Greek yogurt pancakes! Best ever!!

Makes about 8 good size pancakes-

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (or 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornmeal or other flour for texture and flavor)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt (nonfat, low-fat, or whole milk all work here)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil
• Oil or spray oil for cooking

Preparation:

1. Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium high heat. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; then whisk yogurt and eggs together; add yogurt and eggs to flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in melted butter or oil.
2. Spray oil on hot griddle and spoon batter into even cakes – about 8 – and let cook until bubbles form on the surface of the cakes, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about another 2 minutes.

Serve pancakes hot, with butter, maple syrup, honey, or jam as you like.

Pasta with corn pesto---a new twist to pesto!!

Pasta with Fresh Corn Pesto
adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2010
serves 4 as a main course

• 4 bacon slices, preferably applewood-smoked
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from 4-6 ears
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces fresh pasta (I made fettuccine)
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil, parsley, oregano, and chives)

Cut each bacon slice in half length-wise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.  Cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon of the fat.

Add the corn, garlic, salt and pepper to the skillet, and saute until the corn is just tender, but not brown, 3-5 minutes.  Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the corn to a small bowl and reserve.  Transfer the rest to a food processor, and add the pine nuts and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.  With the machine running, slowly stream the oil through the feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth.  Set aside.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender, but still firm to the bite (not quite as done as you would want it).  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta.  Return pasta to the pot and add the pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup fresh herbs.  Toss well and add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.


Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with additional herbs, cheese, and reserved bacon. 

Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake- easy and yummy

Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake

From the book Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Introduction

You can either serve this macaroni unbaked, so it’s loose, gooey, and silky, or bake it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving to give it a crispy, golden topping. You could even try adding a grated hard-boiled egg or cooked prawns, but I like the simple style, as here.  

For 2 adults and 1 child I cut this in 1/2 and still had about 2 servings for left overs.  It was very good and easy!

Ingredients

	½	a head of cauliflower
	8	oz. Cheddar cheese
	4	oz. Parmesan cheese
	~	A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley
	~	Sea salt
	1	lb. dried macaroni (elbows)
	1	cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Steps

1. To prepare your pasta: Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk and cut the head into small florets. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl (I used a glass pyrex). Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.
2. To cook your pasta: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions. Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the crème fraîche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit.
4. At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Add ⅔ cup of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
5. To serve your pasta: Divide the pasta between plates or bowls, or place the baking dish in the middle of the table next to a nice green salad and let everyone help themselves

Pasta with zucchini, tomatoes and creamy-lemon-yogurt sauce

Sooo Yummy!

• 8 OUNCES WHOLE WHEAT LINGUINE (OR YOUR PASTA OF CHOICE)
• 1/2 CUP NONFAT PLAIN GREEK YOGURT
• 1/4 CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
• 1 TEASPOON GRATED LEMON ZEST (also put about 1/2 the lemon's juice in as well)
• 1/4 TEASPOON SALT
• 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
• 3 MEDIUM (8-OUNCE) ZUCCHINI, CUT INTO THIN STRIPS (3 INCHES LONG AND 3/4 INCH WIDE, LIKE A BIG STICK OF GUM)----You could use any veggie really (yellow squash, spinach, mushrooms, ASPARAGUS...)
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES, THINLY SLICED
• 1/2 PINT GRAPE OR CHERRY TOMATOES, HALVED LENGTHWISE

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook about 9 minutes, or according to the package directions. Remove 1/4 cup of the cooking water, and set it aside. Drain the pasta. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook just until wilted, flipping them over occasionally with a spatula. (The zucchini will be soft and somewhat see-through.)
4. Use a spoon or spatula to push the zucchini aside so a space on the bottom of the pan is clear. Add the garlic, and cook for 15 to 30 seconds, until golden but not really brown.
5. Mix the garlic into the zucchini.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
7. Transfer the zucchini mixture to the yogurt mixture, and stir to combine. Add the drained linguine, and toss gently to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water a tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to thin it. Divide among four bowls and serve.

Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Homemade Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• heaping 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese (if using) and black pepper.
3. In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar.  Gently stir until combined but do not over stir but be sure it is all combined well.
4. Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet (I line mine with non stick foil for easy clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

Stuffed Shells with sausage and spinach-easy!

Ingredients

• 16-18 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound fresh Italian sausage (can buy links and remove casing but I just bought the bulk 1lb package)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with the juice
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry (or a few good handfuls of fresh spinach rough chopped)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• Italian Seasoning

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage-like cooking ground beef, cook 5-6 minutes until browned.
3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes and spinach-I used fresh....easier but if you use frozen make sure the thawed frozen spinach has been squeezed dry-want the spinach not the water; cook 1 minute or until leaves are wilted down.  Add pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.
4. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch baking dish works well). Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.
5. Wonderful!
   

Grilled chicken tzatziki- this was very GOOD and easy!

This looks like a lot but it was actually very simple and can prepped in the morning or night before!  I made a deconstructed sandwich for Ev and he LOVED dipping his chicken in the greek yogurt.


Ingredients

• pitas
• Extra greek plain yogurt for garnish

For chicken marinade:

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice + 1 lemon zested

• 2 tsp hot sauce (1 used just 1tsp b/c of Evan)

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

• Pinch salt

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For cucumber relish:

• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup seeded, finely diced tomato

• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

• 6 tbsp coarsely chopped and pitted black olives

• 4 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
1 To prepare chicken marinade, whisk all ingredients except chicken breasts together in a bowl. Combine marinade with chicken breasts in a large zip-lock bag, seal and gently shake to evenly distribute marinade over chicken. Place in refrigerator and chill for 2 to 4 hours.

2 Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber relish. Lay cucumber slices in a sieve placed over a bowl and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Leave for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until cucumbers soften and their liquid begins to drain into the bowl. Stir occasionally.

3 Combine the tomato, onion, olives, parsley, dill, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir in drained cucumbers, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

4 Grease grill and preheat to medium-high. Remove chicken from zip-lock bag and discard marinade. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from grill, let rest for a few minutes and slice thinly on the diagonal. Lay chicken slices on top of each pita round and divide relish evenly among them. Garnish with a little extra yogurt and serve.