Ravinia Recipes

6/29/14

     One of the events I always look forward to in the summer is Ravinia. For those who haven't been there, it's basically one massive picnic filled with awesome music, friends, and the best spreads of food. My friends and I went last night to see Darius Rucker. Since I love snacking so much, I chose to bring along corn and black bean salsa, rainbow cookie puppy chow, and drunken pineapple. Here are some simple and easy recipes to share with friends!

Drunken Pineapple

Ingredients:

2 Pineapples

1 Bottle Svedka Colada

I thought I would share this because I personally found it tough to find a good alcohol infused fruit recipe online. I was confused on what type of alcohol I should use/how much I should pour. Turns out it's much simpler than I thought!

Directions:

1. Slice up your pineapple into small-medium sized cubed pieces. Place pineapple in two separate containers so there is room for vodka.

2. Pour a full fifth between both bowls of pineapple. Push down fruit so it is as submerged in the alcohol as possible.

3. Let pineapple soak for a day, mix the pineapple around, then let it soak one more full day.

4. Drain the pineapple and make sure to save the remaining vodka (it is now pineapple infused, yum!)

5. Share with your friends! Watch out, it is delicious, strong and addicting!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)

1 Can Sweet Yellow and White Corn (Drained)

1 Bell Pepper (Any Kind)

2 Small Tomatoes, Chopped

1 Avocado, Chopped

1 Tbsp Garlic (Minced)

1-2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tsp Lime Zest

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together except avocado. Adjust spices according to your liking.

2. Right before serving, add avocado and top with extra cilantro.

Rainbow Cookie Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

1/2 Box Rice Chex

6 Cubes Almond Bark

1/3 Bag Mini M&Ms

1 Box Chips Ahoy Cookies

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. In a thick, plastic bag, crush up cookies until they become a fine, crumb-like texture. Make sure to double or triple your plastic bag if you notice it starting to break easily. If you have a food processor, that would work even better! Set mixture aside.

2. In a microwaveable-safe bowl, heat almond bark in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until fully melted.

3. In a large bowl, pour melted almond bark over the chex cereal and mix until fully coated.

4. Pour the cookie crumb mixture and m&ms into a large garbage bag and mix around. Add the melty chex mixture and toss it around in the crumbs.

5. Once the crumbs have been distributed evenly, add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix.

6. Pour mixture into a bowl, top with some extra m&ms and serve! This puppy chow brings me back to the memories of begging my Mom to buy the Rainbow Chips Ahoy Cookies at the grocery store...a childhood classic =).

There's nothing better than friends, food, and drinks! Happy summer =)

Father's Day Coffee Cake

6/16/14

     Whenever I come home for a special occasion or just a relaxing weekend, it seems like we are always diving into some Old World Bakery coffee cake on Sundays. When I was home for Father's Day this weekend, I noticed there wasn't a coffee cake sitting on the counter like usual =(. Good thing this daughter likes to cook! This gave me a chance to whip up a delicious coffee cake recipe and celebrate my kind, smart, funny, and wonderful Dad! If you have a big sweet tooth, this is a recipe you need to try=).

Banana Crumble Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
 Cake Batter
2 Cups Flour
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
3 Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup Butter, Room Temperature
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Milk

Crumb Filling
1/2 Cup Cold Butter (sliced up)
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Flour

Glaze Topping
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, mash the bananas until they look similar to chunky applesauce.

4. Mix in butter and then stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. 

5. Next, add in the milk and flour and stir until combined.

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6. For the crumb filling, add sliced butter, light brown sugar, and flower to a bowl. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients together to create a crumble consistency. The butter needs to be cold in order to do so!

7. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle half of the crumb filling on top of the first layer. 

8. Next, pour remaining batter into the pan. Take the crumble mixture and add it to the top in order to fully cover the dish.

9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

10. In the meantime, mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. When the coffee cake is out of the oven and has cooled for a bit, feel free to start drizzling the glaze over the cake.

11. Time to slice the cake! (and make sure you serve it to your Dad first ; ))

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I Love You!

My Kind of "Backyard BBQ"

6/10/14

     Sorry to all of my blog followers, I haven't posted anything in ages! I'm not used to having both work and school going on, so my downtime is much more limited. However, I did have a chance to create a colorful and healthy Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad last Friday. I was in the summer mood while outside on my back deck laying out, reading magazines, and painting my nails. I thought, what better way to end my day with a fresh and filling salad! The best thing about southwestern salads is that the ingredients do not go bad very easily and they tend to be fairly inexpensive. I would also suggest adding some avocado and crushed tortilla chips on top to jazz it up even more!

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce
1 Tomato
1 Red Onion
1 Can Southwestern Corn
1 Can Black Beans
2 Lean Chicken Breasts
Cajun Seasoning
BBQ Sauce

Directions:
1. Thaw chicken, season with cajun seasoning and cook on a George Foreman grill (or saute pan) until golden brown.
2. Chop up tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
3. Open and drain corn and black beans and mix together.
4. Toss everything together and use your favorite BBQ sauce as a dressing...easy as that!

This is the perfect salad when you don't feel like prepping too much and are feeling a bit lazy =). See, you don't have an excuse not to eat healthy!

I Scream, You Scream

5/23/14

     I have had the biggest sweet tooth lately. I'm not sure if it's because summer is around the corner or if I just have too many ice cream shops near my apartment. One of my favorite desserts is cheesecake, and when ice cream companies started making strawberry cheesecake ice cream, it instantly became my go-to flavor. Sometimes it can be hard to find a good brand with the right amount of strawberry to cheesecake ratio, so I decided to put myself up to the challenge and make my own. I had to browse a bunch of recipes on the internet to decide what would work best. This dessert definitely put me in a happy, summer mood and I am excited to share it with all of you!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Cup Plain Low Fat Greek Yogurt

8 Oz Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

1 Cup Skim Milk

1/2 Cup Sugar (plus a few extra tbsp)

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

10-12 Strawberries

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

*Make sure your ice cream maker has already been previously chilled in the freezer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. In a bowl, combine yogurt and cream cheese. Once mixed, add in the milk, sugar and vanilla.

3. Add mixture to your chilled ice cream maker and follow the directions according to the manufacturer. I mixed mine for about 20 minutes (You'll notice it start to thicken up).

4. In the meantime, chop up your rinsed strawberries into small but chunky pieces.

5. Add strawberries to a baking pan and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they have a more vibrant red color and juices begin to run.

6. Take the strawberries out of the oven and place them in a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.

7. Place your ice cream in the freezer and let it sit for about 1-2 hours.

8. Grab your graham cracker pie crust and crumble it up into small pieces.

9. Once you notice your ice cream start to have a heavier consistency, grab a freezer-safe container and begin to layer the ice cream, strawberries, and graham cracker crumbles. I also mixed some ingredients in previously to turn my ice cream a pretty light pink color.

10. Place ice cream back in the freezer until its completely frozen.

11. Once you have pushed through the hardest part (waiting), it's time to scoop and enjoy! Make sure to save some extra graham cracker to top off your ice cream!

If you're preparing this treat for guests, throw it in a fancy bowl and add some strawberries as a garnish.

I hope everyone has a lovely Memorial Day weekend! xo

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

 5/17/14

     Now that I have begun school again, I've been pretty busy and haven't been able to cook as much as usual. But don't worry, I'm making up for it by sharing this awesome dish: Chicken Quinoa with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers. My friend and classmate from Iowa, Dan Piguy (also a blog follower =)), started a sustainable farm called TDn'Guy Garden Oasis back in 2012. Since I love his passion for providing fresh and healthy produce for local schools, businesses, and families, I decided to start incorporating some of his seasonal vegetables into my recipes (I recently visited the Lincoln Park Farmers Market last Saturday and was inspired by the sustainable farmers there, too!) Dan's company is so awesome, they even send out weekly newsletters with information and recipe ideas for their CSA members. I'm excited to experiment with new types of fresh, seasonal vegetables and encourage everyone to buy local produce whenever possible!

     One of the vegetables on his first list was asparagus, one of my favorites. Since I had purchased some asparagus last weekend and had a bag of quinoa waiting to be used, I decided to whip up this tasty meal. It's SO simple to make and you can brag to all your friends about how fancy you are that you used "quinoa"-they may even mistake you for a wealthy Lincoln Parker who only shops at Whole Foods =0. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts (Thawed)
1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus
1 Cup Dry White Quinoa
2 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Can Roasted Red Peppers (You could incorporate fresh, but these have more flavor)
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Pour dry quinoa into a stovetop pan and add chicken broth. Cook on medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan until the quinoa absorbs the broth and becomes fluffy (this should take about 15 minutes).

(It may look weird at first but look... "It's so fluffy!!"-Despicable Me)

2. Chop up the asparagus into smaller pieces (make sure you break off the bad ends beforehand!) Chop up the red peppers as well. Set aside.

These look so pretty I almost don't want to cook them!

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add it to a saute pan with olive oil. Cook on med-high heat until both sides are golden brown.

4. Add oil to another saute pan and cook the asparagus and minced garlic until the asparagus becomes softer and limp. Next, add in the red peppers and the quinoa.

5. Mix around the quinoa and vegetables until everything is heated and the flavors are incorporated (1-2 minutes).

6. Pour the mixture on to a plate and top with your sauteed chicken. Delish!

Below is some information about TDn'Guy- check it out!

Happy Sustainable Eating! xo 

A Winning Side Dish

5/4/14

     I fell in love with sweet potatoes not too long ago. A sweet, savory, smooth yet crispy love (best in the form of baked fries). I'm happy that I prefer these over regular potatoes because they pack in more nutrients, especially vitamin A&C, unlike regular potatoes.
     The other day I realized I had a couple of sweet potatoes sitting in my refrigerator that I was starting to neglect, so I decided to make something quick before they went bad. I threw in some other ingredients that I had left over from my previous recipe and the results were awesome! This dish shows that it is sometimes best to limit yourself to a few ingredients in order to bring out the full flavors. Use this recipe for a side dish, meal, or even a snack. Enjoy!=)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Onions

Ingredients:
2 Sweet Potatoes
1/2-1 Red Onion
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper
1/8 Cup Feta Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Chop up sweet potatoes into 1 in. thick pieces. Chop up onion as well (keep the pieces thick as they will shrink in the oven).

3. Add olive oil to pan and toss the sweet potatoes and onions to coat and lay them flat.

4. Sprinkle the vegetables with spices and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

5. Remove pan from oven, flip the vegetables and add more spices.

6. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft and golden brown and the onions are crispy.

4. Throw everything together in a bowl, top with feta cheese, and dive in!

Going Greek

5/6/14

     Happy Saturday! Although it's still a bit chilly in Chicago right now, the sun is shining and it's supposed to get in the 60's today =). If you're in the summer mood like me, here's an easy and healthy salad to fix in no time. Although mexican food is my favorite, mediterranean comes in a close second. If i'm not finishing off a container of hummus, I'm dreaming about kebabs and cous cous. I specifically love Greek salads because they are loaded with vegetables and you don't even need to pile on much dressing for flavor. This is probably my favorite salad that I have posted on my blog so far and I'll probably be eating it for days! Oh, and for all of you Portillo's salad lovers out there, I added in ditalini pasta noodles too! You're welcome =).

Mediterranean Salad with Chicken

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1-2 Heads Romaine Lettuce
1/2 Cup Ditalini Pasta
1 Cucumber
2 Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
1 Can Olives (or kalamata olives if you want to splurge)
1 Can Artichokes
1 Jar Pepperoncini Peppers
1 Small Container of Feta Cheese
1 Bottle Light Greek Dressing (I actually used vidalia onion dressing on mine)
Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper

1. Prepare all of your vegetables by chopping them up, sprinkling them with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Set aside.

2. Cook your Ditalini Pasta according to the directions on the package. Once cooked, shock the noodles in cold water and drain.

3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until golden brown. I chopped my chicken up beforehand so it would cook faster. If you have lemon pepper spices or anything similar, feel free to sprinkle that on your chicken as well.

4. Toss all of the vegetables and chicken together and finish by topping it with feta cheese and dressing.

5. Enjoy this colorful, feel-good salad!