A Dash of Sass » Entrees

Whole Wheat Spinach Ricotta Calzones

kate — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:07:46 +0000

I am in love with a man who loves Pizza Rolls. Several of our first dates involved heated debates about the pros and cons of Pizza Rolls. My list of cons always ended up being more substantial than his “They just taste good” list of pros. Once I even let him prepare a taste testing session for me in an effort to convert me to the Pizza Roll Fan Club. Fail. While I have yet to try the imitation recipes floating around out there, I have come up with a semi-decent substitute.

These whole wheat calzones may not pack the same mouth-melting explosion of Pizza Roll volcanic lava filling, they are healthier and tastier! They are endlessly adaptable, can be filled with whatever you can dream up and if you stick with the creamy spinach riccotta filling you can actually slip some veggies into your football-friendly munchies without anyone even noticing! Simple to whip up, these calzones can be frozen ahead of time so you are ready to go for a fast weeknight dinner or easy game day snacks.

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Lemon Chicken & White Beans with Pesto

kate — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 17:53:12 +0000

One pot dinners are priceless when it comes to weeknight dinners. Magic happens when you can toss everything into one giant pot, throw it in the oven and watch an entire meal come out. Calling for only a tiny amount of planning (soaking the beans overnight), this recipe needs to be added to your arsenal of one-pot dinners perfect for the chilly fall weather knocking on our door.

A warm bowl of creamy, lemony white beans topped with tender shredded chicken and a zesty dollop of pesto for added kick. The kind of meal that warms you from the inside out, this is perfect for a family dinner or can be dressed up for a quick dinner party. Easy, delicious and healthy … what else are you waiting for?

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Blackened Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa

kate — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:42:05 +0000

Growing up in Southern California, my version of comfort food is anything Mexican. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, you name it. Basically anything topped with salsa and avocado hits the spot. If I find myself lost and looking for inspiration in the kitchen, I generally end up reaching for some beans, spices and cheese. Of course, there is so much more to Mexican food than heavy, beef and cheese laden meals packed with a million calories.

These blackened salmon tacos are light enough for summer, simple enough to whip up after a busy day and delicious enough to impress even the most critical dinner guests. Chunks of tender, spiced salmon folded into warm tortillas, topped with lime crema and a salsa made from avocados and mangos. It sounds too fancy to be able to whip up in a half an hour, right? Wrong! This gourmet quality dinner can be on your table in no time at all.

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Steak Salad with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette

kate — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:26:44 +0000

This salad is so fancy I feel like I should be charging myself $15 just to eat it. A bed of baby spinach topped with sliced sirloin steak, sauteed thyme mushrooms, crumbled goat cheese and a hot caramelized onion vinaigrette. Can’t you just picture that salad gracing the menu of a fancy restaurant? People like to toss around terms like “flavor profile” and espouse about the combination of flavors in a dish, but all I can say it that this salad is flippin delicious!

Imagine a perfect steakhouse dinner. Steak. Mushrooms. Spinach. Now, imagine that perfect dinner transformed into a mouth-watering, one-plate salad. A bed of tender baby spinach wilting under a hot caramelized onion vinaigrette. Thinly sliced steak paired with earthy thyme mushrooms and melting goat cheese. With food this good at home, you won’t ever have to go out again!

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Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

kate — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:57:11 +0000

Friday nights are pizza night around here. A simple way to relax after a long week, Friday Night Pizza Night has become something of a religion in our household. I’ve always insisted on making our own healthier versions of this take-out favorite. For awhile, I was using whole wheat or low-carb tortillas for the base instead of standard pizza dough. Once it became apparent that these tortillas were just as jam packed full of non-food items and chemicals as the take-out pizza I was attempting to avoid, I set out to begin making my own pizza dough.

This simple recipe takes almost no active time to prepare and you can easily pronounce all of the ingredients (I can’t say the same for those low-carb tortillas). The dough is sturdy enough to support any variety of toppings and freezes well so you can stock up for future Friday nights! The light wheat flavor is paired with a combo of Italian seasonings to give it an extra flavor punch. You will be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it. Before you know it, your friends will be calling you for their Friday night take-out pizza!

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Green Soup with Bulgur Wheat

kate — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:27:23 +0000

Raise your hand if you think you are getting enough veggies and whole grains in your diet? Anybody? Seeing no hands, I’m going to assume that we could all use more veggies and whole grains in our diet. Doesn’t that seem to be the mantra of the health food movement lately? Eat more vegetables. Eat more whole grains. This super simple, delicious soup is the perfect answer to that seemingly hefty requirement.

Advertising this soup as the Healthiest Thing You Will Eat This Week does it a disservice. It also happens to be creamy, chewy, filling and perfectly delicious. It’s the kind of soup you would order at a restaurant, fall in love with immediately, tell all your friends about and then drive twenty-minutes out of your way to pick up on the way home for dinner one night. It’s that good.

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Perfect Roast Chicken

kate — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:51:05 +0000

Am I the only person who was under the false impression that making a roast chicken was extremely difficult and wildly time consuming? For years, I was convinced that roasting a chicken (like my more familiar Thanksgiving turkey) was an all day affair. If you jump over the logical gaps involved in that analogy (i.e. the difference between a 20 pound turkey to feed twelve and a 3 pound chicken to feed, um, two) you will quickly discover what I recently did. Roast chicken is a simple, delicious and totally doable weeknight dinner.

When I tell you this is the best roast chicken I have ever had, I am not exaggerating. Succulent, juicy meat that falls off the bone with a perfectly crispy, papery, thin skin you will find it hard to believe that bird came out of your own oven. If I could FedEx you a sample in the mail I would, but you’ll have to take my word for it. This recipe will impress your friends, loved ones will begin requesting it be added to the regular recipe rotation and neighbors will pound on your door begging for an invite to dinner.

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Italian and Southwestern Zucchini Boats

kate — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:39:19 +0000

Ever try something that is so perfectly ready for adaptation that you instantly begin dreaming of ways to make it better? A chocolate chip cookie leads you to a dark chocolate cherry cookie. Or a piece of pumpkin pie leads you to spiced sweet potato pie. Well, that was my experience with zucchini boats. So versatile. So healthy. So easy. So many possibilities!

Zucchini makes a perfect vessel for a variety of fillings. The insides of the zucchini are easy to scoop out, leaving a sturdy shell that is just asking to be heaped full of delicious goodness. Choose from an Italian filling with tomato sauce, peppers and topped with mozzarella cheese or a Southwestern filling with black beans, green chilies and topped with cheddar cheese (and sour cream!). With all these flavor combos, you will never again be screaming “What can I do with all this zucchini?!?!”

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Miso Ginger Salmon

kate — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:39:09 +0000

I wish I could say that I’ve always been confident when it comes to cooking fish at home. I wish I could say that, but I can’t. For years I’ve been terrified of working with fish at home. Fish is delicate, hard to handle and liable to go awry at any moment. Leave the fancy seafood to the fancy restaurant chefs. Fortunately, in an effort to be fearless and incorporate this healthy protein into my diet, I have debunked the myth that fish is too finicky for home cooks. You too can be a fancy seafood chef, amazing your family and friends alike.

A miso-based ginger glaze coats this tender salmon fillet. Pairing sweet agave nectar with salty soy sauce and the tang of fresh ginger, this is a flavor packed meal that will impress even the most skeptical dinner guests. Salmon has a remarkably fast cooking time (less than fifteen minutes), which makes this gourmet meal a viable candidate for your weeknight schedule. Weeknight seafood gourmet? Go on …

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Pretzel Dogs

kate — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:12:12 +0000

Something about a warm, soft pretzel is utterly irresistible. The crisp, salted crust hiding a perfectly chewy center. Something this delicious must be insanely difficult to make. There is no way that I could possibly replicate that perfection in my tiny, amateurish kitchen. First big surprise of the year: Pretzels are ridiculously easy to make. Dangerously easy.

Using this simple base recipe, you can make pretzel dogs, pretzels stuffed with garlic and cheese, cinnamon sugar coated pretzel twists and other endless variations. Like the baked corndogs, these are perfect party food. They are addictive, filling and will be devoured quickly. Serve them with a variety of flavored mustards and you will be the talk of the town. Let’s just say that you may have to scrape a couple jaws off the floor when people say “You made these?!?!”

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