Happy Monday!

Well, I have no Weekly Menu post for you today because...I am on vacation!  We traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona to visit family.  This is a rare week without a farm run, but I will be back later this week to share my travel tips for eating healthy on the road as well as share with you the restaurants I have found and enjoyed.  I hope you have a wonderful week filled with good eats!

Fresh Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Soup

I have always loved tomato soup, but never had the chance to enjoy a homemade version until now.  WOW!  This soup is so delicious and incredibly easy to make!  I can't believe it has taken me so long to make this myself.  I am now ruined for packaged tomato soup.  Forever.  I guess I always felt it had to be complicated, as though it required roasting tomatoes or peeling and seeding...  but I was wrong! :)  This recipe uses the entire tomato, skin and all.  The hands-on time is very minimal and the result is amazing.  I already can't wait to make this again and look forward to freezing tomatoes at the end of season to make this well into the fall.  

Ingredients

6 C coarsely chopped tomatoes
1/2 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced in half
3 C broth (I used Imagine Low Sodium Chicken-free Broth)
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp sugar (more if desired)

Directions

1. In a stockpot over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, broth, and basil.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool enough to run through a blender.  Process until smooth.
2. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook until the roux begins to brown.  Gradually mix in the tomato mixture trying to avoid lumps.  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Charlotte

My Fourth of July

I had a great time with family over at our house to celebrate the Fourth of July!  The whole day was filed with great people and delicious food...what could possibly be better?  The girls even started their day off with a red, white, and blue breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and strawberries.  Celebratory food doesn't have to be unhealthy, and best of all, they LOVED it!

I'm not a huge fan of thematic decorations because I don't have room to store them in between uses, so they would just be wasteful paper products to be thrown away at the end of the night.  If we have a lot of non-family guests, I might get some because it is kind of expected.  Luckily my family knows me well enough to not be surprised.  Instead, I let the food, drinks, and fun be the background.  We set up the backyard for everyone to have a great time. 

During the summer, I love any excuse to break out my Margaritaville Mixed Drink Maker.  This has become a party must-have for me.  You load it with cranberry juice, sour mix, and orange juice.  Then you can add tequila, rum or vodka.  The machine has a library of drinks that can be made at the push of a button.  It's the perfect un-manned bar!  

We started the party off with a taste test of chips and dips, some were organic and some were the conventional chips I grew up on.  

We paired them with two versions of french onion dip.  One was the dip of my husband's childhood made of sour cream and the Lipton Onion Soup mix.  The second version was made by me from scratch using organic onions from our local farm.  Let's just say there was no competition.  :)  The third dip was one from my childhood and is a simple cottage cheese dip we eat with nacho cheese chips.

We decided to do classic burgers, so my husband set out a selection of mix-ins so people could customize their burgers.  I did fail because I didn't get any pictures of the actual finished burgers, but they were great!  I also served my Perfect Party Potato Salad as a side along with a big bowl of strawberries and blueberries, as well as a vegetable tray of cherry tomatoes, celery, and carrot sticks with my Classic Ranch Dressing.  Apparently I enjoyed the drink machine early on because I forgot to take pictures of any of that!  :)

Of course we had farm fresh burger toppings to be enjoyed by all.  :)

The personal highlight for me was the dessert.  I was lucky enough to grow up with a peach tree in my backyard and be able to enjoy fresh-picked peaches throughout the summer.  We put them on everything and had a freezer full by the end of the season.  But once you have a peach right off the tree, nothing you can buy from a store even comes close.  For that reason, no one in my family had bought peaches since we moved from my childhood home in the late 1990's.  Recently, one of my farms brought in peaches from a local organic farm, and they were the closest thing to our old peaches I had tried.  I decided to have a simple dessert of peaches and ice cream, just like the good old days.  It sure was a delicious flash back!

So there you have it.  I hope you enjoyed seeing the way my family celebrated the Fourth of July.  I'd love to hear the highlights from your day as well!

Weekly Menu

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend with friends and family!  I know I sure did.  We had my whole family over to celebrate the Fourth of July and I will tell you all about it later this week.  :)  Today, however, it is back to the regular grind.  We did have a chance to get to the farm for the week and picked up a lovely selection of carrots (I got so many because they were on special!), kale, chard, beets, celery, green beans, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, Anaheim chile, bell pepper, and white and purple sweet Maui Onions.  With this food, I will be serving the following menu to my family:

• Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Farm Fresh Marinara, Roasted Carrots and Easy Italian Green Beans
• using the carrots and green beans

• Make Your Own Quesadilla with Restaurant Style Salsa and Mexican Skillet Cabbage
• using the tomatoes, corn, Anaheim chile, bell pepper, and white sweet Maui onion

• Sweet Onion and Pickle Panini paired with Fresh Tomato Soup
• using the purple onion and tomatoes

• I will be having a summer version of the Rainbow Smoothie (without spinach)
• using the kale, chard, carrots, and beets

• We will be enjoying the celery and cherry tomatoes for snacks.

Avocado Thai Crunch Salad

This salad has it all!  Two kinds of cabbage, avocado, peanuts, carrots, cucumbers, edamame, crispy won ton skins, and two dressings that compliment each other so incredibly well.  Seriously this has so many layers of flavor, color, and texture - it truly is a feast for the senses.  It was inspired by the Thai Crunch Salad at California Pizza Kitchen, another place we used to frequent before I became more concerned about GMOs and pesticides.  Now I can say I have mastered a home version that uses only organic ingredients - Woohoo!  This does take some time to prepare, but many of the elements can be made ahead of time.  I always make this salad to have two days in a row because I love it so much.  

 Ingredients (makes 4 large entree salads)

Salad
1 head cabbage, chopped in 1/4" strips
1 head red cabbage, cored and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
2 bunches green onions, white and light green parts chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
2 C cooked and shelled edamame
2 cups roasted peanuts
4 avocados, chopped
1 C Cilantro Lime dressing
4 C fried won ton strips
1 C Thai Peanut Dressing

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1/4 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C olive oil

Thai Peanut Dressing
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp water
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Make the Cilantro Lime Dressing by putting all of the ingredients except for the olive oil into a food processor.  Process until smooth, about 1 minute.  Then, with the machine running, slowly add the olive oil.  Continue processing for 1 more minute.  Store in the fridge until ready for use. Whisk before using.
2. Make the Thai Peanut Dressing by putting the peanut butter, honey, vinegar, water, and soy sauce into a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add sugar, salt, cayenne, and oil.  Whisk until fully incorporated.  
3. Assemble the salad by placing the cabbage, carrots, green onion, cucumber, cilantro, edamame, and peanuts into a large bowl.  Add the Cilantro Lime Dressing and toss to combine.  Plate the salads and top with won ton skins and avocado.  Drizzle the Thai Peanut Dressing on top and serve.  

Adapted from California Pizza Kitchen

Weekly Menu

Holy cannoli!  It was so hot this weekend!  How hot was it where you are?  I am happy that it is starting to cool down and I love that it is a short week.  We are having the family over for the 4th of July this week, and I hope to have a recap of the event for you on Friday.  On our trip to the farm we picked up some kale, carrots, cabbage, basil, corn, white and purple sweet Maui onion, tomatoes, and broccoli.  For the week (excluding the Fourth) we will be enjoying the following meals:

• Gardein Beef and Broccoli Over Rice
• using the broccoli and white sweet Maui onion

• Pesto, Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pizza with Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad
• using the basil, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, green pepper, and purple sweet Maui Onion

• Thai Crunch Salad
• using the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro

• I will be having the Kaleslaw for lunch
• using the kale

Ultimate Breakfast Burrito

This breakfast burrito is one of my favorite meals.  Given the fact that I almost exclusively eat my homemade granola for breakfast, having a hearty, warm breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) is a real treat.  This takes all my breakfast faves and puts it into burrito form.  What could be better?  Packing it with fresh, organic, local veggies makes this even better.  I love to make it when onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes are all in season together.  They are so flavorful!  Add in some eggs, cheese, sausage (veggie for me!), and tater tots and you've got one fantastic meal!  Top it with salsa, ketchup, hot sauce, or a some combination of the three to perfectly suit your tastes.  :)

Ingredients (enough to feed my family of four)

flour tortillas

1 Tbsp olive oil

5 small sausage patties

7 eggs

1/4 C milk

salt and pepper to taste

tater tots, cooked according to package directions

cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 large tomates, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan.  Cook the sausage patties according to package instructions.  Set aside to cool.  Chop into small pieces. 
2. While the sausage is cooking, whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into the pan that cooked the sausages.  Cook to your liking.  
3. Warm the tortillas and load the eggs and the rest of the toppings to your liking.  Top with ketchup, hot sauce, or salsa and enjoy!

Lemony Garlic Cauliflower

There is something so wonderful about a simple vegetable side dish.  Something clean that you can enjoy with a variety of main dishes.  This cauliflower is so delicious.  You can really taste the vegetable since the lemon and garlic are merely enhancers.  It is an easy dish that comes together in minutes and requires very little tending during the short roasting process.  Sprinkle some parmesan and fresh chives on top and you are set.  The whole family loved this dish and it will become a regular at our house.  

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1 inch florets

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp thinly sliced garlic

juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan

2 Tbsp chives, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Place cauliflower florets into an 8x8 baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Evenly sprinkle the garlic, salt and pepper on top. 
3. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
4. Remove from the oven and top with parmesan and chives.  Serve warm.  

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse   

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday!  I hope it was another wonderful weekend for you all.  I am really having fun getting a chance to enjoy some of my favorite summer recipes.  Sure, I could make them off season, but they just taste so much better with fresh, local produce!  This week we picked up some sweet corn, white and purple sweet Maui onions, romaine, cilantro, tomatoes, cauliflower, and strawberries.  It waas a small haul, but a delicious variety!  With this selection, we will be enjoying the following meals:

• Penne Alla Vodka with Lemony Garlic Cauliflower
• using the tomatoes and cauliflower

• Mushroom and Black Bean Tacos with Corn and Black Bean Salad
• using the tomatoes, romaine, white and purple sweet Maui onions, and corn

• Hearty Breakfast Burritos with Restaurant Style Salsa
• using tomatoes, sweet Maui onions, and cilantro

• We will be enjoying the strawberries for dessert.

7-Layer Burrito

As a former fast food junkie, there are certainly times I miss some of those foods.  One of them in particular is the 7-layer burrito from Taco Bell.  It's got everything you would want all wrapped up in a tortilla.  But...it's also filled with GMO's and conventional produce.  By making it at home, you can use all organic ingredients as well as fresh, homemade salsa and guacamole.  Not to mention it tastes a MILLION times better!  I didn't list quantities of the ingredients below as you can customize it to your tastes.  So the next time you are craving a drive thru burrito, make this version instead.  You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

flour tortillas

refried beans (make your own!)

rice (any kind, though we use brown)

finely grated cheddar cheese

romaine, thinly sliced

pico de gallo

guacamole

sour cream

Directions

1. Warm the tortillas and load them up to your liking.  Enjoy!

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday everyone!  We had a wonderful and busy weekend!  My daughter had her first dance recital on Saturday and we spent Father's Day at Disneyland.  Many fun memories made in the past 2 days.  :)  We had a great trip to the farm as summer is in full swing!  We loaded up on romaine, chard, kale, beets, plums, peaches, bell peppers (I picked them from the vine myself!), carrots, corn (tons!), sweet Maui onion, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries.  What a great selection, huh?  With this great variety, we will be enjoying the following this week:

• BBQ Tofu Sandwiches with Basil Butter Corn on the Cob
• using the sweet Maui onion, romaine, bell pepper, and corn

• Pot Pie Pizza and Classic Caprese Salad
• using the green beans, corn, carrots, tomatoes, and backyard basil

• 7-Layer Burrito Supreme
• using the sweet Maui onion, romaine, and tomatoes

• I will be making a modified Rainbow Smoothie (without spinach) for lunches
• using the kale, chard, beets, and carrots

• We will be enjoying the plums, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries for snack and dessert

Mexican Skillet Cabbage

I love finding new vegetable based side dishes for Mexican food.  In the past, I have always gone for Spanish rice, which is delicious but not very healthy.  This Mexican Skillet Cabbage gives you the same flavors as Spanish rice, but with no carbs!  It is another super easy dish that has about 5 minutes of hands on time (including slicing and mincing!) and the rest of the time is spent in the skillet with very little attention needed.  It was a tad spicy for my 4 year old because of the diced green chiles, but it was absolutely fine for my hubby and me.  We loved it!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

1 15oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
2. Add the cabbage and tomatoes and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the cabbage is soft.

Adapted from Food.com

Strawberry Salad with Feta and Raspberry Balsamic Dressing

I enjoy fresh strawberries almost every single day they are available locally grown.  It's one of my favorite times of year.  :)  I usually just enjoy them plain for dessert, but every now and then I like to mix it up.  This salad has such an amazing combination of flavors and textures with the strawberries, feta, toasted almond slivers, and raspberry balsamic dressing.  This is a delicious salad to compliment any meal!  I highly recommend getting a brick of feta in brine and crumbling it yourself instead of using pre-crumbled feta.  I was amazed at how much better it tasted!  

Ingredients (makes enough for 2 large salads or 4 small side salads)

1/2 C slivered almonds
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C canola oil
1 large head of lettuce, torn or chopped
1 C fresh strawberries, sliced
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat until golden.  Set aside.
2. Make the dressing by whisking together the honey, Dijon mustard, raspberry and balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl.
3. Serve the salad by placing the lettuce in a large bowl.  Top with the strawberries, toasted almonds, and feta.  Pour dressing to your liking.  Toss and enjoy!

Adapted from MSChef

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday everyone!  I'm back after a much needed week off.  It was nice to slow down and recharge before the summer season.  Speaking of summer, the produce is slowly changing!  I just missed the first selection of corn and tomatoes, but they will be there next week and I can't wait!  I did pick up my first basil of the season (YAY!) along with romaine, cilantro, kale, garlic, celery, baby sweet Maui onions, cherries, blueberries, strawberries and plums.  There was also a head of cabbage and some summer squash that I totally forgot to put in the picture because I left the bag in the car, whoops!  With this wonderful selection, we will be enjoying the following this week:

• Crispy Pesto Gnocchi and a Strawberry Salad with Feta and Raspberry Vinaigrette
• using the garlic, basil, romaine, and some of the strawberries

• Hearty Vegetable Spaghetti with a Summer Squash Saute
• using the celery, summer squash, and garlic

• Make Your Own Quesadilla with Restaurant Style Salsa and Mexican Skillet Cabbage
• using the baby sweet Maui onions, some left over sweet Maui onions from last week, cilantro, garlic, and cabbage

• I will be having the Massaged Kale Salad for lunches 
• using the kale

• We will be enjoying the plums, strawberries, and blueberries for dessert

• We will be freezing the cherries for a wonderful summer snack.  There is nothing better than frozen cherries on a hot day!

Portobello Cheese "Steak" Sandwich

Oh man!  This Portobello Cheese "Steak" Sandwich is SO GOOD!  Just writing this post and looking at the pictures is making me crave it again.  I can't wait for the next time we enjoy this for dinner.  This is a wonderful alternative to a meat-based sandwich.  Even my non-vegetarian husband loved it.  The biggest amount of time is spent slicing the veggies, but the actual cooking and assembly is quite easy.  I love the colors, the cheesy deliciousness, the garlic mayo, and the addition of Sriracha puts this over the top for those of you who like spice.  My 4 year old actually downed the entire sandwich and the 20 month old gobbled down the filling.  This is a new house staple for sure!

Ingredients

1/2 C mayonaise

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 large portobello mushrooms, gills removed and cut on an angle

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 large onion, cut into strips

salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp soy sauce

4 hoagie rolls

4 provolone slices

Sriracha (optional, but recommended!)

 Directions

1. Combine the mayo and garlic in a small bowl.  Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions.  Allow to cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, about 10-15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper and stir.  Mix in flour.  Then add soy sauce and stir to combine.  
3. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
4. Prepare the sandwiches but first putting a layer of the garlic mayo inside the roll.  The fill it up with the mushrooms and veggies.  Top with provolone.  Heat in the oven until the cheese is melted and the buns just begin to brown on the edges.  Enjoy hot and topped with Sriracha if desired. 

This is an original recipe

Weekly Menu

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you are able to enjoy some extra time with your family as we remember  those who sacrificed everything to serve our country.  The holiday weekend has been beautiful and I have spent it enjoying the outside with my family.  Sunday was wonderful because we didn't have a single place we had to be all day.  Those of you with kids can understand how exciting that was.  No birthday parties, no activities, nothing!  We got to completely relax and just let the day unfold.  We won't have another day like that for about 2 months, so we certainly enjoyed it!  We also brought home a wonderful selection of produce from the farm including kale, white and purple cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries (brought in from an organic farm less than 30 minutes away).  With this colorful assortment, we will be enjoying the following:

• Portobello Cheese "Steak" Sandwich with Baked Zucchini Rounds and Lemon Garlic Aioli
• using the zucchini, summer squash, and some left over sweet Maui onions and garlic from last week

• Hawaiian Plate Lunch of Chicken Katsu, Hawaiian-Style Mac Salad, and rice
• using the carrots and celery

• My Famous Macaroni and Cheese (slightly altered by using only cauliflower)  with Easy Italian Green Beans
• using the white and purple cauliflower and green beans

• I will be making deli-style cheese sandwiches for some lunches
• using the cucumbers

• We will be having the Rainbow Smoothie for other lunches
• using the kale, beets, and carrots

• We will be enjoying the strawberries and blueberries for dessert

Mushroom and Walnut Lettuce Wraps

Here is a wonderful and healthier alternative to traditional lettuce wraps.  Using a combination of mushrooms and chopped walnuts makes this vegetarian version hearty, but without the need to cook meat, it comes together in a snap!  I had heard of using walnuts as a meat alternative, but this was my first attempt and I think it worked wonderfully in this application!  Everything but the last five minutes of cooking can be done ahead of time making the dinner rush a breeze.  I can't wait to find other ways to incorporate walnuts into my homemade meat alternatives!  Using them is another great way to cut back on processed fake meats and incorporate healthy whole foods into more meals.  

Ingredients

Filling

3 Tbsp olive oil

8 oz button mushrooms, chopped

1 C walnuts, chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts, minced

1/2 C onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

Stir Fry Sauce

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Special Sauce

1/4 C sugar

1/3 C water

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp spicy mustard

2 tsp hot water

garlic chili paste, to taste

8 large lettuce leafs (we used red leaf, but iceberg would work well too)

Directions

1. To make the special sauce, begin by dissolving the sugar in the water in a small bowl.  Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil and whisk to combine.  
2. In a separate small bowl whisk together the mustard and hot water.  Add this mixture to the rest of the special sauce.  Chill until ready to use.
3. Make the stir fry sauce by whisking the ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat.  Add the mushrooms, walnuts, water chestnuts, onion, and garlic to the pan.  Stirring frequently, cook for 3 minutes until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid.  Add the stir fry sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes.  
5. To serve, scoop hot filling into a leaf of lettuce and top with the special sauce.  Add as much garlic chili paste as you like.  I like spice, so I added about 2 tsp to each wrap.  Enjoy!

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday!  We had probably the busiest weekend since having our oldest child 4 years ago.  It was crazy, but loads of fun!  We had birthday celebrations with friends and family, dance classes, my nephew's t-ball game, it was awesome and the kids were champs!  :)  Best of all, my husband and I went out on a date!  We not only got to see a movie, but a movie on its opening weekend!  You parents out there understand how amazing that is, right?  There was also a fantastic run to the farm.  It may be my biggest haul ever.  All the extra veggies that go into my daily smoothies take a lot of time to prep, but it is so worth it!  We got some spinach, red leaf lettuce, kale, garlic, sweet Maui onions, carrots, bok choy, beets and strawberries.  With all this food, we will be making the following meals this week:

• Mushroom and Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Sauteed Ginger and Garlic Bok Choy
• using the red leaf lettuce, sweet Maui onion, garlic, and bok choy

• Bean, Brown Rice, and Cheese Burritos with Simple and Tasty Broiled Nachos
• using the garlic and sweet Maui Onion

• Spinach Tomato Alfredo Pizza with Mushroom-Stuffed Baked Onions
• using the spinach, garlic, and sweet Maui onions

• I will be having my Rainbow Smoothie for lunches
• using the spinach, kale, beets (and their greens), and carrots

• We will be enjoying the strawberries for dessert

Easy Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are a wonderful spring treat for us.  When in season, my daughter has them almost everyday as a part of her lunch.  We usually love to snack on them raw, but this roasted version is fantastic!  It takes just a few ingredients and only a few minutes to make.  They pair nicely with a wide variety of main courses from pastas to burgers and more.  Simple and delicious, what more can you ask for?  :)

Ingredients

10 oz fresh sugar snap peas
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp shallots, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the sugar snap peas in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle the olive oil over them and toss to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with the shallots and thyme.  
3. Bake for about 8 minutes until tender but still firm.  

Crispy Cheesy Mushroom Taquitos

 

This recipe is another amazing find inspired by Mia at Mia's Domain.  She has such amazing recipes that always inspire me.  I took her taquito recipe and tweaked it to fit my taste for slightly cheesier and spicier fare.  This is a favorite dish of my husband and both kids love it too!  This makes a large batch because we always enjoy it two nights in a row.  The filling can be made earlier in the day, leaving the dinnertime rush less stressful.  These taquitos are packed with mushrooms which are loaded with vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and fiber.  They also pair amazingly well with my Pico de Gallo!

Ingredients

14 flour tortillas
2 Tbsp olive oil + about a 1/4 C
24 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, chopped
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 C cream cheese
1 C ricotta cheese
1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until mushrooms have released most of their juices, about 10-15 mins.  If there is a lot of liquid, drain some of it.  Add the cheeses and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
3. Fill each tortilla with about 1/4-1/3 C of the mushroom filling.  Sprinkle evenly with cayenne pepper to taste.  Roll up the tortilla and secure with a toothpick. 
4. Arrange all the tortillas on a baking pan that you have sprayed lightly with oil.  Brush the tortillas with the remaining olive oil and bake until crispy and golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Flip them over, brush again with olive oil and bake another 10 minutes.  Serve with Pico de Gallo and enjoy!

Adapted from Mia's Domain