Easter Sunday

Happy Easter - we had a wonderful day, went to church, dinner at my parents, ate way too much, egg hunt!

Black Bean Salad

Now that the weather is warming up.. or is it they are predicting snow tonight? I have been looking for lighter foods to make including side dishes. Away with the loaded carbs of potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
I was looking for something to serve with hamburgers the other night. I normally make turkey burgers but apparently two little people in my house were like can we have "real" burgers?! Really!
I came across this recipe for a black bean salad which reminds me of a Black Bean Salsa that my sister and I make. I was hesitant to make it thinking it would taste like salsa but it didn't!
It was fresh, tasty and super easy to whip up! This will be on the list to make again.


1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions

Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

Source: All Recipes

Fajitas!

We love mexican food! We could eat it almost every night! I love the flavors of cumin, cilantro, lime! Ohhh.. and i love a good margarita!

I have made this recipe before and sort of forgot about it. I whipped it up the other night - tasty! It is packed with flavor for sure! And on the healthier side too!





Ingredients
1 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup lime juice, about 2 limes
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded if desired
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
1 1/2-pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
2 orange and/or yellow bell peppers, quartered, seeds removed
1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt
12 corn tortillas
1. Put the cilantro, lime juice, broth, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, honey, and salt in a blender, puree until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons; do not wash out the blender.

Put chicken breasts in a medium bowl and the peppers and onions in another. Divide the remaining cilantro puree evenly between the chicken and the peppers and onions. Toss well to coat the chicken and vegetables and let stand, at room temperature, for 30 minutes.

2. Add the avocado, 1/2 cup water, and the reserved 2 tablespoons cilantro sauce to the blender. Puree until smooth and season with salt. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a small skillet set over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin and coriander and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour the spices over the yogurt and set aside for the flavors to blend. Stir before serving.

4. Preheat a grill for medium-high/direct heat cooking. Oil the grill grates. Grill the chicken and vegetables, turning, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 5 to 8 minutes for the vegetables and 12 to 15 minutes for the chicken. Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Place the tortillas on the grill until just warmed through, about 30 seconds.

5. To assemble the fajitas: slice the onions and peppers into thin strips and then slice the chicken. Place some peppers, onions, chicken and cilantro in a tortilla topped with the spiced yogurt and the avocado sauce.

Source: Food Network

Happy 40th to my sister

My sister's birthday is today and she is turning 40!
It feels as though we were just young girls playing in the backyard, chasing each other, laughing, yelling, arguing, going on a family vacations, borrowing each other clothes.
Now we have our own families, kids, jobs and lives to juggle!
But no matter what we always take the time to pick up the phone to chat, plan a dinner with the family, take vacations together and start traditions together in this period of our lives!
Happy 40th Rachel! You are an amazing woman, sister, wife and mother! Love ya lots!

Thai Chicken Wrap with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I was running out of ideas on what to make for dinner. Especially this time of year with the seasons changing - change up your wardrobe and change up your cooking menu.
I made this before but it's been awhile. Glad I brought it back to the menu - tasty! This is a very refreshing, light meal.
One thing that needs to change is the spicy peanut sauce - its more like a spread when I make it not a sauce. I am going to have to tweak that abit. I used whole wheat shells instead of flour shells.






3 (6-ounce) chicken breasts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
Salad:
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on an angle
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots, available in pouches in produce department
3 scallions, sliced on an angle
12 leaves basil, chopped or torn
3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves (4 sprigs)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Salt
Spicy peanut sauce:
1/4 cup room temperature chunky peanut butter, soften in microwave if it has been refrigerated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (12-inch) flour tortilla wraps
Directions
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Toss chicken with soy and oil and grill 6 minutes on each side.

Combine cucumber, sprouts, carrots, scallions, basil, mint and sesame with a generous sprinkle of sugar and vinegar. Season salad with salt, to taste.

Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne together. Stream in vegetable oil.

Slice cooked chicken on an angle. Toss with veggies and herbs.

In a very hot nonstick skillet or over a gas burner heat tortillas 15 seconds on each side.

Pile chicken and veggies in wraps and drizzle liberally with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling.

Source: Food Network Rachel Ray

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I made this pie over the weekend - can I say YUM YUM!!! Of course what i loved about it - it was easy, quick and delish!



Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Recipe from Nestle

Preheat oven to 325

1 unbaked pie crust, homemade or store bought
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter softened (1 and 1/2 sticks)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the flour, sugars, butter and mix in with the eggs. Stir in the chips. Pour into your pie crust.
Bake 50 -55 minutes. Let cool, serve with ice cream (my favorite is Edy's Slow Churned).

Source: Love from the Oven

PIZZA PIZZA

We love pizza, my kids could eat it every night if I let them. Even though we love pizza we don't eat that often or we try not too. I decided to change things up with our pizza and move away from frozen or take out.
I bought some naan from our local store and fresh ingredients. This is what we had and it was tasty! The kids were like this is the BEST pizza we ever had.
For the kids pizza I used turkey pepperoni and we had a caprese pizza with fresh mozzarella, basil, pesto and tomatoes - yummmmm! I did use a canned pizza sauce. As summer arrives and I will try to make a home made pizza sauce.
It was a quick, inexpensive and a fairly healthy dinner!

April is Autism Awareness

This is for my big guy Tyler - we love you lots! He has come a long way from the time he was diagnosed with Autism.
Tyler can bounce a ball, he is shooting baskets, he can verbalize his needs (sometimes we have to tell him to slow down when he is talking), he gives hugs, you can touch his hair, he is more aware of social ques but needs some reminding at time.
We are thankful for all the support we have received through his school, community, our friends and family!