Summer Veggie Spring Rolls

There have been lots of "happenings" in the Yellow Apron world during these last 2 months of a hiatus.  1.  We moved apartments, and 2. A new addition has joined the household.  Meet Cooper.

School has ended, which means my little blog gets much more attention.  And to kick off the summer, I have a great dish to share.  I originally got the idea from Clean Eating magazine, my absolute favorite magazine for recipes.


We had them as a side dish to our dinner, but they would also make a great appetizer, or a lunch.  What's even better, is they are very customizable to suit your taste buds! (C gave these a 10 too).

Ingredients:


1 cup shredded broccoli shaw (carrots, broccoli, red cabbage)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup mango chunks
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
12 rice paper sheets (I only used 8, but they come in a pack of 12)

Someone wanted to help.

Keeping my feet warm

Steps:
1.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients except for the rice paper.

2.  Take a shallow dish (like a casserole dish) and fill it with warm water and place to the side.  Lay a damp tea towel on your work station (dining room table for me).

3.  Take 1 sheet of the rice paper and soak it in the water for 15 seconds.  Then remove it and blot it with the damp tea towel.  It should be sticky.

4.  Using a spoon, place filling across the center, in a line.

5.  Fold up the two short ends.

6.  Fold over one long side, then roll over the remaining wrapper.

7.  Serve with soy sauce on the side.

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

Ginger Edamame

This dish can easily be done as an after-school/work snack, or used as a side dish to a meal.  From start to finish, it was about 6 minutes.  Can't beat it!  Ingredient amounts will change depending on the tasters choosing.  Fresh ginger is really good for you too!





Ingredients: 

cooking spray
peeled/chopped fresh ginger
frozen edamame, in pods
soy sauce











Steps: 

1)  Spray a small pan with cooking spray, and heat on medium.

2)  Add in chopped ginger.



3)  Add frozen edamame and soy sauce.  Use enough soy sauce so the edamame is just covered.  (You can always add more later, but you can't take it away!)

4)  Cook until edamame is warmed through (about 5 minutes).

5)  Remember, when eating shelled edamame, use your teeth to squeeze out the bean!

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

Lemon Basil Hummus

The other week C and I had in (some of) our siblings for dinner, because can you believe it they had actually never met!  We squeezed into our tiny apartment for some good drinks, food, and laughs.  While I like to think that my food was the hit of the party... I think my little niece P stole the show.  She's just so darn cute!



As one of the appetizers, I had made a Lemon Basil Hummus earlier in the day.  This hummus works as a great dip for chips or veggies.  If there was any left over, I would have also used the hummus on sandwiches!

As a sidenote: basil is a SUPER easy plant to grow.  It requires very little space and maintenance yet packs a great punch when used in dishes!

Ingredients:


1 cup loose basil leaves
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
2-4 tbsp. water and garbanzo bean juice
dash of garlic salt
(tomato paste was not used even though it's in the picture)







Steps:
1)  In a blender or food processor, puree basil.

2) Drain and rinse garbanzo beans (be sure to save some of the liquid from the beans to be used later).

3) Add in beans, olive oil, and lemon juice and continue to puree.

4)  Alternate between adding in a tablespoon of water and the bean liquid until you have the desired consistency.

5)  Lastly, add in a dash of garlic salt to taste.

Ok not the best picture of it... but the hummus was really delicious!

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

Stuffed Avocados

I seriously think I could live off avocados.  I probably eat them at least 4-5 times a week, and always love it when I find new avocado recipes.  I had originally found the idea for this from a fellow food blogger (Thanks Kitchen Trial and Error!), but changed it to suit my needs.   

I served the stuffed avocados as a side dish, using just 1 avocado for 2 people.  These would also be great to serve if you have people over for dinner.  They take about 2 minutes to make, but look and taste great!

Ingredients:

avocados (at least 1 per 2 people people)

1 can black beans

salsa 

feta crumblers

fresh mint leaves (chopped)

   

Steps:

1.  Cut the avocados in half the long way.

2.  Use a knife to remove the pit.

3.  Using a small spoon, scoop just a little bit of the avocado out to make the indent bigger.  This way there is more room to fit the filling!

4.  Warm the beans in a microwave safe dish for about 45 seconds.  Then place 2-3 tablespoons of the beans in the avocado "indent."

5.  Top with some salsa.  I have absolutely no spice tolerance so I opted for Newman's Own Mild Tequila Lime.  

6.  Sprinkle with feta crumblers and chopped mint leaves!

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

Pesto, and Brie, and Jam... Oh My!

What do you do when you have a basil plant that is just bursting at the stem with bright, beautiful, green leaves? Why you make fresh pesto of course!  My boyfriend and I had another couple over (Hi W. and B.!) for drinks last night and I figured this was a great time to try a new creation.  I've made pesto before, but I wanted to put a twist on it to be part of an appetizer.  And so, it became a Pesto Tapenade served on a Baguette.

Ingredients - Pesto Tapenade

(Note: the amounts can easily be changed to suit your personal desires!)

2 c. Fresh Basil
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Garlic
1/2 c. Pine Nuts
1/4 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 can Olives
1/4 c. Fresh Parmesan Cheese




Sidenote:  While I was at my local grocery store getting the goodies I needed, I was stuck at pine nuts on my list.  I couldn't find them anywhere.  So I called my own personal food guru, my mama.  Of course she knew where the pine nuts were, even though she had never been to my grocery store before!  Incase you don't have your own personal food guru, you can find the pine nuts in the Italian Section of your grocery store, not the Nuts Section like I originally thought.
    

1)  Pick the stems off the basil and thoroughly wash.

2) In a blender puree the basil, garlic, and olive oil.

Then add in the cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lastly the olives.

Remember you cab always add more in, but it's pretty impossible to take away... so add slowly!












3)  To serve, I spread a small amount on a sliced baguette.

45 Second Brie Appetizer

Love warm, gooey, salty yet sweet cheese?  Well this appetizer combines all those into one and it only takes 45 seconds to make!

Take your favorite jam and spread a small amount over the brie.  You can use any type of jam, mine this time happened to be a Blueberry Preserve.  

Pop the combo in the microwave for about 35 seconds (remember microwave times will vary) and serve with crackers.

This simple appetizer is always a crowd pleaser!

Have your own issues with finding rare items (pine nuts for me) in the grocery store?  Who is your food guru you turn to to help you out in a "pickle"?

Tell me all about it in the comments section below!

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

A Family Phenomenon in Paradise

It has always been important in my family to have dinner together, which were always made by the parents.  Now that we are older and live in different states, family dinners don't happen all the time.  However, when they do happen they are always filled with good food, wine, and laughter. While growing up this was a time where each child was to share what happened during our day.  Often though it sounded a little like this:

"I woke up, I had breakfast, I brushed my teeth... (insert here one sister saying to another... ewwww she's breathing my air...)."

This tradition has been something that my parents have instilled in all of us since we were little.  The tradition is now being passed down to the next generation.  So being all here (well maybe more like 5/10 which is 1/2), my sister and I wanted to turn the tables around and actually make dinner for them.    

This meal was a nutritious and family focused summer treat.  The key to making the meal is to stay on top of the clean-up.  That way more time can be spent playing a competitive game of CatchPhrase with the family.

The meal consisted of: Texas Caviar as the appetizer (shout-out to Jenny-Dubbs for the recipe!!), Vovo's Vegetarian Tortellini, salad, olive bread and dipping oil.

Make the appetizer first because it is much better after it has had a chance to sit in fridge for 30 or so minutes.

 Texas Caviar Ingredients:

3-4 celery stalks

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 can black beans

1 can black eyed peas

1 can pinto beans

1/2 can corn

Dressing:

1/8 cup olive oil (or slightly less)

1/8 cup sugar (or slightly less)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Whisk oil, sugar and vinegar together then pour over ingredients above.  Mix several times. Let sit for 30 about minutes or so.  Serve with your favorite chips.



















We wanted a nice presentation and found this bowl.  When discussing how to arrange the chips and the dip, I said to my sister think of it like a math problem.  At which point she immediately became stressed and shut down.  As a sidenote, math anxiety was my masters thesis, with my sister as my main focal point!

Onto the dinner now...

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Garlic

Scallions

Mushrooms

Chicken Broth

Grape Tomatoes

Sugar Snap Pea Pods

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Feta

Tortellini

Chop the garlic and the scallions (chef's choice to amount) and saute in olive oil.  

Add in the mushrooms and cook until brown. Then combine with a can of chicken broth.    

Chop the tomatoes and pea pods and leave to the side 

Boil water and cook tortellini.  Which the tortellini are cooking (about 7-9 minutes) add the tomatoes and pea pods to the mushroom mixture.  Normally I would also add shredded carrots to the dish, but according to my high maintenance sister "they taint everything in their path." At the last minute add some feta and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, again chef's choice as to how much.  Place the mushroom mixture over the tortellini on your favorite serving dish.  Top with a dash of sea salt.    

Again, be sure to serve with your favorite wine!

~Eat Well and Be Happy~