Marinated Mushroom Bruschetta

This came from one of my favorite grilling cookbooks: Weber's Real Grilling

Marinade:
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. black pepper

1/2 lb. large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 red bell peppers
20 slices good quality French bread, each about 2" in diameter and 1/4" thick
Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. pine nuts
2 T. finely chopped parsley
4 oz. goat cheese

1. To make the marinade: in a medium bowl, whisk the marinated ingredients.  Place the mushrooms in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade.  Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly.   Turn the bag several times to distribute the ingredients.  Allow the mushrooms to marinate at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Grill the bell peppers on direct heat until they are blackened (or in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes).  Place the peppers in a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap to trap the steam.  Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then peel the skins and discard the stems and seeds.
3. Shake any excess moisture from the the mushrooms.  Grill over medium heat until tender, 8 - 10 minutes (or in 400 degree oven).  Lightly brush or spray the slices of bread on both sides with olive oil.  Grill over medium heat until lightly toasted (or in oven 1 - 2 minutes).
4. In a medium pan over medium heat, cook the pine nuts until lightly toasted, 5 -10 minutes; shaking the pan occasionally.
5. Very finely chop the bell peppers, mushrooms, and pine nuts, and combine all of them in a medium bowl.  Add the parsley and stir.  Spread a very thin layer of goat cheese on one side of each slice of bread.  Arrange about 1 T. of mushroom mixture on top of each.

Roasted tomato & vegetable soup

I like vegetables, but getting the recommended servings in per day is hard!  I created this soup as a great way to get a good portion of veggies and fiber, plus it's filling.

In a 425 degree oven roast the following on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray:

tomatoes, cut into quarters (I used about 3 med sized tomatoes)
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 lg. zucchini and 1 large summer squash, cut into thick chunks
1 red pepper, cut into large slices
handful of baby carrots

Douse with olive oil and roast!

Roast for approximately 20 - 25 minutes

In a stockpot, add 1 T. olive oil and saute 3 cloves of garlic.  Once soft, add 2 - 28 oz. cans of tomatoes (they can be fire roasted or the kind with basil, oregano & garlic), a can of garbanzo beans, 2 t. basil, 2 t. oregano, salt & pepper (adjust as needed). You can add what you have on hand... like kale or spinach or any other vegetables you might want to throw in.  If you don't like peppers, leave them out.

Add in roasted vegetables.  Puree in with an immersion blender, or puree (in batches) in blender.  Add chicken or vegetable broth to achieve desired consistency.

Add 3 T. Greek yogurt (or more to taste), to add creaminess.  Adjust amount of salt and pepper to taste.

Done!  Make a grilled cheese and start dipping.

Garlic Cashew Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

· Nonstick cooking spray

· 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

· 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

· 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

· 4 teaspoons cornstarch

· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

· 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch strips

· 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges

· 2 cups sliced bok choy

· 1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)

· 1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)

· 3/4 cup chopped red sweet pepper (1 medium)

· 6 cloves garlic, minced

· 2 cups cooked brown or white rice

· 1 cup chow mein noodles, coarsely broken

· 1/2 cup cashews

· 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2.       For sauce, in a medium bowl whisk together broth, hoisin sauce, ginger, cornstarch, crushed red pepper, and black pepper; set aside.

3.       Lightly coat an extra-large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet; cook until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add onion wedges, bok choy, celery, carrots, and sweet pepper to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the sauce. Cook and stir about 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Stir in cooked rice and browned chicken.

4.       Spoon chicken-rice mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover and bake about 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and chicken is no longer pink (165 degrees F). Sprinkle chow mein noodles and cashews over. Bake, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes more or until noodles and cashews are golden brown. Sprinkle with green onions.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

Servings Per Recipe: 6
PER SERVING: 340 cal., 10 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 49 mg chol., 480 mg sodium, 40 g carb. (4 g fiber, 8 g sugars), 23 g pro.

Chorizo and Cornbread Stuffing

1/2 lb. chorizo (or linguica)
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
6 corn muffins, crumbled
1 t. smoked paprika
2 T. chopped fresh thyme, from 4 - 5 sprigs
chicken or beef broth

1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 T. olive oil.  When oil smokes, add chorizo and brown for 2 minutes.
2. Add the celery, onion, garlic and bell peppers; season with salt & pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Crumble the cornbread into the skillet and combine with the vegetables.  Dampen the stuffing with chicken or beef broth and season with the paprika and thyme.
4. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes*

*all the ingredients are cooked, so it really just needs to be reheated.

Shrimp Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta 1 lb. shrimp 1 yellow squash, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 carrot, julienned 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 5 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.	In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
4.	Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Add shrimp and sauté. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken  
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or any Mexican blend cheese)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup salsa (the fresh kind from the deli is the best!)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 500°.
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Swedish Girl's Gazpacho

When describing Gazpacho to someone who has never tried it, the sound of "cold, pureed vegetable soup" does not sound appetizing, I'll admit!  However, if you're a vegetable lover, especially when tomatoes, cukes & peppers are at their peak, you are going to LOVE gazpacho.  What I love is: a) you can mess around with what veggies you add and b) a one cup serving is 49 calories.  Therefore, you're not going to get fat eating gazpacho, people!  I have estimated the quantities in this recipe.  Feel free to omit the zucchini and add more pepper or more cukes or tomatoes.  It's a healthy, refreshing, tasty meal for the end of summer.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes, chopped (can be a variety - Roma, beefsteak, plum, cherry... whatever you have on hand.  It should be equivalent to about 2 beefsteak tomatoes... more or less!)
• 1 cucumber, quartered
• 1 yellow pepper, seeds removed and quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and quartered
• 1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 - 2 jalepeño or red chili peppers, seeds removed (optional)
• 1 small red onion, chopped OR 3 – 4 green onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato juice (or V8).  If you want the gazpacho to be on the chunky side, wait to add this until the end to get the consistency you want.
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 T. fresh)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (1 T. fresh)
• Handful fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
• 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions

1.    Puree tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, zucchini, onion, jalepeño and garlic in a blender or food processor, about 30 seconds, or to desired consistency. Add tomato juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, basil, celery salt, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar. Pulse a few times to mix. Pour into a bowl and chill at least 1 hour.

2.  Before serving, adjust the seasonings by adding more salt, seasoned salt, pepper (or Tabasco if you like it hot!).

3.    Serve with chopped avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

NOTE:  I've made gazpacho before by adding a slice or two of bread before running it through the food processor.  It thickens it up a bit and makes it more filling.  The best thing about Gazpacho is you can really play around with the ingredients to make it your own.