Due to birthday parties and family get-togethers, I haven’t had too many opportunities to cook at home  lately. Craving something other than party food, I decided to whip up a batch of my incredibly simple but insanely good five cheese enchiladas. Usually five cheese recipes have me visiting several markets searching for just the right ones, but with this recipe, you only need to purchase two.

For my Five Cheese Enchiladas you will need:

• 1/2 red pepper (diced)
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 3/4 cup cream cheese
• 3/4 cup four cheese blend
• 1/2 tsp of blended chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 8 corn tortillas

Four cheese mexican blend and cream cheese – both low in fat!

Just a little adds a ton of flavor. I like to blend all the peppers and sauce together and then store in the freezer to use when needed.

Saute onions, peppers and corn (feel free to add anything else you usually like in your enchiladas) until soft.

Add blended chipotle pepper sauce, shredded cheese and cream cheese. Mix well and set aside. This can be made in advance and placed in the fridge until you’re ready to prepare dinner.

Enchilada filling

Warm each corn tortilla on a dry skillet.

Pour enchilada sauce into a dish and dip tortilla into sauce. Make sure you coat both sides.

Add one tablespoon of filling onto center of tortilla and roll. Place onto baking dish.

Repeat 7 times, dipping, coating, filling, and rolling.

Pour any remaining sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins and if you like, broil at low for 5 mins.

Serve with rice, beans and/or salad and ENJOY!

**I’ve been told these taste better than the cheese enchiladas served at restaurants!! You’re welcome!!

I drink significantly less water now that the weather has cooled down a bit. I just don’t crave it as much and find myself gravitating more towards hot teas and coffee. I don’t feel dehydrated but I do feel a slight bloat that I didn’t notice when constantly drinking my LMG (lemon, mint, ginger) water. So I guess it’s back to the cutting board to prepare my usual drink of the day.

It’s delicious (I can’t stand plain water), refreshing and from a vanity standpoint, helps with weight loss  Lemons are not only a diuretic, they also help to reduce your body’s overall acidity and if you maintain a more alkaline diet, you’ll lose weight faster. Not to mention it’s great for the skin (see here). And both mint and ginger aid in digestion which in turn helps to reduce bloating. It’s the perfect trifecta and I try to drink at least 2 pitchers a day.

The recipe is simple.

• 1 sliced lemon
• Couple sprigs of mint
• 1/2 to 1 TBSP grated ginger (I like to peel fresh ginger right away and store in the freezer to grate when needed – this really makes it last forever!)

L.M.G.

I love this pitcher!
Makes it a cinch to refill with water and my LMG will be great for 2 days.

I’ve occasionally had brussels sprouts when dining out but never felt compelled to buy and prepare them at home until I was searching for something different for my daily dinner salad. It’s quite obvious their peak season has begun because I see them everywhere. I followed Giada’s recipe and found it easy to prepare since I always give my greens an ice bath in my salad spinner. This makes chilling, draining and drying fuss-free.

Peeling the leaves off each brussels sprout was a labor of love.

The Greens – brussels sprouts, endive and arugula

Prepared ice bath in my salad spinner.

Removing brussels sprout leaves from boiling water to ice bath.

A cinch to drain and then spin dry.

With toasted almonds and pecorino – Delish!

This time 5 years ago our honeymoon in Greece was coming to an end. We had such an amazing time partying in Mykonos and relaxing in picturesque Santorini. With so many of our friends choosing to visit Greece this summer, my husband and I got to reminiscing. I thought it would be fun to pull up some photos we snapped on our honeymoon and make a light supper inspired by the islands.

Unfortunately, these are the only photos I have left of our honeymoon. Computer crashed, didn’t back up…live and learn. Devastated, I moved on to dinner.

We wanted something light and fresh. Both of us indulged in a heavy lunch. I thought, why not a greek salad on pasta.

I chopped 1/2 red onion, 1 persian cucumber, a handful of grape tomatoes and a handful of kalamata olives. I also roughly chopped a handful of parsley and half that amount of mint. You can increase, decrease or substitute as you like.

At some point, boil your pasta, however much you like. For this dish, I like to use orzo. Make sure to salt the water and when the pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and drizzle the orzo with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Mix with chopped vegetables and herbs.

The dressing is very simple; all the best ones are. Squeeze half a lemon (you can add more later if you like) and sprinkle salt or garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper over the top. If you like more of a garlicky flavor, added fresh garlic. Top with crumbled feta. You can accompany this with any kind of protein you like but my husband takes it as is with a glass of white.

The key to making this dish shine is to use fresh good quality veggies and not skimp on the herbs. That’s what made the food so delicious in the Mediterranean.

Ahhh…Greece. My honeymoon pics may be gone, but our memories will live on.

A little bit Indian and a little bit Italian is how I liked to describe myself growing up. Somewhere waaay down my family tree, my great great great… grandmama fell in love with a passionate Italian. And after learning about this in my tween years, I found it molto bene and used every opportunity to point out that I was not your average Indian girl!

Truth be told, I’m a whole lotta Indian and un poco Italiano but if you hear my little monkey say ‘mama’ or ‘scusi’  you’d think quite the opposite.

Tonight’s dinner and dessert is inspired by my lineage: Red lentils with brown rice followed by frozen Nutella bars.

I’ve been making both items for years, but red lentils with brown rice was a constant craving during my pregnancy not only because of its nutritional value but also because it’s the perfect comfort food. Thank goodness for that because I certainly wasn’t getting all the nutrients I needed from cupcakes, ice cream and watermelon.

I don’t find this dish to taste overly indian which is why I think everyone seems to enjoy it.

Here’s what you need (don’t be discouraged by the long list; it’s a cinch to make):

• 1 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter/margarine/spread
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tbsp jalapeno, minced (ribs and seeds removed) I use one whole jalapeno
• 3 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked
• plain yogurt, as needed

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and bay leaves and saute for 1 minute.

Add lentils, 3 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add chopped green onions and jalapeno. Saute for 5 minutes and then add to lentils along with lemon juice, cilantro and garam masala.

Spoon lentils over brown rice. I’m using brown basmati rice but Uncle Ben’s brown rice or the like is just fine too. Top with plain yogurt. I’m using Fage 0% plain greek yogurt.

And now for some dolce and this really is as easy as can be!

You will need:

• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 1/2 cup milk (any kind will do)
• Popsicle molds and sticks (even an ice tray and toothpicks will work)

Mix Nutella and milk really well. This can be done by hand or blender.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. These were devoured so quickly I forgot to take a pic of the finished product. Trust me, they were molto delizioso!

Buon Appetito and Namaste!

It’s quite obvious why salads are more popular in the summer than the winter, or at least in my house they are. On those particularly hot days, the last thing I want is something heavy to eat. Even on Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays (which let’s face it, also turns into Margarita Tuesdays) I try to lighten things up by making a fresh colorful salad to even out the whole meal.

My roasted corn salad usually involves grilling fresh corn on the cob on the stove (here’s how)  but I had a late start in the kitchen so I’m reaching for help in the freezer, courtesy of Trader Joe’s.

I don’t have a precise recipe for this salad.  Everything is merely an approximation based on likes and dislikes.

I warmed through my frozen corn with a pat of butter. You could certainly do this in the microwave with water and omit the butter.

In the meantime, I chopped half a red onion, 1 jalapeno (removing ribs and seeds), a handful of grape tomatoes, and a handful of cilantro.

I also cut up 2 avocados, leaving the pit inside the bowl momentarily so that the avocado remains green.

The beauty of this salad is that you can add or remove whatever you wish and it can be served warm or cold. In the past, I have made this with black beans and red peppers which make a delicious addition.

Mix all ingredients into a serving bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and add salt to taste. If you like, squeeze more lime juice for a tangier taste. Bon Appetit!

I like to call this recipe Peanut Butter Cups Squared. Not only because they come out in square shaped bars, but also because the peanut buttery and chocolaty goodness has doubled when making it this way.

Here’s what you need:

1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended.

Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan.

I like to chill the PB layer for 20 mins. before moving on to the chocolate.

In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into.

This isn’t so much a recipe as it is an idea.  Chocolate covered cereal is a treat I make for my little guy as well as for myself.  It works great with Kix, Chex and Cheerios, but I imagine any cereal would taste great prepared this way. I like that it’s easy to make, takes only 2 ingredients (semi sweet choc. chips and your cereal of choice) and can be considered a lot healthier than most chocolate goodies that children like to indulge in.

Here’s how you do it:

Melt as many chocolate chips as you like in a bowl in 15 second increments to avoid the chips from burning.
Once melted, stir in cereal of choice. If there is a lot of melted chocolate, mix more cereal in.
Place chocolate covered cereal onto a cookie sheet or pan lined with wax paper.
Cool in fridge until chocolate hardens.

Break off into pieces and enjoy!

This pasta salad is one of my favorites to make and take to a potluck, picnic or BBQ. Not only is this recipe easy to follow, but the flavor is much more complex than your average cold pasta salad.  I followed Ina Garten’s recipe but with a few adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta (I used Cellentani pasta just because I think it’s prettier)
• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
• 3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
• 1 pound good feta cheese, medium-diced (I didn’t use a pound of feta.  Just one small package)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I omitted this)
• 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

In addition to chopped tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, parsley and kalmata olives, I added half of a sliced red onion and 1 minced garlic clove.

Chop feta into cubes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

For some heat, I added several pinches of crushed red pepper before whizzing away all my ingredients for the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.

I felt a desperate need for something chocolately and sweet. Gooeyness wouldn’t hurt either.  Enter this smores twist on a classic, rice krispie treats.  The fact that this was a no bake dessert made me fall in love even faster.

I found this recipe but of course, made a few simple adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (10 oz) bag regular marshmallows (I used mini marshmallows)
• 1 box of Golden Grahams cereal
• 1-2 cups Chocolate Chips (I used 1 cup for the recipe and 1/2 to press on top)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add marshmallows and keep stirring until the marshmallows completely melt and you get a marshmallow sauce. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Remove from heat.

Add Golden Grahams and stir until they are all well coated.  You can chose to crush some up before adding them if you want some smaller pieces.  Next stir in chocolate chips.

Grease a 9×13 pan and press S’mores down. (I used a 9×9 pan)

Once they are all pressed down and cooled, drizzle with some melted chocolate chips over if you would like for a prettier appearance. (I just pressed whole chocolate chips onto the top)