With July 4th fast approaching, I wanted to post an all-American dessert recipe for those of you hosting friends or family for the holiday. This shortcake is the perfect quick, light and festive dessert. Growing up, my mom always made shortcake using the Bisquick recipe and when I was brainstorming an Independence-Day-themed dessert, this was the first thing to come to mind. I love fruity desserts, and berries and whipped cream are an unbeatable combination. The best part about this dessert? It comes together in less than 20 minutes. I think you’ll love the results!
I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for 6 months now and this is the first Asian recipe I’ve made. How have I gone so long neglecting one of my favorite ethnic cuisines? This recipe was worth the wait – it’s filling and delicious! The fresh ginger really shined in this dish and the use of couscous instead of the more traditional fried rice gave it a pleasing and unique texture. This is a light and flavorful Asian dish that will fill you up and leave you feeling great about yourself afterward.
If you aren’t currently following the blog “Can You Stay For Dinner?” you should check it out. The author lost 135 pounds (wow!) five years ago and has kept it off ever since. She posts delicious recipes and also writes about food and weight loss. Her blog is great inspiration!
Happy Father’s Day! My dad got a new grill recently (an early Father’s Day present from my mom) and we decided the best way to break it in would be to put him to work grilling up some nice juicy burgers on his special day! These were really tasty. The flavor of the fresh basil really shined and although I am generally not a mayonnaise fan on its own, I thought the sun-dried tomato mayo was the perfect complement to this burger. I was also a huge fan of the gooey mozzarella cheese that oozed out when I bit into the burger. Delicious. I served these with Crunchy Microwave Potato Chips and sweet, juicy watermelon for delicious, healthy Father’s Day meal. I love you, Dad!
When I order pizza from a pizzeria, my favorite toppings combination is always pepperoni and pineapple. I don’t recall who introduced me to this pairing in college, but the sweet and spicy flavor combination is one my taste buds have craved ever since. I decided to make my own tonight because it has been on my mind lately. This pizza was absolutely delicious with much less fat/calories/WW Points+ than one I would have ordered. If you’re already a fan of Hawaiian pizza (ham or Canadian bacon and pineapple) then I encourage you to spice it up a bit and try it with pepperoni, and if you’ve never had pineapple on pizza before than this is something you absolutely must try. Delicious.
This is a great dish for this time of year. It’s filling, but it feels light like a summer meal should. I love hot Italian turkey sausage, it gives this a nice kick, and the spice is balanced really well by the creamy feta and juicy zucchini. I also added sun-dried tomatoes because I thought they would blend well with the other ingredients and I think they were great. I originally made the recipe with less cheese than I’m recommending below (half, actually). It was delicious but I kept thinking it could use more feta, so I suggest using the full ½ cup. This meal is also great for those days you feel a little carb-heavy – this’ll get you back on track!
These sandwiches are the perfect light, fresh-tasting vegetarian summer meal. The falafel are delicious and taste just as good as any falafel I’ve had from a restaurant (or maybe better because these are less oily than some). The yogurt sauce was light and not overpowering, a perfect complement, and I definitely recommend finishing your sandwich off with cucumber, tomatoes and arugula. Great combination. I listed the points+ values for the separate components of this recipe to accommodate different preferences (you may want to use more/less sauce, or you may want to serve the falafel outside a sandwich, etc). I was excited that these were so easy to make and they turned out fantastic. Take my advice and try them!
I love Greek food. Feta, spinach, hummus, olives…what’s not to love? Spanakopita is delicious, and if you’re unfamiliar, it’s traditionally made with spinach, Feta, onions and seasoning, wrapped in sheets of flaky phyllo dough and either formed into triangular servings or baked into layers and served like a casserole. When I found this recipe for Spanako-Pasta in Taste of Home’s latest issue of Healthy Cooking magazine I was immediately sold. What a genius idea to turn spanakopita into a pasta dish! I played around with the serving size (a 13.25 oz box of spiral pasta serves 7, which turns out to be a little over 1 1/3 cups per serving with the added ingredients) and this turned out to be a delicious, filling, cheesy pasta dish with tangy fresh dill and salty Feta cheese creating a delicious flavor profile. This may be an American twist on a traditional Greek dish, but I think it captures the flavors really nicely in a new and unexpected way.
What a delicious way to break in my kitchen after being out of town for almost two weeks! These muffins are fabulous. They’re sweet and fluffy and chock full of tart raspberries. Yum. I imagine these would be delicious with blueberries or strawberries as well. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I generally press snooze until the last possible minute that I feel I can get up and still make it to work on time. Needless to say, this strategy doesn’t leave a lot of time to make breakfast. These muffins are perfect because they’re easy to make ahead and just grab on-the-go in the morning, maybe with a banana or a side of fruit for a full breakfast.
