Kelli's Kitchen

Carrot and Zucchini Bread

Hummus

Hummus has to be one of my favorite snacks and I eat it all the time. I have found that it taste good with just about anything.  In fact, I have been known to eat a whole container in one setting. My favorite has to be the roasted red pepper made by Sabre. I have spent a lot of money on this one food. 
I have always been a little nervous about making my own hummus. Actually, a lot nervous. I have had friends make it and I always liked it but I always thought it would be a difficult recipe. Then I started looking and found that, aside from the tahini that can be difficult to find, it was a relatively easy recipe. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Then I started trying other flavors and fell in love with making my own. It is cheaper than running to the store weekly and it's always a party favorite. This is the basic recipe and you can just add the flavors like--roasted red pepper, garlic, jalapeno, or sun dried tomato when you add your other ingredients to the blender. I will say that putting raw garlic in the blender will really make it strong. I would on use one clove or roast some garlic in the oven to tone down the taste.  Also tahini is usually found in the international aisle.

Ingredients
19 oz garbanzo beans drained, reserve liquid
2 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of reserved bean juice
salt and pepper to taste


Blend all the ingredients, including any flavors you would like to add, together in a blender until smooth.  I like to drizzle olive oil over the hummus when plated and garnish with beans. 

Deviled Eggs

As Easter approaches I have started thinking of all my favorite Easter foods. My all time favorite Easter food is deviled eggs.  They always take me back to my childhood, we never had a family holiday without them.  They are a simple dish that is very budget friendly.  I enjoy the basic recipe but these days you can do all sorts of things to these little guys.  I have even seen guacamole put in the center.  This recipe is how my mom taught me to make them.  I made these yesterday morning and by lunch they had been devoured by my clan.

Note: How to cook the perfect boiled egg.  Put the eggs in the pot of water to boil. Once the water comes to a boil let boil for 5 minutes. Then turn the burner off and let the eggs sit in the warm water for another 5 minutes. This should keep your yolks from turning green.  I always make one extra egg, just in case one is destroyed while peeling and I like a whole egg in my deviled egg mixture.

Ingredients:
7 hard boiled eggs (one for the mixture)
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt/pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

Cut the eggs long ways.  Remove egg yolks.  Mix egg yolks, one whole egg, relish, mustard, and mayonnaise.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon mixture into cut eggs.  Garnish with paprika.

Shrimp Scampi

  I know many of you can relate, between homework, tutors, sports and any other after school activity you can think of, there just isn't enough hours in the day.  Though I try to make quick, easy and healthy meals, there are just some nights we eat cereal on the go.  When I do have time to cook but still need it to be quick and easy I usually turn to pasta dishes since I know all my children will eat pasta.  Shrimp Scampi is a classic, and easy to throw together with ingredients that are usually on hand.  It also is good on nights that we have soccer or baseball practice.  It's not heavy and gives the kids enough energy to get through practice before we all come home and collapse.  It's also a great left over dish for my husband to take to work the next day.

I enjoy it over whole wheat angel hair pasta, but any pasta will do or it can be eaten alone.  There are a lot of different ways to make this from extremely buttery to replacing butter with chicken stock and white wine.  This is a middle of the road recipe.  Easy and Tasty!


Ingredients:

1 pound pasta cooked according to package
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 pound shrimp peeled
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon scallions sliced
1/2 lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes


Melt butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add garlic, saute for a minute or until fragrant.  Don't burn the garlic!


Add shrimp cook until pink on both sides, stirring often.  Remove from heat, add scallions, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.  Toss with pasta.  If you have to reheat your pasta be careful not to over cook your shrimp.

Salmon and Orzo Salad

With a day that started with snow and then turned to rain I needed something lite and had tones of the summer.  This recipe turned out perfect for that.  It made me think of warmer days, bright sun, and the sounds of the beach, for which I long for desperately.  I just want to put my feet in the sand with a cold and salty drink!!  This is also a bathing suit friendly meal.  Until then I can eat my salad and dream. For those who want to join me....




Ingredients
4 oz orzo pasta cooked
2 tablespoons Italian dressing 
1 pound cooked salmon or 2 cans of tuna drained
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small red onion chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

After cooking the orzo drain and rinse.  In a large bowl toss orzo with dressing.   Mix remaining ingredients in bowl.  Serve or chill in refrigerator for later.

Black Bean Soup

Three years ago we moved to San Diego and I immediately fell in love.  I loved the weather, the people, the lifestyle and the topography. It was good for the soul and I very quickly fell in line with the healthier lifestyle. We got outside more, visited and ate at the local farmers markets, and started eating fresher and healthier at home.  I realized through all this how unhealthy I had been living and after having three children very close together my body had suffered.  I wanted to lose my leftover baby weight.  I had always been very conscious of what my children ate but my husband and I ate whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.  I made a drastic change to our eating.  You should have seen my husbands head spin when I bought my first vegan cookbook.  He grew up on a dairy farm so you can understand why this purchase caused quite a stir.  I'm not vegan, obviously, but I wanted more vegetables and less fat so I was looking at all outlets.  I started to educate myself on where our foods came from and I highly recommend watching food.inc.  It really opened my eyes to the how big food corporations make money off trusting Americans.  My husband did and has accepted most things I have said and changed.  We meet in the middle.  We have joined a CSA, this is a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables from the local farmers by purchasing a share in their farm. We found ours at localharvest.org.  This is a nation wide thing.

Now to get back to my recipe. When I made this change I found that eating less amount while increasing my vegetables made me feel like a superwoman.  I have since lost 30lbs and have kept it off.  This recipe was one of my first when I made this change.  I fell in love with it, is easy to make, and really fills you up. Most of my friends have had this, especially in San Diego, as I make this for lunch all the time. Whenever someone was over, I would throw this together and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I also would freeze it for later.



The Ingredients:
1 tablespoon  olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 green or red pepper
1 small jalapeno (optional)
1 small tomato chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 15oz cans of black beans (drained not washed)
3 cups vegetable stock

Heat olive oil on medium heat in dutch oven or large sauce pan.  Drop in onions and peppers.  Allow them to get soft, about 5 minutes.  Next, add the garlic, tomato and seasonings. Let sizzle for 2 minutes and then pour in both cans of beans and the stock.  Cover and let sit simmer for 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the soup until smooth. Serve.
It's just that easy!
I enjoy mine with a little sour cream and cheese. 

Breakfast On The Go!

My husband has always gotten up before the crack of dawn and left for work.  He has in the past made himself a either a peanut butter and banana sandwich or a bagel with cream cheese.  He may have done this every morning while stationed in San Diego.  When we moved back to the east coast I started thinking there has to be a better way to feed the man, especially now that he walks a mile to mass transit everyday.  After doing some internet searching I came across BREAKFAST BURRITOS, these were perfect.   I could make them ahead, individually wrap each burrito and freeze. He can grab one in the morning, wrap in a paper towel, and heat in the microwave.  This is also great for the kids, especially the ones who can heat up their own breakfast.

Here is what you need:
6 eggs
1lb sausage
1/2 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
3 cups grated cheese
10 burrito shells


First I start by scrambling 6 eggs, while the eggs are cooking I throw in some chopped peppers and onions.  

Then I cook the meat.  Today I used 1 lb of breakfast sausage.  I try to buy organic or grass fed.  I also usually use turkey bacon or turkey sausage.  Though when my husband does the shopping he buys what he calls the real stuff. You can use any meat you want, sausage, bacon, chorizo, etc..... Just make sure to cook it separately to render off the the grease and fat. Once the meat has been rendered and the eggs are done, mix everything together.  Grate your cheese and you are ready to assemble.


Assembling Your Burrito:  You can do this like an assembly line.  Warm your burrito shells in the microwave for about 15 seconds--this way they are easier to roll.  Put you plastic wrap down first, lay out your burrito shell, and begin to fill.  I put in about 2 spoonfuls of the meat and egg mixture and then sprinkle with cheese.  Here is where it gets tricky, roll one end of the burrito up, then fold in sides of burrito while still holding the rolled up end.  Then continue to roll.  Once you have rolled the burrito up wrap the plastic wrap around it tightly.

There is no way to make this picture pretty, but this is the final outcome.  I place them in a plastic freezer bag and label.

Heating Instructions:
Remove plastic wrap, roll in a paper towel and heat in your microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.  We usually do 30 seconds and then turn it over for another 30 but depending on the size you may need a little longer.






Now you have a healthy, quick and easy breakfast to start your day.

Baked Spaghetti

Typically I try to do a meatless Monday but during the Lenten season I trade my Mondays for my Fridays.  I was thinking that since I had some left over Italian chicken sausage I would make baked spaghetti.  This is a easy, easy recipe and can be done ahead of time. This is also a great idea for left over spaghetti.


What you need:
1 package spaghetti
1 pound Italian Chicken Sausage (I found this at my local grocery store)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Pizza Night

Saturday night we made our own pizza.  I have found that with my kids, the more choices and ability to make their own, the more they eat.  Make your own pizza night is a great way to have the kids be creative and eat veggies too.  

I started with cleaning out my fridge.  I found cheese, pepperoni, pineapple, bacon, Italian sausage, and all the veggies that needed to be eaten before they went bad.  I spent about 10 minutes cutting the veggies, and grating the cheese.   My husband helped out and cooked the bacon and Italian sausage while I went to a princess birthday party with my daughter.  I made the whole wheat crust earlier that day, since it does have to rise. You can always freeze your dough to make pizza another day. I got the whole wheat recipe from
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amazing-Whole-Wheat-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx

I found it easy to make and my little girl helped in the kneading. The picture above is after the dough ball has doubled in size.

Time to make the pizzas! I cut the dough into 4 separate pieces, and rolled them out to the desired size. We like a thin crust so I did them very thin. Then the kids took over.  I put everything out so the kids could construct as necessary.  I found that it was easier to decorate the pizza on the cookie sheet instead of the plates. This way you do not loose your toppings during transfer.


I also made a veggie pizza, along with a ricotta and Italian sausage pizza.  The lighting had left the room and the pictures did not turn out as well but tasty nonetheless.  We mixed up a little Italian seasoning and olive oil to dip the crusts in which was a nice way to make sure all the crust got eaten. 

My husband and I really enjoyed them.  The kids came back for more and they thought it was fun to eat something they helped make.  I hope that you enjoy this easy recipe--don't be afraid to be creative and try your own toppings. 

~Kelli

A Little About Me...

A Little About Me...

I enjoy finding recipes that my family will like, are relatively healthy, won't break the budget, and will be fun to make.

I have been a full time military spouse and stay at home mom for the last eight years. I am proud of what I do and have done. I have always enjoyed cooking. Creating something out of my hands and receiving instant gratification from those who enjoy it.  I was raised in the south where my mom always cooked dinner, usually fried and dee-lish, but not always healthy.  I appreciate my roots but as I have grown and been blessed with three children who all have very different eating styles I have had to adapt. It is now my mission to make sure my food is both healthy and tasty. I realize that the food industry, for all the good it does, it isn't always looking out for my family. That is where I come in. I have to make smart and balanced decisions that will allow our family to live a  healthy lifestyle.

This blog is a way for me to share my recipes, other blogs, and websites that help me with my mission. Don't get me wrong, I throw down some hot dogs and box mac n' cheese, and thoroughly enjoy some delivery pizza. I am not about to say we are an all natural family 100% of the time. I firmly believe that everything in moderation is a good thing. I just want to share my passion, which is ultimately cooking for my family.

Welcome to my kitchen!
~Kelli