Spring Greens Flatbread

Time for another Meatless Monday post.  This grain called Quinoa has been inspiring me to look at alternate forms of protein lately.  I'm not so sure I could go full vegetarian and not feel like I was missing out on a bunch of possibilities, but I do want to try to be healthier and more environmentally friendly.  Right now my budget doesn't allow me to buy all my foods organic and cage free and all that good stuff, but one of my goals is to get to that point.  For now I'll have to settle on opting out of meat once in a while in order to meet some of those goals sooner rather than later.

This recipe is inspired by my Fall Veggie Flatbread.  However, since Spring has sprung, it needed a face lift.  One of the things I love most about Spring is the blooming and the greenery returning to the world.  I'm glad that in LA it's warm enough all year long that we don't have to spend months with bare trees and ominous weather, but it does take away some of the excitement of the annual rebirth of plants and return of wildlife.

This dish drew as much green from the produce draw as I could find to help replicate this phenomenon.  I also wanted to work in that elusive protein that my mother always worries about when I tell her I am changing up my diet.  So I pulled out my quinoa and dusted off the edamame I had in the freezer to make this probably one of the most well rounded recipes I've eaten in quite a while.  Just between you and me, I've been using a calorie counter website recently to see how well I'm actually eating vs. how I think I'm eating, and I have been lacking in a lot of key nutrients fairly regularly.  Hopefully this recipe will help get me back on track.

Spring Greens Flatbread

Ingredients:

Dough (see Fall Veggie Flatbread for recipe)
1/4 cup of Edamame
1/2 cup of White Onion slices
1/2 cup of Zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup of Asparagus, chopped
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Splash of Lemon Juice
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of Mozzarella
1/4 cup of Parmesan
1/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa
1/2 cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar plus more for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

 Boil quinoa and water in a small sauce pan.  Once the water boils, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover.  Let cook until all water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, coat vegetables in olive oil.  Season with pepper and lemon juice.  Spread on a baking sheet and roast in oven for about 10 minutes.

Spread dough onto greased baking sheet.

Once the quinoa is done cooking, mix with balsamic vinegar and spread on dough.  Top with cheese and veggies.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crust begins to brown.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I know it's been a while since my last post and I apologize.  I've just been in a funk that has kept my motivation in the kitchen on the back burner, but with the first day of April came a new surge of curiosity.

This recipe I found on SkinnyTaste today and decided that a meatless Monday was the way to go. I changed up the recipe a bit to fit my tastes, but there are plenty of variations that would work.  There is nothing better than fresh ingredients, so get creative.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 a cup of Dried Quinoa

1 cup of Water

1 15oz can of Black Beans, drained (I use seasoned black beans)

1/4 cup of Red Onion, chopped

1/2 cup of chopped Cilantro

1 cup of Mango, diced

1 can of chopped Tomatoes, drained (not pictured)

1 small Jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 cup of Corn

2 Tbsp of Lime Juice

1 1/2 Tbsp of Olive Oil

1/2 tsp of Cumin

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

1/2 tsp of Chili Powder

Directions:

Combine quinoa and water in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  When the water is boiling, turn down heat to a simmer and cover.  Cook until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Combine the beans, corn, tomatoes, mango, jalapeno, onion and cilantro in a bowl.

Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin and chili powder.

Toss the two mixtures together.

Serve, either hot or cold.  I personally like it better warm, it brings out the flavors a bit more.  To do that, put mixture back in the pan and heat on medium for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

French Bread Bruschetta

I grew up hating tomatoes.  I even went so far as to tell people I allergic to them, until I wanted ketchup on my french fries.  I knew that lie wouldn't be convincing for long.  

As I grew older, I tried branching out and found that tomatoes aren't all bad.  I still could never be hardcore and bite into one like an apple, heck, I can't even eat them on my sandwich, but I have found a new love for tomatoes when they are paired with stronger flavors that compliment, well really mask most of, the tomato flavor.  That's when I discovered I liked salsa (and more than just dipping the edge of the chip into the juice) and LOVED bruschetta.  This is a dinner version of my favorite recipe for bruschetta.

French Bread Bruschetta

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Flaky Bread like french or italian

2 cups of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

15 oz of diced Tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil + more for drizzling

1 Tbsp of dried Basil

1 Tbsp of diced Onion (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice bread in half horizontally and drizzle with olive oil.  Toast in oven until slightly golden on top.  

Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, garlic, basil, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and onions in a bowl.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Remove bread and top with cheese.  

Return to oven and melt.  About 2 minutes.

Remove bread from oven and top with tomato mixture.

Slice into fourths and serve.

Apple Strudel Cheesecake Bars

I've been meaning to make these bars since the beginning of December, but with the holidays I just didn't get the chance, but now I am kicking myself for not making them sooner.  They are SO good.  So much for any kind of healthy eating resolutions.

These little buggers were part of my downfall in my quest to limit my dairy consumption.  But what a way to fail!

I'm not usually a big fan of apple deserts, but I have been converted.  They combine the only parts of apple pie I like (the crust and the gooey part of the filling) and mix in one of my favorite ingredients (cream cheese - well I like all kinds of cheese.  I wonder what these would taste like with cheddar cheese on top?  A la MIB 3 style... sorry got lost in a cheesy dream there) to create a sinfully delicious dessert.

I sneak little bites in the morning when making my lunch for work.  I can't help myself.  I'm sure you won't be able to either.

Recipe curtesy of bettycrocker.com

Apple Strudel Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

1 pouch of Betty Crocker's Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1/2 cup of firm Butter
16 oz of Cream Cheese
1/2 cup if Sugar
2 Tbsp of Flour
1 tsp of Vanilla
1 Egg
1 can (21 oz) Apple Pie Filling
1/2 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup of chopped Walnuts (Optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degree.

Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Mix together the oatmeal cookie mix and cut up butter until mixture is crumbly.  Save 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs for topping.  Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.

While that bakes, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg on medium speed until smooth.

In a separate bowl mix together the apple pie filling and cinnamon.

Remove crumb mixture from oven and spread the cream cheese mixture on top.  Spoon apple filling over top of cream cheese and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.  Top with walnuts.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Store covered in the refrigerator.