Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

Hellooooo!!!!  Today is the first day of school for our family (except my kindergartner who starts tomorrow) and I feel as though life will finally return to normal once again!  I love summer, but boy was this last one a summer to go down in the history books in terms of craziness.  I am sad to see my kiddos gone during the day, but I am definitely welcoming a life of routine.

Our family was at a friend's house for a BBQ, and I was tasked with making this side dish.  I had no idea that this is what I would be making.  Of course, I was excited to help with the meal prep!  And, this dish was SO good, I just had to share it ASAP!

(I have no idea where the recipe came from, so I am not able to give credit where it is due - sorry!)

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 C halved grape tomatoes (we used 3/4 C grape tomatoes, 3/4 C roma tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T crumbled goat cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and garlic, cook 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar, cook 3 minutes.  Stir in salt.  Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.
How easy is that!!?? 
We used a combination of grape tomatoes and roma tomatoes - and the chopped romas sort of "melted", for lack of a better term which gave more of a sauce type mixture.  Personally, I really liked it that way as I prefer that texture vs. just straight tomatoes that are intact.  Yes, it's a quirk of mine.

The picture is not the best - I wasn't expecting to blog about this particular recipe and didn't have my camera with me.  However, my phone did a decent job, don't you think?!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Perfect Turkey Burgers

I love turkey burgers, but my hubby despises grilling them at home (he says they fall apart alot easier than grilling beef).  I am not the master griller of the home, and I don't know a thing about grilling.  I don't even know how to turn our grill on.  So, whatever hubby says, goes. 

But, I've been on the hunt for a really delicious turkey burger that passes hubby's strict guidelines for grilling.  This one passed with flying colors - FINALLY!  I found it in my most recent Food Network magazine and I was glad I did.  It was loved by all, even Miss Sunshine.

I modified the recipe slightly, and I will post what I made :-) 

Perfect Turkey Burgers
Original Recipe by Food Network
Makes 8 burgers

6-8 oz. baby portobella mushrooms, coarsely chopped into 1" pieces
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
3 T lightly packed fresh parsley, or 1 T dried
1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey
2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Kosher Salt and Pepper
8 slices of Swiss Cheese
8 English muffins, split
Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and sliced avocado, for topping

1. Place chopped mushrooms, shallots and parsley into food processor and pulse until chopped.
2. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl.  Add the turkey, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste; gently mix with your hands until just combined.  Divide into 8 burgers.  Put on a large plate, cover and refridgerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat a grill to medium.  Brush the grates with olive oil.  Grill the patties, undisturbed, until marked on the bottom, 4-5 minutes.  Give the patties a quarter turn and cook until marked again, 4-5 more minutes.  Flip the patties and grill until cooked through, 6-7 more minutes; top each with 2 slices cheese during the last 3 minutes of cooking and cover with a disposable aluminum pan to melt. 
4. Toast the English muffins on the grill, then spread with mustard and mayonnaise.   Serve the patties on the English muffins; top with avocado.

Chef Note: according to my hubby, it is very important to follow the grilling instructions.  It will make a difference in the end result.

It was really hard for both hubby and I to eat just one turkey burger!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas

Happy post 4th of July!  I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday enjoying our independance ;-)

A very good friend of mine, Liz, sent me this cookbook quite some time ago and I've been meaning to post a great recipe I found from it.  Liz: so sorry it took me so long to brag about this awesome cookbook!  Everyone else: it's called "No Whine with Dinner" and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  It's written by 2 dieticians, who are also moms, who also have a hard time finding healthy options for their kids to eat.  This cookbook is the answer if you have kids who are hard to feed.

This is one of our favorites from this cookbook so far:

Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas
Original recipe by "No Whine with Dinner" cookbook, pg. 81

2 T canola oil, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice (1 1/2 C)
2 fully cooked apple chicken sausages, casings removed and meat coarsely chopped
1 C reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
2 T BBQ sauce
5 8" flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

1. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large nonstick skillet of medium-high heat.  Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.  Stir in the sausage, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
2. In a bowl, stir together the cooked bell pepper and sausage, cheese, corn and BBQ sauce.  Spread the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla.  Fold over, press down gently, and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tsp. of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (you may want to wipe out the skillet first).  Add 2 of the prepared quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the bottoms are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes.  Flip them and cook until the other sids are golden, about 2 minutes.
4. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas.  Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

We wrapped these up and took them to a softball game.  They travelled nicely and were delicious!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Homemade Granola Bars

My hubby and I have been training to run longer distances - we are not "runners" by any stretch of the imagination.  But, it's one way for us to spend time together and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Currently, we are training for our first 10k race - we are very excited about it! 

We probably run about 4 times a week, and I have realized that what we consume throughout the week affects whether we have a good run or not.  Let me emphasize - we are not crazy health nuts (not that there is anything wrong with that).  We do believe in moderation for everything, including things that health nuts probably would swear off.  But, I love to eat good food - I definitely carry a "sinners and saints" type attitude toward eating.

I also believe I am becoming more aware of what I am putting into my body in terms of sodium, artificial flavors and sugar content.  Which is why I believe in homemade SO much - I am in control AND I have full knowledge of what my family is consuming. 

I love granola bars - but I even remain quite skeptical of anything commercial that is labeled "healthy".  When you actually read the ingredients, alot of times it's far from healthy.  So, when I came across this recipe for homemade granola bars - I couldn't resist.  It would provide great fuel as we train and increase our running distance, as well as just finding a good ole' healthy snack.  Win-win.

Homemade Granola Bars
Original Recipe by Ina Garten "Back to Basics" Cookbook, page 242

2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 C sliced almonds
1 C shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 C toasted wheat germ
3 T unsalted butter
2/3 C honey
1/4 C light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C chopped pitted dates
1/2 C chopped dried apricots
1/2 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 x 12" baking dish and line with parchment paper.
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
*Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.  Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
Pour the mixture into a prepared pan.  Wet your fingers and lightly press evenly into the pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown.  Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.  Serve at room temperature.

They were SOOOO good!  My daughter ended up bringing them to school with her lunch, as well as my hubby - so now the pressure is on to make more for them!!  But - once you make these, you'll realize there is NO pressure because they are super easy.  :-)

Chef's notes:
- I used a 9x13 dish instead of an 8x12.
- I omitted the dates - I just don't care for them.
- I used both regular dried apricots and organic.  My advice - go organic!  They taste way better!!
- I found they were a bit crumblier than I preferred, so I will continue to "play" with this by possibly adding more honey and butter (seriously, that won't do any harm, right?)
- The first time I made this, I forgot to turn the oven down and they ended up slightly burnt.  Instead of tossing, I broke it up into crumbly pieces, and I'll eat it over plain vanilla yogurt.  I don't believe in wasting ANYTHING!!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina