Need a simple, yet tasty and impressive-looking lunch? Well, your search is over. I whipped up this quick sandwich, which I have affectionately dubbed the BAST [bacon, avocado, spinach, tomato] several weeks ago in an attempt to use up some ingredients in the fridge before we headed out of town for the weekend. [Yes, I’m behind. We’ve been gone 5 out of the last 6 weekends, so this long Memorial Day weekend was much appreciated since we were actually home.]
I was inspired by the classic BLT, hence the acronym and name of this delicious concoction, but decided to add a little something-something by subbing baby spinach for lettuce, adding some extra flavor and smoothness with avocado slices, and whipping up a light, sweet honey mustard sauce as a binder. Just like any good sandwich, no one component dominates–each joins together easily to create a party on your plate…and in your mouth! Enjoy!
2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cooked and broken into thirds
1 roma tomato, sliced thin
1/4 avocado, sliced into 6 pieces
handful baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, and honey. Spread mixture on one side of each piece of bread. [I had some leftover.] Then layer spinach, tomatoes, bacon, and avocado on one piece of bread. Top with a second slice and repeat. Top with final slice of bread, then press down, pierce sandwich with toothpicks, and cut into two slices… diagonal is best. 🙂 Enjoy!
Making waffles at home always makes me feel fancy. There’s something special about food that can only be shaped in a mold. They remind me of going out to breakfast when I was growing up since my mom used to always order waffles when we’d eat out. Sometimes I would order a big Belgian waffle too, which is something I haven’t had from a restaurant in years. Nowadays when I go out for breakfast I usually order a fancy omelette or pancakes. And that’s because I now make my waffles at home!
These Sweet Potato Waffles are the newest waffle recipe I’ve tried and I am so glad to say that it’s a keeper! I loved the subtly-sweet flavor of the sweet potato complemented by orange zest, cinnamon, and vanilla. It reminded me of a ligher version of everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. My husband, like Lindsay’s was initially skeptical of the sweet potato inclusion in a classic breakfast dish, but he turned his frown upside down after a bite of these delicious waffles. We enjoyed them as a quick dinner after a workout last week alongside some orange slices and bacon but I see no reason why they wouldn’t be equally delicious for a lazy Saturday morning. You could also prepare a batch in advance, freeze them, and then defrost as needed during the week. I used to do that all the time and love it… the toaster oven works best for re-heating, though if your toaster is big enough [or the waffles small enough] then that works too. I haven’t done that in awhile, I should definitely jump back on the frozen waffle bandwagon. Move over, Eggos! The Pajama Chef is here. 🙂 Enjoy!
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Peel and dice sweet potato. Place in a large measuring cup and add a little water then microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes to cook. Add butter and mash [or pre-cook in the oven, I just was pressed for time]. Let cool for a minute or two while you turn on your waffle iron to preheat. Then, add milk, sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Scoop by 1/3-1/2 cup increments onto hot waffle iron [I used about 1/3 of a cup while Lindsay used about 1/2 of a cup]. Batter will puff up a lot but don’t worry, these will be well worth the mess! Cook until golden brown and serve with butter and syrup/brown sugar.
My love affair with pasta began a long long time ago [sorry husband], and I don’t anticipate it disappearing anytime soon! Especially now that I’m in my final week of taper for my upcoming marathon, I’m carbo-loading up a storm this week!
[side note: I’ll be automatically tweeting my progress at the race on Sunday, via live runner tracking. You can follow me here if you don’t already.]
Last night was homemade fried rice, and you can bet that pasta, rice, and bread will be filling my lunchbox and plate many times this week. Yum! Even though heavy, cheesy, rich pastas are my thing, I also love light, veggie-filled delights like my new creation, Springtime Linguine. These sort of light dishes are great for carbo-loading and ensure that you don’t [gasp] get sick of pasta before your big event. Oh, the horror! Anyways. This dish is pretty simple and easily customizable. Each bite held a hint of creamy and cheesy goodness [the good stuff] as well as the tangy freshness of lemon and parsley and the nutritious stuff of veggies and protein [the good for you stuff]. I just love a meal with a wide variety of tastes and textures, don’t you? Enjoy!
Springtime Linguine
Ingredients:
1/2 pound whole wheat linguine, uncooked [or any other type of pasta]
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped
1/2 cup peas [I used frozen]
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fat free half and half
5 tablespoons lemon zest [from 1 large lemon]
handful fresh parsley, minced [about 1/4 cup]
about 1/4 cup asiago cheese, grated
olive oil
Directions:
Cook linguine to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Mix in chopped ham and peas. Set aside.
When pasta is ready, drain and return to pan. Toss with a little olive oil [maybe 1-2 tablespoons] and stir in lemon juice and half and half. Toss in onion, garlic, ham, lemon zest, and parsley until well combined. Top with asiago cheese and stir until cheese melts. Serve immediately.
salsa on the porch... peeking behind, see my new herby babies?! so excited it's spring!
It’s no secret based on my meal plans that Mexican is my absolute favorite cuisine. There’s just something so refreshing and inviting about the flavors. I just love the ooey gooey cheese, fresh tomatoes, spice, cilantro, tortillas, and more! In fact, for my birthday lunch last week Ben took me to my favorite Mexican place in town. It was absolutely divine.
Since today is Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d jump on the blogger bandwagon and share two of my favorite salsas. I love salsa because it is so versatile. It’s great for dipping or topping Mexican food [nachos, anyone?] but also is very complementary to other dishes, like sandwiches, burgers, and fries. Seriously. I am salsa obsessed and I do not discriminate! All my foods are equal acceess for salsa. 🙂
Okay, enough of that. I’m weird. I’m sorry.
There are two salsa recipes to share with you today, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. The first is Simple Tomato Salsa. With just a little bit of kick and some distinct, pure tomato taste, this salsa is fabulous for any authentic Mexican fiesta. [well…. authentic… not sure I’m qualified for that but any fiesta will do!]. The second is Pineapple Salsa. This stuff is awesome! I experimented around with this recipe the first summer we were married and I’ve made it several times since then. Sometimes I add some mango into the mix, but other times I keep it simple. This time, I kept it simple by choice as my Indiana grocery store was fresh outta mangoes. Sad day. But what I love about this salsa is the contrast between sweet pineapple, cool corn, crunchy peppers, and just the right amount of spice from my friend Mr. Serrano Pepper. Fabulous. I could go on and on all day about these babies but I gotta run… going shopping today! The semester is over and I’m taking a break today before my summer schedule begins next week. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
2 14-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 7-ounce cans green chiles, drained
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Pour the whole tomatoes into a large non-reactive mixing bowl. Break them up into small, bite-size pieces with a fork and sharp knife or your fingers. Mix in fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles.
In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. Pour over tomato mixture and fold in gently. Add cilantro and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make 4-6 cups.
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple [or 1 cup pineapple and 1 cup finely chopped mango]
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped [control the spice by adding/discarding seeds and membranes]
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-4 tablespoons lime juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Stir together pineapple, bell peppers, corn, black beans, onions, and chili peppers. Add in cilantro and cumin. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Makes 3-4 cups. Delicious with lime tortilla chips. 🙂
I’m embarassed to say that this recipe has been in my posting queue for two months now. TWO MONTHS! Oh my goodness. I am so, so, sorry, you precious pizza you. 😦 I should just quit school and tend to food all day long.
Kidding.
Kind of…
But anyways, I whipped this Mexican Pizza up back in the good ‘ole snowy days of yore February on a Saturday night. I was hungry after a long marathon training run and in the mood forsomething delicious and easy, packed with oodles of my favorite flavors. and filling. This Mexican Pizza fit the bill perfectly! It was substantial enough to be filling, but I think it’s light enough to be a great appetizer. It reminded me of a less-greasy quesadilla on pizza. Each slice was loaded with savory black bean spread [that was incredible on tortilla chips too, by the way] and a chock-ton of vegetables like onions, peppers, tomatoes, and corn. I can’t wait to make this in the summer with even more fresh veggies! Summer is almost. here. YAY! Topped off with crazy amounts of gooey cheese, this dinner was a winner in my book! [okay…maybe not crazy amounts of cheese, but definitely enough to delight in!]
generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
water or chicken broth, added to consistency’s sake
Directions:
Prepare pizza dough as directed, divide into two portions if applicable. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out 1 round of pizza dough and bake for about 8-10 minutes [use your judgment–longer, 14-16 minutes, if a thick crust in a springform pan; shorter if spread thin… basically you want the crust to cook somewhat but not be crispy when it’s time to top that baby!].
Meanwhile, prepare black bean spread. In the bowl of a food processor, combine black beans, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Pulse to blend well. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and water or chicken broth to thin out the sauce if need be. A hummus-like consistency is good.
Then, prepare the pizza! Spread a thin layer of black bean spread on the crust, then top with onions, tomatoes, peppers, corn, and cilantro. Cover with cheese and return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until done. Serve with spinach and sour cream.
The Pajama Chef 