Proscuitto & Turkey Paninis

I may have gotten sucked in - to the joy of New Seasons.

The story: On my way home from a client, I decided to stop by New Seasons to pick up some fixings for dinner.  It was right on the way, and didn't require much of a detour.  I've shopped at New Seasons before, but never have I realized how many choices of peanut butter they have!  I should have taken a picture - its mesmerizing. Almond butter, peanut butters of all flavors and varieties - I may have to try them all! Anyways - I did not go shopping with peanut butter in mind, nor did I buy any - but my, oh, my - I will definitely have to try some next time I shop.  The prices within New Seasons keep my little basket pretty light - but I came home with some fun stuff.

Dinner was semi random tonight - sandwiches, salad, and corn on the cob - this is what we end up with when I get caught up in the fun choices of the store. 

Paninis:

• Gouda
• Proscuitto
• Herbed Turkey Breast
• Honey Dijon Mustard
• Ciabatta roll

And thanks to a Panini griddle that Cam gave to us one Christmas - we end up with pretty legit sandwiches - nice and crisp.

The corn on the cob was a great treat - so fresh and sweet - it was almost dessert.  I felt like I had been missing out - I've only had corn twice this summer!

A great meal to cook while trying to keep the kitchen cool during summer.

Flank Steak Tacos

What to do with a ton of leftover flank steak? Make tacos, of course!  We've been moseying our way through leftovers the past few days, and in fear of just eating repeats, I decided to transform our Teriyaki flank steak into some tacos.

In the mix:

• Flank steak sliced thin
• 1 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/3 white onion
• tablespoon of garlic
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• Touch of oregano

All cooked up into a tasty taco/fajita mixture.  Served in whole wheat tortillas with some Spanish rice.  An excellent use for leftovers!

Blueberry Scones

Those who know me well, know my adversion to blueberries.  A strange and perhaps hindering adversion to a fruit, but I tend to like blueberries much more when cooked up in something rather than eating them fresh.  Strange - yes.  But, we went to a family brunch on Sunday, and decided to make these super easy scones to bring along.

Easy as pie... well - easier!

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of salt'
• cut in 5 tablespoons of butter with a pastry cutter

Make a well in the middle of the mixed dry ingredients and stir in 1 cup of milk (the recipe called for heavy cream - but I decided to go the lighter route).

The dough will be pretty sticky  - but gently stir in 1 cup of frozen blueberries.

Spread out dough on a greased cookie sheet into a circle.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Once the scones come out of the oven, brush them with a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and zest of one lemon.  I didn't use nearly all of the glaze in fear of making the scones too sweet, but the zest of the lemons really gave it a nice fresh zip.

Super easy scones!

Flank Steak with Grilled Asparagus

We don't really cook up steak very often.  I don't really know why, but I don't tend to shop in the "red meat" section of the store. On Thursday we decided to grill up a piece of flank steak to "mix it up a bit".

We let the steak sit in a pretty simple marinade overnight:

• Teriyaki sauce
• garlic
• onion powder

Grilled up with some hearty asparagus was a great summer meal to eat out on the patio. I believe asparagus in the grilled form is my favorite way to prepare.  Just toss in a bit of olive oil and garlic and throw on the grill for a quick minute or two.  They come out way more tender than when cooked on the stove top.

Easy Penne & Tuna Salad

I had whipped up this meal this last Wednesday, but once again, I have a backlog of meals that I need to post.

I tried out packaged tuna for the first time - and was mildly impressed.  I don't remember the last time I've eaten tuna from a can, or tuna - period.  Something about the smell of packaged tuna brings me back to smelling a tuna sandwich in my lunch bag in grade school. You never wanted to be the kid who had a tuna sandwich in their lunchbag...

Anyways, I purchased 2 packages of tuna packed in water - one of light meat and one of darker meat.  Opening the packaging took up a bit of courage as I was afraid of a wafting "tuna can" smell - no such smell.  And so, I proceeded with this recipe:

Start out by roasting 1 red bell pepper under the broiler.

• Cut a bell pepper in half lengthwise - clean out the innards, and place skin sides up on foil-lined baking sheet. 
• Broil for 15 minutes, then place in a zip-loc bag and let steam for another 15 minutes.  
• Peel off the skin (this was a bit messy) and chop.

Boil up 6 oz of penne noodles. Drain and rinse with cold water (to bring the temperature down)

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 cups of coarsely chopped arugula
• 1/4 cup sliced shallots
• 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 packages of chunk tuna
• Pasta
• Red peppers

This pasta salad was great and refreshing.  The tuna added a definitive flavor, but the red peppers and capers added a bit of complexity.  Overall, super quick to make, and not too terribly unhealthy.  Next time I make, I will probably use wheat pasta.

Lime Chicken & Smoked White Cheddar Quesadillas

This wasn't the most healthy of meals, but it was pretty darn good. 

When we were in Rockaway the other week, we had picked up a tiny, baby block of smoked black pepper white cheddar cheese from the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which served as the inspiration for this meal.

In the mix:
Lime-Cilantro marinated grilled chicken

• Chicken breasts marinated in a mix of lime juice, cayenne pepper and cilantro

Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar
Jalapenos (in David's)
Green onions

On the side: Homemade salsa and a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. 

Vegetable Lasagna

I realized a very sad fact yesterday - I don't think I had used my oven in over 3 weeks.  For me - this is a shockingly long time.  And so, in honor of my neglected oven, I decided to whip up a meal that managed to use nearly every inch of my tiny counter space, cook-top and food processor - veggie lasagna.

I find that lasagna is one of those foods that makes you work for its delicious flavors - so many assembly items! But this one was worth it.
I used this Recipe but then changed it up a bit

The layers:
 - Whole wheat noodles (I typically use the whole box, because I like a sturdy lasagna)
 - Ricotta mixture

• 15 oz carton of low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• a few teaspoons each of Italian seasoning & parsley

 - Vegetable layer

• 12 oz of fresh spinach
• 1 crown of broccoli
• 3 carrots
• Handful of mushrooms

 - Cheese - I gave low-fat mozzarella a try. I couldn't tell a taste difference.

This recipe made a very full 8x13" pan full of oozing layers - I think it weighed at least 3 lbs.

I'll eat my servings of vegetables like this any day :)