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Tasty

Scotty 2 Hottie

May 14, 2014

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One of J and my favorite date night spots is a place called Oak & Rye… sadly we have spread the word TOO well and have a very hard time getting in there in a timely matter now (le sigh).

We love pretty much everything on their menu, but we both agree the “Scottie 2 Hottie” pizza takes the cake.  So when we can’t eat the real stuff, I did the next best thing, and tried my hand at a easy, make-at-home version that can tide us over until we are willing to wait out the hour+ wait.

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Scotty 2 Hottie

  • Premade pizza dough (or make your own… I’m not that ambitious)
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Sopressata (you can get this at most artisan grocery stores or Italian delis – but pepperoni does the trick too!)
  • Mozzarella (I use a log, not shredded)
  • Basil
  • Sliced pepperoncinis
  • Honey
  1. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes at 475 degrees (or according to the dough’s instructions) until golden brown (I feel like in the movies that they always put toppings on raw pizza dough – DON’T DO IT. I always end up with raw pizza… yuck).
  2. Remove crust from oven and top with pizza sauce, sliced mozzarella and Sopressata.
  3. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese has melted.
  4. Remove from oven and top with basil leaves and drained pepperoncini slices.
  5. Bake pizza for 2-3 more minutes.
  6. Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with honey.
  7. Serve hot and enjoy!

* the key to ingredient amounts is totally up to preference… just beware the pepperoncini’s have a bit of heat, so use less if you prefer more mild food

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Tasty

Southwestern Cobb Salad

May 12, 2014

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I love dinners that transition well to lunches the next day.  Considering most recipes make enough for 4 people, I have to make sure to I really LOVE what I’m making (enough for a couple rounds of leftovers).  This salad is a great option! Super healthy, tons of Omega-3s, and under 400 calories per serving!

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Southwestern Salmon Cobb Salad

adapted from Eating Well 

  • 1 lb wild salmon, skinned
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce framed canned chipotles + 1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobe
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt or reduced fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 10 cups romaine lettuce
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 bunch radishes, sliced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatos, halved
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  1. Make dressing by mixing greek yogurt/sour cream, vinegar, water, minced chipotles and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Store in fridge until ready to use.
  2. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
  3. Divide salmon into 4 equal portions and brush with adobo sauce and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Grill salmon, turning once, until opaque – about 3 minutes per side.
  5. Divide greens, salmon and toppings among 4 plates (or 2 plates and 2 Tupperwares for tomorrow!). Serve dressing on the side and enjoy!

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*In a pinch I buy honey smoked salmon portions at Whole Foods.  They can be served cold and are an easy addition to this salad if you don’t feel like grilling.

**If you are out of chipotles, I also recommend using dried chipotle powder in the dressing.

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Per Serving (according to EatingWell.com): 385 calories, 22 g far, 91 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate, 0 g added sugar; 37 g protein, 7 g fiber, 696 mg sodium, Nutritional bonuses – 85% daily value of Vitamin A, 62% DV of folate, 60% DV of Vitamin C, 42% DV of Potassium

Tasty

Morning Shake

May 7, 2014

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Last week I shared my Lemon Water recipe… today I wanted to share with you my “take to work breakfast shake.”  My mom put this recipe together and it is so easy and delicious! The best part? You make the night before and don’t have to worry about prepping anything the day of!

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Morning Shake

  • 2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons Hemp Seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons PB2
  • 12 oz Almond Milk
  1. Simply put all ingredients into a glass container and shake!
  2. Let sit overnight and enjoy in the morning.

Notes:

  1. A mason jar is a great container, as well as the Nut Milk jars that Whole Foods sells (simply enjoy their in-house vanilla almond milk and clean out the container).  I also found that Juice Shop uses the same bottles… so if you are in the city, you can snag one of those as well! I just fill the almond milk to almost the top (still need room to shake).
  2. Buy your chia seeds at Costco… you get way more bang for your buck (as usual).
  3. What is PB2? It is basically dehydrated peanut butter, thus removing most of the fat from it – only 45 calories a serving! If you don’t like peanut butter, this shake may not be for you… although they do have a chocolate PB2 that may taste more chocolatey than peanut butter, but I haven’t tried it yet.
  4. Make sure to make this the night before.  The seeds need time to be submerged in liquid, so that you can get the full nutrients.

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Check out my other favorite morning beverages here, here and here!

Tasty

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

May 5, 2014

Mexican Salad2

I LOVE Mexican food.

If I had to eat one genre of food (without having to worry about my waistline), Mexican would win by a landslide… enchiladas? Quesadillas? Tacos? Oh goodness…

Chicken Enchiladas

Well in honor of Cinco di Mayo, I wanted to share some of my favorite Mexican inspired dishes that I’ve shared on the blog… take your pick for a yummy dinner for tonight!

Chicken Sopecitos

Starters

Mexican Salad

Mains

Fish Tacos

Don’t forget to check up my round-up of favorite margaritas from last week’s Fun Drink Friday!

Tomato Salsa

Tasty

Vanilla Almond Milk

April 30, 2014

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In a world of “pre-made” everything, it is really easy to take shortcuts in the kitchen.  Unfortunately there are a ton of preservatives and unhealthy additives in most of the products, so I try to make my own “stuff” whenever time permits.

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Now that I’ve been starting my morning with this shake I wanted to find a way to make my own almond milk… I’ve always thought it was way too much work than it was worth, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn’t the case!

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Vanilla Almond Milk 

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 3.5 cups filtered water
  • 2 dates, chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
  • Optional: ground cinnamon, sea salt
  1. Soak almonds overnight in water (make sure to cover them in enough water, because they really plump up).
  2. Rinse almonds in a collinder.
  3. Put almonds, water, dates and vanilla in a blender.
  4. Blend on high until well combined.
  5. Pour almond mixture into a nut bag over a bowl.
  6. Let milk drain into a bowl and squeeze mixture to remove any liquid (should take 3-5 minutes to release all of the milk).
  7. Add cinnamon, salt or any other flavors.
  8. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days and shake before you drink it (it will separate).

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Notes: If you don’t have a nut bag you can use cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve – but you will probably have some texture to your almond milk.  Also the nut bag is reusable and makes the whole process so much easier and cleaner… plus it’s under $10! 
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