BBQ Chicken Pizza

Tired of the traditional pepperoni pizza? This is sure to be a pleaser and it's much healthier!

What you'll need:

BBQ Sauce

Chicken

Whole wheat pita

Part-skim mozzarella

white onion

sugar

EVOO

How to make it:

Place a pita on a baking sheet and spread about 1 tbsp of bbq sauce on it. Take your white onion and dice it. Add to pan with the EVOO and saute for a minute. Add 1 tsp sugar. Let them bad boys caramelize. Spoon onto your pizza. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Cook in same pan as the onions. Spoon on top pizza. Add cheese. Back at 350 under cheese is melted. Serve.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple

It's almost Turkey day! Here's one side dish I'm doing! I got this one from Food and Wine magazine folks. Here's how to make it:

1. One 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
2. 1 large Fuji apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 3/4 cup water

1. Line an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with the apple, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently until the cranberries are completely broken down and the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes. Scrape the cranberry sauce into the prepared pan and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. Invert the jelly onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Slice with a serrated knife before serving.

Make Ahead! The cranberry sauce can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Serve chilled.

Pylos

So my mom was in town for her b.day and I took her to lunch at Pylos in my hood to celebrate the occasion for a light lunch. If you like rustic greek food, then this is where you need to be! When we got there (around 2ish) there was one other couple in the whole place so we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We got the Spanakopita appetizer to start (crispy savory greek phyllo pastry filled with fresh spinach, feta and aromatic herbs). It was so good - I forgot to take a photo. My mom had a dish called Htenia Me Fasolia Kai Roka - which was grilled sea scallops tossed with white beans and arugula and served with a dressing of extra virgin greek olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

I had the Horiatiki: the classic greek village salad, with fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, capers, kalamata olives, feta and a simple dressing of extra virgin greek olive oil and red wine vinegar. I absolutely LOVE greek salads and this one did not disappoint - everything was super fresh.

Skrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

2 c Pasta (linguine used here)

String beans (fresh) - about 2 good fistfuls (not sure how much that is)

1/4 c Cherry tomatoes

2 c cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

1/4 c EVOO (a lot - I know)

1 tbsp crushed garlic

1/4 c white wine

1 tsp parsley

salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

I boiled my string beans for 5 minutes then set aside. Then I started cooking the pasta. When pasta had a few minutes left I sauteed the garlic in EVOO in a frying pan and then added the beans. After 2 minutes of stirring the beans I added the shrimp. Stir it up - try to get that EVOO over everything. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook 2 more minutes. Kill heat. Drain pasta - do NOT rinse pasta under water! Drop it into frying pan. Mix it all. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve. Mmmm....so fresh and yummy.

Asparagus wrapped Prosciutto Bundles

YAY for yummy side dishes again! I made this for lunch one day and for a side dish for dinner. I fed it to my hubby and even though he says he hates asparagus, he ate all of it! Success!

Ingredients:

Asparagus (try to get the tiny guys)

Crushed garlic

Prosciutto

Salt, Pepper

Directions:

Rinse your asparagus and nestle a few into a bundle. Start at one end of the prosciutto and start rolling. Once your beautiful bouquet is bound together, brush with chopped garlic. Roast at 450 for 15 minutes. It's a salty, hammy, asparagus-y delight! And NO OIL needed! Amaze.

Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric

I love roasting veggies! Usually I go simple - EVOO and salt and pepper with a squeeze of lemon, but this recipe is fun and different on a chilly afternoon. Great as a healthy snack, light lunch, yummy side dish -whateves. For those of you not familiar with Turmeric, it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell. It's got a beautiful orange color and sprinkles on nicely! I used it when I made by Moroccan Bastilla ages ago and figured I could get good use out of it again.

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp powdered garlic

salt

pepper

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Get your oven hot as hell. Toss cauliflower in EVOO. Sprinkle remaining ingredients. Toss well. Bake for around 15 minutes at 450. Serve immediately. Optional: Squeeze a little lemon on top. Yum!