Spring Roll Salad

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Working full time again has made it hard for me to keep up with my blogs!!  I feel so behind...but teaching again has really kept me busy and here in Saudi, that's such a good thing.  I must admit, I am amazed at how difficult it is to be a mom, wife and full time teacher.  Talk about trying to find balance in your life!  I'm so thankful I have a husband who is supportive and helps out...a lot.  
Of course, it's also taken a toll on my cooking style.  Thankfully, another lady who recently moved sold me her crock-pot.  What a lifesaver!!! (they don't exist here in Saudi...trust me, I've looked and looked!)  I've been scouring the web for amazing slow cooker recipes. 
In the meantime, I will try and get caught up with past recipes that I've been making.  

Another fab find from Pinterest.  It's my go-to cookbook now.  :)  
This was a great salad.  I made it to take to a pot luck and there wasn't nothing left at the end.  (which made me kind of sad because I was hoping for leftovers)
I had to alter the recipe based on what I could actually find here, but the end result was still delish.  

By the way....what's your favorite slow cooker recipe?

Chocolate-Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Yesterday my darling Bug was home from preschool and begging me to help her cook something.  I had found this awesome recipe for "pupcakes" (this is what she calls them and I refuse to correct her)
Anyway..get this..two ingredients.  You read that right...2.  Now THAT is my kind of baking!  So simple you could probably let your kid make it themselves (just help with the oven of course)

Lets just say that I was totally skeptical about how these would taste.  I read through many of the reviews and added a bit more pumpkin spice so the pumpkin flavor would stand out a bit.  Also, good luck finding apple cider here, so I had to use regular apple juice and it made the icing a bit sweeter than I think it was meant to be.  Nevertheless, these are moist delicious pupcakes!  Beyond simple to make and no added fat from oil or eggs.  

So, what are you waiting for??  Get baking already!  :)

Sweet Potato Burgers

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Hi, my name is Staci.  I'm addicted to Pinterest.

There, I said it.  No denying it now, it's out there for the world to see.  Sigh...I wish I could say that it's a horrible addiction, but its totally not.  I love the things I've found on that website.  Everything from food to teaching ideas.  And thankfully, I found this awesome recipe on there as well.

We are trying to detox our bodies of the mass amount of carbs we ate while in Italy, therefore, this "burger" is missing it's bun.  But, I didn't miss eating it.  These little burgers are fabulous and you get to enjoy the crunch of the panko and raw onion without some silly bread getting in the way.  (well, that's what I told myself)  

I altered the original recipe a bit (one was leaving out the bun) and created something the entire family loved.  The sweet potatoes we get here are not the bright orange kind...so I didn't get the deep color I was hoping for, didn't effect the taste though!  

We had leftovers and the next day I just threw a bit of oil in a skillet and browned them up a bit more, then popped them in the microwave to heat them all the way through.  They still had a nice, crispy outside.  

I've never been a big fan of raw onion, but somehow it tasted amazing on these burgers.  Nice thick slices of avocado and a drizzle of a sweet & spicy chili sauce topped it off perfectly.  We served them with a side of oven roasted cauliflower.  Filling, healthy, vegan....killer dinner.

Pesto Pasta with Mini Meatballs

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It's kind of funny...I couldn't wait to get to Italy and cook all these great dishes that I haven't been able to cook in Saudi, but I come to find that I can't get everything I want in Italy either!  I couldn't wait to eat kale...but couldn't find it anywhere, no matter how hard I searched.  Broccoli too...seems to have just disappeared from the Como area! 
And just a little note about Lake Como....I'm in love.  Just in love.  We stayed in a town called Menaggio...in my opinion, the best one on the lake...and it's just a short ferry ride to Bellagio and Varenna.  Menaggio (pronounced Men-A-jo) has a beautiful piazza and then you walk (uphill) all the way to our house.  We stayed where the old castle used to be in a 500 year old house.  It was so lovely and we made friends with the neighbors.  I was even lucky enough to be invited over for dinner!  It was great fun trying to talk Italian with them.  The food was wonderful.  (and yes, they even had the traditional Italian red and white table cloth)  :)

So, the next night I had to cook for myself and the girls.  No broccoli to be found, but at least they had cauliflower.  We'd already feasted on different tomato based sauces, so I wanted something different.  And keeping with the fact that I wanted to enjoy pork as much as possible, I figured some yummy meatballs would do the trick topped with a nice pesto sauce.  Had I been in my regular kitchen I would have made my own pesto, but with the serious lack of kitchen staples in my rented house, I went with the jarred kind.  Turned out wonderful and the girls really liked it as well.  Score one for mom!

Quinoa Pasta with Pomodoro Sauce

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Back from a lovely 4 weeks in Vegas with my family and friends.  It was so nice to be able to go out to eat at fun restaurants.  I devoured tons of sushi.  Did a bit of cooking, but not much.  But, I did buy some great items to bring back with me for cooking.  One big one was quinoa and quinoa pasta.  (I also brought back panko bread crumbs, some hot sauces, saffron, and wild rice)  So, now I'm back here in Saudi and my cooking cap is on and raring to go!
I couldn't wait to cook up the quinoa pasta and I wanted to find a nice sauce to go with it.  This was just perfect.  I amped up the protein even more by adding cannellini beans.
An incredibly simple sauce with monster flavor.  The hubby likened it a bit to vodka sauce...minus the vodka and cream.  
Leftovers were great too!  Happy cooking!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious


Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
Kosher salt
3 large fresh basil sprigs
12 ounces quinoa pasta
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino



Directions:
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-quart pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add beans and toss to coat, next add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.

Healthy Baked Corn-flake Crusted Fish

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I am still hunting for really good fish recipes.  So far, my fave way to eat our fresh fish is either my husbands amazing civeche or my baja fish tacos.  I tried baking the fillets, but didn't really enjoy it much.  Tried pan searing...eh.  It was okay.  

Then, I found this recipe.  I love that it's not fried (since I fry my fish tacos) and that it is super easy to do.

We had friends over and the fish didn't last long at all.  The corn flakes were nice and crunchy and the fish was so tender.  We used grouper, but you could use any nice flaky fish for this.  Totally going into the fish rotation!

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) grouper or other firm white fish fillets
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg white
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray or line with nonstick aluminum foil. Spray a rack with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle fish with red pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Whisk egg white and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge fish in flour, shake off excess, and dip in egg white mixture. Dredge in cornflakes, coating completely.
4. Place the prepared wire rack coated with cooking spray inside the large baking pan. Arrange fish in a single layer on rack; coat top of fish lightly with cooking spray, and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp and browned. Serve with side salad and lemon wedges.

recipe from Coastal Living

Tuna, Buccatini & Lemon

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Wandering through the grocery store today....trying to figure out what I could whip up for lunch for me and the girls.  We decided we wanted pasta of some sort, but I wanted something other than the normal red sauce.  Then I remembered a yummy dish my friend mentioned she has made many times before.  Using simple ingredients, this dish is ready in no time.
I was a bit skeptical...I'm not a big canned tuna fan.  I was worried that this dish would just fall a little flat for me in the flavor department.  I was wrong.  (shhhh, don't tell me husband I know how to say that sentence!)
Full of flavor, good punch of protein from the fish and cheese, and my girls loved it. (so did I...I had to helpings)
Make use of those pantry items and through together this tasty dish for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner.  I used Buccatini because that was all I had.  Regular spaghetti works perfect too.  

Ingredients:
1lb spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tin of tuna fish in oil, drained (you want the oil packed version so you don't end up with dry fish)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil (add salt if you like) and cook pasta according to directions..you want al'dente.
When the pasta is done, drain and place in a bowl that you have pre-warmed in the microwave.


While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over low heat.  Add the garlic and parsley and stir continually while gradually adding the tuna fish.  Keep the heat low so that none of the ingredients change color.  You just want to heat everything through.


Add the "sauce" to the pasta and stir to combine.  Then add the lemon juice, cheese and butter. Mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  (add some red chili flakes for a nice kick!)
Stir well and serve at once.

Fruity Crescent Rolls

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Today we had another ladies coffee and the feature color was red.  Wear all red, a little red, a splash of red...etc.  I had my outfit all ready to go and for the girls too.  Just needed a treat to bring.
I had these crescent rolls in the fridge and the expiration date was getting close.  I had saved a recipe to try and pulled it up this morning.
Lucky for me I was able to find a box of Fruit Roll Up's at the store...the last box mind you!  I was excited and ready to bake!
This was so simple and even more horrible baking skills couldn't mess these up.  Popped out 16 rolls in just under 45min.  They weren't too sweet, nice and flaky and just perfect.
The funny thing...I didn't even think about the fact that they were red until I got to the coffee and someone mentioned it to me!  Bonus!

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

4 rolls Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll­Ups® Strawberry Fruit Snack

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 3 teaspoons milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles.

Unroll fruit snack rolls; cut each diagonally into 2 triangles. Place each fruit roll triangle on 1 dough triangle (fold or tuck each fruit roll so all is on dough). Roll up each dough triangle, starting with shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point; place point side down on sprayed cookie sheet. Curve into crescent shape.

Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk until smooth and desired drizzling consistency.

Drizzle glaze evenly over warm rolls. Serve warm.

Pan Grilled Fish and Shrimp Tacos

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We've been living here in Saudi for 3 months (hubby for 6) and we still don't have a grill.  There has to be something seriously wrong about that.  I mean, for my 23rd birthday my dad gave me money to go an buy my own grill!  Surprisingly we seem to be getting on just fine without one.  We'll pick one up soon I suppose, but in the meantime I purchased one of those cute little pans with the raised bits to make cute little grill marks.
We went to the local fish market on Friday and bought some more prawns and grouper.  Cooked some up that day at a park BBQ, but left the rest at home.  If I was lucky enough to find tortillas at the store (around here you never know what you'll find at the store on a day to day basis), I knew I wanted to make fish and shrimp tacos.
So, I was one very happy lady when I found some salsa flavored tortillas.  As much as I would have preferred corn, I was just happy to get tortillas at all.
I just loved this recipe...but the best part was the Mango-Radish Salsa.  (click the link for the recipe) Oh my was that good.  I will be making these tacos again very soon!!  (wish I still had some left over!)

Great Greek Salad

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It was our friends "the Greeks" (as we affectionately call them) turn to host dinner.  When asked what I could bring...she mentioned a nice salad.  
Well, last time I brought a leafy salad full of veggies.  This time I wanted something a bit different.  In an effort to impress the Greeks, I decided to try my hand at a nice light Greek salad.
The cucumbers you find here are the small ones, and they are super crunchy.  Toss in some kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, fresh tomatoes and feta and you've got yourself a super simple, super tasty salad.
Comes together fast and then just chill till ready to eat.  Give this one a try the next time you need a quick side!

Ingredients

• 6 small cucumbers, seeded and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 3 cups diced roma tomatoes
• 1/3 cup diced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, oil reserved
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (I had to use apple cider, but I think rice would be better)
• 1/2 tsp Greek Seasoning

Directions

1. In a large salad bowl, toss together the cucumbers, olives, roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons reserved sun-dried tomato oil, red onion, vinegar, and seasoning. 
2. Chill until serving. 
3.  Right before serving toss in the feta and stir to combine.

Crispy Curried Roasted Chickpeas

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I'm always trying to find new snacks for my girls.  My youngest definitely has a soft spot for salty foods.  While I don't mind her getting a bit of salt now and then, I'd really rather it wasn't from a bag of chips.  I've seen recipes for chickpeas a few times and never got around to making them.  Today...well, I got around to it.
Incredibly simple to make, but the real question was whether or not my kids would want to nosh on them...
Taste tested....approved!!!  Rave results.  I love the curry flavor and the best part is that these little gems are extremely low-fat and packed with protein.
At the end of the recipe, check out some other great seasonings to try...lots of options here!  Have fun!
Happy snacking!  

Sweet Potato Ratatouille

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A variety of veggies are a bit hard to find here.  It's one of those things where you just have to wait and see what arrives each week.  (making my usual weekly planning much harder to do)  It's been really hard adjusting to not being able to just go to the store knowing they will have what I need.
That being said, I was really happy when sweet potatoes popped up.  I'd been wanting to try this dish and with my zucchini plants going bonkers this was just another fun way to cook them.
I was really pleased with how nice this turned out.  Very flavorful...a hint of sweetness and just tasty all the way around.
Served it over a bed of couscous and some Simple Roast Chicken.  Both kids enjoyed it too...another great veggie side.  :)

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

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Ya Salam Cooking is my new go to blog for Middle Eastern cooking.  I've made three dishes of hers already and we've loved everyone.  Tonight's was flat out fantastic.  Beyond simple and incredibly flavorful!  

I've only cooked with lentils once before and the dish then didn't make much of an impression.  This one I can't wait to make again.

The recipe only makes enough for four.  Barely.  If you have four hungry adults, you'll be wishing you'd made more.  We had enough for the hubby, me and the girls, and we scrapped the pot clean.  Keep in mind, this will fill you up...be mindful as you eat and take your time.  It sneaks up on you!  I'm totally full and very content.  :) 

Can't recommend this enough.

Happy cooking!  !سعيد الطب

absolutely fantastic!

Super Quick Pasta with Green Veggies

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Yesterday I was getting a rare treat...a sushi dinner with friends.  NO kids!  I have only been out without my girls twice in the last 5 months.  Not for a lack of trying, it's just been beyond busy.  So, last night I was heading out for dinner and enjoy the company of grownups.  Of course, what did we end up talking about most of the night?  That's right, our kids.  Ah well, it was still a great time.
Before I left, I wanted to make sure my girls had something yummy for dinner.  I raided my mom's pantry and freezer for ideas.  (we're camping out at grandma's until we ship out to Saudi next week)
I spied a bag of pasta and some frozen veggies.  Perfect.  If it has noodles, my kids will eat it.  Period. 
This is such a simple dish with light flavors and a nice punch of veggie goodness.  Spike it with some red pepper flakes for a more grown up taste.  :)

Kale and Beef Stir-Fry

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Okay, so if you're paying any attention to the latest food trends you'd know that kale is one of the new "it" foods.  What is kale?
Kale is a leafy green.  There are three different kinds.  Russian Red, Dinosaur Kale (aka tuscan kale), and the most popular Curly Green Kale (this is the easiest to find).  
Kale is a great brain booster and is rich in B6 vitamins and alpha-linolenic acids (building blocks for creating new brain cells).  It is also a great fatigue fighter because it can absorb iron from chicken, fish or beef and help supply more oxygen to your muscles.
When preparing kale, make sure to cut out the inner membrane (the stiff piece that goes up the middle of the leaf) and discard the stems.  
There are tons of recipes out know for kale.  In my Smokey Minestrone Tortellini Soup I add it at the end for some extra veggie punch.  This stir-fry recipe turned out great.  It's super easy to make and you can tweak the recipe to what you have on hand.  Through it over some steamed white rice and you're good to go!  

Sausage, White Bean and Kale Stew

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I am in full blown soup mode.  All the wonderful stews and soups to cook over the fall season has me so excited.  Of course, it's still 90 plus degrees here in Texas, but that's never stopped me.  :)  
I had to buy kale to make my Smokey Minestrone Tortellini Soup and I knew I would have extra.  Months ago I made a great soup with kale and sausage, so I googled that one again.  
As I was making this soup I kept thinking...I should add something.  But, then I stopped myself.  Sometimes, simple is just perfect.  So, with the few ingredients, I threw this meal together in under 30 minutes.  Served with some toasted bread. 
There is a ton of room to play with different types of sausage.  Since my father-in-law doesn't care for pork, I used smoked turkey sausage.  But, any sausage will work and add new flavors to the dish.  If I could find the duck sausage mentioned in the recipe, I would love to try that!  Oh and, don't skip the lemon juice...really makes the dish light and bright.  Happy cooking!

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Bucatini

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I had such a great time cooking dinners for my family in Ohio.  I cooked up a few of my all time faves...Smokey Minestrone Tortellini Soup and Smokey Chicken Tortilla Soup, but I also wanted to try out a few new ones.
Since I am currently obsessed with cooking, I brought some of my fave cooking magazines with me.  Looking through Cuisine at Home, I found a really yummy sounding pasta dish.  (ok, so for me almost all pasta dishes are yummy, but anyway...)  It's light, easy and full of flavor.  Great for a weeknight meal.  And if you're really short on time, just use some canned tomatoes (though the flavor won't be as pronounced.)  Many stores are starting to carry bucatini now...it's a fat spaghetti noodle that is hollow on the inside.  Sort of like a really long macaroni.  If you can't find them, sub out regular spaghetti noodles.

I'm going to post the original recipe which states it serves 2 people.  I just doubled everything and had plenty for grandma, me and the girls.  Happy cooking!  :)

Fresh Summer Veggies - Sauteed

Pin It Now! The garden gods have blessed us this year.  Well, at least in the zucchini department.  My ONE zucchini plant is about 3 feet in diameter.  And the veggies just kept on comin'!  I already made zucchini bread and since I still have over half a dozen left, I had to do something else.  I surfed around and found a really nice base for a saute from Simply Recipes.  Then I added a bunch of other veggies along with the zucchini.  
Now, I'm going to list fresh veggies for just about everything, but to be honest I just used frozen veggies I had sitting around in the freezer.  Though, I am going to make this again with fresh (at least corn) because I think the taste will be amazing.
Quick, simple dish with tons of flavor.  For my girls, I served it over white sticky rice.  You could also toss in some chicken and take it from side dish to main dish!  Happy cooking!

Tuesday: Chicken and Egg Soup with Pastina

Pin It Now! I'm starting to feel the pressure of the move and upcoming craziness.  I want to make my hubby dishes that I know he won't make for himself while we are apart.  However, I also just want to make some nice, simple dishes too.  So, this is one of the later.  Simple, easy, delicious.  It's very similar to an Asian egg drop soup, but obviously with more sustenance.
Tuesday's are such busy days for me with 2 hours spent at gymnastics for the girls (boy, I'm sure going to miss taking them to gym...no gymnastics in Saudi) and then swim lessons right after.  Quick and easy is definitely what is on the menu for tonight.  Don't skip out on any of the ingredients, especially the dill...really gives a fab flavor!  Happy (quick) cooking!  :) 

Wednesday: Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Pin It Now! When I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner this week, my darling carnivore of course said "steak."  Luckily there were some nice top sirloins on sale at the grocery store.  One of his all time fave ways to eat steak is with a chimichurri sauce on top.  Chimichurri sauce is a salsa-like condiment which originated in Argentina and is used on beef. There are many different variations of this sauce, but he wanted to stick to the original (or as close as I could get)  He specified that it HAD to have cilantro in it.  I googled around and found this recipe and he gave the thumbs up.
For the steak, you just want to keep things simple and let the sauce take center stage.  You can use any kind of meat with this, so just go with what you have or what's on sale.  Happy cooking!  :)