Pear & Walnut Rice Salad w/ Cranberries

I know it might be hard to believe that I work in the health field when you look at a number of the oh-so-unhealthy (but delicious) recipes I've shared with you, my foodie friends.  But believe it or not, I am a health professional.  You might think that I would feel guilt in flaunting the less than healthy treats, but I don't.  My mission is to live a life of balance where I can experience all of the physical activity I can get and enjoy eating all of the foods that I love in moderation.  Its a package deal - you have to practice both exercise and moderation for it to work - and I want you all to enjoy that same balance and happiness with me.  That being said, I expect people to be smart enough to eat only a small slice of the banana split ice cream cake, and not the whole thing on their own.  I won't feel guilty for someone else being a dummy.  Anyway, every week I post a "healthy recipe of the week" on a bulletin board at work for all to see, and this was one that I couldn't wait to test in my own kitchen.  Dick and I were both huge fans, and we fought over who got to take leftovers for lunch when it began to disappear.  So, if you had pizza for dinner last night, try balancing your menu out with this one tonight!  That way none of us will feel guilty.

Pear & Walnut Rice Salad w/ Cranberries

From EatingWell Magazine

Ingredients

3 c. cooked brown rice

1 large pear, cored & diced

3 medium green onions

1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts

1/3 c. crumbled blue cheese

1/3 c. prepared raspberry vinaigrette

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

handful of dried cranberries

Directions

Mix all ingredients until well-incorporated.

Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature - all taste great!

Red, White & Blue Mashed Potatoes

In the spirit of Independence Day, I decided to be festive with our food.  I'm so grateful for the freedoms I enjoy living in the good ol' U.S. of A, including the freedom to enjoy just about whatever hobbies I choose.  I'm talking about cooking here, people!  It seems like a little thing, but it makes me truly happy.  I hope your holiday weekend was as wonderful as mine has been!  And I hope you enjoy these potatoes, too!  Not sure why the skins in my potatoes look green in this picture, but I promise you they didn't taste green!

Red, White & Blue Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5 medium russet potatoes, cleaned & chopped into 1-inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, smashed

6 oz bacon

1/2 - 3/4 c. blue cheese crumbles

1/2 - 1 c. milk (I used skim w/ great results!)

Directions

1. put potatoes & garlic in a large pot, and fill with water until water is 1 inch above the potatoes.  Boil until tender, but not too mushy.  Remove from heat & drain water.

2. while potatoes are boiling, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Drain fat from bacon & chop into small pieces.

3. with a potato masher, mash potatoes and garlic.  Adding milk until you've reached desired consistency.  While mashing, add bacon and blue cheese so that they are mashed in with the potatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip...Yummmmmm

Netflix. I love love love Netflix! Not just because they deliver movies to my house, or because I can watch movies instantly online, no no. Right now I mostly love them because they are putting video stores all over out of business. Sounds terrible, and I realize it makes me seem like an absolute villain to be happy about something like that, but I'm getting loads of dvd's on the CHEAP and there is nothing bad about that! Except maybe for the fact that if I don't learn to control myself we could be movie-poor. At least when our cable gets turned off we'll still have our movies to keep us busy...I'm sure Dick will totally agree with me...maybe not.

Needless to say, we have a boatload of movie nights in our future, and this dip will definitely be showing its face for at least one or two of them. It's hot & spicy, cheesy and gooey, just the way I like it! Plus the warmth of it will make snuggling up on the couch even that much more enjoyable! TGIF, my friends! Any movie recommendations? - I'd love to hear your faves!

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Dip

Adapted from David Garrard's Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

8 oz. low fat cream cheese at room temp.

2 c. cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 c. hot sauce

1/3-1/2 c. blue cheese crumbles

1/4 c. Tbsp. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

1. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of an 8x8 oven safe pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix chicken and hot sauce until chicken is well-coated.

3. Spread chicken over cream cheese.

4. Drizzle Ranch dressing evenly over the chicken.

5. Evenly cover the dip with blue cheese crumbles and shredded mozzarella.

6. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned & bubbling.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese = My homerun of the weekend

Last night we had my parents over for dinner. And then we went to see Iron Man 2, but we won't talk about that because I'm starting to lose it just thinking of hunky Mr. Downey! Anyway, I was able to kill not only 2 birds by having them over, but 4. Yep, 4. I tried 3 new recipes last night, and luckily they were all big, big hits. I'm pretty sure everyone's fave was this salad, though. At least that was the vibe I got when Dick licked his bowl clean. Just like the dear in Snow White. Which is why I just invited Mom & Dad to my house rather than a restaurant...I can't take him anywhere! teasing, teasing. You'll be inviting everyone you know over for dinner so that you can dazzle them with this scrumptious, fancy-looking, but super simple salad, too.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

Ina Garten from the Food Network

Ingredients

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

3 oz. coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. walnut halves, toasted & chopped

1/2 c. apple cider

1/3 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 c. good olive oil

6 oz. baby arugula (I used leafy green lettuce)

Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Peel the pears & slice lengthwise into halves. Remove the core & seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.

Gently toss the blue cheese, dried cranberries, & walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temp.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 c. of lemon juice, and 1/4 c. of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt & serve warm.

Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

I didn't even have to think twice when I was flipping through this month's Food Network Magazine...I knew right away that I'd be making this recipe. Spicy buffalo? Love it. Blue cheese? Gotta have it. Mac & cheese? At the top of my "guilty pleasures to indulge in" list. There are only two of us, and this recipe makes A LOT of food! We had leftovers for days, and some of it is still in the freezer. Think you're not one for the leftover scene? Think again. This is one dish that is even better a day or two after you make it! No joke.

Ok. Before I share this fantastic recipe, I have to make one request. Please only make this dish, and any others including meat of any kind with locally raised, grass or seed-fed chicken or beef (or whatever kind of meat you're using). I watched the documentary Food Inc. the other night, and I've been having serious guilt issues ever since. I'm making the switch to this better kind of meat from here on out, and I hope you'll join me.

Now, here you go:

Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

From the Food Network Magazine, April 2010

beautiful melty crumbles of blue cheese...

yummmmmm!

Ingredients

7 Tbsp unsalted butter

kosher salt

1 lb. elbow macaroni

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 c. shredded chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. hot sauce

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. dry mustard

2 1/2 c. half & half

1 lb. yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

2/3 c. sour cream

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 350 & butter a 9x13 baking dish. bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the pasta & cook until al dente, about 7 min. drain.

2. meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over med. heat. add the onion & cook until soft, ~5 min. stir in the chicken & garlic & cook 2 min, then add 1/2 c. hot sauce & simmer until slightly thickened, ~1 more min.

3. melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over med. heat. stir in the flour & mustard w/ a wooden spoon until smooth. whisk in the half & half, then add the remaining 1/4 c. hot sauce and stir until thick, ~ 2 min. whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4. spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top w/ the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.

5. Mix the panko, blue cheese & parsley, and sprinkle over the macaroni. bake until bubbly, 30-40 min. Let rest 10 min. before serving.

Blue-Cran Salad

It's true: I love cheese. In fact, I just informed Dick the other day that my new life goal is to be the Cheese Lady at Harmon's (a local chain of grocery stores here in UT). Might not sound very ambitious to some, but those who turn their nose up at this have probably never visited the Cheese Kingdom at Harmon's. It's not officially named the Cheese Kingdom, but that's what I like to call it. It's a huge circle counter with a hole in it, and a lady stands in the middle (the Cheese Lady). On this counter is every kind of cheese you can imagine. The likes of which you'll never find at your run of the mill grocer. This special lady will answer any of your cheese questions, and she'll even give you samples! Now tell me this all you cheese lovers out there, does that not sound like a great way to spend your days?! Ok, ok, so I probably won't be switching professions any time soon, but one can dream haha

Speaking of cheese....if you like blue cheese, you're going to love this salad! Blue cheese is great on its own, but throw in some dried cranberries and you are in Heaven, my friends. Spinach is my leafy green of choice (I like to know I'm getting some nutrients in my salads!), but you can use Romaine or another lettuce if you'd like. And, although the pictures don't show it, I did toss it with a little poppyseed dressing. Super easy. Super tasty! Hope you like it.

Blue-Cran Salad

From Yours Truly

(For 1 serving)

Ingredients

2 c. baby spinach, washed and trimmed

1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

2 Tbsp poppyseed dressing

Directions

Place the spinach in a salad bowl. Sprinkle blue cheese, cranberries, and nuts over spinach. Drizzle with dressing and toss lightly.

blue cheese-stuffed turkey burger

I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for blue cheese! When I was little, I remember thinking my mom was definitely going to get sick if she kept eating moldy cheese, but now that I'm older and wiser and better understand the more sophisticated things of the world, I can't get enough of it!!! The night I made these, it was late & it had been a long day so I just made them in a pan on the stove rather than bothering with the grill. We didn't get the whole BBQ experience, but WHO CARES?! The blue cheese was still oozing out of them, and I still used my dad's famous burger technique of splashing just a little bit of Worcestershire sauce on the burgers a few minutes before they were ready. If you like blue cheese, you're going to love this one! It's definitely at the top of my list of "best burgers!"

Blue cheese-stuffed turkey burgers

adapted from Robin Miller's on the Food Network

Ingredients (makes 2 burgers)

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp poultry seasoning, or seasoning of choice

blue cheese crumbles

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

bbq sauce

lettuce

tomato

onion

2 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Directions

In a large bowl, sprinkle seasoning over ground turkey and mix thoroughly.

Separate turkey into 4 balls of equal size & flatten into patties.

In the center of 2 patties, place desired amount of blue cheese crumbles (2-3 Tbsp). Then cover each with one of the remaining patties and press the edges together to seal the cheese in.

In a medium pan, over med-high heat, cook the burgers ~4 or 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

With about 3 minutes left to cook, splash 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce on each of the burgers.

Remove from pan & serve on toasted buns. Top with bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato & onion.

Remember the buffalo wings

Yes, it's that time again...football season! Now, I'm not really a big fan of the game of football. I always had a blast at my high school's football games (go Falcons!), and I'll watch the Super Bowl every year (mostly for the delicious spread of food that is involved - and the commercials), but my real connection to football is the movie Remember the Titans. This is my all-time favorite movie. I've seriously probably seen it over 50 times, and Dick refuses to watch it with me because I know all of the lines and will say them along with the the characters. Is there a better story of overcoming the odds and achieving victory, brotherhood, and friendship through sport? No, there is not. Please don't argue this one with me, it is my blog, after all. hahaha

So, in honor of this fine fall sport I decided to try a recipe that's a must-have at every tailgating or Monday Night Football party: boneless buffalo wings. I also found a blue cheese yogurt dip recipe to go with them that I highly recommend (thank you, Bobby Flay!). So, if you're going to a game, take some wings to share! And if you're not going to a game, pop in the Titans and enjoy!

Boneless Buffalo Wings

from EatingWell.com

Ingredients

3 Tbsp nonfat buttermilk

3 Tbsp hot pepper sauce

3 Tbsp distilled white wine vinegar (I used apple cider & it tasted great!)

2 lbs chicken tenders

6 Tbsp whole wheat flour

6 Tbsp cornmeal

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp canola oil

2 c. peeled carrot sticks

2 c. celery sticks

Directions

whisk buttermilk, 2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce, & 2 Tbsp vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk flour & cornmeal in a shallow dish. whisk the remaining hot sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.

remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until evenly coated. Discard remaining marinade & flour mixture. Sprinkle both sides with cayenne.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add half the chicken, place each in a little oil. Cook until golden brown & cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to serving platter. Repeat with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil & chicken, reducing the heat if necessary. Transfer to the platter. Drizzle the chicken with the reserved hot sauce mixture. Serve with carrots, celery & blue cheese dip.

Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip

from Bobby Flay

Ingredients

1 pint thick Greek yogurt

3/4 c. blue cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

3 Tbsp finely sliced scallions

salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

combine all ingredients & season with salt and pepper. cover & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.