Easy Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are a wonderful spring treat for us.  When in season, my daughter has them almost everyday as a part of her lunch.  We usually love to snack on them raw, but this roasted version is fantastic!  It takes just a few ingredients and only a few minutes to make.  They pair nicely with a wide variety of main courses from pastas to burgers and more.  Simple and delicious, what more can you ask for?  :)

Ingredients

10 oz fresh sugar snap peas
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp shallots, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the sugar snap peas in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle the olive oil over them and toss to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with the shallots and thyme.  
3. Bake for about 8 minutes until tender but still firm.  

Crispy Cheesy Mushroom Taquitos

 

This recipe is another amazing find inspired by Mia at Mia's Domain.  She has such amazing recipes that always inspire me.  I took her taquito recipe and tweaked it to fit my taste for slightly cheesier and spicier fare.  This is a favorite dish of my husband and both kids love it too!  This makes a large batch because we always enjoy it two nights in a row.  The filling can be made earlier in the day, leaving the dinnertime rush less stressful.  These taquitos are packed with mushrooms which are loaded with vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and fiber.  They also pair amazingly well with my Pico de Gallo!

Ingredients

14 flour tortillas
2 Tbsp olive oil + about a 1/4 C
24 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, chopped
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 C cream cheese
1 C ricotta cheese
1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until mushrooms have released most of their juices, about 10-15 mins.  If there is a lot of liquid, drain some of it.  Add the cheeses and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
3. Fill each tortilla with about 1/4-1/3 C of the mushroom filling.  Sprinkle evenly with cayenne pepper to taste.  Roll up the tortilla and secure with a toothpick. 
4. Arrange all the tortillas on a baking pan that you have sprayed lightly with oil.  Brush the tortillas with the remaining olive oil and bake until crispy and golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Flip them over, brush again with olive oil and bake another 10 minutes.  Serve with Pico de Gallo and enjoy!

Adapted from Mia's Domain

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday!  I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!  We spent it at Legoland with my sister and her family.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day with my family.  Something else that made the weekend special was finding out my local farm had their fresh garlic!!  What a surprise and a treat!  That meant our favorite pasta was in order for sure!  Along with the garlic we picked up some romaine, spinach, kale, carrots, sugar snap peas, and strawberries.  With this lovely assortment of food, we will be making the following this week:

• Cheesy Mushroom Taquitos with Healthier Spanish Rice and Refried Beans
• using some left over sweet Maui onion

• Fettuccine in Garlic Cream Sauce with the Olive Garden Salad and Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
• using the garlic, romaine, and sugar snap peas

• Mashed Avocado and Chickpea Sandwich with Roasted Carrots
• using the spinach, left over sweet Maui onion, and carrots

• I will be making my Rainbow Smoothie for some lunches
• using the spinach, kale, carrots, and remaining beets from last week

Rainbow Smoothie

You've heard about the importance of eating a rainbow, right?  You want to make sure to eat a variety of colorful fruits and veggies every day.  Well I decided to combine a rainbow into a single smoothie!  This concoction is filled to the brim with veggies, and I tried to keep the fruit to a minimum.  I wanted to have the drink sweet enough to be tasty, but not overflowing with unnecessary sugars.  I really think I found the perfect balance.  I drink this almost every day as my main lunch.  Well, I get as much as I can because my 4 year old and 20 month old LOVE it too and insist I share it with them.  With so much healthy goodness inside, how can I not share with my babies?  :)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

2 C spinach

1 C kale 

1 banana

1 medium carrot, cut into large pieces

1/4 C frozen mango

1/4 C frozen pineapple

1/4 C frozen blueberries

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 C juice (I use Trader Joe's Green Juice)

3/4 C water

3 ice cubes

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a blender in order listed above (the weight of the fruit helps push the greens down to make for easier blending).  Blend thoroughly until no frozen fruit chunks remain.  Enjoy!!

Classic Ranch Dressing

OK.  So this may not a health food post, but this dressing is perfect.  It is that delicious, thick, creamy ranch dressing you are craving, but without any additives or preservatives   This dressing is perfect for a side salad or as a dip for your favorite veggies.  It only takes a few ingredients, most of which I would bet are in your kitchen already.  This is a treat for us because it isn't the healthiest way to dress a salad, but boy do we enjoy it when we have a fresh batch in the fridge.  :)

Ingredients

1 C mayo
1/2 C sour cream
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.  Cover and chill at least 30 minutes before using.

Weekly Menu

Happy Monday and Happy Birthday to my Dad!  :)  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Did you do anything to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  We spent the morning at Disneyland, but I made sure to have a little tequila in the afternoon.  You have to be festive, right?  We picked up SO MANY things at the farm for this week.  We have spinach, kale, romaine, Swiss chard, carrots, beets, sugar snap peas, broccoli, sweet Maui onion, zucchini, and strawberries.  Here is how we will be enjoying this delicious selection:

• Gardein Beef and Broccoli over Rice
• using the broccoli and sweet Maui onion

• Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with a Tomato Basil Cream Sauce, House Salad with Homemade Ranch, Baked Zucchini Fries, and Roasted Beets 
• using the romaine, carrots, zucchini, and beets

• Double Decker Mushroom Tacos with Mexican Roasted Chard
• using the chard, romaine, and sweet Maui onion

• I will be making smoothies using the spinach, kale, carrots, beets, and beet greens.  I will have the Massaged Kale Salad for lunches, sugar snap peas for snacks, and strawberries for dessert.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad

This is another fantastic entree salad.  I always feel so good having a big salad for dinner, don't you?  This salad is loaded with textures and delicious flavors.  Even better, the chicken is actually served cold, so you can prep everything ahead of time!  You can easily use chicken breasts, but I use Gardein to make it vegetarian, and let me tell you, it's wonderful even for my meat-eating relatives.  This recipe uses a simple yet very flavorful balsamic vinaigrette that is whipped up in your blender in a matter of seconds.  This meal will be in permanent rotation in my house for sure.  I hope it will be for you too!  :)

Ingredients

Pecan Crusted Chicken

4 chicken breasts (pounded to about 1/2" thick) or Gardein Chick'n Scallopini

1/2 C pecans, finely chopped

1/2 C panko

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 C milk

1/2 C flour

1/2 C coconut oil (for frying)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 C canola oil

1/2 C olive oil

1/3 C balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salad

1 large head romaine, chopped
1/2 C dried cranberries
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 C pecans, finely chopped
1/3 C celery, thinly sliced
4-5 mandarin oranges (or Cuties), peeled and separated
1/4 C blue cheese

Directions

1. Start with the chicken since that is served cold.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl.  Whisk together the eggs and milk in another shallow bowl.  Combine the chopped pecans, panko, and salt in a third shallow bowl.  Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then coat in the pecan mixture.  Working in batches, if necessary, cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes total.  Set aside to cool.
2. While the chicken is cooling, make the dressing.  Combine everything in a blender, except for the garlic.  Blend on a low speed for only a few seconds.  If you blend too long, the dressing will be very thick.  Pour into a small bowl and mix in the garlic.  Chill until ready to serve.  
3. To plate the salad, combine the romaine and celery.  Toss with about 1/3 C dressing.  Transfer to individual plates or bowls for serving.  Sprinkle with cranberries, chopped pecan, and a pinch of brown sugar.  Top with orange slices.  Add the sliced chicken on top and finish with some blue cheese.  

Inspired by TGI Friday's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad