Showing posts with label Mmmonday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mmmonday. Show all posts

MMMMonday - Bean Round-Up for Bean Day!

I was checking to see what today was for a question on Monday Quiz About Me... and lo and behold it's Bean Day!  Aren't you excited?  I actually love me some beans so I put together a few of my favorite bean recipes and asked my friends to share a few of theirs too:


Red Beans and Rice
from Day By Day in Our World


Red Beans and Rice
Green Beans with Coconut
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Polish Mushroom and Barley Soup
Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup

MMMmonday - Pizza, Pizza and More Pizza, a round-up of favorites!

One of our go-to meals that everyone loves is pizza and with back to school coming up for us this week, I thought it would be a good time to go around the blogosphere and check out some great and different Pizza recipes!

Let's start with some dough ... cause it's tough to make pizza without a crust:

Quick and Simple Yeast Pizza Crust
Heather's No Yeast Pizza Crust
Gluten-free Pizza Crust
Bread Maker Pizza Dough
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Gluten-Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Pizza Made at Home

MmmmMonday - Wayne's Shepard's Pie

My hubby has a few signature dishes and one of the family favorites is his take on Shepard's Pie...  I sometimes double the recipe and freeze one for a really quick dinner to throw in the oven on busy nights.  This is also a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!


Wayne's Shepard's Pie (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1-2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs potatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Peel and dice potatoes.  Boil until done, then mash with butter, pepper and milk.
3. Brown diced onions, garlic and ground beef together.  Drain fat from ground beef mixture, add frozen corn and spread on the bottom of a 13x9 pan.
4. Spread 1 cup of cheese over the ground beef mixture.
5. Spread mashed potato mixture over the cheese.
6. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
7. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Alternate ideas:

We sometimes pick up the Birdseye Southwest Corn to add a little extra kick... and another alternative is to add some chili powder or taco seasoning to the ground beef...  it's a really simple casserole that freezes well - just omit the final step - you can bake directly from the freezer in about 40 minutes or defrost in the fridge overnight!




MmmmMonday: Scrambled Egg "Muffins" with a Greek twist

A friend of mine made this for a playdate a few months back and I meant to start making it then, but with the holidays, this recipe got put on the back burner... then I was reading Comeback Mama's blog and she was featuring her Healthy Egg Muffin recipe, which was so similar to A's... and I knew that I had to make a pan for my family to try...

I decided to change up the ingredient list to suit our family's needs, so mine looked like this:

12 eggs
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup diced peppers
1/4 cup diced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced ham
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Break all 12 eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until yolks are broken

3. Dump remaining ingredients into eggs and stir until combined.

4. Ladle egg mixture into greased or lined muffin pan (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup) so that pan is 2/3 full

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until egg has set completely

I also made a second batch with diced tomatoes, feta, peppers and mushrooms... also yummy!  They keep really well in the fridge, and I also tried freezing and microwaving for 45 seconds - that works too!  Robyn eats hers right out of the fridge, cold...

This week I'm going to try these combinations:

Ham & Swiss
Florentine - Spinach & Mozzarella
4 Cheese - swiss, mozzarella, cheddar and feta

What would you add to your Scrambled egg muffins?

MMMmonday - Apple & Parsnip Soup - perfect for Fall!

This is one of those soups that has great texture and depth of flavor with only a few ingredients! You can certainly make it with vegetable stock if you prefer and while I think the egg adds something, you can also use milk, cream or alternatives to dairy in its place...

Apple and Parsnip Soup

4 Tbs butter
1 1/2 lb parsnip, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 egg yolks, beaten

Directions:
1 Melt the butter, then add the parsnips and apples, tossing in the butter.

2 Cover and cook over low heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the
juices start to run.

3 Pour in the stock the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs.

4 Bring to the boil, then simmer gently 30-40 minutes or until parsnips are softened.

5 Puree in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender, until smooth.

6 Return to the pan and reheat gently.

7 Temper the egg yolks with 2 tbsp of the hot soup, stirring well, then add the eggs to the soup. Do not boil.

Serves 6 to 8.

MMMmonday - Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those meals that looks like you spent a ton of time on... and while it is a little more labor intensive than spaghetti, this is a great casserole!  I always make a double batch and freeze the second one for later!  You can also add some additional color by adding a spinach layer between the cheese and the red peppers - or changing the recipe up completely and substituting the spinach for the red peppers!

Goat Cheese Lasagna w/ roasted red peppers!

2 10-oz (280 g each) logs fresh (not aged) goat cheese - I usually find these near the deli counter
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1/2 onion, chopped
1-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups (500 ml) tomato sauce
1 lb (450 g) lasagna noodles, cooked until barely tender
6 red bell peppers (capsicums), roasted, peeled, seeded,
and chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

2. Start layering by spreading a small amount of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a lightly
greased 13 x 9 x 3-inch (33 x 23 x 8 cm) baking dish or lasagna pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top, overlapping them slightly.

3. Spread one quarter of the goat cheese mixture over the noodles, top with one quarter of the roasted red peppers and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, and finish with 1/8 cup of the Parmesan cheese.

4. Repeat three times for a total of four layers, finishing with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375F (190C) oven until bubbly on top, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

MMMmonday - Rosemary Skewered Scallops

This is another great recipe from my favorite Chef - Joe from wwrecipes.com.  The rosemary skewers also work on shrimp, chicken and more... the sky is the limit!

Rosemary-Skewered Scallops (Serves 4 to 6.)

1 1/2 - 2 lbs (675 - 900 g) large sea scallops
3 Tbs (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 - 6 branches of fresh rosemary, each about
6 inches (15 cm) long

Toss the scallops with the olive oil, season them with salt and pepper, and sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese.
Strip the leaves off the rosemary branches, leaving only about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of leaves at the tip.
Skewer the scallops onto the branches - it may help to form a sharp point on the tips of the
branches by cutting them at an angle.
Grill directly over hot coals or under a preheated broiler for a total of 3 to 4 minutes,
turning them halfway through the grilling time.

Shopping tip: When you are looking for fresh scallops, you don't want to buy them if they are sitting in a murky/milky liquid or, like any seafood, smell seafoody... fresh scallops should have a very mildly salty smell and if there is any liquid present it should be clear...

MMMmonday - White Bean and Tuna Salad

Wayne is changing his diet to eat more fish, so I am trying to find some great lunch options for us and this is one of my new faves because it is quick and easy, beautiful and oh so tasty!

White Bean and Tuna Salad

1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs (30 ml) lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cans (15 oz, 420 g each) cannellini or other white beans such as white kidney, Great Northern, or navy beans, rinsed and drained
2 scallions (spring onions, green and white parts, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 7-ounce (195 g) can tuna

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pour over the drained beans. Add the scallions and parsley and toss gently. Break the tuna into chunks and arrange on top of the beans. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

MMMmonday - Citrus Shrimp Salad

This is an easy, refreshing salad that makes a great statement!

Citrus Shrimp Salad

2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb (450 g) cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined if necessary, and coarsely chopped if large
Chopped lettuce for garnish

For the dressing:
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream (or yogurt)
3 Tbs (45 ml) orange and grapefruit juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Peel the oranges and grapefruit and cut out sections over a bowl to collect the juices. Arrange the citrus sections, avocado slices, and shrimp attractively on a bed of chopped lettuce.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients using the juice collected from sectioning the fruit and drizzle over the salad.
Serves 4 to 6.

Alternative idea: If you chop everything a little more finely you can also make yummy citrus shrimp lettuce wraps - just combine the ingredients and place a heaping tablespoon full on a large lettuce leaf and roll! You can drizzle a little extra dressing over the rolls if you desire

Other alternatives: Although it is citrus flavored, I've also added blueberries and strawberries in season.  If you want some crunch and a little extra kick I've also added diced bell peppers.

MMMmonday - Mussels Stew

It's been a really long time since I posted a MMMmonday post, partly because while I was away in Canada I wasn't doing much cooking and now that we're back, I've been sadly neglecting my family and making lots of mid-summer easy fix things that really aren't recipes per say... I'm going to try and make an effort to get back into the swing of things... so without further ado...

This week's MMMmonday recipe is still quick and easy - but oh so good!

Mussels Stew

MMMmonday: Curried Chicken and Mango Salad

I love how this recipe combines sweet and spicy with something so traditional - Chicken Salad! This is perfect as a stand alone salad, as filling in a sandwich and my personal fave way to serve this is as filling in a lettuce wrap!  I got this recipe from my favorite source... Joe, the Chef at wwrecipes.com

Curried Chicken and Mango Salad

MMMmonday: Greek Shrimp with Feta Cheese

This is one of those yummy dishes that will make company think you've been slaving away for hours but is really quick and easy to prepare and oh so yummy!  Plus... it's got Feta cheese in it, so it has to be fabulous, right?


Greek Shrimp with Feta Cheese (Serves 4 to 6)

MMMmonday - Potato and Goat Cheese Galette

If you are looking for a great way to perk up a meal either as a starter or as a side, you're definitely going to want to check out these fabulous little potato cakes!


Potato and Goat Cheese Galette 

MMMmonday - Sesame Thai Turkey Salad

Are you looking for a light alternative to mayo-rich chicken salads?  Look no further than this yummy recipe that I got from a friend.  This recipe is also a good way to make leftover chicken or pork disappear.

Sesame Thai Turkey Salad (Serves 4 to 6)

MMMmonday - Asparagus Soup

Fresh asparagus is in here in SC - and my goodness it's yummy (and so well priced that I'm buying it often... here's a quick and easy soup that takes advantage of this time of the year!  This is a great soup for lunch or as a starter for supper!  The hard boiled egg is optional, but it does add a nice twist to the soup and I recommend trying it!


Asparagus Soup - Makes 6 servings


MMMmonday - Potato Candy

Yep, you read the title right ... candy made from potatoes!

I can't even remember where this recipe came from but it is a really great treat and no one will ever know that you used potatoes until you tell them...

Potato Candy (Serves 8 to 12.)

MMMmonday - Irish Soda Bread

With St. Patrick's Day this week, I thought I'd share a quick and easy Irish Soda Bread recipe with you ... it makes a great addition to Corned Beef and Cabbage or any stew or soup!  I got this recipe from one of my favorite sources - The Chef @ WWRecipes

Irish Soda Bread

MMMmonday - Smokey Joes (Guest Post)

Real life has kept me pretty busy and I haven't been cooking anything new or fun in my kitchen so I asked one of my blogging friends, Danielle from Simmworks Family Blog to share one of her yummy creations!


Over the past few years I've tried a few recipes for sloppy joes but none seem to make the cut. They're either not flavorful enough, too tomato flavored, or just not right in some way. Well, I've finally found the perfect sloppy joe recipe and couldn't be happier. I use ground turkey instead of ground beef to lighten up this meal but feel free to use whatever meat your family prefers. 


This recipe is perfect for those days where you need a quick dinner and is ready in under 30 minutes. There isn't a lot of work or preparation involved and is a great weeknight addition to any family menu. Paired with veggies or a fresh salad and it's a healthy and complete meal any kid would love.