Island Soyaki Stir Fry

Pin It I like meals that don't heat up my kitchen or require extensive amounts of preparation.  This gem is ready in about 20 minutes.  I love making stir fries in the summer because of all of the fresh veggies I can get at the farmer's market.  You can substitute any veggies that you want.  You could also play around with the protien.  This would be great with shrimp or pork.  I used Trader Joe's Island Soyaki sauce and Trader Joe's General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce to save time while providing excellent flavor.  Once you try these sauces you will always keep them around.  The possibilities are endless.  Enjoy!

Island Soyaki Stir Fry
4 cups vegetables/fruits, diced (or use frozen stir fry veggie mix)
I used pea pods, red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli,  pineapple, carrots, onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 chicken breasts, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup Island Soyaki sauce
1/4 cup General Tsao's sauce
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add olive oil, ginger and garlic.  Saute for 1 minute.  Add diced chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook completely.
2. Transfer chicken to a separate plate.  In the same skillet add all of your veggies.  Cook about 5 minutes or until tender.
3. Pour sauces over veggies and stir to coat.   Return chicken to the pan.  Cook about 3 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble.
**Depending on how much water is released from the vegetables, you might have to thicken the sauce using 1 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water.
4. Serve over rice.

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

Pin It I'm always looking for new ways to cook vegetables.  I saw a recipe for a cauliflower gratin, but it was super unhealthy and totally defeated the whole purpose of eating veggies.  So this is my healthier spin on that recipe.  We had this as a side dish with steak and baked potatoes.  It really would go well with any meal: chicken, pork, pasta...

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower
* 2 servings
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
5 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp panko break crumbs
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place cauliflower in a saucepan with water.  Bring to a boil and cook about 5 minutes, until tender.  ***you can skip this step if  you want to bake the dish for about double the time.  I did this to save a little time.
3. Drain cauliflower and toss with olive oil, garlic and 2 Tbsp cheese. 
4. Place in an oven safe dish.  Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.  Spray top with cooking spray to aid in browing.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes until top is golden brown.

Parmesan Garlic Bread

Pin It I really don't like store bought garlic cheese bread.  I just think it is too greasy and salty.  This recipe can be whipped together in about 10 minutes, start to finish, while you are boiling pasta or preparing the rest of your meal.  This bread has a warm, crispy crust and a soft, chewy center.  Bread perfection :)

Parmesan Garlic Bread
1 loaf "take and bake"  french bread
1 stick butter, melted
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter.  Stir in garlic and parmesan cheese.
2. Place bread on a sheet of foil.  Smooth butter mixture over the top of the bread. Curl up ends of foil so the butter doesn't escape, but don't cover the top of the bread.
3. Place bread under a broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
4. Slice and enjoy with your favorite meal.

Garlic Red Potatoes

Pin It This is a great side dish for any meal.  Another comfort food classic. Serves 3-4, can double or triple easily.

Garlic Red Potatoes
3-4 medium/large red potatoes, cubed
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a pot with water and add potatoes to the water.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes
2. Drain potatoes and return to the pot.
3. Melt butter and add both types of garlic.  Pour mixture over the potatoes.
4. Sprinkle parsley over the top and carefully stir potatoes until well coated with butter and parsley.

Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

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Our first official date was to Red Lobster.  Ever since then we have had an obsession with their rolls, however our checkbooks and waistlines don't allow us to eat there as frequently as we would like.  I stumbled across this recipe in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and it is pretty darn close to the real deal.  These are now a staple at our dinner table because they are so quick to prepare and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

Copycap Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 c milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 T butter
1 tsp garlic salt
1 T parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine Bisquick , milk and cheese until it forms a ball of dough.
3. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Hint: they turn out best when you don't roll them into perfect balls.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slighly golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter and garlic salt together. 
6. Remove rolls from oven and brush butter mixture over warm rolls.  Sprinkle with parsley flakes.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Asiago Garlic Croutons

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I absolutely love Panera Bread's Creamy Tomato Soup woth Asiago Croutons.  It is one of my favorite fall flavors.  However, my budget and my waistline don't allow me to have this delicious dish as much as I would like.  I stumbled across a tomato soup recipe at Smitten Kitchen and it inspired me to add some cream and oregano to recreate my beloved soup.  It's not exact, but pretty darn close and a lot healthier too!

Creamy Tomato Soup
3 pounds plum or roma tomatoes
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I like mine spicy, adjust to your taste)
1/2 cup fat free half and half (regular half and half works too)
2 cups chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice tomatoes in half and arrange on a foil covered sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap garlic in foil and place on pan with tomatoes.
4. Roast tomatoes for approximately 1 hour or until tender and starting to brown and shrink.  Cool slightly.
5. Unwrap garlic pounch and squeeze garlic into a food processor with tomatoes.  Pulse until it forms a chunky puree.
6. Pour puree into a large pot.  Add oregano, red pepper, half and half and chicken stock.  Simmer for 25 minutes or more.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Asiago Garlic Croutons
2 cups cubed asiago cheese ciabatta bread (I found mine at my local store, any type of french bread would do though)
2 T roated garlic oil (I use Wildtree brand)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place bread on a foil lined cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
4. Bake 15 minutes, turing occassionally, or until golden brown.