Deviled Eggs

I have always been a fan of deviled eggs.  They remind me of my grandma as she has always made them for every holiday or party my family has (and if you know my family, you know this is at least once if not several times a month).  This was my first time making my own and I was a little nervous as I usually over cook eggs when I hard boil them, but I read this "how to" and the eggs came out perfect.  I used this recipe, but added chives on top and placed the eggs over pickles.  The result was better than expected and they were a huge hit!

Vegetarian Green Pozole

 This weekend, we were finally able to have a few friends over for dinner at our new house, but my husband came down with a cold.  I was a little torn because I wanted to make something soothing for him, but filling enough for our friends.  My favorite soup ever is Pozole and I have been dying to make the green kind so I thought may as well try it.  I made guacamole to have with chips as an appetizer and we shared a growler of Black Rye IPA (thanks Haven!), then made a simple chopped Kale and Radicchio salad with pepitas, dried cranberries and blue cheese tossed in a blush wine vinaigrette as a starter while moving on to drinking a Rangeland Syrah.

For the green sauce: Roast peeled Tomatillos, a Jalapeño, Serrano Chiles and
Garlic cloves.  While roasting, blend 1/2 cup of pepitas in a food processor.
Add the roasted veggies (remove all seeds from peppers) and blend until almost
smooth while adding a little olive oil.

On to the main event, my friend sent me her family recipe for a Green Chicken Pozole, which I used for the green sauce, but for the broth I ended up using the Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth. I don't think I completely nailed the green pozole as I wanted to roast the veggies for the tomatillo sauce before blending them, but instead simmered them in water.  Also, next time I am going to make it with chicken for more flavor than the vegetarian broth.  However, it was still very good and we had a great time!!

Once the green sauce is made, put it in a small pot and let it simmer on very low while you take the large pot and toss in diced onions, red bell peppers and garlic with a little olive oil.  Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes, then add rinsed Hominy (maize) and add cumin and cayenne pepper.  After 5 more minutes of stirring, add in vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, then add green sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors combine and settle.  Right before serving, add oregano, salt and pepper and lime juice.  

The best thing about pozole is adding all the condiments after! We used
chopped onions, radishes, cabbage, avocado, lime and tostadas!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Saturday was the first day of fall and I had to work all day/evening.  Upon getting off, all I wanted to do was cook a good meal, stay in with the husband and watch a movie while relaxing in sweats and an over sized t-shirt.  I decided to welcome in the season by cooking a winter squash meal, but still wanted something light.  Spaghetti squash was the perfect happy medium!  It can be substituted for any pasta dish and was super easy to make (BONUS: It is full of vitamins, fiber and folic acid and is only 42 cal/serving and unlike pasta, you will not be on carb overload)!

In preparing the squash, you can boil it or cook it in the oven or the microwave.  I chose to oven-roast mine while I was prepping the side salad and cutting up everything I need for the sauce (oh and drinking some Red wine). Cut the squash lengthwise, remove the seeds and pulp, and season with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and drizzled olive oil.  Preheat the oven to 350, and then roast it for 40 minutes.

Once the squash was done, I let it stand for a few minutes and prepared my sauce.  I sautéed thinly sliced garlic in about 1/4 cup EVOO for a few minutes on medium heat.  I then added sweet Golden tomatoes and let them blister in the mixture. After 3 minutes I added thinly sliced basil and Italian Seasonings and let the sauce simmer a bit more to release all of the flavors.  Once it was ready, I used a fork to scrape the "meat" of the squash out (it just shreds into long spaghetti-like noodles) and put it in a mixing bowl.  I then added the sauce and tossed it together with fresh diced Roma tomatoes (tomatoes are in full season right now), served it with a salad and topped it all with fresh grated Parmesan cheese!  So good and healthy!

I'm curious to know, have you made spaghetti squash before? If so, how do you like it best?!

Caprese Pasta

I love cooking at home, but sometimes it is difficult when you have a busy schedule and a lot of recipes can be quite complicated to fit in your time schedule.  This recipe is super simple yet delicious! This caprese pasta was incredibly flavorful yet light and was so easy to make even my husband could have done it (hehe-sorry Jon).  I used this recipe but I served it warm and added marinated artichoke hearts in order to give it a little extra flavor. YUM!

Watermelon Avocado Salad

It has been hot in Los Angeles this week! So yesterday in the late afternoon, I turned off the air and opened the windows for a nice summer breeze, put on French Cafe music via Pandora and made this salad (recipe here) for my husband and I as a romantic surprise when he got off work.  Paired with a glass of Pinot Noir, it was delicious and so relaxing to have a cafe experience in our own home.

Penne with Spinach Sauce

Last week I had one free night of not working and had time to run to the store (our fridge was basically empty) and make this delicious recipe here.  The sauce had just enough flavor without being overbearing and it was pretty healthy as well.  I used whole 100% whole wheat penne with flax instead of enriched pasta and added fresh diced tomatoes to give that extra flavor and freshness.

After cutting up fresh spinach, add the hot pasta directly over it to slightly wilt it.
Use a little leftover pasta water to add to the sauce to thin it out
just a bit (Not too much)

Stir it all together, serve and top with fresh diced tomatoes
and fresh grated pecorino. 

Mediterranean Orzo

This week is super busy for me as I am working 12 hour doubles between two of the three restaurants I call my employers, so last night I made a really simple, yet delicious dinner.   I used this recipe here, but decreased the measurements to make for two.  I also added in sautéed red bell peppers and fresh diced cucumber--it was really fast, easy and so good.  It's great on it's own, or you could add grilled lemon chicken or tilapia if you want a protein.  I paired it with a chilled Viognier.  =)

Weekend Libations

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day which for most people means corned beef and hash, green beers and Irish Car Bombs.  However, if you are having a get together at someones home or just making cocktails, here are some other great options--not everything has to be Irish themed, but there is a little green in all of them to assure you won't get pinched ;)

Moscow Mule
1/2 oz. lime juice
2 oz. vodka
4 oz. ginger beer

Black and Blue Mojito
3 blackberries
10 blueberries
7 mint leaves
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. light rum
top with club soda

Strawberry-Jalapeno Margarita (with a sea salt and chile rim)
2 strawberries
2 slices jalapeño
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. agave nectar
1 1/2 oz. silver tequila of your choice
1 oz. Cointreau

Jameson and Pickle Juice

The last one was taken at Casey' Irish Pub downtown and is a MUST TRY. If not there, try it at home--so good!

Oh, and craving a healthy yet delicious green snack this weekend? Then make this easy recipe of Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts with fresh squeezed lemon, ginger and cracked pepper.  

Lime Avocado Chickpea Salad

Okay, so this dish is not really a salad, it is more of a side dish or a light lunch, but it is delicious!!!  Last week, I made Veggie Enchiladas (recipe seen before here) and this dish and invited some friends over for dinner.  Everyone loved it as it was healthy, flavorful and not overly heavy like rice can be.  I used a recipe adapted from thediva-dish (I used the same step process, just slightly altered the ingredients).

Ingredients:

1/2 C. dry quinoa

1 C. vegetable broth

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 C. Heirloom tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 limes

zest of 1 lime

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of salt and pepper

Tomato-Basil Soup

Yesterday it was cold, dark, rainy and breezy in LA.  So on my way home from work, I decided to make something warm and comforting.  I used this recipe for the soup and made my own little mini-grilled cheese sandwiches.  It was a delicious combo and helped get us warm and cozy for the night!

{Veggie} Stuffed Tri-Colored Bell Peppers

Last week, I made stuffed bell peppers for my husband and I.  They turned out super yummy!!!  I used the Tri-Colored Peppers from Trader Joes, Beef-less "Meat" with Mexican seasoning, canned tomatoes with green chiles, and cheese.  I served them with spinach tossed in olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.  **If you're not vegetarian, use ground turkey instead for a healthy meal**

An easy, but delicious recipe!

Cut off the tops and remove all seeds

Get water to a boil and submerge peppers for 3-4 minutes
(or until their color gets brighter) to soften

While water is boiling, cook "meat" with cumin and cayenne
pepper, then add tomatoes without the juice

Place the bell peppers in a container to cook them in the oven
and stuff them with "meat" mixture

Add cheese and bake for 45 minutes at 350