Vegetable Fried Rice

Pin It Looking for a quick and delicious side dish?  Look no further.  This fried rice is super fast and easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge right now.  And if you don't you can definitely substitute with what you have.

Vegetable Fried Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen edamame
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-5 Tbsp soy sauce
Optional: dash of soyaki sauce
green onions for garnish

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add vegetables and stir fry until starting to get brown and tender.
2. Add egg to skillet and stir vigorously until cooked and broken into bits.
3. Stir in rice and soy sauce.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through.

Garden Vegetable Medley

Pin It My parents have an awesome garden and they are very generous with sharing their vegetables with me.  All of the veggies, except the mushrooms came from their garden for this dish.  This is a simple substitute for your usual vegetable at dinner.  It also looks pretty on your plate.  You could use any vegetables that you have in you fridge or that you grab from the farmer's market.  I think eggplant or asparagus would be an excellent addition.

Garden Vegetable Medley
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed an cut in half
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 small summer squash, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet heat olive oil.
2. Add veggies and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

Steak Fajitas

Pin It I love the sizzle of fajitas cooking.  I also love how fast you can whip up an entire dinner when making them.  I marinated my steak for a few hours before cooking to help tenderize it and it worked wonders on my cheap cut of steak.  These were bursting with flavor from the marinated steak and the fresh veggies.

Steak Fajitas
1 lb thin cut steak
1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano

2 bell peppers, cut into strips
1 large white onion, sliced

flour tortillas

Optional toppings:
sour cream
shredded cheese
guacamole
fresh cilantro leaves

1. Place steak, lime juice, oil and spices in a gallon size zip top bag, squeeze it a bit to mix everything together, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cooking.
2. Remove steak from bag and pat dry with a paper towel.  Cook steak in a skillet over medium high heat about 3 minutes on each side or until deisred doneness. 
3. Remove steak from skillet and set aside.  In same skillet saute peppers and onions until starting to get tender and browned.
4. Slice steak into thin strips against the grain and return to the skillet.  Toss with peppers and onions.
5. Serve in warm flour tortillas with toppings of your choice.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Pin It I love BBQ chicken pizza.  If it is on a menu, I will order it.  So when I had some leftover BBQ chicken I was really tempted to make a pizza, but I was short on time and I decided that I could probably make a healthier choice. I decided on a salad.  It has all of the ingredients from a BBQ chicken pizza (minus the crust) with a delicious BBQ ranch dressing.  Healthy, yet satisfying.

BBQ Chicken Salad
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, grilled and basted with BBQ sauce
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Red onion, sliced
Red pepper, diced
shredded cheddar cheese

BBQ Ranch Dressing
2 Tbsp ranch dressing
1 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1. Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix dressing ingredients together until uniform in color.
3. Pour dressing over salad

My Favorite Pasta Salad

Pin It My first job was working for a catering company.  This was their most popular side dish.  I made it so much that I memorized the recipe.  It has since become my family's go-to pasta salad for wedding showers, baby showers, picnics, potlucks, birthday parties, pretty much any family event includes this pasta salad.  Pictures don't do this salad justice.  It has a pretty presentation and it pleases everyone.  It is tangy, sweet, salty and crisp.  This is also an amazing lunch for the days to follow (If you are lucky enough to have leftovers)

This recipe was shared at Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

My Favorite Pasta Salad
Dressing:
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp dry mustard
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined- about 2 minutes.

Pour over:
2 lbs cooked pasta (I prefer bowtie or spiral because it holds the dressing well)
1 jar pimientos
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 cup mini pepperoni slices or sliced salami ***optional

Notes-
*This tastes best when refrigerated for a few hours before serving to let the flavors blend.
*Don't pour all of the dressing over the pasta at first because it will soak in while it sits.  Pour extra dressing on right before serving.
*Make a double batch of dressing and use it for salads or for your leftovers

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies

Pin It So here's one meal we used the Hawaiian sauce on.  This meal just screams summer.  Fresh veggies, grilling, delicious sauce...mmmm.  I also liked that almost the entire meal could be cooked on the grill.  The only thing I had to cook inside was some rice.  The leftovers were delicious the next day too!
This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck.  Check out all of the delicious recipes!

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies
2 lbs boneless pork ribs, country style
1 green pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 small summer squash, diced
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
Hawaiian Sauce

**any vegetables would be delicious.  Next time I plan on using some red pepper and shredded carrots.

1. Heat grill to medium high heat.  Cover a grilling basket with foil for the veggies.  My basket is from Target or Kohls.  If you don't have a grilling basket, fold a piece of foil to make a shallow dish.
2. Cook meat on one side of the grill, basting with sauce and cook veggies on the other side.  Boneless pork ribs should cook about 5 minutes per side depending on the size of your pieces.
3. When vegetables start to brown, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the Hawaiian sauce and let the sauce and veggies simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. When pork is almost done cooking, add it to the veggie pan so that it really gets coated in the sauce.
5. Serve over rice, with extra sauce if desired.

My grilling basket

Just before serving

Garden Vegetable Quinoa

Pin It I'm always looking for interesting side dishes for dinner.  While I do love baked potatoes and pasta, I get bored.  I had a box of quinoa and had just gone to the farmer's market and inspiration struck.  I chopped up some veggies and tossed them with quinoa.  Simple, delicious and healthy.  Use any fresh vegetables that you have on hand.  Next time I make this I plan on adding some asparagus, squash and eggplant.   A great summer side dish!

Garden Vegetable Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package directions
2 cups diced fresh vegetables (I used onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes)
olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Saute vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until starting to get tender. 
3. Season veggies with salt, pepper and garlic.
4. Stir quinoa in with veggies.  Allow to cook for about 3 minutes or until quinoa is heated through and flavors combine.

Curry in a Hurry

Pin It I love Thai food, but I don't make it at home very often.  I saw a recipe for soup that uses Ramen noodles and that inspired me to make some curry with Ramen noodles as the base.  It was delicious and fast.  This would make a great lunch or fast dinner.  This is one of those versatile recipes that you can use any veggies or meat that you want. 

Curry in a Hurry
2 cups chopped veggies (I used red and green peppers, onions, carrots)
1 can lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp red curry paste (or to taste)
1 package Ramen noodles (any flavor)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled

1. In a small pot, boil the Ramen noodles until cooked.  Don't use the seasoning packet.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute veggies in a little olive oil until tender.  Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until pink.
3. Add coconut milk to skillet and stir in curry paste.  Allow sauce to come to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add cooked noodles to the skillet and toss with sauce.

Southwest Dr. Pepper Beef Quinoa Salad

Pin It I had some leftover Dr. Pepper beef and wasn't really in the mood for tacos again.  I bought quinoa for the first time and decided to make a summer lunch salad.  I was a little worried that the quinoa would take forever to cook and would be too grainy and healthy tasting, however, I was pleasantly surprised.  It worked perfect in this salad!  I also had some leftover queso fresco so that got thrown in too.  It's amazing what you can make out of leftovers! 

I'm also participating in some awesome blog sharing events. Check out all of the links at Six Sisters' Stuff and Life as a Lofthouse! All bloggers can share some of their favorite posts. There are some amazing ideas on both of these sites!

Southwest Dr. Pepper Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup Dr. Pepper beef, with juices
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup southwest blend frozen veggies, thawed (mixture of black beans, corn, onions and peppers)
1/2 red pepper, diced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Allow to cool before mixing with other ingredients.
2. While quinoa is cooking chop your veggies and add to a bowl with beef and lime juice.
3. When quinoa cools stir in with veggies and top with crumbled cheese.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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.

Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak

Pin It Albert LOVES Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.  Whenever we go to a restaurant and they have a version of a cheese steak you can bet money that is what he will order.  I've been wanting to make cheese steaks at home for a while now and I just got this recipe from my mom.  It is incredibly simple and the result is as good as any local deli.  I think I also like this recipe because it allows me to use my crock pot.  You need to do a little bit of prep work involving your oven, but the bulk of the cooking is done in your crock pot.

Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak
2-3 lb beef tenderloin
garlic salt
pepper
1 can beef broth
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
provelone cheese
hoagie rolls

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Season beef with garlic salt and pepper.  Place in a shallow baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Allow beef to cool slightly and slice into thin slices.
4. Place sliced beef and beef broth into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
5. Just before serving, slice onions and peppers and saute in a little butter for 2-3 minutes, until just golden brown.
6. Serve by slicing hoagie in half and layering beef, onions, peppers and topping with cheese.  I placed my sandwich in a toaster oven for about 3 minutes to melt the cheese.

**I do not like green peppers so I didn't use any for the picture.  You can also add mushrooms if you like.  Feel free to use whatever type of cheese you like the best also.**

Stuffed Green Peppers

Pin It A great meal for a cold weeknight.  Warm, tomatoey, meaty goodness nestled inside crisp green pepper shells and toppd with cheese.  Very easy to assemble, minimal cleanup, great leftovers.  What more could you want?  These could easily be assembled the night before and baked when you get home from work.

Stuffed Green Peppers
4 medium green bell peppers
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cups tomato sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Cut off tops of peppers and remove seeds.  Submerge peppers in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. ***do not skip the boiling or it will take forever to bake these***(I learned my lesson)
3. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and onions.  Drain well and return to skillet.
4. Add tomato sauce, rice and spices.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove peppers from water and drain well.  Place peppers in an oven safe dish.  Fill peppers with meat filling.  Top with shredded parmesan.
**if you have extra filling, pile it between all of the peppers.  It is still dellicious and great for people who want a little bit more, but not a whole pepper.**
6. Bake 20-25 minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is lightly browned.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Pin It I love soup on cold, rainy days.  I find it so comforting and I love the delicious smell that takes over your house.  It's a great way to spend a lazy day inside.  If you like stuffed peppers you will love this easy soup.  I actually like the soup better because you don't have to fight with the pepper skin when you are eating it and all of the flavors are blended together perfectly.  Makes great leftovers for lunch for several days (if it lasts that long at your house).

Stuffed Pepper Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 bell peppers, diced (any color, I used red, yellow and green this time)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 c brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, brown ground beef.  Drain and set aside.
2. Add onions and peppers to the pot and let them brown/cook for about 10 minutes, until tender.  Stirring occassionally.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and beef broth.  Bring to a boil.
4. Add cooked rice and ground beef.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Can simmer all day if you want.
5. Serve with warm rolls to soak up the juices and enjoy :)