Homemade Brushetta (Gluten-Free)

Pin It

Why is game day food so bad for you? I know, I know. Because it's so incredibly tasty and it's a known fact that the bad stuff often tastes the best. Now I love my fair share of cheese fries, buffalo wings and Mozzarella sticks, but I also prefer some lighter options to be thrown into the mix as well.

If you're like me and want a healthier option available for the Super Bowl this weekend, homemade bruschetta is the way to go. You can have it prepared in 5 minutes, plus it's perfect for a crowd and something everyone will enjoy. I personally won't be watching the Super Bowl this year since my team (the Giants) had a less than stellar year...and if I do, it will solely be for the commercials. But I still might help myself to some tasty (and healthy!) treats since it's the perfect excuse to do so. Have a great weekend!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can plain petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 large basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. onion, minced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Crackers, for serving

Combine tomatoes, pepper, salt, garlic powder, basil leaves, onion and olive oil in a bowl. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers.

Source: My Mom

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Pin It

Brown butter is a simple yet overly satisfying twist on regular butter that strongly enhances the flavor of whatever it touches. By cooking the butter for a few short minutes, a hint of hazelnut is emitted. Before these cookies, I had only had brown butter in savory dishes, which is somewhat shocking since it tends to be a little sweet. It's no surprise that the intense brown butter flavor in these cookies brings the traditional Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie to another level. This is cookie sophistication at its finest. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk the butter continuously as it bubbles, foams, and brown bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan (approximately 5 minutes). Once the brown bits form, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the butter to cool (cool slightly for thinner cookies, or cool completely for thicker, puffier cookies--I only let mine cool slightly).

In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, salt and baking powder.

Pour the brown butter into a large bowl. Add both sugars to the butter and whisk until smooth.

Add the egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined.

Slowly begin to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, working in batches, and making sure that the dough is completely combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips and mix gently, ensuring that all ingredients are well-mixed.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Once dough has chilled, roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, placing them on your prepared cookie sheet a few inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or just until the edges begin to brown.

Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from Juanita's Cocina

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tostadas

Pin It

"Mexican Mondays" have become sort of a thing in our household. Since a majority of Mexican dishes are simple to make and use basic ingredients, it's nice to start out the week with something easy yet deliciously satisfying. Usually some sort of taco is involved, but this past week I decided to switch it up and use tostada shells for a different presentation.

I have never cooked with nor eaten a meal containing a tostada, so I had a blank canvas to work with. I adapted the marinade for the shrimp from my Shrimp Quesadillas, and then stacked on whatever else I would normally pile into a quesadilla or taco shell. Refried beans, lettuce, salsa, cheese, guacamole. There was no holding back here. The result was a fun-looking stack that was filled with layers of contrasting flavors and textures. This would be a fun one for the kids to create for themselves as well. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 8 skewers
• 4 tostada shells
• Fat-free refried beans
• Romaine lettuce, shredded
• Guacamole, store-bought or homemade
• Salsa verde
• Mexican cheese, shredded

Combine garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper and lime juice in a bowl. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Add 5 shrimp per skewer (presoak the skewers for 30 minutes if using an outdoor grill). Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium. Add shrimp skewers in an even layer so they are not touching. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until shrimp are pink. Remove from grill and set aside.

Heat refried beans in a medium pan. Spread a thin layer of refried beans over each tostada shell. Add a layer of lettuce and top with a spoonful of salsa verde and guacamole. Sprinkle with cheese. Lay two shrimp skewers on top of each tostada.

Source: SK Original

Lighter Steak and Cheese

Pin It

I originally posted this recipe back in 2008. It was actually my very first blog post, if you can believe it or not. I think my blog has come a long way since then and I thank all of you for your continued readership throughout the years! I love this little bit of space on the web that I can call mine and I really enjoy sharing my recipes and thoughts with everyone!

Chris is a big fan of this sandwich and requests it as often as he can remember. Since the Pioneer Woman's version is not the healthiest, I decided to switch up the recipe a little bit to lighten it up. I used reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce, much less butter, and the butter that I do use is "light butter" so we can save some calories. I made this lighter version the other weekend without telling Chris, and he had no complaints about the taste whatsoever! I actually think it might even be better this way. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large onions
• 5 tbsp. light butter, divided
• 2-3 lbs. cube steak
• Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/2 cups reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Provolone cheese
• 4 whole hoagie rolls

Slice onions and cook in 2 tbsp. butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season generously with Lawry's.

Heat 2 tbsp. butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.  If all meat does not fit in the skillet in a single layer, do it in batches setting the first batch aside while the second batch cooks.

Add Worcestershire sauce, 5-6 shakes hot sauce, and 1 tbsp. butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Assemble sandwiches by topping with meat mixture, then placing two slices of Provolone cheese on top of each sandwich. Place under broiler (on high) until cheese melts and bun begins to brown. Remove from broiler, spoon some extra juice goodness on top, followed by the top of the bun.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Mini Banana Puddings

Pin It

I try (and I emphasize the word try since it doesn't always happen) to make my close group of girlfriends something for their birthday whenever one rolls around. We get together and then I typically make some sort of dessert that they request or that I think they will enjoy. For my friend Geni's birthday, she requested banana pudding. I appreciated the request since I had a newborn in the house and knew it would be simple! But I decided to make it a little special by making everyone an individualized portion.

I loooove these. They are super simple to make and I typically keep all the ingredients on hand in case I need to make a last-minute dessert. Or in case Chris and I are in the mood for one. Which happens often! Mini vanilla wafers work perfectly for these mini-sized treats, but use the regular size if your local store doesn't carry them. I also opted for reduced-fat milk in the pudding and fat-free whipped cream to save a few calories. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 6 servings

• 3 cups cold reduced-fat milk
• 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) vanilla instant pudding
• 60 mini vanilla wafers
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1 tub (8 oz.) fat-free cool whip, thawed

Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk for 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Arrange 5 vanilla wafers on the bottom of 6 mini glasses. Top with an even layer of banana slices and 2-3 big spoonfuls of pudding. Spread a spoonful of cool whip over top. Repeat all layers, ending with pudding. Top each glass with a dollop of cool whip and a vanilla wafer.

Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Source: Adapted from Kraft