Category Archives: Quick and Easy

Orange Mint Orzo Salad

24 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Fruit, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegetarian

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Orange Mint Orzo Salad

I created this refreshing pasta salad for my housewarming party, which happened to be on a hot summer day.  I wanted to make a pasta salad that wouldn’t be too heavy.  Additionally, its dressing didn’t use a base of mayo or other creamy ingredients, so there was no need to worry about it sitting out in the heat for an hour or two.  My sister loved it so much that she requested I bring a big bowl of this orzo salad to her son’s birthday party this weekend.  The unexpected flavor combination was a hit with the kids and adults alike!  Try it for your next BBQ…perhaps Labor Day?!

Orange Mint Orzo Salad
Time:  40 minutes total
Yield:  12 servings

1 lb. orzo
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice (or orange juice)
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
zest of one orange (can come from one of the four below)
4 navel oranges
2 cucumbers
1 large bunch mint
16 oz. frozen edamame, defrosted
2 cups crumbled feta

  1. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions.  (To maximize on time, start on step 2 while it’s cooking.)  Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
  2. Prepare the dressing:  Place the following ingredients into a small mixing bowl:  olive oil, lemon/orange juice, salt, and pepper.  Zest one of the oranges (after washing it thoroughly) and add it to the bowl.  Whisk all of the ingredients together and set aside.
  3. Peel the oranges and dice them into bite-sized pieces.  Place in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Remove the seeds from the cucumbers.  I find the easiest way to do this is to cut the cucumber in half along its length.  Cut it in half along its length again, so that it’s quartered and the seeds are exposed.  Slice the seeds out and discard.  Dice the flesh of the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.  Place into a large mixing bowl with the oranges.
  5. Coarsely chop the mint and add it to the cucumbers and oranges.  Stir in the defrosted edamame and feta.  Add the orzo, and pour the dressing over top.  Toss to evenly coat all of the ingredients with the dressing.

Link to PDF to Print Recipe for Orange Mint Orzo Salad

 

BBQ Chicken Pizza

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Bread, Dinner, Quick and Easy

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

There was a pizzeria underneath my apartment in Boston that made incredible BBQ Chicken Pizza.  There were too many nights to remember where a crowd would end up back at my place and we’d feast on BBQ Chicken Pizza.  I long for those nights with amazing friends.  Here’s my attempt at recreating the pizza that I miss so much!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Yield: 8 slices
Time:  Less than 30 minutes total

1 ball of prepared pizza dough (store bought, homemade, or from your favorite pizzeria!)
6 oz. tomato paste
¾ cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
2 cooked chicken breasts*
1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup cornmeal

*Cook the chicken however you like…grilled, boiled, and baked would all work!

1)  Place your pizza stone on the grill and close the cover.  Preheat the grill and stone.

2)  Shred the cooked chicken breasts using two forks.  Toss with half of the BBQ sauce.

3)  Stir the remaining BBQ sauce with the tomato paste.

4)  Toss the dough into a large circle (or something that resembles a circle!  Mine are never quite round, although I try!)  Be careful not to burn yourself while handling the hot pizza stone!  Sprinkle the surface with cornmeal, then transfer the dough to the hot pizza stone.  Spread the sauce mixture over the surface and sprinkle with both cheeses.  Arrange the red onion slices on top and drop the shredded saucy chicken in clumps over the entire surface.  Return to the grill and cook, with the cover closed, over direct high heat until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

5)  Sprinkle chopped cilantro before serving.

 

Alternate cooking methods:

Don’t have a pizza stone?  Although I haven’t tried it yet, I’ve been told that you can put the dough directly onto the grates of the grill.  If you try this method, cook the dough for about 2 minutes before putting any sauce or toppings on.  Flip the dough and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes before topping with sauce, cheese, onion, and chicken.

Don’t have a grill?  Use your oven!  Just be sure to put your pizza stone (or heavy cookie sheet) in the oven as it preheats to get it screaming hot before putting the dough on it.  Use a very hot oven, close to 500°F.  Cooking time may be a little longer in the oven compared to the grill, with a total cooking time of 15-20 minutes.

 

PDF to Print Recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza

Cookie Dough Brownie Fudge Ice Cream Cake

07 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Quick and Easy

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ice cream cake 15ed

I’ve gotten a few requests to post this recipe, so here you go…

Ice cream cake is so easy to make, that I almost feel like it’s cheating to devote a post to it!  Every time I make it, I get rave reviews and it honestly comes together so quickly that it’s becoming a summertime staple of mine.  Here are some more huge benefits to making  your own ice cream cake:

1)  You can make it far in advance (up to a month if it’s wrapped really well before you freeze it).  That’s one less thing you need to take care of right before company comes over!

2)  It’s so versatile!  You can use any ice cream flavor you like–or try out different combos!

3)  It’s a great way to get rid of left over desserts.  Have extra chocolate chip cookies?  Oatmeal cookies?  Brownies?  Crumble them up to make the crust.  One year my mom bought waaaaaay too many Girl Scout cookies (either she was feeling extra philanthropic that year, or she let her sweet tooth get the best of her!) and she crumbled up thin mints for the base.  Those lemony shortbread-y cookies would make a divine crust, too!

Have I convinced you to make an ice cream cake yet??!

 

Cookie Dough Brownie Fudge Ice Cream Cake
Yield:  12-16 servings
Time:  Roughly 45 minutes total (only about 15 minutes are hands-on)

1 box of brownie mix with the required ingredients (water, eggs, oil)
3 quarts cookie dough ice cream (I like the Edy’s Slow Churned the best!)
1 tub (16 oz) prepared chocolate frosting (I use Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Chocolate Fudge)
8 oz. whipped topping, such as fat free Cool Whip
Toppings to decorate (suggestions: rainbow sprinkles, mini M&Ms, crushed candies, butterscotch morsels,…)
Non-stick freezer paper (I discovered that Reynolds makes a great one!  It’s essentially parchment paper with one side containing a plastic coating)

1)  Bake the brownies according the instructions on the package.  I usually bake them in a large rectangular baking dish so they bake faster.  Once baked, set aside and allow to come to room temperature.

2)  Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften for a few minutes as you prepare the pan and assemble the brownie crust.

3)  Line your counter with two long sheets of foil.  Place a spring form pan (8 or 9-inches in diameter) in the center of the foil.  (This will catch any leaks from the softened ice cream.  Plus, it’ll make wrapping it up for freezer storage a cinch!)  Lightly spray the base and inside walls of the pan with non-stick spray.  Crumble up the brownies into pieces and press them into the bottom of the pan.  You may not need all of the brownies (in which case–feel free to snack as you go!).

4)  Scoop the ice cream into the pan, covering the brownie base with a single layer of scoops.  Gently press the softened ice cream scoops together to create a relatively flat layer of ice cream.

Ice Cream Cake

5)  Evenly spread the chocolate frosting over the layer of ice cream.

Ice Cream Cake

6)  Top with another layer of ice cream, basically repeating step 3.

7)  Evenly spread the whipped topping over the final layer of ice cream.  Top with sprinkles or other decorative toppings.

Ice Cream Cake Ice Cream Cake

8)  Place the freezer paper directly on top of the finished ice cream cake, with the plastic coated side touching and entirely covering the top surface of the cake.  Tuck the edges of the freezer paper in, and wrap the foil around the cake, wrapping up entirely.  Seal the entire foil-wrapped cake in plastic wrap or place in a freezer storage bag.  Store in the freezer until ready to serve!

Freezer Paper

My instructions on how to wrap the cake may seem a bit specific, but I’ve learned the hard way that regular parchment paper, waxed paper, and foil all tend to stick to the cool whip once it’s frozen and it’s really tedious picking off small bits of the wrapping when you want to serve the cake!  The freezer paper worked wonderfully and will continue to be the only way I wrap up my ice cream cakes before storing them in the freezer!  Feel free to use any method that works for you, though!

PDF to Print Recipe for Cookie Dough Brownie Fudge Ice Cream Cake

Roasted Summer Fruit A La Mode

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Ice Cream Over Roasted Summer Fruit

I created this recipe by accident.  I bought tons of fresh blackberries to make blackberry mint mimosas on Mother’s Day, and I ended up with lots left over.  I knew I had a narrow window of time to use them all before they spoiled, so my first thought was to make a blackberry and rhubarb crisp–one of my all time favorites!  In the spirit of cutting out some calories as bathing suit season approaches, I decided to forego the oatmeal crisp topping (which is typically loaded with butter) and instead just toss the fruit with some brown sugar and roast it.  I had a few ripe peaches sitting on my counter, so I diced those up and threw them in too.  Although I had good intentions of keeping the dessert light and low cal, once the fruit was hot and bubbly, I couldn’t resist topping it with a scoop of low-fat vanilla bean ice cream!  The flavors tasted divine together, and they just screamed summer! Next time I make this, I’m going to stir 2 tbsp. of honey whiskey (such as Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey) into the fruit before roasting it.  It can’t hurt, right??

Roasted Summer Fruit À La Mode
Yield: 2 servings
Time:  25 minutes total

1 cup blackberries
3 peaches, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup rhubarb, diced into bite-sized pieces
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
(2 tbsp. honey whiskey*–optional)

2 to 4 scoops of your favorite ice cream**
1.  Toss together all of the fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, and whiskey (if using).  Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish.

2.  Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes.

3.  Spoon half of the mixture into a serving bowl.  Top with one or two scoops of your favorite ice cream.

* Try using Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey.

** I highly recommend Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!  A fruit flavored sorbet would also be delicious.

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Roasted Summer Fruit A La Mode

PS…Did you know that “à la mode” is a French saying meaning “in style”?  Thank goodness for the French making it fashionable to top dessert with ice cream!

Tijuana Caesar Salad

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegetarian

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Tijuana Caesar Salad

Did you know that Caesar salad actually originated in Mexico?  It’s true!  The story goes like this:  apparently an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini created the salad at his restaurant in Tijuana when hungry customers arrived and the restaurant was running very low on food.  He didn’t want to send them away hungry, so he combined whatever ingredients he could find and voila–Caesar salad!

Here’s my South-of-the-Border version of the classic.  It makes for a great side dish to a Mexican-themed dinner, on Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year!  I absolutely love the Cilantro Jalapeno Agave dressing!  I hope you will as well.

Tijuana Caesar Salad
Yield:  4 servings
Time:  30 minutes total

For the salad:
8 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (I use a Microplane zester to get it super light and fluffy)

For the tortilla strip croutons:
2 flour tortillas
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. dried cilantro
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. coarse sea salt

For the Cilantro Jalapeno Agave dressing:
2/3 cup plain yogurt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. agave (or honey)
¼ cup lime juice
2 tbsp. finely diced cilantro
1 tbsp. finely diced fresh jalapeno
½ tsp. salt

1.  Prepare the tortilla strips:  Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.  Cut the tortillas into bite-sized pieces (roughly ¾-inch squares) and place in a medium-sized bowl.  Whisk together the olive oil, chili powder, cilantro, and garlic powder.  Pour over the tortillas and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the tortillas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake at 400ºF for 12 minutes, then finish by broiling for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside to allow the strips to come to room temperature.

2.  Prepare the dressing:  Whisk all ingredients together.

3.  Toss the lettuce, cilantro and Parmesan cheese together in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle in half of the dressing and two large handfuls of tortilla strips.  Toss to coat.  Serve with the remaining dressing and tortilla strips on the side, adding more as desired.

PDF to Print Recipe for Tijuana Caesar Salad