Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

I did a recipe recently for homemade chips, this time I baked them =) WAY healthier, just as tasty, and easier too.

Eggplant Parmesan with Linguine

I found the recipe for this on the Rachael Ray website. I linked the original recipe, but I must say I made some changes. You're shocked, no? ;-)

For the sauce I used one 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, 15 ounce can tomato sauce, squeeze of basil. Lets talk about basil. I hate when I have to toss fresh herbs that have gone bad, at Albertsons I discovered little 4 oz tubes of squeezable herbs! Basil paste that lasts for 90 days? Yes please! Back to the sauce. I also used pepper, squeeze of anchovy paste, sauteed garlic and onions, and garlic infused olive oil. I think that was all I used. It was delish! I let it simmer slowly for about 40 minutes. Best.Sauce.Ever.

Poached Eggs Over Salmon Cakes

I saw this recipe for salmon cakes on Chef John's blog a while back, and I finally decided to make it. I thought it would be good with poached eggs on top, and it sure was! You can find the original recipe on his blog, but I modified it due to lack of certain ingredients, so I'll post what I used:

Strawberry Shortcake: My Way

To be honest, I never really liked strawberry shortcake all that much growing up. Was it the sugar soaked strawberries? I loved them. The whipped cream, freshly made? Oh no, that's my favorite. It must have been the shortcake. I don't know why, it's just not my thing. What I do love is pound cake, who doesn't? Buttery, soft, fluffy but not too light, doesn't make you feel sick to your stomach and is perfect to make into whatever you desire. I had strawberries in the fridge that had seen better days, I picked out all the good and decent ones and chopped them up. Hmmm, what to make now? Then I thought about strawberry shortcake, and drooled a little. Seconds later I was in Albertson's buying pound cake and heavy cream. Oh yes, this is going to be good. Grab a sauce pan and put a bowl in the fridge and lets get to it.

Fried Tofu & Peanut Satay Stir Fry

Cooking for one can be a challenge sometimes, especially when we have random ingredients in the pantry and fridge. Armed with a block of tofu, frozen vegetables, a jar of peanut satay, and hope for an awesome meal I called my mother and we came up with an idea for something quite amazing. If I had more ingredients, or the will to go to the grocery store . . . this meal definitely would have possessed the potential to be restaurant quality. Instead, I came up with something delicious and healthy on the fly.

Nopales Enchiladas

Although St. Patty's totally kicked my bum this year, I still wanted to make dinner last night since I had been a total baby all day long. I had to call in sick to work, because standing up is apparently challenging =P I got nopales from a coworker and decided to make enchiladas with them! For those who have never had nopales or have no idea what I'm talking about, nopales is the meat from a cactus plant. I've never bought and prepared this because it can be a pain. The plant is prickly and slimy. Luckily, she had already prepared it and diced it so I could just throw it into my meal. This dish is simple to put together and has incredible health benefits! Nopales are very rich in fiber, vitamins & minerals, lowers the glycemic effect in a meal, and can be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It's like a wonder food, and happens to taste great! When I opened the container it reminded me of smelling a very bland and mild pepper although the flavor is a little tart. They are good, and hubby was drooling over the meal! I made Spanish rice and spicy re-fried beans to go alongside.

Irish Colcannon: Served with Corned Beef Brisket & Cabbage

Top of the mornin' to ya! I hope everyone is having a lucky St. Patty's Day. This is one of my favorite holidays, in addition to being Irish I am also a beer and whiskey drinker . . . obviously this holiday suits me well ;-) I decided to cook colcannon, brisket, and cabbage this year. Super incredibly simple to make and very hearty. Here is a simple and quick recipe for Irish Colcannon.

Beef Lasagna

Super easy to make and incredibly filling and delicious! I made this the other night and hubby gobbled it up . . . Although I must admit, I had already had some wine while this was cooking and after eating I passed out on the couch due to a food coma. Hah. It's that good.

Fantastic Chicken Burritos!

Quick, simple, tasty, healthy, and fresh! What more can you ask for? This would be great with beef, pork, fish, or grilled veggies as well ^_^

Monkey Bread

This is a simple and delicious treat also known as "pull apart bread." I love this stuff! When my husband and I placed the order for our wedding cake we got a free loaf of monkey bread. It was a small bakery in Point Loma and they wanted to thank us. I haven't had this since then, so I thought it was time I made some. You can do different versions of this dish. A great way is to chop up walnuts and raisins and layer those in about halfway between the dough and over the top.  I didn't feel like chopping nuts, and I don't have any raisins so I just made the bread plain.

BBQ Baked Tofu

I *love* this recipe! It's incredibly simple to pull together, everything cooks at just about the same time but with enough time in between to prep and it's healthy! GASP! Healthy? I know, about time. Grab a few pots and dishes and lets get cooking!

Homemade Tortilla Chips and Guacamole

Here is another wonderful recipe for summer! Luckily, living in California there are always ripe avocados available . . . even in Winter! =) I actually made a quick little crappy video on frying the chips. These can easily be baked as well, I just think they taste better fried =P