for sharing online so that we could try out this awesome meal. Mmm mmm we'll be making this one again and hopefully you'll be able to try it, too!

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

Source:

We made this ziti recipe last weekend (plus 1/4 meatball pieces throughout half of it- yum!) and it's been absolutely delicious. If you like a lot of cheese, the recipe is PERFECT. If you like a little less, I'd use 15 oz. of ricotta instead of 24 and a little less mozzarella. I think next time I may tone down the cheesiness. Here goes..

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) package Ziti pasta
24 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1 lb. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 (32 oz.) jar Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
* We also made 5-10 Mama Lucia frozen meatballs on the stove in some sauce, cut them in smaller pieces and added them to 1/2 of the ziti before placing in oven. (Note: If you're making meatballs this way, you may want to have some extra sauce on hand.)

Kitchen Needs:
- large pot (big enough to cook a whole box of pasta)
- large spoon/slotted spoon
- colander
- bowl (we suggest a large one- you have to mix all of the ziti and almost all of the other ingredients in it.)
- 13x9 dish or pan
- oven & stove

Recipe:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
2. In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce. (Note: A medium bowl was not big enough for all of these ingredients- use a big one!)
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

We served our ziti with cucumber and ranch dressing- yum! If we were really thinking ahead, garlic bread would have been a nice addition. Do you do something unique with your ziti/lasagna/italian dishes?

Honey Baked Chicken

Looking for a new chicken recipe with a flavorful kick? Honey Baked Chicken is easy and different, and especially tasty with herbed chicken cous cous. Bon appetit!

Chicken (we used boneless chicken breasts, 2-3 lbs., cut into pieces)
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp margarine/butter, melted
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (we used paprika)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Rub chicken pieces with garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk with honey and butter or margarine, then brush this mixture over chicken pieces. Place chicken pieces, skin side down, in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, basting with remaining butter or margarine. Just before serving, turn chicken over and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes to cook the skin on the other side.

Note: We cut the chicken breasts in half (to make them thinner), bumped the temp up to 350, and baked for 30-35 minutes. We turned it about halfway through and it turned out great. Flavorful, juicy, and best of all, easy! Inspired by recipe at http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/honey-baked-chicken-i/Detail.aspx We'll definitely make this one again :) P.S. I'm loving this blog! Can't wait to keep reading everyone's recipes and try some of them out myself.

Crescent Roll Pizza- a favorite for all ages!

I'll post pictures the next time we make these (made them this weekend, but they were eaten too fast to get a good snapshot)! I've been making crescent roll pizza with kids while babysitting since high school and have recently decided to share it's awesomeness (and easy-ness) with family, friends, and all of you. Here's what you'll need:

1 jar tomato sauce
2-4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 or 2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (each will make 8 rolls, people tend to eat between 2-4)
Optional: toppings- pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, pepper, anchovies, extra cheese, etc.

Roll out crescent roll triangles. Put on sauce, cheese, and toppings. Roll up. Follow baking instructions (usually 11-13 minutes in oven) and enjoy!

A fun idea: get lots of different toppings and have a crescent roll pizza party! Each person can create their own pizza rolls and enjoy in just a few minutes.

Barley Soup with Ham

This soup really hit the spot on today's chilly football filled day :)

Ingredients:

1 cup pearl barley

9 cups water

1 tablespoon beef bullion

2 carrots, chopped (we used 4 because we like vegis)

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 leeks, chopped

1 large potato chopped

8oz ham steak cooked and diced

2 bay leaves

1 tea. oregano

salt and pepper

In a large pot bring the 9 cups of water to a boil, add the barley and bullion and let it simmer for about an hour. After an hour, stir in all the vegetables, potato, ham, and herbs. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the barley, potatoes, and vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, another serving suggestion was to sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. We had ours for a late lunch with some warm cornbread, yummmmm!

Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Source: Rachael Ray, 365: No Repeats
Servings: 4 (although it lasted us a LOT longer than 4 meals!)

Ingredients:
1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 1/2 c. broccoli florets
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (skipped)
1 tsp. paprika
3 c. whole milk
1 c. chicken stock or broth (we used broth)
3 c. grated sharp yellow cheddar (we used 2 c. cheddar and 1 c. mozzarella)
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
*optional: black pepper

Tools/Appliances:
stove
large pot (we used a stewpot)
small saucepan
large spoon
whisk
knife/chopper (we used the Tupperware QuickChef- so quick and easy!) for the onions

Recipe:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes more or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil (EVOO- recommended, but we used regular OO and it was fine) and heat with the butter until it melts. Add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes to sweat them out and turn the juices sweet. Raise the heat a bit, then whisk in the flour, cayenne and paprika. Whisk together until the roux bubbles up (we just looked for bubbles!), then cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and broth/stock and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes (it took a bit longer for ours to thicken, but it did eventually).

Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour over the broccoli and cooked pasta and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a large platter and serve.

Review: We LOVED this recipe! It would be awesome (and more filling) with chicken, fish, beef, or shrimp mixed in, but is already delicious and a great side or meal by itself. Definitely a keeper and although the mozzarella was a last minute decision, we're glad we added it. It might even be good with a 3rd cheese next time! Enjoy :)