Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Chicken Fajita Nachos

April 4, 2012

Apolinaras headed to the grocery store the other weekend and accidently brought home tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s instead of the tortillas on my list….oops. It was pretty obvious the only solution to this problem was to make chicken fajita nachos instead of chicken fajitas for dinner!

I layered tortilla chips with chicken spiced with cumin, chili powder, and paprika, and a healthy dose of onions, bright orange bell peppers, tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. I broiled the nachos until the cheese melted and then sprinkled some cilantro on top – yum! The amount included in the recipe below is perfect for a party.

Chicken Fajita Nachos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil

Nachos:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 red or orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 12-ounce bag tortilla chips (I used soy flaxseed chips from Trader Joe’s)
1 large beefsteak tomato, finely chopped
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the chicken, place cumin, chili powder, paprika, Mexican oregano, and salt in a small dish and mix well. Sprinkle spice rub evenly over chicken pieces and mix until well covered. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and sauté chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked and no longer pink in the center.

To make the nachos, heat oven broiler. Heat canola oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté bell pepper and onions for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. To assemble the nachos, place half the tortilla chips on a large cookie sheet or oven-safe serving dish. Evenly top with have the onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Layer the remaining tortilla chips on top, followed by the remaining onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro and serve. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition: 298 calories, 14.8g fat, 3.0g fiber, 16.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.23 per serving

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Red Bean Paste Stuffed French Toast

March 29, 2012

I’ve been trying to work on clearing out the clutter from our pantry and recently found a lonely can of red bean paste hidden away in the very back corner. How did I forget about such a treasure? It jumped into our cart at HMart a few months ago, and I was originally planning on making an Asian inspired dessert of some sort with it but instead decided to use it in French toast one weekend morning!

I just mixed the red bean paste with a bit of mascarpone cheese for the filling, which I sandwiched between nice thick slices of challah bread. Mmm, this French toast is perfect to enjoy with a nice generous amount of maple syrup since red bean paste isn’t very sweet.

Red Bean Paste Stuffed French Toast
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red bean paste (from a 17 ounce can)
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
4 thick slices challah bread (I used 6 ounces total, each slice was 3/4”-1” thick)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:
Place red bean paste and mascarpone cheese in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Evenly spread mixture on two slices of challah bread and place the other two slices of bread on top to make two sandwiches.

Whisk milk and eggs together in a shallow dish and dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture on each side. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Place one soaked sandwich in the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining sandwich and butter. Makes 2 large servings.

Nutrition: 749 calories, 29.3g fat, 6.1g fiber, 23.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.15 per serving

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Nutella Pavlova with Strawberries

March 25, 2012

Time for my third and final New Zealand recap post (here are part 1 and part 2 if you missed them!). From Kaikoura, we set out on our longest drive of seven hours to the opposite side of the South Island to see two glaciers. Yes, glaciers! We visited Fox Glacier first and were there around 8pm. Much to our delight, we were the only people at the national park!

So we goofed around to our heart’s content.

And then had dinner by Lake Matheson and took a hike to see some more glowworms in the forest. We stayed in a rustic lodge that night which had a breakfast room where you basically just helped yourself to whatever you wanted, so Apolinaras made us eggs and toast from homemade bread, mmmm. I was glad we fueled up so well because we tackled the Franz Joseph Glacier hike that morning.

And really enjoyed checking out not one,

or two,

but three waterfalls! It’s hard to tell in the last picture, but Apolinaras is actually underneath part of the falls and got pretty wet!

After lunch, we snuck in another hike through the rainforest before heading to Queenstown.

On the way, we spontaneously stopped at a beautiful beach so Apolinaras could go swimming in the ocean again. I call him my water baby sometimes – he just loves swimming, even in freezing cold water!

The roads and views while driving were just incredible. We stopped here for a quick picture – imagine scenes like this around every corner!

After arriving in Queenstown, we headed to Fergburger, which I talked about here. The next morning we went to Fergbakery and shared a brunch spread of lamb pie, carrot cake, chocolate croissants, and coffee, which we enjoyed in a quaint park.

Then we took a gondola up to the top of a mountain for breathtaking views of Queenstown and a ski lift up even further so we could race in a couple of luge rides.

Then we walked all around the city and explored a couple of parks. We enjoyed some fantastic Indian food and one of our bottles of wine from Marlborough that night and sat outside and fed the ducks. It was so peaceful.

The next morning we flew back to Auckland and went up in Sky Tower.

People regularly pay big bucks to jump off Sky Tower and you can also walk around an outside rim of the tower, while attached to safety cords, of course. I would be way too scared to do either, but it was fun watching the brave ones!

We also had coffee and pavlova in Sky Tower and really tasty pizza and gelato that night for our last dinner.

The next morning we checked out the Auckland Museum, where we learned even more about Maori culture. Then we had lunch in the Parnell Quarter, which brought things full circle since it’s also where we had breakfast our very first day of the trip, before flying home. We love hiking, exploring, and being outdoors, so visiting New Zealand was just a perfect vacation for us!

I’ve never been a huge meringue fan, but I really enjoyed my pavlova in Sky Tower. In fact, pavlova just happens to be New Zealand’s national dessert! It’s a meringue shell with a marshmellowy center topped with whipped cream and kiwifruit. I bought a cute retro magnet in Queenstown with a pavlova recipe on it, which I only modified below by adding a bit of cocoa powder. Of course, I had to give my dessert a little twist and topped my pavlova with Nutella mousse and chopped strawberries. This was my first time making meringue so I was pretty proud about how it turned out! Ah New Zealand, I miss you and already want to go back!

Nutella Pavlova with Strawberries
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pavlova:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup castor sugar (also called superfine sugar – the granules are larger than powdered sugar but smaller than granulated sugar – I found some at Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Nutella Mousse and Strawberry Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella
2 cups chopped strawberries

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium high until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Gradually pour in the caster sugar while beating, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. Use a spatula to lightly fold in the cocoa powder, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Turn the mixture into the center of a pizza pan lined with parchment paper and shape into a circle with the spatula. Turn the oven down to 285°F and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 250°F and bake for an 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cool completely in the oven.

Meanwhile, make the Nutella mousse. Place heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a well chilled large bowl and beat with a mixer with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stir in Nutella until smooth. Top cooled pavlova with Nutella mousse and chopped strawberries. Slice into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 329 calories, 16.8g fat, 1.8g fiber, 4.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving

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Orange Roasted Chicken

March 17, 2012

Time for part 2 of our New Zealand adventure (you can check out part 1 here)! After visiting Rotorua, we drove down to see Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, which fills a caldera created by a huge volcanic eruption, and the Huka Waterfalls.

Taupo is a resort town with a super cute downtown, and I had a very tasty bowl of seafood chowder with mussels, shrimp, calamari in a light creamy broth, at Replete Cafe.

After lunch, we headed down to Tongariro National Park to go white water river rafting with Tongariro River Rafting! It ended up just being us and two guides on our raft, so it was really fun.

We took a break to jump off a few cliffs.

And the rafting company even had a photographer ready on the shore to capture some action shots!

Our picture perfect hotel that night was right next to the three prominent volcanoes in the area, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro.

We drove to the top of Mount Ruapehu for some gorgeous views.

And yes, Mount Ngauruhoe was Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies. Here it is peeking out from behind the clouds.

The next morning we drove down to Wellington, which is on the Southernmost tip of the North Island and a bustling big city like Auckland. The five hour drive was a bit of a journey, but a little pit stop for some traditional savory Raetihi pies at Kristy’s Café in Whanganui helped break the drive up a bit. I was also pretty tickled when we saw these sheep crossing the road!

In Wellington, we took the cable cars up to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Where we took in a lovely view of the city.

And I really enjoyed the many rose gardens.

We also had our very favorite meal of the trip in Wellington at Ortega Fish Shack that evening. I didn’t take any pictures, but everything was just amazing. We started with whitebait fitters, which are a New Zealand specialty. Whitebait are exactly what they sound like – tiny little fish used for bait. The fritters contained 100s of the little fish all cooked into a patty – really meaty and delicious, but probably not something I would have tried unless it was so highly recommended to us! For dinner, I had gurnard over a mushroom cream sauce with pasta and Apolinars had lightly smoked fish with pork and shrimp fried rice. We decided to drink our dessert at Mac’s BrewBar, right on the ocean that night.

The next morning we took the 3 hour Interislander ferry ride from the North Island to the South Island. Even though the boat was huge, the water was rough, and I got really seasick, ugh, so I don’t have much to say about our time on the ocean. Here’s a cute pic of Apolinaras though.

Then we drove to Marlborough wine country and checked into a lovely B&B called Hillsfield House, which I highly recommend you stay at if you’re ever in New Zealand. We had a causal English pub dinner of fish and chips and beef hot pie at Cork and Keg, which was a short stroll from our B&B.

One of the perks of Hillsfield House is that the hostess, Jo, delivers breakfast to your room whenever you request it. After filling up on hot croissants, fruit, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice, we drove to several wineries for tastings!

This wine region is most well known for their sauvignon blanc and Cloudy Bay is probably the most famous winery.

Since Apolinaras isn’t a huge wine fan, we also did a tasting at the only brewery close by – Moa!

We stopped at Wither Hills Winery for lunch and then left our car at the B&B and took some bikes out for a spin to explore a couple more wineries, including one of our favorites, Forrest Estate.

The next morning we drove to Kaikoura, a beautiful town on the ocean with seal colonies, and opportunities for whale and dolphin watching. Along the way, we stopped at Nin’s Bin for freshly caught crayfish (called spiny lobster here in the US) for lunch.

And my very first video on CB&B! I spontaneously recorded Apolinaras’ trick for the easiest way to remove meat from your lobster- no fancy tools needed!

We also visited a seal colony.

And then Apolinaras went for a dip in the ocean. Just gorgeous!

After taking a beautiful hike by the water, we had dinner at Tuti’s, which featured Indonesian/Singaporean dishes. I had a super flavorful green shrimp curry and Apolinaras had duck with an Asian orange sauce, which inspired today’s recipe.

I roasted a chicken with an Asian orange marinade and glaze of orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic. I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with an orange and some more garlic. Very juicy and delicious! Oh, and the recipe below is for one bird, but I actually roasted two because one chicken doesn’t last very long in our house! One more NZ recap post to go!

Orange Roasted Chicken
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 4 1/2 to 5 pound chicken, giblets removed, washed inside and out, and patted dry
1 small orange, cut in half
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To prepare the marinade, stir together orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic cloves in small bowl. Stuff the chicken cavity the orange and head of garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen twice and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Place chicken in a baking pan and cover with 1/2 cup of the marinade. Refrigerate remaining 1/2 cup marinade. Cover chicken with foil and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.

To roast the chicken, remove chicken 30 minutes prior to roasting, to allow it to come to room temperature, and heat oven to 400°F. Remove any large pieces of orange rind leftover from the orange marmalade marinade (otherwise they may burn). Place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle evenly with salt. Roast chicken at 400°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the juices between the leg and thigh run clear and temperature of the thickest part of the thigh is 160°F. Cover chicken with foil while roasting if the skin starts to get too brown (I covered mine after 45 minutes). Remove chicken from the oven and cover with a tent of aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place reserved 1/2 cup marinade in a small stockpot and simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Carve and serve the chicken and top with the sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 328 calories, 13.4g fat, 0.2g fiber, 32.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.43 per serving

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Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi

March 11, 2012

Kia ora! I’m finally gone through all our New Zealand pictures, so my next several posts will be recaps from our trip! New Zealand is just a breathtaking country and has something for everyone – mountains, beaches, wine country, even glaciers, volcanoes, and rainforests. It’s about the size of Colorado and one third of the country is national park, so there are endless possibilities for exploring. Adventure sports, including bungee jumping, which was invented in New Zealand, are extremely popular too, along with rugby. And yes, the gorgeous countryside is home to many sheep (there are more sheep than people in NZ) and cows! My personal favorite fun fact is that NZ was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893.

We flew into Auckland in mid-November, which is late spring/early summer in New Zealand, and then rented a car to explore both the north and south islands. After making it all the way down to Queenstown, we flew back up to Auckland for another night before heading home.

Our flight arrived at 5am in Auckland, and after renting our car, and attempting to get used to driving on the left side of the road, we enjoyed breakfast in the Parnell Quarter, which is home to many art galleries and cute boutiques. Then we wandered all around Auckland until our hotel room was ready. There just happened to be a World Cup triathlon taking place, so it was pretty cool watching the world class athletes speed past us during the biking and running legs of the race. I totally embarrassed Apolinaras by loudly cheering for all the US competitors!

We were in great need of coffee after our early morning and somewhat sleepless night on the plane, so I had a couple flat whites (regular coffee with milk). I also enjoyed a few iced holiday drinks at Starbucks during our trip. Since it’s hot during Christmas, they sell gingerbread, toffee chip, and cranberry white chocolate Frappachinos! Unexpected, but delicious.

Since we had an apartment suite for a couple nights, we also headed to Countdown, a local grocery store chain, to pick up stuff for our breakfasts and picnic lunch for our hike the next day. I just love wandering through grocery stores in other countries! We tried as many local products as possible, including New Zealand beer, Feijoa juice, and hard cider, amazing yogurt and cheese that I wish we could get here, and of course kiwifruit! They have golden kiwis in NZ, which I’d never seen before. They’re a bit sweeter than the green variety and apparently don’t ship very well, which is why they’re not available in the States.

The next morning we took a ferry to Rangitoto, which is a young volcanic island formed just 600 years ago.

We meandered through the lava fields,

explored the lava caves,

and hiked to the top of the crater to take in a gorgeous view of Auckland.

Due to New Zealand’s location, about 10% of Kiwis are Asian, so we enjoyed a lot of excellent Asian food in Auckland, including Japanese and Thai.

The next day we headed off to the Waitomo Caves, where we were pretty excited to slip into some sexy wetsuits and go caving with Black Water Rafting!

The caves in Waitomo are filled with glowworms on the ceilings, which sparkle like stars on a dark night. Imagine floating in an inner tube down a river through a pitch black cave while trying to take in all the sparkling glowworms above you – so cool!

We also enjoyed one of our favorite meals of the trip that night at Huhu. I had slow roasted lamb shoulder with gnocchi and smoked tomato sauce (which inspired today’s recipe!) and Apolinaras had braised beef with celeriac puree, mushrooms, and broccoli. We split a yummy rhubarb tart for dessert.

The next morning we enjoyed a lovely meal of farm fresh eggs and French toast with bacon at our bed and breakfast, and then checked out the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. Kiwis, of course, are New Zealand’s national bird, but they’re nocturnal so the only way to really see them is to visit a sanctuary or zoo.

We also thought it was pretty funny there is a bird called a Kaka in New Zealand, because that’s our cockatiel’s name! On our way to Rotoroua, I finally got out of the car and attempted to get a picture with some of the many roaming sheep, but they all sort of ran away – oh well. The highways in New Zealand are mostly two lane roads and the countryside is just gorgeous.

Rotorua is home to many geothermal springs and Maori cultural events. The Maori are the native Polynesians who arrived in New Zealand sometime before 1300.

We spent the afternoon soaking in the tranquil and rejuvenating Waikite Valley thermal pools.

Feeling completely refreshed, we hiked around the lake in Rotorua.

I couldn’t help attempting a ballet pose when we ran into a flock of black swans, haha.

We also encountered some sweet smelling geothermal sulfur ponds.

That evening we attended a Maori cultural show and enjoyed a feast called a hangi, in which the food is slowly cooked in underground pits, at Tamaki Maori Village.

The experience was a little cheesy, but I really enjoyed watching the traditional tribal dancing and singing. Whew, I can’t believe I’ve only recapped 4 days – 9 more to go!

I knew I had to feature a lamb dish in my first New Zealand post, so I used my entrée at Huhu as an inspiration and braised some lamb that I served with gnocchi in a Mediterranean tomato sauce that included chickpeas, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Make sure to have some crusty bread on hand to sop up all the extra sauce!

Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, washed and drained
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds stewing lamb (ours was cut into 4 pieces), at room temperature
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 17.6-ounce package whole wheat gnocchi
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place chicken broth, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, lemon juice, dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Place sauce in a large Dutch oven.

Rub olive oil onto all sides of the lamb pieces and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Sear lamb pieces, about 1 minute per side, over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove lamb pieces and place chopped onions in the pan. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Stir onions into the sauce and place seared lamb pieces into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300°F; remove Dutch oven lid and bake at 300°F for an additional 30 minutes or until lamb is tender and sauce is reduced.

Meanwhile, prepare gnocchi according to the package directions. Stir gnocchi into the sauce around the lamb pieces. To serve, divide sauce onto 4 plates and place a piece of lamb onto each one. Sprinkle plates evenly with feta cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 729 calories, 22.6g fat, 11.9g fiber, 53.0g protein per serving
Cost: $4.16 per serving

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart

March 4, 2012

It’s peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time!

Growing up, my mom always packed me a peanut butter sandwich, raisins, pretzels or chips, and a cookie for lunch, and then I picked up a carton of milk at school. I was such a picky eater that I wouldn’t eat anything else! Surprisingly, I never got tired of peanut butter – it’s just so good! No jelly ever touched my sandwiches though. I actually still leave the jelly off my PB&Js (ahem, or PBs more accurately), mostly out of habit, since I’ve come to my senses and like jelly now. I often think about how some schools now ban peanut butter due to peanut allergies – I think I would have starved!

Peanut butter and jelly are just perfect together, so I decided to make a dessert tart featuring a peanut butter cookie crust and layers of peanut butter mousse and strawberry jam. If only I could eat this for lunch every day now!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter and Jelly Filling and Topping:
1 (3.4-oz) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups low sugar strawberry jam
1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:
To make the peanut butter cookie crust, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter and sugar until creamed in a large bowl. Mix in egg and peanut butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; press cookie dough evenly over bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake at 350˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. With back of spoon, press down crust so bottom and sides are evenly covered; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Press down crust again with spoon, if needed. Completely cool the crust, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling by placing instant vanilla pudding, milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until smooth.

To assemble the tart, pour 1/2 cup of the jam into the cooled peanut butter cookie crust and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Top jam layer with peanut butter mousse. Spread remaining 1 cup jam evenly on top of the peanut butter mousse and top evenly with chopped peanuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from tart pan (use a toothpick to gently remove any parts of the cookie crust stuck to the top edges of the tart pan, if needed) and cut into 16 wedges.

Nutrition: 460 calories, 24.9g fat, 2.7g fiber, 11.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

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Honey Mustard Spinach Salad with Chicken Quinoa Cakes and Saucy Mama Mustard Giveaway

February 28, 2012

It’s been almost 10 months since I’ve entered a recipe contest, how sad is that? I tend to pick posting on my blog over entering contests, but I wish there were more hours in the day to do it all! I recently came across the Skinny Mama Cooking with Mustard Contest, a healthy recipe contest just for bloggers sponsored by Saucy Mama Mustards, and it sounded like the best of both worlds – creating a new recipe for a contest I can immediately share? Sign me up!

Saucy Mama sent me a complimentary package of six mustards to try. I had no idea there were so many different mustard variations out there – Tarragon Lemon, Dijon, Champagne Honey, Chipotle, Smoky Garlic, and Yellow. Of course, Apolinaras got into the chipotle first, and put a hefty dose in some meatballs, which was really tasty. For the contest, I wanted to do something very healthy but also satisfying and was stuck on the idea of using quinoa – it’s just such a super grain packed full of protein and fiber!

I brainstormed until the very last minute (entries are due today, eeek!) and finally came up with a worthy idea to feature two kinds of their mustard. I decided to do a little twist on my Avocado Chicken Cakes and mixed up some shredded chicken with Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard, quinoa, panko, and Greek yogurt. I baked the cakes until they were golden brown and served them atop a salad featuring a creamy honey mustard dressing that tastes decadent but is surprisingly good for you since it’s made with protein-packed Greek yogurt, Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard, and a touch of honey. I did a double take when I calculated the nutritional information – there are just 300 calories per serving and 32.9g protein, wow, this has to be my healthiest low calorie recipe yet! Double the mustard, double the fun!

p.s. If you have a Facebook account and like my recipe, I’d love your vote! Thanks!!

p.p.s. I somehow missed this when I first published the post, but Saucy Mama would also like to give one of my readers a Saucy Mama condiment kit containing a bottle of Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard, Smoky Garlic Mustard and Dijon! To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, March 6 at 11:59pm EST.

The fine print: Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. readers only. Saucy Mama is sponsoring this giveaway and sent me a package of six mustards to try, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine. The winner will be picked with random.org on Wednesday, March 7 and announced shortly thereafter.

Honey Mustard Spinach Salad with Chicken Quinoa Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken Quinoa Cakes:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I poached two large chicken breasts and shredded them)
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard
1 tablespoon honey

For assembly:
5 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 6 ounces)
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, sliced

Directions:
To prepare the chicken quinoa cakes, heat oven to 350°F. Place quinoa and chicken broth in a large stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. Place cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, panko, onions, garlic, yogurt, mustard, egg, and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Shape mixture into 10 patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until set; heat oven broiler and broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the dressing, place yogurt, mustard, and honey in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

To assemble the salad, mix spinach, red pepper, and cucumber in a large bowl. Evenly distribute greens onto 5 plates and top each with 2 chicken quinoa cake. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition: 284 calories, 4.6g fat, 3.8g fiber, 32.9g protein per serving
Cost: $2.64 per serving

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Three Year Blogiversary Giveaway

February 26, 2012

I can’t believe it, but my little blog turned three today! It seems like just yesterday I hit publish on my Pesto Lasagna and wondered if anyone would ever find my tiny corner of the web. Thank you all for reading and commenting, and I’d especially like to thank those of you who have taken a chance and tried one of my recipes and left feedback. I know trying recipes without reviews from some random food blogger may feel a little “risky” so it really makes my day when people go out of their way and give one of my recipes a try! I truly appreciate each and every one of my readers!

As a small thank you, I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway. There are two prizes, but you can only enter to win one – just pick which one you’d most like and leave a comment letting me know!

1. Any cookbook you’d like on Amazon. Please leave a link to the book you’d like in your comment.

2. A magazine subscription to one my favorite foodie magazines – Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, InStyle, or Real Simple. I just love InStyle and Real Simple and they always have a recipe section, so they totally count as being foodie magazines, right? Again, let me know which one you’d like in your comment.

Entries must be in by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 4. Good luck!

The fine print: I’m sponsoring this giveaway myself. The winners will be picked with random.org on Monday, March 5 and announced shortly thereafter.