Orzo + Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for healthy recipes that are easy to throw together on a weeknight.  If you are the same way, this recipe is for you.  Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients... I'm guessing that you have most of them in your refrigerator right now anyway!  It is easy to make this vegetarian-friendly too.  We really enjoyed these stuffed peppers and thought they were a nice change from the norm!

Orzo + Turkey Stuffed Peppers
(Adapted from Maria and Josh)
Yield: 6 Servings


1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
1 lb. Ground Lean Turkey
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 C. Fresh Spinach Leaves, loosely packed
1 (28 oz) Can Diced Tomatoes
4 C. Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 1/2 C. Orzo, uncooked
1/2 C. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (reserve some for topping)
1/3 C. Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated (reserve some for topping)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 C. Fresh Basil Leaves, chiffonade (optional)
6 Sweet Bell Peppers (a mix of whatever colors you want)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and ground turkey; cook until onions are tender and meat is just browned (about 6 minutes).  Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach and sauté until it is wilted.  Remove from heat and add diced tomatoes to this mixture.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the orzo and cook for five minutes; strain, reserving broth.  Stir the orzo into the tomato/spinach/turkey mixture.  Stir in the cheeses, reserving some for the topping.  Season with salt and pepper.  At this point, you will also want to stir in the fresh basil chiffonade.

In a 3-quart baking dish, add the vegetable broth.  Slice the tops off the peppers, carefully removing the ribs and seeds.  If needed, cut a very thin slide from the base of the peppers so that they will stand up in the baking dish.  Place the peppers in the baking dish and spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers.  Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400F degrees for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil, sprinkle with reserved cheese and continue to bake uncovered for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower is the most underrated vegetable in our kitchen!  I forgot how much I missed cauliflower.  Growing up, my mom would steam it and melt American cheese over the top - that's how I remember it!! This is a more grown up version, I guess... Roasted and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.  The next time you are looking for an easy side dish, think of roasting some cauliflower.  I'm sure you'll love it! 

Roasted Cauliflower

Yield: 6 Servings

1 Large Cauliflower Head, cut into 1.5-inch florets

1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove, minced

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 500F degrees.  Place the florets in a large sauté pan or a roasting pan.  Drizzle the olive oil over the florets; season with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Place the pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the freshly grated Parmesan.  Serve warm.

Pesto Pasta Salad

My parents, sister and brother-in-law visited us in Chicago a few weekends ago.  It was the first time that they were all here at the same time.  Not to mention, we had a BLAST!  Before Doug and I showed them around our city, we all gathered at our place for a quick bite to eat.  I had everything prepped and ready to go, so it seriously took no time at all to throw this lunch together. In addition to this pasta salad, we had Cranberry, Pecan and Rosemary Chicken Salad in pitas and a few Chicago-brewed 312 beers!

Pesto Pasta Salad
Yield: 8 Side Servings


10 oz. Creste di Gallo Pasta (or pasta of your choice)
1/2 C. Pesto, homemade or store-bought 
1/2 C. Fat Free Plain Yogurt
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 C. Arugula, loosely packed
3/4 C. Frozen Peas, thawed
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions, until one minute less than al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pesto and yogurt until well mixed.  Add the cooked pasta; stir to combine.  Then add the tomatoes, arugula and peas; stir gently.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

May?  Already?  I love May because that means the outdoor farmer's markets begin!  I plan on hitting up the Green City Market this weekend, weather-permitting of course!  Lately, we've had crazy weather here in Chicago... 82 degrees, yet stormy.  How does that happen?  If it storms, I can at least spend another afternoon making this delicious rosemary olive oil bread.  My favorite part?  The rosemary aroma that instantly infused our place! 

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

(From A Hint of Honey via All Recipes)
Yield: 1 loaf


1 C. Warm Water (100-110F) - Very Important!
1 Tbsp. Organic Cane Sugar
2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning (or a pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Bread Flour + extra for kneading
1 Egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. Water for egg wash
Dried Rosemary, for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast. Let that sit for 10 minutes to proof. Next, stir in the salt, rosemary, seasoning, olive oil and whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough forms a ball. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes (I literally set a timer because this was my first time making bread like this), adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Knead until smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Let it rise until it doubles in size (mine took about 1 hour). After it has doubled in size, punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on cornmeal dusted parchment paper; cover it again with the tea towel and let it rise until doubled in size (this took an additional 45 minutes or so).

Meanwhile, you will want to preheat the oven (along with your pizza stone) to 400F degrees. Once the dough has risen, GENTLY brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary. Carefully transfer the loaf on the parchment paper from your counter to your preheated pizza stone. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped.

Baked Crab Rangoon + Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

This recipe received mixed reviews in our house, which almost never happens. Here is how it all went down... I made these after work because I thought it would add something different to our normal weekday meal lineup. Doug devoured them. Gave it two thumbs up. I ate a few. Gave it one thumb up and one thumb down. To me, it was just... mehhh... You know? I will save the time and energy that went into this appetizer and sauce and splurge on the "real deal" the next time we go out for Chinese. I wanted to post the recipe just in case you are in the mood for something that will satisfy your cravings for an ordinarily fried appetizer.

Baked Crab Rangoon

(From Tracey's Culinary Adventures)
Yield: 24


2 Tbsp. Light Sour Cream
8 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 C. Crab Meat, drained
Wonton Wrappers

Preheat oven to 415F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use a mini muffin pan to make baked crab rangoon look more like purses (I find it is easier to do it this way - just be prepared it won't look like the triangles in my picture).

In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, green onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sugar together until combined. Gently fold in the crab meat.

Lay a wonton wrapper on your work surface. Place 2 tsp. of the filling in the center of the wrapper and then lightly brush the two adjacent sides with water. Fold the wrapper over on the diagonal and press around the filling to remove air pockets to seal the wrapper tightly. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet; repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (If you are using the mini muffin pan method, simply place the wonton wrapper in the prepared muffin pan, fill with filling and seal with water to create a purse; cook per below instructions).

Spray the tops of the wonton wrappers lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Serve immediately with sweet chili dipping sauce (below).

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
(From Tracey's Culinary Adventures)
Yield: 1 cup 


3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 Red Serrano or Jalapeno Peppers, seeds removed (I used jalapenos, that is why my sauce appears green)
1/2 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Water
1/4 C. White Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. Water

Add the garlic, peppers, sugar, water, vinegar and salt to a food processor; process until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer; cook for 3 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Add that to the sauce and continue to whisk while the sauce simmers. The sauce should get thicker after 2 minutes or so. Serve immediately.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Oh dear readers! I haven't forgotten about you. I feel like I blinked and April is already halfway over! Time flies when you are having fun, I guess :) My whole side of the family came out to visit us in Chicago this past weekend and we had such a blast together. Life feels like it is slowly getting back to reality after a jam-packed weekend of laughs. Miss you already, fam!

I seriously don't even remember when I made these chicken lettuce wraps... however, I do remember that they were delicious! We simply made a weeknight meal out of it, but I suppose you could serve them as appetizers too. Don't get overwhelmed by the list of ingredients. It is worth it!

I previously posted some other lettuce wraps on this blog - I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is tastier!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
(Recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon)
Yield: 4 Servings

For the Marinade:
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Water
2 tsp. Soy Sauce (reduced sodium)
1 tsp. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, diced small

For the Cooking Sauce:
2 1/2 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce (reduced sodium)
2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Water
1 Tbsp. Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Honey
1 tsp. Sesame Oil

Other ingredients you'll need:
6 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil, divided
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp. Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced
4 oz. Mushrooms, cleaned and diced (choose your favorite!)
1/2 C. Bamboo Shoots, drained and diced
1/2 C. Water Chestnuts, drained and diced
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced (reserve some for garnish)
2 Heads Butter Lettuce, washed and leaves removed
2 tsp. Toasted Sesame Seeds, for garnish

First, prepare the marinade by combining the red wine vinegar, water, soy sauce, cornstarch and black pepper; add chicken and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Next, put all the ingredients for the cooking sauce in a small bowl; whisk together and set aside. Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the cubed chicken until half-cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.

Pour the remaining 4 Tbsp. oil into the same wok and sauté the ginger, garlic and mushrooms (about 3-5 minutes, careful not to burn the garlic). Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and sauté for 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper (to taste). At this point, you can add the chicken back into the wok. Then, pour the cooking sauce over everything in the wok; stir until combined. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 3-5 minutes longer.

Stir in the green onions. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Remove from heat and serve in a medium bowl along with a platter of freshly washed lettuce cups.

Basil + Tomato Risotto with Shrimp

We are back from our vacation! Doug and I had a great time soaking up some sunshine, reading books by the infinity pool, dining on some fabulous seafood and having a few tropical cocktails! Inspired by all the wonderful seafood dishes we had on our trip, I made a basil and tomato risotto with shrimp. It was, in my opinion, a delightful spring meal! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Basil and Tomato Risotto with Shrimp

(Adapted from Master Chef Australia)
Yield: 4 Servings

4 C. Chicken Stock
1 Leek, thoroughly cleaned and finely sliced
1 1/2 C. Arborio Rice
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 lbs. Large Shrimp or Prawns, peeled, deveined
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 C. White Wine
1/2 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 C. Fresh Basil Leaves, loosely packed, thinly sliced
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Heat stock in a saucepan on medium heat until simmering; reduce to low. Next, Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large heavy pan (I used our Le Creuset dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and sauté for about 2 minutes or until soft. Add the rice and stir until coated with oil. Add a ladle of stock, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Continue the process, adding one ladle of stock at a time until the rice is just cooked (about 20 minutes). Place lid on pot of risotto and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the other 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the shrimp or prawns and cook for about 2 minutes, turning once or until just cooked. Add wine and cook for 1 minute or until wine has reduced by half. Add the cherry tomatoes and basil; cook for 2 minutes longer and then set aside.

Gently stir in the shrimp mixture into the risotto; then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Garnish with extra basil leaves, if desired.

Blog Break

Taking a break from blogging while we relax in the sun!

Catch up with you when we get back from our trip! xxoo

Neapolitan-Style Mussels

Are you ready for this, people? Introducing... my new favorite way to prepare mussels! So easy. So delicious. So fresh. Every little bite is full of flavors that will transport you to little villages along the Italian coasts. This dish actually reminds me of a vacation I took with my cousin, Annie, to Cinque Terre in the Italian Riviera. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life!

Neapolitan-Style Mussels

(Adapted from Kathy)
Yield: 4 Servings

For the crostini:

1 Artisan Baguette, cut into 1/2'' slices
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and lightly smashed

For the mussels:
4 lbs. Mussels (good quality is important!!)
1 C. White Wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/3 C. Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 Stalks Celery, finely diced
3 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (more or less, to taste)
32 oz. peeled, diced tomatoes
2 tsp. Dried Oregano
4 Tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Lemon Wedges, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. First, you will want to make the crostini by placing the slices of bread on a baking sheet (do not overlap). Then, evenly drizzle the crostini with olive oil and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and rub each side of the crostini with the garlic. Set aside.

Next, prepare the mussels. Clean the mussels by running them under cold water, discarding any with broken shells. Trim the beard from the side (basically, you just want to pull off the stringy parts). In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the mussels in one layer, add the mussels, wine and lemon juice (you may need to use two large sauté pans). Cover and steam over medium heat until all the mussels have open up (about 10 minutes). Be sure to discard any mussels that did not open up after steaming. Set mussels aside, reserving the liquid because you may want to use some of it to add to the tomato sauce if it gets too thick.

In another large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and celery; cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes (including the liquid), some of the mussels cooking liquid, oregano and 1/2 of the chopped parsley. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil, then turn it down to medium low and cook another 10 minutes to slightly reduce the sauce. Add more of the mussels cooking liquid if the sauce is too dense. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, place some crostini at the bottom of each of the four individual shallow bowls. Spoon the mussels into the four bowls, distributing them evenly. Next, evenly pour the tomato sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley and garnish with additional crostini and lemon wedges.

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hopefully I'll be able to post some fun pictures from our first St. Patty's in Chicago. Can't wait to see the green Chicago River! Have a safe and fun day!

These cookies are dedicated to Doug's Grandma C. We think of her always, but we especially think of her on St. Pat's Day! ;)

I packed up these cookies in my cute personalized pan (thanks sis) and Doug shared them with his coworkers at the hospital.

Recipe: I was inspired by these cookies and used this sugar cookie recipe.