Daniel's Homemade Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 Avocados (ripe)
1 TBL chopped garlic
2 Limes (juiced)
1 Man-handful of Cilantro (chopped)
1 Jalapeño (Chopped)
Salt to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl and serve with the pit in the center to prevent browning.

Amberleigh's Crockpot Enchilada Quinoa

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey (I also made this minus the turkey for a vegetarian option)
• 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans 
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup sweet bell peppers, I used orange
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (19 ounces) enchilada sauce*
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cups cheddar or Mexican cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, sour cream, green onions, 1 small jalapeño

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey until browned through. Drain out any grease and place in the slow cooker.
2. Add in the uncooked quinoa (make sure to rinse first), the black beans (drained and rinsed), the frozen corn, the diced tomatoes and green chilies (do not drain), the salsa (I used medium), and minced garlic.
3. Chop up the onion and sweet bell pepper into small pieces. Add to the slow cooker. If desired chop up a jalapeño and add it too.
4. Add in the water, enchilada sauce (I used mild, but use whatever you like best), chili powder, and cumin.
5. Stir everything together really well. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours or until the liquid is all absorbed into the mixture.
6. Once it is done cooking, remove the lid and stir everything again. Stir in the cheese and fresh cilantro (stems removed and chopped).
7. If desired add in the fresh lime juice.
8. Add a dollup of sour cream and some chopped green onions if desired.
9. **If you want to make these into more of traditional enchiladas: warm up the tortillas, spread some cheese on one side, a large spoonful of the mixture on top of the cheese, and more cheese on top of the mixture. Roll it up and top with more salsa or enchilada sauce. Add sour cream, green onions, and cilantro if desired.

Amberleigh's Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles

from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Ingredients
for the topping1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
for the cookies1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
3 Tbsp nondairy milk (I used coconut)
2 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used gf flour)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Mix the topping ingredients together in a shallow bowl, and set aside.

Step 3: In mixing bowl, vigorously mix together the oil, sugar, syrup, and milk with a fork. Mix in the extracts. Sift in the remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all the ingredients are added, mix until you have a pliable dough.

Step 4: Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place a ball into topping, and press into sugar to flatten into 2-in disc. Transfer to baking sheets (sugar side up, 2 in apart), and bake 10-12 minutes.

Step 5: Enjoy with a glass of milk! Be warned – these cayenne spiced cookies have a bit of a kick!

Courtney's Vegetarian Enchiladas

*For the sauce* 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth 1/4 cup tomato paste 1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour) 2 Tbsp. cooking oil (I used coconut) 2 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. chili powder Salt/pepper

*For the enchiladas* 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed) 6 oz. fresh baby spinach 6 green onions, thinly sliced 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 2 tsp. cumin 3 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or pepper jack, etc.) 8 whole wheat or flour tortillas (corn for a gf option)

To make the sauce, heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, and set aside. Make sure to taste the sauce after seasoning.

Saute the spinach in oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted (once cooked, I chopped my spinach up, so there wouldn’t be any large pieces in the mix). In a large bowl, combine beans, 2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, cumin, and cilantro. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom. I laid down two tortillas and covered them with half the vegetable mixture. Then I laid two more tortillas down and top with the remaining vegetable mixture. I then added two more tortillas on the top and poured the rest of the enchilada sauce over them. Finally, I topped it with the remaining cheese. Avocado slices and sour cream at the end.

Courtney's Spicy Cucumber Margaritas

Create a simple syrup (or can be replaced with agave)
Bring 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let simple syrup cool.
Combine simple syrup, 3 cups tequila blanco, 1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice, 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup triple sec, and 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise, in a pitcher. Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours (taste every 1/2 hour or so until spiced to your liking); remove jalapeño.
Rub a lime wedge over half the rim of highball or rocks glasses; dip into kosher salt. Serve Margaritas over ice in prepared glasses; garnish with sliced cucumber and jalapeño.

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This was super tasty!

Italian Night at the Supper Club

September's Supper Club

Welcome to Little Italy!

Thank you so much for all that was able to make it to September's Supper Club!

Stay tuned for more delicious recipes and I hope those who weren't able to make it in October.

Thanks for a great night!

Amberleigh's Mini Cannoli Cups

Mini Cannoli Cups

Ingredients:
Crust-
2 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (I used a pre-made Gluten Free crust)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Flour for dusting surface
Filling-
1 15oz. container of whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Prepare filling by combining all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl with an electric mixer.
Place in a one-gallon freezer bag and refrigerate.
Roll out pie crusts and sprinkle each all over one side with sugar and cinnamon.
Roll over dough with rolling pin gently to push cinnamon and sugar into the pie crust.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut out circles in the dough.
Lightly press the circles into ungreased mini cupcake pans to form a pastry cup.
Gently prick the bottoms on the cups with a fork so that they don’t rise too much in the oven!
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and once cool, fill with cream.
Cut off a small part of the corner of the plastic bag to fill cups.
Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and dust with powdered sugar!

Filling can be kept in the fridge up to 3 days before filling. Fill about 1 hour before serving.

Such a quick and easy dessert!

Tuesday's Chicken and Spinach Paleo Ravioli

Chicken and Spinach Paleo Ravioli

Makes about 24 raviolis

• 4-5 medium to large yellow squash
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1.5 lbs. ground chicken
• 1 8 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• small handful fresh basil leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• Pasta Sauce

1. Cut ends of squash off and slice down the middle so you have two halves. Using the narrowest setting on your mandolin, slice the squash into long, flat strips. You'll end with around 70 or so strips.

2. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute for about 5 minutes, until nearly translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.

3. Add ground chicken to onion and garlic and saute until chicken is cooked all the way through.

4. Squeeze all the excess water out of the spinach, then ad chicken, spinach, salt, pepper, and mascarpone to a food processor or blender and puree until mixture reaches desired consistency (I like it relatively smooth).

5. Assemble the ravioli by just barely overlapping two strips of squash (pictured above). Do the same over the middle of the first two strips, but perpendicular, creating a cross or "t" shape. 

6. Spoon filling in the center of the cross, then bring the ends of the strips together, overlapping each other. If that doesn't make sense, just see the picture above.

7. Secure with a toothpick.

8. Before serving, steam raviolis for about 4 minutes, or until squash is tender and inside is warm.

9. Top with sauce of your choice.

Such a great healthy and Gluten Free option that tastes great!

Katie's Caprese Crescents with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce

Caprese Crescents with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 Large Red Tomato Sliced, then cut in half
1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
8 slices of skim mozzarella cheese
8 leaves of basil

For the Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut tomatoes, and cheese.  Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles.  Place one slice of cheese on the wide end of each crescent roll.  Put the tomato and basil on top of the cheese then roll it up.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the Vinaigrette:

Mix the oil, honey, vinegar, and Dijon mustard all together.  Then dip the warm crescents into the vinaigrette.

This was such a quick and delicious appetizer! 

Melissa DiGregorio's Italian Sausage Lasagna

Italian Sausage Lasagna

 

Ingredients:

1 package of Johnsonville Italian ground sausage

12 lasagna noodles

1 medium onion

5 garlic cloves

½ cup of parmesan cheese

2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. of olive oil

1 large egg

4 cups ricotta cheese

1 jar of marinara sauce

6 basil leaves

2 cups of fresh spinach

 

Cooking Directions:

 

1.     Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook Lasagna noodles until soft. Drain lightly and put aside

2.     In a medium sauce pan, sauté the sausage crumpling with spoon, until no longer pink. Add in onion, garlic and basil and continue sautéing for another 4 minutes until the sausage is cooked through. Add marinara sauce and oregano to the sausage mixture and set aside.

3.     In a medium bowl blend ricotta cheese, egg and half of the parmesan cheese and the chopped spinach. Set aside

4.     Coat a baking dish with olive oil and spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom.

5.     Top with 3 lasagna noodles, spread ¼ ricotta cheese mixture on top of the nodes and layer on 1 cup of the sauce mixture, sprinkle mozzarella cheese over this.

6.     Repeat these steps until you have used all of the ingredients.

7.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes.

8.     Enjoy! 

This is one of the best Lasagnas I have ever had!

Melissa Church's Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

·       Prep time: 10 minutes

·       Cook time: 20 minutes

·       Yield: Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

·       1 Tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter

·       1/2 pound pancetta

·       1 Teaspoon garlic cloves, minced

·       3 whole eggs

·       1 cup pecorino cheese

·       1 pound spaghetti

·       Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1 Put a large pot of salted water on to boil (1 Tbsp salt for every 2 quarts of water.)

2 While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook slowly until crispy. Add the garlic and cook another minute, then turn off the heat and put the pancetta and garlic into a large bowl.

3 In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in about half of the cheese.

4 Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the pasta, and cook, uncovered, at a rolling boil. When the pasta is al dente (still a little firm, not mushy), use tongs to move it to the bowl with the bacon and garlic. Move the pasta from the pot to the bowl quickly, as you want the pasta to be hot. It's the heat of the pasta that will heat the eggs sufficiently to create a creamy sauce. Toss everything to combine, then add the beaten eggs with cheese and toss quickly to combine once more. Add salt to taste.

Serve at once with the rest of the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

If you want, sprinkle with a little fresh chopped parsley.

This was delicious and a recipe from a real italian!