Caprese Grilled Cheese

I mentioned earlier that I'm currently obsessed with caprese. Caprese grilled cheese seemed like a logical next step. And it was delicious!! It was so fresh and did I mention delicious? When I make any new meal, I always ask Matt what he thinks and if this is a "do over" meal. This meal will definitely be a do over meal.

Ingredients

• 4 Whole wheat bread slices
• 8 oz. large ball fresh mozerella cheese, cut in thin slices
• 1 large tomato
• salt & pepper
• 2 Tablespoons basil pesto
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Brush butter on one side of 2 slices of bread.  Place buttered side down on medium-low skillet.  
2. Layer on each piece of bread - slices of mozerella cheese to cover each slice, slices of tomato to cover cheese. Sprinkle salt and pepper over tomato slices.  Spread generous tablespoon of pesto on remaining 2 slices of bread.  Place pesto side down on top of sandwiches.  Brush melted butter over top of slices and flip sandwiches when golden browned, about 1-2 minutes.   Grill over low to medium heat in skillet about 2 more minutes more but watch carefully!  Serve immediately!

Source: Dishin & Dishes

Caprese Pasta

I have a current summer obsession: anything caprese! I love fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil and of course balsamic vinegar. This recipe just looked perfect for a summer evening and so fresh! I loved it. It was really easy to put together because the only thing that really got cooked was the pasta. Everything else is added in the end.

I only made one change. I tried making a balsamic reduction to drizzle on top. It was good but I needed to let it chill longer. The longer it would have chilled the thicker it would have gotten. Regardless this meal was really good. It will be a summer staple recipe.

Ingredients

• 4-5 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat pasta
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, I used pearls
• Approximately 15-20 fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
• Balsamic Reduction

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.  Mix the ingredients well and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
3. Add the tomato mixture, mozzarella, and basil.  Toss gently, drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from The Curvy Carrot

Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium high heat. Stir vinegar to prevent burning.
2. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer until vinegar has reduced by half. 
3. Let chill. 

Vegetarian Enchiladas

I don't often cook a vegetarian meal. A lot of times when I find a recipe without meat I think it'd be so much better with some chicken or beef and so I modify the recipe. However, I thought this recipe looked really good so I figured I'd give it a try. The recipe was not hard to make but it took a little bit of time only because you had to prepare the filling, assemble the enchiladas, and then bake for about 40 minutes. I think next time it would be nice to find a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce. I enjoyed this meal and will definitely make it again.

I will note that I had good intentions of taking a picture.  However, I completely destroyed the enchiladas while I was plating them. Sorry!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups Enchilada Sauce, divided
• Cooking spray
• 8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups zucchini and corn; sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
3. Spread 1 cup Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and 14 tablespoons cheese. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas.
4. Cover with foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Calories: 348 Fat: 4.2g Protein: 16g Carbs: 47.2g Fiber:7g

Source: Cooking Light

Red Wine Spaghetti

I came across this recipe on Pink Parsleys blog. Her picture looked amazing and the recipe just looked different, but good. I was not disappointed. It was really easy to make but the outcome was fabulous. The flavors went really well together. It made a great dinner but I also think you could pair it with a meat and serve it as a side for a dinner party. It just looks fancy even though it's actually really easy to throw together. We will definitely make this again.

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 3 1/4 cups dry red wine
• salt
• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup walnuts (4 ounces) toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the water with 3 cups of the wine in a medium saucepan. Add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, stirring often. Drain, and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper, and season with salt. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
3. Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine and the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pasta and continue cooking to absorb most of the liquid. This will take about 2 minutes. 
4. Mix in the parsley, nuts, 1/2 cup cheese, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with additional salt and pepper, and serve with additional cheese. 

Adapted from Food and Wine, September 2009

Greek Pasta

This recipe came from All Recipes.  It seemed like a very simple recipe so I definitely made some changes. I added sauteed garlic and onions, white wine, and lemon juice. It was good but I thought it was lacking a little something. Next time I might use unseasoned diced tomatoes so I can use fresh herbs. I would also add even more feta. Can you ever really have enough feta?

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• splash of white wine 
• 10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in a large non-stick skillet until tender. 
3. Add tomatoes, beans, and a splash of white wine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.
5. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.

White Pizza with Mushrooms

We have these little cast iron skillets called Skookies. (You can bake cookies in them - Skillet + Cookies=Skookies). Matt and I love making little individual sized pizzas. We get this great multi grain pizza dough from Publix and then just change up the toppings each time. I didn't really use a recipe for the pizzas this time around, just threw things together. I noticed one time that Rachel Ray added just a pinch of salt to the top of her pizza so I did the same. It really brought out the flavors in the pizza and I really liked it. These pizzas were delicioius!

First I cut the dough into 4 pieces, rolled it out, and put it in 4 Skookie pans. Using a fork, I poked holes in the dough. I baked them at 400 degrees for 7 minutes.

While the dough was baking, a sauteed Baby Bella mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil. You don't want them to cook or brown too much so I didn't sautee them very long. Right at the end, I added just a splash of white wine. It gave them a really good flavor.

After taking the crust out of the oven, I put garlic and olive oil on top, sprinkled on cheese (Italian - a mixture of a couple different kinds of cheeses), added the mushrooms, and then added a small pinch of salt and a little cracked pepper. Then I put them back in the over for 7 minutes.

Pasta Primavera

I adapted this recipe from one on All Recipes. This dish seems to have a lot going on in it. However, I already happened to have many of these ingredients. Plus it had balsamic vinegar and seeing as how I currently am obsessing over balsamic vinegar, I thought this recipe would be perfect. I didn't use peppers or green beans but I did add a little extra asparagus than what the recipe called for. I love that the recipe tells you to roast the veggies because it's so easy and I love the flavor.

The dish turned out good but not amazing. I felt like it was missing something but Matt liked it. He said if I added anything to just add chicken. Maybe I'd add balsamic marinated chicken to bring out more of the balsamic flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. 
5. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. 
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.