Thai Peanut Noodles with Seared Scallops

Wow! These noodles are unbelieveably good! I am sad that they are already gone. It was a really nice change to have pasta paired with a flavor other than the usual marinara sauce. The dressing is so flavorful and the addition of eddamame, carrots, bell peppers, and scallions added an extra punch of flavor and texture. I am pretty sure that I could easily polish off a whole recipe of this simple salad. The scallops were the perfect protein to pair with the noodles. Scallops have such a light and delicate flavor. They are pretty expensive, so we have scallops only every now and then. We both loved this meal and will be making it again soon!

Thai Peanut Noodles

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 lime juiced and zested

2 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. honey

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup oil (I used chicken broth)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili sauce

2-4 Tbsp. water

Toss everything in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If too thick, blend in more water or oil (I used broth).

1 red bell pepper siced

1-2 carrots cut into matchsticks

1 cup shelled edemmame

2 scallions, sliced

Saute bell pepper, carrots and edemmame briefly just to soften. When softened, throw them in a mixing bowl and add the scallions.

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions, drain and toss with vegetables. Pour some of the dressing over the pasta and veggies, toss together. Serve with seared scallops on top or your choice of meat.

Don't pour all of the dressing on at one time. As the noodles sit, they absorb the dressing. You will need some reserved to freshen the salad up. I served this meal with a green salad and toasted English muffins. YUMMY!!!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

This past week was my husband's birthday. He told me that he really wanted pizza for his birthday dinner. Since we had some pesto in the freezer, I thought a pesto and grilled chicken pizza would be just the thing to make. I started out with a homemade pizza crust and topped it with homemade cilantro lime pest, grilled chicken, organic Italian chicken sausage, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives, red bell pepper and mozzerella cheese. I also had some pine nuts in the freezer that needed to be used so I threw those on top. The pizza turned out great! I rolled the crust out pretty thin and baked it on a pizza stone. It was perfect! Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. In my opinion, that is just how pizza crust should be. The combination of the grilled chicken and the chicken sausage was wonderful. I only used one link so that the sausage flavor would be present, but not overwhelming. We have really been enjoyed the great chicken sausages that are sold at our local farmers market. They are made fresh everyday, and add a really nice flavor. We will be making this pizza again.

Sweet Potato Fries

Have you tried sweet potato fries? If you haven't, you are really missing out. These things are so good and go so well with a variety of different dishes. Our favorite pairing is to eat them with turkey burgers or any kind of sandwich. Tonight we had them with BBQ chicken sandwiches. Sweet potatoes, or yams, are a staples in our house. They are a great item to have on hand for a quick dinner. They are simple to prepare, quick and take very few ingredients. I don't ever use an exact recipe. I simply peel the potato, slice it into fries, toss them with some olive oil and spices (steak seasoning, chili powder, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper) and toss them in the oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are slightly golden and crispy. You really can't go wrong with a combination of spices, just use whatever you have. They are wonderful dipped in hummus, katsup, or fry sauce. Give them a try!

The Best Sloppy Joes Ever!

These are hands down the BEST sloppy joes we have ever had! I can not believe how much flavor is packed into this simple recipe. Plus, they are very healthy! The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I used 97% lean ground white turkey breast. These were hearty, filling, healthy, flavorful and so easy! I served the sloppy joe filling on some wonderful homemade french bread that I made last week which I had in the freezer. I also served some spaghetti squash and potato fries on the side. What a delicious meal! Thanks to Ellie Kreiger from the Food Network, this is a recipe that we will be making over and over. This can even be made in a large batch and frozen for a quick meal during the week.

Sloppy Joes
1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, minced finely
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small can red beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. molases
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper

Brown the meat and the onion in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno and red bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for minutes more. Serve on hamburger buns or french bread.