Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

When my sister in law visited for the Holidays we made these smoothies after a morning workout. Although the idea of oats in a smoothie may be a little off putting, they are ground into a powder so that you don't even notice them. This smoothie is my new favorite - it's uber healthy and very filling. I modified the original recipe by adding in walnuts (a pregnancy super food) and ground flax seeds. 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
From This Chick Cooks
Printable Version
Makes 2 small smoothies
Ingredients
2 frozen bananas, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
Sprinkle of walnuts
Sprinkle of ground flax seed
3/4 cup milk


Directions 
Put oats in a blender and blend until powdery. 

Add remaining ingredients.

Blend until smooth and no banana chunks remain. Garnish with fresh banana slices if desired. 

Pasta with Mizuna

A few weeks ago our CSA goodie bag contained a bunch of mizuna. Having never seen or heard of mizuna before, I looked at it carefully and decided that it looked a lot like the leaves of a dandelion. I was very unsure of how to use it. Thankfully, our Farmer's Market included this recipe for Pasta with Mizuna and I am so glad that they did because it was excellent. I did a little research on mizuna and found that it is also known as Japanese Mustard Greens. In Japanese "mizuna" means water greens. It is usually used as a variety in salads or added to stir fries or other recipes, like this pasta dish, at the end of cooking. The flavor of mizuna was slightly peppery and similar to arugula. It was a nice addition to this savory pasta dish.

Pasta with Mizuna

Ingredients

1 pound of your favorite cooked pasta (I used bow tie)

3 slices thick sliced bacon, diced (optional)

1 bunch mizuna, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

3 tablespoons mustard

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring pasta water to boil and add in pasta. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a pan and set on paper towels to drain. Once cool, chop it up. Heat olive over medium heat in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, and red wine vinegar. Cook for five or six minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize. Add mustard, walnuts, lemon juice, and tomato and cook until the tomato begins to dissolve (about four minutes). Add mizuna and cook until it starts to wilt. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shaved parmesan. 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cheeseball

If you are looking for a delicious appetizer to feed lots of people, you have to try my Aunt Chris' Pineapple Cream Cheese Cheeseball. This cheeseball makes a frequent appearance at our family get togethers because it is so tasty. I made it for the first time for a potluck at work and it was a big hit! Several of my co-workers commented how impressed they were that I made a cheeseball. I had to fess up that this cheeseball is virtually effortless - you just mix all the ingredients together, shape it into a ball, roll it in walnuts and viola! You have yourself a cheeseball. I love how this cheeseball incorporates the sweetness of pineapple, the strength of green onions, the silkiness of the cream cheese, and the crunch of the walnuts. Basically, this is one primo cheeseball!

Aunt Chris' Pineapple Cream Cheese Cheesball

Special thanks to my wonderful Auntie Chris

Ingredients

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup chopped green onion - I used a little more since I love green onions

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 - 2 garlic cloves, diced (go for 2!)

3/4 large can of crushed pineapple, drain well

1 cup of walnut pieces

Directions

With your hands, mix all ingredients, except the walnuts. Form into a ball. Roll into walnut pieces and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

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.