Caprese Salad ( for one )

This is an incredibly easy and healthy lunch. Please make sure you are using the freshest of ingredients. I was shopping yesterday at Central Market, and came across their made-in-house Mozzarella, so I had a little inspiration.

Caprese Salad ( for one ) 

2 (on vine) tomatoes

a couple stems of fresh basil

1 oz of fresh Mozzarella

black pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Chop the tomatoes ( i removed the seeds from mine ) 

Tear the basil into small pieces

Break the mozzarella into tiny pieces

Combine into a bowl. Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Shake a good bit of balsamic over it and toss to coat.

Serving Size: makes 1 delicious salad

Florentine Turkey Meat Loaf

On the weekends, it's always to nice to cook something that you can take your time with, makes the house smell delicious, and is a tasty meal. This definitely is all of the above. Cancy loves meatloaf. I like eating healthy. So why not make a meat loaf with ground turkey and something healthy hidden in the middle. :)

Florentine Turkey Meatloaf

1 pound ground turkey 

1 cup spaghetti sauce, divided 

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs 

1/2 cup finely chopped onion 

2 eggs, slightly beaten 

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese  

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 

3/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8- or 9- inch loaf pan with foil with dull side toward food.

Combine ground turkey, 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, & Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.

Press half of turkey mixture into foil-lined pan. Press a 1-inch indentation down center of mixture, leaving 1-inch thickness on all sides.

Toss spinach and mozzarella cheese together; spoon into indentation, mounding in center. Press remaining turkey mixture evenly over top, sealing edges.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over meat loaf. Bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

Serving Size: makes 4 servings

Tuscan Lamb with Garlicky Tomato Sauce & Polenta

Valentine’s Day.

Cancy knows I like lamb. He found this recipe in one of my Real Simple magazines and decided that he would cook dinner for us on Valentine’s Day. This was soooooo good.

We cheated on the polenta portion of this meal though. Instead of making it fresh we just just took a premade polenta log (found in the pasta section of the grocery store) and sliced it, sprinkled a little parmesan on it, and broiled it until the cheese was browned.

Spend some quality time in the kitchen with your significant other and make this meal. You will love it.

Tuscan Lamb with Garlicky Tomato Sauce & Polenta

1 teaspoon olive oil
8 small lamb loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick; 2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3/4 cup instant polenta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings.

Add the garlic to the drippings and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.

Nestle the lamb in the tomatoes, transfer the skillet to oven, and cook, 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and tomato sauce.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

This is one of my favorites to get whenever we go out for Italian. Cancy & I both love a little heat to our food. This recipe from Cassie is a super fast way to get a really tasty dinner on the table. You can be frugal with the red pepper flakes or go a little crazy. We probably did about a Tablespoon of pepper flakes. I think next time we’ll also just do both cans of tomatoes as the fire roasted. It added a nice depth of flavor.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo


2 tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz each (I used one plain and one fire roasted)

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 lb 31-40 shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined
1 lb pasta of your choice

Boil salted water for the pasta. Add the pasta to the water when it reaches a boil. Cook as directed on the package.

As the pasta boils, press the cloves of garlic into the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the garlic is just starting to turn golden and is fragrant, add the shrimp and saute for 1-2 minutes on each side or until pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp to a bowl, leaving as much of the garlic and olive oil as possible. Add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle boil then turn the heat down to simmer.

Drain the pasta and set aside. Stir the shrimp into the sauce.

Serve hot!

Antipasta Chopped Salad

I’ve been craving artichokes lately. They seem to go good with just about everything. I made this salad one night to go with some grilled chicken. Cancy really liked it as well. You really could add whatever you like to this. I will probably add some Kalamata olives next time. I hope you like it.

Antipasta Chopped Salad

1 heart of romaine, chopped
about 6 ounces mozzarella, diced
6 ouces of salami or pepperoni, chopped small
banana peppers, diced
12 ounce jar of marinated artichokes, drained & chopped

Combine lettuce, cheese, meat, peppers, & artichokes into a bowl. Toss to combine.

Use a little bit of the reserved liquid from the artichoke jar to dress the salad. Season with salt & pepper.

Italian Chicken & Marinara

This something I’ve been making for awhile. It’s super easy for those nights when you don’t feel like spending forever in the kitchen. If you can find the fat free croutons, it’s also a fairly healthy italian dish. I hope you like it.

Italian Chicken & Marinara

Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts
1 egg, whisked
1 pkg of croutons, I used fat free seasoned croutons, crushed

Marinara
1 16oz can of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp each basil & oregeno
4 Tbsp of fat free 1/2 & 1/2

Prepare chicken breasts by dipping in whisked egg, then dredging in crushed croutons.
heat abut 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium pan and use this to pan fry breaded chicken.

Saute garlic in the butter until the edges of the garlic begin to brown. Add tomato sauce, salt & herbs. Simmer until ready to serve. Add the 1/2 & 1/2 and heat through just before serving.

Boil 2 servings of pasta until al dente

Lay pasta on plate, set chicken breast on top and pour marinara over top.