Biscuits and Gravy

E,

I never used to be a big fan of biscuits and gravy, I'm more of an eggs and bacon girl. At brunch a few weeks ago, S ordered biscuits and gravy and I literally couldn't get enough. I rushed home (stopping by the store first) and tried to recreate them! I am pretty pleased with how these came out :) It's super basic but it gets the job done. In the future, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it fancier.

Ingredients:

6-8oz breakfast sausage
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup milk, ( I used a little more because I like runny sauce)

salt and pepper
6-8 warm biscuits (I was planning to make these from scratch, but I'm lazy so I just used Pillsbury!)

Directions:

1. In a iron skillet, over medium heat, cook the sausage; breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When the sausage is cooked remove from skillet with slotted spoon; let drain on paper towel lined plate.  Do not drain the oil.  You should have at least 1 tablespoon of oil left, if not add some butter so that it equals a tablespoon.
2. Add the flour to the oil and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Let simmer until sauce starts to thicken.  Add the sausage back into the skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Let simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the sausage is heated through.  Pour the gravy over the biscuits....Enjoy!

Zuchini Squash Bake

Erin,

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it looked so delicious! This is really great dish if you are looking for something vegetarian, but it also works as a great side dish. It takes a while to roast but it's totally worth it.

Ingredients:
6-7 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
2 Tb canola oil
2 Tb minced garlic
2 tsp dried thyme
4 eggs
2/3 C light sour cream
1 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C fresh parmesan cheese
2 Tb lemon juice
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2.  Slice the squash into 1/4" slices.  If they are larger squash, cut them down the middle before slicing. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add the squash, garlic and thyme.  Saute and stir just until the squash is starting to soften slightly.  Don't cook too long or it will be mushy after it bakes in the oven. Remove from the heat.
3.  Beat together the eggs, sour cream, cheeses and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.  Place half of the squash into the bottom of the casserole.  Sprinkle on some salt and pepper (remember the cheeses are salty!) then spread 1/2 of the egg mixture over the top.  Repeat with remaining squash and egg mixture.
4.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and slightly set.  Serve hot.

Chocolate Mousse

E,

This is the mousse recipe I was telling you about a few months ago, (that I totally forgot to post, sorry!) This mousse is so awesome. It takes only a handful of ingredients and it's so rich and creamy and yummy! I know it seems weird that there is tofu in it, but I promise, it takes amazing. (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Ingredients:
1/2 package or 6 oz silken tofu
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk of choice
1/16 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate, either on the stove or in the microwave. Then throw everything into a  and blend until super-smooth! 

Skillet Lasagna

Just like lasagna but without all the mess! This is a perfect weeknight meal. Easy to make, it's ready in less than half an hour and relatively easy clean up! Score! (Courtesy of No. 2 Pencils)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of Italian Sausage, Italian Turkey Sausage or Lean Ground Beef
1/2 a medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
2 9 oz packages of Buitoni four cheese ravioli, from the refrigerated section
8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to large skillet.
2. Sautee onions and garlic, over medium heat, until onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon while it browns.
4. Once sausage is cooked through, add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and ravioli.
5. If using whole peeled tomatoes, use kitchen shears to chop them up while still in the can before adding to skillet.

Chicken Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

It doesn't get much better than spaghetti and meatballs. It's just so familiar and comforting. I saw this recipe on Pinterest (One Lovely Life)and I was instantly intrigued. Chicken meatballs? Sounds a bit strange. But it was delicious and a different take on the average meatballs. I'm so glad I tried this recipe, and it came with an excellent tomato recipe too!

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground chicken breast
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp bread crumbs*
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder

For the sauce:

2 (10oz) containers cherry tomatoes, halved

Olive Oil
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
8oz sliced mushrooms
about ⅓c fresh basil, minced (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste
water, if desired

Directions:

For the meatballs:

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, basil, mustard, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder with a fork and toss until just combined.
2. Using your hands or a small scoop to form 1″meatballs. You’ll end up with around 20-25 meatballs, depending on how large or small you made them.
3. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil, careful not to have any of the meatballs touching. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes, or until just browning and fully cooked through.

For the sauce:

1. First off, roast the tomatoes by tossing tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and roast at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until wrinkly with slightly charred edges

1. Let the tomatoes cool a bit then pulse with tomato sauce in a blender or food processor until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
2. Pour tomato mixture into your largest saute pan or a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in basil. Taste sauce and add additional basil, salt, or pepper, as desired. If the sauce seems a bit thick, you can thin it with a little water, adding about ½c at a time.
3. When meatballs have finished cooking, transfer them into the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with pasta

Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

If you can't tell by now that I'm obsessed with enchiladas, then this will probably solidify your suspicions (and P.S. I have TWO more enchilada recipes I tried last week I haven't even posted yet!) Enchiladas are just so easy to make and always turn out great. This recipe was a real winner. Sam was totally, head in heels in love with these enchiladas. He actually said it was one of the best dishes I've ever made. And I couldn't agree more! (This recipe is courtesy of Six Sister's Stuff and if you haven't checked them out yet, you should totally do it!)

Ingredients for Enchilada Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock  - (you could use vegetable stock)
2 teaspoons of cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup mild or medium salsa verde (depending on how hot you want it)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Ingredients for Enchilada Filling:
3-4 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8 flour tortillas


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In medium sauce pan, saute garlic in butter  for about 1 minute on Medium - High Heat. Stir in flour let it cook for about 2 more minutes.
2. Next stir in the chicken broth, cumin, salt, pepper and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro until smooth (or at least as smooth as you can get.)
3. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Add about 1/2 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. and spread out until bottom of the baking dish is evenly coated.
4. Lay out a tortilla and add chicken, shredded cheese, and avocado to the end of the tortilla and roll. Then place the rolled tortilla seam-side down and repeat until the pan is full.
5. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Cover with 1 cup of cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.