Hummus Roasted Veggies

This recipe for yummy roasted vegetables uses something that is always in our refrigerator, which is hummus. It can be so versatile, using olive hummus, garlic, black bean, roasted red pepper or garlic. The hummus caramelizes on the outside of the vegetables making them slightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. hummus (I used roasted beets and garlic)
Broccoli florets
Baby carrots
Mini bell peppers, cut in half
Onion, sliced in wedges

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Preheat the pan lined with parchment paper for 10 minutes in the oven while it is preheating. In a large bowl, mix the cut vegetables with the hummus. If the hummus is too thick, add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Use your hands for this part. Spread the veggies out on the heated pan and roast for 20 minutes, flipping over half way through.

Lemon Asparagus Orzo

If you want a refreshing take on a pasta dish right in time for spring, then look no further! This lemon asparagus dish mixed with the pasta is amazing! It makes a large portion and feeds a hungry crowd.

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus, blanched
4 c. chicken stalk
4 c. water
1 Tbs salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric
3 c. orzo pasta
1/2 c. green onions, whites and stalks, thinly sliced

Dressing:

2 lemons, zested
1/2 c. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

Place the lemon zest, juice, garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add in the oil and whisk. Set aside. Slice the cooked asparagus into two inch pieces and set aside. Place the chicken stock and water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt and turmeric. Add the orzo and cook on medium-high for 10-12 minutes. Place the orzo in a large bowl and add the asparagus and green onions. Whisk the dressing quickly again and pour into the salad. Mix well. Let sit to room temperature before serving.

Roasted Hasselback Beets with Dill Yogurt Sauce

I joined the "beet" wagon about a year ago. I had never had roasted beets before, only pickled which I absolutely could not stand. These roasted beets are juicy, cut like butter and the tangy yogurt sauce pairs perfectly to cut the sweetness.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb.s beets, peeled, cut in half, and sliced every 1/4 inch almost all of the way through
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 Tbs. dill, chopped
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with tinfoil. Place the beets flat side down on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour 3/4 cup water around the beets inside of the foil. Cover the pan with tinfoil, bake for 20 minutes, add 3/4 c. more water, and continue to bake 20 more minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 20-30 minutes (adding more water if necessary). Remove from the pan and place on your serving tray. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, dill and lemon juice together. Drizzle the tops of each beet with the yogurt sauce.

Grilled Zucchini with Feta

This recipe uses two main ingredients, not including non stick cooking spray, salt and pepper. It is one of the easiest yet flavorful and simple side dishes that I have ever made that everyone will be sure to love.

Ingredients:
Olive oil Pam (or any non stick cooking spray)
2 small zucchini, cut into strips
1/4 c. reduced fat Feta cheese

Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Right before placing the zucchini on, spray the pan with non stick cooking spray and then season the zucchini with salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini in a single layer for about 3 to 4 minutes on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in two batches like I did. Place on your serving tray and sprinkle with the feta cheese.

Microwave Mummy's

Ingredients:

2 medium to large size baking potatoes
10 sprays of butter
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
2 string cheese (to be safe, I had enough with 1)
2 black olives, sliced
1 tsp. Pizza or pasta sauce

Microwave the potatoes according to your microwave (if you have a baked potato button). Both took 6 minutes. Cut both in half and let cool slightly before handling. Scoop the insides of the potatoes out into a bowl. Add the spray butter, grated Parmesan and add salt and pepper. Mix together and scoop back into the potato skins. Place two slices of olives on each potato skin for eyes. Spoon a very small amount of the spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce into the middle of each "eye".

Shred the string cheese and place on top of the potato skins in a random pattern to create the mummy wrap. Place the potato skins on a microwavable plate and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Yukon Gold Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch cubes and boiled until soft
3 eggs, hard boiled
1/4 c. light Miracle Whip
1 Tbs. sweet and hot mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 c. chopped dill pickle
1 tsp. fresh chopped dill
Paprika for garnish

Combine the miracle whip, mustard, garlic salt, celery salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the pickle, dill and potatoes until well combined. Chop two of the hard boiled eggs and gently stir into the potato salad. Add a sliced boiled egg on top and garnish with paprika.

Baked Oven Wedges

Oven wedges baked right at home! Crispy, no fuss and no flipping!

Ingredients:

10 small Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into thin wedges
3 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Add the sliced wedges to a large bowl with the olive oil, add the seasonings and breadcrumbs, and stir everything together so that the potatoes are completely covered. Spread the potatoes out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating! Super simple, very easy, absolutely delicious!

Garlic Roasted Grapes

My favorite new, and only way, to eat grapes. I have a weird thing about grape skin, but as soon as they are roasted, the skin becomes soft and the inside of the fruit melts like butter! All it takes to get them to a perfect consistency is the very long, long process....of four minutes under the broiler! ;-)

Ingredients:

2 cups red grapes
1 tsp. minced garlic (from jar, otherwise 2 small cloves minced)
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Heat the oven to broil (550 for most people?) and leave the door cracked open. Toss the grapes with the garlic and seasoning and spread into a single layer on the prepared sheet. Let broil for 4 minutes until you start seeing the skin crack and start to peel. Let cool slightly before serving.

Broccoli Cheddar Couscous Bites

These broccoli cheddar couscous bites are great as a side dish or appetizer. If you have kids and are sick of eating tater tots and they are really picky, give them a side of these instead. They are cheesy, soft with a crunch around the edges, and full of broccoli!

Ingredients:

2/3 c. uncooked couscous
1 1/4 c. water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 c. yellow onion, finely diced
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt and fresh cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook the couscous and water according to the package directions. Drain and add to a medium size bowl. Let cool slightly before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add in the eggs, broccoli, onion, garlic, cheese, paprika and salt and pepper. Stir everything together well. Divide into the mini cups (they do not expand so you can fill right to the top). Press the mixture down slightly, then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then try to gently remove (use a knife on the edges to loosen if necessary) the couscous cups to a serving tray.

Roasted Eggplant and Feta Quinoa Salad

No, making Eggplant Parmesan is not the only thing you can do with an eggplant, which is usually the only recipe most people that I talk to can tell me when they hear the word eggplant. It is very versatile, and can be grilled, roasted, whatever you want just like other vegetables. This roasted eggplant salad brings out the eggplant flavor with adding a punch of fresh herbs, salty Feta cheese, and crunchy quinoa.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. loose spinach
1/4 c. Feta cheese
1 package Uncle Ben's Quinoa and Brown Rice with garlic

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and lightly grease with non stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the cubed eggplant, 2 Tbs. oil, and season with the salt and pepper. Coat all of the eggplant with the oil and then spread out on an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add in the spinach and minced garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the garlic is roasted and the spinach is wilted. Cook the Uncle Ben's package according to directions. Remove the garlic and spinach from the heat and to the pan, add the roasted eggplant. Stir in the Uncle Ben's quinoa and the crumbled Feta cheese.

Avocado Butter

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I love adding real butter to things for extra flavor, but sometimes it gets really boring"? Probably not.... but if you are looking to add an extra punch of flavor to let's say, corn on the cob, or a fresh roll, this recipe is really easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 small ripe avocado
1 Tbs. lemon juice
4 Tbs. salted butter, softened
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Half each avocado, remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add the lemon juice, butter, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and add about 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt and pepper.

Combine on "low" until everything is well incorporated and forms into a paste. Rip off two pieces of parchment paper and place them on a flat work surface. Spoon the avocado butter onto the middle of the parchment paper and make into a long and skinny mound, about 1 inch wide and high. Roll the parchment tightly around the butter, forming it into a log. Repeat for the second log. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

The butter softens quickly so if you are cutting it into serving sizes make sure to do that right as it comes out of the refrigerator. The avocado will start to darken on the edges of the butter depending on how long you wait to use it. My butter wasn't used until the following day.

T.i. Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli Slaw

My favorite meat is and probably always will be chicken. As long as every piece of fat is removed (and I mean EVERY little piece...), I can eat it with everything and every possible flavor combination out there. I had two chicken breast halves that needed to be used up in the refrigerator, and for flavor profiles, I grabbed a few random items and threw them together. Sometimes, and this is a rarity, the recipe doesn't turn out so hot. But most of the time it ends up as the weirdest flavor combination that you would never normally pair together, and it works.

Broccoli slaw:

1 bag Mann's Rainbow Salad (or carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and red cabbage)
1/4 c. Miracle Whip, light
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
1 tsp. parsley, chopped

Whisk the Miracle Whip, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper together until the sauce is smooth. Add in the vegetable mix and parsley and stir together until everything is just combined.

Chicken Ingredients:

2 chicken breast halves, halved again (you end up with 4, or if one is large, 5 pieces)
2-3 Tbs. Thousand Island dressing
1 tsp. finely chopped cilantro
1 Tbs. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, chopped smaller
2 Tbs. Panko
1 tsp. salt and pepper
3 Tbs. Italian style bread crumbs

In a small bowl, mix the Thousand Island dressing with the cilantro and shredded cheese and set aside. In a shallow dish, combine the Panko, salt and pepper and Italian bread crumbs with a fork and set aside. Rip off a large piece of parchment paper and place it on a flat work surface. Place the 4-5 pieces of chicken on top of the parchment paper towards the middle, and cover with another piece of parchment. Use the side of the meat tenderizer (flat, not spikes) and flatten out the chicken pieces until they are all about 1/3 inch thick. Place one side of the chicken down into the dressing mixture and press slightly. Place into the crumb mixture and press the crumbs onto the chicken on both sides. Place back on the parchment and repeat for the remaining chicken pieces.

Heat a large, flat skillet to medium heat and add about 1-2 Tbs. olive oil. Place the side of the chicken with the dressing on it down on the heat first. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is white half way up the sides. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it is no longer pink in the middle. Place a large heap of the slaw on the bottom of the plate. Top with two chicken cutlets. I also added an over easy egg on top (you can omit the egg if you aren't a fan).

Soy Sake Eggs

Hard boiled eggs, soaked in soy sauce and sake? These eggs give off a slight kick for sure, and go great in an Oriental salad or as is with some fresh cracked pepper.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. soy sauce, low sodium
1/4 c. sake
1 Tbs. sugar
4 eggs (hard boiled)

In a medium size mason jar, add the soy sauce, sake and sugar. Place the lid on and shake to combine the ingredients. Peel the eggs and rinse under cold water to make sure all of the egg shell pieces are gone. Add the hard boiled eggs into the jar and place the lid back on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour. You can store these already-made for up to 5 days.

* If you would rather boil the eggs than using my method of baking them in the oven for 30 minutes, that would work also. I add the eggs to a pot of cold water, and set on high heat. I let them boil for 10 minutes, and then remove from the heat and let cool for five. By then, you should be able to rinse in cold water and easily remove the shell.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

This side dish is literally just beautiful to look at. Rainbow carrots might be one of my new favorite things to brighten a plate up! Oh, and they taste amazing too!

Ingredients:

1 bag rainbow carrots, cut in half if on the larger side
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chives (I used freeze dried)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and chives with a fork just to mix slightly. Add in the carrots and stir everything together. Spread into a thin layer on the prepared sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir around (don't worry about flipping perfectly), and then bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

We just got back from Colorado, and I had little to no energy to make dinner last night. Usually my go-to is some form of eggs because I love eggs, and they are pretty simple to make. I wanted a good dish to go on the side, and since our fridge was pretty much empty I decided to use up some potatoes. These turned out great! They would also be good as an appetizer by themselves or as chips for a dip.

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed clean (not peeled)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and place in a medium size bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic and onion powder, pepper, and 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan to the potatoes and toss with a spatula or your fingers. Place on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Flip the potato slices over and bake for 10 more minutes. Transfer to your serving dish and sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. remaining grated Parmesan, the shredded Parm and fresh parsley.

Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes

Hash browns will probably always be my favorite breakfast potato go-to, but these come in as a close second and taste almost exactly like what you great at every great American diner. These are oven roasted, cutting out the pile of grease that they normally sit in and are great with a small dash of hot sauce...

Ingredients:

2 lb. red skin potatoes, small diced
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil (evoo)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray. In a medium size bowl, combine the chopped potato, paprika, thyme, rosemary and olive oil and toss everything together so that every piece of potato is evenly coated.

Spread the potatoes out on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Using a spatula, stir the potatoes around and spread again in an even layer. Roast for another 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.