Honey Balsamic Glazed Roasted Carrots and Green Beans (Gluten Free)

I made this side dish for neighbors who recently had a baby and eat a Gluten Free Diet. I love roasted vegetables, especially roasted carrots. The ingredients are interchangeable because the original recipe calls for beets instead of green beans. I think all three together would be great too. This is one super healthy, very simple way to get your daily dose of veggies.

Honey Balsamic Glazed Roasted Carrots and Green Beans
From Betty Crocker
Printable Version
Ingredients
Two cups of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
Two cups of fresh green beans, ends snipped off
Olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Toss the carrots and green beans with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, turning once, until soft and the carrots start to turn golden. 

Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a large skillet. Add the vegetables to the skillet along with any oil that has accumulated in the pan. Heat the vegetables over medium-high heat and cook until the glaze bubbles and thickens. Coat the carrots and beans with the glaze. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or allow to cool and serve over a salad. 

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and Caramelized Onions

When I decided to make this salad with strawberries and spinach, I knew I had to make it more appealing to my husband who completely despises fruit in his salads. I had turkey bacon on hand, and knew that adding it to the salad would help entice him. Then I decided to caramelize the onions in the pan after I cooked the bacon and guess what? The bacon and caramelized onions definitely did the trick.  Hubby gobbled this salad up! I added toasted pecans and whipped up a very simple vinaigrette with blueberry balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was a darn good salad if I do say so myself!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and Caramelized Onions
An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 cups spinach
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
4 slices turkey bacon
1/2 white or yellow onion, slices into rings
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup blueberry balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat one 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the turkey bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and allow to cool, but leave the oil in the pan.

Add the onion slices to the pan and heat pan to medium high heat. Allow to cook on both sides until browned and caramelized. 

Remove onions and allow to cool a bit. Meanwhile toast pecans in a small separate pan for about 3 minutes, making sure to toss frequently. 

Place spinach and strawberries in a serving dish for the salad. Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bacon, onions, and pecans on the salad and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. 

Bruschetta Topping

On Memorial Day our friends Jon and Cheryl were staying with us and we had a little cook out, so I made this Bruschetta Topping from She Wears Many Hats on Tasty Kitchen. It was a perfect appetizer: juicy tomatoes mingling with fresh basil and garlic and tangy balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil. It's a snap to make and won't make you too full to enjoy the main course. I am going to make this over and over this summer with fresh tomatoes and once you try it you will want to as well!

Bruschetta Topping
From She Wears Many Hats as seen on TK
Serves 8 
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (I used small red tomatoes and a couple yellow tomatoes to add color)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Extra salt and pepper to taste


Preparation Instructions
In a medium sized bowl add the diced the tomatoes and basil, along with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix all ingredients together well. Taste to add additional salt and pepper. 

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed. Serve with pita chips, melba toast, or on top of crusty bread for bruschetta. This would also be fantastic on chicken. Do not throw out the leftover liquid, instead use for your next salad dressing!

Caprese Pizza

This past weekend hubby and I were in Washington D.C. visiting family. We went out for drinks and appetizers and had the most scrumptious caprese flatbread. Since caprese salad is one of my most favorite dishes, I couldn't get it out of my head, the melty mozzarella cheese, the juicy tomatoes, the tang from the balsamic vinaigrette. I just had to make my own version of it at home this week. I decided to go with a pizza, using 5 Minute Pizza Dough. Instead of using fresh basil, I used frozen chopped basil that I got a Trader Joe's because this way I could sprinkle the basil all over the pizza. Chopped fresh basil would be wonderful on this pizza as well. Hubby and I loved how this turned out and will definitely be adding this easy, delicious pizza to our meal rotation. 

Caprese Pizza
An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version


Ingredients
Pizza dough of your choice
7 small fresh vine ripened tomatoes 
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella and lay on a paper towel for 5 minutes to reduce some of the juice. 

Roll out the pizza dough and place on pan. Place tomatoes and mozzarella on the dough. Layer on the basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for about 14 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

I like making completely vegetarian meals a few times a week. The great thing about portobello mushrooms is that they are very meaty and grill beautifully. This recipe is a very basic way to marinate them. I marinated and grilled red bell peppers along side the shrooms and they made for a lovely combo, especially on a bed of baby arugula.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version


Ingredients
4 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
1 red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
The zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh is best, but I only had dried on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk together all ingredients and pour over the mushrooms and pepper strips. Allow to marinade for at least 2 hours. 

Grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve as desired - on a bed of lettuce, on a bun, or with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella. 

Caprese Salad

One of the most refreshing and flavorful Italian summer time eats, Caprese salad is a cinch to make and can be served as either an appetizer or salad. I could eat an entire platter myself!

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

3 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced to 1/2 inch thick

1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced to 1/4 inch thick

2o to 30 (about 1 bunch) fresh basil leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

Lay down tomatoes and top with mozzarella slices and then basil leaves. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Balsamic Brown Butter Ravioli

This is one of those recipes that are super simple, very easy, and great for those nights when you don't have a lot of time to cook. It literally takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and it's so good - how can it not be with 6 tablespoons of butter?

It's one of my favorite recipes from Giada De Laurentiis, but I honestly love just about anything of hers. The sauce is tangy and velvety from the balsamic vinegar and the crunch of the toasted walnuts is a great combination with ravioli of your choice. I also added in wild mushrooms that we got from our local Farmer's Market that I sauteed in butter. 

Balsamic Brown Butter Ravioli

Modified from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

18 to 20 ounces of store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash) *I used chicken and proscuitto 

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes, shake around, taste a couple and bake about 2 more minutes)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a lot pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter. 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn to a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

This is also when I sauteed the mushrooms in butter over medium heat. 

Transfer the ravioli to the saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.