Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This is pretty much a caprese salad by another name. The basil Vinaigrette that is in this recipe will become a staple in my house from now on. Very easy and very fresh. The dressing would go well on any salad or with steak, chicken and possibly fish.

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 large ripe tomato, or 2 medium tomatoes
4-6 large basil leaves
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese (regular or buffalo mozzarella)

Servings: serves 2 as a side

Instructions:
In a blender, combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic, chopped basil leaves, salt and pepper. Process until fairly smooth. Then, add the oil in a stream (through the hole in the lid of the blender), until all is well incorporated.

Cut the tomato into 1/4-inch thick slices. Wash and dry the basil leaves. Slice the mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the tomato, basil and cheese on a platter.

Pour as much of the dressing as you like over the top. Season with additional black pepper, to taste.

Recipe From: ThePerfectPantry.com

I love a good caprese salad, but it is something I have never tried to make at home. I also usually don't make my own dressings, just as easy to go out and buy one that is pretty tasty. But todays culinary adventure has me rethinking that strategy.

I used my immersion blender to whip up the dressing really quick instead of a food processor. Tossed all the liquids in the chopper attachment and rough chopped the garlic and basil. Pulsed the heck out of it until it was all nice and "whipped" up. No pesky streams of olive oil or anything like that. The chopper gets going so fast it all comes together just the same.

A great quick no fuss side. Comes together in maybe 15 minutes and tastes like you slaved over it. And make sure to use the best mozzarella you can find along with the best tomatoes, the dressing is amazing but the salad is simple and needs good ingredients for the base.

Basil Hummus

An awesome basil twist on traditional hummus. If you have a basil fan in the house this is going to send them over the moon. Full of flavor and an excellent party dip that will surprise everyone. It would be good with most chips and also veggies and cheese.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups sweet basil leaves, packed
~3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (1.5-2 lemons)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
Several dashes Tabasco**
1 teaspoon tomato paste
**Optional but Jason says it kicks it up a lot

Servings: Almost 2 cups of hummus

Instructions:
Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)

In the bowl of a food processor (I used an immersion blender), place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, water, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth. Add more Tabasco and salt or lemon juice to taste.

Serve with pita wedges, crackers, bread sticks or rustic bread. Veggies and cheese will also go well with this dip.

Recipe From: SimplyRecipes.com

I have a dirty secret, I love... or perhaps I should say I am obsessed with basil, well and garlic. There are just no better tastes out there, hm, well and cheese. But I love basil and this recipe pretty much takes hummus and makes it awesome by adding a basic pesto.

I think, but have yet to try, adding some parmigiana cheese to this dip which might make it even more awesome. If your a garlic fan, add a few extra cloves, I think I tossed in about 5 of them. I also left out the Tabasco sauce but Jason added some to his little private dish of the stuff and said it made it for him. But then he thinks everything needs hot sauce, everything. It disgusts me.

I also whipped this all up in my immersion blender. I rough chopped the basil and the garlic and then pulsed it a few times. Then I added all the liquids and pulsed this into a liquid. Added one can of beans, mixed it well and then added the other can of beans and blended it well. Thick and fantastic.

So if you have the space for a food processor, more power to you, but you can do pretty much anything a food processor can do with the Kitchen Aid Immersion blender and chopper attachment. Saves a LOT of space, also replaces a blender unless you make a lot of drinks.

Marinated Tuna Steaks

An easy tasty marinated that works well with tuna or any other white fish. Keeps thinks tender and flavorful without over whelming the fish.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (I used dried "Italian herbs")
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

Servings: 4 Steaks

Instructions:
In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.

Recipe From: AllRecipes.com

When Dad came out to visit he went fishing with Crystal, deep sea fishing. They had a blast out in the sun flinging about fish and guts while I sat home in the AC. But when they returned they brought back some amazing fresh tuna steaks and I was lucky enough to get some!

Now that my freezer was filled with tuna steaks I needed to figure out what to do with them. I love to eat fish but I am not one to cook it, I just smother it in garlic and lemon with some butter and it never comes out very special. So with these amazing cuts of super fresh fish I needed to do something different. This recipe has great reviews so I thought I couldn't go wrong.

I followed everything pretty much to the letter, though I followed the advice of others and marinaded for 2 hours not 30 minutes and this came out fantastic. Flavorful but not overwhelming, so it goes well with almost any dish. Not too sweet or salty, just right.

The tuna was thick and took about 4 minutes per side and didn't stick too bad too the grill. We put it skin side down first and all seemed to go well. Beautiful fish and very tasty. In the future I would let this marinade over night on super thick steaks, make sure go for at least 2 hours! Nothing less!

Creamy Artichoke Orzo

A fantastic side or a comforting main dish this rice is a hit. The rice still gets creamy like risotto but stays firm and plump, a little less melt in your mouth and more like a good solid meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable stock (good stuff, not cheap stuff)
2 cups Chicken stock
1½ cups orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or mixed Italian cheeses)
6 large artichoke hearts, chopped (14 oz can)
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Black pepper, to taste
Optional herbs**

**You could easily add any number of fresh herbs and this would go well. So when your finished, give it a taste and if you have something on hand, feel free to add it.

Servings: 4 meal sized servings, 8 side dish size servings

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

In a saute pan, add orzo, olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of simmering stock, over medium-low heat. Continue adding stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring often for about 25-30 minutes, letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next until orzo is tender and creamy.

Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan, artichokes, chives, and walnuts. Season to taste with pepper and nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Recipe From: www.babble.com

This is a fantastic main meal or as a side to a nice herbed chicken. It is also much easier and a bit less time consuming that risotto. Even Jason enjoyed the combination of simple flavors, though he did add a tiney drip of Blairs Hot Sauce, but he puts that on everything. I am beginning to be less grossly insulted by this, I just assume his tongue is retarded. He also enjoys crap food as much as he enjoys good food, sometimes I think I married the wrong stomach. In any case this rice dish would even be fantastic without the cheese if you want to please a vegan crowd.

I used my homemade vegetable stock that I had in the freezer and reduced sodium chicken stock from a carton. I think if you used crappy stock alone you would end up with mediocre rice. So make sure your stock tastes good. Even if you just doctor up some canned stock from the store, make sure it is tasty stuff.

If you have access to frozen artichokes, which I do not, this might work out even better than canned. But the canned ones in water worked just fine for me. Don't leave out the chives, they do add something to this dish more than just a splash of color.

Avocado Blue Cheese Dressing

This heavenly dressing combines all the creaminess of avocados with the sharpness of blue cheese in every mouth watering bite. Goes well on a plain salad or kick up a main course salad with this dressing as it goes well with chicken and beef. Heck, using it as a sauce on steak or chicken to dress up the grill meat, fantastic all around.

Ingredients:
3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 avocado
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots**
2 tbs. light sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

Servings: 2 generous servings, 4 if your stretching it

Instructions:
**Saute the shallot with a tsp. of olive oil until soft and fragrant. Let cool for a few minutes and transfer to a small mixing bowl.

Add all ingredients except avocado to the bowl with the shallots and mash/stir them together. It’s up to you how chunky you want it to be.

Slice the avocado and add to the mixture. Mash/stir to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. If it’s too thick, another tbs. of milk.

Recipe From: PinchOfYum.com

**I have made this 3 times now and never have I been able to get the shallots when I got around to making this. Everyone is out of shallots, every time. I think the shallots would make a great addition, but if you don't have them, don't let this stop you. It also cuts down on prep and makes this a no cooking at all recipe.

I also often throw all the ingredients into my KitchenAid immersion blender chopper attachment and pulse a few times. The blue cheese will be in small chunks but the avocado pretty much liquefies. I never need to add more milk when I make it with this method. But this recipe could just as easily be done with a potato masher or a fork!

Once this stuff is made, eat it right away. It has avocado in it, and even with the lemon juice and vinegar it is going to turn disgusting poo brown in a bit where it meets the air. Still tastes great when it is poo brown, but doesn't look all that great.

This stuff is sinfully delicious, melt in your mouth amazing. Best dressing I have ever made. You can also use it as a steak sauce, also, amazing. But I don't want to know how many calories are in it, no one ever tell me that fun fact.

Ham and Cheese Bread

A flavorful quick bread that works well as a side or a main dish. The meat and cheese can easily be swapped out in this recipe for increased versatility.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling the pan
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all- purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
5 ounces aged Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4- inch cubes
5 ounces best- quality cooked ham, cut into 1/4- inch cubes
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

**1/3 cup best- quality black olives, pitted and halved

Servings: 1 Loaf pan

Instructions:
Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil an 8x4 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, olive oil, and yogurt. Stir to blend. Add the cheese, ham, and olives, and stir just to combine the ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the bread is firm and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, unmold and serve the bread at room temperature. (Store at room temperature wrapped in foil for up to 3 days.)

Recipe From: Projectfoodie.com

The original recipe called for the olives, but I left those out, because I hate them. It also called for aged French Comté cheese, which I didn't have. So I just used some of my extra sharp cheddar and thought this came out great. You could easily use turkey and Gouda, roast beef and provolone. Go crazy with it, it should work out perfect.

I baked this in a 9x5 inch pan and wished that I had used a 8x4 as this came out as a very squat little loaf of bread. Still tasted great, but not quite as pretty. It also came out very dense, but not too bad, I might try tinkering with leavening agents next time.

Also make sure you cube the cheese and not shred it, otherwise the cheese will sort of disappear into the bread and you wont get those awesome cheesy chunks inside. This is best served warm, but still good cold in my opinion.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

A quick tasty peanut butter banana muffin, with an option of adding a bit of nutella if your looking for an extra treat. Filling and not too sweet.

Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar**
1/4 cup unsalted butter, soften
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
3 large bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
1 banana, sliced for garnish

**Replace with 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp Splenda 1/2 and 1/2

Servings: 12 Muffins

Instructions:
Preheat over to 350F. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in peanut butter. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in mashed banana.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined.

Evenly distribute batter into the muffin cups. Top with sliced banana. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Nutritional Information: Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Recipe From: LululuAtHome.com

I tried to make these muffins a bit healthier, but only shaved off a few calories in the end. But you wont notice the loss of those calories at all. Using a better peanut butter might also help shave off some calories and fat. I used Skippy Supper Chunky because that is what I had on hand (left over from making some cookies).

Now if you want to go indulgent I added about 1 tsp of nutella in the middle of half of them for Jason. However, he said it would have been just as good "frosted" on top instead of baked inside. When baked inside it came out like when you put a Hersey kiss inside a muffin, so nothing too special. I was hoping it would keep its creaminess inside, no joy.