Leftover Orzo Salad Scramble

I took about a cup of leftover Warm Spinach and Orzo Salad (see previous post for recipe) and warmed it in a small, lightly greased skillet over medium heat. While it was warming, I beat one egg in a bowl. Once the pasta salad was warm, I added the egg and stirred to get the pasta salad nice and covered. Cook until egg is done. I sprinkled a little shredded 2% milk mozzarella on top. Yum-O!

***I served it with a crumpet. If you've never had a crumpet, I highly recommend it. I find them at Kroger in the International section, by the British stuff. They are like an English muffin, but better! They're fat free and only have 60 calories to boot.

Panini with Orzo Salad

Herb Pesto and Mozzarella Panini

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1 garlic glove
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices country-style bread
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced


Put pine nuts, basil, chives, garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 cup oil in blender until smooth. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, season with salt and pepper.

Preheat panini press to 400 or medium-high heat. (I don't have a panini press, I have a sandwich iron, so I just used it) Brush one side of each piece of bread with olive oil. Lay slices oiled side down, spread pesto on and top with mozzarella slices and top with tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper and lay remaining bread slices on top, oiled side up.

Cook until toasted and cheese is melted.

Warm Spinach & Orzo Salad
1 lb orzo
1 lb fresh baby spinach
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
1 chopped tomato
a few thin slices red onion
4 oz crumbled feta (I used reduced fat)
handful of pine nuts or walnuts (I had both, so I added a little of each)

Prepare 1 lb orzo according to the package.
During the last minute of the orzo's cooking, add 1 lb fresh baby spinach. Drain, set aside.
In large bowl, combine juice from one lemon and olive oil.
Whisk in salt and pepper to satisfaction.
Add orzo and spinach mixture, tomatoes, and red onion. Toss to combine.
Stir in feta and nuts. Serve.

(Sorry, I was in a hurry and forgot to take a pic!)

Arepas With Chicken & Corn

2 cups masarepa cornmeal

1 tsp salt

2 cups hot chicken broth

1/2 c black beans, drained

1/2 c shredded cheese (jack, cheddar, mozzarella, or combination)

corn on the cob, cooked

paprika

chili powder

garlic salt

1/2 c sour cream

pinch of chopped cilantro

one diced avocado

rotisserie chicken (breast, shredded: I bought one already cooked at Wal Mart, lemon garlic flavored)

1/2 tomato, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

salsa

1. combine cornmeal and salt in bowl

2. add broth, mix until no-lump dough forms

3. divide into 8 pieces, cover them with a damp cloth

4. heat lightly greased griddle, dip hands in cold water (prevents sticking) and roll each piece into a ball.

5. make an indention in each ball and insert a tiny bit of beans, cheese and onion.

6. pinch dough around filling to enclose

7. flatten each ball to 1 inch think between palms

8. cook on griddle until crisp, about 3 minutes per side

In blender (or Magic Bullet, as I prefer), add sour cream, cilantro, a few pieces of avocado and a dash or garlic salt and blend until smooth.

Place arepas on plates and stack chicken, remaining beans and cheese, onion, salsa, avocado, tomato and top with sour cream mixture.

Rub corn on the cob with butter and sprinkle on paprika, chili powder and garlic salt.

One word: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Black Bean Chicken Burritos with Cilantro-Lime Rice

I made these a couple nights ago for dinner and they were a hit. This is a new take on Mom's burritos, which are the best on the face of the earth! Just for something a little different and healthier, Joe and I came up with this:

1 lb diced chicken breast
taco seasoning (I prefer Taco Bell brand)
1 can refried black beans
handful of chopped cilantro
lime juice
rice
garlic salt
chopped tomato
chopped red onion
1 small can sliced black olives
cheese (once again, I use 2% milk cheese)
sour cream
shredded lettuce
salsa (I prefer El Fenix brand)
burrito-size tortillas

To make cilantro-lime rice:
Cook rice according to package, I prefer to use a rice cooker. Once rice is cooked, add lime juice, garlic salt and cilantro (save a pinch of cilantro for the meat and bean mixture). I can't really tell you how much to add because it should be per your taste. We like ours very flavorful so we probably add 2-3 tablespoons lime juice, 1-2 tablespoons garlic salt and 1/3 cup cilantro to 4 cups of (cooked) rice. We like to put it in our burritos as well have have some on the side. We're rice people! LOL

To make burritos:
Cook chicken and season it with taco seasoning just like you would hamburger meat, add black beans and a pinch of cilantro and stir. Heat tortillas. To each tortilla add meat/bean mixture, rice, and all other toppings to your satisfaction. If you are fortunate enough to have leftovers, go ahead and make the burritos up and store them in a Ziploc bag. You can put them in the fridge or freeze them. I learned this from Mom. They are EVEN BETTER heated up!

These burritos were a hit, but they're still not as good as Mom's. But even when I follow her recipe exactly, mine never turn out as good as hers (just like the sausage biscuits and gravy). Moms just have that special touch, I guess!

***FUNNY SIDE NOTE:
I actually tried to post this entry the other night after we had this for dinner. I typed it all up and hit "publish," only to find that I posted it on the wrong blog! LOL Out of frustration I just deleted it.

Not-So-Bad-For-You Cookies

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (reduced fat)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut flakes
1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350. mix graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and flour in one bowl. in another bowl, beat milk and butter until smooth. add vanilla and stir. add crumb mixture and stir until well mixed. add chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut. drop by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. the recipe says to bake 12 - 15 minutes, that was too long for my oven. after a couple overcooked batches, i found the perfect cooking time to be 7 minutes. just keep an eye on them.

makes 4 - 5 dozen small cookies

hana is obsessed with these things!

Cousin Brad's Burgers

Last night I made hamburgers the way Brad taught me to years ago. I mixed approximately 1 1/2 lbs hamburger meat with a packet of dry onion soup mix. De-lish!

Leftover Omelet

Last week I made taco soup but instead of hamburger meat, I used chicken. While searching in the fridge for something to cook for breakfast this morning, I came across a small bowl of what was left over. I drained the juice off of it and made an omelet out of it. I added chopped fresh cilantro to the eggs and sprinkled a little more on top of the finished product. The whole thing was topped with a little 2% milk mozzarella and 2% milk cheddar. (I use 2% milk cheese to cut back on fat, I find that the fat free cheese does not melt and it tastes horrible. 2% milk cheese is just as good as the real thing!) Enjoy!