Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta Toss

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta Toss
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

Serves 2-3

1/3 pound whole wheat rotini pasta (enough for 2-3 people)
4 TB olive oil, divided
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB capers
1/4 cup chopped mixed pitted olives
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper to taste
handful of torn basil
1/2 lemon

Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat 2 TB olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onions and garlic to olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add capers and shrimp and saute until shrimp are just pink. Add tomatoes and cooked pasta directly to skillet and toss with additional 2 TB olive oil, torn basil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Garden Pizza

Garden Pizza
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
small can of tomato sauce
dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded mexican blend cheese
2-3 spring green onions, thinly sliced
2-3 links chicken andouille sausage, thinly sliced (I use Amylu chicken sausages I find at Costco)
1-2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1-2 squash, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare pizza dough on stone. Pour tomato sauce onto dough and spread around. Sprinkle dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste over sauce. Add about a cup of shredded mozzarella over sauce. Then add in layers: sliced green onions, sliced chicken sausage, sliced zucchini and squash. Add salt and pepper to top veggie layer to taste. Sprinkle about a 1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese over zucchini and squash.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until pizza crust is golden brown cooked through and veggies are browned.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Frittata

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Frittata
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

2 large eggs
1/3 cup egg whites, approximately 2 large egg whites
2 TB milk
1 zucchini, chopped in about 1" pieces
1 - 2 squash, chopped in about 1" pieces
1/2 medium red onion, chopped in about 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped in about 1" pieces
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz piece of Ile De France Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet and place in hot oven. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes until veggies are cooked.

Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.

Spray an 8-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add roasted vegetables to the skillet, then pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Crumble goat cheese over eggs and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Cut into triangles and serve.

Penne with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

Penne with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

Serves 3-4

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 links Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of Italian diced tomatoes
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Red pepper flakes, for serving

Bring pot of salted water to a boil to cook pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on box, slightly under cook because you will be adding pasta to sauce while still on heat.

In a large saute pan, drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and start to cook onion and garlic. Once onions start to soften, add sausage and begin to crumble and cook in pan. Cook sausage completely, approximately 8-10 minutes. Add cans of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook together for about 5-8 minutes so sauce flavors combine. Add fresh spinach leaves to sauce and combine. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss.

Serve with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Vegetable Ragu

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Vegetable Ragu
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

2 tsp olive oil
1 large (28oz) can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 large zucchini, large dice
2 yellow squash, large dice
1 med onion, chopped
mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey, cooked and seasoned
1 large spaghetti squash
Parmesan cheese, for serving
red pepper flakes, for serving

In a large heated saute pan, drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and add onions and garlic. Cook onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add zucchini, squash, and mushrooms and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes over medium high heat. Season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Then add ground turkey and tomatoes, combine and let cook through. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Scrape out stringy flesh of cooked spaghetti squash into plate and serve with sauce. Add Parmesan and red pepper flakes to taste.

Fire Roasted Chile Chicken Fajitas

Fire Roasted Chile Chicken Fajitas
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

For Marinade:
4 chicken breasts
1 TB chili powder
1 TB smoked paprika
1 TB pasilla chili powder
1 TB garlic powder
3 TB diced fire-roasted green chiles (I use these)
salt and pepper
2-3 TB olive oil

2 large red or green bell peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
limes

flour or whole wheat tortillas
Guacamole, optional
Pico de Gallo, optional
Salsa, optional
Sour Cream, optional
Shredded Cheese, optional

In a large bowl, combine chicken breasts with chili powders, garlic, paprika, chopped chilies and olive oil (I eyeballed my measurements so adjust yours to your liking). Using tongs, toss chicken breasts until completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cast iron fajita skillet onto rack on lowest setting. Keep in hot oven until ready to serve fajitas.

Using a preheated grill or grill pan, cook chicken breasts, approximately 5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Once chicken is cooked, transfer to cutting board and let rest before slicing.

In a hot nonstick skillet, with about 1-2 TB olive oil, saute sliced peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, until softened.

Slice cooked chicken breasts into long thin strips. When ready to serve, pull out fajita griddle out of the oven using the hot handle holder and place on wooden underliner. Add a few drops of olive oil to skillet, add chicken, peppers and onions and toss to combine. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over chicken and veggies. Ready to serve!

Pan Fried Tilapia with Bonefish Grill's Chimichurri Sauce

Pan Fried Tilapia with Chimichurri Sauce

4 Tilapia Fillets
Bbq seasoning
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
Bonefish Grill Chimichurri Sauce

Sprinkle each fish fillet on both sides with bbq seasoning, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Add 2 tsp olive oil into preheated pan over medium high heat. Place tilapia into pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip fish over and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until fish looks cooked through (will be white and flaky in middle).

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of Chimichurri Sauce over each piece of fish. Serve with steamed veggies and enjoy!

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe from Bonefish Grill

8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. plus Kosher Salt
1 tsp. oregano, dry leaves
1 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Finely grated lemon zest from 3 lemons
4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse chop until all ingredients are approximately 1/8 inch in size. Add Italian parsley and pulse chop until parsley is 1/8 inch in size. Add the olive oil and blend in quickly. (Do not over blend)

Allow the sauce to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Zucchini and Mahi Stir Fry

Zucchini and Mahi Stir Fry
Recipe adapted from Meet Me in the Kitchen

Marinate:
1 pound cubed mahi mahi (with fish only marinate for 20-30 minutes max)
1 Tbls oil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbls soy sauce

2 large zucchinis, halved and sliced 1" thick
2-3 yellow squash, halved and sliced 1" thick
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
1 tsp ginger root, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:
Mix and set aside until needed- 1 Tbls cornstarch, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup oyster sauce, ¼ cup water

Heat 1 Tbls oil in wok until hot. Stir in half of the fish and cook until done. Remove fish and repeat with other half. Heat 1 Tbls oil in wok and stir in vegetables and flavorings. Stir fry veggies until tender and then add cooked fish. Stir in sauce mix, stir and cook until thickened. Serve with soba noodles or hot rice if desired.

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

1.25 lb of lean ground turkey (I usually use Jenni-O)
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
splash milk (I use non fat)
non stick spray

In large bowl, mix together onion, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan and milk. Mix until it turns into a loose paste. Add in ground turkey, chopped spinach, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Gently combine all ingredients. Roll meat mixture into small meatballs, about 1-2 inches round. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Before placing in oven, spray each meatball with non stick spray.

Cook for about 20-25 minutes, until browned, in 375 degree oven.

To serve with tomato sauce, drop meatballs in sauce pan with tomato sauce and heat through. Freeze your extras for another meal!

Veggie Potstickers with Soy Dipping Sauce

Veggie Pot Stickers with Soy Dipping Sauce
Recipe adapted from Meet Me in the Kitchen

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 cups angel hair coleslaw with carrots

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup minced green onions

1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

30 won ton wrappers

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1 cup water, divided
Soy Dipping Sauce, recipe below

Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add coleslaw; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. While cabbage cooks, add 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to keep cabbage from sticking to pan. Spoon cabbage into a medium bowl; let cool completely.

Add green onions, ginger, salt, sesame oil and garlic to bowl; stir well.

Working with 1 won ton wrapper at a time (cover remaining won ton wrappers to keep them from drying out), spoon about 1 tablespoon veggie mixture into the center of each wrapper.

Moisten edges of wrapper with water, and bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring the remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover loosely with a towel to keep them from drying out.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place half of pot stickers in bottom of skillet; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; cover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Place pot stickers on a serving platter; set aside, and keep warm. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetable oil, remaining pot stickers, and remaining water.

You can freeze uncooked potstickers- just place on a baking sheet, place in the freezer until frozen and transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag. When ready to cook, thaw and repeat cooking procedure. You can also cook them from a frozen state, it just takes a few more minutes to get them cooked through.

Soy Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1 clove chopped garlic
1 green onion, chopped

Mix ingredients together and serve in small bowl.

Baked Hot and Garlic **Zingers**

Baked Hot and Garlic **Zingers**
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen, inspired by Ale House Zingers

1.5 lbs chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 cups panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs, I use whole wheat panko)
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 cups Frank's Hot Sauce
butter, optional
2 tsp minced garlic (from jar)

You will need:
large cookie sheet
baking rack

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper, also drizzle a little olive oil over chicken and toss to coat. Pour panko in a large dish and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dip each chicken strip into dish, pressing chicken into panko to coat well.

Place your baking rack into a cookie sheet. Place breaded chicken strips onto baking rack. Spray breaded chicken strips with olive oil spray or non stick spray (this helps to give them that crispy texture).

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and done.

In small saucepan, heat up hot sauce and garlic. If you want to tone down the heat of the sauce add butter. Start with 1 TB and go from there.

Using tongs, gently toss chicken strips with hot sauce and serve with celery, carrots and your favorite blue cheese dressing (mine is Naturally Fresh Lite).

Pesto Chicken Rolls with Chopped Tomato and Spinach Salad

Pesto Chicken Rolls
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

1.5 lbs of chicken breast
6-8 tsp of prepared pesto (I used Buitoni for a shortcut)
1 cup sun dried tomatoes (I prefer the ones not in oil, but either will work)
shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Take each chicken breast and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a mallet (tenderizer), gently pound chicken till to about 1/4 inch thick cutlets. Cut each chicken cutlet in half into same size pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Drop approximately 1 teaspoon of prepared pesto onto the center of each chicken cutlet, spread pesto. Lay a few pieces of sun dried tomatoes over pesto. Sprinkle the shredded parmesan cheese over the sun dried tomatoes. Starting from the smaller side, roll cutlet being careful to keep filling inside. At this time you can seal the opening with a toothpick if you'd like.

Heat 1-2 tsp olive oil in an oven proof skillet and gently place each chicken roll in hot pan. Cook each side until golden brown, using tongs to gently turn rolls. Once all sides of chicken is seared to golden brown, place oven proof skillet into pre heated oven of 375 degrees. If you do not have an oven proof skillet, just transfer chicken into a baking dish greased with nonstick spray.

Cook chicken in oven for appoximately 20 -25 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. Serve chicken rolls with salad, veggies or pasta!



Chopped Tomato and Spinach Salad
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

4-5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
handful of kalamata olives, chopped
2-3 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves
balsamic vinegar
olive oil, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, onion, and olives in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, pour 2 -3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine. Serve tomato mixture over a bed of fresh spinach, gently toss to spread dressing. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil if you prefer.

Bruschetta Bar

Roasted Red Peppers

6 large red peppers
olive oil
fresh or dried oregano
salt and pepper

Place red peppers on hot grill or under broiler. Cook over high heat until skin is charred, turn peppers while cooking so entire pepper becomes charred. Once peppers are done, place them in large glass bowl and cover with top or saran wrap for about 5 minutes, or until cooled down.

Once peppers have cooled, start to prepare peppers by peeling charred skin and taking out stems and seeds. Slice peppers in thin strips and place in serving bowl. Add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped fresh oregano or dried oregano to taste, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss and serve. Can be served at room temperature or chilled.


Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Recipe from Simply Recipes

6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.

Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.

While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.

Sloppy Sammies

Sloppy Sammies

1.25 lb lean ground turkey
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 TB mustard
2-3 TB brown sugar

In large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, saute onions, carrots and red pepper until softened. Add ground turkey and continue to cook until browned. Add seasonings to meat and veggie mixture and cook through.

In small bowl combine tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, mustard and brown sugar. Add sauce to turkey and veggie mixture and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until sauce is warmed through and starts to thicken.

Serve on whole wheat or potato rolls.

Soup Soup (Sausage, Vegetable and Bean Soup)

Soup Soup...aka Sausage, Vegetable and Bean Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 links chicken sausage (I used Aidells Chicken and Apple sausage), chopped in quarters
2-3 zucchinis, chopped into quarters
2-3 yellow squash, chopped into quarters
1 can light red kidney beans, with liquid
1 can northern beans, with liquid
1 box of organic chicken stock
1/2 10 oz bag fresh leaf spinach

Saute onion, garlic and sausage in 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat, for about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and squash and continue to saute for about 5-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add both cans of beans with liquid, leaving 1/4 of the northern beans leftover in can. With spoon, mash beans into thick mixture. Add 1 TB of water to mashed bean mixture, swirl around, then add to soup pot. This will thicken up the soup a bit.

Add chicken stock and bring soup to boil. Once soup reaches boil, add spinach and bring down to a simmer. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

Black Bean Dip

Black Bean Dip
Recipe slightly adapted from Itzy's Kitchen, originally posted on Savory Spicy Sweet

2 cans black beans (original recipe used 1 can of white beans, 1 can of black beans)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
7 oz. hot salsa
2 cups shredded co-jack cheese (I used less than 2 cups and it was plenty)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
garlic salt to taste
cilantro to garnish
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°.

Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Squeeze the liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put all ingredients except cilantro and cheese in a bowl and mix together. Grease a shallow baking dish (nonstick spray works) before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese on top.
Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through. Remove from the oven and top with cilantro.