What to do With Leftover Tabouli?

Just a few nights ago I made quinoa tabouli for J and I's dinner, but we had lots of leftovers (which was my intention because I just love tabouli!). I didn't want to just eat the tabouli... Though it's completely perfect that way, so I made it my mission to add some protein to the tabouli without losing the flavor of the tabouli!

I took deli sliced chicken breast and made stuffed chicken blankets! It's simple, just fill the deli slice with tabouli and wrap up like a little pig in a blanket and BOOM, you've got yourself a delicious little roll up. 

Enjoy! 

Garlicy, Lemony Quinoa Tabouli with a Side of Chicken

I love quinoa. I mean, I love it. Everything, absolutely everything about it. The texture (and I'm a really picky texture person, J will tell you), the taste, the way it mixes so perfectly with so many other things... Oh I love quinoa.

I spent a while looking through a bunch of different tabouli recipes and came up with a fun little recipe for Quinoa Tabouli (that makes lots of leftovers so I can have some tomorrow for lunch too!).

Ingredients: 

• 1 box quinoa 
• Water, to boil the quinoa
• 1 cucumber
• 1 box grape tomatoes
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped 
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 grated carrots 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice from 2 lemons 
• Sea salt 
• 1 bunch green onions, diced 

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa as according to the package that it comes in. 
2. While the quinoa cooks, dice the veggies (cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, carrots, and green onions) and combine in a bowl. 
3. When the quinoa is done cooking, fluff it and put in a large bowl. 
4. Add the veggies on top of the quinoa. 
5. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and lemon juice. 
6. Stir to ensure even spread of juices in the quinoa-veggie mix. 
7. Sprinkle with salt, stirring. 
8. Taste test the tabouli and see what you think... Add what's needed. 
9. Chill in the fridge for two or three hours. 
10. Enjoy! 

To compliment the tabouli I was planning on making homemade Tikka Masala, but didn't read my recipe early enough in the day... So I had to wing it. I grilled up a few chicken breasts in olive oil, salt, and pepper with a bit of lemon juice.

A side of naan (which you can find readily made at the grocery store near you - or Target where I got it!)  is the perfect compliment and so delicious with the tabouli on top of it! 

Needless to say, I can't wait for lunch tomorrow! 

Cupboard Cooking Challenge: Eggplant and Artichoke Heart Pasta Casserole

J and I spent the weekend in San Luis Obispo hanging out with my family and visiting the sweet little town where Bubs goes to college. Such a fun time and amazing memories were created! (I will share these soon!) We didn't get back until late Monday after a long weekend away and I was not really interested in going grocery shopping. Bubs' birthday is this weekend so J and I will be out of town again at my parents' house... This means, only three days of cooking this week. Because there isn't much cooking going on, I felt like grocery shopping was going to be a waste... And the Cupboard Cooking Challenge was born!

Basically this is how the challenge works:

• No grocery shopping for the week. 
• All meals must be made from what you already have in the cupboards (and fridge!) 

Yep, it's the easy... Except you'll be shocked because it's never truly that easy!

A side of mini caprese salad always makes everything better!

Ingredients: 

• 1 Eggplant (I bought it last week and was so lucky it didn't go bad over the long weekend!) 
• 1/2 bag of pepperoni 
• 1 bag/box of the pasta of your choice (or what's left in your cupboards) 
• 1 can artichoke hearts (for some reason I can't get enough of these lately!) 
• 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese 
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce 
• Dash (or many) of black pepper 

The idea for this recipe came from Food Network's latest magazine,
The Italian Issue, that had this sweet little meal making flow chart! 

Directions: 

1. Cook a pound of pasta (I used penne) in a pot of salted water about two minutes less than directed on the package. 
2. While the pasta is cooking slice the veggies and meat. (You want a total of about 3 cups of chopped ingredients)
3. Drain the pasta and let sit. 
4. Add 1/2 of the jar of sauce in a LARGE pot. (This is where you're going to mix everything so please make sure it's big enough!) 
5. Add the meat and veggies and let cook for five minutes. 
6. If you want to add red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, ricotta cheese, this is the time to do so! 
7. Add the pasta to the pot. 
8. Add 3/4 of the cheese to the pot. 
9. Stir contents together adding additional spaghetti sauce as you see fit. (I am very liberal about this) 
10. After all of the contents is stirred together, put it in a greased casserole dish. 
11. Cover with the rest of the grated cheese. 
12. Bake at 450 f for about 15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melty and bubbly. 
13. Remove from oven, let cool for five minutes. 
14. ENJOY! 

BEFORE

AFTER
(Just 15 minutes later!)

Random note for all my dear readers:
J is a booger because he thinks my sweet name for him is too short. Want to know what he thinks I should call him? Jet. Like a turbo jet? I think NOT. It's J. Period. This is my blog. J start your own if you want to be a stinking, fuel-wasting Turbo Jet.

(I really do love my dear J, but he was watching over my shoulder after giving me a hard time about the nickname... So this is what he gets!) 

Whoopie You're Home! Chocolate Whoopie Pies

So yesterday before I started enjoying the Welcome Home festivities with Jason's family for his brother, I decided to make my first ever whoopie pies! They were a little bit messier than I wanted them to be, but that's ok, practice makes perfect!

Although I've tried to stay away from box cakes since I figured how to make one without a box, I steered directly for a box this time because I wasn't sure how exactly to execute the whoopie pie... That makes this recipe really simple, but I will upgrade to completely homemade sometime!

Ingredients for the cookie/cakie part:

• 1 box Devil's Food cake mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs 

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350f. 
2. Make the cake mix as directed on the box, but use only 3/4 cup of water. 
3. Mix the batter together. 
4. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
5. Place 2 Tbsp scoops of batter on the sheets and place into the oven. (I used a coffee scoop that measures 2 Tbsp I bought at the grocery store!) 
6. Let cook about 15 minutes. To tell if done stick a toothpick in the middle and they're done if it comes out clean. 

Ingredients for the marshmallow fluff: (this is used in the filling for the center) 

•  3 egg whites
• 2 cups of light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar 
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup, and salt. 
2. Mix with an electric mixer on high speed for 8 minutes (or until thick). 
3. Turn down to low speed and add in the confectioner's sugar. (I did a half cup at a time to keep the powder cloud under control) 
4. Add the vanilla and mix until well blended. 

**Please note: This recipe makes a whole lot of fluff, so you're going to have to find something else to use this for during the week... Stay tuned for my post of leftover usage!**


Ingredients: (For the frosting filling)

• 2 cups marshmallow fluff 
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 

Directions:

1. Mix the marshmallow fluff and shortening in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. 
2. Turn the speed down to low speed and add the confectioner's sugar. 
3. Add the cup of graham cracker crumbs. 
4. Add the vanilla extract. 
5. When all mixed together, sandwich it between two of each of the cookie/cakies. 

Such a yummy little treat! I want to make some with cream cheese frosting inside, the frosting above is more of a buttercream (which I have said before I'm not the world's biggest fan of). But so yummy and the graham cracker crumbs make a delightful little texture in the whoopie pie center! Now I must figure out what I'm going to do with the marshmallow fluff I have! 

Slow and Easy Cooking Tortellini Stew

The joy of a slow cooker can not be put into words. Jason's mom gave us one that she had and boy, oh boy, it makes delicious meals with no effort by me! And coming home to the fabulous smell of a cooking dinner makes any day a little bit sweeter. 

(Please note that I'm really improving in my food photo taking abilities!)

Ingredients: 

• One package hot Italian sausage
• One bag of frozen, cut green beans 
• One jar of crushed tomatoes with Italian spices (it's bigger than the regular soup jar) 
• One package of cheese tortellini (it depends how much you like tortellini, but I get the big pack!) 
• Italian seasoning
• Oregano (Fresh or the spice... My market was out of fresh so I used the spice and it worked just fine) 

Directions:

1. Remove the contents of the Italian sausage from its casing into the slow cooker. 
2. Add the green beans and a dash of both the Italian seasoning and oregano (it's up to you how much you like!) 
3. In the bottom of the slow cooker, mix the meat, beans, and seasoning together with your hands (or a wooden spoon if you don't want to be quite that involved with your dinner)
4. Add the crushed tomatoes. 
5. Stir this together a little bit and set the slow cooker. (3 hours on high, 6 hours on low - you choose!) 
6. Let sit until you return! 
7. Add the tortellini and a cup of water twenty minutes before the cook time is over. 
8. Let this cook for the remaining time, then ENJOY! 

Stringy Cheesy Calorie Free (just kidding!) Eggplant Lasagna

I am slightly allergic to milk and struggle with ice cream, cheese, and yogurt. Ironically, one of my favorite things in any meals is stringy, melty, delicious cheesiness. So, pump myself full of lactaid (the natural version from Henry's for other allergic foodies out there!) and indulge is my take on Italian, Mexican, oh who am I kidding anything!

Enough about milk already, time for the recipe! This delicious little number has eggplant (YUM! One of my top favorite foods!) and enough melty cheese to... well, I'm not sure what you'd do with melty cheese, but you'll get your fix here!

Ingredients:

• Two eggs
• 1/2 of the 15 oz container of Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• One 16 ounce jar of Ragu (or your favorite pre-made sauce)
• No-boil lasagna noodles (so easy!)
• One 2 cup bag of shredded Italian cheeses
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper (to your liking)
• One sizable eggplant

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on each.
3. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.
4. Place half of the eggplant slices on each pan.
5. Turn to coat with the oil, then arrange in a single layer.
6. Bake until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
7. Remove eggplant from the oven.
8. Cover the bottom of the 9x9 casserole dish with spaghetti sauce.
9. Place noodles on top of the sauce, making a single layer.
10. Mix together the two eggs and ricotta cheese in a bowl.
11. Add the two cloves of minced garlic and sprinkle in salt and pepper.
12. Mix together ricotta cheese mixture.
13. Cover the noodles with 1/3 of the ricotta mix. Make sure to spread it solidly across the noodles.
14. Add another layer of sauce over the ricotta.
15. Place eggplant slices on the sauce in a single layer.
16. Add another layer of ricotta.
17. Add another layer of noodles.
18. Add another layer of sauce.
19. Add the final layer of eggplant.
20. Add another layer of sauce.
21. Add the final layer of ricotta.
22. Add the final layer of noodles.
23. Add the final layer of sauce.
24. Cover the top of the sauce with the Italian cheese. (This can be done to your liking. I happen to love cheese -did I mention that yet?- so I use a lot!)
25. Once topped to your fancy, cover the top tightly with tinfoil and pop into the oven.
26. Let cook for 40-45 minutes -until the cheese on the top is all melty and warm.
27. Remove from oven, let stand as long as you can resist (only five minutes in my kitchen!)
28. Enjoy!

Jason's rating: only 3.5 stars. He doesn't accept cheese as a legit protein. I thought the hot italian sausage I put as a side on his would work, but he said there needed to be a real protein in the lasagna. Oh, technicalities!

Beats Marie Calendar's Chicken Pot Pie

I have always dreamed about making a chicken pot pie at home. Ever since my little brother and I ate the Marie Calendar's frozen pot pies like they were cake (how ironic!) growing up. My mom was a great cook, but frozen meals were a huge hit for the two of us... And I'm sure she appreciated not having to put together lunch every day when we could operate the microwave ourselves.

These delicious little puppies were adapted from here. Enough about me already, right? , here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Chicken meat (I bought a rotisserie chicken for $5 and will use for enchiladas this weekend!)
• 1 stick + 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• About 1/4 cup of flour (although you will only add one tablespoon at a time!)
• Garlic powder, celery salt, seasoning salt, and black pepper
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream (same thing as heavy whipping cream it turns out - you learn something new every day!)
• 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups baby carrots, chopped
• 1 bag frozen peas

Directions:

1. Begin to remove the meat from your chicken and shred it into bite sized pieces. (If you're not going to make enchiladas later with the chicken don't shred it all, just shred what you need for your pies!)
2. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots.
3. Bring a sauce pan (make sure it's big enough to handle all of the water and the veggies!)
4. Place chopped veggies (carrots and potatoes) in the pan and boil until tender.
5. Add the frozen peas to the boiling mixture in the last five minutes or so.
6. Drain the veggies and set them aside for later use.
7. In a deep frying pan, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter.
8. Saute the onions and garlic in the butter.
9. After the onions and garlic are browned place them in the same container the veggies are in.
10. Melt the 1 stick of butter in the same deep frying pan. (Don't worry about cleaning it out, just let it be)
11. After the butter is melted begin adding the flour by the spoonful in order to make a nice paste in the bottom of the pan. (I added about 1/4 of a cup before I felt like it was thick, but not too thick)
12. Cook the paste for a minute over low heat, stirring constantly.
13. Add the chicken broth and stir until warm.
14. Add the heavy cream and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to thicken.
15. While this is cooking, season to your heart's content with the garlic powder, celery salt, seasoning salt, and pepper. (This is where you have the chance to make the meal all your own! I suggest trying the little mixture every couple of shakes to ensure the spices aren't getting out of control or are too boring)
16. Once the mix has thickened, turn the heat down and add the chicken and veggies.
17. Stir until warmed all the way through.
18. Line the pan with the pie crust. (I use the pre-made pie shells found in the cookie and bread dough refrigerated section in the grocery store, you could use frozen shells, or make your own if you're that skilled)
19. Divide between 2-3 pie shells.
20. You will use one crust for the bottom of the pie, and the other crust will become the top.
21. Once one pie crust is full you can top it off with the other crust and pinch the edges shut.
22. Slice a few vents in the top of the crust to allow the pie to breathe and keep it from exploding!
23. Slide it right on into the oven (Unless you used a freezer crust, then place it on a cookie sheet and slide it into the oven).
24. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown color.
25. If you made extra pies that you are going to freeze skip placing it in the oven and cover tightly with tinfoil before putting it in for the deep freeze.

Jason's Rating: 5/5. He absolutely loved it and made sure that I was going to put the other pie in the freezer. Yep, hun, don't worry it's freezing.