Green Goddess Dressing

When I took my first bite of this salad, I said "it tastes like a garden"!! This dressing is full of fresh, bright flavors and a little goes a long way. I had never had Green Goddess before, but now I know I will be having it again! My salad has red peppers (you can probably find those peppers in almost every recent dinner meal--always on special at our local grocer!), chicken, cucumbers, mixed field greens, and BLUEBERRIES!! I love the little sweetness that the blueberries add to a salad (they're also really good with balsamic vinegar-based dressings).
I got this recipe from Macaroni and Cheesecake, and it's an original Ina Garten recipe. I didn't have anchovy paste, so I know I missed out on a layer of flavor, but I have bad memories of anchovy paste, including the tube bursting from the back end and going all over my clothes and hands and smelling like it for about 24 hours. yuck. I'm sure the anchovy paste would add a great depth to your flavor if you are up for it!





Green Goddess Dressing


1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions (used chives from my back porch instead!)
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (Ina's original calls for basil rather than parsley/cilantro, which I think would be AWESOME!)
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove chopped garlic
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Chop all herbs. (I'll admit it, I didn't chop anything--just tossed it all in the Magic Bullet and it did the work for me). In a blender (or MB!), combine all ingredients and blend until you reach a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. The dressing should be kind of a creamy avocado color.

from Macaroni and Cheesecake

Chicken Tequila Burgers

This great summer recipe came from Loves to Eat, a great source for clean eating recipes. We obviously aren't clean eaters, but I like to throw in as many colors and healthy recipes into our meals as possible!
I'm sure you could leave out the tequila, but I still have the same bottle from at least a couple of years ago that I only use occasionally in recipes, so I used it in this. Made a real dent using a whole tablespoon...
I really liked this recipe and am excited to have leftovers for lunch with a salad. I enjoyed mine topped with sauteed red bell peppers, lettuce, a thin spread of sour cream, and a few drops of hot sauce. Lots of layers of flavors with the cilantro and lime in the burgers, also. These were easy to make ahead and just broil when I was ready. You could certainly make these up the day before and have dinner already prepped for the next night!
And keep scrolling for culinary school pictures if you're interested!!

Chicken Tequila Burgers

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (had to leave this out so Norris would eat them, but I think they would be great in these!!)

2 chicken breasts, about 1 lb total

4 tbsp cilantro

zest of 1/2 lime

1 oz. tequila

dash of soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

buns, lettuce, peppers, or whatever you'd like to top them with!!

Preheat broiler on high.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine garilc, jalapeno, chicken breasts, cilantro, and lime zest in a food processor. Pulse until the chicken is ground and looks uniform.

Add in the tequila, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and panko. Pulse until combined well.

Form 4 patties and place them on prepared baking sheet.

Broil burgers for about 6-7 minutes on each side.

Serve with your preferred toppings.

We received our class pictures from the second year of culinary school and they were fun to look at! I didn't take a single picture with my own camera this year, which was silly now that I think about it. I will remember next year!!

Left: preparing mirepoix on stocks day; Right: sifting ingredients on baking day

Summer Shrimp Rolls

This was one of my most favorite dishes in a while! They taste just like summer to me...soo good!

I would guess these are called "summer" because they use fresh sweet corn and pesto. BUT, you can freeze your corn on the cob while it's good and sweet AND freeze your basil, so really, this can be a year-round recipe even using fresh ingredients!! Even Norris, who wouldn't even try my pesto chicken panini last week, really enjoyed this recipe made with pesto. It gives it such a fresh flavor.

This winner is from Rachael Ray's magazine. She suggests serving it on hot dog buns or over greens (which would also be good), but I served it on broiled Nature's Own whole wheat sandwich thins and thought they were great that way! (good open faced if you want to cut out one side of the bread). Try this while that basil in your backyard is still going wild and the farmers are still selling corn on the roadside!!

Summer Shrimp Rolls

from Rachael Ray Magazine from last summer

1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)--I boiled this for about 8 minutes before using in recipe to make it a little more tender

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup pesto

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped (I just sprinkled on top, since I am the only pepper eater in my household)

3 scallions, thinly sliced (I left out, but I'm sure they would be good)

salt and pepper to taste

your preferred delivery method, whether it's buns, sandwich bread, greens, or just a plate!! I broiled Swiss cheese on Norris' slices of bread so his also had a cheesy flavor on it, but I definitely don't think cheese is necessary.

Combine the mayonnaise, pesto, and lemon juice and refrigerate.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and stir until cooked. It should be opaque/pink...will only take a few minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in corn. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then combine with pesto mixture. Sprinkle with the red peppers and/or scallions and serve.

Salad Dressing

Another simple salad dressing that's hardly a "recipe", but if you're still eating dressing from a bottle, come on over to the other side! All you need is a few ingredients and a mason jar!!

Simple Salad Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
~1/4 tsp Key West seasoning (combo of lemon peel, basil, and garlic mostly)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in jar. Screw lid on TIGHTLY and shake it up!!! Store in fridge for about a week.
In dog news, can you tell that they really get along well??? :) Not a hug!!

Slow Cooker Puffy Pizza Casserole

It's no secret that we love our homemade pizza in this household, but I wanted to try something new. A Year of Slow Cooking is a great resource during the school year as it has all slow cooker recipes (and so much variety!!). She cooks all gluten free, so check out her site if that applies to your family also!

Norris really loved this--he wants me to make it again tomorrow. He said it was like "pizza and dumplings" I cooked the ground beef and made the tomato sauce the night before so that all I had to do on the night I wanted to make it was to pour it all in the crockpot and turn it on! It takes 4 hours on high, which is a strange amount if you work until 5 or so and don't have a chance to go home to turn it on. But for me, it was perfect and ready at around 7:30! (a little late, but it was Norris' late class night). I would cut back on the salt a bit next time, but wouldn't make any other changes!!

Seriously, casseroles and enchiladas make the worst pictures, and they taste great!

Slow Cooker Puffy Pizza Casserole

from A Year of Slow Cooking (I wrote in my changes; click the link to see original recipe)

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

homemade spaghetti mix packet (recipe below)

1/2 tsp oregano

15 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 cup AP flour

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

20 pepperoni slices

Spaghetti sauce mix:

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp dried minced onion

1 tbsp parsley flakes

1 tsp white sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Cook meat with onion and garlic, then drain fat. Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, water, and spaghetti sauce mix. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes. (at this point I put it in the fridge until the next day)

Spray 4 quart slow cooker and pour meat sauce in bottom.

Combine flour, eggs, milk, and cheese in separate bowl, then pour on top of meat sauce. Top with pepperonis and cover with lid. Cook on high for about 4 hours, until the top becomes light golden brown and the bread layer begins to pull away from the sides.

Crispy Honey 5-Spice Chicken

I have to get it out there: I had dark chocolate with strawberries for lunch, a couple of bites of ice cream for a snack, and I'm going to help at a cupcake class tonight. I need to see this picture with vegetables in it to remind myself to get back to those! I'm sure my guaranteed stomachache from the sugar and caffeine will help me get back to regular habits tomorrow, too!!

Anyway, this was really good and as I was eating it, I was thinking this would be great for people with kids as a healthy chicken nugget when all your kids want to do is go through the McD's drive thru. But hey, I don't have kids, so I don't know how hard it is to actually take care of other humans plus make them meals!
Give your cooked chicken a thin drizzle of honey right before eating!

Crispy Honey 5-Spice Chicken

adapted from Stephanie Cooks (check out her post for a ginger variation and different coating)

2 cups lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup honey, plus extra for drizzling
2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 pound boneless chicken tenders, cut into "nuggets"
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 slice whole wheat bread, processed to crumbs
1/2 cup bran flakes, processed to crumbs (you can use whatever combo of coating you want, but I wanted to add in some fiber with the bran)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Combine buttermilk, honey, 1 tsp of 5-spice powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and chicken in a Ziploc or container and marinate at least 2 hours, or overnight. (I marinated about 24 and got some really tender chicken!)
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Combine panko, 1 tsp 5-spice powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, seasoned salt, breadcrumbs, cereal crumbs, and flour in a Ziploc. Remove chicken from marinade and toss to coat. Lay out on baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and coat once more with nonstick cooking spray.
Serve with a drizzle of honey!

Edit: I had this for leftovers THREE times and it was great each time! For a crispier "crust" leftover, heat it in the oven. I thought it was fine heated in the microwave at work, though!

Tilapia with Lime-Jalapeno Butter

Still trying to clear things out of our freezer and refrigerator! The ironic part has been that I've made some of the best meals we've had lately while trying to "get rid" of things! I love this fish with the lime-jalapeno butter on top. It only has a light coating and then a little of the butter goes a long way, so while it might not be the healthiest way to consume fish, it can't be the worst either. Balance it out with a serving of vegetables and it's a great meal.

Pan Seared Tilapia with Lime-Jalapeno Butter

3 (4 oz) skinless tilapia fillets
1/4 tsp salt + pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (mixed together)
~2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter (room temp)
2 tsp minced red onion
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp minced jalapeno
salt and pepper to taste

Combine butter, onion, zest, juice, jalapeno, salt, and pepper and put in the refrigerator. I like to form a ball by wrapping it with plastic wrap before I put it back in the fridge.
Pat tilapia dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in seasoned flour mixture.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat until sizzling (not smoking!!--you should see ripples in it, but no smoke coming from it). Saute the fish, flipping after 2-3 minutes or after the underside is light golden brown. The total cook time for both sides should be around 5-6 minutes.
Serve with a small dollop of lime jalapeno butter--it will melt right across your fish and give it fantastic flavor!

adapted from this epicuriuos recipe and a recipe from Bonnie!

and because I think this is funny...trying to pick up the dogs. This is how we weigh them (Bear now weighs 70 lbs, Bruno 65!) Bruno is not a fan of getting picked up, but Bear LOVES it just like the big cow that he is!

okay, Bear looks GIGANTIC in this picture!