Crockpot Chipotle Meatballs with Rice

We all know the key to a man's heart is through his stomach. Try this super simple recipe in the crockpot and see if it works for you!

What You'll Need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and half the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and chipotles; break up the tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add up to ½ cup water.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, cilantro, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, the remaining half of the garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs (about 2 heaping tablespoons each). 
3. Place teaspoon of oil into pan over medium heat. Brown meatballs just on the outside and place in crockpot. Spoon sauce over meatballs in crockpot.
4. Cook on high 2 hours and low 2 hours or until cooked through.
5. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with additional cilantro.

Derived from Real Simple - http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spicy-chipotle-meatballs-00000000054583/index.html

Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella & Balsamic Appetizer

Gretchen Rubin would be proud - I have officially been sticking to my own "Happiness Project" and planning meals every night, while only shopping at the grocery store once per week. In an earlier post, I mentioned that there are two types of people (according to this great book) - overbuyers, and underbuyers. Because I was consistently an underbuyer, I vowed to change that AND the amount of times I had to go to the grocery store every week. I have been clipping recipes of interest from magazines, writing my grocery list down in 20 minutes or less and going to the supermarket ONCE to buy everything I need for the upcoming work week.

While there are always unforseen things that you can miss, this one strategy has GREATLY helped my own happiness, and has kept me on track with eating healthy meals, eating out LESS, and planning meals that incorporate similiar ingredients - which actually cuts down on food costs. I would encourage any working girl to try this strategy - you just may have more time for starting your own "Happiness Project."

Happiness also comes in the form of extremely easy & appetizing food ;) Here's a great recipe we all know and love - made with fresh basil (a gift from my sister-in-law- thank you!) and inspired by my brother.

Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella and Balsamic Appetizer

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2-3 sprigs fresh basil leaves
2 slices vine ripened tomatoes
2 slices fresh buffalo mozzarella
sprinkle salt & fresh cracked pepper

Place tomato slices on plate and top with mozzarella slices.  Layer sprigs of fresh basil on top and drizzle with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce & Summer Squash!

I am so excited to share this recipe tonight! This is one of our new favorites - and SO SIMPLE! You might just thank me for this one :)

Summer is approaching and that makes me super excited for delicious fruits and vegetables. Is there really anything better?  This past weekend my boyfriend and I went to the local Farmer's Market and happily discovered locally grown summer squash and zucchini, as well as tomatoes and fresh herbs to plant. After a long Sunday of running to Lowe's and getting pots and soil - our garden is officially off to a good start & we are sitting here expecting a major thunderstorm. Hopefully lots of rain will bring a flourishing garden of veggies! :) I will keep you posted.

This recipe was inspired by the warmer weather, gigantic, fresh veggies at the local market, and this wonderful recipe from Real Simple magazine.  So easy, your family will ask for it again and again, and you will gladly say "yes."

The modified/working girl version is below - for the originial recipe, please see the link at the bottom.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Season the pork with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and place in oven to roast, turning once, until the internal temperature registers 145° F, 40 to 45 minutes (this seems long - it may not take that long so check back periodically).
2. Heat skillet over medium low heat, and add the vinegar, mustard, and parsley and stir to combine; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a second large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, zucchini and/or yellow squash, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with the pork and the mustard sauce.

In the picture, we also served this with mashed potatoes. So simple - enjoy!

Real Simple - http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pork-loin-mustard-sauce-00000000058647/index.html

Tomato, Goat Cheese & Balsamic Asparagus

I'm so happy my blog is back in working order. We had some technically difficulties over the last few days :) Oh, and I also posted a picture finally for the Pampered Chef's Club Pizza - so be sure to check it out (thanks, Anna) :)

I recently emailed both MyRecipes.com and AllRecipes.com to make sure it was ok to be posting some of these recipes (I just explained that I wanted to share my love of cooking with others and help them make easy, simple dishes). Both sites were extremely nice and said I was allowed to post and credit the sources. So thank you to both for allowing me to share these recipes!

Here's a great side for anything special! This is definitely one for when you have the in-laws or the boss over, and it's super easy and the presentation is gorgeous!

For some reason, this recipe caught my eye (it's not hard to imagine why) and with just a few simple ingredients, you'll be wow-ing your friends and family and secretly smiling to yourself :)

What You'll Need

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

How To Cook:

• 1. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Cook longer if you like asparagus a little softer.
• 2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

Enjoy!

Thanks to MyRecipes.com for allowing me to share this. I first read this recipe in Cooking Light - one of my favorite cooking magazines! Here's the link - they also have some other asparagus options you may enjoy.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/asparagus-with-balsamic-tomato-50400000111098/
Laura Zapalowski, Cooking Light
APRIL 2011

Shrimp Cobb Salad - AMAZING!

I attempted this salad on a Friday night - excited for the week to be over and having a little more time to prep and make dinner. However, this meal was simple and delicious - maybe total prep/cooking and everything done in about 20-25 minutes. My boyfriend's actual statement was "This is the best salad I've ever had!"  I made a couple changes (didn't add carrots, added boiled eggs) and it was truly a fantastic Cobb salad. If you're looking for something with lots of flavor and nothing too heavy, try this out.

Shrimp Cobb Salad

• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 eggs, boiled, chopped 
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

• 1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble into pieces. Set aside.
• 2. Wipe pan clean. Increase heat to medium high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
• 3. While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat. (If you have Penzey's country french vinagrette, it's also a great dressing for this salad!)
• 4. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, egg, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges, and bacon crumbles.

Recipe - Cooking Light - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-cobb-salad-50400000111962/, Maureen Callahan.  May 2011.

TIME TO GRILL OUT: Spiced Lamb Kebabs

Happy (one day late) Cinco de Mayo! Hope you enjoyed your burritos and margaritas yesterday!

Here is another great recipe - 5 ingredients, and a cinch to make! The marinade for the lamb is also used for your dipping sauce - so you get two great uses for the yogurt. Just as a side note, I'm not a huge fan of lamb, but this was pretty good. It seemed that this recipe would be fine to use with steak as well (if you're not a lamb person either)!

Spiced Lamb Kebabs
1 1/4 cups plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 garlic clove
1 lb boneless leg of lamb, trimmed

How to Make:
1) Combine yogurt, cumin, paprika & garlic in a bowl. Cut lamb into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
2) Combine the lamb and half of the yogurt mixture into a ziploc bag, let marinate for at least 1 hour.
3) Remove lamb and discard bag.  Thread 3-4 lamb pieces per skewer.
4) Grill to the temperature of your choice!
5) Serve with the side of yogurt (dipping sauce)!

This recipe derived from Cooking Light - May 2011.