Salmon with Balsamic Avocado Salsa

There was a sale this week on avocados, so Frank and I picked up a bunch. We made some guacamole, but had a few avocados left over and needed to use them. I've seen several recipes making "salsa" using avocado for the top of chicken or fish so we decided to create our own recipe.

Salsa (serves 2):

2 avocados

1/2 cucumber

mozzarella cheese

grape tomatoes 

1/3 red onion

fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

pinch salt 

pinch pepper

1// cut open avocados and remove pit. Dice avocado into small cubes.   2// cube 1/2 cucumber, 1/3 red onion, and 1/2 small block of mozzarella cheese.   3// halve a handful of grape tomatoes.   4// put all ingredients into a small bowl and stir gently with a spoon.   5// add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.    8// top the mixture with a handful of sliced fresh basil leaves for extra flavor.   7// stir and serve on top of chicken or fish. 

We served our "salsa" over quinoa and salmon, but you can serve on top of grilled chicken, tilapia, or any other mild fish like mahi mahi. You can also replace the quinoa with any other grain, but we like quinoa for the extra protein it provides. 

We enjoyed our delicious light meal outside on our porch with our new pillows and twinkle lights on our railing.

We are getting so much use out of our porch sitting area! I am so happy we took the time to work on it to make it a cozy spot to hang out. We've been eating dinner out here most nights it's nice out.

I just love having the pillows on the chairs--it makes it so much more comfortable to sit. The Christmas lights we strung across the railing adds an extra cozy-factor at night.

I will definitely re-create this recipe again! It was surprisingly filling though with quinoa and avocado, but it was refreshing with the simple seasonings of the balsamic vinegar, basil and salt/pepper. Give it a try!

Question of the Day: Have you ever made up your own recipe using things you had on hand at the time? I'd love to hear your recipe ideas!

Breakfast for Dinner

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Frank and I spent the weekend visiting family and friends and enjoying time together. On Friday we had a date night using mostly things we already had at home. We made crepes for dinner and had cheese, chocolate and wine while we watched a movie.

I used a very basic recipe that I found on Pinterest to make the crepes. To make them you'll need:

3 eggs 

1 cup flour

2/3 cup cold milk

2/3 cup cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons melted butter

{click on the picture below to see the full recipe and directions}

1. Mix all the ingredients with a whisk until mostly smooth.

2. Fill a greased pan with about 1/2 cup of the mix and tilt your pan until the mixture coats the pan in a thin layer. Watch the crepe for a few minutes until it starts to bubble from underneath. Using a wide spatula, flip the crepe and wait until it is lightly browned and bubbling underneath on the opposite side.

**The amount of time the crepes take to cook decreases as you go along, so be careful towards the end.

3. Put finished crepes between foil to make sure they stay warm until all of the mixture is used.

Then, we put out different toppings we already had in our fridge and pantry out on the table and tried different combinations. We used nutella, peanut butter, fresh fruit and a smidge of syrup for ours.

You can use:

powdered sugar

jelly

coconut

nutella

peanut butter

syrup

fresh fruit

hazelnuts or sliced almonds

chocolate

whipped cream

or anything else you have on hand

Then, we opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed pepper-jack cheese, crackers and Ghirardelli chocolate in two different flavors: mint and dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds. So good!!

Having breakfast for dinner can be a delicious treat once in a while and paired with some wine, cheese and chocolate made it the perfect Friday night date for Frank and I!

Question of the Day: Have you ever had breakfast for dinner? What breakfast food do you eat? 

Have a Happy Memorial Day!

Mediterranean Pizza Night

We love pizza. Like...LOVE pizza. But pizza isn't always the healthiest choice when it's covered in grease (even though it tastes the best that way). Frank and I decided to try something new so we made this pizza with some Mediterranean toppings to add both flavor and nutrients.

Mediterranean Pizza

Whole Wheat Dough

Grilled Chicken (in bite-sized pieces)

1 can sliced black olives

1 jar roasted red peppers

arugula

1 jar pesto sauce

crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. I grilled some chicken on our George Forman grill and cut the chicken in bite-size pieces, but you can also buy a bag of pre-cooked sliced chicken if you don't have the time to cook it fresh. Then, roll your dough on a pizza stone and layer the toppings: pesto,arugula, chicken, peppers and olives, and plenty of feta cheese on top. Cook for about 15-20 minutes (check often) or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden. 

Frank doesn't like olives...as you can see above. 

What kind of pizza do you like? Have you ever tried making your own pizza at home?

Falafel Pita

Tonight I tried a new food. Falafel. Ever tried it? I've heard all about it and I've seen it in many recipes on Pinterest, but never got around to trying it myself. 

I've seen recipes to make falafel from scratch on Pinterest like these:

Source: flourishingfoodie.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Brittany on Pinterest

But, when I was recently at the grocery store I noticed a falafel mix and figured I'd give it a try!

All you do is mix 3/4 cup water with the mix. It's an all organic mix with no crazy ingredients. 

Then, you have to let it sit for 10 minutes to harden a bit.

Then, you heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan for 3-5 minutes and form the falafel into patties. Fry the patties for about 4 minutes each side until they are browned and hardened. 

I couldn't help but notice the view of the pretty wall art above the coffee station from the oven. 

When the falafel is cooked, drain remaining oil and serve over a green salad or in a pita. 

It's a healthy and easy meal! Perfect for a single serving when the hubby is out and leftovers for lunches! I would definitely buy the Nature's Earthly Choice falafel again. Then, maybe one day I'll be adventurous and make my own from scratch!

Do you like falafel? Have a good falafel recipe?

Pesto Pasta with Spinach & Mushrooms

Last night Frank had a late night at work and to be honest, I completely forgot to plan dinner! I don't know what I was expecting to make, but it's a good thing he was a bit late so I had time to rack my brain for something to eat.

The easiest thing to eat sometimes is pasta. You just have to throw it in a boiling pot of water and wait. Drain. Rinse. Dump on some sauce from a jar. And tada! Dinner. But, the problem is, pasta and sauce can be both super lacking in nutrients and super full of acidity. Plus, I needed to find a way to use some of my produce before we head up to my parent's house for the weekend.

So, I decided to take a risk I've never taken before...wait for it...

I made my own recipe!

I have to be fair though, it's not that genius. It involves only 4 ingredients: whole wheat pasta, pesto, spinach, and mushrooms. Done.

It's really simple. Boil the water.
While you're waiting for the pot to boil, half about 1-1/2 cups button mushrooms (some I cut into thirds if they were bigger).
Once the water is boiling and you've thrown in your pasta, use about 3-4 tbsp olive oil (you can add garlic if you like it really garlicy) and saute the mushrooms.

Then, once you can tell they are starting to soften and become more golden, throw in 2 cups spinach (add more olive oil to saute if needed).
Hint: I started with just 2 big handfuls and realized once the spinach wilts it looks like nothing. Add more than you think you need.

Once the spinach has wilted remove from heat or keep on the lowest heat setting (depending on how close your pasta is to being done).

Drain and rinse your pasta.

Then, while the pasta is still steaming, stir in as much pesto as you'd like. You can buy pesto in jars in the pasta aisle. Or, if you're great at cooking (which I'm not) you can attempt a recipe for pesto from scratch. I'm sure it would taste even better!

Then, stir in the spinach and mushrooms, top with cheese if you want, and voila! Dinner is served!

There you have it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday evening! I am about to pack for a weekend at my parents' house so we can leave shortly. Frank is going snowboarding with a friend and I'm staying at my parents' house to spend time with them and my sister while she's home from school. Should be a nice, relaxing weekend for us.

What do you have planned for the weekend? 

Happy Friday!

Turkey, Bacon, Avocado Sandwich

I hate taking down Christmas decorations. It's sad putting away the twinkly lights, shiny Christmas balls, and greenery. It made our apartment look so much less cozy and empty where the tree used to be. I guess it's an opportunity to work on new decorations...or just wait impatiently until spring comes so I can fill the apartment with fresh flowers and spring greenery instead. 

Anyway, after we finished putting things away and talking about our resolutions, one of which is being more healthy, we decided to make something extra yummy for lunch.

I had some leftovers in the fridge I needed to use so I put together a Turkey, Bacon, Avocado Sandwich. I had a similar sandwich at Panera bread a while back and decided since we had the perfect leftovers, it would be a great way to start off 2013 with something healthy and yummy!

We used leftover turkey, cooked some bacon, and sliced some onion and avocados. Super simple and super delicious!

Recipe:

Handful baby spinach                      1/2 avocado

3 slices cooked bacon                     cooked and sliced turkey breast

red onion                                         2 slices whole grain bread

Layer sandwich:

Bread, turkey, baby spinach, onions, bacon, avocado, bread.

Happy 2013!

Turkey & Brussels Sprouts

So lately Frank has been home for dinner! What a concept... It's actually exciting for two reasons.
1. I love seeing my husband more
2. I have someone to try out my cooking experiments!

I don't know about you, but Pinterest has recently become my main source for delicious recipes to try. Sometimes they work out...sometimes they don't. Sometimes I can salvage the mistakes, and sometimes I have to just let go and make pasta instead.

Tonight...I made:

Garlic Parmesan Turkey Meatballs & Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Barley

Here are the Pinterest links:

Source: cookieandkate.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: thegraciouspantry.com via Brittany on Pinterest

To start, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then, I mixed:

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

10 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 tsp sea salt

into a medium sized mixing bowl. 

Then, I formed them into golf-ball sized meatballs and arranged them on a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and put them into the oven for about 30 minutes (the recipe says 30-40 minutes). 

While they were cooking, I began to work on the brussels sprouts. First, I cut off the ends and pulled off any browned leaves and coated the brussels sprouts with:

1 tbsp olive oil

sprinkled with sea salt

Then, I heated a large pan and placed the brussels sprouts flat end down for about 2 minutes, until browned.

This is where I messed up a bit. The recipe calls for a iron cast skillet, which I don't have...so I used a regular frying pan. Well...things got a little smokey and my sprouts may have been a little more  brown than I wanted. I immediately took them off the heat and threw them back into my mixing bowl. I decided since I've roasted veggies before in the oven and the meatballs were already in there, I would just throw them into a small cookie sheet with some extra sea salt and put them in the oven until the meatballs were done.

While both my meatballs and sprouts were in the oven, I prepared the barley. I had cooked the barley the night before which I highly recommend only because I'm horrible at multitasking while I cook. All I did was throw some dried cranberries in a bowl with the pre-cooked barley and heat it in the microwave for about a minute.

When the timer went off, I pulled out my meatballs, checked them with a knife and served! 

I poured the brussels sprouts into a serving bowl with the heated barley & cranberries and drizzled the mixture with 1/2 tbsp syrup and 1/2 tbsp balsamic  vinegar. Delish!!

Yummy!! 

What recipes have you tried lately?