Throwback Thursday: Zucchini and Onion Rice Bowl

March 31, 2016 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 1 Comment

It’s that time of the week, Throwback Thursday Recipe Edition! And today, we’re going back to our first month of posting to one of our favorites. Another healthy but scrumptious recipe, Zucchini and Onion Rice Bowl!

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What inspired this recipe was what could you do with all that left over rice you have from Chinese food and when you make too much at dinner. And honestly, reheated rice isn’t all that great, but add it with some veggies and soy sauce? Yum.

This is probably one of the simplest things you can make because it only has 5 or so ingredients. It’s flavorful, healthy, and friendly for those who don’t like meat! Obviously, you don’t have to use leftover rice, you’re allowed to make fresh rice! It’s all about what you have in your fridge and what you want to use.

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Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

August 4, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Today’s recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Food Network Chefs, Damaris Phillips. She made these amazing looking baked beans with a strawberry bbq sauce and it looked simple how could we not make our version? We thought making beans would take hours! And we’re sure there are recipes we will try where it will take hours, but this recipe is so simple, everyone can make it!

This past weekend we’ve been hosting our good friends Pegi and Beetle for a pork fest! Almost everything we’ve made has had pork or bacon in the dishes. We actually made these cherry chipotle baked beans but instead of brisket, we used bacon. Which, totally works, if you don’t have brisket! This recipe is perfect for using left over brisket!

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 Red Pepper (Diced)
1 Medium Onion (Diced)
2-15oz Cans Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 to 1.5 Cups Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
1 to 2 Cups Brisket (Roughly Chopped)*
Splash of water

*Brisket is optional.

Step 1:

In a dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the red pepper and onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2:

Next, add your your beans and stir.

Step 3:

Add the BBQ sauce and brisket and mix well. Lower the heat and cover and cook for 25 to 35 minutes. Stirring occasionally. If needed, add a splash of water to make them extra saucy. Serve and enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

June 23, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Minestrone is a very versatile soup that doesn’t have a strict ingredients list; you just need to cover the basics and go with whats in season (or what you have). Basic formula: vegetables, broth, beans, and tomatoes. Usually the tomatoes in the soup thicken it so it’s a hearty meal.

When we were making this, we didn’t expect it to taste this amazingly authentic, but clearly we have some Italian blood somewhere, even if we had to transfuse some into our veins while we were in Italy. Our souls are little Italian Grandmas or Nonnas.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

2 small onions
4-5 carrots, rough chop
2-3 stalks of celery
2 cup of green beans, pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
chicken broth
white wine
Italian seasonings
rosemary salt
olive oil
butter

Step 1:

Heat enough olive oil to coat the pot and the butter. Let butter melt and wait until it’s done foaming.

Step 2:

For this next step you will follow this pattern with each ingredient: add, mix, sauté for a minute. Onions, carrots, green beans, celery, and garlic. Make sure everything is incorporated then season with salt (we used our rosemary salt) and pepper.

Step 3:

Add some white wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Step 4:

Add crushed tomatoes and Italian seasonings, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 5:

Next, you will pour in enough chicken broth to make it from a sauce to thick soup consistency, it’s up to your liking how thick or thin it is. We put in about a cup. Let the soup simmer together for 10-15 minutes, then it’s ready to eat!

Pasta with Broccoli Marinara

June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

Today’s dish is inspired by an Amy’s Kitchen Microwavable Dinner. We don’t normally eat microwavable dinners, but on our road trip, this dish was our best option in the middle of nowhere.

We thought these microwave dinners would taste like cardboard that needed way more salt, because they were gluten free and everything free, but they were surprisingly delicious, that could have been from the fact that we were dying for some healthy food, but either way we made our own version to share with you!

Pasta with Broccoli Marinara

Ingredients

1 Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce
1 Bag Broccoli Florets
Half a Red Onion
2 Tablespoons Garlic
1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Kosher Salt
Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Box Uncooked Pasta

Step 1:

In a large sauce pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the red onion and sauté for two minutes. Next, add the garlic. Sauté for thirty seconds.

Step 2:

Add the entire jar of marinara sauce. Next, add the basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and baking soda. Stir together and reduce the heat to low.

Step 3:

In a large pot, put the broccoli in and just cover with boiling water. Cook for two to three minutes. Immediately drain the broccoli and place in a ice bath. Refill the pot with water and place on the stove to cook your pasta.

Step 4:

When the pasta water is boiling, add salt and pinch cayenne pepper (if you’re not a fan of heat, omit the pepper) then add your pasta. Cook according to the box.

Step 5:

While the pasta is cooking, drain and pat the broccoli dry. Drain the pasta, and return to the pot adding the broccoli and then cover with the warm sauce. Mix until combined and then serve!

Rustic Roasted Root Vegetables

April 16, 2015May 22, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Another healthy favorite in this household is roasted vegetables. You can’t really go wrong with any vegetables your roast, but these are some of our favorites.

Simple, easy, and healthy! You really can’t go wrong, so go forth and roast some veggies!

Ingredients

1-2 Yams or Sweet Potatoes
2 Carrots
2 Parsnips
1 Medium Onion
2 Large Red Potatoes
21 Season Salute (Trader Joe’s)
Kosher Salt
Peper
Garlic Olive Oil (Plain is fine too)

Step 1:

Preheat your oven 425°.

Step 2:

Roughly peel and chop your vegetables and place them on a baking sheet. Mix together.

Step 3:

Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and using your hands, mix together well. Season with the Season Salute, a little kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.

Step 4:

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or vegetables are fork tender. Right before I take them out, we turn on the broiler and leave them for just a couple more minutes to get them nice and crispy.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad

April 4, 2015May 22, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Today’s recipe is a nice change of pace from your typical picnic salad. A cucumber salad is light, crispy, refreshing and can withstand sitting out on a warm day without getting “funky” like any mayo salad. This particular salad is slightly sweet and a has a nice warm after-bite.

Marlee’s dad, Bob, makes a fantastic cucumber salad where he uses a mandolin to get paper thin half moon slices, it’s so freakin’ good that we cannot share that recipe. So, we found one that was completely different.

Ingredients

4 to 5 English Cucumbers (skin on)
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Red Onion (Half)

Step 1:

Slice your cucumber into bite size pieces, we prefer half moon slices. Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Mix thoroughly and place a plate on top of them or something heavy, like a can, to push the excess water out. Set aside for at least 40 minutes. Next, chop your onions.

Step 2:

In a saucepan, mix together the vinegar, water, sugar and red chili flakes. Bring mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat and reduce for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add onions. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Step 3:

Rinse the cucumbers in cool water and let drain for a couple more minutes. Before mixing, lightly pat the cucumbers dry. Put in a bowl and mix with “dressing”. Refrigerate and then serve.