Veggie Flatbread with Pine nut Hummus

This is the appetizer I created for the super bowl party we attended. I wanted to make something healthy, but also tasty enough to hold it's own amongst the wings and party dips. I think this finger-friendly and figure-friendly appetizer did just that.

I made a concoction of olive oil, rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I briefly heated this in a small bowl in the microwave (I know that sounds strange, but a friend of ours from SD and her family never use butter when they eat bread. They always heat olive oil, garlic and salt in the microwave and then spread that on the bread. Sounded good to me). So, I brushed both sides of the pita with the garlic oil and baked it at 400 degrees directly on the racks for about 5 or 6 minutes. 

Out of the oven, I spread a thin layer of pine nut hummus on one side and topped it with caramelized red onions. I started the onions first, so they would be ready when the pita came out of the oven.

Next, I layered on all the yummy ingredients that sounded good to me. Marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, feta and parmesan cheese. Then I drizzled it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled a pinch of flaked sea salt on top. 

This went back into the oven for a few more minutes until the cheeses started to melt and all the veggies and herbs warmed up and were nice and fragrant.

My 10 month old was just finishing a nap, so I sent the appetizer with my husband while I got her up and ready. I made three veggie flatbreads and when I got to the party, they were gone. Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. Play around with the toppings and add anything you want. On one of the flatbreads I left off the cheese, but with all the flavors it wasn't needed.

Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

Veggie Flatbread with Hummus

Source

I like this brand of hummus. Last time I tried the roasted pine nut and it was delicious.

Take wheat flatbread, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Bake for a couple of minutes to bring out the fragrance of the rosemary. Top with chunks of goat cheese, roasted peppers, caramelized onions, tomatoes, klamata olives and artichoke hearts. Put back in the oven and bake for a few more minutes to heat up the veggies. Cut into slices, serve with hummus.

Fruit Skewers

Tomato Basil Skewers with Balsamic Glaze
It's nice to serve appetizers that don't require a plate. These are great because you get all yummy flavors of a caprese salad, but you can skip the toasted bread (as in bruschetta). You can drizzle the skewers with some good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper. You can also cook down the balsamic vinegar in a pan over medium heat and make a glaze to drizzle on top too.

Vegetarian Chili
Load up on tasty veggies and you won't even miss the meat! You could use lean ground beef or lean meat to cut back on some of the fat.

Photo Source

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips 
Tasty and fun. This is always a hit!
Recipe, Click Here

Yogurt/Ice Cream Bar
A versatile dessert that everyone can enjoy!

Get a couple containers of ice cream and frozen yogurt (or even sorbets and sherbets.). Along with the usual sugary toppings like sprinkles, oreo cookies and chocolate sauce, serve some healthy options too. Granola, sliced almonds, fresh blueberries, dark chocolate chips, sliced strawberries and bananas, nuts and dried fruit are all good substitutions. 

Food Rules

Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle

I've been following this rule from Michael Pollan's Food Rules book and I absolutely love the stuff I've been buying. My refrigerator is loaded with fresh produce, organic meats and other healthy items.

In addition to healthy and fresh items, I've made a conscious effort to pick out one new vegetable or fruit that I haven't cooked with or tasted before. Today I choose Belgian Endive. Belgian endive is a slightly bitter leaf that can be served cold in a salad or cooked by braising or baking. They're in season right now, so it's the prefect time to try them out in a new dish.

Also at the grocery store, I took advantage of the raw bulk bins and picked up some dried green lentils, couscous, quinoa and a brown and wild rice mix. I made a tasty couscous salad last night for dinner. The recipe and post is below.

My kitchen counters are decorated with bowls of fresh fruit and vegetables. I love it.

I also bought some dried blueberries. I thought these would be tasty in my oatmeal in the morning.

On your next trip to the grocery store, try sticking to the 'peripheries' and see what tasty and healthy items you come home with. It makes a big difference.

Couscous Salad

I haven't cooked with couscous before, so I thought I would give it a try tonight. This couscous salad was delicious! Garlic, scallions, and red peppers are lightly sauteed then mixed with cooked couscous, tomatoes and fresh basil. The salad gets a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and then a quick bake in the oven. Once it's removed, you top it with fresh parmesan cheese and then dig in. All my family loved this and we polished off the entire dish.

Couscous Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 dash balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir couscous into boiling water and return water to a boil. Cover and remove pot from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. While the couscous is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, green onions and peppers; saute briefly. Stir in tomatoes, basil, cooked couscous, salt and pepper. Mix together and transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Splash some balsamic vinegar on top.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese while still warm.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com

Weeknight Dinner

My husband and I have been cooking dinner together at home every night for the last couple of weeks and it has been great! We try and use all the fresh fruits and vegetables we have on hand to create healthy and tasty meals that we can enjoy with our little girls. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's what we cooked up tonight:

Sweet Potato Fries

Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry

Baked Chicken over Root Vegetables

Here's how we did it...

We sliced up one white onion, one orange bell pepper, one jalapeno and added in some fresh cloves of garlic. We tossed all the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, and thyme. Then the vegetables were laid in a rimmed baking sheet.

We topped the vegetables with uncooked, seasoned chicken breast and baked it in the oven at 415 degrees for about 40 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through and stirring around the vegetables. Make sure the vegetables are tucked under the chicken so the edges don't burn.

We also made sweet potato fries (well, actually yams, but yam fries sounds funny). Anyway, we peeled the yams...

cut them into fry-size pieces and...

tossed them with olive oil, garlic powder, a pinch of salt, cinnamon and a small sprinkling of brown sugar. I also like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat if the kids aren't eating them. All the seasonings work really well together and you get a nice balance of sweet and savory. We bake the fries in the oven along with the chicken.

We also had some eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms on hand, so we chopped them up, seasoned them and gave them a quick toss in the wok.

** Here are all the dishes out of the oven **

Veggie Stir-Fry

Baked Chicken with Root Vegetables

And Yam Sweet Potato Fries.

Everything was fresh, healthy and delicious. We usually have the above ingredients on hand, so we do different variations each evening. I love using up all of our fresh fruits and vegetables and it's a tasty and easy way to eat healthy!

Cooking Class

For Christmas, I received a gift card for two cooking classes with Marguerite Henderson (a fabulous local chef). I've taken her classes before and I always have a delectable time. The Oh Baby, It's Cold Outside!, comfort foods galore class I just attended, didn't disappoint.

Cream Cheese and Fig Jam to start

Bean and Onion appetizer. Very good.

The pretty china we used

Dish # 1

Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pie with Parmesan Herb Crust

The first dish we started preparing was the pot-pie. I shouldn't say we, since Marguerite does all the cooking. We just sat back and sipped wine and chatted and watched her work her magic. 

Fresh vegetables are lightly seasoned and sautéed until soft.

The chicken was poached, then cut into 1-inch cubes

The vegetables and chicken are mixed with a heavy cream sauce and poured into a pretty pie dish.

Here's a close-up of the creamy chicken and veggie mixture.

Marguerite rolls the Parmesan and herb dough over the top of the filling.

The dough gets brushed with butter and heavy cream and then it's ready for the oven.

40 minutes later... we had piping hot, golden brown, pot pie. Yum

Dish # 2

Gratin of Crab Claw, Artichoke and Mushrooms

Really, really rich and really, really good

The chessy crab dip is topped with bread crumbs and then baked until bubbly.

Served with slices of baguette and fresh vegetables, The vegetables were a nice balance to the dip.

Dish # 3

Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Brie Tart

Yes, it was awesome

Pancetta is sauted with onions and herbs

Roughly chopped brie gets a quick toss with the pancetta and onion mixture.

The cheese mixture is spooned onto a puff pastry and baked.

Here it is out of the oven. This was sooo good. Salty, bready, cheesy heaven. 

We ended the meal with warm gingerbread cake topped with orange ginger cream. Delicious!

This comfort food meal definitely hit the spot. Marguerite's kitchen is cozy and inviting. Her classes are really fun and she is lively and entertaining. My cooking club is doing a group class with her in February and then I'm taking another class, five pastas/five sauces, from her in March.

If you're interested in taking a class or signing up for her free weekly recipes, click here!

Coming Up...

Cooking Class with Marguerite Henderson. 

Menu:  Warm Artichoke, Crab Claw and Fontina Bake, Caramelized Onion-Applewood Bacon Tart, Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie with Herb Crust, and Warm Gingerbread with Orange Ginger Cream.

* This was a Christmas gift.   Visit her site

A trek to Old Town Park City to check out the High West Distillery and Saloon. "...An intimate gathering place serving small plates of nouveau Western fare, a full selection of fine wine and spirits, and our own small-batch, mountain-crafted, award-winning whiskeys and vodkas."

* * * Restaurant Review for The Pagoda. * * *

Doughnut making with friends - Vodka Ginger Pear Doughnuts.

Recipes for Healthy Superbowl Snacks and Appetizers

Sugar Cookie Pie

These are very tasty little cookie pies, indeed!

In small oven proof dishes, fresh fruit is topped with sugar cookie dough and then baked into a delicious fruit cookie pie. These are very quick and easy to make.

I tried strawberries, blueberries and mixed berries. I also used frozen fruit, but the frozen fruit turned out runnier than the fresh. It was still good though.

The fruit gets a sprinkling of brown sugar to balance out their tart flavors.

Then yummy sugar cookie dough is placed on top.

I tried some with sanding sugar for decoration and crunch. If you're using a tart berry, like raspberries, it's a nice touch. If you have a sweeter fruit like blueberries or pears, it might be a tad too sweet.

Here they are out of the oven.

Sugar Cookie Pie

Sugar Cookie Dough

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar cream

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda

Filling

Fresh raspberries or strawberries (or fruit of your choice)

Brown Sugar

For the dough: Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Form dough into balls and flatten into disks to fit on top of the fruit. (The disk size depends on what size baking dish(es) you're going to use. I made mine in individual baking dishes. You can also make this in a 9x9 pan).

Pat raspberries into the bottom of your baking dish. You'll want to smash them slightly. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with dough. Bake for 10 minutes at 450.

* If you want to use strawberries or bulky fruit, cut them into slices and then layer them.

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I dug into a cookie pie fresh out of the oven, and it was so good. All the fruit variations turned out tasty. I think strawberry was my favorite.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

This is a heavenly and easy chocolate dessert. A pie shell is filled with a rich chocolate cream mixture and then baked until almost set. After it's cooled and chilled, it's topped with a layer of fresh whipped cream and a few shavings of chocolate. Divine!

Here's a piece right out of then oven, before it has been cooled and chilled.

Once the pie is chilled the creamy chocolate filling becomes like a thick chocolate truffle. I like to top the pie with slightly sweetened, fresh whipped cream and chocolate curls. The whipped cream layer breaks up the richness of all that chocolate.

Chocolate Fudge Pie
1 3/4 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup butter

Whipped cream
2/3-1 cup heavy cream (depending on how much whipped cream you like on your pie)
2 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a saucepan (off of heat), whisk together sugar, cocoa, flour and the pinch of salt. Stir in evaporated milk and vanilla. Beat egg yolks, and stir into pan. Add the butter. Heat, stirring constantly just until butter is melted. Pour filling through a strainer into unbaked pie shell. (see my crust recipe below).

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until pie is not "wobbly" when shaken. Cool pie on rack. Chill in refrigerator until set, 2 hours.*

For the whipped cream, beat heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract with a mixer on high speed until desired thickness. Do not overbeat or it will turn into butter! Spread onto cooled pie. Top with grated chocolate if desired.

* You don't actually have to chill the pie. Let it cool, then dig in. You do get a nice texture once it's chilled though.

Up Next

Crispy Orange Chicken with Fried Rice...

I spotted this photo and recipe on another fabulous foodie blog called Evil Chenanigans. It looked so good, I thought I would post it here now and make it in the next few days. Yum.

Refrigerator Soup

For this soup, I rummaged around my refrigerator and was determined to use up all of our leftover food and items that would soon be expiring. We had an un-opened package of turkey that was good for a few more days...so I centered my dish around that. We also had celery, frozen broccoli and corn. And in the pantry, we had cans of white beans, tomatoes, chicken stock and a box of wild rice. So, I decided to make a wild rice and turkey soup...

Here are all the spices I threw in it.

This actually turned out amazing! It was like minestrone soup on steroids. Super flavorful and really hearty. Loved the combination of veggies, rice, turkey and spices. My husband and I chowed down on this and even our 10 month old and 4 year old ate their fair share.

Below is a guideline of what I did. Take a peek in the back of your refrigerator and pantry and use what you have.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (/stew)

1 pkg. ground turkey

1/2 tsp cumin

pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of salt

***

1 box Near East, Long Grain and Wild Rice (use seasoning packet too)*

1 (14.5) can chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14 oz) can white beans

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 small onion, chopped small

1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli

3 celery ribs, diced

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp dried Italian herb blend

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried chives

1/2 tsp ground beef bouillon

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a pan, brown turkey with cumin, red pepper and salt. Cook until turkey is no longer pink.

In a soup pot add the rest of the ingredients* and stir to combine. Add in turkey mixture and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Taste and season as necessary.

* I cooked my rice in a rice cooker until al dente and then added it. If you want to just add the rice and seasoning packet with the rest of the ingredients and save a dirty pot, add 2 cups of water to the soup.

Fudgy Brownies

I have a catering job coming up on Tuesday and I will be making two half sheets of brownies. I don't usually make brownies, so I'm trying out some new recipes now. The first one I'm trying is Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies from allrecipes.com. One reviewer made these, plus Barefoot Contessa's "Outrageous Brownies" and another recipe called "Supernatural Brownies" which was featured in the New York Times. She said these were the best out of the bunch, very thick and fudgy. So, I figured these were a good start...

The recipe is very simple and straight-forward. I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so I didn't have to make a trip to the store. High-five! Love when that happens.

...out of the oven....

These are very fudgy and chewy and delicious! Nice rich, chocolatey flavor. Great brownie over-all, so I think I'll use this recipe for my catering job. I may just frost them to put them over the top...we'll see.

Turkey Meatloaf

We had ground turkey in the refrigerator that we needed to cook, so my husband suggested I look through the recipes in the back of a South Beach Diet book he borrowed from a friend and see if I could find anything interesting. There weren't too many turkey recipes, but there was one for turkey meatloaf. We had everything on hand, so I decided to try it.

It called for oatmeal as a binder, so I was curious how it would turn out. The sauce however looked good. Tomato paste, red wine, garlic and spices are simmered until thick and then mixed in with the ground turkey, oatmeal and egg whites.

This was actually really good! The meatloaf was moist and flavorful and the red wine sauce was very tasty. Plus, it's super healthy and easy to make. My husband and I really liked this, so I will definitely be making it again. The recipe can be found in the book below.

Cooking Club: January 2010

Theme: Figure Friendly Dishes

A very fitting theme for January after a very gluttonous December.

This one was fairly tough though. We had to strike a balance between healthy and nutritious food that was also flavorful and delicious. But, we did just that and all of the dishes we're really, really good. As one lady put it, "spices seemed to make-up for the fat" in each dish.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Host: Susan - Hominy Stew with Chicken and Chiles / Cranberry Spritzer Cocktail

Summer: Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Sarah: Banana Chiffon Cake

Linda: Gazpacho and Wine

Jodi- Chipotle Shrimp Cups

Shauna- Peanut Chicken Soba Salad

Lori- Spicy Thai Chicken Wraps

Chris: Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Dana: Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Skewers

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chipotle Shrimp Cups

Loved these! You couldn't have just one. The chipotle, shrimp combo was really tasty. Jodi also made an avocado cream to go on top. Really good and a great appetizer for any party.

Hominy Stew

This was more of a soup than a stew. Really good flavors and very tasty with the lime squeezed on top. Everyone enjoyed this.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

These yummy burgers were served on thin wheat buns with fresh avocado and tomato. Very good. They did fall apart just a bit, so make sure all of your ingredients all throughly drained and add some more bread crumbs to bind them.

Spicy Thai Chicken Wraps

These were my favorite! All of the flavors and spices worked so well together. The two dipping sauces that accompanied the wraps were so hot, but so addicting. This is my Aunt Lori's fabulous recipe, so if you would like a copy, please leave a note in the comments section.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

This dish is loaded with fiber and protein and makes a great side dish. I added red bell pepper for color and texture. Very tasty.

Cranberry Spritzer

This skinny cocktail was very sip-able if you like your drinks slightly sweet. The lime juice and champagne are a nice balance for the cranberry juice.

Banana Chiffon Cake

It's hard to make a healthy dessert, especially a cake. This one was pretty close. I liked the banana flavor, but we all agreed that it lacked a little something, like a vanilla pudding center or maybe another chocolate layer. That kind of misses the point though.

Peanut Chicken Soba Salad

Nice textures and flavors. Very fresh and light for a noodle salad. The Thai spices mixed with the crunchy peanuts were delicious.

Tomato, Watermelon, Basil Skewers

We took one bite and we were immediately transported to summer. This was very refreshing and light. Great summer afternoon bbq dish.

Recipes

Chipotle Shrimp Cups

Banana Chiffon Cake

Peanut Chicken Soba Salad

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Hominy Stew with Chicken and Chiles

Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil Skewers

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Cranberry Spritzer

Mix 1 part cranberry juice cocktail to 2 parts limeade, then add a splash (or in our case a half bottle) of champagne. Float in some berries and slices of lime.

Berry Scones

This recipe for delicious blueberry scones comes from America's Test Kitchen. I made one batch with raspberries and one with blueberries. I also sprinkled sanding sugar on top before baking for texture and sparkle. The scones were wonderfully flakey with a great buttery flavor. The raspberries added a nice tart flavor and the blueberries were mild and sweet.

These do take a bit of work, but are very tasty and worth the effort.

Tip: The raspberries added extra moisture, so when they came out of the oven they were a little doughy. They need to be baked slightly longer than the blueberry.