Shrimp with Orzo and Pesto

I didn't take a picture of the ingredients because this was took 3 ingredients to make.

Ingredients:
Shrimp (about half a pound per person, or 10 shrimp a person)
1/2 cup pesto
1 package of orzo

Directions:
Cook orzo like you would any other pasta. In 2 bowls, separate the pasta, pesto, and shrimp in half. Enjoy! (Simple as that!)

Ingredients to my pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts

Directions:
Toast walnuts on each side for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Place the walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, basil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Slowly add olive oil and combine.

Spinach and Ginger Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 tablespoons garlic
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 lb lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons ginger
4 quarts vegetable stock

Directions:
Mince onions, celery and carrots. (I used a food processor to make my life easier.) In a large pot, set heat to medium and add olive oil, onions, and garlic. Sweat the onions (they will become translucent.) Add celery and carrots; cooking for 5 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes, spinach and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and add spices. Bring to a boil by placing on high heat and add the lentils. Stir and put on simmering heat for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Green Bean Coleslaw

My boyfriend and I threw a thanksgiving themed tailgate last weekend for the UMD football game. This was one of the sides. It's really just coleslaw with green beans; nothing special, but still good.

Ingredients:
1 package of coleslaw veggies
1 package of steam in a bag green beans
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Steam green beans according to the package. Set aside and let cool for 5 minutes. In a large bowl add vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the green beans. (They will be a bit warm, allowing them to soak up the dressing. Add coleslaw. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill for an hour. (The longer it's in there, the more the flavor comes out.)

Candied Nuts

Sugary nuts with a holiday taste. Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 cups of nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 shakes of nutmeg
1 can of evaporated milk
1 egg

Directions:Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl empty one can of evaporated milk and a beaten egg. Stir to combine. In another bowl add everything but the nuts. Stir to combine. Place 1 cup of nuts into the egg and milk mixture. Stir to coat. Take a large spoon with holes and scoop out the nuts and allow he wet mixture to drain off. Place into the sugar mixture and coat. With the spoon with holes, take the nuts out of the sugar, shaking off the extra sugar and place onto a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Repeat with the other cup of nuts. Place the nus into the oven for 20 minutes. (The mixture will look watery but it's not.) Take out of the oven, stir, trying to turn the nuts, and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and stir, once again, trying to break up the nuts. Allow to cool. (DO NOT TRY TO EAT! Sugar loves heat and gets extremely hot.)

Cornmeal Crusted Flounder

This is a great recipe. I double dipped the fish so it got a great, thick crust; reminiscent of fried fish. The corn meal adds a crunch and is much healthier to the alternative of deep frying for a crispy crunch. Very simple, very fast and very yummy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of corn meal
2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup of eggbeaters (or 1 egg plus 2 tablespoons of milk whisked together)
2 flounder fillets (I found some in the freezer and thawed them out)
1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking

Directions:
Put a skillet on the stove, setting heat to medium-high. In a shallow bowl add cornmeal, Cajun spice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. In another shallow bowl add eggs, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Place one fillet at a time into the cornmeal, flipping to coat both sides, then into the egg, flipping to coat both sides and then back into the cornmeal, flipping to coat both sides. Add olive oil to the skillet and coat the surface. Add fish to the skillet. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes on each side; only flipping once to allow a brown crust to form. 

Spicy Greenbeans and Mushrooms

This is a really good recipe for fall or winter. It's spicy, warm, rustic and simple!

Ingredients:
1 package of button mushrooms
1 package of greenbeans (or 1/2 lb to a pound)
1 teaspoon of garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions: Put a skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic. Wipe mushrooms with a wet napkin to remove the dirt. Cut the mushrooms in quarters. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil. Add salt and pepper. Allow the mushrooms to cook and become moist (About 5 minutes, turning every minute). Add green beans, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat and add a lid on the skillet. Allow to cook 10-15 minutes or until greenbeans are cooked and tender. Serves 5.

Acorn Squash Gnnochi in Brown Butter and Basil Sauce

This is the perfect fall/winter side dish! The gnocchi is fluffy and light and the squash makes it sweet. (I forgot to add the potatoes in the picture.) This is a bit of a hassle to make, however it is totally worth it. I recommend this for any thanksgiving dinner or fancy meal you want to impress someone with.

Acorn Squash Gnocchi
Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes
1 egg
2 1/2 cup flour (plus extra for rolling the dough)
1 acorn squash

Directions:
Set an oven to 350 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half, placing on a baking sheet and spraying with non-stick spray. Roast the acorn squash for 45 minutes. While the squash is roasting, place a large pot of water on the stove and allow the water to boil. Salt the water and add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 45 minutes. (This works really well!) Allow the squash and potatoes to cool. Once cool, take a fork and scrape the insides of the squash out and place in a large mixing bowl. Do the same with the cooled potatoes. (The skins of the potatoes come off very easily due to the boiling process.) Add salt and pepper and mash the potato and squash mixture until smooth. Add one egg and the flour 1/2 cup at a time to incorporate everything nicely. Once it forms a dough consistency, flour a cooking surface. Take a hand full of dough and place on floured surface. Roll out the dough like you are 5 and it's play-doh and you are trying to make a snake. Make the dough about the same size as your thumb. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces. Place on a LARGE plate and continue with the rest of the dough. (If you put it in a bowl the dough will stick to itself and you're just going to have another bowl of dough and wasted all that time making 1 inch thumb snakes.) Halfway through this dough rolling process, fill a large pot full of water and allow the water to boil. Place the about 15-20 gnocchi in to the boiling water at a time. Allow all of the gnocchi to float to the top before taking out with a spoon with holes to drain the water out. Place in serving bowl. Continue with the rest of the gnocchi until finished.

Brown Butter and Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
30 basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Directions: In a large pot (you can use the same pot you used to boil the gnocchi in) set heat to simmering and place the stick of butter in the pot and allow to melt. Add sugar and stir to combine. Add basil. Add gnocchi, gently tossing the pasta. Place gnocchi back in the serving dish and enjoy!

Potatoes Au Gratin (Cheesy Potatoes)

As a child, we always had Potatoes Au Gratin out of a box. They were good, but dehydrated potatoes scared me; even as a child. So I thought, with the cold season upon us and the holidays creeping up like a celebrity stalker in a their trashcan, let's make some from scratch! So I tried a much healthier version, tasting just as good, without the guilt of eating a box of reconstituted cheese and potatoes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of milk
1 block of extra sharp cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of butter
4 potatoes
1/2 onion

Directions:
Set the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Take your potatoes (I used russet) and peel of the skins. Take a mandolin and slice into small circles. I did not have a mandolin because I live with boys that most likely think a mandolin is simply a musical instrument and nothing more. So I made my best attempt to slice the potatoes as thin as possible. Cut onion in half and slice up 1/2 of the onion. Place 2 potatoes worth of slices on your baking sheet. Add onions on the next layer. Add the rest of your potatoes. Grate cheese. (You can just buy a bag of cheddar cheese to save this step.) In a sauce pan, add butter, sour cream and milk. When combined, add cheese, salt and pepper. When the mixture is completely melted, pour over the potatoes and onions to coat. Pop the baking dish in the oven for 30 minutes if potatoes were sliced with a madolin or 50 minutes if sliced by hand. (Serves 5)

Pineapple and Ginger Pan Seared Scallops

This was amazing. The ginger adds a bite, the pineapple is sweet, scallops are salty and the searing adds a crunch! My boyfriend is out of town on a business trip this week and missed this glorious meal. This was so yummy that I called him up and offered to make it a second time this week, just for him! (It's that good! I don't love him that much.) Let's begin...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon Italian spices
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
12 scallops
1 tablespoon minced ginger (This tube of ginger comes pre-minced. Yay for prepared food!)
1 tablespoon pineapple diced into small pieces
1 teaspoon pineapple juice (from the can)
1 tablespoon Olive oil (for searing)

Directions:
Turn a skillet to medium/high heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a shallow plate. Dredge (coat in a flour mixture) the scallops covering all sides. Once the skillet is hot enough (about 5 minutes) carefully add the scallops. Allow the scallops to cook for around 4-5 minutes on each side. Only flip once! This allows a nice crust to form on the sides. For some reason if you flip more than once it doesn't get very crunchy. While the scallops are searing, prepare the pineapple, ginger, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. When scallops are done plate them. Add the pineapple and ginger mixture right before you eat the scallops so you don't ruin the crust. (Serves 2 people.)

Teriyaki Portabella Sandwich with Pineapple Aioli

A hidden marriage in the food world is most certainly pineapple, teriyaki sauce and cheddar. Don't ask me why but it just works. If you're more of a carnivore, you can replace the portabella with ground beef and make it a burger. Contrasting flavors of salty and sweet and great!

Ingredients:
1 bun (I like flat bread buns)
1 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce
1 slice of cheddar cheese

Directions-
Marinate the portabella (or hamburger) in the teriyaki sauce. Turn a skillet on medium/high heat. Once hot, place the portabella (or hamburger) on the skillet. After 4 minutes of searing, flip! Allow another 4 minutes. The teriyaki sauce will caramelize and stick to the burger.

Pineapple Aioli
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon pineapple chunks
1 teaspoon pineapple juice

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Slather on a toasted bun. Add cheddar cheese and teriyaki portabella (or hamburger)

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

If you've ever been to Paws in Towson University, they make an amazing grilled cheese. It's made with 2 slices of thick bread and 4 different kids of cheeses. It's amazing. I've said that already. Anyways, this isn't a recipe, because any 4 year old with lazy, neglectful parents that allow them near a stove has the ability to make a grilled cheese. So this is simply a motivational piece that I hope will inspire you to make a grilled cheese that is ooey gooey and doesn't deal with strictly the boring American Cheese.



Ingredients-
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of butter
2 slices of bread
whatever cheese you like! (In this case I used pepper Jack, Cheddar, American and Swiss.)
(the tomato was just something I wanted to add. Other ideas include bacon, ham, turkey, pesto. The possibilities are endless)

Directions- (for the literate 4 year olds with computer access and stove privileges)
Combine Mayo and butter. The mayo helps the butter create a nice crust when griddled. It also adds a little zip and takes away from the whole "cheese between buttered toast sandwich" that people call grilled cheese. Slather 1 side of each piece of bread with the mayo butter mixture as you see fit. Put a griddle/pan on the stove for medium/high heat. Assemble sandwich. Allow about 3-5 minutes for each side to brown and the cheese to melt.



No-fry Corny Hushpuppies

Everyone loves hushpuppies! Anything deep fried is magical. So i decided to make a much healthier, yet still tasty version. It worked out well, but these must be served hot!



Ingredients:

2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (Also used here)

1/3 cup of milk (I just have a preference of soy milk)

1 egg

1 can of corn, drained and dried

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 cup of corn meal

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

vegetable spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine corn muffin mixes, milk, egg, baking powder and chilli powder. Once combined add in drained and dried corn. In a shallow bowl add in corn meal. Roll small balls of corn muffin dough into balls (this gets pretty messy) and place in corn meal. Roll the dough in the corn meal to coat. (Since we are not deep frying, we're getting a crunch from the corn meal.) On a baking sheet spray with non-stick spray. Add the corn meal coated dough to the sheet. (The baking powder allows them to be a little airy, but they don't really grow too much in size so they can be placed a little close on the sheet.) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!



Curried Apple and Squash Soup

If you like Indian food you'll LOVE this. If you've never had Indian food, do not fear. I hadn't had Indian food until 2 years ago. The food is aesthetically different from American food, the smell is strong and their restaurants always are intimidating because it's a new place with new food you have yet to try. But one day while in Georgetown, I was just too hungry to find any place else. And that was the day I fell in love with Indian food. You get a main dish, like a curry, which is cooked in a clay pot usually. You use a pita like bread called naan to help eat it and you usually put the main dish over rice. It's spicy, not hot spicy, but make your taste buds dance spicy.

Now come fall, I love all things soup related. I made this and became saddened I didn't have a whole vat full to keep me full forever. Either way, I highly recommend trying this. It has the fall flavors of apple and squash with the smells and tastes of India.

Curried Apple and Squash Soup
Ingredients:
1 Campbell's select butternut squash soup (It comes seasoned)
2 mini jars of apple sauce (The ones you got in your lunch box as a kid, if not use 1/2 cup applesauce)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon 5 spice
1 teaspoon cumin

Directions:
In a pot, add squash soup and apple sauce. Turn heat to medium. Add in spices. Stir to combine. After 5 minutes or so it should be hot enough to eat. Serve with naan. No naan? Try a pita. This serves one as a meal. (It is a very large serving.)

Vegan Chili and Sweet Cornbread

All of my meat eating friensd love this recipe. Don't be scared that it's called "vegan." That just means that dairy hadn't been added yet. So if you love sour cream and cheese, go ahead and add some! No, meat substitute does not taste exactly like meat. However, this recipe is so good you wont even care. I've had many men eat this and inform me that someone out meat in here. Hate to tell you boys, but it's healthy!

Vegan Chili-
Ingredients:
1 cup Textured vegetable protein (Found in the health food aisle or in the cooking aisle.) (Can use meat to substitute.)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon steak seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons ceyenne pepper
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cinimon
1 tablespoon pepprika
2 cans of kidney beans rinsed and drained
2 cans of hunts tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers
1 can of corn. (I did not use corn this time, my boyfriend is weird with corn.)

Directions: In a large pot set to medium high heat. Add the olive oil, textured vegetable protein (or a pound of meat) and the steak seasoning. Stir to coat and let cook for 4 minutes. This allows the vegetable protein to toast and create a deeper flavor more like meat. Add 3/4 cup of water once done toasting and stir to add moisture to the protein. Add kidney beans, tomatoes and corn. (The beans must be rinsed and drained or else the chili will be salty and too bean flavored.) Add seasonings and stir. Bring to a boil and set stove to simmer and place a cover on the pot. Allow to cook for 30 minutes to an hour. The longer it cooks the more flavorful it is.

Sweet Corn Bread-
Ingredients:
1 box of jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of honey1/3 cup milk

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pan and set aside. In a bowl mix all ingredients together. Don't mix too well, just well enough where there isn't any dry flour mix to be seen. It should be lumpy to get a great texture. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and enjoy!

Mediterranean Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

2 filet's of Mahi Mahi

1/4 cup of diced sun dried red peppers (packed in olive oil)

1/4 cup of diced black olives

1/4 cup dice tomato

1/4 cup feta

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

For Mediterranean topping- Mix red peppers, plus 1 tablespoon of packed olive oil, olives, tomato and feta in a bowl. Place in refrigerator to let flavors come together.

For mahi mahi- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the fish on a baking sheet coated with a spray of non stick spray. Salt and pepper each side of fish as desired. Put fish in the oven for 7 minutes on each side.

When done, take out and place the mahi mahi over rice (I used easy rice) and add 2 tablespoons of meditteranean topping. Enjoy!

Apple Infused Pulled Pork

I may be a vegetarian; so I didn't get to try this. However, all of the meat eaters I made this for ate this up!

Ingredients: (serves 14 sandwiches)
4 lbs of pork shoulder; cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1/2 cup of apple juice
1 red onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato puree (they come in smaller cans)
2 tablespoons spicy mustard
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Chop onion into fine pieces. In a crock pot or slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except the pulled pork. Stir to combine. Add pork and coat with sauce. Turn slow cooker on low heat for 10 hours. Walk away! After 10 hours, take out meat, put in a giant bowl and pull it apart with 2 forks. Turn the leftover sauce in the crockpot or slow cooker on high for 20 minutes and let reduce and thicken. Once the time is up, pour the sauce over the meat and serve.

Buffalo Shrimp over Brown Rice and Veggies

Buffalo Shrimp (serves 2)
Ingredients for shrimp:
20 precooked shrimp, thawed (I used the small shrimp.)
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Ingredients for sauce:
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place egg beaters in a bowl or saucer. (If you don't have egg beaters you can just use 1 beaten egg) In an additional bowl or saucer add bread crumbs. Coat the shrimp in the egg and then place in bread crumbs. Once eggs are coated in egg and crumbs, place on a pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Bake on each side for 7 minutes, or until brown.
While shrimp are cooking, prepare buffalo sauce. Buffalo sauce is actually made with butter and hot sauce. I made a healthier option. Mix all of the ingredients in a big bowl. Once shrimp are finished cooking, place in buffalo sauce and stir to coat. (Be careful to not make the crust come off.)

Veggie Rice
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of brown rice
2/3 cup of water plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon of margarine
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped yellow pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a pot, bring 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water to a boil. Add brown rice and stir. Put heat to simmering and cover the pot for 10 minutes. In a small skillet, spray with cooking oil and place in veggies. Allow to cook for 10 minutes, stirring to cook everything through. After the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, stir with a fork, add cooked veggies, garlic, and butter.

Vegetarian Chipotle Salad

Presentation is not one of my strong suits. However, this tastes delicious!

Salad Dressing:
1 and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 tablespoon orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients. (I like to shake them in a sealed container.) This usually dresses 3 personal salads.

Salad Ingredients:
2 cups lettuce
1/2 cup of corn
1/2 cup black beans
2 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt (tastes just like sour cream but without the fat)
3 tablespoons guacamole (I buy it in the premade pouches)
1/4 cup salsa

Pineapple Salsa

It only looks ugly because no one would stop eating it!

This was yummy! I promise it's a lot prettier than it is in this picture.

Ingredients:

1 can of pineapple tidbits with juice (The larger one rather than the personal one)

4 tomatoes

1/2 of a red onion red onion

2 jalapenos

1/2 cup of cilantro

1 tables spoon of oil

hot sauce to taste (if you don't like spicy salsa you don't need to add any)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop up tomatoes and 1/2 of a red onion into about equal sizes. Place a medium sized pot on the stove and heat to low-medium heat. Drain pineapple tidbits but keep 1/4 cup of juice. Add oil, salt, pepper, jalapenos, and onions. Once onions turn clear add tomatoes and pineapple tidbits and juice. Place lid on top of the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. Add cilantro. Place in a food processor and pulse to reach desired consistency for salsa. (Chunky salsa, will only take about 3 pulses. More soupy salsas will take about 10.) Place in a container or bowl and allow to cool before serving.

Asian Salmon and Mustard Glazed Spinach and Mushrooms

This is a great meal if you are craving something salty but don't want to be too unhealthy. The salmon is so simple and the mustard in the vegetables adds a nice tangy balance to the salty flavor of the fish. I added some wild rice under the veggies just to fill me up.

Asian Salmon
Ingredients:
2 raw fillets of salmon (Slightly bigger than a deck of cards)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of ginger
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce (Asian BBQ sauce that can be found in your grocery store)
no salt or pepper needed since the soy sauce is already so salty.

Directions:
In a large enough plastic bag, place all ingredients in except the fish. Close the bag and make sure that everything is mixed well. Open bag and put the salmon fillets inside. Close the bag and let sit for 20 minutes to marinate.
In a large skillet or pan, turn heat on medium-high. Spray the skillet with vegetable oil and place the fish on the skillet or pan for 5 minutes on each side.

Mustard Glazed Spinach and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
4 cups of spinach (it reduces down in size with heat)
1/2 cup of mushrooms (any kind will do)
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 and 1/2 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put a large skillet on medium-high heat. Spray with vegetable spray. Add mushrooms, cooking for 3 minutes, stirring to make sure they get softened. Once softened, add 4 cups of spinach, stirring until wilted down completely. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Place over wild rice. (I used Uncle Ben's precooked ready rice.)