Spinach and Sundried Tomato Dip

This is a concept that I came up with a few years ago when it dawned on me that “pesto” can be made using a variety of ingredients.  I always have spinach on hand and (at the time) occasionally had sundried tomatoes on hand.  I decided to mix the two to see what would happen.

When I originally made this, I did add in some grated parm but left out the nuts.  This turned into an amazing spread and dip.  We instantly fell in love with the smooth spinach and the sweet chewiness of the sundried tomatoes.  The concept is super easy and can be adjusted to fit your tastes!

I never measure when I make this recipe, so this is more of a concept type post than an actual recipe with measurements.

Andrea’s Spinach and Sundried Tomato Dip

  • Fresh baby spinach
  • Sundried tomatoes (marinated or unmarinated, it’s up to you)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Olive oil
  • Black Pepper
  • Red pepper flakes

You will need a food processor to make this dip.   In the food processor combine about three large handfuls of spinach and roughly 8-9 sundried tomatoes along with the garlic clove (peeled of course).  Pulse a few times to get things moving along and broken down.  Then add in the black pepper, just a touch, and a pinch of the red pepper flakes.  If using marinated tomatoes in oil, drizzle in a bit of that oil.  Otherwise use a bit of your own olive oil, just a touch, about 1 tsp.  Pulse until everything is well combined and almost smooth looking.  You want to be able to see bits of spinach and tomato together.

Scoop in a dish and serve! Either as a dip with crackers, on pizza instead of sauce, or even as a sandwich spread.

The first time I made this I did use it as a sandwich spread for a chicken sandwich and it was probably one of the best chicken sandwiches we ever had!  I now use it as a base for my pizzas on occasion.  I always have sundried tomatoes on hand now, or at least I try to.  Whole Foods actually has some great ones they put out but you have to seriously look for them.  They are in little containers and usually found around the olive and antipasto station.

I have served this as a dip at parties with crackers and chips.  I’ll add in some cheese if no one has an allergy to it.  I’ve mixed this with some cream cheese to make a lovely little spread for crackers and bread as well.  Mixed with the cream cheese it looks pretty and tastes fantastic.  II have also mixed this into some scrambled eggs for a different twist to breakfast.  And I’ve added it to polenta just for kicks.  There’s so much you can do with this mixture!

I don’t add salt because I use marinated tomatoes which have plenty of seasoning.  If using plain, I would add in a pinch of salt and maybe some Italian seasoning.

You can make this ahead of time, up to a day before you need it.  Possibly two, but I wouldn’t go longer than that or the spinach starts to turn on you.

If you like pesto style dips and spreads, give this a try!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes

Last month for Scott’s birthday we discussed what sort of special dessert/snacky thing he wanted.  A lot of ideas were tossed around and he finally decided on Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes.

Those were his exact words.

Dude.  I don’t even know where he pulled that from! But in this house, whatever my hunny wants is what he’s going to get.

I poured over some websites and several of my favorite cookbooks and came up with a game plan.

This is how I work. I review several recipes to get an idea of how something is done and then I make my own version.

I fully expect that everyone else operates this way as well.  In my head no one follows a recipe exactly, we are all just a bunch of Kitchen Rogues blazing a path with a chef’s knife in one hand and a kitchen blow torch in the other.

Or something like that.

Andrea’s Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes

  • 1/2C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • 1tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4tsp Baking Soda
  • 2tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 3TBSP Cane Sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 2/3C Vanilla Soymilk + 1 TBSP
  • 2 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2TBSP Light Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk together until everything is combined and “fluffy” looking.  In a smaller mixing bowl, combine soymilk, vanilla extract, and olive oil.  Mix and then slowly add that to the flour mixture.  Gently stir the ingredients together.

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Fill with cupcake batter about halfway full.  Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool

Makes about 10 cupcakes.

These were my first attempt at vegan cupcake making (remember I prefer to bake vegan).  I’ve been making cookies and such for a while now so I figured it was time to branch out.  Good suggestion Scott!

Aside from the fact that these stuck to the liners a bit more than I would have liked, they came out totally awesome.  Due to the WW flour they are slightly denser than a regular cupcake but that’s okay because we like that taste.

We ate them unfrosted but you could totally top them with a chocolate ganche of some sort.  I’m still working on making a great vegan icing that doesn’t include a ton of powdered sugar and fake shortening (ew).

Hooray cupcakes!

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

The first time I had vegan chocolate pudding was when I picked up a small container of it from Whole Foods.  I read the ingredient list which was not scary nor was it long, so I dumped into the cart.  It did use silken tofu as a base and while I don’t really dig on tofu, I decided to be open-minded and give it a try.

From that point we were hooked and would purchase it on occasion when making a Whole Foods trip.  However, like most things at Whole Foods, their pudding was overpriced and on the small side (sorry WF but you know it’s true).  I decided to look into making my own.  I checked a few recipes online just to get a basic idea of what is needed, reviewed the ingredient list of the Whole Foods version and started experimenting.

What I am currently doing takes no more than like five minutes prep time and uses only four ingredients.  It’s still a work in progress but so far it’s damn tasty and when your husband begs you to make him some Vegan Chocolate Pudding, it’s safe to assume you are on the right track.

Andrea’s Vegan Chocolate Pudding

  • 1 pkg. (1lb) of organic silken tofu
  • 4TBSP (heaping) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 4TBSP Maple Syrup
  • Pinch (1/2tsp) of Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar

Drain as much of the liquid off of the tofu that you can and dump into a blender.  Add in the other ingredients and blend until everything is well combined.  Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.  Allowing the tofu to set back up.  Spoon into dishes and enjoy!

P.S. Or just eat straight from the bowl like we do!

I’m trying to experiment with different tofu textures because while this is a great pudding, it isn’t quite as thick as I would like it to be.  The one from Whole Foods was extremely thick and decadent but they also used silken tofu so I’m not sure how they achieved that.  I tried straining the tofu to get as much liquid out as I could but that didn’t really help matters.  I think maybe I need to not use the silken and try a slightly firmer tofu.

The pinch of cane sugar gives it just the right amount of sweetness that you won’t get from only using maple syrup.  I tried using only cane sugar and the texture ends up being a little bit grainy.  This combo works out really well, if you like sweeter though, then by all means use more sugar to suit your tastes.

You can use a food processor to mix if you don’t have a blender.

I like the concept because it presented me with a different way to view tofu.  Like I mentioned, I’m not a huge tofu fan.  The texture is weird and even marinaded, it tastes bland to me.  Creating this pudding gave me a chance to work with tofu in a new way and I realized that tofu doesn’t just have to be baked or stir-fried.  It has loads of possibilities!

This is a great tasting treat!  A lovely dessert that you can feel good about eating.  Pair it with some red wine and you have a great dessert on your hands.

Enjoy! And remember, always play your food!

Reindeer Crunch

Reindeer Crunch by Off Her Cork I have come across a snack mix that is typically referred to as Puppy Chow.  It is a snack mix that is covered with tons of powdered sugar and is typically seen during the holiday season.  Has it made an appearance near you?

I have never eaten this snack mix before.  First of all it’s covered in powdered sugar which means it’s gonna be major sweet.  And secondly, it’s called Puppy Chow for frack’s sake.  I’m not eating that.  At the risk of sounding totally snotty, I don’t even feed my dog kibble, you think I’m gonna touch something that is named after some crappy dog food?

Fat chance.

I don’t know what prompted me to look into this snack mix a bit further but I did and realized that it’s pretty easy to make.

I decided to come up with my own recipe because most of the other recipes I saw used lots of butter or shortening.  Even the vegan versions used vegan shortening.

Totally unnecessary!  I knew I could come up with something better AND it’s not named after a really crappy dog food, it has a festive cute name instead.  If you don’t dig on Reindeer Crunch, feel free to call it “Stuff” or “Addicting” instead, I won’t be mad at ya.

Andrea’s Reindeer Crunch

  • 4C of Kashi Honey Heart to Heart Cereal
  • 2C Mini pretzels
  • 1C Unsweetened Banana Chips
  • 1.5C Dark chcolate chips
  • 1/2C All natural Peanut Butter
  • 1/2TBSP Coconut oil
  • 2.5C Powdered sugar

In a very large bowl mix the cereal, pretzels, and banana chips together.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut oil together until smooth and creamy.  Remove from heat and pour over top of the mixture in the bowl.  Stir to make sure everything is coated with the chocolate mixture.  Start adding in the powdered sugar until everything is white and covered in sugar.

Immediately start stuffing your face with your new snack mix.

I used coconut oil in place of the butter and shortening I saw in other recipes.  I also decreased the amount a great deal.  Using several tablespoons of butter or shortening is totally unnecessary and a bit excessive.  In fact I don’t even think the coconut oil is even required.  I bet this would work just as well without it.

I like Kashi cereals but if you want to use Honey Nut Cheerios instead, knock yourself out.  That would work just fine.

You probably could melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut oil in the microwave but a double boiler is super easy to make and I think results in a creamier better tasting chocolate.  If you want to try the microwave, give it a shot, I’m not making any promises though!

I do have two sticking points.

1. Don’t use crap chocolate, get good chocolate.  This means bypass the Hershey’s or store brand chips and get yourself some nice chocolate.  I used Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips.

2. When I say all natural peanut butter, I mean it.  No Jif, or Skippy, or anything like that.  I am talking peanut butter where the ingredients consist of two items: peanuts and salt.  That’s it.  The kind of peanut butter you have to stir first and then store in the fridge.  Trust me, your body and your friends will thank you for this choice.

This is a recipe that is easy and can be done in like 5 minutes.  It’s also a recipe that can make a ton if you need it for parties or perhaps for some gift giving. :)

Happy Holidays!

Homemade Granola

I love granola and am pretty sure that I have always loved it.  I was never much into the chewy granola bars, I loved the crunchy more sturdy ones.  I always felt oh so healthy when eating granola.  It’s oats and nuts and sometimes fruit!  How can that be bad?

I also always purchased granola because for some reason I had it in my head that it was hard to make.  Eventually I started realizing how much money I was spending on granola because granola is flipping expensive!  I also became aware of how much sugar was in the granola.  I’m not a big sugar person anyway and when I realized just how much sugar is in manufactured granola, I sort of silently freaked out. I personally don’t want or need that much sugar in my life.

It was at this point that I started making my own granola.  It was a rocky start that resulted in plenty of burnt batches.  Lesson learned, granola is a project of love. Slow, easy, and steady will get you the results you want.  Aggression and haste will just leave you frustrated and unsatisfied.  None of us want that!

Andrea's Granola

Andrea’s Homemade Granola

  • 4C Old Fashioned Oats
  • 2TBSP Light Olive oil
  • 1/4C Maple Syrup
  • 3tsp of ground cinnamon
  • Fresh grated nutmeg, to taste (I do about 1/2 tsp)
  • 1C each crushed raw pecans and raw walnuts
  • 1/2C Unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl combine, oats, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, oil and maple syrup.  It takes about 3 minutes of stirring for everything to combine.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

On a large cookie sheet, line with foil and spray with nonstick spray (or use a mister with oil of your choice).  Dump oat mixture onto the cookie sheet and spread out.  Place in the oven and stir the mixture about every 10 minutes.  Bake the oat mixture for about 25-30 minutes.  The last five minutes of baking, mix in the coconut.

When the granola is browned and crispy remove from oven and allow to cool.  About 15 minutes.  When the granola is cooled, mix in the cranberries.  Store the granola in an airtight container.  Mixture keeps for ages so no worries about it turning on you.

Once I started making my own granola, I have turned into a huge granola snob.  Either I don’t care for the taste of other granolas or the ingredient list isn’t something that appeals to me.  Recently I came across some granola that had powdered milk as an ingredient.  Wha the what?  Why in the world is there powdered milk in granola?

So yeah, I’m totally picky now.

This is a loose granola.  This granola will not provide you with big cluster pieces.  In order to get that kind of granola, a lot of oil and liquid sugars are needed and that’s not something I’m down with.  If that’s what you like, feel free to up the oil and maple syrup amounts and see what happens. :)

This granola is awesome with yogurt, sprinkled on top of oatmeal, or even salads.  In fact I’m currently out and need to make more!  I suppose I should get moving.  The smell of baking granola is amazing and instantly makes the house that much cozier.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Zucchini LoafNot that long ago I had a hankering for some chocolate zucchini bread.  Or at least I assumed this was the case, as I had never actually had chocolate zucchini bread.

Zucchini bread, yes.  But it was always the same way, spicy and more along the lines of like a carrot cake, spice cake kind of taste.  Lots of cinnamon, clove, and allspice in the mix.

That wasn’t exactly what I envisioned.  I wanted a dense chocolate quick bread with some zucchini in it.  I started looking around for recipes to see what I could find.  There were loads out there!

But they all had tons of sugar, white flour, and a load of eggs in them.

This is where my knack to never follow a recipe comes in handy.  I looked at the recipes to get an idea of the basic ingredients and then I created my own chocolate zucchini bread recipe.

Andrea’s Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2C shredded zucchini
  • 1/3C light olive oil
  • 1 egg white (or 3 TBSP of egg whites from a carton)
  • 1C soymilk (plus a few extra splashes at the end)

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2C Whole Wheat Pastry flour (or regular WW flour is fine)
  • 1C Unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2tsp Baking soda
  • 2tsp Baking powder
  • 1/4C Cane sugar
  • 4TBSP Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Powder
  • 2TBSP Ground flax
  • 2tsp Ground cinnamon
  • Freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/2tsp)
  • Pinch cayenne pepper (just a small, very wee pinch)
  • Pinch kosher salt (very small amount)
  • 1.5C Dark chocolate chips (can use milk if prefer)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, making sure everything is incorporated.  Then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring gently to combine everything.  You want to fold everything together, easily as possible.  This is a very thick and dense mixture.  You may need to add a few splashes of soymilk in to help the ingredients combine and move along.  However do not add more than an extra 1/3C.  Add in the extra amount a tablespoon at a time.  This will help keep the mixture thick and dense.

Once everything is combined, place mixture in a loaf pan (I used a 9x5x3 loaf glass pan) that was sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.  Or until a toothpick inserted in the center (highest peak) comes out clean.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or so, then slice and enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread slice Let me state right up front that this is not a very sweet bread.  You can see from the ingredients, I’m only adding in 1/4C of cane sugar.  I don’t care for sweets much and most recipes called for something like 2C or so of sugar.  Holy crap that’s a lot of sugar!  Not for this sister!  A quarter cup of sugar is plenty.  This is a decedent and rich chocolate zucchini bread and beyond amazing.  I was so pleased with the way this came out and both Scott and I adore it.

Now let’s talk about the ingredients a bit.  To me, this is a very healthy snack.  I like to snack every so often and I like to indulge my wild side but at the same time, I like keeping things healthy.  It’s how I prefer to be, and this bread makes for a nice healthy treat.

Do you have to use whole wheat flour?  No, if you want to use all purpose for the whole thing, knock your socks off!  If you want to add more sugar, go for it. If you don’t have ground flax, don’t sweat it!  You can also use regular milk too if you like.

I like organic cane sugar because it’s healthier but if you have white sugar on hand, you can use that.

I also use olive oil because if I have to add oil to a recipe, it’s going to be a good oil.  If you have vegetable or canola, feel free to use that.  I like olive because of it’s added health benefits.

This is my vision of what a perfect chocolate zucchini bread is like.  The beauty of recipes is that we can play around with ingredients!  So you can do whatever your little heart desires.

I encourage you to not forget the cayenne though because it adds such a nice warmth to the flavor.  Cinnamon is very spicy and provides a nice heat.  The addition of cayenne takes that heat a little bit further and gives it some depth as well.  Trust me on this, go for the cayenne!

I have used vanilla and plain soymilk in this recipe and both work very well.  I also have used milk and dark chocolate chips, and again, both work really well.  My preferred chocolate powder is Ghirardelli but use whatever you have on hand.

chocolate zucchini muffin I’ve also made this into muffins instead of a loaf, and they also came out great!  Makes just shy of 24 muffins.  Cook time is reduced to about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

This also makes for a great prerun snack the night before a morning run. :D  It’s carblicious and dense so it sticks with you.  I can also tell you that the chocolate zucchini bread goes great with red wine, white wine, and beer.  Pumpkin beer is a fabbo accompaniment!

If you’re craving some chocolate, give this bread a try and tell me what you think!

ETA: I also wanted to mention that this bread freezes very well.  Stick in a freezer bag and forget about it till you need a little chocolaty snack. :)

Remember guys, have fun and always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Tuesday Tip: Olive Oil dipping sauce

Olive oil and spices The first time I’ve ever had bread and oil as part of a meal was back in North Carolina, about 7 years ago.  Scott and I had just purchased our first house and we were out having a celebratory lunch.  The server brought out a basket of warm bread and a little dish that she poured seasoned olive oil into, then quickly scurried away.

Me: What do we do with this? Do I just dip the bread into the oil?

Scott: I think so. I’m not sure what other options there would be.

Me: Okay. Although dipping bread into oil and eating it is a little odd.

Scott: Totally weird.

The concept was so foreign to me.  “You want me to what?! Dip this bread into some fat and munch away?”, was my thought process.

But you know what? It was fabulous.  And of course olive oil is full of good heart healthy fats, so it all worked out!  From that point on I started looking more at flavored olive oils and olive oils labeled as “dipping oil”.  And you know what I found?

That stuff is flipping expensive!  Most were over $10 for a very small bottle of flavored oil.

Um, no. I’m not spending that much unless it’s also going to wash the dishes when I’m done eating.

At this point I realized that I could make my own.  I like having oils and vinegars multi-task at the HQ.  Because of that I don’t flavor a whole bottle of oil.  I do a quicker trick that is just as tasty and beautiful!

I pour a good quality olive oil onto a small plate.  An oil that I would also use in salads specifically for the flavor.  Then I sprinkle in some seasonings, whatever floats my boat that day.  Typically they are:

  • Garlic powder
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Italian Seasoning (salt free, Ms. Dash is the best in my opinion)
  • Chili powder or a pinch of cayenne for extra heat
  • Fresh ground black pepper

All of those to taste. I’m usually more heavy on the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Give it a quick stir and surround the oil with your favorite type of bread.  It’s unbelievably tasty and a very quick appetizer to put together.  Since oil can be stored at room temperature, you can make this ahead of time for guests and the flavors will just mingle and increase the longer it sits.

Try making your own olive oil dipping sauce for bread! It’s quicker, cheaper, and darn tastier!

Pimento and Cheese

getting started

getting started

I was first introduced to pimento and cheese when Scott and I lived in North Carolina.  I was working an overtime shift at my PT job at White Barn Candle (with an adjoining Bath&Body Works) and was on a short 15minute break.  I was starving and for some reason that is escaping me now, we had food in the back.  Someone brought in pimento and cheese sandwiches and I inhaled two of them.  I thought they were really good and told Scott all about them when he came to pick me up that night.

I started making them and fiddling around with recipes.  Turns out that Scott is pimento and cheese’s number one fan.  I’m surprised that he likes them so much because there’s not really much too them.  Another surprise?  I don’t really care for them. :p  I guess it was just the fact that I was starving and my blood sugar was too low when I had them the first time.  I can eat one sandwich with a little bit of spread, but that’s about it.  Otherwise it’s just not my bag.  But as I mentioned, my husband loves them and because I am a most fabulous wife, I make him his beloved pimento and cheese every so often.

Here’s my recipe and it’s so easy peasy, you can make this stuff in no time flat.

Andrea’s Pimento and Cheese

  • 8oz diced pimentos, drained
  • 1 3/4 C of shredded cheddar (use the good stuff)
  • 3 TBSP of mayo
  • 1/2 TBSP of spicy grainy mustard
  • 1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
  • 1 TBSP of buffalo sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes

In a medium sized mixing bowl, place all ingredients and combine.  Refridgerate for at least an hour.  Spread on crackers, use as a dip for veggies, or make sandwiches.  Enjoy!

Pimento and Cheese

Pimento and Cheese

As I mentioned in the recipe, spring for the good cheddar and grate it yourself.  The cheese and pimentos are the main ingredients in this dish so it makes sense to use quality ingredients.  However, that doesn’t mean you have to, so feel free to use the cheese you have on hand.  Scott and I both actually prefer our sandwiches to be grilled.  Since this is a mayo based spread, it will get runny on you if it gets too hot.  Make sure the skillet is hot (medium heat) and make this sandwich like you would make a grilled cheese.  Only flipping sooner so the filling doesn’t run out everywhere.

See, I told you this was easy!  Now if you are a pimento and cheese lover, get yourself some!  And make sure you have some sweet tea to go with it!

Have fun guys!  And remember, always play with your food!

P.S. Sorry there’s no picture of it in a sandwich. Scott was too busy inhaling them. :p  The next time I make this, I’ll update this post with a sandwich picture.

Pita Pizzas

Just like old times

Just like old times

When I was in middle school it was the 80s.  Hair bands and mall teen pop queens were in their prime.  And the thing to do back then was hit up the skating rink on Friday night.  Especially when you lived in a super small town and there was nothing else for you to do at that age.  The skating rink was a happening place and I taught myself how to skate.  And backwards skate.  And skate going around the corners with my feet turned out, heels touching.  My favorite thing to do was skate backwards and stop with my stoppers coming to a sliding halt.  My skates were white with blue wheels and a blue stopper.  And Velcro because when you are at the skating rink, it is all about the skating and not about wasting time lacing up your skates.  Oh and secretly crushing on the boys who preferred video games until the couples skate was announced.  Eventually I out grew my Velcro skates and moved on to bigger, more “adult” skates that I did have to lace up. I figured out a way to do it quickly with flair and grace.  I was still sporting blue wheels and a blue stopper though.  And, no, never pom-poms on my skates. I preferred the smooth classic chic look.

My favorite drink that I got every time I was at the rink was a “graveyard”.  This was a slushy that had all the syrups mixed in.  It became this deep purple color and it was the best drink a 12 year old could ask for.  The straw of course had the little scooper at the bottom so you get to the extra ice.  If I had extra money burning a hole in my jeans pocket then I got a slice of pizza.  Oh it was just some cheap frozen cardboard pizza run through a little toaster but to me it was perfection.  The cheese was all melty and stringy while the crust was crunchy and perfectly toasted.  I loved when I was able to get skating rink pizza!  Never had it again in my adult life until one day I got the bright idea to make a pita pizza.

It was a late night that found Scott and I both hungry.  We didn’t want anything huge but needed something substantial.  “Pita pizzas!” I said.  How easy is that, and pitas are good for you too!  So I made us some and heated them in the oven.  When they turned golden brown I pulled them out and served them up.  My first bite was heaven and I yelled, “OMG these taste exactly like skating rink pizza!” which I think I scared Scott a bit with my unbridled enthusiasm.  Immediately I was transported back to the rink with my blue and white skates eating a slice of pizza and sipping on my graveyard.  What a nice memory.

And I’ve been making pita pizzas for us ever since (I made one for Scott today!).  It’s a quick thing to make and pretty healthy when you break it down.  Even white pitas have loads of protein, are low fat, and low in carbs.  So today I bring you a concept more than a specific recipe.

Pita Pizzas!

You will need:

  • Pitas
  • Pizza sauce
  • Shredded cheese of your choice
  • Toppings of your choice

Preheat your oven to 400 and line a cookie/baking sheet with foil.  Spray with nonstick spray.  Put pitas on the cookie sheet and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Bake for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbly and golden.  Remove, cut into 4 slices and serve!

Pita Pizza

Pita Pizza

My favorite way to make a pita pizza is sauce and plain old shredded moz cheese. Sprinkle some Ms. Dash Italian blend on top and call it a day. These are great for parties and get-togethers because everyone can make their own! Have out a bunch of different cheeses and toppings so that people can pick what they like. Making sure to have plenty of meat options (sausage, ham, pepperoni) and veggie options (onions, peppers, spinach, tomatoes).  You can put out salsa and beans as well for topping choices. Since people are making their own they have more freedom over what they would like to eat. It makes for a fun activity and gets everyone in on the cooking!

And you can also grill these.  The side that’s going to be on the grill, brush with a little olive oil or veggie oil.  Top how you like, toss on the grill and cover for a few minutes till the cheese is melted and the pita is crispy.

These are simple, quick, and awesome to eat.  And if you’ve had skating rink pizza then perhaps these will bring back memories for you as well!

Enjoy guys! And remember: always play with your food!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Crunchy jalapenos

Crunchy jalapenos

Jalapeno poppers.  Jalapeno bites, whatever you call them they have been making the rounds at parties and gatherings for a while now.  They interested me but I also shied away from them since I tend to have a low tolerance for spicy dishes.  I’ve been slowly working to become more immune because when one has a husband who loves spicy stuff it starts getting harder to avoid it.

I finally decided to tackle bacon wrapped jalapenos.  Now, all recipes I have come across just call for some cream cheese in the jalapenos.  If you know me, then you’ll know that I consider that too plain.  Anyone can do that.  I wanted to put a twist in it.  Let’s bump this up and play around with it for a little bit and see what happens.  I went back and forth thinking about what I could do.  I wanted to keep it as simple as possible but still kick up the flavor.  Finally it hit me, jalapenos are already spicy (well to me anyway) so let’s stick with that theme and keep the spicy going!

Andrea’s Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

  • 4 medium to large jalapenos
  • 4 slices of bacon cut in 1/2
  • 2 TBSP Cream Cheese
  • 1/2-1 TBSP Chunky Salsa
  • 1 TBSP Shredded Cheddar

Cut the jalapenos in 1/2 lengthwise and remove all seeds and veins.  Make sure not to touch your eyes or face afterwards because you will light yourself on fire and curse yourself.  I know because I did it.  In a small mixing bowl mix together the cream cheese, salsa, and cheddar.  Once that’s mixed start to fill the jalapenos a little bit at a time.  You don’t want to overload them or the stuffing will come out as they cook.  Once the jalapenos are filled, wrap them with a piece of the bacon.  I used a toothpick to secure the bacon in place.

Since the salsa sort of loosens up the cream cheese, it’s helpful at this point to put the jalapenos back in the fridge for a few hours to get the cheeses to set back up.  Right before you are going to cook them, heat your oven up to 400.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and then place a wire cooling rack on top of the cookie sheet.  Spray the rack with nonstick spray.  Place the jalapenos on the rack and place in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes or until the bacon becomes nice and crispy.  Remove and allow to cool for about a minute then serve!

Just out of the oven

Just out of the oven

These turned out to be perfect pockets of spiciness!  My husband loved them and made little manly “nom nom” noises as he ate them. Chunky salsa works better than a very smooth salsa because the smooth waters down the cream cheese too much.  If the chunky seems to have a lot of juice to it, go ahead and strain some off a bit before adding it to the cream cheese.  You can also grill these on your outdoor grill if you’re having an outdoor party.

Admittedly these are addicting so if you are having a party I suggest making more than 8 because otherwise you run the risk of a fight breaking out amongst your guests.  When we become adults the cops showing up at a party does not provide the thrill it used to.

Also feel free to remind your guests about the toothpicks if your guests are such who eat before looking or if perhaps they are a little too in the “happy zone” to notice such things.  Mouth impalement is not a fun party time activity.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno

If you find yourself with leftover stuffing mixture, it makes a great dip for chips or veggies.  And just to give you something else to ponder, perhaps your guests would like something a little more hardy and while stuffed jalapenos are great they want something bigger.  Meatier.  And with some beans would be nice too, thank you.

Okay, I will help you out!

Use the cream cheese salsa mixture and build off of that.  I’m not giving amounts because it depends on how large your crowd is for how much you’re going to need.  Here’s the concept.

Andrea’s Layered Chili Dip

Ground meat (whichever floats your boat) cooked and seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, S&P.  To taste, as spicy as you like.  Drained and cooled.  Layer that in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Pinto beans, rinsed and drained, on top of the meat.  The cream cheese and salsa mixture (start with a whole container of cream cheese, and 1/2 jar of salsa and if you need more keep going), spread that on top of the meat and beans.  Heat in a 400 degree oven until it’s warm and heated through.  Remove, top with shredded lettuce, cheddar, and dollops of sour cream if you want to go crazy.  Serve with tortillas and veggies.

You can of course lose the meat if you don’t want it and even the beans too.  In that case, you don’t even need to heat up the cream cheese and salsa.  Just mix it and put it in a small casserole dish topped with the lettuce and cheddar.  Ta-da, more variations!  Clearly this is a pretty easy dish that can be altered however you like.

Now most all your guests should be happy and content.  And if not, time for new friends.  I’m just saying this is some good grub and party food. ;)

Have fun guys!  And remember, always play with your food!