Don’t Miss a Thing!

Subscribe via email to receive the latest recipes in your inbox!

Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Veggies

Avocado Smash

by 1 Comment

This recipe came with the Salsa StoupI found at Food Network.  This recipe was great on the soup that called for it but it would also be great on it’s own.  I thought the sour cream that was called for in this receipe sounded a little different at first but once I mixed everything up it all blended together very well.  It also makes the dip go a little further without having to add a ton of avocados; although I do love traditional guacomole…but this was a nice little change too.  

Ingredients:

1 avocado
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
1 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 plum tomato, finely chopped         

 

Directions:

Remove 1 avocado flesh to a bowl. Add the cilantro and scallions. Pop the lime in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the juice of 1 lime, the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. With a fork or spoon, smash up the mixture, leaving chunks for a good consistency.
Chop and seed the plum tomato and fold into avocado. Serve.
Courtesy of Food Network

Salsa Stoup with Avocado Smash and Double Decker Baked Quesadillas

by 1 Comment

A few days ago we actually had some nice fall like weather that got me in the mood to make some soup.  This weather is so odd…soup in August, who would have thought???  Anyway, I wanted something that wasn’t too hearty that I could add something with and we wouldn’t feel overloaded with food.  I was looking through recipes and magazines when I came accross one at Food Network that looked pretty good, fall like and not too heavy.  

Also we were having my hubby’s mother over, and it was a work day, so I wanted something that was going to be good and taste great but didn’t take forever.  I didn’t want us to be sitting down to eat at 9:00.  Since I’m a big fan of salsa this recipe jumped out at me; what a great idea to make a soup out of one of my favorite appetizer dishes.  It was so simple to throw together and it’s one of those, just like my salsa recipe, that can be moderated to accomodate any temperature for people who do like spicey and then those that don’t care too much for it.  It’s also great left over and could be a great base for another type of soup later on in the week; just add some hamburger meat or beef chunks and it would be a great beef stew recipe.  

The quesadillas that went with this recipe were really good.  I could have had the whole meal be meatless but my hubby thinks that a meal without meat it just incomplete.  When I was at the store I bought one of those rotisserrie chickens and pulled some meat off and put it in one of the double layers of the quesadillas.  It turned out so good and the quesadilla recipe would be great on it’s own. 

 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 Large onion, chopped

3 Ribs celery, chopped

3 Cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 (28oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 Can crushed tomatoes

2 Cups veggie/chicken stock

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

6 Flour torillas (6-8in)

1 Cup shredded cheddar

3 Scallions- chopped

4 oz brick Pepper Jack- shredded

Sour Cream

***Use recipe for Avacodo Smash under the tags of appetizers or veggies***

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Heat soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons evoo, jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper then saute veggies for 5 minutes, add tomatoes, crushed tomoatoes, and stock and bring to a bubble.  Reduce heat to a simmer and add cilantro. 

Brush one side of tortilla with oil, place next to one another, oiled side down on large cookie sheet.  MIx cheddar with scallions and divide cheese evenly among tortillas.  Top with another toritilla and top each with pepper jack cheese (and chicken if desired).  Set last tortilla on top and brush with evoo.  Cook 10 minutes in oven to melt cheese and crisp tortillas.  Let cool then cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces. 

Top soup with sour cream and avocado smash. 

  

Avocado Smash

 

Adapted from Food Network per Rachael Ray   

Homemade Salsa

by Leave a Comment

Salsa is one of my absolute favorite things, I absolutely love it.  I could eat salso pretty much any time and that is my mean when we go eat Mexican.  I really don’t think that fresh, homemade salsa can be beat though.  Summer time is awesome because that means fresh produce and people with gardens that have more tomatoes and fresh vegetables than they know what to do with. 

This recipe is so simple and so easy to adjust according to what “temperature” your taste buds can handle.  I have used the base recipe to make many different temperature and flavors of salsa.  You know what they say, you can never go wrong with the original and I’ve had so many people that go on and on about this recipe.  However, if you do’nt like your salsa sweet then I suggest halfing the sugar that is called for.  I like the sugar and the amount of sugar in this recipe because when I make it spicy the sugar is there to immediately tone it down.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do in our home.  

 

Ingredients:

12 Tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Onion- chopped

2 Bell peppers- chopped

2 Teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 Tablespoons red pepper flakes

1 Jalapeno- finely diced

Garlic salt- to taste

1 Cup sugar

2/3 Cup vinegar

Chili powder- to taste

Tobasco- to taste

 

Directions:

Heat tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper on medium to medium high until tender.  Once tender, add sugar and vinegar and stir together.  Once combined add the rest of the ingredients and cook until salsa begins to thicken. 

Courtesy of Lynsey Lou  

 

Spinach Chicken Nuggets

by Leave a Comment

During one of my venture to The Fresh MarketI was browsing at all the wonderful and different items, as usual, and I saw some spinach chicken nuggets in the freezer section and thought that sounded pretty good.  I thought that was a different idea and a great way to incorporate veggies into a simple and all time favorite and a great way incorporate a different taste into a classic.  Once I saw this recipe I started thinking of ways to make up my own version spinach chicken nuggets; I looked at different chicken nugget recipes on line to see how they made theirs and to figure out what would be the best process to use.  I finally came up with a recipe to work with and I tried it out.  

It turned out pretty good; you really could taste all the flavors but one didn’t overwhelm the other.  It was a great blend of all flavors.  I believe I did over processed it in the food processor just a little bit but they still turned out great.  Next time I make them I’ll process a little less to leave the chicken a little more like pulled/diced chicken rather than more of a spread.  One thing I did find out by overprocessing this was…this would also be a great spread or dip for a party; serve with Triscuits or pita chips and that would be an awesome pair.

Spinach Chicken Nuggets:

2 Chicken breast

1 Tbs. cream cheese

1/2 Cup Spinach, coarsley chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 Teaspoon parsely

2 Eggs

Flour for coating

1/2-1 Cup cheese, shredded (I used parmesan)

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Once boiling add chicken breast and season water with salt.  Boil chicken until cooked entirely through.  Once chicken is thoroughly cooked remove from heat and drain water.  Cut chicken in larger chunks then place in food processor, add coursely cut spinach, parsley, cream cheese, cheese, salt and pepper and process until everything is blended and until chicken is finely chopped. 

Once processed, begin rolling chicken mixture into small balls. 

Then roll chicken in eggs and coat in flour.

After coated, press the nuggets flat and then place in oil and fry on both sides until done.

 

Courtesy of Lynsey Lou

Swanson Mustard Honey Chicken and Rice

by Leave a Comment

I was looking for a recipe that was simple, easy and very quick.  After work I had quite a bit to do so by the time I got home it was pretty late and I needed to get something ready for supper pretty quickly.  I started looking through cookbooks, on the internet and just thinking of stuff and I came across this recipe on Campbell’s Kitchen website.  This recipe was very easy and so quick to throw together; plus it had all the veggies and starch in one.  I was pretty impressed with this recipe; especially since there was so little to it.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
Vegetable cooking spray
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch matchstick-thin strips (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
hot cooked rice  

Directions:

Stir the stock, cornstarch, honey and mustard in a small bowl until smooth. Set  the mixture aside.

Spray a 10-inch skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides.

Add the carrot and onion to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender-crisp. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the stock mixture to the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve with the rice.

 

Courtesy of: Campbell’s Kitchen

Fanned Potatoes

by 1 Comment

Potatoes are such an easy and versatile vegetable to use for sides with multiple types of food.  I love potatoes and I love trying new recipes using them.  This recipe was so easy and very quick to put together.  You could use pretty much any type seasonings you wanted to to change it up and to make it compliment the taste of the main dish.  For this particular recipe I just used salt, pepper, butter and garlic salt to season; something very simple but it made the end result very good.  This recipe isn’t just your average “baked potato” recipe; the inside of the potato is very soft more along the lines of a baked potato but the outer edges were a little crispy and gave the entire taste just a little something different.  We thoroughly enjoyed these and I’m sure we’ll definitely be having these many more times.

 

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes-medium to large size

2-4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Small onion, sliced

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Salt-(I use Lowry’s Garlic Salt with herbs)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Thinly slice potatoes, but do not slice all the way through, making the end result look like a fan.  Rub the bottom of an oven safe dish with either part of the butter for spray with cooking oil.  Place potatoes in dish; season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Spread onion slices over potatoes and dish and then set butter slices on top of potatoes.  Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender in middle.

 

Recipe Source: adapted from Recipe Zaar

Ham & Asparagus Lasagna

by Leave a Comment

It has been so long since I’ve been able to sit down and actually post something to my blog.  I have been cooking quite a bit but it juset seems like time has been passing by extremely fast.  After I finish cooking and cleaning up the kitchen, I sit down and chill out for a minute and it’s time to go to bed.  Thank goodness for 3 day weekends; I actually have time to sit down and update everything.  This recipe is for ham and asparagus lasagna.  I came across this recipe in Everyday With Rachael Ray.  When I first told my hubby about this recipe that I came across he was pretty skeptical; but I guess if your the type of person that hears lasagna and thinks traditional is the only way to go then it is pretty easy to be skeptical.  After I finally got him warmed up to the idea I got all the ingredients and decided to give it a try.  It was a super easy and quick recipe.  It’s one of those that is great for a night where you don’t have a lot of time to get something together but you still want to eat at home.  If you don’t like ham or prefer a lighter meat I’m sure turkey would work just fine.  I’m a pretty big turkey fan myself but I stuck with ham for this particular recipe and it turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Pound asparagus, cut into 1 in pieces

1 Pound lasagna noodles
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Small onion, finely chopped
1/3 Cup flour
4 1/2 Cups milk
1 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup grated colby and monteray jack mix cheese
1 Teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Pound deli sliced baked ham, cut into 1/2 ribbons

Directions:
 Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to a strainer. Return the water to a boil, add the lasagna and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a platter.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the parmesan and half of the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.
                                                        
Spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles on the sauce and top with 3/4 cup cheese sauce. Sprinkle a quarter of the ham, a quarter of the asparagus, and 3 tablespoons of the remaining cheese over the sauce. Repeat the layering process three more times. Top with the remaining noodles, cheese sauce, cheese and nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
   

Recipe Source: adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Parsley Fried Squash

by 1 Comment

Being from the south I can’t help but be a true southern girl.  I definitely integrate some southern flare in a lot of my dishes.  Southern style food, as we all know, is known for having a lot of fried style dishes and squash is not exception.
I have grown up on squash in various forms.  It is one of my favorite veggies; I love it fried, boiled, on salads…pretty much in any form.  We had gotten some fresh squash from my hubby’s dad’s garden and so I decided I would fry this batch up.  Instead of doing the traditional cornmeal and flour I decided to add some herbs to give it a change.  It turned out wonderful and the small addition of herbs made such a difference!

Parsley Fried Squash

Ingredients:
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup cornmeal
1/2 Cup flour
Salt and Pepper- to taste
1/2-1 Tablespoon parsely
Oil for frying

Directions:

 Preheat oil in medium to large skillet on low-medium heat. 

Clean and thinly slice squash.  In medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, parsley, salt and pepper.  In separate bowl pour milk.  Dip squash in milk, toss in flour mixture and then place in frying pan. 

Fry until both sides are golden brown.
Remove from oil, place on plate covered with a paper towel.

Recipe Source: A Lynsey Original

Bacon Avocado Griddle Pizza

by 1 Comment

I love recipes that take two distinctly different dishes and somehow incorporate them into one dish that flows together so nicely.  This pizza incorporates all the elements of a guacomole salad, yum, and istead of serving it as a dip it serves as the “sauce” on this light and delicious pizza.  I could eat guacomole all day long, it’s one of my favorite dips, I didn’t think it could get any better but with the addition of bacon, chicken and spinach it takes it to an entirely different leve.  I saw this recipe for Bacon Avocado Pizza in Rachael Ray’s magazine, and I knew instantly that I just had to make it.  

This is the first time I have cooked a pizza in a less than traditional manner, I’ve always cooked my pizzas in the oven but I’m always up for something new and cooking this pizza on the griddle was so fun.  The crust cooks up very quickly, and after you flip it once the pizza is ready to assemble.  The crust itself is fabulous, it’s just the right consistency of bread and crunch, and topping it with the avocado mixture and the bacon just put this pizza right over the top.  This is such a great twist on two classics but it’s also a very quick and easy meal to put together any night of the week. 

 Bacon Avocado Griddle Pizza

1 Cup lukewarm watter
2 1/4 Cups flour
One 1/4 ounce packet active dry yeast
1 Teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 Pint plum tomatoes, halved
1 Small onion, lightly sauteed
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pepper
3 Avocados
One 12 ounce package bacon
2 Cups spinach
Garlic salt, to taste
Tobasco, to taste
Grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast (optional)

 Directions:

 In a large glass, whisk together the water, 1 tablespoon flour, the yeast and sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a food processor, combine the remaining flour and 1 teaspoon salt. With the machine on, pour in the yeast mixture and process until the dough forms a ball. Mix for another minute, then transfer to a large greased bowl, turning the ball of dough to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
In a bowl toss together the tomatoes, sauteed onion, olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature.
In a bowl, mash the avocados and then mix in garlic salt, pepper, and tobasco then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to cover.
Preheat a large skillet; add the bacon and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Preheat a griddle over high heat or an electric griddle to 400°. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 pieces, then flatten each one into a disk. Stretch each disk into a 10-inch round (if dough is too elastic, let rest for 5 minutes).
Brush one side of each round with olive oil and transfer to the griddle, placing the oiled sides down. Cook, lightly brushing the tops with more oil and flipping once, until browned, about 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board.
Spread the avocado evenly on each crust. Toss the spinach with the tomato mixture and scatter over the pizzas. Crumble the bacon on top.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

   

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken

by 1 Comment

I was trying to think of something to cook for supper but nothing really sounded that great.  I started thinking of what all I had and what I could do with what I had.  I started going through different combinations of how I could pair things; and after I went through several I finally decided on this one.  There is not a lot to it; but the combination goes together very well. 

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 Cup Spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2-1 Cup parmesan cheese (amount according to taste)

15-20 Slices pepperoni

1 Tablespoon Parsely

1/8 Cup seasoned bread crumbs

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

 Directions:

Place chicken breast between 2 pieces of parchment/wax paper and poud out until about 1/2 inch thick.  Once pounded out salt and pepper to taste then add parsley. 

 

Sprinkle spinach over chicken, followed by pepperoni and shredded cheese.

Roll chicken breast, then secure with toothepicks.  Sprinkle chicken with bread crumbs then drizzle olive oil over chicken. 

Place in oven, cook for 25-30 minutes at 350 F.

                                

A Lynsey Original

→←