spicy thai noodles

hey there. happy wednesday. 

the snow is slowly melting. i only fell in the middle of the street/traffic once. i couldn't be more ready for spring. 

in the meantime, we're eating things that keep us warm. i try not to cook a lot of pasta, but this dish has become a favorite. and for pasta, it's a more healthy route to go. 

ingredients: 

one box of brown rice noodles (i order these from amazon: )

1/2 cup oil (sesame or olive)

1 t red pepper flakes

6 T honey

6 T good quality soy sauce

1 heaping T PB2 or peanut butter (pb2 is peanut butter with 85% fat removed. 

it's in powder form and is GREAT)

here she is: 

shredded carrots, cooked slightly (about a cup or more)

green onions (about 1/2 cup or however many you like)

steamed broccoli, optional (about a cup or more, chopped fairly small)

cooked chicken, optional (however much you like)

cilantro (about 1/2 cup or more)

peanuts (a handful or so)

directions: 

add oil to a small pot and turn heat to high. add red pepper flakes. let cook for 2 minutes. 

strain the oil into a bowl to get red pepper out.

add honey, soy sauce, and PB to the oil and stir. set aside.

bring pot of water to boil then add noodles. cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring gently a few times.

 DO NOT OVERCOOK THESE NOODLES OR THEY TURN TO INEDIBLE MUSH. 

(ok, you've been warned)

drain pasta and immediately pour oil/sauce over pasta and stir. 

add chopped green onions, shredded carrots, broccoli, chicken, peanuts to pasta. 

dish onto plates. top with more cilantro and a few more peanuts. 

enjoy! 

crockpot chicken enchilada soup

I found this recipe on pinterest, and was a little bit skeptical. It’s slightly adapted from a blog called Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. I used good quality chicken, and I really think that made it great! The enchilada sauce gives it a nice hint of lime flavor, and the little bit of cream cheese and rice makes it thick enough, but not too heavy. For a cold winter night when you don’t have time to do something fancier, this is a great go-to. J

Ingredients:

28-32 oz. low sodium chicken broth (plus about a cup of water)

16 oz. organic air chilled chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)

2 cans mild green enchilada sauce

4 oz. can diced green chilies

2 T cumin

1.5 T chili powder

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t garlic salt

ground pepper to taste (I used about a half teaspoon)

1-2 c frozen corn, defrosted

1 block 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, cut into cubes

¾ c instant brown rice

garnish: avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips

Directions:

Add broth, water, enchilada sauce, chilies, and spices to crockpot. Add chicken. Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. Put chicken back in, along with corn, cream cheese, and instant rice. Cook about 30 more minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado.

Enjoy! 

summer vegetable bake

Thanks to a new CSA-type thing that I joined 

(Homegrown Grocery---> http://www.homegrowngrocery.com/) 

and to my friend Nicole's garden, 

I may never have to grocery shop again :) 

Slight exaggeration, but I am so excited about all my fresh, 

local, organic produce, milk, eggs, homemade granola, etc... so fun! 

We're having this vegetable bake for dinner tonight, so it may be risky to post this before I eat it, but what could go that wrong with these ingredients?!

Ingredients: 

-a couple yellow squash

-a couple zucchini

-an onion 

-a few tomatoes

-2 cloves garlic

-red pepper flakes

-s&p

-dill

-parmesan cheese 

Directions:

Mince garlic and a little bit of the onion. 

Spray bottom of small baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle a little bit of the

 diced onion and minced garlic along the bottom. 

Slice zucchini, squash, onion, and tomato thinly. 

Arrange vegetables in pretty rows, using whatever pattern you like.

 I did zucchini, squash, tomato, onion. 

Sprinkle the remaining garlic on top along with some sea salt, pepper, a few dashes of dill and red pepper flakes. 

Drizzle lightly with olive oil. 

Bake at a 400 for about 30 minutes covered. 

Uncover, sprinkle some parmesan cheese (or another cheese if you'd prefer) on top and bake uncovered for about another 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and it looks cooked and delicious. 

enjoy! :) 

BBQ Chicken Quinoa

This is a fairly quick and very healthy summertime meal. 

It's great for dinner and almost better for lunch the next day. 

You can change it up or add more stuff to it if you'd like. 

Might be good with shredded carrots, peas, tomatoes, etc...

Happy cooking to you:) 

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used organic white)

about 2 cups frozen organic corn

about a handful of snap peas, cut in half or thirds

about a half of a bunch of green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 chicken tenderloins, boiled and shredded

 BBQ sauce (I used Annie's Naturals 

Organic Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce from whole foods)

Directions: 

1. Boil chicken 

(bring water to boil, add salt and pepper, 

drop chicken in and let cook for 4-5 minutes. 

remove from water, cool, and shred)

2. Cook quinoa according to package 

(usually 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water. bring to a boil then cover, 

reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 10-15 min. fluff with a fork when done)

3. In a sauté pan at about medium heat add a drizzle of olive oil, 

add minced garlic--watch it so it doesn't burn 

4. Add thawed corn and cook a few minutes

5. Add chicken, cook a few minutes

6. Add snap peas and green onions, cook for a few minutes 

7. Add chicken and vegetables to quinoa and add BBQ sauce  to taste (a little at a time so it doesn't overpower it)

8. If needed add s&p and/or more bbq sauce 

Garnish with cilantro. 

enjoy!

Crockpot Coconut Ginger Curry Chicken

This crockpot recipe originally

 called for a lot of prep work, pre cooking, etc. 

I'm not into that when I'm using a crockpot....

so I added (almost) all ingredients at once and it turned out great. 

It serves a lot of people! 

I made this for our "small group" of 12. If making it for fewer people, 

consider halving the recipe.

Ingredients: 

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped

1 onion, quartered and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks 

2 handfuls sugar snap peas, ends trimmed

1 can baby corn, drained

3 T olive oil

2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 cans lite coconut milk

1/2 t pepper

1 t cumin

1 t ground coriander

1.5 t ground turmeric

1 t salt

Directions: 

Set baby corn, snap peas, and red bell pepper aside.

Add all other ingredient to crockpot and stir thoroughly. 

Cook on low 4-6 hours. 

Add bell pepper and corn with 1 hour cooking time left. 

Add snap peas for last 15 minutes of cooking time. 

Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
Garnish with green onion, cilantro, or crushed peanuts. 

enjoy :) 

Roasted Tomatoes, Shrimp, and Feta

Thank you, Real Simple! 

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-tomatoes-shrimp-feta-10000000780294/index.html

This was seriously delicious.

The combination of juicy roasted tomatoes, herbs, feta, lemon, and shrimp was just divine. 

I think it's a perfect dish to make for company. 

Seems really nice, but it only takes about 20 minutes

 of prep time and the oven does the rest. 

You can take a look at the link or keep reading...

Ingredients: 

5 tomatoes, cut into eighths

3 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

s&p

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled

1/2 c chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro. i did a combination of both)

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 c reduced fat feta

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Place tomatoes in a large baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil, top with garlic  and 3/4 t each salt and pepper. Toss and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove baking dish from oven. Stir in shrimp, herbs, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the feta. 

Return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. 

I served over quinoa with roasted green beans.

 Next time, I'll definitely have crusty bread with it. 

enjoy :) 

Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Growing up, my mom never cooked in a crockpot. Ever. 

Mom, do you own a crockpot??

I've been told many times that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" 

when it comes to being like my mama. 

 Because of a busier work schedule this year, I've veered from "the tree" 

and started resorting to my crockpot. a lot! 

Life saver!
(thank you, Tom & Camille for my wonderful crockpot!)

In the original directions, this soup has a lot of fuss and hoop-la and 

stuff you're supposed to do before adding it to the crockpot. 

To me, that defeats the purpose of using a crockpot.
It's already hard enough to crawl

 into the back of my cabinet to lug the thing out....

So I decided to just dump all the ingredients in at once and voila.
Delicious. 

Ingredients: 
3 cans diced tomatoes, with juice (low sodium if possible)
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion

1 T dried oregano
1 T chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
4 c broth
1 bay leaf
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
2 T butter, optional
2 c skim milk (or fat free half and half)
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Directions: 
Add all ingredients to the crockpot
EXCEPT the fresh basil and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Add basil and reserved parmesan for last 30 minutes of cooking time.


enjoy :)

Spinach Lemon Pasta Bake

This pasta dish is fresh, summery, and simple.

 It's a good one to make for a crowd. 

Ingredients: 

12-16 oz. whole wheat pasta (not a spaghetti type of noodle)

1 lemon, zested and juiced (use 1/2 lemon if you don't love lemon)

2 c fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 c milk or half and half, any kind 

1-2 T butter

1-2 T flour

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1/4 c shredded mozzarella

red pepper flakes

basil, dried or fresh

s&p to taste 

Directions: 

Preheat over to 350. 

Make pasta, drain, put back in pot with a dash of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Add butter to sauce pan and melt. Saute garlic in butter. 

Add milk, flour, lemon juice & zest, and spices (including basil).

Stir with whisk until it thickens.

Add sauce, spinach, and cheese to pasta (reserve a little parmesan for the top) Stir.

Transfer to casserole dish and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake covered for 20 minutes.

Uncover and bake 5 more minutes. 

Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Enjoy! 

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, and Mushrooms

It's been a busy week! I started working another tiny part-time job (I call it tiny because I am working every other Monday and Tuesday...does that count as "another job"?).  I'm working for a family (helping drive kids to activities, helping with homework, helping with dinner, making the mom's life a little bit less stressful, etc.) So yeah, I do that now. I am enjoying it a lot and am also still getting used to it. "It" being..giving up my time some afternoons because I have gotten SO used to doing whatever I wanna do, whenever I wanna do it when I leave job #1!
This new schedule has also affected our dinner a little bit. Not quite as much time to spend in the kitchen. The other day I literally threw this pasta together. It was so quick...and yummy...if you like sun-dried tomatoes as much as I do.  Having a busy week? Not sure what to do for dinner? Like sun-dried tomatoes? Try this...

serves about 6 ...
Ingredients:
about 3/4 box of whole wheat penne pasta
2 huge handfulls fresh spinach
container of sun-dried tomatoes (from Whole Foods), cut in half or thirds
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
about a cup sliced mushrooms
red pepper flakes
olive oil
sea salt & pepper
shredded parmesan cheese
lemon to serve, if you'd like

what to do: cook pasta according to directions
while pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbs olive oil in pan
cook garlic for about 20 seconds
add mushrooms to pan, cook about 2 minutes
add spinach, a little more olive oil, red pepper flakes
remove from heat and stir (until spinach cooks down)
toss spinach and mushroom mixture with drained pasta
add sun-dried tomatoes (and more olive oil if needed!)
add salt, pepper, and more red pepper flakes to taste
toss in some shredded parmesan cheese
serve with another dash of parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (taste your pasta first before adding lemon. you might not need any more flavor.)

Enjoy!

whole wheat pizza dough

I don't know what happened. All of a sudden I totally and accidentally neglected my sweet little Shady Basil. I'm back (side note: you may notice that I like to blog like I have a massive group of readers... it's just more fun for me!! Don't worry, I know that just a couple friends and family check out my little site and I like that too. Maybe someday shady basil will be super cool like Fresh365 and Joy the Baker and Sprouted Kitchen, some of my blogging idols!) and I have lots of things to share. My new goal is to share at least 3 recipes a week.

First up.....homemade pizza dough!! Making my own pizza dough has been on my list of things I've really wanted to do in the kitchen for a while. I don't know why I waited so long. This stuff is soo easy..and delicious. A friend, who will remain nameless because he may have changed his mind by now,  even said, "oh my gosh, this dough is better than Mellow Mushroom!" That's a big deal. Trust me.

This recipe makes 6 individual pizza doughs. Last time I made it, I made double the dough. We had friends over and each made a little pizza. Then I put the remaining six doughs in individual ziplock bags and popped 'em in the freezer. It's been wonderful to have them on hand...just take them out of the freezer, leave in its bag, and set on the counter about 4-5 hours before you're going to make a pizza. Easy!

Now to the good stuff...

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (adapted from Fresh365)

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
a few Tbs chopped herbs (optional) I used rosemary and thyme
whole wheat flour or cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in large bowl. Using your hands stir in the oil and cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Add chopped herbs. By hand mix and knead all ingredients together (for a few minutes). Add a dash of water or flour to reach desired consistency. Dough should not stick to sides of bowl, but will stick a little bit to bottom of bowl. Dough should be springy, elastic, and a little sticky.

Transfer dough to a floured countertop. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and slip into plastic sandwich bags. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from refrigerator at least 1 hour before making pizza. Keep covered so they don't dry out.

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you don't have a stone, use the back of a cookie sheet, but do not preheat it.

Dust countertop or small piece of parchment paper with cornmeal or flour and get ready to shape your pizza dough. Uncover dough and sprinkle with flour. Gently press a dough round into about a 12" disk. If dough is being fussy and keeps springing back, let it rest another 15-20 minutes.

Add your toppings and slide onto the baking stone. Bake until crust is crisp and nicely colored (about 12-16 minutes depending on your oven). Remove from oven and finish with more freshly grated parmesan!

Last night we made one vegetable pizza: olive oil and garlic base, lots of mushrooms, basil, bell pepper, and cheese and one hawaiian one: tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, ham, pineapple, and cheese.

Let me know how this goes for you...enjoy!!

veggie black bean burgers & lime "sour cream"

Lately I've been cooking a lot and sharing a little. not sure why..but I'll try to be better about sharing what's going on in my kitchen. I made these for our small group for the first time last week and they were a hit! I made another big batch of them just for Ryan and me and put the leftover patties in the freezer for sometime soon..tonight maybe?

Veggie Black Bean Burgers (12 servings...serve to a crowd or freeze what you don't eat):
3 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1.5 onion, cut into wedges
9 cloves garlic
4 eggs
3 T chili powder
4 t cumin
1 T Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
2 c panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash beans with a fork until thick and pasty. 
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Remove excess water from vegetables. Stir into mashed beans. Add a little cilantro and corn if you'd like!
4. In a small bown, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce.
5. Stir egg mixture into mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into 12 patties.
6. Bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Lime Sour Cream:  (I put sour cream in quotes in the title of this post because I used light sour cream the first time I made it and 0% fat Greek yogurt the second time...use which ever you prefer)

The amount of each ingredient could have "ish" at the end of every one of them! There is a lot of freedom in how you make this. More lime, okay! Less cilantro, okay! More red peppers...fewer jalapenos....more yogurt....you get the point. Play with it until it tastes just right to YOU :)

combine all ingredients and lightly stir:
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt or light sour cream
1.5 T fresh lime juice plus a little bit of grated lime zest
10 sliced jarred jalapenos, minced
sea salt to taste
small handful chopped cilantro
a few T finely chopped red pepper

Serve black bean burgers (topped with lime sauce of course!) over brown rice, on a bun, by itself, over mixed greens, accompanied with a salad (roasted beet salad recipe coming soon!), or sweet potato fries. Or anything else that sounds great to you!

enjoy every bite!

vegetarian chili

This recipe says that it makes 6 servings, but I think it made more like 12. We ate chili for lunch and dinner for several days. Next time, I'll half the recipe probably. It was very easy and good!! Enjoy :)

what you need:
1 (12 oz.) package frozen burger-style crumbles (I used Morning Star brand)
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can light red kidney beans
1 (29 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (12 fl. oz.) can tomato juice
2 onions, chopped
3 T chili powder
1.5 T ground cumin
1 T garlic powder
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

what to do: 
In a large pot, combine meat substitute, black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, onions, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover. Let the chili simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.

Top with crumbled tortilla chips and a dash of cheese. Mmm!

favorite salad at the moment

I don't know if it's the ingredients or the dressing or just how pretty it looks, but this salad is an easy crowd pleaser and a very quick healthy dinner. And again, this is one you can add to or take away from or use another dressing if this isn't your thing. Enjoy!

what you need for the salad:
-fresh spinach leaves
-grape tomatoes
-1 avacado, sliced
-almonds
-crumbled feta
-dried cranberries and/or pomegranate seeds

what you need for the dressing:
2 T red raspberry jam with seeds
2 T red wine vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

what to do:
Combine as much of these things together as you'd like, mix dressing in a jar and shake, add as much dressing as you'd like. Ta-da!

black bean soup & drop biscuits

The other night my mom asked me what I was planning to make for dinner. She thought my idea, black bean soup, sounded fantastic too so she made it the same night. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself  considering that: 1. my mom is the best cook I know (no, seriously!) and 2. she's been cooking for quite a bit longer than I have, but all that to say...her soup turned out much better! I'm going to share her recipe instead of mine :)  (they were almost the same, but I like that hers called for more black beans, half of them pureed, and less rotel) Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients (for soup):
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T olive oil
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup chopped celery (optional)
4 ears corn, kernels removed
1 orange, juiced
2 26 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can mild rotel tomatoes
1 vegetable bouillon cube
water
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin

Directions (for soup):
Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and saute till beginning to soften. Add garlic, carrots and corn (and celery). Stir in tomatoes and orange juice. Process one 26 oz. can black beans in food processor with a little water, pulsing till chopped but not too mushy. Add all beans, vegetable bouillon, water to desired consistency and season. Cook till carrots are slightly done and soup is very hot.
*Serve garnished with mandarin orange segments, avocado slices and greek yogurt or sour cream.

I made these drop biscuits (from Cooks Illustrated) to go with our soup! They were delicious, if I do say so myself :)  

Ingredients (for biscuits):
2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t sugar
3/4 t table salt
1 c  cold buttermilk (I used non-fat)
8 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus 2 T butter for brushing biscuits

Directions (for biscuits):
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 Tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, sitrring until butter forms small clumps.
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4 cup dry measure, scoop level amounts of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Makes 12 biscuits.
Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 T of melted butter. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Curried Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

One of my favorite things about cold weather is soup. I really love a good cup of soup!

My husband, on the other hand, doesn't get quite as much joy from a cup of soup for dinner as I do.

What does he mean "soup's not a real meal?" :)

Even he loves this one...

(I'm back to revise this post a year later. I made this soup this weekend for a little "fall party".  It was a  big hit and it's just so easy. I made a few tiny changes.)

Ingredients:

 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 c chopped onion

2 T flour
2 T butter

 3 c organic low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

2 T honey or agave nectar

1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t curry powder

1/2 t salt

 1 12 oz. can fat free evaporated milk (OR 1 pint half-and-half (fat free organic))
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium heat; add the mushrooms and onions, and saute for 10 minutes. Stir in flour and curry; add broth and stir for 1 minute.

Add the pumpkin, honey or agave and seasonings, and mix well. Stir over medium-high heat until the soup comes to a simmer. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the half-and-half and heat through without boiling. Serve immediately.

Top with chives or toasted pumpkin seeds and serve with warm, toasty bread.

It's like Fall in a cup!

Angel Hair with Shrimp & Zucchini

I participated in a recipe exchange today and this is what I shared. Easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 lb. medium-large frozen shrimp
1/2 box whole wheat angel hair pasta (or thin spaghetti)
olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 zucchini
1 roma tomato

Directions:1. Thaw shrimp and take the tails off (just set bag of shrimp in the sink for a few hours before you'll be using it)
2.Chop zucchini into long thin pieces
3. Dice tomato
4. mince garlic
5. chop fresh basil
6. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (over medium-high heat) in large saute pan
7. add zucchini.
8.  when zucchini is starting to get tender add shrimp. saute for 2-3 minutes.
9. add tomato and minced garlic. Saute another minute or so (garlic burns quickly!)
10. cook pasta al dente (bring water to boil, add pasta, cook uncovered for about 9 minutes.)
11. Drain and add shrimp, zuchinni, tomato, etc.. mixture to pasta.
12. add more olive oil to taste (until pasta is not sticking together. probably about 1/4 to a 1/2 cup more) and a tbsp. of butter (if you want!)

*Add salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
 *sprinkle fresh basil over the top of the pasta.

Enjoy!!