Creamy Hash with Turkey Bacon

I'm back. Last year was nuts! I honestly didn't do nearly as much cooking as the year before because I joined a rock band...? Yup-seriously. And I have realized that my time in the kitchen has shifted to big breakfasts on the weekend while my wonderful hubby Kent cooks up most of the dinners while I am rehearsing. (Many of his creations to come!) This morning, however, I finally made something that pushed me over to the computer to share--a super yummy hash for this super cold Sunday. How can it look so beautiful out, yet be so awfully cold at the same time? It's just cruel. So if you are inside surviving the sub-zero temperature dive yet again, looking longingly out the sunny window, hoping for warmer days so you can actually enjoy the snow, here is a little something to warm your belly and settle your soul.

Creamy Hash with Turkey Bacon

This is a lighter hash, but of course, if you've got the “real” stuff on hand (or just don't give a rip), substitute at will.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups frozen hashbrowns (about an inch deep in your skillet)

3Tbsp canola oil

¼ cup onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup fat-free half-n-half

¼ cup light sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 strips turkey bacon

2 eggs

salt/pepper

Preparation:

In your 12 inch skillet, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft over medium-high heat. Remove the onions (unless you like them super crispy) and add the frozen hashbrowns. Put the onions on top of the potatoes and season up with your desired amount of salt and pepper. Cover. (Covering is the key to awesome hashbrowns. This may seem crazy, but you'll be so glad you did it!)

Cook hashbrowns for 5 minutes covered. If it is your first time making hashbrowns, you may need to monitor your heat and browning, but ideally you should just leave them alone. Heat should be somewhere between medium and medium-high, and they may seem like they are sticking a bit at first but that is a-OK.

In another pan cook up your turkey bacon until it has reached your desired crispiness--for me that is about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon, add a bit of oil, and make your over-easy eggs.

Flip hashbrowns over in chunks. Don't worry if this isn't a perfect pancake of hashbrowns. It is all going to get mixed up anyway. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Slice your turkey bacon into thin strips and sprinkle on the hash browns. Pour the half-n-half over and mix in gently. Sprinkle with the cheese and fold in. Remove to plates immediately and top with your egg.

Serves 2 hungry Minnesotans on a cold winter's day.

-Nikki

Beef and Wild Rice Stroganoff Soup

I had all of the ingredients to make Beef Stroganoff except the egg noodles, so I thought—why not soup?! This recipe is easy and though I made it in the crock pot, you could easily simmer on the stove as well. And another Budget Friendly Fix—the stew meat was on sale for $2.99/lb and the 8 oz mushroom package was $1.99! I hope you and your family enjoy this warm hearty soup on yet another snowy Minnesota day…

Beef and Wild Rice Stroganoff Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb stew meat, cut into small chunks

½ cup uncooked wild rice

8 oz baby bella, crimini mushrooms, chopped

1 large onion, chopped fine

1 shallot, minced

½ cup carrot, chopped small

4 stalks celery, chopped small

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups beef or vegetable stock

¼ cup flour

Salt and pepper

Fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano

1 cup half and half, or heavy cream

Sour cream or yogurt to garnish, if desired

Preparation:

Place your chopped vegetables and mushrooms in the crock pot with 3 Tbsps of olive oil. Cover and cook on high while you prepare the other ingredients. Mince the garlic and shallots and add to the crock.

Place the wild rice in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm water. Stir and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Then drain and discard the water.

Cut your stew meat into small, finger tip sized chunks. Trim fat as desired. In a small bowl, toss the meat with the flour and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Continue to toss until all of meat is well coated with the flour.

Add the meat to the vegetable mixture by the handful, leaving any excess flour in the bowl to discard. Stir together and then pour in the vegetable or beef stock. Stir in the drained wild rice. Add a sprig of rosemary, and oregano and a small bunch of thyme, or a ½ tsp of each dried. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Now you have a couple of serving options: Uncover and allow the soup to cool down for a while. (Pour into a big bowl for faster cooling.) Then add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of sour cream. OR you can finish this at the table as below:

Remove the cover and ladle into bowls. When the soup has cooled slightly, stir 2 Tbsps of half and half into each serving.  You may add more if you wish. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and serve with some crusty bread.

This soup will serve a family of 6 for dinner or 8 for lunch--and it makes great leftovers ;)

Thanks for reading—

Nikki

Budget Friendly Fixes: Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

Welcome to the first post in my new segment: Budget Friendly Fixes.  I will be referring to these recipes as my BFFs! These are the kinds of recipes for those end of the day “Oh yea…dinner…” moments.  Using things you can find at the bottom of your refrigerator and back of your pantry, this recipe is quick, cheap, and tasty. These recipes are also very substitute-able. Let me know what you find to use in your fridge!

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Stove-top Casserole

Have extra cheese? Use it! Spinach instead of broccoli? Hooray! In my fridge, I found a turkey sausage link to use, but I think ham would be delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups chicken stock

¾ cup skim milk

2/3 cup shredded cheese

¼ cup light sour cream

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cooked sausage link, cubed small

Pinch of garlic powder and black pepper

Preparation:

In a saucepan, bring rice and broth to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook following the package directions.  Set your timer for 3 minutes less than the rice’s instructed cooking time. In a microwave safe dish, steam chopped broccoli with 1 cup of water, covered for 2 minutes in the microwave. Drain the water and combine the cubed cooked meat, broccoli and chopped green onions.

When the timer goes off, quickly pour the broccoli meat mixture on top of the cooking rice. Recover and cook for the remaining 3 minutes.  No need to stir. When the rice has finished cooking the three minutes, it may be a bit firm, but that is fine. Pour in the milk. Increase the heat to medium high. Stir while the milk bubbles and continue to cook until it thickens—about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese.  Add the garlic powder and black pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the light sour cream.

Serve with fresh fruit and some crackers and you have a quick and kid friendly meal for four!

As always, thanks for reading!

Nikki

Year Two!

Hello Readers!

This week was the second anniversary of The Finch’s Nest! Thank you so much for your support! I took a little break this fall, but of course, all the while I was cooking, eating and planning amazing fun recipes to post here. I can’t wait to share more recipes with you! These are some of the things to come:

Thanks again!

-Nikki

Apples for Dinner Party

We had a ton of apples and I decided to throw together a quick apple themed dinner using the things we had around the house. And Noam and Kristin brought a salad with a cider vinaigrette. Perfect!  I decided it would be fun to share the menu with you. Consider a theme for your next get-together! Happy Fall!

Wine: Hauser’s Grand Reserve Apple Wine from Bayfield, WI

Salad: Noam’s Toasted Almond Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Appetizer: Whiskey Cheese Fondue

                1 cup wine, 12 oz. shredded swiss and gruyere cheese, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 cup whiskey

                

In your fondue pot, heat the wine until it begins to bubble. Combine the cheese and cornstarch. Add the cheese in four handfuls. Stir each handful in until it is completely melted. When all of the cheese is melted and combined, stir in the whiskey. Keep over low heat while eating. Serve with chunked apples, and fresh sourdough bread. Spice it up with cayenne pepper, parsley, or green chilis! 

Main Course: Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Soup with Apples

                2 Butternut squash, 6 small apples, 2 purple+1 yellow onion, garlic, 4 cups chicken broth, spices, 1 bottle of Crispin hard cider

Remove the seeds and strings from two medium butternut squash. Roast the squash (4 halves) for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Caramelize 2 large purple and 1 large yellow onion with 3 Tbsp of butter for 25 minutes. Add 3 cloves crushed garlic. Pour in a 12oz bottle of Crispin cider and cook down for 3 minutes on high heat. Peel, core and dice 6 small apples. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, pepper and salt. Scoop the roasted squash into the soup and puree with an immersion blender.  Add a pinch of allspice and curry powder. Top with cream, chopped fresh parsley and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Dessert: Omenapiiraka- Finnish Apple Pie

Have a great Wednesday!

-Nikki

Omenapiirakka: Finnish Apple Pie

Apples, apples and more apples! After a successful day of apple picking with Emily and Joe this weekend, we had apples to spare. Last night we hosted Noam and Kristin for an apple themed dinner party to use some up and for dessert I made this amazingly easy apple pie. 

This is another rustic-style Finnish pie with a free-form crust. Based on Bea Ojakangas’ recipe from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, this pie whips together in about 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of baking! I hope you enjoy this easy Finnish dessert.

Omenapiirakka

Crust:

1 ¼ cup white whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of ground allspice and cardamon

1 stick of cold butter, cubed

1 cup heavy cream

Filling:

5-6 small tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick

½ tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp flour

¼ cup cane sugar

Dash of salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the flours, baking powder and spices. Cut the cold butter into the flour until it is well-combined and crumbly. Pour in the heavy cream and form into a ball. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Peel and slice the apples and mix with the remaining ingredients.

On a large greased baking sheet, roll out the dough into a large square. Cut to straighten the edges. Pour the apples into the center of the dough square and fold the sides up and over about 1 inch. Using the scrapes, roll out and cut to make a lattice pattern on the top of the exposed apples in the center of the pie.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Make sure to let the pie cool. Then cut into 9 squares. Top with fresh whipped cream and caramel sauce, or drop a dollop of ice cream on the side! Enjoy!

-Nikki

A Squash Adventure: Acorn Squash Puree

While visiting my buddy AnnaJean, I noticed she had some local squash on her counter.  So at her request, I am posting this recipe for Acorn Squash Puree. It is super yummy for kids and adults alike! Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos the last time I made it, but we have all seen acorn squash before. So here is the next installment in our Squash Adventure!

Exhibit B: Acorn Squash—shaped like an acorn, the rind is thick and dark green and the inside is a soft orange color that deepens when it is cooked. It has a very mild flavor, and the flesh is very similar in texture to sweet potato that is slightly undercooked.  It keeps on the counter for a LONG time. As long as it is still firm and without mold you can cook it up! It is readily available at most supermarkets and farmer’s markets.

I have had this squash a variety of ways. When I think of fall squash, this is the one I picture on the plate—cut in half, bright orange and beautiful, drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkle with pecans.  But this is also really great mashed into a puree as a side dish. It also makes this squash choice more friendly for those who do not like the consistency of plain squash. So here is a really easy recipe you can whip up in a flash!

Acorn Squash Puree

1 acorn squash

3 Tbsp maple syrup

¼ cup milk

1 Tbsp butter

Salt

Pinch of cinnamon

Brown sugar, to top with if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Score the squash with a knife into squares. Brush the squash with maple syrup. Bake for 45min to 60 minutes, until the squash is soft.

Scoop out the flesh into a glass bowl. With a handheld mixer or immersion blender puree the flesh with the remaining ingredients. You may need to add a bit more milk if it isn’t smoothing to your preference. Top with brown sugar and more butter if desired. This puree may also be frozen and would make a yummy baby food choice for your little one!

Enjoy!

-Nikki

A Squash Adventure: Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Pesto

At the farmer’s market this weekend you might have noticed we are in squash heaven. Goodbye berries—hello winter foods. Growing up squash was NOT something that my siblings or I looked forward to and mostly it was because of the texture.  I have come to realize that the joys of the squash are really in the preparation.  I’ve decided to try every squash I can get my hands on this year—there are so many varieties to choose from!

Exhibit A: Spaghetti Squash: a light yellow oval shaped squash that is widely available. It has a yellow flesh that becomes stringy when heated, with strings about the size of thin spaghetti pasta. It is mild in flavor with just a bit of squashiness—slightly sweet with a mildly earthy aftertaste.

Spaghetti squash is a really fun one and is so versatile! I’ve actually been cooking this guy for about a year and find it can be subbed for pasta in just about any dish, though I find its hint of sweetness pairs perfectly with pesto sauce.  This is a very low-cal, healthy recipe I’ve converted to a casserole. You can whip this up in a snap! I prefer to cook my squash in the microwave, but you can also roast it in the oven as well.  Let’s make dinner!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Pesto

Ingredients:

1 6-8 inch long spaghetti squash

¼ cup fresh pesto sauce: Sweet Basil Pesto Recipe

¾ cup 2% milk

1 tsp Italian herb blend

½ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

½ cup shredded asiago or parmesan cheese

6 stalks kale, chopped or 2 cups baby spinach

11/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds and mushy pulp. Cooking one half of the squash at a time, place the half cut-side down in I cup of water in a microwave safe glass pie plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes cut-side down. Flip and microwave for 4 more minutes cut-side up, then turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes more until it is soft to the touch. This steams the squash and it will be very hot when you remove it. Allow to sit until it is cool enough to handle. Repeat with the second half of the squash.

Meanwhile, cook the kale or spinach in salted water. I used kale today. I placed the kale in a sauce pan covered, and steamed with 1 cup of water for 3-5 minutes. Drain.

Scoop the cooled squash flesh out with a spoon, gently scraping the inside of the rind and dump into a glass bowl. Combine with the pesto, herbs, salt, milk and shredded asiago/parmesan cheese. Stir in the cooked chopped kale.

Scrap the squash mixture into a 9 x 13 glass or stone casserole dish. Top with the shredded cheese.Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sauce and cheese is bubbly.

This dish makes amazing leftovers--in fact, mine are reheating right now.... Let me know if you like it!

Thanks for reading,

-Nikki

Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish with Turkey

I have to be honest--growing up this was the dinner I feared the most. I believe ours had a can of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, ground beef and tater tots -- I didn't think there could be a worse combination. What was everyone thinking?? I avoided this potluck staple like the plague!  But today I became a true Minnesotan.  And I can’t believe what I've been missing! 

This recipe is based on my dear friend Emily Galegher’s tater tot hotdish. Her recipe blew my socks off! She skips the canned everything and uses ground turkey. My adaptation uses 2% milk for the sauce, but Emily uses real cream for her white sauce…delish and dangerous. I also suggest par-cooking the tater tots so they keep their crispiness when added to the hotdish. So now the hotdish to end all hotdishes—

Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish with Turkey

 Ingredients:

1lb  ground turkey breast

1 small red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup diced baby bella mushrooms

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

½ tsp ground oregano

½ tsp paprika

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups 2% milk

10oz bag mixed baby vegetables

16oz bag of tater tots

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt  1 Tbsp butter in a cast iron skillet. Saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and spices and brown the turkey completely. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and cook until thickened to a gravy—about 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile bake the tater tots for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Thaw and cook the vegetables in the microwave and drain completely.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Add the vegetables to the cast-iron and stir. Top with the hot tater tots. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the tater tots are browned to your preference.

I hope you enjoy this reinvented Minnesota legend!

-Nikki 

Kitchen Sink Sweet Corn Soup with Bacon

What to make for dinner...Hmm… I’ve got some bacon, questionable freezer corn, wilted cilantro, can of green chilis…Corn Soup! That is about the thought that went into this supper. But what came out—SOUPER DELICIOUS! I hope you enjoy this easy summer soup. I bet you have these things lying in the back of your freezer and pantry somewhere. But if you have some fresh sweet corn, please substitute!

Sweet Corn Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

6 thick strips (about 5 ounces) good bacon

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

12 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup, I use Pacific Organic

4oz can diced green chilis

16 oz bag frozen sweet corn

½ diced red pepper

Salt and pepper

Green onion, cilantro and sour cream

Tortilla chips

Preparation:

In a bit of canola oil, saute onion with celery until translucent—about 10 minutes. Add bacon and continue to cook until the bacon is cooked through.  Empty the bag of sweet corn into the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. 

(You'll notice I didn't drain the bacon...that was on purpose. Yum.)

Stir in the broth, condensed soup and green chilis and bring to a boil. Add the diced red pepper and reduce the heat. Simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes covered until the corn is cooked through and begins to break down.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls and allow to cool slightly. Stir in a tablespoon of sour cream, and a bit of green onion and cilantro. Top with crushed tortilla chips and serve. 

Time to eat! Enjoy!

-Nikki

Banana Bran Muffins with Walnuts

I love banana bread, muffins—you name it. Last week it was Banana Snack Cake, but this week with still more overripe bananas to spare, I’m all about muffins. I’ve adapted this recipe from Eating Well. If you haven’t heard of it, this magazine is definitely worth checking out. It is one of my favorite food magazines because it has lots of healthy ideas and each issue centers around what’s in season. 

I've made these muffins Finn-style. Viili is a Finnish cultured milk that is essentially a yogurt. If you would like to start culturing, I will give you some starter! But if you are far away, or you can’t wait, you can substitute the viili for plain fat-free yogurt. 

Banana Bran Muffins with Walnuts

Ingredients:

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 medium super-ripe bananas

2/3 cup viili or plain (not greek) yogurt + 1/3 cup skim milk

1 cup wheat bran

3 Tbsp flax seed

1/4 cup safflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract

Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour, such as Gold Medal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease your muffin tin (12) with canola spray.

In a large glass bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, milk and viili until well blended. Mash the ripe peeled bananas in a small bowl. Add the bananas to the wet egg mixture along with the canola oil, vanilla, flax seeds and wheat bran. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon together with your fingers until fluffed and well combined.  Pour the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and add the chocolate chips. With a rubber scraper gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until they are just barely mixed. The batter with be lumpy. Be careful not to over mix or the batter will become tough.

Spoon the batter into your muffin tins and fill until they are just barely to the top. The batter is heavy with bran, so these will not rise as high as typical muffins.  Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the muffins. The walnuts will get nice and toasted! Mmmm….

Place the muffins on the center rack and bake for 15-25 minutes until they are golden brown and spring back when touched.

I hope you enjoy this healthy treat! Go Bananas!

-Nikki

Tip: Ever wonder what to do with the left over muffin batter?

I have found that my muffin tins are small enough that there is always some left over batter. Rather than wait for the batch to cook and refill the tin, I found the thing for this very problem:  the mini-loaf pan. At a thrift shop a bit ago I found this adorable mini loaf pan. I have a weakness for anything milk glass, so I bought it and finally through this muffin making have found its calling. If you have one lying around, here is one way to get that thing dusted off and in use again!

Southwestern Pot-Pie

The last couple of months have been crazy busy, so I apologize for the absence! I was playing in Thunder Bay, we moved to a new apartment, we eradicated a pest problem, I taught in Salt Lake City, stayed in Park City, and then I did a Suzuki training in Denver. Even though it was more work than vacation, I do have lots of fun recipes, restaurants and vendors to tell you about. Stay tuned for some fun posts in the coming weeks.

Now that I am home, it is time to make some good old-fashioned comfort food.  After talking with my buddy Emily Galegher about pie crusts and how I always forget to use them in my recipes, I decided tonight is the perfect night for a Utah inspired pot-pie!

Southwestern Pot-Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey breast

1 large onion, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 ears of corn, kernels removed

1 tsp dried oregano

1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin

Dash black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup light sour cream

1 ½ cups Mexican melting cheese like enchilado, queso quesadilla, or monterey jack

½ cup green onions, chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Finnish Cottage Cheese Pie Crust

(see previous post)

Preparation:

In a cast iron skillet or oven proof fry pan, cook onion in 1 tbsp of canola oil until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add your minced green pepper, garlic and corn and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in ground turkey breast and cook completely. Pour in spices and chicken broth and allow the mixture to reduce for about 3 minutes on high heat.

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheese. Bring back to the stove on medium-low and simmer 10-15 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens --when you stir you can see the bottom of the pan clearly, and your spoon makes a track. Remove from the heat again and stir in green onion and cilantro.

Roll cottage cheese pie crust so that it is large enough to rest ½ inch up the side of the pan. Vent with a knife and spray the top of the crust with canola oil.

Bake at 400 degrees until the pie crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.Let the pie cool 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped cilantro, salsa, avocado and sour cream. 

I hope you enjoy!

-Nikki

Sweet Basil Walnut Pesto

It’s springtime and time for everything green! One of our most favorite spreads and sauces is pesto. Store-bought pesto is pretty pricey, and making your own can be too (especially if you use pine nuts). We came up with a thrifty recipe that uses less oil and walnuts. It is just as good. This recipe makes LOTS but it freezes really well.  In fact, we had pesto tonight from last September. This is a recipe you will want to have on hand when your garden is bursting with basil this summer.

Sweet Basil Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:

6 cups loosely-packed, washed basil leaves

1 cup of your favorite hard cheese, shredded 

       (like aged gouda, parmesan, asiago...)

1/3 cup walnuts

3 Tbsp herbed white wine vinegar

2 -3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a small fry pan, toast walnuts over medium -heat until fragrant and beginning to brown. Remove from the pan to cool.

In a food processor, chop the basil, walnuts, cheese and garlic. Add the white wine vinegar and gradually add the oil. Puree until it reaches your desired consistency, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. We like ours a little chunkier, so we only pulse, but you can make this as smooth as you like.

Pesto will keep in the refrigerator for a week, or you can freeze for about 3-4 months. It has been 5 months for our pesto and it was still good! You will only use about ¼ cup for 4 people. You can also freeze in an ice-cube tray and then put in a zippy for single servings.

Got other herbs/greens in your garden?  You can make pesto out of anything-- even a combination of herbs and greens. It is a great way to experiment and use up every bit of whatever in your garden. I have even seen recipes that use jalapeno and anaheim peppers, too. Yum! Got a favorite pesto combination? I would love to hear it!

-Nikki

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Here is a fun and tasty way to enjoy your pesto sauce using ingredients you probably have around the house. You can substitute chickpeas or cannellini beans for your protein if you like. Enjoy!

6 oz whole-wheat pasta

¼ cup pesto

¼ cup half and half (can be fat-free)

4 Tbsp low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel

½ cup reserved pasta water

Combine the noodles with the cream cheese and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Toss in the pesto and the half and half. Serve with chickpeas or chicken breast and a green salad. Serves 4.

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs & Healthy Egg Salad

I haven’t always been a fan of hard-boiled eggs. Actually, it was really the yolks that were a turn off as a kid—I didn’t like the texture (unless it was blended into something like mayo!). But when I started having them in restaurants, I came to love them! The whites weren’t rubbery, there wasn’t an ugly green ring around the yolk and the yolk was so delicate and creamy. Yum! I’ve tried making my own, but they were never as good as the ones I ordered…until now. After a lot of trial and error, I believe this is secret to the perfect restaurant-worthy hard-boiled egg.

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

12 fresh large eggs

Cold water

In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with cold water until there is an inch of water above the tops of the eggs. Bring the eggs to a boil and cook exactly one minute. Remove from the heat and cover immediately. Let them sit for exactly 12 minutes.  

 Immediately drain the hot water gently into the sink. Place the saucepan until the water faucet and run the coldest water possible over the eggs, stirring the water gently with your hands. When the eggs are completely chilled remove from the water and enjoy! If you like, you can shell them immediately, or if you need them, later here is a trick:

                Bring a large pot to boil and drop each egg in for one second. Remove and peel immediately.

Healthy Egg Salad

Now that I finally discovered how to make eggs without having a complete disaster on my hands, I like to make this egg salad-- It’s a recipe inspired by Eating Well’s Deviled Egg recipe.

5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

2 Tbsp light mayo

1/3 cup cottage cheese

1 stalk of celery, finely diced

1 green onion, chopped

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp prepared yellow mustard

Dash black pepper and cayenne

In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, mayo and mustard. Remove the yolks from two of the eggs and add to the cottage cheese mixture. Process until smooth and creamy.  Discard the other three yolks and chop the whites from the 5 eggs. In a small bowl combine the celery, green onion and the cottage cheese mixture. Season to taste with pepper and cayenne, garnish with paprika if desired and serve!  This makes 3 sandwiches. Yum! Hope this helps you use up some of those Easter eggs!

Egg Salad per serving (3): 110 calories      6grams fat      11grams protein

-Nikki

Mustikkapiiraka

Mustikkapiiraka is the Finnish word for Blueberry Pie: mustikka=blueberry and piiraka=pie. Traditionally this pie is made on a flat baking sheet rather than in a pie plate. This gives you lots of room to be artistic with the dough, shape and design.  I made it in this traditional, rustic style for Easter—but I couldn’t resist spicing it up with a drizzle of Lavender Cream.  Here is the recipe I created after lots of research:

Mustikkapiiraka

Finnish Blueberry Pie

Crust:

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of cardamom

1 ½ sticks cold salted butter, cubed

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup heavy cream

Filling:

3 cups frozen wild blueberries

1/3 cup sugar (I like raw cane sugar for this one:)

2 Tbsp + 1 tsp corn starch

Combine the cardamom, flours and sugar in a medium glass bowl. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until only pea-sized chunks remain. Gently beat the egg and cream together and add to the flour mixture. Once combined, knead gently and make into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, gently toss the blueberries in the sugar and cornstarch until they are well coated.

Using a generous amount of flour, turn the dough out onto the counter and roll out into large circle about 1/4 inch thick.  Lay a large dinner plate (about 12 inches) on the rolled dough and using as your guide, cut two inches out from the edge to form a clean 14 inch circle. Keep scraps for decorating the top later. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll onto a large baking sheet with an edge.

Mound the blueberries into the center of the circle and spread to fill about 12 inches. Fold in the outside edge of the dough on top of the blueberries to make about 1 to 1 1/2 inches around, pinching on the folds as necessary.  Roll and cut the remaining dough scraps to make your desired pattern on top of the pie. You can sprinkle the dough with sugar, or use an egg wash if you like.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees until the crust is golden brown and the blueberries are thick and bubbly. Serves 8.

Lavender Cream

In a saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, ¼ cup honey and 1 tsp lavender or 1 TBSP earl grey tea with lavender.  Over medium low heat, bring to a bubble and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Using cheese cloth or a tea bag, strain into a glass bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served cold over the warm pie. This would also be a great base for ice cream or whipped cream;)

I hope you enjoy this Finnish delight!

-Nikki

Finnish Cottage Cheese Pastry Crust

Rahkakuori is a traditional cottage cheese pastry that is used for everything from quiche to blueberry tarts. I was inspired by the one in Bea Ojakangas’  Scandinavian Cooking book and have adapted it to use less butter, more cottage cheese and whole-wheat flour. Whole wheat crusts are known for being a bit more dry, but with the cottage cheese, this crust is deliciously moist and flaky—and I think better than traditional pie crust! It makes for a very flexible dough that is easy to work with AND it’s quick and healthy! Try it with your favorite filling. This is scaled for a single 9-inch crust. Yum!

Whole-Wheat Rahkakuori

Ingredients:

½ cup whole-wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese

5 Tbsp salted butter, cold

Preparation:

In a medium glass bowl combine the flours. Cut cold butter into cubes and using a pastry blender, work into the dough until you see pea-sized crumbles. Add the cottage cheese and combine—the dough will be crumbly. Gently work the dough into a ball.

Tips: If the ball is just barely sticking to your hands it's perfect! I did not need to add anything to mine, but some cottage cheeses are very wet. Use your instincts.  If the dough is wet and not holding its shape, you may need to add a Tbsp or 2 more of whole-wheat flour. If is dough is very dry and does not form a ball, add a Tbsp or 2 of ice cold water.

Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Dust a board or the counter generously with whole-wheat flour and roll out, flipping and dusting as necessary. Gently roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll over your glass or stone pie plate. Crimp the edges, and prick with a fork. Fill according to your favorite recipe! (If it is a long baking pie, consider foiling over the crimped edge and removing towards the end of cooking.)

I used this recipe to make my Spring Quiche! I hope you enjoy this recipe as you begin your holiday baking!

-Nikki

Tuna Sandwich for One

I’ve been trying to eat more fish and so tuna for lunch it is! Here is a simple tuna salad sandwich that I like to make. If you haven’t tried the no-drain tuna pouches, do! (Especially if you think you don’t like tuna…) The flavor is much fresher than the traditional canned variety that may have turned you off in the past. They have pouches available in many sizes, but the 2.6 ounce ones are the equivalent of one serving which is perfect for this recipe. Give it a try!

Tuna Sandwich for One

Ingredients:

2.6 oz pouch chunk light tuna

2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 Tbsp low-fat canola or olive oil mayo

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

Dash of pepper, cayenne and paprika

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed. Toast a piece of multi-grain bread or half of a bagel and top with mixed greens. Spoon the tuna over the greens and enjoy!

-Nikki