Nicole

Caesar Tortillini Salad

March 22, 2013 Nicole

My husband loves pasta salads so anytime I find a quick and easy pasta salad recipe I give it a try. I once tried one in a box and after a horrible experience with it I knew homemade was the only way for the pasta salads.

This recipe is so very easy and makes a great presentation. The directions couldn’t be any easier and would be lovely for a nice summer dinner or as a side dish for Easter Sunday. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 (9 oz.) package of refrigerated cheese tortellini, cooked, drained and rinsed
¾ cup light Caesar Dressing
2 plum tomatoes cut into thin wedges
1 can (6 oz.) pitted black olives, drained and sliced
½ cup finely chopped red onions,
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Toss all ingredients except cheese in large bowl; cover.

2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Sprinkles with cheese just before serving.

Original Recipe Source

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Recipes

Avocado Mozzarella Salad

March 21, 2013 Nicole

This is a wonderful cool salad to is amazing on a hot summer day. I personally like it anytime, but that’s a personal preference. I know it’s not easy for a lot of parts of the country to find avocados right now so this maybe a recipe to set aside for summer.

It can’t be any easier to make and it goes a long way. Deliciously simple.

Ingredients:

1 large Haas avocados (peeled, pitted, & cubed)
2 roma tomatoes (cubed)
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese (cubed)
1-2 Tbsp. light Italian dressing
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice then cube one large Haas avocado and place in a bowl
Wash and cube two Roma tomatoes and place in a bowl
Cube one ball of fresh mozzarella and place in a bowl
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing depending on how moist your tomatoes are or how moist you like it
Add salt and pepper to taste
Gently fold together then serve right away

Original Recipe Source

Recipes

Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder (Vegetarian)

March 20, 2013 Nicole

This is a wonderful recipe full of flavor and heat! Wow it’s spicy considering there are no spices in it. The peppers pack a mean punch especially if you don’t remove the ribs. I chose not to do that and lived to regret it. Wow smokin’ hot!

I have purchased poblanos before that were not hot at all …these on the other hand were very hot. We loved this recipe because it was so full of flavor without any cream soup or any type of dairy. It’s an impressive recipe that is easy and delicious! It’s hard to find a poblano chowder recipe without any dairy or meat in it.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
3 large poblano chilies
1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro to garnish, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place quartered onion and garlic clove on a large sheet of foil.
Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bring corners of foil up over onion to make a packet.
Place foil packet on a baking sheet or large cast iron skillet, and place chilies next to foil packet on the baking sheet.
Roast onion packet and chilies for 15 minutes, or until chilies look soft and are starting to char. Using a pair of tongs, flip chilies over, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until they are uniformly softened and charred. Remove chilies from oven, place on a plate, and set aside to cool.
Return onion packet to the oven to continue to roast another 30-40 minutes (about an hour total). Onion will look slightly golden and very soft when done.
Peel cooled chilies under running tap water. Remove stems and seeds from chilies, and chop into small pieces, about ¼ to ½-inch. Set aside.
Once onion and garlic have finished roasting, place onion, garlic, and any juices that have accumulated in the foil in the bowl of a blender.
Add half of the thawed corn, and 1 cup of broth to the blender. Puree until smooth.
Pour pureed corn mixture into a medium pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Add remaining corn, 1 cup broth, and chopped poblanos, and simmer until heated through.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle chowder into bowls, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Original Recipe Source

Recipes

Frozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

March 19, 2013 Nicole

I love Abuelita’s hot chocolate mix. I don’t need a special occasion to have a major craving for it. As summer starts approaching here in the south the last thing my mind is “hot” chocolate. I want cold and colder if you can get it.

By combing the desire for hot chocolate and the desire for something incredibly cold you come up with frozen hot chocolate! Frozen hot chocolate is always high on my list of delicious beverages. I love the flavor and the creaminess.

My favorite is certainly Abuelita’s because of the fantastic cinnamon flavor. Mexican hot chocolate is the best!! Now add peanut butter to it. Oh the thrill and the happiness.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Abuelita’s Hot Chocolate Powder Mix (Bagged)
1 cups of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of PB2 with chocolate (Powdered Peanut butter)
1-2 cups of ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend well.
Garnish with cinnamon, whip cream or even sprinkles.

Number of Servings: 1

Nutritional Information:

243 calories per serving
23 carbs
6 grams of fat
6 protein
39 sugar

*Nutritional information found on http://www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the products you use.*

Recipes

Morning Sunshine Smoothie

March 16, 2013 Nicole

I love smoothies and make them on a daily bases sometimes more than one per day. I am always trying to come up with delicious combinations that are healthy and delicious. They are very filling and can be very healthy assuming you don’t put a lot of junk in them. It’s so easy to make a smoothie that ends up being unhealthy and loaded full of calories.

I like to avoid that like a plague. I like to juice my own fruit and veggies and freeze other’s. I freeze bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and carrot pulp. I juice oranges, apples, carrots and pretty much any other veggie I can think of.

Here is a really great combination that I really love. Carrot, Orange, Strawberry