31May / 2012

Peanut Butter and Jelly Burrito

The name says it all. It’s like a traditional burrito, but with peanut butter and jelly, fruit and chocolate chips. How much more simple can it get? This is great for little ones (or husbands, in my case) as it can be fun to turn the normal burrito ingredients into sweet and healthy ingredients. For example, the peanut butter equals the refried beans on a normal burrito, the strawberries equal the meat, the strawberry jam is the salsa and the chocolate chips is the cheese, etc. You could take it even a step further and add “sour cream,” a.k.a whipped cream. The possibilities are endless!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Burrito

1 100% whole wheat 10-inch tortilla
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon strawberry jam, jelly or preserves
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
sprinkle of chocolate chips

Warm tortilla in a large skillet on each side. Spread 2 tablespoons of peanut butter down the middle of the tortilla. Add chopped strawberries. Top with strawberry jam and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Fold up the ends of the tortilla and roll up. Optional ingredients could be apples, bananas, whipped cream, etc.

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28May / 2012

Cucumber Salad

This is one of my husband’s favorites and it’s a perfect salad to bring to a memorial day party. It’s a cold, refreshing and crunchy side when served with a burger or grilled chicken. If you don’t have a mandolin it’s perfectly okay to use a knife, but try to slice the cucumber as thinly as possible. I’m a little OCD so I like to know my cucumber slices are all the same size.

Cucumber Salad

1 english cucumber
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Slice cucumber with a mandolin to 1/4″ thickness. In a small bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Combine with cucumbers in a sealable dish and refrigerate overnight.

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24May / 2012

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

This is another one of my go-to weeknight recipes. While I’m in the kitchen prepping the stove top ingredients, my husband is manning the grill outside. I’ve also made this before in the winter, but instead of grilling the sausage I’ve cooked it in a pan. The nice thing about this tasty pasta dish is that you can use whatever veggies you like, especially if you have a picky eater in your house.

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

1 package (16-ounce) penne or bowtie pasta
4 hot Italian poultry sausages
Frozen or fresh grilled summer vegetables (such as asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, grill sausage over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from heat and slice into bite sized pieces, then set aside. On the oven, add vegetables, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes to a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute until vegetables are tender then add cooked sausage and pasta to skillet. Stir until well incorporated and warm. Serve Parmesan cheese and additional red pepper flakes.

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21May / 2012

FAIL: Overnight French Toast Casserole

I decided to make to this dish for mother’s day. It seemed easy enough and I loved that I could make it ahead of time and that it would travel well. I’m definitely going to try to make this again with challah bread because the French bread I used did not absorb all the egg mixture and I was left with a weird gray-colored, sugary scrambled egg at the bottom of the dish. Sure, it tasted good covered in maple syrup (what doesn’t?), but the texture was bizarre and it didn’t look appealing at all. Thankfully my seven-year-old niece still approved, so I guess it wasn’t a total bust.

Overnight French Toast Casserole
adapted from http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/02/overnight-french-toast-casserole.html

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 loaf brioche or challah (a French bread loaf can a used) sliced into 1 1/2 inches thick slices
8 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup 1% milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary. Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but doesn’t dry it out completely. Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.

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17May / 2012

Chickpea Fritters Revisited

I made chickpea fritters not too long ago and while they tasted good, I was disappointed with the way they fell apart in the pan and how dry they were. I wanted to try making them again with something to help bind them together and keep them moist. To achieve that I added egg, Greek yogurt and breadcrumbs and decided to forgo the flour coating. The end result was much better. They tasted light, were moist and held together pretty nicely. This time around, I made sure to leave some of the chickpeas intact to give the fritters a nice texture.

Chickpea Fritters Revisited

15.5 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg, whisked
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil, for frying

In the bowl of a food processor add chickpeas, panko, garlic, parsley, yogurt, whisked egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined, but not completely pureed. Gently form six one-inch thick patty with your hands, compressing the mixture just enough to hold it together. In a large skillet, add the additional olive oil over medium heat. Add the chickpea patties and cook without moving for four to five minutes per side or until golden. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt on top.

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14May / 2012

Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-fry

This spicy peanut chicken stir-fry was pretty easy to make, despite the ingredient list being rather long. As usual, use whatever vegetables you have on hand (fresh or frozen) and if you don’t like it that spicy, reduce the amount of Sriracha. You could also substitute beef or shrimp if you’re sick of chicken. The best part about stir-fry is that it’s totally customizable.

Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-fry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 cup low fat chicken broth
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons Sriracha
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper (to taste)
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Rice or rice noodles, cooked according to package
2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup red peppers
1/2 cup broccoli florets

Combine 1 cup chicken broth, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon sriracha, honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Stir until sauce becomes smooth and well blended. Set aside. Cook rice or rice noodles according to package directions. Place chicken in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, remaining sriracha, lime juice, garlic powder, remaining soy sauce, sesame oil and mix with chicken until well coated. Heat a large skillet or wok until hot. Add canola oil and sauté chicken on high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. Add carrots, red peppers, and broccoli sauteing until vegetables are tender, about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and peanut sauce back to wok and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over rice or rice noodles.

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10May / 2012

Chicken Parmesan

This is my version of super easy and delicious chicken parm. My Italian grandmother would probably not approve, but my German, English and Irish husband does! We pound and trim the chicken beforehand and freeze it in individual ziplock bags to save on prep time. I’ve also made this before with olive oil, but the canola oil works a lot better and gives the chicken that crispiness you expect from chicken parm.

Chicken Parmesan

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1″ thickness and cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup flour mixed with salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 jar favorite marinara sauce
4 slices provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Parsley

In a medium skillet over medium high heat add canola oil. Meanwhile, dredge the chicken in the flour, patting off excess, then egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Add to canola oil and fry for about 5-7 minutes on eat side. Remove from oil and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Turn broiler on high and cover broiler pan in foil. Place chicken breasts on broiler pan and cover each piece in 1 tablespoon of marinara, top with provolone, mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan and parsley. Heat under broiler for about 1 minute or until cheese is melted and browned. Remove from broiler and serve with pasta topped with marinara sauce.

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07May / 2012

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

Living in Buffalo, people assume that all we eat here are chicken wings and pizza, which is pretty accurate most of the time. However, it’s not always convenient to bring chicken wings with you to a party. That’s why some genius invented this dip. It’s super addictive and, in fact, just talking about it makes me wish I had plate of it to devour! There are a lot of recipes out there, but this one is, by far, the best. Most of them call for adding ranch dressing, but take it from a Buffalonian, ranch dressing is a BIG no-no here.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/4 cup Frank’s red hot
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add chicken breasts and poach until cooked thoroughly. Remove from water and let cool. Once cool, cut into smaller pieces and run them through a food processor until the chicken is finely shredded. In a large bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Transfer the mix to a 8 x 8 baking dish or round pie plate. Cover in foil and cook for 20 minutes or until dip is bubbling. Serve with celery sticks and tortilla chips.

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03May / 2012

Ham and Black Bean Soup

This recipe was inspired by the over abundance of leftover ham we had in our fridge from Easter. My husband was sick of eating ham sandwiches and I’m not really that big of a ham person so we didn’t even put a dent in the leftovers. I decided to cut off as much ham as I could from the bone, cube it and freeze it. With the bone I decided to make a soup using what I had on hand. The ham bone gave the soup a rich, smoky flavor, but it’s not overly “hammy”.

Ham and Black Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onion, diced
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 15.5 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large honey glazed ham bone, with some meat left on it
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot or other cayenne hot sauce
6 cups of chicken broth
1 cup cubed honey glazed ham
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic over medium high heat until the onion becomes translucent (about 8 minutes). Add the beans, ham bone, chicken broth, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Then reduce the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Add the cubed ham and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Discard the bone and serve with warm, crusty bread or corn bread.

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01May / 2012

Breadcrumb-less Fried Eggplant

Craving red sauce and don’t eat pasta? Whip up some of these and pour on the Prego! Don’t judge. I love me some Prego, much to my mother-in-law’s chagrin

Breadcrumb-less Fried Eggplant

1 medium-sized eggplant or zucchini, sliced about an 1/8″ thick
1/2 cup hazelnut meal/flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg, whisked
2 tablespoons olive (or better yet–Sunflower) oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the hazelnut flour, garbanzo bean flour, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

In another bowl pour your egg substitute or whisked egg.

Heat oil in a frying pan while you coat each slice of eggplant with egg and then the flour mixture. I like to coat all the eggplant before frying but you can frying them up as you coat them if you wish.

Fry until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes on each side).

Place cooked slices on cookie sheet. They will cool while you finish cooking the other slices. When all slices are finished cooking, pop the cookie sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes to reheat and crisp them up.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and enjoy!

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the kitchen creative

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Peanut Butter and Jelly Burrito

Cucumber Salad

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

FAIL: Overnight French Toast Casserole

Chickpea Fritters Revisited

Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-fry

Chicken Parmesan

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

Ham and Black Bean Soup

Breadcrumb-less Fried Eggplant

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