Make-Fast Mondays: Focaccia Veggie Pizzas

Not sure about you, but little Loryll was a biiiiig fan of french-bread pizzas. This is my grown-up attempt take on this special, easy treat. I’ve balanced out the food groups just a little bit more -- less pepperoni and bread, with more veggies and still plenty of delicious cheese. 

Focaccia Veggie Pizzas 
1 16-ounce focaccia loaf
1 cup prepared pesto
1 ½ cups marinara sauce
2 large sliced Roma tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced (I ended up with 10-12)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the focaccia horizontally so you’ve got two thin, flat pieces to work with. Place each focaccia slice on a baking sheet. Spread pesto sauce on one piece of the focaccia and top with half the mozzarella slices and all of the tomatoes. Evenly cover the other slice of focaccia with marinara sauce, remaining mozzarella and red bell peppers. Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes before removing them from the oven, slicing and serving.

Make-Fast Mondays: Creamy Cilantro and White Bean Soup

Want a thick, creamy soup without adding any dairy? My favorite trick in the past has been to purée some, if not all of my ingredients, with our trusty Vitamix after everything’s had a chance to simmer. However, scooping steamy soup into a pitcher can be a bit hot and messy, so with this recipe I opted to purée before cooking. Less mess, and tossing the whole onion into the blender meant less time chopping. Piece of cake.

Creamy Cilantro and White Bean Soup 
4 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 large white onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic 
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Equipment: Blender 

Put two cans of beans, broth, onion and cilantro in blender pitcher, add lid, and blend ingredients until smooth. Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium flame. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two, until aromatic. Pour contents of pitcher and remaining beans into pot. Stir in cumin. Increase heat and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat, cover pot with lid and let soup simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Remove soup from heat and stir in the lime juice. Divide soup among four bowls and serve.

Make-Fast Mondays: Garden Fajita Veggies with Quinoa

I don’t know about you, but it seems like a lot of people I know are in for a bountiful summer of home-grown goodies. My Facebook and Instagram feeds are blowing up with lovely photos of herbs, fruits and vegetables grown in backyards and container gardens. Me? I’m about to bring in my first ripe Early Girl of the year and can’t wait to take a big bite out of that gorgeous red tomato. Use this recipe the next time you find yourself wondering what to do with a cornucopia of sun-ripened veggies from the garden (or just want a quick meat-free dinner idea). While I used zucchini, bell pepper and mushrooms, pretty much any mix of vegetables will work just fine.

Garden Fajita Vegetables with Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
8 ounces sliced brown mushrooms
1 packet fajita seasoning

Possible garnishes: avocado slices, chopped cilantro, chopped green onion, hot sauce

Bring 6 cups water to boil in saucepan. Add quinoa and continue boiling for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is soft. Remove saucepan from heat and drain. While quinoa is boiling, heat vegetable oil in frying pan or skillet over high heat. Add vegetables and cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender but not mushy. Reduce heat to low and add fajita seasoning and appropriate amount of water indicated on the packaging. Let simmer for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally so the veggies get a nice saucy coating. Scoop some quinoa into a couple bowls, top with veggies, garnish to your liking and enjoy!

Ready to dig into a satisfying salad?

While this Asian chicken salad recipe isn’t the most original idea I’ve had in the kitchen, it’s still pretty satisfying.

Sesame Chicken Slaw 
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave syrup
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 head green cabbage, shredded (about six cups)
2 cups diced chicken breast
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin
⅓ cup chopped green onions
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

Whisk lemon juice, soy sauce, agave syrup, minced ginger and sesame oil together to create dressing. Combine remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl and drizzle with dressing. Use tongs to toss and serve salad.

Make-Fast Mondays: Meatball mania!

Who doesn’t love a good meatball? While handmade always beats the competition, I’m also a big fan of buying a bag of frozen meatballs when there’s not enough time or motivation to start from scratch. Simmer pre-made meatballs with a jar of your favorite marinara, serve with creamy polenta (so easy when using the technique described in this recipe) and top with fresh basil and you’ve got a delicious dinner takes about 30 minutes to make, doesn’t require much prep work and won’t leave you washing dishes all night.

Meatballs with Marinara and Creamy Polenta 
1 pound bag frozen meatballs
25-ounce jar of marinara sauce
1 cup polenta
1 quart chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Fresh basil, sliced, for garnish

Bring chicken broth to a boil in large saucepan.

While waiting for broth to boil, place meatballs and marinara in large sauté pan and cover, cooking over low-medium heat and stirring occasionally, until meatballs are thoroughly heated, roughly 30 minutes. 

Once broth is boiling, gradually add polenta and bay leaves, stirring for a minute or two, before reducing heat to low and covering the saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring the polenta for a minute every 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and discard the bay leaves. Divide polenta between four dishes. Top each dish with meatballs, marinara and basil.

Make-Fast Mondays: Dill-icious Pasta Salad

Tonight’s Make-Fast Monday dinner is the end result in taking what I love about this recipe and ramping it up while scaling back the pasta. The end result is an entree-worthy pasta salad loaded with delicious shrimp, crunchy cucumber and a delightfully dilly dressing. It’s easy to prep all the components of this salad while boiling water and cooking your pasta. It’s also worth noting that I used Trader Joe’s Brown Rice  & Quinoa Fusilli Pasta, a new favorite, but a whole-wheat pasta would also yield similar results. 

Shrimp and Cucumber Fusilli with Dill Dressing 
¾ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup chopped dill
⅓ cup white wine vinegar
8 ounce fusilli, cooked al dente and rinsed with cold water
4 green onions, sliced
1 pound Persian cucumbers, halved and cut into thick slices (English cucumber would also work)
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, tails removed and deveined
1 cup fat-free crumbled feta

Blend olive oil, Dijon, dill and white wine vinegar in a blender until smooth and creamy. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl, and stir in dressing until everything’s evenly coated.

A salad that talks back

This is not a quiet salad. Cabbage and pepitas give it plenty of satisfying crunch, and the shrimp possess a nice kick thanks to garlic, cayenne, cumin and lime juice.

Snappy Shrimp and Cabbage Salad 
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
1 tablespoon agave syrup
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
¾ pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup pepitas
1 cup black beans
1 avocado, sliced

Create salad dressing by whisking 2 tablespoons lime juice, agave syrup, salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil and cilantro in a bowl; set aside. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan and sauté until fragrant, just a minute or so. Add shrimp to pan with cumin, cayenne pepper and lime juice. Cook shrimp for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until pink. Build salads by equally divide shredded cabbage, beans, shrimp, avocado and pepitas between two large dishes or bowls. Top with salad dressing and enjoy.