Since my last post, I’ve moved from my studio in the Back Bay to a two-bedroom in Fenway. I’ll be posting about that soon, but for now here’s the last recipe concocted on Gloucester Street (*tear*). A go-to brunch staple that’s definitely one of my favorites. Quiche is my favorite breakfast dish by far, and this recipe is a healthier way in which to indulge in breakfast fantasticness.

First, preheat your oven to 375 and then mix together the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

• 2 cups liquid egg beaters
• 1 cup of nonfat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup of fat free half and half
• 6 small frozen light turkey sausage links (thawed and cut)
• 1 cup of cooked, chopped spinach
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup lowfat Mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp basil
• red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

   
Then spray a pie dish with cooking spray, and coat with good layer of Parmesan cheese.

   
Pour the mixture into the pie dish, and then top with some goat cheese.

   
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set and the outside edge and top is lightly golden brown.

   
Let set for about 5 minutes, slice and serve (serves about 6)!

It could not have been a more perfect day…

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Fully rested, relaxed, and slightly sunburned, we headed to Buzzard’s Bay to the Eastwind Lobster Restaurant for some deliciously greasy fried seafood. There’s something about summer that just screams fried seafood, so we clearly had to have it. I got the fried clams plate, and man was it good.

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For a healthier take on a summery seafood dish, try out this stupidly simple recipe that I threw together one night last week. It’s so semi-homemade (please forgive any Sandra Lee reference), and great for a weeknight meal.

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Head to Trader Joe’s to grab these 2 key ingredients.

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Shrimp, zucchini, mango and coconut combine to create an amazingly tasty combo.

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Adding lime juice, coconut milk and basil to regular jasmine rice really elevates it.

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In seriously 15 minutes, a summery dinner is served!

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MANGO GINGER COCONUT SHRIMP

Serves two

Ingredients:

• 20 medium frozen shrimp (thawed)
• 1/2 jar of Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Light Coconut Milk
• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 1 zucchini
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp basil
• red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste

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Directions:

1. Cook the jasmine rice according to directions. Stir in the juice of 1 lime, 3 tbsp of coconut milk, 1 tsp basil, salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a saucepan, combine the defrosted shrimp, zucchini (cut into bite-sized pieces), mango chutney, 1/4 cup coconut milk, zest of 1 lime, 1 tsp basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
3. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, until zucchini is tender and flavors have combined.
4. Add additional coconut milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
5. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

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I just have to say thank you to two of my awesome co-workers and fellow bloggers, Liz and Gretchen, for lighting a fire under me to finally update!

My cousin, Kate, just bought a beautiful house up in New Hampshire with her boyfriend. I finally made the trip to see it this past weekend, along with my Vine Brook Girls (best friends, and neighborhood gals that I have grown up with and known since toddlerhood).

Kate’s dog, Chloe, is already right at home…

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It was a lovely day filled with catching up, cocktails (did you know Blue Moon comes in a can??)…

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and cupcakes! Made by my friend Courtney – notice the cute lettering :) They were delicious! I may have had one or two… or… three… Whoops.

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I brought a salad that has been my staple this summer. I came up with the recipe a couple of months ago, and have been eating this baby nonstop – it’s just so good! The creaminess of the avocado and beans, paired with the tartness and crunch of the tomatoes and peppers is just amazing. It’s unbelievably easy to make as well. I usually never measure out the ingredients, so don’t feel like you have to be exact.

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SUMMER SALAD

Ingredients:

• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 peppers, chopped (i used 1 orange & 1 yellow)
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1 cup (cooked) of whole wheat couscous
• 2 limes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt & pepper to taste

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Directions:

1. Cook couscous as according to directions, but add some lime juice, salt and pepper to flavor. Let cool.
2. Cut up all of the vegetables into small bite-sized pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the beans, vegetables, and couscous.
4. Add the lime juice (as well as the zest of 1 lime), olive oil and balsamic.
5. Add in the seasonings to taste.
6. Mix well, and refrigerate for an hour (I think it tastes best if the flavors have a little time to hang out)
7. Serve and enjoy!

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Ingredients:

Serves 6 (1 enchilada per person)

• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of refried beans
• 1 small can of chiles
• 1 bottle of Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce
• 8 oz of low fat Mexican blend cheese
• 1 can of roasted red peppers
• 2 tbsp chile powder

Take one of the tortillas, and layer on the refried beans, black beans, roasted red peppers, and then top with the cheese.

Roll up the tortilla, and then repeat 5 more times. Line the rolled tortillas in a lightly greased baking dish, and sprinkle with the chile powder.

Evenly pour the entire bottle of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese, and the green chiles.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve and enjoy! Simple, right? :)

Life has been good, but busy – and I will have many culinary travels and recipes to share with you starting next week well, right now. FINALLY!

I’m currently in San Francisco for the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference, getting my geek on with about 5,000+ developers/designers/fellow computer nerds. My company sent me for the week, and I’m pretty much in my element right now.

This is my first trip to San Fran (and only my 2nd out to the West Coast), and I must say it is so beautiful! On my first day there, I lingered around Fisherman’s Wharf and took in all the beautiful views from the pier – including a boat cruise around the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

With being so busy with juggling conference sessions and actual work, it’s been a lot of boring eats, I’m ashamed to say. On Friday I have some time before my flight, so hopefully I’ll be able to change that! My one food photo shoot of this trip thus far was of a delicious breakfast of a cappuccino and homemade granola with yogurt, bananas and blueberries from Caffe Museo at the SOMA.

Apart from the ridiculously high prices (I think those 2 items ran me about $12 – yikes!), I was able to sit outside and enjoy breakfast while people-watching across from the Yerba Buena Gardens. What a great way to start off a morning :)

Speaking of morning, it is currently midnight in Cali, and this girl has to get up mighty early for another day of sessions. I must say that I’m sooo glad to be back, and will be posting more about this trip (and a bunch of others!) this week.

Goodnight from San Fran! :)

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Calzones are one of my favorite guilty pleasures, but thankfully with substituting some of the key ingredients, it can actually be quite healthy! Go with whole wheat dough, instead of regular pizza dough, and look for lower fat versions of your favorite savory stuffers.

Here’s what I decided to use:

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Ingredients:

• 1 bag (1 lb) of whole wheat pizza dough
• 3 cups of part skim shredded cheese (I used a cheddar, monterrey jack and mozzarella blend)
• 8 oz of fat free ham
• 1/4 cup of pepperoncinis
• 1/2 cup of roasted peppers
• 1/4 cup of low fat parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano

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The first step is to cut of the ham and peppers into bite-sized pieces.

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Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl.

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Roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet, and top with the filling. Fold up each of the ends of the dough so that they cover the filling. Pinch to ensure the filling doesn’t leak out.

This recipe will leave you with about 1/2 cup extra of the filling. Save that for a round #2 recipe of a Spiced Up Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollup (I’ll post the extremely easy instructions later this week with photos when i make it :)  )

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Top with a sprinkling of cheese.

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Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

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Let the calzone cool a bit, and then slice and serve!

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Really good!!

Happy New Year everyone :)

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The Red Velvet cake cooling

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The lineup of yummy ingredients

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RECIPE

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Ingredients:

• 1 package of red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 2 1oz packages of Jello Instant Sugar Free Cheesecake Filling
• 2 cups of cold skim milk
• 1 12oz tub of Lite Cool Whip
• 3/4 cup of raspberry preserves
• 2 oz of dark chocolate
• 3 tbsp Frangelico (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Red raspberries for garnish

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Directions:

1. Cook the red velvet cake according to the directions, but substitute the apple sauce for the oil. Also, stir in the chocolate chips right at the end. Let the cake cool completely after baking.
2. Make the cheesecake filling according to the directions on the box (mix the packets with the skim milk, and chill for 30 minutes).
3. Mix the raspberry preserves in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of the Cool Whip.
4. In the tub of Cool Whip, mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
5. Once the cake and the cheesecake filling are ready to go, you may begin layering. Break up 1/3 of the cake and layer it at the bottom of the trifle bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of Frangelico. This will keep the cake moist and add a nice hazelnut flavor. The Frangelico can be omitted if you’d like.
6. Spread 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the cake layer.
7. Spread 1/3 of the raspberry mix over the cheesecake layer.
8. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip over the raspberry layer.
9. Repeat twice more. The Cool Whip should be your final layer. With a vegetable peeler, shred the dark chocolate over the top of the trifle. Garnish with fresh raspberries if you have them.
10. Chill for an hour or two before serving.

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Happy Holidays! :)

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I’ll be back tomorrow with some more healthy yummy holiday recipes for you, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with some snowy snapshots of wintry Boston.

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For a short amount of time this winter, Fenway Park has been converted into an ice rink for some special events, public skating, college and Bruins games! My dad’s company is one of the main sponsors of Frozen Fenway, so we got to go skating last weekend. It was so much fun!

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MMMM hot chocolate!

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I hope you all are able to relax and enjoy the holidays! If you’re in need of some last minute dessert ideas, I’ll have 2 delicious ones for you tomorrow! Good night for now :)

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I wanted to share with you the stuffing recipe that I came up with yesterday. In my opinion, stuffing is the king of the side dishes, and I’m loving this flavor combination. The earthy flavors of the sausage, pears and chestnuts paired very well together, and were really balanced. To go vegetarian, just swap the sausage for Morningstar Veggie links, and chicken broth for veggie broth :)

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Sausage, Pear and Chestnut Stuffing

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Ingredients:

• 1 bag of whole wheat stuffing mix
• 6 sweet Italian sausages
• 1 pear
• 1 large white onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 5 chestnuts (shelled and chopped)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 18 oz chicken stock
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

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Directions:

1. Cook the sausages on the stove in a large frying pan until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, chop up the onion, celery, pear and chestnuts into small pieces.
3. Remove the sausages from the pan (let cool, and then cut into small pieces). Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the pan. Once melted, add in all of the chopped ingredients, garlic, and poultry seasoning. Cook until the veggies are soft.
4. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, sauteed veggies, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Melt the remaining butter and add as well. Stit until all ingredients are combined.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″x9″ baking dish. Fill the dish with the stuffing mixture. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crunchy.

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Brie with cranberries, walnuts, and an apple cider brown sugar glaze

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The anticipation was brutal

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Our Thanksgiving table

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Cranberry Sauce

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Sausage, Chestnut and Pear Stuffing (recipe to come tomorrow!)

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Whipped Ranch Mashed Potatoes with Chives

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Maple Roasted Yams and Carrots

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The Star of the Show

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My heaping plate… Round 1

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