Everyones Best Friend- Homemade Ranch

I had the distinct honor & privilege of witnessing the creation of, and gobbling the most fantastic homemade pizza and cheese bread YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE on America's birthday. I mean, words do not express this one, people! I have spent a decent part of today looking for homemade pizza contests for my friend Greg to enter because, honestly, his creation, which he has had spent many hours perfecting, is simply outstanding!

Greg and his fantabulous fiance, Dee, brought all the ingredients to a mini-BBQ we had at our place on the Fourth and while I was just simply honored to have him and his impressive ingredients inside my home, I couldn't bring myself to do a Special Feature for the blog because I just couldn't imagine letting the world know about something so incredibly special. I want this pizza and cheesy bread all to myself - well, and obviously Dee and Greg can have some too, and maybe my hubster, and I guess whoever Greg says is okay to know about it- but THAT'S IT- no one else! Unless of course, I find a contest for Greg to enter- then he can be the winner and make tons of money and we'll go into food-business together and all will be right with the world.

Anyways, Mike and I were in charge of one of the pizza toppings, salad and dessert (recipe to be posted soon), and since Greg isn't the biggest fan of lettuce, I thought I'd try to see if there was something yummy I could do to entice him. (Greg is pretty famous as his first green leafy salad was actually on our wedding day at the reception, lol). Since we have a plentiful herb garden kickin' I thought I'd try my hand at making some homemade ranch dressing, and I mean, what could go better with pizza but everyones best friend!?

This is definitely the type of recipe you need to constantly be tasting throughout so you get to the desired consistency and flavor you love, and word to the wise- skip the healthy stuff just this once for this one- I used the olive oil mayo and I wish I would've used the regular.

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 large garlic clove, or 2 smaller cloves, minced as finely as you can
• 4 Tbls. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
• 2 Tbls. fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped finely (optional)
• 1 cup mayo (regular)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk (or more to get to desired consistency)
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Begin by sprinkling the minced garlic with a little bit of salt and mash it with a fork, or smash it with the back of a sharp knife until it looks more like the consistency of a paste (don't worry, there will still be chunks of minced garlic- it won't totally be a paste, but you are just trying to get it a little more smooth looking).

Use a small spatula or a fork to mix together the mayo and sour cream in a bowl. Combine in the garlic. Now combine in the parsley, chives and oregano (optional). Add in a little salt and pepper, give it a stir and taste. Add in more S & P as needed. Refrigerate to chill until serving.

Just before serving add in the milk and stir with a fork rigorously to combine. Taste to be sure your flavor is where you want it to be, and if necessary add in a few tablespoons of milk to thin the dressing out even more. (Some people like it really runny, some like it thicker). Serve and enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• Stick with the basics of flat-leaf parsley and chives, but aside from that you could add in whatever kind of herbs you like; oregano, fresh dill, curly parsley...


• Make it HOT ranch by adding cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste...

Ginger-Almond Fruit Plate

What can be better than fresh fruit during the month of July when pretty much everything is fresh and ripe? Then add the fabulousness of coming in from the hot summer heat and sitting down to a plateful of crispy, cold, tangy, sweet fruit! MMMmm, delic!

Now, I'm kind of a weirdo and I don't really have a taste for certain fruits so when I made this I used the stuff that I like! You need to do the same! This is really just about the method of incorporating the gingery dressing and the crunchy almonds to a beautiful fruit salad, and at the end of the day YOU need to love it and whatever you put in it, i.e., don't use fruits you don't like! Duh! :-D

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• about 1 pint of strawberries
• 3 clementines, peeled & sliced into rounds
• 1 pint of blueberries
• -OR- whatever fruit you prefer, perhaps 1 yellow grapefruit instead of the clementines, 1 pint of raspberries instead of the blueberries, etc.

• 1/2 cup honey (local honey from a cider mill or farmers market is always best!)
• 2 Tbls. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger root; (peel about 1-2 inches of fresh ginger root and grate it on a fine grater or a microplane/zester seen here)
• 1/3 cup of slivered or sliced almonds, toasted (toasting the almonds is quite easy- place the almonds on a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing around frequently, until just fragrant & lightly browned)

Arrange your fruit decoratively on a plate, or just toss together in a bowl. Combine the honey, lemon juice & ginger in a small bowl, using a fork or a small whisk. Drizzle the dressing over the fruit & top with the almonds. Eat, smile, then make comment on NICHe in the KITCHe about how much you loved this! ;-)

Parsley Pesto in a Presto!

My fabulous hubster has been wanting to mimic his mama's awesome veggie garden for a long, long time now, and if you've ever been over to our home, you know we have an excess of space in the back yard for one. Well, this was the year, and though it's the very beginning, things are progressing quite nicely! We have lettuce, zucchini, peppers & broccoli growing (although there are some weird bugs on the broccoli leaves that Mike is trying to safely kill), and then there is a cute little area for my herb garden, which is my forte'. Last year I went crazy stuffing herb seeds and herb-starters into pots, only so that they could overgrow each other and become entangled and messy- not ideal for a 'type A' home cook! So, my 3 X 4 rows and columns of herbs that the hubster organized and planted for me (I am not a green-thumb person, my place is IN the kitchen, NOT in the garden), are perfection!!

Last year I got a little of every herb out there- well, not EVERY herb in the world, but the most common. And though that was fun, I really didn't end up using the lemon verbana too much or the marjoram- just not enough varieties of recipes to use them up. This year, I figured I would replace the the ones I didn't use much with a few extras of the herbs I wished I had had more of, so I ended up with; 2 big flat leaf parsley, 1 curly parsley, 1 dill, 2 gigantic rosemary (I seriously have rosemary for days so if you need some, let me know!), 1 oregano, 1 chive, 1 mint, 1 sage, and 1 thyme. I normally get a lot of basil as well to make basil pesto, but I haven't been able to find any good looking basil plants around town (do you know where I can find some?).
Well, pretty much everything is growing out of control in my cute little 3 X 4 garden except for my dill (which is disappointing because usually dill doesn't need much love or attention), so I have a ton of flat leaf parsley- perfect for a fresh pesto to; toss with a whole-wheat pasta, spread on top of a crusty bread, stuff inside a deli sammy, drizzle on some fresh veggies, stir into a vegetable soup for added flavor, or mix with some olive oil to create a sparkling salad dressing.
Here are the basics...

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, enough to creative about 1 cup (packed) when it is all chopped up (p.s. It is okay to use some of the stems of the parsley!)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 tsp. lime juice, or to taste
• 2 Tbls. olive oil
• kosher salt, pepper- to taste

There are 2 ways to go about this;

A) Coarsely chop all the parsley and combine all the ingredients in a bowl- simply mash everything together with a fork.

B) Kind of rip apart the parsley a little as you throw it in your mini-chopper. Chop the garlic in 3 pieces and toss it in the chopper, followed by the other ingredients. Pulse until you get to a desired consistency/texture-kind of chunky yet smooth.

You Could Also Try...

• Set aside a specific ice cube tray JUST for pesto- fill the little compartments with your homemade heaven and then cover with plastic wrap, followed by a freezer bag. Freeze your ice cube tray full of fresh pesto and save it away for for your next special use! When you're ready to cook with it, just pull the tray out and thaw in the fridge for a few hours, or defrost for 30 seconds-1 minute in the microwave, and use however much pesto you need. Again, freeze the leftovers for another day!
• Ideas for ways to use pesto; toss with a whole-wheat pasta, spread on top of a crusty bread, stuff inside a deli sammy, drizzle on some fresh veggies, stir into a vegetable soup for added flavor, or mix with some olive oil to create a sparkling salad dressing.

Protein-Packed & Fresh Veggie Tabbouleh

So a few months back I started my venture on eating more "anti-inflammatory" foods, in order to help my body become the best it can be in all facets of life. (Check out this post to review where this all came from...) Well, long story short, it turns out I needed another knee scope last week to see what the heck was going on with this knee of mine that wasn't healing from a scope-gone-bad from December last year. So to continue my "anti-inflammatory" journey and prepare my body for the outpatient procedure and long recovery ahead, I sought out some high protein and high fiber recipes to give my body a good fighting chance!

Why do you need protein, and why do you need more of it when you're going under the knife and/or about to need your body to really work well for ya? Well, think of of it like this; Your muscles are like a factory you are building- and the bricks to assemble the building are found within protein-rich foods. So you have to have enough of the bricks to properly assemble your building, right!? And when you're body is already feeling slightly defeated, it deserves for YOU to be on top of things and give it as many bricks as you can!

Well, I'm NICHe in the KITCHe of course, and I'm not just going to cart in plates full of meat to eat- no way! There ARE ways to combine really great, tasty, low fat proteins with other recipes I love, and reep the benefits!

One recipe I came across combined the basics of the popular Middle Eastern parsley salad, and the protein benefits of the popularly growing, grain-like, quinoa. And I must say- I'm hooked! All the veggies provide tons of fiber and vitamins, and the quinoa is awesome for protein & antioxidants! This is a very well-rounded salad and it really is perfect to go as a side to a piece of grilled fish, BBQ chicken, shish kabob, shrimp stir fry, summery gazpacho soup...well, you get the point...

(You'll want to eat this all up within 2 days or so, otherwise the veggies will start to get a little mushy)

P.S. This is totally Gluten-Free too, so safe for all you GF'ers out there!

Ingredients & Recipe: (adapted from Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Health)
Printable Recipe

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup quinoa (I like this Ancient Harvest brand)
• kosher salt
• juice from 1/2 of a lime
• drizzle of olive oil
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 English cucumber, diced finely (skins are okay to eat)
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced very finely or grated
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
• about 3 Tbls. fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. dried paprika

Begin by preparing the quinoa; stir the quinoa and water in a small pot, add in a pinch of salt and bring up a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water and is fluffy & tender. Set aside to completely cool.

Meanwhile, do all your chopping of the veggies and combine them all in a large bowl. Stir in the lime juice and olive oil, and add the paprika.

When the quinoa is cool, gently stir it into the veggie mix. Chill the salad for at least 2 hours to let all the flavors merry together.

Make This!! Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Have you noticed that strawberries are ridiculously cheap all the sudden? I love it because fruit choices in the winter can get pretty boring when you try to stay on a budget! But do you know why? I learned it is because Florida's strawberry crop came a lot later than usual because of the late spring, which in turn has overlapped into the California strawberry season so now we have those precious red berries from both areas being transported all across the country for less expensive prices than if each area had their own season to maintain.

So, go ahead and get that extra pint of luscious strawberries when you're at the market. Sprinkle slices all over your yogurt in the morning, pop them in your mouth for a healthy snack at lunch or better yet- save a few slices and create this awesome salad dressing to ooze over a bed of mixed greens! You'll be feeling spring-y & fresh, and proud of yourself that you created such a masterpiece- it really feels so good to switch up your typical salad fixings once in a while!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 6 strawberries, sliced or chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar -OR- 3 Tbls. honey
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white onion, chopped finely
• 1/4 fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Bring the two vinegars & strawberries up to a boil in a small saucepan, and let the liquid reduce by more than half, so that you end up with about 1/2 cup of sauce. (When you "reduce" a sauce of some sort, you are basically cooking a liquid down, letting the parts that can evaporate do just that, and then you are left with a very rich, flavorful sauce).

Now, add the sugar -OR- honey, onions and parsley, bring the heat down and let everything simmer about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Once the sauce is cool, use a whisk to blend in the olive oil. Serve or store in an air-tight container until use. (Because this has fresh fruit in it, I would use in the next few days, not much longer than that).

Classic Mustard Egg-Salad in a Romaine Wrap

So I first had egg-salad in High School when I worked at the Birmingham Country Club pool Snack Bar. I worked there 2 summers in a row with a few friends and let me tell you- my bank account wasn't the only thing that grew those summers:) I feel like it was at that Snack Bar where I first had creative freedom in a kitchen- well of course I had to stick to filling drinks and grilling hot dogs for the members, but I also learned how to properly slice a pineapple and make fruit salad, make killer tuna-melts, and of course make a really delic & simple egg-salad.

Through the years I've slimmed the recipe down, using Olive Oil mayo (and less of it altogether) and instead of bread, I love the idea of making it an "un-wich" (like Jimmy John's says) A.K.A. a lettuce wrap! Make a few eggs the night before and you will have yourself a healthful, protein packed lunch!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and smashed, or use one of these
• 1 Tbls. of mayo, I prefer the olive oil type
• 1 tsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• a few dashes of paprika, seasoned salt & pepper
• Green leaf or Romaine lettuce
• fresh tomato, diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until just blended. Cover with plastic wrap and place back in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, to give the mix some time to "marry".

Rinse a few large lettuce leaves, pat dry with paper towel. Fill the leaves with egg salad & tomato and roll the lettuce up (like a burrito). Enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• Finely chop 1 celery stalk and/or 1/4 red onion, add this to your egg-salad before letting it "marry". You'll get a great crunch, added flavor & a bit more fiber!
• Adding 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice adds a fresh "brightness" to the egg-salad, try it!
• I try to make my egg salad early in the morning and bring it to work in a small container. I place a few pieces of lettuce between some paper towel, and the assemble my Romaine Wrap at lunch time. Nothing beats a fresh, healthful wrap at lunch, especially when I know what the ingredients are!

Simply Satisfying Celery Chicken Salad

You've probably caught on to the fact that I like to use up the foods I already have in the fridge or freezer. It just takes a moment of "being in the here & now" with your fridge before you realize what a lovely concoction you can create...and be totally satisfied with!

Tonight's creation was all about prepping something easy to have for lunch for the week ahead. My schedule is never the same each day, so when I need to eat lunch, I need to do right then- no time to flounder about making something healthy, and no one wants to eat a Lean Cuisine all the time! My simple yet satisfying Celery Chicken Salad will keep you full of healthy protein & fresh veggies, and maybe even wishing that every meal was lunchtime!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 3 trimmed chicken breasts, poached/boiled in salted water (I also stir in about 1/2 tsp. of celery seed for more flavorful chicken), then shredded
• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped finely
• 3 celery ribs, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup of mayo (I like the mayo made from olive oil- a little healthier and great taste)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 tsp. of the lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. dried chives
• dash of caraway seed (optional)
• S & P to taste

Once you've poached and shredded your chicken, set it aside and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the onion, celery, mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest and seasonings together. Toss your chicken into the bowl, combine well and give it a taste- add a little more S & P if you like, or add some depth by tossing a dash of the caraway seed. Let the chicken salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so all the flavors combine together before serving.

I bought some awesome onion-rye bread to make open-faced sandwiches on, so when I assembled my sandwich, I layered a ton of baby spinach on the bread, followed by a a few slices of tomato, and then smothered the chicken salad on top! Grab a spicy garlic pickle and a a few pretzel rods and you have an amazing, and protein filled lunch!

You Could Also Try...

• Make this sammy ahead of time! Since there is very little mayo in this recipe, it won't make your bread soggy, so wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and bring it to work for lunch
• Add in 1/2 cup of slivered almonds to the mix for an added crunch
• I'm personally not a black-olive lover, but many people enjoy adding 1/4 cup of chopped black olives into the mix for a greek style chicken salad
• Use 1/4 cup of sour cream instead of mayo for a creamier salad
• Add 12-15 green or red seedless grapes (halved), for a sweet taste
• Don't forget you could use my Cajun Roasted Chicken Breast recipe to prep your chicken instead of poaching!

Mexican Quinoa Salad...A Gluten-Free Amigo!

I'm sure you know at least someone in your life with a food allergy. It seems like more and more people are benefiting from staying away from foods that contain Gluten, which is most commonly found in barley, wheat and rye (so pretty much a ton of foods). One of my very best girlfriend's, Andrea, A.K.A. Lupi, is allergic to gluten (as is her momma - there is a genetic component to the allergy), so whether we're having snacks at our book club meeting, out for our monthly girls dinner or making dinner on a lazy evening, I've become more and more aware of the challenges Lupi faces to steer clear of gluten.

Lupi and I attended a cooking class several months back at Simply Good in Birmingham, Michigan, where they regularly feature a variety of healthy cuisines. This is where I first learned of Quinoa (pronounced "Keen-waa"), which is actually a relative of spinach but looks like a little grainy seed, is full of healthy protein and is totally Gluten-Free. Quinoa is a wonderful option and is interchangeable in so many recipes. It can be used like pasta for a cold salad, served warm like rice or used as a stuffing- there are really a million ways to use Quinoa.

This recipe is right up Lupi's alley because not only is it safe for her to eat, but it's got a Mexican flair (and if you know Lupi, she LOVES her Mexican food)!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 cup Quinoa (see the brand I like to use below)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbls. red wine vinegar
• 1 cup of frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion (green onion)
• 1 Tbls. finely chopped jalapeno (I use jarred jalapenos)

For Dressing:

• the juice of 1 Lime
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin


• 1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare the quinoa as described on package (usually you will bring water and quinoa to a boil, let it simmer 15 minutes, sort of like how you cook rice). Once the quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool. Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix together the beans, vinegar, corn, peppers, scallion and jalapeno. Finally, whisk together the lime juice, salt, cumin and olive oil to create your dressing, and pour it and the veggie mix all into the cooled quinoa. Fold everything together and serve room temperature. I have found that the longer the salad sits (up to a day before), the better all the flavors marry each other and make an awesome salad!

You Could Also Try...

• Use quinoa instead of pasta for a summer pasta salad


• Find quinoa at your typical grocery store, usual near the "health food" section.