Roasted Vegetable Skewers, Grilled Caprese Kabobs, and Garlic Couscous

Yummy, easy, and healthy.

Veggie Skewers
You can always sub in other veggies, and if it is grilling season where you live, try grilling them!

1/2 a medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 basket of baby portobello mushrooms (white button would work as well)
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
1 onion, cut into one inch peices

Using wooden skewers, slide pieces of vegetable onto them in a pattern. Leave at least a 1/2 inch on each side of the skewer. Drizzle with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper.

If grilling, heat grill and add skewers, cooking until vegetables are soft. Avoid charring. If roasting, preheat your oven to 375 and cook on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.

You can do these on a grill pan, but they may not cook as evenly, so I suggest sticking to the oven unless you are using a grill with a closeable top.

Grilled Caprese Kabobs

4 oz of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 pint of grape tomatoes
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp dried basil (dry works better than fresh in this case, because it will stick better and packs in a little more flavor)

Heat a grill pan or counter top grill to medium heat. Using wooden skewers, slide on mozzarella and tomatoes. Drizzle with a little olive oil, vinegar, and the basil. When grill is hot, add skewers and allow to cook for a minute or two, just until cheese begins to melt slightly. Turn over and do the same.

Garlic Couscous

Follow directions on the box for ratios of couscous and water/broth, it may vary between brands and varieties.

Boil water or broth (I suggest broth for this recipe, it adds a little extra flavor). Put couscous in a serving bowl and add 2 minces garlic cloves. Add boiling water or broth and cover with plastic wrap for at least 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and add salt and pepper to taste.

White Chicken Chili

Soooooo good. My recipe is spicy, but a good spicy, so tone it down if you need to by omitting the jalapeno. I made this with half and half, so it is not fat free, but it is only a 1/2 a cup in the whole pot, so don't feel too guilty!

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 4 oz can chopped green chillies
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped into fairly small pieces (wear gloves when handling!!)
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 15 oz cans white kidney beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 c half and half
3 tbs flour
Diced green onion

In a skillet, heat oil and add chicken. Cook through, but avoid browning too much. Meanwhile, heat over medium high a little oil in a medium size pot and add onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften and add garlic. Cook for a minute or two then add canned peppers, jalapeno, chicken, beans and spices. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, beat together half and half and flour. Quickly stir in half and half mixture, return to a boil, and then turn down heat to low and allow chili to thicken a bit, stirring regularly. Serve in bowls with green onion.

Capellini Pomodoro

When I was younger I would go through phases of ordering the same thing whenever we went out to eat. For some time it was steak sandwiches, followed by Chicken Parmesan, and most definitely Capellini Pomodoro. This pasta is so fresh tasting and flavorful it is hard not to love it. Plus it literally takes 10 minutes to make, so if you are in a rush, make this!

1/2 a package of angel hair pasta
6 Roma tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 an onion, minced
A handful of fresh basil, chopped or 1 tbs dry basil
A dash of salt and pepper
olive oil

Heat a little olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half length wise and using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Dice each half of the tomato. Add the tomato, garlic, basil, a little salt and pepper and cook until just heated through. Add the hot pasta to the tomatoes, drizzle a little olive oil over the pasta, and toss to combine.

Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Little man and I spent the weekend at my sister in law's house recently while the big boys went on a sailing adventure. The morning they came home they were exhausted and starving, so I whipped together these yummy biscuits based on my Cheddar Thyme Biscuits.

2 1/2 c Bisquick
1/2 a stick of cold butter, chopped into pieces
3/4 c milk
6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces and fried until just crisp
1 c cheddar cheese
Honey or real maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl, use a fork or pastry blender mix together Bisquick and butter until butter breaks up into pea size bits. Mix in milk, cheddar, until just blended. Stir in bacon. Drop onto a an ungreased cooking sheets in about 2 tbs portions. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops of biscuits have browned. If desired, drizzle with honey or maple syrup (it's good, I promise!).

Thyme Glazed Pork Loin with Roasted Asparagus and Sweet Potato Fries

Thyme Glazed Pork Loin

2 tbs ground thyme
3 tbs garlic, minced
6 whole cloves of garlic
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs honey
2 lb pork loin

Preheat oven to 400. Place pork in a roasting pan lined with foil. Using a knife, make 6 slits on the top of the roast that zigzag. The slits should go about halfway down to the center of the roast. Stick a whole clove of garlic in the slit and then press the opening back together. In a bowl, combine thyme, garli, lemon, oil, and pepper. Brush mixture all over pork loin and bake for 45 minutes. Brush on honey and roast for another 25 minutes. Pork should reach an internal temperature of 160.

Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Roasted Asparagus
This is the best asparagus, and the only way to cook it in my opinion.

1 lb fresh asparagus, bottoms removed
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp sea salt, kosher salt, or another coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. On a cookie sheet or roasting pan with side, lay out asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and add garlic. Shake pan to distribute garlic and oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until asparagus is soft and begins to crisp.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato, scrubbed
1 tbs sea or kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Cut sweet potato in half, width wise, and then each half into quarters. Cut each quarter into wedges that are no bigger than a half an inch. In a gallon size baggie, place potato wedges, salt, cinnamon, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and 1 tbs oil.

Drizzle oil generously onto a cookie sheet. Place seasoned potato wedges onto pan in a single layer. Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes turning halfway.

Tomato Basil Soup

Another low fat, satisfying soup.

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c packed basil, shredded or chopped
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c milk (nonfat is fine)

In a soup pot, add a little oil, the onion, and the garlic. Cook until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes and heat through, then add broth and basil. Puree soup in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Return to pot and add milk and bring to a boil.

Serve with a grilled cheese for a perfect, homemade classic combo.

Carne Asada Tacos with Homemade Salsa and Guacamole

2 lbs thin cut top round (often marked as Carne Asada), sliced against the grain in about 4 inchpeices
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (I like Kosher)
Juice of 1 lime
A handful of chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Corn tortillas

Combine all of the above in a gallon size plastic baggie. Allow to marinate over night or for at least 6 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour contents of baggie into skillet. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until meat is cooked.

Preheat another pan over medium-high and add a tortilla, cooking about a minute on each side. Fill with meat, salsa, and guacamole (recipes below).

Homemade Salsa
I usually stick to pico, but it can be a little tedious to chop everything up, so I found this recipe (actually I found it over and over again on a ton of different blogs and websites) and perfect! I added garlic, because like I have said before, it's just what I do.

1 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes (don't drain, you need the juice!)
2 cans Rotel
1/2 a chopped onion
3 cloves garlic (throw them in whole)
1 Jalapeno, seeded (unless you want a hot salsa, I suggest removing half of the seeds)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
A handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 of a lime, juiced

Toss all of the above in a food processor or blender (I suggest a blender unless you have a monster food processor). You may need to do this in batches as well.

Makes around 6 cups.

Guacamole

2 avocados, mashed
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Combine. Eat. Love.