Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables and Spinach

This tasty side dish packs an incredible amount of flavor and healthfulness into each and every bite. I figured I should post this recipe so that you wouldn't think that everything I make contains bacon or butter! Believe me, you won't miss either in this recipe. Quinoa is one of those superfoods that seems like a grain but is really a protein. Mixed with iron-rich spinach, vegetables roasted in olive oil and nutty parmesan cheese, you will love this recipe as much as I do. Feel free to swap out vegetables to your liking; once you get the idea down, you can try so many different variations!
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups beef broth
1 cup of fresh spinach (this will wilt down significantly)
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/8 cup parmesan (get the good stuff!)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/8 cup cream (optional)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt, black pepper

Assembly:
Rinse the quinoa. Bring the beef broth to a boil then add the quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the quinoa fluffs nicely with a fork. While the quinoa is cooking, saute the spinach and garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil until just wilted. Discard the garlic. Roast the peppers with 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 400 degree oven for approximately 5-8 minutes. Put the peppers and spinach (along with their cooking liquids) into the quinoa and gently stir. Add the parmesan, salt, pepper and cream then stir to combine. Serve warm.

Creamy Rotini Primavera

This is one of my favorite simple little comfort food recipes. I typically make it whenever my husband is out of town on business, and I want something easy and yummy that I can also eat as leftovers. It's also a great recipe because it's made from ingredients that I usually have hanging around my house. This dish is creamy and rich with just the right amount of vegetables to keep it from feeling heavy. Switch up the vegetables based on what you have or what is in season. Asparagus, green beans or zucchini are all great choices. You'll love it, and I'll bet your kids will too!
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rotini
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen peas
6 mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, mashed
1 strip of bacon or prosciutto (opt.)
Kosher salt, black pepper
3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Assembly:
Render the bacon over medium heat until cooked. Remove and crumble. Saute the peppers, mushrooms and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for one minute. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add the peas and parmesan and cook for another 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the bacon and rotini. Serve with a baguette.

Portabella Pesto Sandwich with Balsamic Red Onions

I am especially proud of this vegetarian sandwich because my meat loving husband absolutely loves it. Portobellas have a natural meatiness, so it doesn't feel like you're skimping on heartiness here. The roasted peppers and balsamic red onions are complemented by a delicious pesto mayonnaise and melted provolone cheese. Put together on a grilled roll (or baguette), this sandwich will quickly become one of your favorites too!
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. pesto (recipe to follow)
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
3 slices provolone
1 small red onion, sliced
2 portabellas
1/3 cup olive oil
1 sweet Italian red pepper (or a bell pepper)
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt, black pepper
2 deli rolls (or baguette pieces)

Assembly:
Turn portabellas in olive oil to coat. Do the same for the pepper. Grill the pepper over high heat for 10 or so minutes until the skin is black (an indoor grill, grill pan or oven all work). Remove to a paper bag for five minutes to allow the skin to fall off. Reduce heat to medium high and grill the portabellas about 5 minutes on the first side, about 3 minutes on the second (until you have nice grill marks and the mushroom appears cooked). While the portabellas are grilling, saute the onions in 1 tbsp. olive oil (you can do this right on a grill pan if you're cooking indoors). Lower heat to medium-low and cook about 10 minutes before adding vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the vinegar is absorbed. You will have removed the portabellas by now. Let them sit for a few minutes before cutting them into 1/2 strips. Remove the skin and insides (membranes and seeds) from the red pepper and slice. Mix the pesto and mayonnaise. Place each side of the rolls on a baking sheet (your oven should be preheated to 400). Assemble your sandwich (mushroom, red pepper, red onion mixture) then top with provalone. Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese begins to melt and the edges of the bread appear crispy. Remove from oven, spread pesto mayonnaise on the top side of the roll and press the sanwich together. Serve immediately.

Basic Macaroni Salad

This is such a great and yummy side dish for any kind of sandwich or barbecue dinner! It takes only a few minutes and is great as leftovers. Delicious red peppers and flavorful green onions give this side dish zip and crunch. Made with ingredients that most people have in their refrigerator and pantry, it's a great addition to any meal on a night when you need a side dish without running to the store. One of the great things about this recipe, like many of my others, is that you can swap out ingredients to make it exactly the way you want it. For example, if you love green peppers, you can add them. If you hate onions, leave them out. It's a great, kid friendly recipe (and yes, mayonnaise has DHA!) that the whole family will love!
*This recipe serves about eight people
Ingredients:
1 cup of macaroni noodles, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1-2 green onions, diced
1/3 cup mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip!!)
2 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. pickle relish
salt, pepper

Assembly:
Combine noodles, pepper and onion. Add mayonnaise, mustard and pickle relish and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate 15 minutes before serving.

*If you eat this as a leftover dish, you may want to add a tablespoon or so of extra mayonnaise right before serving.

Make 'Em Feel Loved Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

A month or so ago I posted a sandwich recipe that had marinated steak and veggies on a hoagie roll with melted cheese and aioli. I mentioned in that blog post that I make a million different sandwiches that are a variation on this theme: chopped veggies, marinated meat, melted cheese and aioli on a toasted bun. The possibilities are endless! These sandwiches are a great idea if you're short on time or want to make a super cost effective meal to share with friends and family. This sandwich in particular pairs chicken breast (one breast magically serves 2 adults!) marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette, veggies sauteed in a balsamic-brown sugar reduction, melted provalone and fragrant aioli. Delicious!
Ingredients:
2 hoagie rolls, split
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 slices of provalone
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette http://happiestbelly.blogspot.com/2009/04/honey-dijon-balsamic-vinaigrette.html
3 tbsp. basic aioli http://happiestbelly.blogspot.com/2009/05/technique-tuesday-messing-with-mayo.html
6 button or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt, pepper

Assembly:
Marinate chicken in vinaigrette for 15 minutes-3 hours. Grill over medium high heat until juices run clear (4-6 minutes/side depending on thickness). Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before dicing. While chicken rests, saute vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add vinegar and brown sugar then reduce heat to low. Add salt, pepper to taste. Cook until liquids are almost absobed (about 10 minutes). Add chicken and mix. Add mixture evenly to split rolls. Top with 1 1/2 slice provalone per sandwich. Bake, open-faced, for 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees. Drizzle aioli, press sandwiches closed and serve.

Summer Orzo Salad

This salad is delicious and refreshing ~ it's particularly great on a warm summer day. Served warm or cold, you can feel great about eating this one anytime of year! Red peppers, mushrooms and spinach abound in a mouthwatering combination of chicken stock and lemon infused orzo (short pasta that looks very similar to rice) and feta cheese. This salad is wonderful on its own, but it's also a great compliment to a sandwich or a toasted, crusty baguette rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.
Ingredients:

Juice of 1 large lemon
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine (I prefer pino grigio)
2 cups orzo
1 small package of button mushrooms, quartered
8-10 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
salt, pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

Assembly:

Bring chicken stock, lemon juice (reserve 1 tbsp. for later) and white wine to a rolling boil. Add orzo and a good amount of salt then cook for 6-8 minutes or until orzo is al dente. Drain orzo but do not rinse. Using the same pot, add olive oil and turn heat to medium-high. Saute peppers and mushrooms 2-3 minutes until golden. Next, add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Pour in reserved tbsp. of lemon juice and stir. Turn off the heat and stir in the orzo and feta. Allow mixture to cool slightly. This dish is best served at room temperature.