If there are two things I love, it’s goat cheese and mushrooms–so the other day when I was flipping through my fine cooking magazine, I stumbled across this recipe and knew I had to make it! I’m SO glad I did too! This was absolutely heavenly to me!! The creamy goat cheese and portabellas were complimented so well with a home-made green olive pesto that was pretty spot on–making this one of the BEST panini’s I have ever had!

What’s funny is that, as I was making this recipe, nothing went right! I didn’t use my food-processor like I should have to emulsify the pesto correctly (I was being too lazy–still adjusting after my week in Hawaii!) I didn’t have a panini press, and the nice bread I was going to use went stale! But even with a little creative improvisation, this recipe still worked,  and it’s definitely one i’m going to want to keep on hand! So here it is… improvisations and all!

Ingredients:
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp walnuts
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2tsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
4 medium/large sized portabella mushrooms
4 slices bread/2 soft rolls
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
Put the basil, olives, nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. (In my picture you can see I used a blender–I know that’s cheating, but it did the job without having to assemble anything. So you can use that too!)
If using a food processor, keep the motor running and drizzle in 6 Tbsp of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream through the tube. If using a blender, add the olive oil all at once and mix well. spoon the pesto on a slice of bread. P.S. I did have some nice ciabatta that I brought a couple of days ago, but by today it was dry and rock hard! (The joys of living 60 miles from a decent grocery store). However–this plain white bread worked GREAT! The softer the better.Heat 1tsp olive oil in a pan. Peel the mushrooms, cut off the stems, then season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes either side, then drain on paper towels. (They will let off a lot of moisture).

Add the mushrooms on top o the pesto, then top with the goat cheese and add another slice of bread.
If you have a panini maker, place the sandwiches pesto side up, on the press, pull the top down and cook until browned and crisp and the cheese is melted (5-7 mins). Otherwise, place the sandwiches on a skillet with a little olive oil and put a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches to flatten them… this cast iron one worked nicely! Carefully remove from the press/pan, slice and serve.
My husband hates mushrooms, but he liked this panini a lot because of the green olive pesto! I loved it not in spite of the mushrooms, but because of the mushrooms!! Put mushrooms in anything, and i’ll love it–but make portabellas the main ingredient, and it’ll be a new favorite! If you’re anything like me, you HAVE to try this!!

Enjoy guys!
<3 Sarah

The other day my mother in law gave me a bag of Quinoa–and until this point I had never even heard of Quinoa before, let alone tasted it, or knew how to cook it. So, I went home and did a little research online to see what it was, and what it could be used for. I was pretty excited to see how healthy and protein rich it was. Then to see all the different ways it could be prepared just convinced me that Quinoa would have to be a staple ingredient in my pantry from now on!!

I decided for my first ever attempt at making Quinoa, just to keep things simple… (NOT!) I found the idea to serve a quinoa patty with a poached egg on top on pinterest, but decided for the first time ever, that I wasn’t going to just copy another recipe…. but actually make my OWN! I have done this with my baking a few times, but never really with my cooking. So there are a lot of firsts in this post: my first time making Quinoa, my first time making quinoa cakes, my first time poaching an egg! And my first time creating my very OWN recipe. Needless to say, I was a little anxious to see how it would turn out.

Meanwhile, while making this, my husband comes down with a migraine and vertigo, so i’m trying to take care of him while putting my two babes to bed–and it ended up being quite the eventful evening! At least the recipe actually worked out though!! This was not only extremely delicious, and elegant, but SO healthy too! And aside from the delicacy involved (with poaching eggs, and flipping the delicate quinoa cakes) surprisingly quick and simple too.

Ingredients for 2 Quinoa Cakes:
1/2 cup dry Quinoa
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt & pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
1/4 cup whole grain bread crumbs
Olive oil, for frying patties
for serving:
Shaved Parmesan
2 eggs
2 Slices of tomato
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa under cold water, until the water runs clear. Combine the quinoa in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender.
Fluff with a fork, and leave to cool while you mix the other ingredients  

Combine the Quinoa (should be 1 cup, or just over), egg, 1/4 tsp salt & pepper, parmesan, garlic, dijon, and breadcrumbs in a bowl
Stir well, and form into 2 large patties. (If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs). Set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up a little while you get ready to poach the eggs.

To poach the Eggs:
Fill a wok, or shallow pan almost to the brim with water, put in 1 tsp each of salt and white vinegar and bring to a gentle simmer. Crack the egg into a shallow dish, then lower gently into the simmering water, cover with a lid, and poach for 4 minutes exactly.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Place the sliced tomatoes in the pan, and fry for 2 minutes per side, then set aside. Take the patties out of the fridge and fry for 4 minutes per side. Be REALLY gentle when turning them over.

To serve, lay the patty on the plate, top with the fried tomato and parmesan cheese, then delicately place the poached egg on top.
What’s ironic is that my husband got sick with a migraine after I started making these, then he went to bed, and didn’t want to eat any…. but I just read Quinoa contains ingredients that are really good for migraine headaches, so he should have eaten one!! Not to mention, he would have loved this, because it was extremely delicious!!! I kind of felt like it shouldn’t be good for me, even though it REALLY was!

I am definitely going to have to invent more of my own recipes, because I love being creative, and this was really fun to make! Please let me know what you all think of it!!
<3 Sarah 

My husband never makes requests for dinner–but the other day he asked if I would make pizzas on pita bread, so like a good little wifey I got right to it. I would never have even thought to make these, if he hadn’t of asked, and yet they were SO EASY, and delicious, I felt silly for not having discovered them much sooner!!

My hubby has this Ap on his phone which calculates calories by scanning the bar code of the food, and then entering the portion, and we found out that each of these pitas is only 200 calories, and the only fat comes from the mozzarella (which is hardly any). I could hardly believe it since they taste SO good…. and even better than most fattening pizzas i’ve had in the past! In fact, after making these, I don’t think I will make pizzas any other way. You have GOT to try these! 4 ingredients, 200 calories, and 10 minutes to make! Enough said.

Ingredients:
4 whole wheat pitas (Orrow Wheat Italian seasoned is the best!)
1 Tbsp olive oil (for all 4 pitas)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2-3 plum tomatoes
Bunch fresh basil

Directions:
Preheat the grill to medium-high (about 375degF)
Brush each pita with 1/4 Tbsp olive oil
Grill for 3 minutes on one side, or until you get nice, light brown grill marks

Transfer them to a tray. Top the warmed side of the pita (with grill marks) with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and a few slices of tomato Then put the pitas back on the grill and close the lid. It’s important to have a grill with a lid because that’s how you’ll melt the cheese… but you can also broil the cheese and tomatoes in the oven. 5 minutes will do it! Season with salt and pepper and top with fresh basilHow simple is that?

I think am going to make pita pizzas of every kind!! Next up, kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion and cherry tomatoes. I have tons of combinations running through my mind right now. Can you tell how excited I am about this recipe??!

As usual, hope you all love it!!
<3 Sarah 

I LOVE chicken satay!! My husband and I used to go to this little thai restaurant every date night we got, and would always order it as a starter–but I just found out that place has now closed down….(hopefully not for bad reasons, like the chicken was actually rat meat)! So I decided to find my own killer (and totally trust-worthy) recipe! I don’t know where this recipe originally came from, but all I do know, is that it’s the BEST! It’s also probably the simplest recipe I have blogged so far, but just as good as all the others, so you have got to try it!!

Ingredients:
[for the satay]
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon/lime juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
6 chicken breasts, cubed

[for the sauce]
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 limes, juiced
1/2-1 cup water
1-2 tsp Chilli paste or hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a dish, combine all the ingredients for the marinade (except the chicken) and stir 

Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until the peanut butter and sugar have melted and the marinade is a smooth consistency Cube the chicken, and place in the marinade for 2 hours-overnight, in the fridge 

When you’re ready to grill the chicken, make the sauce. Combine the peanut butter, sugar and soy sauce in a saucepan and stir until melted and smooth Add the freshly squeezed lime juice, then add water according to desired consistency. If you like a thick sauce add 1/2 cup, if you like a thinner sauce, add 1 cup 

Preheat the grill to 375degF (medium-high) Thread the chicken on skewers

Grill for 5 minutes on one side, then turn over and grill for 5 minutes on the next side
Serve on skewers with the side of peanut butter sauce Or take the chicken off the skewers, place on top of rice, and pour the sauce over Mmmmm…

Maybe I won’t miss that Thai place as much as I thought I would!! Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

<3 Sarah