Spinach “burgers” « The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook

Pizza Braid A pizza braid is very kid-friendly, easy on the wallet and extremely simple to make. My aunt and cousin first introduced me to them and I’ve been hooked ever since. The possibilities are endless of the varieties you could make (check out the Apple Dessert Braid!) As I said, this is extremely basic. The dough takes a few hours to rise, so I take it out in the morning and place a towel over it. Yes, yes the dough in that photo has not risen fully. Then you spread out the sauce, lay the meats down, followed by the cheese. Then with a pizza cutter, start cutting about 1 inch thick strips down the whole rectangle. Follow the pictures above. A few minutes before it’s done I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. There are so many versions you can make of the pizza braid: Philly cheesesteak, spinach and mushroom, Parmesan chicken- almost anything!

French Fries: The No-Guilt Version There’s nothing like a french fried potato. The taste, the texture, the dip-ability; it’s probably one of my favorite go-to comfort foods. However, I don’t need the fat of an actual deep fried potato, and I certainly do not favor processed french fries that come from the frozen food section of the grocery store. Enter: Healthy French Fries* Step 1: Peel your ‘taters. Step 2: Cut them into strips. Step 3: Place potatoes in colander and rinse the starch off of them. Step 4: Pat down the potatoes. Step 5: Drizzle Olive Oil over potatoes. Step 6: Salt those babies up. Step 7: Mix them up so they all get coated with the olive oil and salt. Step 8: Arrange them, on a baking sheet, in a single layer Step 9: Add anything else you like. Step 10: Place the potatoes into your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Step 11: Flip and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes. And then, voila… Healthy French Fries *I usually do the same thing with sweet potatoes. Enjoy!

Cucumber Feta Rolls Recipe Cucumber Feta Rolls Recipe Details See full recipe at www.goodlifeeats.com Tags Add tags to help organize recipes in your box. ( Add Tags ) Ingredients ( Edit ) 2 cucumbers 6 ounces crumbled feta 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 tablespoons finely diced sundried tomatoes or red bell pepper 8 - 12 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon roughly chopped dill or oregano 2 teaspoons lemon juice pinch of pepper, or to taste Instructions Thinly slice the cucumbers... Add the feta and yogurt to a...

Cilantro & Spinach Pesto Okay so before I tell you about this pesto, I must tell you about the most idiotic moment of my life, which occurred this past Friday. Actually there were several idiotic moments but… Anyway, I was on a tight schedule in the morning. I was determined to run my pitiful 2 miles and make it to my desk by 6:35am. Everything was going so well until I stepped out of the shower and realized, GAH! I contemplated going to work in shorts. Then, in the greatest act of sheer stupidity, I say to myself, “Hey! I know, I’m dumb. Long story short. Eesh. Me: Esther! So back to the food- this pesto. I took out my food processor, peeled some garlic, threw in some cilantro, spinach, pine nuts, and zapped it for a few seconds. This is one of those recipes where you decide the quantities as some people are more partial to cilantro and others to spinach. Cilantro & Spinach Pesto Ingredients: Handful of CilantroHandful of SpinachHandful of pine nutsCouple cloves of garlicOlive OilSalt & Pepper Recipe:

Potatoes Aurore There are people who dislike mashed potatoes. No really, there are! There are probably even yahoo groups for them and they’re taking over the world, one boiled potato at a time. How do I know this? Well, I learned it the hard way: after slaving over a hot stove during the Holidays only to find out that one of my dinner guests was one of them haters. But all kidding aside, this fabulous classic French recipe is one you’ll really want to put on the table this Thanksgiving or Christmas. Ingredients: 1 1/2 pound small potatoes 1 medium tomato 1/3 can diced tomatoes 1 large garlic clove 4 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour 2 cups milk 1 bay leaf nutmeg pepper salt Directions: This is the Aurore part. The potatoes. Squeeze out the seeds and make sure you take out every single seed. Finely mince the tomato and put it in a sauce pan. Add 1/3 can diced tomatoes to the freshly chopped tomato. Slice the garlic and add it to the tomatoes along with the bay leaf and 1 tbsp butter. It smells amazing!

Mozilla Firefox From the molten yolk and bacon crunch of a hand-held breakfast, to the gooey charm of grilled cheese for lunch, nothing matches the simple pleasures of well-made sandwiches. They're quick to assemble, infinitely adaptable, easy to eat, and immediately satisfying—the very definition of good food. The 25 sandwiches you're about to meet can be thrown together during the average basketball halftime or, with practice, during the seventh-inning stretch. (Who needs hot dogs, anyway?) Use each recipe as a basic road map, but bring your talent for finding creative routes. You'll easily reach your final destination: a full belly and a satisfied smile. Think BLT, but better. More on MensHealth.com: 20 Ways to Stick to Your Workout 2. Layer pieces of ciabatta or a sturdy sandwich roll with grated fontina or mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced prosciutto, sliced figs, and arugula. More on MensHealth.com: 100 Ways to Live Forever 3. More on MensHealth.com: 33 Simple Ways to Turn Her On 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Fontina, Spinach, and Bacon Shells and Cheese Fontina, Spinach, and Bacon Shells and Cheese Kid Friendly Recipes, Main Dish, Pasta | 40 comments As I sit down to write this the snow is falling and wind blowing. I can’t help but think how perfect Macaroni and Cheese is for a day like today and I’m definitely tempted to make a change to our meal plan tonight. Without any fontina on hand, I won’t be making this Fontina, Spinach, and Bacon Shells and Cheese, but I do have several other cheeses stashed in my refrigerator door and can easily whip up a new creation using these fun tips. 3 Steps to Fancy Mac n Cheese It’s time to get creative in the kitchen. Use Different Pasta Shapes Embrace your inner child, or appeal to your own children with fun and different pasta shapes. Fancy Up the Cheese I love to experiment with different cheeses in my mac n cheese. Lacking inspiration? Add a Few Mix-Ins Adding accent meats and vegetables turns macaroni and cheese into a delicious, one pot meal with lots of flavor and color. About the Author:

Lamb Tortellini Minestrone Ingredients Edit 1 lbs lean ground Lamb 1 can canned beef broth 36 1/2 oz water 8 oz canned tomato sauce 1 garlic clove 8 oz dry Cheese tortellini 1 pack frozen vegetables 15 oz canned great Northern beans 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning Directions Bring broth, water and tomato sauce to a boil in large saucepan over high heat. The Best Broccoli of Your Life You know you’ve done something right with broccoli when the person you made it for describes it to someone else the next day as “better than biting into a steak.” Those were Craig’s words and they were a marked change from the first words he uttered about the broccoli, before he bit in: “You made broccoli for dinner? Broccoli and sweet potatoes?” Then he did bite in and his eyes lit up. So what did I do to the broccoli to make it taste so good? I can’t take any credit. I’m going to have a hard time this week not posting all of the recipes from her new book, Back To Basics. Specifically, she loves roasting vegetables at a high temperature until they caramelize. Normally, broccoli gets squishy when you cook it. Seriously, this recipe is so easy I can recite it without looking at the book. You preheat the oven to 425. Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Now, it’s easy. Related Posts: Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli Save Save

Potatoes a la Boulangère Quickie posting! This is a classic and simple French potato dish that stole my heart the moment I took my very first bite. It was probably the pure flavors that did me in—I’ve always been a sucker for that—because it sure is no fancy cooking. Basically they’re stock-infused, alternating potato and onion layers. So simple, but oh so good when served with a nice juicy steak and some greens on the side. Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds potatoes 2 small onions 1/3 cup vegetable broth 1/3 cup milk 1 or 2 oz butter pepper salt Optional: garlic powder & dried parsley Directions: Peel and thinly slice 1 1/2 pounds potatoes. Thinly slice 2 smaller or 1 fairly large onion. Start layering. Combine 1/3 cup steaming hot vegetable (or chicken) broth with 1/3 cup of milk. Pour the hot broth mix over the potatoes and top the casserole with tiny pieces of butter. Remove the foil after 40 minutes and put them back in the oven (uncovered) for another 35 to 40 minutes, give or take a few minutes.

A Cozy Kitchen » Avocado Fries I have a particularly tragic memory of looking at rental houses with my friend when he first moved to LA and finding one that actually had an avocado tree in the backyard. I mean, a tree that was taller than the house and was heavy with ripe avocados This memory is tragic because my friend didn’t rent the house. If he had, I would have had a never ending supply to feed my avocado addiction.BTW – what are avocados, a vegetable? Some weird fruit? Either way, I really, really, REALLY love these…veggie-fruits from heaven. Let’s count the ways, shall we? Tagged as: Aioli, Appetizer, Avocado, Fries

10 Ways to Eat Pizza for Breakfast I get bored for breakfast. I know this is absurd. There are no less than four thousand cereal flavor options in the store. There are endless arrays of items that go on top of oatmeal and alongside pancakes. But still, it can get a wee bit boring. Several weeks ago, I made a quick batch of Pizza Dough then baked it into a dozen personal-sized pizza crusts, tossed those crusts into the freezer, and let them sit there until they were needed. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.