Category: International

Throwback Sunday: Mediterranean Quinoa & Poached Egg

Happy Sunday! Hope ya’ll had a great weekend and are gearing up for another busy week ahead! Ben and I started our weekend at the Carolina Ale House watching Duke smack down Robert Morris (who?), then enjoyed a lazy Saturday parked in front of the TV/laptop watching more of the NCAA tourney. I also got to sing all services this weekend with the Summit All Campus Choir, which was a real treat. I always forget how much I love to worship through song until I’m back up on those risers, my voice melding with the members around me, feeling like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Have you ever had that experience of just knowing God has you exactly where He wants you? Nothing like it. Oh, and- *Shamelessplugalert* Did I mention that we’re going to be giving an EPIC concert on Maunday Thursday and Good Friday? *Endshamelessplug*

Anyway, tonight I had a craving for something light and springy tonight (and also something that would make a lot of leftovers). Some of you may remember my recipe for my Stuffed Mediterranean Portobellos from last year, and while I didn’t quite have the energy to clean and stuff all of those mushrooms, I was happy to whip up the quick and easy filling! I served it on top of spinach with a drizzling of balsamic vinegar, poached egg, almonds, and avocado. Oh, and a dollop of Greek yogurt for good measure.

Perfect for Meatless Monday tomorrow! Enjoy.

MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA & POACHED EGG
MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA & POACHED EGG

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Guinness Cheddar Dip

Happy St. Patrick’s Day week! My dear friend Sarah had a few of us over this afternoon for a little early St. Patty’s feast. While researching something tasty to bring, I stumbled upon this recipe from The Parsley Thief and couldn’t resist! While I’m not a huge Guinness beer fan in general, I love the tang of the draught when combined with some sharp cheddar and cream cheese. Serve with you favorite crudités like sliced veggies or some hearty crackers! (I considered spreading it on Irish Soda Bread, but I’m not sure how well that would work…)

Anyhoo, wherever you are, have a very merry St. Patrick’s Day! May you discover many rainbows with pots of gold at the end!

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GUINNESS CHEDDAR DIP
Guinness Cheddar Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Irish
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Happy St. Patty’s Day! Here’s a fun spin on the usual cheddar and cream cheese dip, using Guinness draft beer for a little extra tang. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used Kroger’s Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese which is lower in calories and half the fat!)
  • 2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • pinch of salt, to taste
  • 1/3 cup Guinness beer
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
  • 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for garnish
  • crudités: sliced radishes, carrots, pretzels and crackers
Instructions
  1. Combine cheeses, mustard, milk, and salt in a food processor and pulse until blended.
  2. Add beer and hot sauce and pulse a few more times until smooth.
  3. Stir in parsley and green onions.
  4. Chill for at least 1 hour and serve with crudités!

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GUINNESS CHEDDAR DIP
GUINNESS CHEDDAR DIP

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Pesto Feta Chicken Burgers

Ben told me that he was craving a big, juicy chicken sandwich last night. We didn’t end up getting him one, since I was craving a big, juicy salad…

You’re always craving a salad! he said to me when I suggested we go to Jason’s Deli.

What did we end up doing?

Jason’s Deli, FTW. But it’s ok. Because he still got a chicken panini. And I got my big salad (side note: isn’t J’s Deli awesome? You can get a humongous salad to-go and make it last like, three meals. Plus, free pickles!)

Tonight I decided to be a good wife and make my hubby his precious chicken sandwich. But not just any chicken sandwich. I decided to make Pesto Feta Chicken Burgers. Juicy chicken breast stuffed with pesto and feta cheese (or pimiento, since we had only a bit of feta left), seared in olive oil and served over a nice big kale salad (ok, he really ate it on a bun. The salad on the side only stayed because it was already on the plate from me taking pictures of it). These are juicy and savory, and you’ll really love the surprise of the oozy cheese in the center. They’re also really versatile. Add whatever kind of cheese or seasonings you want to customize to your own tastes, or make the patties a bit smaller/rounder for meatballs!

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PESTO FETA CHICKEN BURGERS

 

Pesto Feta Chicken Burgers
Recipe Type: Burger, Chicken
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15
Tender, savory chicken stuffed with feta or pimiento cheese and seasoned with garlicky pesto… how can you go wrong?
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup white beans, drained
  • 2 packages ground chicken, 50% lean
  • 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbsp Italian parsley, minced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup pesto
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Pimiento cheese
  • Feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft- about 4 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mash beans with a potato masher until chunky. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and stir to combine.
  3. Spray hands with olive oil or cooking spray. Grab a handful of mixture and form into 2″ diameter patties. Place each onto a sprayed sheet of parchment paper and with your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each patty.
  4. Fill each patty with about a teaspoon of feta or pimiento cheese. Add a bit more of the meat mixture (or just pinch up the sides) to close the patties.
  5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  6. In a large skillet or griddle, add remaining olive oil or cooking spray and cook each patty on medium-high heat (to get that nice seared look!) for 3 min per side, or until cooked through.
  7. Serve on a bun or over a big kale salad!
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Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl.
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Poke a hole in the center of each patty and fill with cheese of your choice! I used feta and pimiento.
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Cook 3 minutes each side on medium-high heat.
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Nice and browned. Yum.
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Ready to devour! Pesto Feta Chicken Burgers, FTW!

Claire1 Comment

Monday Pizza Night!

Tonight I decided it was time to make another pizza. Something about having the Duke-Pitt game on TV, having the whole day to let the dough rise and add a bunch of leftover toppings, and picking up a sweaty husband from the gym just screamed “PIZZA!” to me. I’d been planning this ever since I brought back half of my Chili’s Margarita Grilled Chicken and decided it wouldn’t be any good on its own. But instead of tossing it, I figured I’d chop it up and at least use it as a pizza topping! For the Southwestern half, I added a little cumin and garlic powder, then the chicken (which was already conveniently seasoned with pico and some other mystery Chili’s spices that I’d probably rather NOT know about…), and for the Greek half, I used a bit of Italian marinated chicken I made for Ben last night, along with some Greek spices, veggies and feta.

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Monday Pizza Night!
Recipe Type: Pizza
Cuisine: Southwestern, Greek
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Monday Pizza Night! Dinner in front of the Duke-Pitt game… can’t get any better than this! All you need is a refrigerated pizza dough from your local grocery store (love Harris Teeter and TJ’s!) and top with all your leftovers!
Ingredients
  • 1 whole wheat pizza dough (Harris Teeter)
  • EVOO
  • 1 cup reduced sodium tomato sauce
  • Greek Spices: 1/2 tsp each dried oregano, Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning
  • Greek Toppings: chopped broccoli, chicken, black olives, tomatoes, feta cheese
  • Southwestern Spices: 1/2 tsp each cumin and garlic powder, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Southwestern Toppings: chicken, black olives, black beans, frozen corn, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 deg. Allow pizza dough to come to room temperature for at least 1 hour, punching it down to knead gently every half hour or so.
  2. Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray. Give the dough a few kneads, then press out to sides of pan using fingertips (if it springs back, give it a few minutes and let it rise a bit more, then continue to press out to the sides. You can also let the dough hang from your fingertips and let gravity help stretch it!)
  3. Drizzle with a little EVOO and use your fingers to spread around the entire surface of the dough.
  4. Top with sauce and seasonings, then add the toppings to make 1/2 the pie Greek, and 1/2 Southwestern!
  5. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fluffy.
  6. Slice into as many pieces as you’d like!

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Claire2 Comments

Smoked Salmon & Kale Salad with Orange-Dijon Vinaigrette

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Smoked Salmon and Kale Salad with Orange-Dijon Vinaigrette

I think I am addicted to spiralizing. Or should I say, Spiralizing. I’m pretty sure I have been having dreams about spiralizing since Christmas. What do we have in our house that I can put through that baby? Carrot noodles? Zucchini noodles? Broccoli noodles? Meatball noodles? Yogurt noodles? Peanut butter noodles? Ok maybe not everything can be spiralized (if only…). But there is something magical about feeding a large cylindrical object (at which most 5 year-olds would turn their nose up) into a sharp blade (which YOU get to choose!) and watch long, slinky-like strips of carrots come out the other side.

(They’re not very good at ending up in the bowl you want them to, but they are TOTALLY worth a few carrot stains on the counter).

Consider your lives changed.

Tonight, when Ben told me he was craving salmon for dinner, I thought to myself, Self! Why not make some spiralized veggies and a smoked salmon salad!? Because I never make salads, so this would be so unusual for me!

I whipped up a quick Dijon vinaigrette using the quick and dirty technique outlined in the book I’m currently reading, Bread and Wine (which by the way is amazing- I highly recommend!), and massaged a few kale greens with the freshly-spiralized veggie noodles. [side-note: why does spellcheck not yet know the word “spiralize”!?] Top it with some smoked salmon and savory capers and feta, and by golly, we have a delicious, power-packed salad fit for both you AND your salmon-craving, 150-pushups-a-day-performing man! (I actually turned these into tacos for him… he’s not as keen on the kale and zucchini mix, but don’t worry- I still snuck a few in there :P).

Hope you enjoy it!

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Smoked Salmon and Kale Salad with Orange-Dijon Vinaigrette
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Smoked Salmon Tacos
Smoked Salmon and Kale Salad with Orange-Dijon Vinaigrette
Recipe Type: Salad, Healthy, Seafood
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
A perfect way to practice your spiralizing skills while whipping up a quick and power-packed salad! Experiment with your own veggies, vinaigrette ingredients, and toppings to your heart’s desire.
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 cups shredded kale
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 small zucchinis, spiralized (using smallest blade for extra-thin “zoodles”)
  • 2 carrots, spiralized
  • 1 cup cooked grains (I used a medley of brown rice, quinoa, and lentils)
  • 4 oz smoked salmon, shredded or sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tsp capers
  • 1/4 tsp dried dill weed
  • feta cheese, for topping
Instructions
  1. In a small jar or bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients (oil through salt). I like using a jar so I can put the lid on and shake it up, then reuse it later in the week!
  2. Combine kale, tomatoes, spiralized veggies, and grains in a large bowl.
  3. Drizzle vinaigrette over top, little by little, tasting as you go to avoid drenching the salad!
  4. Massage veggies with your hands until kale is wilted and dressing is distributed evenly.
  5. Top salad with salmon (I threw mine under the broiler for 2 min but smoked salmon is meant to be served raw!), a few capers, and a pinch of dried dill weed.
  6. Serve with feta crumbles or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (or both!) and some good crackers or crusty bread.
  7. *You can also make salmon tacos! Simply combine about 1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream with some ranch dressing seasoning and stir, stir, stir. Spread it on the bottom of a tortilla and top with salad from above (making sure not too much dressing is on it to avoid making them too soggy). Bake at 350 for 6-7 min or until tortillas are just “set.” Top tortillas with rice, salmon, capers/dill, and feta.

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Claire2 Comments

Steelers’ Stroganoff Stew

This week we had a house full of boys, er- men? (When DOES a boy become a man, anyway?) After three days of my wonderful husband giving them the Durham gourmet pizza-BBQ-Chickfila food tour, they were tired of spending money and overindulging in heavy, fried food. (Perfect way to start off the New Year, right?). So this rainy Saturday evening during the Steelers’ playoff game vs. the Ravens (boooooo…), I decided to make them a hearty stew that could simmer away all day long and be pretty low-maintenance at the last minute when there were plenty of exciting bball and football games to be watched!

But what does one serve college guys who could gorge themselves on chips, dip, cookies, pizza, and the candy dish all day long? Beef Stroganoff Stew! Originally I was going to make Ropa Vieja Enchiladas, which are one of Ben’s favorites, but I just didn’t have it in me to shred any meat or turn the oven on after we got home late this afternoon from the NSCU vs. Pitt game (sad day for Pitt basketball. oh well.). Plus, I’d forgotten to get the enchilada sauce. Instead, I settled on a beef stew with a “citrus flair,” as traditional Ropa Vieja has a dash of orange or lime juice to brighten it up! I served this over cooked egg noodles, but you could also ladle it over another type of pasta or white rice. Just make sure to serve it with plenty of shredded cheese and sour cream!

LET’S GO STEELERS!

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Steelers’ Stroganoff Stew
Steelers’ Stroganoff Stew
Recipe Type: Stew, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Russian
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Looking for something to serve the men in your house? Here’s an easy, throw-together stew that you can simmer away in the crock pot all day and enjoy in front of the Steelers’ game next Saturday night! This one was made with chuck roast meat, but you could also use pork or chicken. I also added some citrus with a generous glug of orange juice and a few squirts of lime. Cuban meets Russian?
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 carrots, spiralized 🙂 (or chopped into small chunks)
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 package beef stew seasoning or mushroom and onion mix
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2″ chunks
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 can low sodium beef broth
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 cups cooked pasta (such as wide egg noodles or rotini)
  • shredded cheese and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
  1. Drizzle olive oil in bottom of crock pot.
  2. Combine onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and all spices in crock pot. Add beef on top.
  3. Cover with water, broth, tomato sauce/paste, orange and lime juice.
  4. Cover and set to low for 6-8 hours or until beef is tender.
  5. Give the stew a good stir and reduce heat to warm. Add the cooked pasta and peas 10 minutes before serving.
  6. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and some crusty bread for dunking!
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Steelers’ Stroganoff Stew

 

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