TWO For The Price of ONE!

So I was chatting with a friend the other day about my blog. I told her that I had pictures for 2 meals that I had made months ago and I never got around to uploading and so forth. Well.... turns out I was mistaken. I, in fact, have 4 random meals from the past! These next two recipes are simple and fast (almost no prep!) - GREAT for a weeknight dinner!

First off we have ANOTHER PIZZA! This time it's a pesto pizza. I started out with a whole wheat prebaked crust and spread a layer of store prepared pesto on top.

The toppings for this pizza include fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives, green bell pepper, and red onions.


I top my pizza with the veggies, spread some feta cheese on top, pop it in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes and DING: dinner is served. I usually pair these quick pizzas with a salad. This meal took me a total of 25 minutes from start to finish! Not too shabby!

Next is another trusted recipe from allrecipes.com. Cheese ravioli with tomato and artichoke sauce. (I LOVE ARTICHOKES!) The recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, but to speed things up I used an undrained can of diced tomatoes. To start things out I prep my artichokes and some green onions. I then start to saute all the sauce ingredients which include tomatoes, artichokes, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper. (I added some Italian seasoning to the mix as well.) This is a very simple sauce that was super tasty!

I boil some prepackaged cheese ravioli while the sauce simmers.

Once the ravioli is finished, I drain the water out and mix in half of the tomato and artichoke sauce.

Final steps include plating the pasta, adding some more sauce to the top, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! Everyone in the house liked this meal. Matt said I could make it any time I want! I also paired this pasta with a simple salad (my go-to). This meal took me about 25 minutes to complete.

More meals to come! (Maybe.... I start the new term on Tuesday. Hopefully I can find some time for at least one more post this weekend!)

Adventures In Pizza, Take 3

My apologies for being such a slacker-blogger. Nursing school is in full swing lately and that along with family takes up most of my time! Therefore cooking in general has been placed on the back burner and with the exception of my toaster-oven-lunch-food-creations, I haven't had much to share!

This post is comprised of a White Bean and Spinach Pizza I made a couple of months ago. Since the kitchen has been closed most days, when I do cook I have been trying to focus on healthy options. This recipe was found on the site eatingbetteramerica. They send out e-newsletters and this recipe caught my eye! I LOVE pizza - and if it is sans the red sauce, I am more than willing to try it!

I start out with the food processor (next to the spatula - it's my favorite kitchen tool). I mix together white kidney beans, garlic and fresh ground black pepper. I also added some water to help with the dryness factor.

I spread the white bean and garlic mixture on a prebaked pizza crust (Boboli). Next comes a sprinkle of dried oregano.

I then top the pizza with fresh baby spinach and some sliced sun dried tomatoes.



And finally the cheese goes on top!

The pizza goes in the oven and comes out beautifully! My only complaint is that it was a bit on the dry side. The beans were the culprit. I'm not sure what could be done to remedy this problem besides using less bean mix on the pizza. I also thought some type of dipping sauce could fix the problem. But the type of sauce is beyond me at the moment. Maybe just a simple marinara?

I am off school this week so I am hoping to post some more food-fun! Last night we made mini black bean nacho pizzas (very VERY tasty) and I also whipped up a batch of vegetarian tortilla soup for lunches this week. Later this week I'll be making Italian quesadillas, vegetarian melts, and Matt and I are going to try and recreate Myra's Dionysus's Spicy Black Beans and Rice (we all dig black beans in my family). We'll see if I can get one or more posts up this week!

HAPPY COOKING!

Your Beef and Broccoli Substitute!

Are you on the Meatless Monday's bandwagon yet? If your answer is no - why the heck not? Not only has my weekly grocery bill gone down since going full-time veg, I no longer suffer from daily heart burn or cramping and gas (yeah - I know you wanted to know that!) Any-who, I have been trying to take it a step further lately and healthi-fy my family's meals, 'cause everyone knows a can of Coke and a Snickers bar is "vegetarian". It also has to do with the fact that I am never home for dinner now - so when I am - I want to try and make it the best meal possible. Being in nursing school kind of makes you want to be a better person as well! I mean sheesh - I am learning about our bodies and how they work, what kind of risk factors different types/sexes/ethnicitys people have - and it makes you want to be a better person! A better person for my patients, for my family, for myself! Just take 2 short minutes to browse through my medical dictionary - the pictures alone will make you want to change your lifestyle to the healthiest possible, in hopes that you won't develop or catch some of the scariest looking medical problems you have ever seen!

So, in my quest to make a healthier dinner, I came across the site eatbetteramerica.com, (suggested by my Aunt Mary Jo actually - she also suggested the avocado soup that turned out yummy). Yeah, sure, it's a General Mills website (so you know there's an agenda), but at least they are trying, right? AND - if you are coupon-wiz, there are tons of coupons to download and print! On this site you will find your regular-run-of-the-mill healthy recipes, and there are also "healthified" recipes, taking old favorites and substituting a few ingredients to make it nutritionally better!

The following recipe is a stir fry - Portobello-Broccoli Stir-Fry that I found in the 30-minutes or less section. And YES! It took less than 30 minutes to prepare (I hate it when it actually takes longer than the stated time because of all the veggie-prep - but this one was true to it's word!) Now that I have eaten it (obviously - lol) it reminded me of a beef and broccoli dish I used to get for Chinese take-out. Reading the reviews on the site confirms this thought as well! Okay - first things first : I make up the sauce so it can meld a bit before I add it to the dish. The sauce was simple, but I did make some changes - I used everything in the recipe - water, soy sauce, hoisin sauce (found in the Asian isle of any well-stocked supermarket, I got mine at Biggs), cornstarch and honey. My family likes rich and bold flavors, so I doubled the hoisin and honey, and added a couple extra shakes of soy sauce as well.

Then it was time to wash and cut the vegetables. Onions, portobello mushrooms, red bell peppers, and broccoli! Really this is a great combo for any stir fry!

I get out my wok and let it pre-heat. I also spray it with some nonstick spray (instead of using oil). This makes the recipe "healthier" as I am not using large amounts of oil to saute the veggies. I start out by sauteing the onions, mushrooms, and red bell pepper first along with some minced garlic.

Once the onions and peppers have started to soften (about 5 minutes) I add the broccoli and about 1/4 cup of water and then I cover the wok with the lid. This is a steaming/stir frying technique that I had never tried before but it worked out really well! I keep the cover on the veggies for about 5 more minutes, or until the broccoli has turned bright green and has softened ever so slightly.

After the veggies have been softened (but not too soft!) I add the hoisin sauce mix. I let this cook for about 2 minutes tops and we are ready to eat!

If you didn't notice, there is not a picture of rice being prepared, that's because I was already-ready this particular day. A lot of times when I make rice, I will make a double batch and put the plain leftovers in the fridge. Rice will keep for a while in your fridge and it's super easy to reheat in the microwave!

The verdict - VERY TASTY! I will say though - next time I am going to add some crushed red pepper flakes to give it a kick!

If you are ready to get on the Meatless Mondays (or Tuesdays, or Thursdays, or whenever) bandwagon, and you want to try something familiar and not too out there, make this stir fry your go-to for the first week! You won't be disappointed!!!

Stuffed Then Baked Bread! aka - CALZONES!!!

So... obviously it's been forever, but I have a good excuse! My school keeps me busier than ever. Plain and simple! But, I'm back... for now... Next term is going to be super-crazy! Hopefully it will go by both quickly and successfully (just like the first one)!

This calzone recipe was actually made back in January (YEAH - that's how life has been!) Being on break this week, I finally got around to editing and uploading the pictures on blogger! The calzones turned out really tasty! Probably because they HAD to! It has a 4.5/5 from 442 reviews! It better be good! LOL! So - first things first I make the dough - yeast, water, sugar, salt and flower. I knead it once it's been mixed, and then let it rise for about 45 minutes.

About 30 minutes into the rise, I get the fillings ready. Yeah - that's pepperoni. But that's why calzones are soooo good! Everyone can have their choice of filling! Besides the pepperoni, I also had on hand spinach, mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos! That's another reason why calzones are great: just fill them with any and all leftovers around the kitchen!

I changed up the cheese just a little bit from the original recipe. I used part skim ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in place of the basil. I also didn't mix all the veggies (and meat for Ronnie and Matt) with the cheese. Next time I will though! That would have been better than my layering technique.

Once the dough has risen, I flatten it out...

And separate it into four "equal" pieces. (Equal is not easy! LOL!)

Next, I roll the dough into "circles". (HAHA - that's not easy either! You can tell I'm not a baker.)

And then my favorite part of any calzone - the fillings! Like I said, I will mix the cheese and veggies together next time. It was more of a logistical reason this first time. (I didn't want pepperoni in mine!) But I think the final product would have been even better if I had gone for a mix! So I'll just make that happen next time.

I close the the calzone and push the edges with a fork to make a seal. Finally I brush the top with some olive oil.

And there they are! Ready to go in the oven! I marked the vegetarian ones with jalapenos - super easy and super smart!

While the calzones are baking I heat up some marinara sauce for dipping! YUM! This is also the time that everyone at the Luckey-Meyer house is getting anxious to eat the calzones that make the kitchen smell yummy! (Ronnie LOVED these - they're great for the entire family!)

30 minutes have passed, we made some salads to go along with our calzones, and dinner is served!

These were a bit time consuming but super easy to make! I made them on a Sunday, so I had plenty of time for dinner. I think the next time you need something to please everyone on a weekend - these calzones are the way to go!

HUNGRY!

I think it's about time for another post.... What do you think?

I'll get right on that!!!!

Green Soup! (But not the kind you're thinking of.)

While checking up on family and friends on facebook, I saw that my aunt had posted a recipe that she wanted to try, Avocado Soup, from GMA's 10 Things You Should Eat. Being the avocado-lover that I am, I was instantly curious. After looking over the ingredients and directions, I decided this would be a perfect weekend lunch for my family, and with a few tweaks, Matt and I (not so much Ronnie - too "green" for him) GREATLY ENJOYED this awesome avocado soup!

First things first, the leek. For those of you that have never worked with leeks, it's basically like working with a really big green onion. Seriously, it's super easy and don't let the unknown intimidate you with this vegetable. I cut off both the rooted end and the tough green ends of my leek. I then cut the leek right down the middle, and proceed to chop. TIP - You'll find that leeks have hidden mud and dirt in them once you start chopping, so I always save the wash for after I am done chopping by soaking it in a bowl of water for a minute (to loosen the dirt) and then rinsing in a colander afterwards.

When I am done prepping my leek, I prep my other vegetables, a few celery stalks and a white onion.

I follow the directions by heating some olive oil in my soup pot, but I also add a bit of minced garlic to the olive oil. Once it is hot, I add the leeks, celery, and onion to saute for about 8 minutes.

While the veggies are getting soft, I cube and mash a large avocado.

Once the veggies have been softened, I add the bay leafs, coriander, and cumin. I actually used about a whole teaspoon of cumin and though this version turned out tasty - next time I am going to add some chili powder at this point as well. I give the seasoning about 2 minutes to get hot before I add the remaining ingredients.

Now it's time to add the vegetable broth (called for chicken broth, but obviously I changed that), the mashed avocado, and lime juice.

Instead of the ten minutes suggested, I let my soup go for about 20 minutes. It's kind of cool to see that as it heats, the avocado kind of disintegrates and starts to turn the soup a nice green color. When I am ready to serve, I remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Finally, I ladle the soup up and top it with some cilantro (all I had was dried at the time) and chopped green onions. We paired this soup with one of those pull-apart cheddar loaves you get from the bakery. YUM! Super good to dip in the soup.

For the easiness and healthy factors of this soup - it is definitely a keeper! As stated before, I'll add some chili powder next time. TRY IT! Leeks? Avocados? Don't let it distract you from this awesome find!

TOUCHDOWN!!!

Busy, busy, busy!!!! The holidays combined with working and going to school make it hard for me to keep the blog current. My apologies to anyone out there in cyberspace that likes to check up on Luckey's Lunch regularly. I will say this though - after today's post, I just have to upload some pictures and I'll have two more posts ready to go (an avocado soup and calzones from scratch). So check back for those soon!

I know the Super Bowl is coming up, so I thought I would post a few appetizers I have made lately that are truly crowd pleasers. First one up - Cowboy Caviar. This is actually a combination of two recipes where I only took the ingredients that suited my tastes. I just made this for a birthday party this past weekend and it was a hit!!! I had several people ask me for the recipe! So - here it is people!

Cowboy Caviar, Luckey's Style

• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 to 1 cup of frozen corn (depending on how much you like corn), thawed and patted dry
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 (4oz) can of diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup of Zesty Italian dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 avocados
  

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, peas, corn, onion, jalapeno peppers, and tomatoes. Season with the Italian dressing, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Right before serving, cube the avocados and add them into the bean mix. Serve with tortilla chips. ENJOY!

Next up is a twist on your average artichoke dip, Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip (<--- click on the name for the recipe). Instead of using spinach, this one adds in roasted red peppers and leeks. As you might have guessed, I spied this recipe from allrecipes.com and followed the recipe pretty closely. All I did differently was add some minced garlic to the hot oil and added about 2 more tablespoons of mayo. This is something GREAT to make up ahead (minus the baking), stick it in the fridge till you're ready to pop it in the oven and eat! I served this particular dip with plain pita chips, though I think next time getting the parmesan or garlic style ones would be AWESOME!

And finally for your Super Bowl party needs, whats a party if there is no chip dip!?!?! Green Onion and Ranch Dip is a PERFECT pick! Once again, allrecipes.com was the source of this find and WOW! This dip packs a green onion punch - but the good kind. I followed the recipe exactly and I mixed everything really well in my food processor. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever buy chip dip again because not only was it packed with good flavor, it was super easy to make too!!! I served this dip with carrot and celery sticks, along with ruffled potato chips. Pretzels would be good too!

See - you thought you would be stressing about what to make for your Super Bowl party... Not anymore!!! Try them out for yourself, I promise that people will be asking for the recipes!!!

Till next time - have a fun party!