parmesan roasted zucchini

this is a quick and easy side that you can add to any meal!

parmesan roasted zucchini
from http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/03/parmesan-roasted-zucchini-recipe/

2 zucchini  with the ends cut off, cut into 4ths
1 tablespoon olive oil
garlic powder
black pepper
¹⁄₃ cup  parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. (i actually used my toaster oven to avoid heating the whole house)

Lay zucchini on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Brush olive oil on each and sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder. Top with cheese. Place in oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned on top.

spaghetti squash au gratin

i have made spaghetti squash in the past and i was not impressed... but this recipe is amazing! my sister made it for dinner one night and i skeptically tried it and fell in love! i ran to the store the next day and bought spaghetti squash so i could make it! i already am planning to plant spaghetti squash in my vegetable garden next year for this recipe alone lol

i literally passed on pasta tonight and just ate this instead. i don't really consider it a low carb pasta substitute cuz really, nothing is a substitute for pasta lol. but this is definitely a recipe that you should atleast try once. it is so good that it has me wanting to try different spaghetti squash recipes. next time i am going to try it with nonfat greek yogurt instead of sour cream to make it lighter.

but of course my kids didnt even try it...

spaghetti squash au gratin
from http://dandydishes.blogspot.com/2011/10/spaghetti-squash-au-gratin.html#.T2eD-GJSQ7c

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy (it is on the spicier side so you may want to use less the first time and try from there)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.  Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions and red pepper and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream, feta cheese and half the cheddar cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

layered bean dip

i have not been in the mood for cooking at all this last week. i'd like to say that i haven't been in the mood to eat as well but that would be a lie lol. this is an appetizer that my mom used to make when i was younger. it super easy to throw together and its ready in minutes.... making it perfect for when you don't feel like cooking, but still feel like eating lol

layered bean dip

1 brick neufschatel cream cheese
1 cup  refried beans
3/4 cup shredded mexican cheese
any toppings you would like on top like (avocado, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa or black olives all work nicely)

*these are approximate measurements. i really only measure ingredients when i bake. you can use as little or as much as you like. you can make this serve as little as one to as may as you need.

Spread cream cheese in bottom of microwaveable dish. Top with refried beans (you don't have to use all of the beans- use however much you like). Top with shredded cheese and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes- until cheese is melted and beans are bubbly. Top with avocado or any other ingredients you would like. serve with tortilla chips.

mexican quinoa (mexican rice made with quinoa)

since i have a whole bunch of quinoa on hand, i thought i would try to make mexican rice with quinoa. and i think this turned out awesome! i put a little bit of my salsa on top of it and it taste just like my favorite mexican restaurant's rice. you have no idea how much this means. i have literally been trying to recreate this restaurant'c rice for YEARS. we moved waaay too far from this restaurant for our own good several years ago and every chance we get, we go there because they have the best rice around. i couldn't be more ecstatic!!

i literally threw all of the ingredients into my rice cooker and turned it on and went to work. ( i have an awesome rice cooker that you can program for white rice, brown rice or steam and it automatically turns off when its done)

mexican quinoa

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 8oz can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp olive oil

if using rice cooker- mix all ingredients together in rice cooker and let cook until quinoa is cooked through- roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

stovetop- heat oil over low heat in large pot. Add quinoa and let toast for a few minutes until quinoa is lightly browned. Add tomato sauce and chicken broth to pot and stir to combine. cover and cook until quinoa is fully cooked, about 30 minutes.

spicy shrimp pasta

i made this tonight for dinner and it was awesome! i found myself wanting more! and im already looking forward to making it again sometime soon!

spicy shrimp pasta
from http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/02/spicy-parmesan-shrimp-skillet/

1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups uncooked penne
1 bunch fresh broccoli florets, partially cooked**
1 zucchini, sliced and cut in half

**I chop up fresh broccoli and throw it in a pot of boiling water and let it cook for several minutes until it is a bright green color. Drain the water and set to the side. I do this so that when i am ready to cook the rest of the ingredients it doesn't take as long for the broccoli to become soft

In a bowl, whisk olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce,  hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes together. Add shrimp to a large ziplock bag, pour marinade over top, then seal bag and shake to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate for atleast 30 minutes, up to overnight.

When ready to eat, bring water to boil in a large pot and cook penne according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and then add zucchini and broccoli. Let cook until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and marinade to zucchini/broccoli mixture, then cook shrimp until cooked thoroughly, about 2 minutes per side. As soon as shrimp is finished, add penne into the skillet and toss to coat completely. Serve immediately.

teriyaki quinoa stir fry

i have wanted to try cooking with quinoa for a long time- but i was always scared of it for some reason. well after many months or talking myself out of it i finally decided to buy a bag of quinoa and go for it... and let me tell you i am so happy that i did!

for those of you who are scared like me- quinoa is super easy to cook! i literally just put it in my rice cooker and pretended it was white rice and cooked it the same that i would white rice! i wish i knew it was this easy years ago!

i dont know if you have a stir crazy near you or have ever been to a place similar to it- but its an asian restaurant where you can create your own stir fry. the restaurant has been an absolute fave of mine for years and i almost always create my own stir fry. i finally started making it at my house and it couldnt be easier! so this recipe is my own- i just used to do it with brown rice, which i replaced with quinoa and am now sharing with you!

the best thing about this recipe is that you can really put it any of your favorite veggies and it comes together nicely! so swap any of the veggies below for some of your faves and see how it turns out! and its really simple and can come together very quickly if you cook the quinoa ahead of time (i used day old quinoa) and you can prep the veggies ahead of time and just add them when you are ready to start cooking!

im also super excited about this recipe because my husband tried it (he really doesnt like trying anything new lol) and gave me the go ahead to make it again (without any of the veggies besides broccoli of course lol)

teriyaki quinoa stir fry

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut to your liking (i like mine shredded)
1/2 onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
6 mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Add garlic and stir quickly so garlic doesnt burn. Add remaining veggies and let them cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

Slowly add quinoa and mix together. When quinoa is added, pour teriyaki sauce over the mixture and stir to combine.

Voila!

buffalo shrimp

i love buffalo shrimp! i loved them from the minute i first tried them from hooters. well the hooters out here closed down so now i need to make my own. i came up with this recipe from trial and error

buffalo shrimp

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup (or more to taste) of your favorite buffalo wing sauce
oil for frying

preheat oil over medium heat in frying pan.

Mix together egg, water and cornstarch in one bowl. in another bowl, mix together flour, garlic powder and pepper.

Dredge shrimp through the egg/ cornstarch water. Then place in flour mixture. Repeat if you'd like for extra coating (i normally dont just to keep the calories lower)

Place shrimp in frying pan in batches and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side- until shrimp is opaque and cooked through.

When shrimp are done, remove to cooling rack (to prevent from getting soggy.) when all the shrimp are cooked, put them in a container and pour buffalo wing sauce over, Shake to coat shrimp. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing. Enjoy!

bacon wrapped blue cheese mushrooms

the pic of these mushrooms isn't great and to be honest they didnt look all that great in person either. the recipe said to use toothpicks to keep bacon in place but i thought i was better than that lol. i didnt think that i believed in toothpicks... turns out i do now lol. anyways if you didnt get where i'm going with this you should use toothpicks to secure the bacon otherwise it just winds us looking like a hot mess (as you can see in the pics)

dont let the look fool you, these were amazing! my husband has never tried mushrooms before and didn't really want to today lol but he hesitantly ate one of these and loved it!

if you are a vegetarian, you can leave out the bacon and they would be pretty good (having been a vegetarian for 10 years i can say this without feeling guilty... okay only slightly guilty... bacon makes everything better lol)

bacon wrapped blue cheese mushrooms
from http://www.laurenslatest.com/blue-cheese-filled-bacon-wrapped-mushrooms/

12 large baby portobello mushrooms
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
6 dashes hot sauce {or more if desired}
6 slices bacon, cut in half

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 Clean tops of mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems.

 In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, blue cheese, salt, pepper and hot sauce together.

 Divide cheese mixture evenly into mushroom cavities.

Wrap bacon around mushroom and place a toothpick into the mushroom where the bacon ends overlap. {Make sure the toothpick is sticking out the side and is not in the top or bottom.}

Place mushrooms in oven safe dish and bake until bacon is crispy about 30 to 50 minutes.

buffalo chicken nachos

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! These are a must try!!! this came together in less than 10 minutes (using microwave)

that's all i have to say. i was hungover the other day (5th of july lol) and saw a pic in one of our take out menus for buffalo chicken nachos... and they looked awesome! i wanted them so badly! after dedicating an amount of time (this could have been 5 minutes it could have been hours, i do not know lol) to pinterest to find a recipe that was everything i was looking for in buffalo chicken nachos and not having anything turn up we actually wound up ordering them (this is big for us... i cant tell you the last time that we ate out that wasn't pizza!) well anyways, they didnt hit the spot. i kept thinking about how they could be better if this or that was on there... anyways i decided that i should make my own! we had a few leftover boneless wings from when we ordered out so i reheated them and cut them into chunks. (i know, i know...i cheated) i do have a great boneless buffalo wing recipe that i will now have to get on making soon so i can post it here so that i can redeem myself lol)

these could probably also be called garbage nachos cuz it seems like i just kept adding to them. i threw this in the microwave for a couple minutes and was done with it (it is still way too hot in this heat wave to even attempt to turn the oven on)

anyways, these were awesome and i have a feeling that i will be making them again really soon- they combine boneless buffalo wings and nachos- which just happens to be two of my hubby's and my favorite things!

buffalo chicken nachos

1/2 bag tortilla chips (i normally love donkey tortilla chips, but i used tostitos and they worked perfectly)
1/4 cup salsa con queso
1/2 cup chili beans
3/4 cup shredded mexican blend cheese, divided (i use mexican cheese for everything, you can easily substitute)
10 boneless buffalo wings, cut into small chunks (fresh or reheated if using leftovers)
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
guacamole to taste (optional)
blue cheese dressing to taste (optional)

layer chips, salsa con queso, chili beans and 1/2 cup cheese. microwave for 1 to 2 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave*- this is to heat beans and melt cheese.

Add heated buffalo wing chunks and top with remaining cheese. microwave for 30 seconds.**

Top with lettuce, crumbled bacon, blue cheese crumbles and guacamole. You can add blue cheese dressing on top or keep on the side to dip!

*you can use your oven if you are against microwaves (i try not to use it whenever possible). I would preheat the oven to 350 degrees and follow the same directions, warming the nachos for 20 to 30 minutes. **if you are using the oven and using leftover wings, i would cut them up cold and put them on top and throw everything in the oven at the same time, leaving out this step (if that makes sense)

crockpot bbq beer chicken

this recipe is so easy and its really good too! my husband was definitely not excited about this recipe... he is still pretty weary when it comes to crockpot recipes but there is no way that i was going to turn my oven on to cook anything today and it was definitely way too hot to bbq so this is what i went with. next time i make this (and there will be a next time) i will use a different beer. i used miller64 for this one because thats what i had on hand but i definitely want to try it with a more flavorful beer

crockpot bbq beer chicken
from http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/crockpot-bbq-beer-chicken/

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
1/2 cup of beer
1 cup barbecue sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and toss chicken back in crockpot to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

blt roll ups

these are so easy and so amazing! i made them yesterday for a fourth of july party that we went to at my aunt and uncle's house. i swear i may have eaten them all myself lol. and honestly, i wish i had some right now mmmmmm

blt roll ups
from http://www.myfamilymealplan.com/2011/11/blt-roll-ups.html

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
8-10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 eight-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

Mix the cream cheese and mayo in a bowl. Add the crumbled bacon and diced tomatoes. Spread mixture on tortillas and top with cheese and lettuce. Roll up tightly and refrigerate for an hour. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

homemade pizza dough

my family loves pizza... we can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. but most pizza places out here are way too pricey for our limited budget. so i set out to find a homemade pizza dough recipe that i can use to make pizza. everyone loved this! and oli had fun helping put the toppings on his own pizza!

When you are ready to make your pizzas, dust work surface with flour and roll dough into circles (or squares if thats what you want) and top with your favorite ingredients! this recipe makes 2 12 inch pizzas. i doubled it and it turned out perfect!

pizza dough
from http://www.laurenslatest.com/fail-proof-pizza-dough-and-cheesy-garlic-bread-sticks-just-like-in-restaurants/

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands.
Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. It should look something like this when it’s done!
The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean.

Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours.

When you are ready to make your pizzas, dust work surface with flour and roll dough into circles (or squares if thats what you want) and top with your favorite ingredients like homemade pizza sauce! this recipe makes 2 12 inch pizzas. i doubled it and it turned out perfect!