Tilapia with White Wine Caper Sauce

My cooking isn't exactly what it used to be, especially since we typically eat dinner after we've put Theo to bed, so quick and easy is definitely the top priority.  This dinner was both quick and easy, while also being pretty healthy and really, really delicious.  Seriously, Colin couldn't stop raving about it and said it's the best dinner I've made in a while--I totally agree!


1 lb. tilapia filets

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Season tilapia with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.   Cook the tilapia in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.  Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.  Add the wine to the skillet and cook on medium-high heat until it has reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining butter, plus the capers and parsley.  Serve the tilapia with the sauce over top.

Source: Real Simple (slightly modified)



I served the tilapia with this super easy side dish.  I kind of just threw together a few things that we had on hand and it ended up so good!  This was also insanely easy and healthy--win win!


Chickpea, Veggie and Feta Saute


1 can chickpeas, drained
6 oz. baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chickpeas to the pan and stir occasionally, until they start to slightly brown.  Add in spinach and tomatoes, continue stirring occasionally until the spinach wilts and the tomatoes soften.  Season with salt and pepper, stir in feta and serve.

Smoothies

I've been on a major smoothie kick lately and although they almost always turn out tasting good, there have been a few that really stood out as being extra delicious.  Theo loves smoothies and I'm always happy for the opportunity to get a few more fruits and/or veggies into my little growing boy!  Here are the best of the best, so far:

Pink Smoothie


1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup almond milk

Green Smoothie

1 pear sliced
Handful of spinach
Handful of kale with ribs removed
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup orange juice (increase as needed for desired consistency)

Orange Smoothie

1 cup frozen mango
2 bananas (preferably one of the bananas is frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup almond milk

The One: "Healthy" Cookies

That little devil Pinterest has managed to convince me that there is such a thing as a "healthy" cookie.  I've tried several recipes that have made this claim, but haven't been much of a fan so far.  Today we had two bananas sitting around that were about to be overripe, so I decided to mush them up and add in a few other ingredients and hope for the best.  These actually turned out really good (they even got Colin's seal of approval!) and I'll definitely be making them again.

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, or could be substituted with raisins)
1-2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel and mash bananas in a large bowl.  Add in all other ingredients and mix.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. 

Pancetta, Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

One day I'll actually post a picture of food again, but for now, I'm sure you're pretty darn familiar with what a pizza looks like so no biggie, right?  This was inspired by the Bacon, Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese Pizza I saw on another food blog, but when I saw the pre-diced pancetta at Trader Joe's (love, love, love that Fort Worth is now lucky enough to have a TJs!), I decided that would be a slightly yummier and easier way to go.  Then when I mentioned what I was making to Colin, he was not thrilled with the idea of brussels sprouts on a pizza, so I skipped that (I roasted them and we had them as a side dish instead--yum!) and subbed in a little arugula instead.  This ended up being so freaking good and I'm really glad I made the changes to the recipe.

Pizza dough (I went the store bought route and used the whole wheat crust from Trader Joe's)
3 oz. diced pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing on the edges
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 cup arugula

Place a pizza stone or sheet pan in the oven and preheat to 500 for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile cook the pancetta in a medium skillet until just browned and crispy, making sure to stir often.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate.  Discard the grease.  In a medium bowl combine the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, shallot, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.  On a piece of parchment paper that has been lightly floured, stretch the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle.  Brush the perimeter with a little olive oil.  Sprinkle the dough with the cheddar and Parmesan, leaving a small border around the edge.  Spread the shallots mixture and then top with the pancetta and goat cheese.  Carefully transfer the pizza and parchment to the pan in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.  Remove from the oven, let rest for about 5 minutes, then top with the arugula, slice and serve. 

The One: Banana Bread

I love trying different recipes and am always on the hunt for new ones that I'd like to try, but Colin feels very strongly that I need to have some "standards" that I always use.  He has memories of his favorites that his mom always made as he was growing up and he wants Theo to have the same thing, which I totally get. I'd love for Theo to be able to say "I love my mom's ______" fill in the blank, and if I'm constantly changing it up and trying a new recipe every time I make anything, he won't be able to have that "my mom makes the best ______" feeling.  So, Colin says it's time to just call it on a few recipes and say these are "the ones".  So, after combining a few elements from the many versions I've tried over the years, here it is, The Official Alison Sanburg Banana Bread Recipe:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  With a wooden spoon, mix most of the butter (leaving maybe 1/3 of it out)into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.  Add the flour last, mix.  Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan.  Mix the cinnamon (I'm kind of cinnamon obsessed and often add more than a teaspoon to get a really cinnamon-y flavor in the bread) and brown sugar into the remaining melted butter, then drizzle the mixture over the top of the bread.  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on a rack, then remove from the pan and slice to serve.  

Easy Summer Sides

I'm apparently so obsessed with taking pictures of my sweet baby boy that my iPhone is totally maxed out on storage, so no photos of these--you'll just have to use your imagination!  Both of these are super easy, healthy, fresh and light, which makes them perfect summer side dishes.

Cannellini Bean Salad

1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, sliced
10-15 basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 cup Parmesan
Lemon zest
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients together.  Serve.

Inspired by a recipe on theglitterguide.com

Pita Bread Salad

2 pitas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 heart of Romaine, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Mint, chopped (my grocery store was all out of mint, so I skipped it, which was fine but I think it would be tasty and will use some next time)
6 oz. crumbled feta
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Toss pita pieces with a little bit of olive oil, then put in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy and browned.  Meanwhile, put lettuce, cucumber, celery, mint and feta in a large bowl.  Pour vinegar into a small bowl, then slowly stream in olive oil while whisking to mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top salad with warm pita, add dressing, toss and serve.

Inspired by a recipe on thewiegands.com

Roasted Two Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Today was pretty much a big pile of suck. So sucky in fact, that the only reason I didn't bail on cooking dinner altogether was because I had already hard boiled the eggs. I didn't want to waste my efforts on the eggs, so I went ahead and started roasting the potatoes. Once I got to the "chop the hard boiled eggs" step (original recipe found here), I realized that these lovely eggs were most certainly not hard boiled--who knew it was even possible to screw up hard boiling eggs??! Par for the course on this particular day, apparently. I checked the fridge for anything else I could add to jazz up this salad and came upon some feta. The feta actually worked out perfectly and I'll probably skip the eggs next time I make this anyway--finally a success today!

1 lb. red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup feta
Salad greens (I used spinach)

Preheat oven to 450. Chop red potatoes into bite sized pieces. Peel sweet potato and then chop into bite sized pieces. Put all potatoes onto rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onion, then make the dressing. Put spinach, onion and feta in a large bowl. Top with warm potatoes and dressing, then toss and serve.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine honey, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Stream in olive oil while whisking to combine. Taste and adjust as necessary.

Source: acouplecooks.com

California Rice

I made this waaaaaaaay back while I was pregnant and having a sushi craving. This was quick, easy, cheap and (mostly) satisfied my craving--perfect!

Rice
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
Sesame seeds
Soy sauce

Cook rice and top it with the avocado, cucumber and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Add soy sauce to taste. The end.

Pesto Shrimp Pasta

The other night Colin and I found ourselves randomly watching a show called Restaurant: Impossible in which some famed chef goes in to save failing restaurants. We found ourselves totally sucked in to an episode where the troubled restaurant billed itself as a "spaghetti house" and this was the way that the chef made over their spaghetti. I don't totally get how this is a redone spaghetti recipe, other than the pasta shape, but either way it was super easy and delicious. As far as the actual recipe goes, the chef was just kind of describing what he was doing as he whipped this up, so it's not very specific, but you get the idea.

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Spaghetti (I actually used linguine since that's what I had--same diff)
Olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
Pesto (I used store bought, but I'm sure it would be even better with homemade)
White wine
Heavy cream
Tomato, chopped and seeded
Parsley, minced

First brown onions in a large skillet on medium heat, then remove from pan. Add olive oil to skillet and then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp is just turning opaque, then add in onions and about 2 tablespoons of pesto. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine, then add in a splash or two of heavy cream. Toss with cooked pasta and top with tomatoes and parsley.

Peanut Butter Fudge

Every year Colin and I do the crazy Christmas run-around to see my dad and both of our moms and stepdads. I always like to bring some kind of Christmas treats with us so I usually spend a couple days making various cookies and such. I wanted to do the same this year, but now that we have the baby, I knew I would need to simplify a bit. When I saw this recipe for peanut butter fudge, which sounded delicious, indulgent, and easy, I knew I had found a winner! I whipped up a couple of batches during Theo's morning nap, then let them cool and packaged them up in some festive holiday wrap during his afternoon nap--done!

Peanut Butter Fudge

8 oz. (2 sticks!!) unsalted butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 oz. confectioners sugar

Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly butter the paper. Combine the butter and peanut butter in a large microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, stir, recover and microwave an additional 2 minutes. Carefully remove plastic wrap and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir in vanilla and powderco fectioners sugar. Stir until evenly combined. The mixture will lose it's sheen and become difficult to stir. Poor mixture into prepared pan and smooth out the top. Place another piece of parchment paper directly on top of the fudge. Place in refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours. Use a sharp knife to cut into approximately 64 pieces one-inch pieces.

Source: annies-eats.com

Jalapeno Popper Quiche

We just had this for dinner tonight and Colin loved it so much that I wanted to make sure to post it before I forgot because this will definitely be one I'm making again! It's really easy (although all of the cooking time means it's not the world's quickest thing to throw together) and so delicious. The blog that I originally got the recipe from mentioned that this was served for breakfast, but I thought it worked equally well for dinner. Make this and you won't regret it!

1 9-inch pie shell, pre-baked (I'm sure homemade crust would be even better, but store bought worked just fine)
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle with the diced jalapenos. Heat the milk and cream over medium heat until just before it boils, about 5 minutes, and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the eggs into the heated cream mixture, stirring constantly. Mix in the paprika and salt. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, arrange the jalapeno slices on top and bake until the cheese has completely melted and turned golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Source: closetcooking.com

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

I brought these for our cookie exchange that we had at work today and they were quite a hit. They were really yummy and something about the "mini" thing makes for a fun presentation. I got tons of compliments on them, and lucky for me they were also super quick and easy to make. Perfect!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Makes 12

12 Oreos
8 oz. cream cheese (I used light and it worked out just fine)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
Mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners. Put an Oreo in the bottom of each liner. Mix together the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the egg and mix well. Pour cheesecake mixture over each Oreo (so that each one is about 2/3 full). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with a few mini chocolate chips.

Source: sparkpeople.com

Banana and Chocolate Upside Down Cake

This recipe caught my eye for two reasons: 1. it simply sounded good and 2. I seem to always be looking for ways to use up a few ripe bananas before they have to be tossed. I made this for dessert one night, served with a little vanilla ice cream on the side and it was so good! And even better, there were enough bananas in it that I was able to convince myself that it was an appropriate breakfast food, too, and it was just as delicious the next morning (sans the vanilla ice cream since that would probably be a little bit harder to justify!).

For the topping:
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2-3 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas, about 2 bananas
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the topping, place the brown sugar and butter in an 8-inch square baking pan (I used a round pie pan and that worked out just fine). Set the pan over a burner set to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the brown sugar is thoroughly moistened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Arrange the banana slices over the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, banana puree, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir until just combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the cake pan, being careful not to disturb the banana slices. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the center is just set and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake pan, and invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: pink-parsley.com

Breakfast Biscuit Sandwiches

Ok, there's really not an actual recipe here, but these were just too good not to share. Once again, it was so clear to me how much better homemade anything is. This was pretty much inspired by the classic McDonald's egg McMuffin, but it was a million times better and so easy! We just made some biscuits (ok, full disclosure, I used the store bought refrigerated biscuit dough, so I'm not sure this can even really qualify as "homemade"!), fried a couple eggs, cooked some bacon, put it all together and then popped them in the oven long enough for a slice of cheddar cheese to melt on top. Seriously couldn't be easier or more delicious!

Cranberry, Carmelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip

Ok, once again I know that I'm very behind on my blogging because I made this as an appetizer months ago for Thanksgiving. It was really yummy and kind of Thanksgiving-y due to the cranberry factor, but since you can use fresh or frozen cranberries this can easily be made any time of year.......like, say, March!

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 oz. package goat cheese, room temperature
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese and goat cheese. Beat until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and mix until well incorporated. Spread into the bottom of a baking dish. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute until softened. Add sugar and mix well. Continue cooking to carmelize the onions. Lower the heat slightly and stir every few minutes. This should take about 10 minutes. Once the onions are carmelized, remove them from the skillet and set aside. Add the cranberries, water and sugar into the same skillet. Stir to dissolve sugar. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until cranberries pop open and are softened, about 5 minutes. Once mixture thickens, add the balsamic vinegar and return the onions to the skillet. Stir well, add the pecans, and then let cool. Just prior to serving the dip, spoon the cranberry mixture on top of the cheese mixture. Serve with crackers for dipping.

Nutter Butter Truffles

I'm sure you've guessed based on the name alone that these are DELICIOUS! Luckily they're so rich I can only have one (or maybe two!) at a time because otherwise I would be tempted to eat the entire batch in one sitting!

1 package cream cheese, softened
1 package Nutter Butters (less about 5)
Semi-sweet bakers chocolate, melted

Place Nutter Butters in a food processor and crush finely. Mix with cream cheese. Form into 1-inch balls and dip in melted chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Cool completely in the fridge.

Feta Walnut Dip

I've served this now at several get togethers--it's the perfect food for entertaining because it's very easy, can be made in advance, and is super flavorful and delicious!

1 large clove garlic
1 cup walnut halves
1 1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve with pita wedges or pita chips.

BEVOrzo Salad

This was another recipe from the Star-Telegram article on tailgating foods (hence the UT inspired name) and it was so good! It's not really your standard "tailgating" food, and it takes a little more time and effort than my usual football foods, but it was delicious and I'll definitely be making it for dinner again soon (no football watching required)!

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, 1 inch diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
Zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
8 oz. orzo
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced white and part of green
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 oz. crumbled feta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 425. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper with 1/3 cup olive oil; coat evenly. Place mixture on a large sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, turning once with a spatula. Make the dressing by combining the remaining olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and add hot orzo to the dressing. After roasting, add the vegetables to the pasta. Let cook to room temperature. Add green onions, pine nuts, feta and tomatoes. Check the seasonings. Keeps well in the refrigerator. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Green Dip

I found this recipe in an article the Star-Telegram did during college football season on favorite tailgating recipes. It's definitely easy to make and yummy, so it gets the football snack seal of approval at our house too.

1/2 cup Mrs. Renfro's Hot Green Salsa
1/2 cup milk
4 oz. low-fat feta
Brick of cream cheese, softened
4 or 5 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Pour into a bowl and garnish with more cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and veggies for dipping.

Lime Meltaways

We recently had an unprecedented FOUR straight snowdays--and these were legitimate snowdays where the roads really were terrible and we were pretty much trapped in our house. I had to do something to entertain myself, so I spent a lot of time cooking and baking (and then eating, and eating some more!). These were one of my snowday treats and I think they're perfect because they even kind of look "snowy"!

12 tablespoons ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla. Mix the flour, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet (it took a while for this to really start to resemble dough). Roll the dough out into a 1 1/4 inch log. Wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them onto a baking sheet, 1 inch apart from each other. Bake until just lightly golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 4 minutes. Dredge the cookies in powdered sugar to coat.

Source: closetcooking.com