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Pug and Tater's

From Home With Love

Meredith

Parmesan Garlic Quinoa

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We call this “Connor’s favorite quinoa” because my son devours this dish. Quinoa is full of protein and this makes a nice gluten free alternative to mac and cheese.

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Parmesan Garlic Quinoa
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Add onions and cook for a few minutes until softened.

  3. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

  4. Add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.

  5. Cook covered for 15 minutes.

  6. Add parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper and stir well to mix.

Sautéed Cannellini Beans

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These beans make a great protein packed side dish or a meatless main dish. My daughter is not usually a fan of beans, but will eat these because she loves shallots.

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Sautéed Cannellini Beans
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 2 shallots sliced thin
  • 1 14 oz. can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to turn brown, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add the thyme and shallots and cook 1 minute.

  4. Add the beans and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

  5. Add salt, pepper and red wine vinegar and cook for a few more minutes so the flavors can blend.

  6. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All  Good cookbook.

Classic Hummus

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Hummus is so easy to make yourself and it’s a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen – they love to push the processor. Double this recipe if you have a lot of hummus lovers.

I use a light tasting olive oil in this because I’m not a huge fan of olives. To cut down on the oil, you can substitute water for some of it.

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Classic Hummus
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions

  1. Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor and blend.

  2. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until hummus reaches desired consistency.

  3. Enjoy immediately and/or store in the refrigerator.

Beet Kale Juice

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When I have the time, I love to make fresh vegetable juice myself. It tastes much better than store bought ones and it gives me a burst of energy that I don’t get from pre-made ones. *Warning: objects in toilet may appear bright pink after drinking this.*

 

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Beet Kale Juice
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 2-3 beets quartered
  • 1 bunch kale
  • several handfuls baby carrots
  • 1 apple quartered
  • 1 lemon peeled
  • 1 2 inch piece fresh ginger
Instructions

  1. Add everything to the juicer in small batches.

  2. Stir to combine the juices together. Enjoy!

Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta

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This is an easy weeknight meal to make when you’re short on time. It comes together in the length of time it takes you to boil water and cook the pasta. Sometimes I’ll add sliced mushrooms and saute them with the sun-dried tomatoes. Crushed red pepper is another nice touch, but I add it individually to my plate as my kids don’t appreciate the spice.

I like to use Barilla’s protein plus pasta for this. To make this gluten free, use gluten free flour and gluten free pasta. You can also use vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish and in addition, omit the cheese to make it vegan.

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Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. penne
  • 1 8.5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes julienne cut in oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 14.5 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 9 oz fresh spinach
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
  • 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

  2. While the pasta water is heating up, pour the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and the oil into a large saute pan. Cook over medium heat for a couple minutes.

  3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

  4. Add the flour and stir to mix well with the oil.

  5. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring well to combine. Cook until sauce thickens.

  6. Add spinach in batches and cook until spinach wilts.

  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  8. Put cooked pasta and the sauce together in a large bowl and mix.

  9. Serve topped with pine nuts and feta cheese.

Balsamic Dressing

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Homemade salad dressings not only taste better than store bought ones, they are also healthier without preservatives and ingredients that you can’t pronounce. You are also able to control the amount of sugar and sodium when you make it yourself. If you eat salad frequently, I would double or triple this recipe to have on hand for the week. Try it over arugula with roasted beets and goat cheese.

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Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients into a lidded glass jar. Shake well to mix. Store any unused dressing in the refrigerator.

Grilled Summer Vegetables Over Orzo

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This is the only side dish you need to make when grilling steaks, chicken or fish. It makes a lot – 10 to 12 servings. However, I have seen four grown men finish the entire platter along with the rest of their meal before. You can use any grilled vegetables that you like, but this is amazing just the way it is. For extra creamy orzo, double the goat cheese and stir half of it into the orzo before topping with the vegetables.

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Grilled Summer Vegetables Over Orzo
Ingredients
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups orzo
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • olive oil
  • 1 large red onion cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 3 yellow squash halved lengthwise
  • 3 zucchini halved lengthwise
  • 4 Roma tomatoes halved and seeded
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbled
Instructions

  1. In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, orzo and 2 teaspoons rosemary. Over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

  2. Brush both sides of the onion, squash, zucchini and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 5-10 minutes or until tender, turning the onion, squash and zucchini once. Grill the tomatoes skin side down and do not turn during grilling.

  3. Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces.

  4. In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar and next 4 ingredients. Add the grilled vegetables and gently toss to coat.

  5. Spread the orzo onto a large serving platter. Add the vegetables on top and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

Adapted from Par 3 Tea-Time at the Masters cookbook.

Pizza Sauce

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Fridays are made for pizza, at least at our house. And now that school is back in session and we aren’t living at the pool, I’m back to making pizza on Friday nights rather than ordering it. My kids love helping me make pizza. This simple sauce is super easy for them to assemble and stir together. Use it on any pizza dough and top with your favorite toppings.

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Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, stir everything together.

  2. Spread it on pizza dough. Top with cheese and toppings.

  3. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes if using raw pizza dough. Otherwise, follow the instructions of the pizza crust.

Homemade Granola

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Homemade granola is what I eat most days for breakfast. Enjoy it by itself like I do, or add milk or yogurt and fresh fruit. Feel free to make it with honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar.

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Homemade Granola
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
6 mins
Total Time
12 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups oats
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions

  1. Combine oats, almonds and coconut in a microwave safe dish.

  2. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to combine.

  3. Microwave for 6 minutes, stirring well after each 1 1/2 minutes.

  4. Add raisins. Let cool completely and then store in an air tight container.

 

Zucchini Muffins

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These delicious muffins freeze well and are easy to pop in the microwave for a quick breakfast. You can use the same recipe to make 2 loaves of zucchini bread instead of muffins. Cook the loaves for 50-60 minutes.

 

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Zucchini Muffins
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut oil melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 2 cups zucchini grated
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with liners or spray with vegetable oil spray.

  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and the next four ingredients.

  3. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla. Pour these into the dry ingredients and stir to mix.

  4. Add pecans and zucchini and stir. Batter will be thick - this is normal.

  5. Spoon mixture into muffin tins, filling the cups almost completely.

  6. Bake on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  7. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins and let cool completely.