Mushroom & Quinoa Salad with Tilapia

I cooked!! And it was good!! But seriously. This meal was inspired by the need to use the mushrooms, tomato, and goat cheese that were in the house. Also it's Fish Friday...so tilapia was an obvious choice. And I like quinoa and balsamic. So ta-da! Dinner.

The rest of the day has been fairly uneventful. Errands. Refinishing furniture. Recovering from yesterday's X2 Chest+Back+Balance, ab ripper, and Zumba combo. Like things are sore that I didn't remember could be sore...Yoga-X was much needed this morning. Still, it's been a pretty chill day...and evening. I feel like Friday nights should be more exciting... Anyways, here is your recipe: 

Mushroom & Quinoa Salad with Tilapia

Ingredients:

2 tilapia filets (maybe like 6 oz each), thawed

1/2 cup quinoa

1 lb. sliced mushrooms

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 large tomato, cut into small pieces 

2-3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Salt & pepper

EVOO

Balsamic vinaigrette 

Directions:

• Set the oven to broil on low. Line a pan with foil and place the tilapia on it. Season with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle with some EVOO. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, have your quinoa cooking (according to the directions on the package...I like to use chicken or vegetable stock for my liquid...more flavor).
• This is also a good time to drizzle your saute pan with EVOO, and cook the mushrooms and garlic. 
• Once the fish, quinoa, and mushrooms are done, you can combine everything in a large bowl. Drizzle on your balsamic. Top with goat cheese. Eat up!

Grilled Peach, Chicken & Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Pecans

Here's a little break from my travel tales to share a new favorite salad. I honestly haven't been doing much cooking at all since being back. I've been out a lot more than usual. I was seriously spoiled not having to do any cooking or clean up any dishes in Zambia...so I'm having a little trouble getting back into the groove. 

Anyways, a couple nights ago, we enjoyed a salad that was just as tasty as it was pretty. The mother had gotten a ton of fresh, juicy peaches. Which, naturally, were ripening way faster than we could eat them. Someone had suggested using them on a salad. Brilliant. I had totally intended to marinate and grill some chicken up, but I ended up using a rotisserie chicken... We had gotten tied up running some errands. It was already 1900, and I hadn't eaten since lunch. There was no way I was waiting for chicken to marinate and cook. The rotisserie chicken worked out really well! I'm sure grilled chicken would be quite delish as well. 

Here's what you need:

• Mixed greens
• Chicken (rotisserie or grilled)
• Fresh peaches (I cut them in half and put them on the George Foreman for a few minutes, then sliced them)
• Chopped, roasted pecans
• Goat cheese, crumbled
• Balsamic dressing (recipe below)

Just pile it all together and enjoy!

If you want to make your own balsamic dressing, just mix together:

• 2 TBSP EVOO
• 1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• A pinch of sea salt 

Roasted Zucchini & Black Bean Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

Well, I am back from my adventures in Colorado and Kansas (I'm sure there will be a post coming soon). I think this week's Meatless Monday meal may be my favorite...although, they've all been really, seriously good. I slightly adapted the recipe from Sprouted Kitchen, using enchilada sauce from Tide and Thyme. These enchiladas and flavorful and filling. The goat cheese is perfect. I used some soft, white corn tortillas from Sprouts, which were particularly delicious. Probably my favorite corn tortillas ever. I am really glad that the brother is off at camp this week, because I don't have to share these with him...although I did have to mow the lawn...eh, still worth the extra enchiladas. 


Roasted Zucchini & Black Bean Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini, 1/4" diced 
EVOO
Lemon pepper
Garlic salt
Onion mixture left from making the enchilada sauce*
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 
5 oz soft goat cheese
8-10 corn tortillas
Red enchilada sauce (click here for recipe)

*If you choose to buy your enchilada sauce, use 1 small onion, diced, instead.

For serving:
2 avocados 
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Squeeze of lime

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the zucchini on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Toss it around to coat the zucchini. Roast on the middle rack for about 30 minutes until the edges are brown. Reduce heat to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine the onion and black beans. Crumble 4 oz of the goat cheese into the bowl. Add the roasted zucchini and mix. 
• In a rectangular baking dish, pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom. Working with one tortilla at a time, fill it with a rounded 1/4 cup of the filling and roll it up; place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Continue with the remaining tortillas, squeezing them into the dish. 
• Brush the tops of the enchiladas with EVOO. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tops. Crumble the reserved goat cheese over that. 
• Bake for about 20 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro, avocado and squeeze of lime. 

Enjoy!

In the meantime, I have just pulled out some yummy-smelling Apple Peanut Butter Snack Bars (flour and refined sugar free) from the oven. I've also been catching up on Downton Abbey and the old House of Cards...if someone has the new version of that, let me know.    

Apple, Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Chicken

I made some yummy chicken this past Tuesday evening as kind of a "last supper" before two days of camp food. I looked at several recipes online and took out what I didn't like (like breading and frying) and put together the things I did like. I was pretty excited about it. I don't believe I've ever done stuffed chicken before. My favorite party was beating the chicken breasts with a mallet. It's really pretty fun. I kind of expected the brother to be weirded out by the apples and spinach, but he said it was "fantastic." Score. Of course, I thought it was pretty good too. I'll admit, though, I'm a little weirded out by having my chicken wrapped around something. Not as much as I am by having it cubed (I actually won't eat cubed pieces of chicken...), but still. I really prefer chicken that is a piece, sliced, or shredded. Judge me. The flavor of this chicken was so good that I could getting over weird part. Also, it smells amazing while it's baking. Enjoy!


Apple, Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 oz goat cheese
1 apple, cored and finely diced
2 cups of spinach, chopped and steamed
Salt & pepper to taste

White Wine Sauce:
2/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup natural applesauce
2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp corn starch
2 TBSP water 
Rosemary, sage, salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare like an 8x8 baking dish.
• Place the chicken breasts between wax paper and pound (I used a mallet) until they're about 1/4" thick. Season with salt & pepper.
• In a bowl, mix the goat cheese, apple, and spinach. Evenly divide the mixture between each chicken breast. Fold over or roll up each piece. Place in baking dish.
• Bring the wine, applesauce, agave, and seasonings to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and water until smooth. Add to the sauce to thicken it a little. 
• Pour the sauce over the stuffed chicken. Bake for about 35 minutes or until done. 

*A good variation would be to simply place the apple/goat cheese/spinach mixture on top of the chicken breasts to bake. While that's happening, you could make your sauce to serve on top or on the side. Whatever you like!

Portobello Flatbread Panini

I'm initiating "Meatless Monday" at our house. I know it's Memorial Day, and we should be eating lots of meat and other things. But, in all honesty, I don't know how being thankful for those who've died serving and protecting our country equates to having a grill fest. I'm pretty sure that is not what this holiday is about. So, I made some super delicious portobello flatbread panini. (Which, I guess, did technically involve a "grill"...but it's still not your typical Memorial Day cheeseburger or hotdog.) The mother and I thought they were great. The brother went out with a friend tonight...I asked him if he was going out because he found out about Meatless Monday. He said, "Are you kidding me right now? What is with all the obscenity in this house?" Lucky for me though, since I now have, what would've been his dinner, for my lunch tomorrow. 


Portobello Flatbread Panini

Ingredients (for two):
2 large portobello mushrooms
1 sweet bell pepper (red, orange or yellow)
1/4 medium-large white onion
1 oz goat cheese
2 Lavash whole grain flatbreads 
Seasoning to taste--sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and basic
EVOO and balsamic for drizzling    

Directions:

• Heat up your George Foreman grill.
• Slice onion and bell pepper and place on grill, drizzling with EVOO and sprinkling with seasons. Grill for about 10 minutes, making sure they don't get too soft and lose their crunch. Set aside.
• Place the whole mushrooms on the grill, drizzling with EVOO and sprinkling with seasons. About 5-7 minutes in, drizzle the balsamic over the mushrooms and continue to grill until done. 
• Meanwhile, get out your flatbread and crumble up the goat cheese onto one side. 
• Once the mushrooms are done, slice them and place them on the flatbread along with the pepper/onion mix. 
• Fold the flatbread in half and place on the grill for about 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!

(Note: you could do the peppers, onions and mushrooms on the grill at the same time, if you have one that's big enough...)

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, and Basil

I threw this meal together the other night.  Basically we had a tomato and goat cheese that needed to be used...of course, there's pretty much always frozen chicken breasts on hand... It was very simple, yet there was a lot to taste and savor.  For the chicken, I just thawed it, sprinkled on lemon pepper seasoning and popped it on the George Foreman grill for a bit.  As it was cooking, I sliced up my tomato and got the oven broiling a little.  Once the chicken was almost done, I pulled it off the grill and placed it on a pan to go into the oven.  I topped the chicken with goat cheese, basil, tomatoes, and some fresh, coarse-ground black pepper.  I put it in the oven until the chicken was thoroughly cooked and the cheese was melt-y.  Yum!  I just use a steam-in-the-bag veggie mix for the side.  I think cooking a main course and side from "scratch" is too much for most weeknights...

Pesto & Goat Cheese Pizza

I threw this together the other night, and, oh, it was very, very tasty.  I found a yeast-free whole wheat pizza crust recipe online...just Google it.  Made the crust and threw on some pesto sauce, sauteed mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, red onion, and black olives, and finally sprinkled it with goat cheese...and by "sprinkled" I mean "dropped small clumps."  This was very simple to make...and quite enjoyable to eat.  I definitely would not mind repeating this one in the near future!

In case you didn't know, goat cheese doesn't really melt like, say, mozzarella.  It gets lightly golden on the outside, and it's creamy warm goodness in the middle.  Yum!

Strawberry Fields Salad

A while back, a friend let me try some of her Strawberry Fields Salad at TGI Friday's.  And, I knew immediately that I MUST have it again.  Strawberries.  Candied pecans.  Balsamic chicken.  GOAT CHEESE.  OH MY.  I had NO idea how AMAZING goat cheese is.  Wonderful.  Luckily, I was able to find strawberries, salad mixes, and goat cheese all on sale around the same time.  We already had chicken and pecans in the freezer.  The salad turned out fabulously delicious.  My brother even loved it, and he is usually opposed to salads as meals.  Also, he who says he doesn't like nuts, was caught snacking on the extra candied pecans.  But really, who wouldn't?  Here it is--

Strawberry Fields Salad

Ingredients:

50/50 field greens and baby spinach

Balsamic marinade and vinaigrette 

Chicken breasts

Strawberries, sliced 

Goat cheese 

Parmesan, freshly grated

Pecans, chopped

Brown sugar

Butter

Directions:

Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hr before grilling.  Grill until cooked thoroughly.  Slice to put on salad.  After slicing the strawberries, toss them with some balsamic vinaigrette and let them soak for a bit before placing on salad.  Crumble goat cheese and sprinkle on salad with parmesan.  Melt the butter in microwave-safe bowl.  Stir in brown sugar and pecans.  Bake at 400 until slightly golden.  Let cool and sprinkle on the salad.  Enjoy!