A Lot About Nothing – Wordpress

Tag: Recipe

  • Recipe: Cucumber-Tomato Salad with Bocconcini

    Cucumber Tomato Salad with Bocconcini

    Not only is this salad quick to put together, it also makes a great side to any meal, and works as a nice, healthy snack. Bocconcini is a smooth, round, mild-tasting cheese–soft, unripened mozzarella. I like to use the mini pearls, but you can use the regular sized bocconcini if you like.

    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients:

    1 200g tub of TreStelle Bocconcini cheese
    1 pint container of Grape Tomatoes
    1 large English Cucumber
    3 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
    2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
    1 teaspoon of Club House Salad Herbs Seasoning or Mrs. Dash (more or less to taste)

    Instructions:

    1. Peel and chop the cucumber into bite-sized cubes and place into a large bowl.
    2. Add the grape tomatoes and bocconcini cheese to the cucumbers and mix with a large spoon.
    3. In an salad dressing bottle, or small bowl mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning to taste. Pour over the cucumber mixture, mixing and coating thoroughly.
    4. Serve and enjoy.

  • Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Butter Shrimp Skewers

    Shrimp SkewersI had a great BBQ last weekend. Here is a recipe for one of the tasty items I cooked on the grill.

    Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour of refrigeration
    Yield: 6-8 servings

    Ingredients:

    2 pounds (2 frozen, 450g packages) of large, raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
    1/4 cup melted butter
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    3 tablespoons lemon juice
    1/4 cup of fresh, chopped basil
    4 cloves minced garlic
    1 small can of pineapple tidbits (drained)

    wooden skewers

    Directions:

    1. If you’re using frozen shrimp, place them in a colander and run cold water over them for about 5 minutes, until defrosted. Peel and discard the shells.
    2. With a spoon, mix the melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the basil.
    3. Add the shrimp to the marinade, coating well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
    4. Preheat your greased grill or barbecue to medium heat.
    5. Thread about 3-5 shrimp on each skewer, alternating with pineapple tidbits.
    6. Grill for approximately 5 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp turn pink.
    7. Remove shrimp from the grill and place on a platter. You can garnish with lemon slices to squirt on the shrimp. Enjoy!

  • Recipe: Easy Guacamole

    Guacamole

    One of my good friends gave me this recipe for guacamole and I altered it a bit. Now I think I’m going to be making it a lot more often because it ended up tasting so delicious!

    Prep Time: 15 minutes

    Ingredients:

    3 ripe avocados (peeled, pitted and diced)
    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    1 clove garlic (crushed)
    1 small roma tomato OR 1/2 regular tomato (chopped)
    1/4 (about 3 tablespoons) of a sweet onion (finely chopped)
    salt and pepper to taste
    a few drops hot sauce (optional)

    Instructions:

    1. Place the diced avocados into a medium mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and garlic and mash the mixture with a fork or potato masher.
    2. Add the chopped onion and tomato. If you want a smoother guacamole, you can choose to blend the tomato before adding it to the avocado mixture.
    3. Continue mashing the mixture, adding some salt, pepper and hot sauce until the desired taste and consistency is reached.
    4. If desired, cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 45 minutes before eating.

    Serve with tortilla chips or toasted pita bread.

  • Recipe: Berry-Banana Boost Breakfast Smoothie

    Ever since I got my Magic Bullet, I’ve been using it to make delicious, fruit-filled smoothies. Since this is one of the few weekdays I have off from work (and I’m up before 9am), I decided to try a healthy breakfast smoothie to start off my day.Berry Banana Smoothie

    Ingredients:

    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
    1/2 large banana
    5-8 frozen strawberries
    1 scoop of whey protein powder
    1 tablespoon honey (optional)

    Directions:

    1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
    2. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

    It’s so important that you don’t skip breakfast in the AM, especially if you want to keep fit and healthy. I’ve been guilty of rushing off to work sans breakfast, but now that I’ve started a routine, I’m being careful to make sure that I get some energy in the morning by either making a quick smoothie or having a couple slices of peanut-buttered toast. :)

  • Recipe: French Toast (No Syrup Needed)

    One of my favourite breakfast foods to make is French Toast. This is the way I always used to make it: with sugar in the egg mixture so I don’t have to worry about pouring syrup over the toast after it’s none (after all, if I wanted to do that, I’d just make pancakes!). I like to use Villaggio Italian Style White Bread or Dempster’s Thick Slice White Bread. Taste great served with a side of beans (fiber!) and bacon.

    Prep Time: 5 minutesFrench Toast

    Cook Time: 20 minutes

    Yield: 6 slices

    Ingredients:

    6 slices of bread
    4 eggs
    2 tablespoons milk
    1/4 cup sugar
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
    2 tablespoons butter or margarine

    Directions:

    1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and gradually add the sugar until blended.
    2. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine in a frying pan.
    3. Soak the sliced bread in the egg mixture until both sides are coated.
    4. Place the saturated slices of bread onto the frying pan, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden-brown.
    5. Serve immediately and enjoy!