Portobello Mushroom stacks

For a meatless meal try this!

4 portobello mushroom caps
2 red bell peppers, deseeded
2 cups (cooked) sauteed spinach
4 tablespoons pesto sauce (see recipe under 'sauces' link)
4 slices fontina (or mozzarella cheese)
4 slices of tomato (heirloom in the funny colors have the best flavor this time of year)
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried oregano

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a lined baking sheet place mushrooms and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some dried oregano (not to much - you don't want it to taste like bad Italian food!) Roast vegetables until soft, about 15 minutes, remove from heat. Cut peppers in half.
2. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a saute pan. Add spinach, stir until spinach is completely wilted. Half way through the cooking I pour the juice from the roasted vegetables into the pan with the spinach to add some more flavor and then let spinach wilt the rest of the way.
3. Place mushroom caps on a lined baking sheet gill side up. Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce on each mushroom cap, then stack with 1/2 of a red pepper, tomato, spinach and cheese.
4. Place baking sheet back in oven and bake at 375 until cheese is melted - about 10 minutes depending on how thick the cheese slice is.

ENJOY!

Quinoa with mango and cucumber

I made this the other day for my mother's birthday luncheon. It added an array of color to plate with the contrast of bright and earthy tones.

1 cup red quinoa (same thing at the brown just naturally a different color)
2 cups water
1 cup cucumber, seeded, small dice (maybe about 1/2 inch cube size)
1 cup ripe mango, small dice
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 oz feta cheese crumbled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Boil water, add quinoa, return to a boil, then partially cover, lower heat to simmer and cook about 10 minutes until it looks like the tails on the quinoa grains have unwound.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.

ENJOY!

Spring Strawberries!

They're here! I went out to the garden today after the rain cleared up to see how the lettuce faired, and to my surprise about 8 new asparagus staulks had shot up through the dirt during the rain and were ready to pick, and as I gazed just beyong them, I noticed the greenery was speckled with red dots.The strawberries were ready! The first harvest of the year! We currently have wild strawberries growing in our garden, they have basically taken over the back part of it, sprawling beyond the bed barriers, and they have tiny berries but they are so sweet, like little bursts of juicy goodness - similar to what I think an all natural, organic gusher candy would be like (if it were actually possible to make such a thing)! I was thinking as I picked them - these would be perfect bari-strawberries because of their mini size! Hope you all have begun to enjoy the first sign of summer - strawberries!

ENJOY!!

Twisted: Salad Nicoise

A typical salad nicoise is made with red skinned potatoes, tuna, egg, and vegetables. I thought it might be interesting to give it more colorful twist. It you're not a fan of tuna, try out this rendition!

2 cups sweet potato, diced into about 1" cubes
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup canned chickpeas, strained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
2 - 6oz cans of chicken, drained (or 1.5 cups of chicken pulled off a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook about 10-15 minutes, until tender. Add the green beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking. When done cooking, strain, douse with cold water (let it run over the vegetables in a strainer for about 10 seconds) then let sit for about 5 minutes to slightly air dry.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and mustard and let sit.
3. In a large bowl, place tomatoes, eggs, chick peas, chicken and when sweet potatoes and green beans are ready add them as well. Leave the salad greens out.
4. Toss the vegetable, egg and chicken mixture with the vinaigrette. Serve over the mixed greens.

ENJOY!

Summer Health Tips

Summer Health Tips from the Weight Management Experts at The Miriam Hospital.

Enjoy!  http://www.golocalprov.com/health/10-ways-to-stay-healthy-fit-this-summer-miriam-experts/