Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa

I was probably the last food blogger to get on the boat and try quinoa, but it now has a welcomed place in my pantry. For anyone that might not know about quinoa, it  is similar to a grain, but is actually a seed. It is cooked similar to rice and just like this recipe can be a great substitute for rice. If you haven't heard of quinoa before, you can read more about it here.

Consider this a quicker version of a broccoli and rice casserole. Here are the perks: (1) Ready in 20 minutes or less (2) only one pot needed (3) super healthy (4) only four ingredients. If that alone doesn't convince you, I'm thinking you probably aren't a broccoli fan! Side dishes are rarely something that I want to put a whole lot of effort and time into, so having a quick and easy side like this to fall back on is important when looking for healthy options to serve with the main course.

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Source: Closet Cooking

Broccoli Salad

I have my Aunt to thank for this delicious recipe. She was kind enough to bring the dish for our family's Thanksgiving feast last year. It was such a humble looking salad I never thought it would be in the running for my favorite dish from our Thanksgiving meal, but besides the smoked Turkey it was the one dish I was looking forward to eating as leftovers the next day. Since swapping recipes, I have made this salad countless times. My family just loves it and it is so simple to throw together. I can even eat this as my lunch throughout the week and never grow tired of it. Everyone who has tried the salad always gives rave reviews and comes back for seconds. It's the perfect side salad for any meal.

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Source: My Aunt Sandy via AllRecipes

Menu Planning - Week Eight postponed

Today I'm usually sharing our menu for the week ahead, but this week the only thing on the menu is some sun, sand and relaxation in Florida. That's right, we are saying so long to winter and escaping to warmer weather for the week. My hubby has some business in Florida, so R and I are tagging along. We will also be making a pit stop in Atlanta on the way home to visit some family too, but not to worry, I still have some recipes to share.

I've decided to dedicate this week to some of our favorite side dishes which coincidentally also share the same main ingredient. Be sure to check back on Tuesday and Thursday for the recipes, but for those too excited to wait, below is a sneak peek at whats coming your way.

Broccoli Salad



Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa



 

 

If you're in need of more side dishes, follow my Pinterest Side Dishes board here for some of my favorites.

Southwest Chicken Panini

Several years ago, my hubby bought me a panini press for Valentine's day. It was such a sweet gesture and a very welcome addition to our kitchen. Paninis make me happy. I could eat them everyday. For some reason though, I never think to make them at home. Instead I'm usually forcing my husband to take me out for half a panini and a cup of soup at one of my favorite restaurants. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going out for a meal every now and then, but for the price of one meal you could feed your whole family with panini's at home. Don't have a panini maker, no worries, use a grill pan or your favorite pan for making grilled cheese.

Let's get down to business and talk about this pretty sandwich. Not only is it a super fast meal to put together, the filling for the sandwich can be made ahead of time and reheated before assembling. The sauce for the chicken is similar to a red enchilada sauce making this another tex-mex favorite for our family. The chipotle pepper adds just a hint of smokiness and then a splash of citrus from the juice of a lime gets added. Throw in some cheese, Pepper Jack for us, and the panini starts singing!

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Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Heat oven to 350

Linked up with: Buns in My Oven

Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie

As it turns out, there are quite a few dishes I've never tried until moving East. Shepherd's pie is yet another meal I never had the pleasure of eating until moving to New York and now it's another must have comfort meal on our menu, especially during the winter months.

I've had a few variations of this dish, but this particular recipe attracted me because of the use of the crock-pot. For me, crock-pot meals are more about having a meal ready when you get home from work, after you've had a long day and are too tired to spend any time in the kitchen. Some of you might be scratching your heads after reading the recipe instructions wondering why this is a slow cooker meal when it calls for so much prep. If that is the case, think of it as more of a make ahead meal, much like the prep that goes into making a casserole dish, instead of a "set it and forget it" meal. The additional prep lends the dish more flavor. The mixture of bread with the meat helps to keep the meat from overcooking. Browning off the meat before placing in the slow cooker helps provide the deeper flavor Shepherd's Pie is known for. Although it takes some effort before powering on the crock-pot, the reward will be worth it when you get home from a long day at the office.

Note: The recipe calls for three cups of mashed potatoes. If you don't have a favorite mashed potato recipe already, try my favorite version here.

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Source: America's Test Kitchen, Slow Cooker Revolution

Menu Planning - Week Seven

Happy Monday! If there is one thing to look forward to on Monday, it is a great menu for the coming week! You might also say I'm food obsessed, so maybe I'm the only one who can get excited for all the good eats we will be diving into each day. This weeks menu features a new slow cooker recipe that my family loves as well as a super quick panini recipe that gets dinner on the table quick and will satisfy everyone. Make sure to check back on Tuesday and Thursday for the recipes.

Here is what's on the menu this week:

Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie



Pasta e Fagioli Soup



Southwest Chicken Paninis



Pantry Meal: Chicken Parmesan



Keep up with me on Pinterest by following me here.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day to each of you! Meet one of my Valentine's, Rylan. We made you cookies and just wanted to say, "Thank you", for visiting Whole Lotta Oven. Don't forget to let those in your life who are most important know how much you love them today and everyday!

Many Blessings!

Grandma Pizza

Have you heard of Grandma Pizza before? Better yet, have you ever tried Grandma Pizza? It took me 6+ years living in New York to discover this pizza and now I am making up for lost time. I now have a new favorite pizza and I owe it all to my husband who was adventurous enough to order something new from our local pizzeria. Now I'm not convinced that this homemade version is better than take-out (although my hubby thinks its better), but sometimes its hard to compete with New York pizzeria's, especially when the pizza originated from the area. It is however still very tasty and more friendly on our wallet, and for that I'm loving it!

So what is Grandma pizza? First of all, its served "Sicilian" style, meaning rectangular pizza versus the more traditional round pizza. Second, the crust is thin, crispy, and chewy. Third, the pizza sauce isn't really a sauce,  but more uncooked tomatoes that have been crushed with garlic and a few other ingredients added. Lastly, and most importantly the ingredients are layered in reverse order on the dough - cheese first, then sauce.  This pizza is so good, you won't even miss all the meat toppings.

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Source slightly adapted from: Cook's Country

Chicken Tamale Pie

I have another really good weeknight meal to share with you today! So good in fact that I only took a picture of the dish before we cut into it. Once we sliced up the pie and ate our portions...the leftovers didn't stand a chance. We ate THE. WHOLE. THING. I'm beginning to wonder about us. It's like we've never seen food. All the sudden we just can't help but eat everything in front of us. Call it the winter blues, comfort food, boredom...whatever - we will need to go on a diet before hitting the beach. OK, maybe its not that bad. Let's just call it more of a testament to how good the dishes have been.

I'm typically not a fan of red enchilada sauce and only recently became somewhat of a fan of tamales, but this meal was so good! The cornbread mixture makes the perfect base for the enchilada sauce to seep into. Seasoned chicken is piled on top and then a healthy layer of cheese is added to create a gooey delicious tex-mex meal.

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Source adapted from: Pinch of Yum, originally adapted from Cooking Light

Linked up with: Buns in My Oven

Menu Planning - Week Six

Is anyone else still swimming in snow from storm Nemo? We lucked out and only received 10.5 inches of snow (crazy to think that means we were lucky). It's snowed here several time since having Rylan, but this was our first time taking him sledding. Let's just say he wasn't a fan. He started screaming as soon as we started going down the hill and never stopped until he was back inside and watching from the window. That's ok, I'm sure when he gets a bit older he will come to love and appreciate all the good sledding hills available right outside our doorstep. I however took full advantage of the hills and sled my heart out, only stopping to build a snowman!

Last week was all about Valentine's Day and the perfect treats and snacks for both kids and adults. This week, it is back to weeknight meals. Here is what is on our menu:

Chicken Tamale Pie

Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Penne a la Betsy

Pantry Meal: Grandma Pizza

Want to know what recipes I've bookmarked to try? Follow me on Pinterest here.

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies

It's not Valentine's Day without some Red Velvet in the mix. This recipe is as simple as it gets AND it has gooey and butter in the title...it's a win, win! Red Velvet Cake mix and other store bought ingredients come together for a delicious gooey treat. Perfect for your kids Valentine's day party or to enjoy all alone.

I might suggest using a stand mixer to whip up the batter if you have one available. I have a pretty strong hand held mixer, but it still seemed challenged by the thickness of the batter.



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Source: Buns in My Oven

Valentines Day Party Mix

This is such a simple recipe, it's almost embarrassing. I stumbled upon the recipe during Christmas while making homemade chex mix. The recipe was located on the back of the cereal box, it sounded like the perfect sweet and salty snack to have around the house in the midst of all the holiday food. The mix was gone as soon as it hit the table and I was back in the kitchen to make a second batch for the rest of the family to try. The best part about the recipe is you can mix up the flavor combinations and go crazy with different variations. You can use butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, peanut M&M's, Reese's pieces, regular peanuts, or whatever you're craving.  Just be sure to buy extra, chances are you will be asked to make more!

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Source adapted from: Chex

Strawberry Sandwich Cookies

After making donuts, I needed to find another use for the leftover cake and jello mix. Cookies are never far from my mind, so I decided to play around until I found just what I was looking for. After eating the cookies by itself...temptation got the better of me and I was dunking the cookies in leftover icing from the donuts. That's when I had an epiphany...sandwich cookies! The filling between the cookies is very similar to the glaze over the strawberry donuts except for the addition of cream cheese. I have to say, even though the cookies might look all pink and girly...it was the men that couldn't keep their hands away from this cookie. Perfect for Valentine's day, but also for when you're craving something strawberry. This sandwich cookie is both a quick and delicious treat made with simple ingredients and bursting with lots of flavor. It's so berry, berry good!

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Source: a Whole Lotta Oven original recipe

Baked Strawberry Donuts for your Valentine

In honor of Valentine's day, I was on a mission to "woo" my hubby with something sweet and charming. I might have also wanted to make donuts for myself, but we won't talk about that. I received this awesome donut pan for Christmas and haven't broken it in yet, so I needed to remedy that pronto. My inspiration for this donut was based off of a simple strawberry sheet cake recipe that happens to be one of my favs. Let's face it, a donut is the best excuse to eat cake for breakfast! Don't have a donut pan? No problem, use a mini muffin pan and make donut holes instead.

The donut itself is very moist and crumbly. I took extra care to flour the pan around the center so that the surface was as non-stick as possible in order to avoid the donut crumbling out of the pan. The use of strawberry jello instead of just a box of strawberry cake mix gives the best strawberry flavor and for an added bonus of good health, fresh strawberries are thrown in the mix for even more flavor. And then there is the frosting.  So, so good! It's a simple strawberry buttercream that takes the cake donut over the top. I was finding all sorts of things to dunk into this deliciousness, sugary glaze.

Wondering what to do with the rest of the box of cake mix and jello? No worries, just come back tomorrow for a bonus recipe and even more Valentines' day treats.

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Source: a Whole Lotta Oven original recipe

Menu Planning - Week Five

It's February!! I'm kicking the month off by bringing you a Valentine's day treat for the remainder of the week! Be sure to check back for some fabulous sweets to win over your sweetie.

Here is what's on the menu this week:

Slow Cooker Chili

Curry in a Hurry

Moo Shu Pork Pockets

Pantry Meal: Garlic Fried Rice

Follow me on Pinterest here.

Pantry Salsa - a.k.a. My Favorite Salsa

Have you been invited to a Super Bowl party this weekend, but don't know what to bring and don't have the time to spend in the kitchen this weekend? I have the perfect recipe to share with you today. This is my absolute favorite salsa. It is something I can whip up in a snap and almost always have all the ingredients on hand in my pantry. It's so easy to make, I don't even need to buy canned salsa from the store. Fresh salsa that tastes 10 times better already in your pantry...I'm sold, but how about you?!?

As with most recipes, this should be adapted to your taste buds. The key to this salsa is lots of freshly ground black pepper with a hint of cilantro. The pepper determines how spicy you want the salsa to be, so start with around 2 teaspoons and continue adding until its the perfect ratio for you and your guests. I typically like a lot of cilantro, but in this salsa, I recommend starting with a small amount and adding more as needed. I tend to buy canned jalapenos so that its always on hand, but you can also use fresh. If feeding a large crowd, just double the recipe. This is the perfect party food and appetizer and its low maintenance enough to be part of your week night meals.

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