Vegan Pesto Tortilla Pizza

This one is a cinch, but oh so yummy! I found this on the PETA website. It literally takes minutes.

8 small flour tortillas
1 cup vegan basil pesto (or make your own)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup pine nuts
olive oil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread pesto over the tortillas, top with tomatoes, sprinkle on the pine nuts. (We also added mozzarella flavored soy cheese, it was great!)

Bake for 10 minutes or until tortillas are crispy, drizzle with olive oil, if desired, and serve. Yummo!

Sydney's Bruschetta

We just got back from Italy last week and while we were there, we fell absolutely in love with the bruschetta. In the UAE, we cannot compare with the quality and freshness of the ingredients we found in Rome's food, but I wanted an easy and still tasty way to make this appetizer. What I came up with was definitely good. Using as many fresh ingredients as possible is the key to making this dish perfect.



Sydney's Bruschetta:



3 vine-ripe tomatoes (the fresher, the better)
Good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon good Balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, and basil to taste
fresh, crusty bread, thickly sliced


Seed and chop tomatoes. In a bowl, combine tomatoes with vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add basil to taste. Do not go overboard on the spices, let the tomatoes be the star.

Toast bread and then drizzle with plenty of GOOD olive oil. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread and heat under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Pita Pizzas

Pita Pizzas:

As soon as we made these they became a new family favorite! I just spread a pita with a mixture of fat-free cream cheese and light Ranch dressing and then we topped it with our favorite ingredients (Mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, onions, turkey, etc.).

Bake in a 400 degree oven until the pita is crisp, about 10 minutes. So yummy!

Sydney's Fabulous Nachos

Nachos are such an easy and yummy food. So we decided to make them "dinner" tonight. Here is my adaptation of Nachos:

Sydney's Nachos:

1 lb. good pork sausage
1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
Garnishes of your choice (guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, etc)

1) In a medium skillet, cook the sausage with the garlic over medium heat. Add the seasonings and cook well. Drain on paper towels.

2) Arrange a layer of chips on a baking sheet and top with sausage, cheese, and onion. Add another layer of chips and repeat.

3) Bake in a 450 (F) oven for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with any toppings you like.

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

Last night I made this hearty soup and it was a family hit. My son absolutely loved it and the hubby and I ate ever bite in our bowls (Stu even went back for seconds). Here it is:

Baked Potato Soup:

4-5 medium-sized baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter (I used low-fat spread… it works just fine)
2/3 cup flour
6 cups low-fat milk
A few shakes of garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
6 green onions, chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled (low sodium J)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F and bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour. (I did the potatoes in the late morning and let them cool so they were easy to handle by the time I was ready to start dinner.)
2) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly blend in the flour with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Cook the roux until a very pale golden.
3) Gradually add milk the milk, letting it thicken. Add garlic powder and season with salt and pepper to taste, whisking constantly.
4) Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the interior and set aside.
5) Chop up half the potato peels and discard the remainder.
6) When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potato.
7) Add green onion and potato peels. Whisk well, and then add the sour cream and bacon.
8) Add cheese a little at a time, whisking until all is melted.

I served this with buttered rolls and a side salad. Enjoy!

My Mini Frittatas

Tired of cereal for breafast? (Me too!) Try this! You can make these ahead and then just heat them up for breakfast or even just a nice (South Beach or Atkins friendly) snack!

Mini Frittatas:
5 Eggs
¼ cup skim milk
¼ tsp. salt
Dash of white pepper (or use regular, whatever)
½ cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
½ cup each of chopped green onions, red bell pepper, yellow pepper, mushrooms
Olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 375 (F). In a small bowl, wisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together and set aside.
2) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and sauté until tender.

3) Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray and evenly distribute the mixture in the pan. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top of the vegetables.

4) Pour the egg mixture into each section of the pan until it is almost full.

5) Bake for 13-15 minutes until the egg is set. Let cool a few minutes before removing them from the pan. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Until about a month ago, Stu and I were being really careful about what we ate. We've both lost a lot of weight since we moved here and we''d been trying to be good. Unfortunately for the past, I don't know, two weeks or more, I've been picking out recipes that aren't the healthiest. We're going to now get back on track and last night was the beginning.

Do you love chicken nuggets, like me, but feel guilty about the deep-fried-ness? Here's my answer!

Sydney's Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dip:

For the dip:
1/4 cup mayo
3 Tablespoons mustard (I use spicy brown for a better kick)
2 Tablespoons honey

Stir them well, and tada! Dip!

For the nuggets:
1 lb. chicken breats, cut into "nugget" sized pieces, about 1-2 inches. (You can also cut them into strips if you prefer)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes (optional, but it does make them prettier)
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, finely crushed (I use a rolling pin)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk (I use fat free)

1) Preheat oven to 425 (f). Put flour, salt, pepper, and parsley in a large Ziplock bag and shake so ingredients combine. Add the chicken pieces and shake to coat them evenly.
2) Place the cracker crumbs in a bowl and wisk the egg and milk together in another bowl (start an assembly line).
3) Remove the chicken one pieces at a time and dip it into the egg mixture, then roll in the cracker crumbs and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with all of the chicken pieces.
4) Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve with honey mustard dip. Yum!

This is a huge favorite of Stu's. So much so that he'll ask for it so often I actually get sick of eating it. Kaden LOVES chicken this way too. Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe:
- Try to keep an eye on the chicken so they don't overcook or they tend to get dry.
- Serve with homemade fries for a "Happy Meal" with half the calories!

My Creation: California Rice Balls

This is another one of my thrifty knock-off meals. I’m a sushi fan of the California variety. There is something heavenly about the flavor combination of crab, avocado, and the nuttiness of sesame. Since I don’t have a bamboo mat, and my husband doesn’t like seaweed, I decided to create a new take on the California roll. These were so easy to make and were a big hit with Crab Rangoon for dinner last night!

California Rice Balls:
1 cup Jasmine rice, uncooked
1 ½ cups water
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 avocado, peeled and cut into small chunks
5 crab sticks, sliced into small pieces

1) Put the rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
2) Let rice cool enough to handle then transfer into a large bowl. Add the vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce and stir hard (you want the rice to come apart a little bit so it is sticky enough to stay together). Have a small bowl of water nearby to moisten your fingers to handle the rice.
3) Take a small amount in your hand and flatten it out to about 2 inches in diameter. Place a piece of the avocado and a piece of the crab in the center and fold the sides up around it. Put as much rice as is needed to enclose the filling on the top and form rice into a ball, using a little more water on your hands as needed.
4) Place balls on a tray and refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
Serve with soy sauce if desired. (Or even pickled ginger and wasabi if you’re really craving sushi!)

These really were great and totally hit the spot for sushi… If you like cucumber like is traditional in typical California rolls, add that too. I’m just not fond of cucumber and this was my recipe! Haha.

Here is my Crab Rangoon Recipe from last night:

¾ cup crab meat, flaked
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon each, Worcestershire and soy sauce (optional)
Wonton wrappers (I actually used sambosa wrappers this time because it was all I could find [I live in the Middle East] so experiment!)
Oil for frying
Sweet and Sour sauce, for dipping

1) In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients.
2) Lay out the wonton wrappers and put a small amount of the filling in the center of each, fold over and seal with water, pressing firmly so the filling doesn’t fall out.
3) Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about a quarter inch of oil to the pan. Add the wontons a few at a time, making sure they are not touching each other. Fry about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with your favorite sweet and sour sauce.

Enjoy!

Full Disclosure: I had the leftover rice balls for breakfast!

Egg Drop Soup and Pot Stickers

I am beginning to wonder if I wasn't born the wrong race. I discovered the fabulousness that is Asian food right before we moved to Abu Dhabi. I tried my hand at Pot Stickers and Sweet and Sour Pork and realized Asian food wasn't nearly as daunting as the strange and plentiful ingredients lists suggested.

I realized I don't have to fear Asian food, I can embrace it, change it, and make it better! Which is what I did with both my Egg Drop Soup and my Pot Stickers recipes. I have yet to find a perfect single recipe for either dish and it has been frustrating to me.

Well folks, this is our dinner tonight (along with some Fried Rice from last week leftover) and here are the perfected Sydney-style recipes!

Egg Drop Soup (so easy it's sinful):

3 Cups Chicken Stock (I make my own stock every so often and freeze it in portions for later use… this was one of those occasions)
½ teaspoon ground ginger (add more or less, depending on your taste)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 green onions, chopped (use both the green and white parts)
¼ teaspoon each, garlic powder and onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Here are a few key tips for this recipe before we even begin:
- do not overbeat the eggs, just wisk them enough to be combined, not enough that they start to bubble, this screws up the stringy texture of the eggs in the soup.
- This one is IMPORTANT: Don’t add the eggs while the heat is still on. Again, you can make perfect soup easily, just follow the directions! :)

1) In a medium saucepan, boil the stock, onions, and soy sauce.
2) Add the remaining ingredients except the eggs and let this all simmer together for about ten minutes, covered, so the flavors can combine.
3) Turn off the heat and remove the lid. In one direction begin stirring the soup. SLOWLY drizzle the egg into the pot as you keep stirring. Stir about 30 seconds, slowly, and always only in one direction. This helps create the wonderful stringy texture we all love in egg drop soup. If you stir randomly or pour too fast, you’ll get large clumps, and who wants clumpy soup? :)

Sydney's Chicken Pot Stickers:

As I mentioned, I have adapted this recipe over about 8 months now. Other recipes just never seem to get it right.

Ingredients (Pot Stickers):

1 large chicken breast, uncooked
2 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
salt and pepper
wonton wrappers
canola oil

1) Slice chicken breast into strips, place in bottom of a pan. Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to cover. Put on lid and bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is no longer pink (only about 5-10 minutes).
2) While chicken is cooking, slice vegetables and add to a small bowl. Add the soy sauce, and ginger.
3) Let chicken rest until it is cool enough to handle. Chop very finely, add to mixture. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. This is your filling.
(I make my own wontons, but if you don't, there are plenty of good ones available at the store.)
4) Place a scant teaspoon in the center of each wrapper and wet edges to seal. Mine are never perfect looking, don't worry if they are lop-sided or weird looking, they'll still taste just as good!
5) Place prepared pot stickers on a baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth to keep from drying out while you prepare the rest.
6) Heat about 1 Tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat, arrange 8-10 pot stickers in the oil at a time, don't let them touch each other. Cook them for 2 minutes without touching them.
7) Add 1/4 cup of water (or a little more, depending on the size of the pan you are using... the water should come up no more than half-way on the pot stickers, but should be touching all of them.
8) Turn the heat down to low and immediately cover. Cook additional 2 minutes. Remove them to a plate placed in the oven to keep warm while you repeat with the remaining wontons.
9) Easily clean the pan between batches by adding water and letting the pan deglaze. Pour out and wipe clean. Serve with fabulous dipping sauce.

Sydney's Fabulous Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 green onion, chopped
dash of sesame oil

combine all ingredients, stir well. Can be served warm or cold.

Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions about any of my dishes. I'll be happy to answer any!

Crab Cakes (for Shelly :))

Ok, like Shelly I have had a REALLY hard time finding a recipe for Crab Cakes that are really good. This one is a start, though I still don’t think it is perfect:



Crab Cakes:

1 lb. of crabmeat, picked free of shells (you can also use imitation, as I had to last time, the flavor isn’t quite as good, but they still turn out pretty good)
1/3 cup crushed Ritz crackers
3 green onions, finely chopped (both the green and white parts)
1 egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise (you may need a little more)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of chili or cayenne powder (to taste)
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup of vegetable oil, for frying.

1) In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

2) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully place cakes into pan and fry until browned (about 4 minutes) then flip and fry for 3-4 more minutes until brown.

3) Remove from pan to paper towels. Serve warm with Avocado Sauce (recipe to follow).


Spicy Avocado Crab Cake Sauce:

1/2 medium California avocado, pitted, peeled and mashed
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and sugar
dash of chili powder, to taste
1/4 cup milk

Stir ingredients together slowly, leaving some chunks of avocado if you like. Add more chili powder for extra kick. Serve with crab cakes.

Enjoy!