Cheeseburger Cauliflower

Another recipe I found on Pinterest. This was a complete meal so I knew I needed to try this. This had a lot of really good flavor and I'd definitely make this again. I had a small head of cauliflower so I only used 1/2 lb of ground beef. The recipe says to cook the cauliflower anyway you want so I roasted mine with chopped garlic, olive oil and a little veggie pepper, in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Cheeseburger Cauliflower:

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 lb cauliflower
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used regular garlic instead of the seasoning)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook cauliflower as you wish. While cauliflower is cooking, brown hamburger. Drain off grease. Add cauliflower, seasonings and cheese. Mix until cheese is melted.




Everything mixed together...






Enjoy!...

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest yet again. I had been craving soup and every time I go to a Greek place around here, they have a lemon soup that I've been wanting to try and just haven't. So I decided to try my own and looked around until I found one that looked decent to try. This soup was really really good! I froze part of it and ended up finishing it up a couple weeks ago. So good! The rosemary sprig really gave it an extra oomph of flavor! I found some heirloom carrots-carrots of different colors so I used those in this soup. I also added some lemon zest to enhance the flavors a little more.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup:

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 c chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 c uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon (zest too if you'd like)
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat 1 tbsp oil in Dutch oven over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken to pot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add remaining oil to pot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 c water; bring to boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.




Ready to eat!...






Enjoy!...

Lemon Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Another recipe I found on Pinterest. There's a place called Carson Kitchen here in Vegas that I absolutely love. We went there about a month ago for my second time to introduce it to my mom and aunt who where in town. It's kind of like a tapas place-smaller dishes to share. One of the dishes I ordered was the rainbow cauliflower and oh my god I was in heaven!!! It was a lemon roasted garlic cauliflower and I would have licked the bowl if I wasn't in public! We found out that the chef cooked the cauliflower over high heat on the stove, which I'm not entirely comfortable doing in my small apartment with not the best ventilation. So I tried to roast it in the oven. It was good but not as flavorful as Carson Kitchen's...guess I'll just have to go back there soon to eat it there!

Lemon Garlic Roasted Cauliflower (4 servings):

1 med head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1/2 large lemon, cut into 8 pieces
3-4 large garlic clove, cut into quarters
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Couple grinds of pepper

Heat oven to 400. Pile cauliflower, lemon and garlic into middle of heavy baking shee (I used tinfoil for easier cleanup). Drizzle olive oil over and stir to get everything coated. Spread veggies and lemon in an even layer on pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place pan in oven for 10 minutes, stir veggies and spread back out on pan. Return pan to the oven and roast another 10 minutes. Scrape everything into a serving bowl and stir to blend the flavors and get the lemon flavor on every piece of cauliflower. Enjoy!




Ready to bake...






Enjoy!

Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it is soooo good! I didn't use cubed cheese-just some shredded cheddar cheese and it worked out really well. The recipe says to shape the loaves into mounds and place on a cookie sheet to bake but I bought some mini loaf pans only because they hold the shape a lot better. I froze 2 of the loaves and ate the other 2 over the next several days. I'll definitely make these again!

Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves (4 servings):

1 large sweet onion, cut in half, then each half cut into thin slices
1 tbsp butter
Salt
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 egg, whisked
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c + 2 tbsp bbq sauce, divided
1/4 c panko
Pepper
2 oz low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 cubes

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, then add onion and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring every couple minutes, until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Turn heat down if onions start to burn. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 425. In large bowl combine ground beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp bbq sauce, panko bread crumbs, dash of pepper, cheese cubes and caramelized onions. Mix until combined. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions on a foil-lined baking sheet (or place in 4 mini loaf pans on a baking sheet). Spread 1 tbsp bbq sauce over each loaf. Bake 20 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.




Packed into the mini loaf pans...






BBQ Sauce spread on top...






Fresh from the oven...

Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Once again, I went grocery shopping for lots of meat to stock up my freezer and found this recipe on Pinterest. Anyone who knows me knows I love garlic so of course this recipe stood out. My original plan was to make it and then freeze the leftovers but this dish was so good that I ended up eating it over the next several days-I actually just finished the last of it for breakfast this morning! Next time, I'll make both tenderloins-I only made one this time-and I'll have enough to freeze the leftovers. I'd also add more garlic because the garlic is really good when eaten with the pork. And the sauce makes plenty to drizzle. I used rosemary and yum!

Garlic Pork Tenderloin:

1 pkg pork tenderloin (2 tenderloins total, about 2-2.5 lb)
4 garlic cloves, quartered/sliced/slivered
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or Herbs de Provence
Pepper, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place tenderloins inside. Using a paring knife, poke holes on the top side of the tenderloins, about an inch deep. Place a garlic piece into each hole.

In a bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients, except for the olive oil. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking. Pour the marinade over the tenderloins.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once halfway through cooking. Once removed from the oven, let pork rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing. Don't forget to pour the sauce over it. Enjoy!




Garlic inserted in the pork...






Sauce whisked...






Sauce poured over and ready to be baked...






Fresh from the oven...






Enjoy!...

Caramel Apple Nachos

My friend invited me to a Super Bowl party and I couldn't decide what I wanted to make. I kept going back and forth with different things and then I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew I wanted to make it. I'm doing a weight loss challenge at the moment so I figured this was somewhat healthy with the apples. This is another recipe where you can add pretty much whatever you want. I didn't use all the apples it called for so I'll probably make this again soon. It was really good and had just the right amount of sweetness. I didn't follow the directions online at all so I'll just tell you what I did. As it was, I made 2 batches and took one home for myself after the party. Yum!

Caramel Apple Nachos (Pinterest):

3-4 Gala apples
3-4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 pkg Kraft Caramels (unwrapped) or Ice Cream Caramel Topping-this is what I used
1 tbsp water, if using the Kraft Caramels
White chocolate candy coating
Mini chocolate chips
Heath toffee bits

Wash the apples and then slice. Layer the green and red slices in a dish, alternating if you wish. Drizzle with the caramel topping. Melt the white chocolate according to pkg directions. It says to pipe out of a plastic bag but I just took a spoonful and kinda splattered it all over. Sprinkle with toffee bits and chocolate chips. It's best to keep the leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Barefoot Contessa's Panko Crusted Salmon

I saw this recipe on one of Barefoot Contessa's shows and it sounded so good! And it definitely was! So so so good! The panko added a crunch to the salmon and tasted so good! I'll definitely make this recipe again! The recipe is for 4 servings but I only made one serving, so I estimated how much to use.

Barefoot Contessa's Panko Crusted Salmon (4 servings) (Food Network):

2/3 c panko
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp EVOO
4 skin-on salmon fillets
2 tbsp Dijon
2 tbsp veggie oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 425. In small bowl, mix together the panko, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until the crumbles are evenly coated. Set aside.

Place salmon fillets, skin side down, on a board. Generously brush the top of the fillets with mustard and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each salmon fillet. The mustard will help the panko adhere.

Heat the veggie oil over med-high skin oven-proof skillet. When oil is very hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear 3-4 minutes, without turning, to brown the skin. Transfer the pan to the hot oven for 5-7 minutes until the salmon is almost cooked and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest 5-10 minutes. Serve the salmon hot or at room temp with lemon wedges.




Panko mixed together...






Mustard with salt and pepper sprinkled on...






Panko topped onto the salmon...






Fresh from the oven...






Served with Roasted Asparagus with Garlic & Parmesan...Enjoy!...