Ja cię kocham…

Hazelnut Pesto and Grilled Vegetable Pizza

I really wasn’t going to post these dishes because pizza and nachos are easy to make, and you don’t need me to tell you how to make pizza or nachos.   But I decided to pay tribute to fun, festive food consumed when I’m watching football with the hubby.

There is nothing better (well, ALMOST nothing better) than piling on the couch in sweatpants and your favorite sports team’s jersey, turning on ESPN and watching the game with real sports food – pizza, nachos, chips & dip, hoagies, etc.

Yes, I said hoagies.  I’m a Philly girl.  It’s not a sub or a hero.  It’s a hoagie.

As much as I love lazy days when I can go less than a mile down the road and order a pizza, nachos, or a hoagie, I also love the days when I can have my favorite sports meals made with a little lovin’ from my own kitchen.  And I use lotsa lovin’.

The pizza in the first picture – we’ll call it Hazelnut Pesto & Grilled Vegetable Pizza – was made using whatever I had in the fridge.  I did this before when I made my Everything But the Kitchen Sink Pizza.  I enjoy these types of recipes because I get to use up all the leftover veggies lingering in my fridge before they go funky on me.  I don’t do funky veggies.  And I get so upset when I have a few slices of bell pepper in the fridge with no purpose.  I can’t just throw it out.  I’ll just put it on my pizza…

Hazelnut Pesto & Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
olive oil

For the pesto:
2 LARGE handful of basil leaves, stems removed
handful of hazelnuts
1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the toppings:

4 slices of bacon
1/4 cup eggplant, diced
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup orange bell pepper
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
your favorite cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Put all pesto ingredients except for the olive oil into a food processor and start pulsing it.  While pulsing, add the olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Place a medium skillet on medium-high heat.  Add bacon slices.  Cook until crispy.  Set aside.  Leave drippings in pan.

Still on medium-high, add vegetable toppings (except garlic) to skillet.  Saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened.

Roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface and brush lightly with olive oil.  Spread pesto onto pizza surface.  Then add sauteed vegetables, garlic, and cheese.

Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until edges brown and cheese melts.

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Ja Cie Kocham’s Loaded Nachos

My family has a thing for nachos.  We’re known to order them as our main meal at a restaurant and eat the whole thing by ourselves.

What?  Nachos are AWESOME.  I bet you do it, too.

Nachos can be zapped in the microwave…. I have seen a few friends put tortilla chips on a plate with salsa and cheese and microwave them for 30 seconds, which is totally acceptable but I wanted some pizazz for these babies.

I wanted the works – the salsa, the fresh tomatoes, the scallions, the avocado, the refried beans, the bacon, the beef, and most importantly THE CHEESE.  I seriously made enough for 8 people for Jay and I, and we almost polished off the entire thing on our own.  I couldn’t breathe when I was done and I was even full the next morning… now that’s what I call loaded nachos!

Ja Cie Kocham’s Loaded Nachos

Ingredients:

1 bag of corn tortilla chips
4 slices of bacon
1 – 1.5 lbs. hamburger
1 15 oz. can refried beans
1 jar chipotle salsa
your favorite shredded cheese
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium skillet placed on medium-high heat, cook your bacon.  Once bacon is crispy, remove it and keep the drippings in the pan.  Add the hamburger.  Cook until brown.

On a large cookie sheet covered in nonstick spray, spread out the nachos.  Add the hamburger, refried beans, salsa and cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes or until refried beans and salsa are hot and cheese is melted.

Crumble up bacon that you have set aside.

Take out of oven and add the remainder of the ingredients, including the bacon that you have reserved.  Serve immediately.

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Other fun recipes for sports watching at home:

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

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Hot Bean and Cheese Dip

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Petite Pineapple and Prosciutto Pizzas

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White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

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Enjoy yourself and give your sports food a little lovin’ from your kitchen…

Hello you sinfully satisfying sandwich.  Thank you for being so sweet and creamy, melting in my mouth with every delectable bite.  I have never truly believed in love at first sight, but you have proven me wrong.  I fell for you the moment I laid eyes on you.  And I fell hard.

You didn’t disappoint.

The Travel Channel has this awesome show that the hubby and I watch called Man vs. Food.  Have you seen this show?!?  Adam Richman (the host) goes around to different towns to tackle the most monstrous food challenges from the insanely spicy hot wings to the largest hamburger platters the world has ever seen.  And he eats it all.  Adam is the man, and he has conquered food.

During one episode he visited Pittsburgh.  Now I’m from PA  (and if you’re from PA, you say “PA”, not “Pennsylvania”.  It’s a state law, I swear), and I’ll be honest, I have never had the desire to go to the Burgh.  (Sorry Steelers fans. )  I visited the Burgh during my tour of the University of Pitt during my high school years… and subsequently went to Temple University because I have a love affair going on with Philly.  Anyway, what I DID NOT know during my tour of Pittsburgh was that the people eat LARGELY.  When you order breakfast, you get a meal for like 6 people!  They even serve ICE CREAM on their french toast and pancakes.  Oh Pittsburgh, why I have I neglected you?!  A french toast sundae?!?!  Can I start drooling now?!?

I decided to make my own Pittsburgh breakfast with the help of food blogger Burghilicious.  She turned my absolute FAVORITE sandwich (PB and banana) into something so heavenly that I HAD to make it – a PB and banana french toast sandwich.  It was outstanding!  And it was so simple to make.

I used cinnamon bread from the local Amish Market and boy was that a smart move.  Nothing beats homemade cinnamon bread, especially from Shady Maple.   Make sure your bread is sturdy otherwise the sandwich will turn into a droopy, soggy mess.  Lauren, from Burghilicious, used thick slices of challah bread.

If you decide to serve this sandwich with a healthy scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream, please be sure to invite me over to your house because I want some.

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast Sandwich

Source: Slightly adapted from Burghilicious

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 slices cinnamon or challah bread, 1/2 inch thick
2-3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2-3 ounces peanut butter, at room temperature
1-2 bananas, sliced no thicker than 1/4 inch
2 eggs
1 Tbs. half and half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons butter for the pan
confectioner’s sugar for topping
maple syrup

Directions:

Spread 4 slices of bread with a nice layer of cream cheese and other 4 slices with peanut butter.  Add banana slices to the peanut butter slices.

Close the slices to make a sandwich.  In a large skillet warm butter on medium-high heat.

Mix eggs, cream, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl.  Generously dip the all sides of the sandwiches into the egg mixture and place in buttered skillet.  Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Place sandwiches on serving dish, pour maple syrup on them, and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Enjoy!

I know, I know… I can’t get enough of fall flavors!  It’s too much fun.

Now that I’ve started a new job, I’m out the door in a hurry every blessed day.  Typically I have a banana, a granola bar, and coffee, but I’m in the mood for something a little different this week.  I actually had a free moment this afternoon and decided to whip up some bread.  This bread was far from high maintenance… I love recipes that are incredibly easy.   And it was just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth but also just tart enough to keep things interesting.  It was perfect!!  Eat it warmed with a little butter and honey – it is delicious!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Bread

Source: Adapted from Blue Ridge Baker and Martha Stewart Every Day Food

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity), and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about an hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to cool completely.

Aren’t fall flavors fun?!  The aromas are so comforting and just make everything smell like home.  Our household is a huge fan of warmed apple cider in the crock pot.  We are fortunate enough to have wineries very close to our home and we like to pick out their spiced apple cider and warm it in the crock pot.  Now THAT’S a winner!

This is a non-alcoholic beverage, but you could very easily add your liquor of choice (spiced rum, vodka…etc) while making this.  I chose not to add liquor because being at my ripe old age of 27, I tend to have trouble sleeping when I have a night cap.  I like to save those drinks for the weekend when I can sleep in a little.   There is nothing worse than being wide awake at 2am when you have to work in the morning.  *Sigh*

Try this fall sipper out!  You use basic ingredients that you most likely already have, and if you don’t, it’ll cost you pennies.  You’ll kids will love this, too (sans alcohol, of course)!

Mulled Cranberry Sipper

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups cranberry juice (if you have unsweetened juice, please add pure maple syrup to taste to sweeten it up!)
juice of one orange (or a 1/4 cup orange juice)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 orange peels
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients into a small saucepan and warm on medium-low heat.  Stir a few times while warming.  Serve immediately.

Now that I’ve given you the run-down of our pre-Thanksgiving feast, I am happy to share our dessert!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a sucker for dessert.  No matter how full I am after dinner, I still have room for dessert.  Knowing this, I made sure to make a healthy dessert.  Despite its healthy ingredients, the results were creamy and wonderful.  I didn’t feel like I was selling myself short with the lack of sugar, cream, and fat.  It was a perfect light dessert to end a wonderful and guilt-free dinner.

Spiced Pumpkin Mousse

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2009

Serves a huge crowd!

Ingredients:

2 15oz. cans of PUMPKIN PUREE (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1 1-lb. pkg silken tofu, drained well
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 oz. dark chocolate, cut into thin shards (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine pumpkin and tofu.  Process until combined, about 30 seconds.   Add maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Process until combined, about 30 seconds more.

Transfer mousse to a resealable container, cover, and refrigerate.  Preferably for a few hours.

Drain any water that has accumulated and give it a quick stir and scoop 1/2 cup mousse into 10 small ramekins or glasses.  Top each serving with a dollop of Greek yogurt and chocolate.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

This picture that is way better than mine is courtesy of the New York Times Fitness and Nutrition section.

Ready to see mine?  Hahaha.  It makes me laugh.

AHHHHH!  The time change has made the evenings dark SOOO early that I can’t get a good picture in when it’s light out!  Dang you, Ben Franklin!!

Anyway, this side dish is a part of the pre-Thanksgiving meal that I have been talking about for 3 consecutive posts now.  OH MY LORD was this meal good.  Now I am a HUGE mashed potato-lover, but these were also really good.  It’s nice to change things up.  The coconut and cayenne definitely stood out.  Mmmmm!!

Coconut Cardamom Sweet Potatoes

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2009

Serves a huge crowd!

Ingredients:

5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp. cardamom, ground
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 cup unsalted pecan halves, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add sweet potatoes, return to a boil and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Drain.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), add potatoes and remaining ingredients (except pecans).  Mix on medium speed until smooth.  Transfer to a 9×9 baking dish.  Sprinkle pecans on top.

Bake 45-50 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned.  Cool on rack for 10 minutes and serve

Remember I told you that we need to move on from my crappy pictures?  Apply that thought right now.  It was dark, I was hungry, and I just took a quick pic of a fabulous dish.  Please don’t let the picture fool you!!  This portion of my pre-Thanksgiving meal along with my Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Apples with Ginger and another side dish a dessert soon to be revealed were awesome!

Again, the stuffing came from my Clean Eating Magazine.  The pork was a recipe that I created on the fly.  It is all healthy, simple, inexpensive, and has explosive flavor.  Sweet deal.   Trust me, you can’t go wrong with these recipes.  I wish that I had these ideas sooner!

Sweet Apple Cider Pork

Serves 4

4 4oz. pieces of pork tenderloin, 1 1/2 inch-thick (preferably)
2 1/2 cups apple cider for marinade + 1 cup for cooking
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. cornstarch

Directions:

In a large ziplock bag, add pork, cider for marinade, cloves, ginger, and salt.  Let marinate for 30 minutes.

Once the pork is done marinating, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and butter and distribute throughout the skillet.  Add pork and brown each side (about 2 minutes each side).  Add the remaining apple cider, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.  Cover with lid and cook for about 8 minutes more.  Be sure to keep a close eye on it to make sure the cider doesn’t completely evaporate.

Then add the cornstarch and stir until the cider thickens.

Place pork on a serving plate and drizzle sauce over top.
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Mushroom and Leek Stuffing

Source: Clean Eating Magazine, Nov/Dec 2009

Serves a huge crowd (enough to stuff a turkey if desired)

Ingredients:

1 680g whole-wheat sourdough bread or regular whole wheat bread
1 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 lb. portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. chile powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions: You can do this one of two ways –

1 – The oven-baked traditional method – Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Decrust and cube bread into 3/4-inch cubes.  Spread bread cubes out in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.  Transfer to a very large bowl.

Heat 1/2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cooking, stirring until tender and lightly browned (8-10 minutes).  Add mushrooms to bowl with bread.  Wipe out skillet with paper towel and heat remaining oil on medium-high.  Add carrots, celery, and leeks and cook until tender and lightly browned (again, 8-10 minutes).  Add to bread bowl.

Add remaining ingredients to bowl and stir gently.  Bread should be moist, but not soggy.  Allow to cool.

Coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and add stuffing.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Them remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

OR

2 – The weeknight, I don’t have time to do all that work method – Tear bread into bite-sized chunks.  In a large skillet heated to medium, add 1/2 tsp. oil (I cheated and added a little tab of butter, too) and mushrooms, cook until tender and lightly brown (8-10 minutes).  Remove from skillet.  Wipe down skillet with paper towel.

Add remaining oil, carrots, celery, and leeks to skillet heated to medium-high and cook until tender and lightly brown (8-10 minutes).  Add mushrooms back into skillet along with the remaining ingredients.  Stir until bread is completely moist, but not soggy.  Once bread is completely moist, crank up the heat to high and stir stuffing for a minute or two until the bread begins to toast.  Serve immediately.

Here is a little secret for you all.

I want a Canon Rebel XSi with a 100mm macro lens for Christmas.

I know what you’re thinking – “Keep dreaming…” – I know this, but a girl has to dream, right??  I’m getting pretty tired of mediocre pictures.  I made an amazing pre-Thanksgiving feast last night with pictures that do not do the meal justice whatsoever.  Boooo.  Boooo to you crappy pictures.

Even though the pictures of my meal are an absolute eye-sore, I am posting anyway.  The recipes are too good, too healthy, and too easy to ignore.  So I say just cringe at the crappy pictures and move on.  I will try my very best to do the same.

It’s November, and you know what that means, right?  Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  I cannot wait to gorge myself with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and more!!  Just the thought of Turkey Day makes my mouth water.  I decided to have a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for the hubby and I just to get into the spirit of the holiday season.  This meal consisted of recipes from the Clean Eating Magazine, which I absolutely adore.   CE Mag makes fresh food and wholesome food seem so simple and appetizing.  No bland recipes here.  They are so full of flavor that you’re family won’t know how healthy they really are.

For my first post of the pre-Thanksgiving Feast, I am sharing the cranberry sauce.  It was done in 12 minutes, and it tastes soooo much better than the canned stuff.  Oh how I love recipes that are super easy… they make my world go ’round.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Ginger

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2009

Serves: 8 (or 4-6 hungry folks)

A much prettier picture courtesy of The Food Network and Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

12 oz. cranberries, fresh or frozen and defrosted
1 apple, cored and chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup honey (CE calls for raw)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh ginger, finely minced
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cranberries break down, apples soften, and mixture thickens.

Stir often.

Transfer to a serving dish or storage container and allow to chill in fridge.  Serve at room temperature.