… because what is life without good food?

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Marvelous Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Marvelous Marinade for Grilled Chicken ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #chicken #recipe

I’m guest posting over at My Imperfect Kitchen today … and I’ve got a marvelous marinade for you!

Marvelous Marinade for Grilled Chicken ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #chicken #recipe

It’s got lots of good flavor, and special ingredients that help keep the chicken super juicy and tender.

Pop over there for the recipe :)

Marvelous Marinade for Grilled Chicken ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #chicken #recipe

Strawberry Almond Salad with Wild Violets

and blue cheese and a fresh strawberry almond vinaigrette

Strawberry Almond Wild Violet Salad ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

I dreamt of this salad weeks before I actually made it. I wanted to make a strawberry almond salad with sweet spiced almonds and an almond dressing … I searched and searched for almond butter to make the dressing and when I finally found it and brought it home, I wasn’t sure how to make it. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette … and so the almond butter got stuck in a drawer as I pondered how to make this dressing. The more I thought of it, the more unsure I became of myself … until I was almost afraid to attempt making the dressing. Do you ever do that to yourself?

Strawberry Almond Wild Violet Salad ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

Finally I had to have a talk with myself. I mean, seriously, how many dressings have I made? Geez, I can totally DO this!

And so I told myself that I CAN … and I just started making it … and once I started, I was okay. I was in my element. I was creating.

And I really, really, really, totally love how it turned out! It’s got such a totally FRESH strawberry taste. It is sooo wonderful with the sugar & spice almond slices and the fresh berries … with a little blue cheese to counterpoint all those sweet flavors and the greens underneath. The violets just add to the show. It’s quite all right to skip the flowers altogether. I added them because they were popping up all over my lawn, like they were screaming to me to pick them just to beautify my salad.

Strawberry Almond Salad with Wild Violets & Blue Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Strawberry Almond Salad with Wild Violets & Blue Cheese

Ingredients

    For the vinaigrette:
  • 1/4 cup fruity vinegar (apple, strawberry, pomegranate, or just plain white in a pinch)
  • About 6 medium strawberries
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons almond butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar (or sugar that fell from the sugar & spice almond slices)
  • For the salad:
  • Mixed greens
  • Sliced fresh strawberries
  • Sugar & Spice Almond Slices (recipe here)
  • Blue cheese crumbles (or goat cheese, if you prefer)
  • Wild violet flowers (or other edible flowers like pansies ... just for show)

Instructions

  1. In a handi chopper or food processor, blend up the vinegar, strawberries, honey, almond butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon sugar until the strawberries are pureed and everything is well mixed. Set aside the dressing to allow the flavors to meld.
  2. Now, prep the salads: Fill your salad plates or bowls with mixed greens, then tuck in a bunch of fresh sliced strawberries and sprinkle with almond slices and blue cheese crumbles.
  3. Drizzle with the pretty pink dressing and then tuck in a few wild violet flowers, if you have them.
  4. Enjoy!

Notes

Please take care in using wild flowers from your lawn ... if you use chemicals on your lawn, I'd advice against eating them.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/strawberry-almond-salad-with-wild-violets/

Strawberry Almond Wild Violet Salad ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

This recipe was shared at Show & Share WednesdayTasty Thursday and Thursday’s Treasures.

 

Salmon & Asparagus Salad Sandwich

Salmon & Asparagus Salad Sandwich ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #sandwich #recipe

Instead of tuna salad sandwiches, try using salmon for a change! It just tastes better. To make these sandwiches even healthier, I used Greek yogurt in place of most of the mayo. It works beautifully. You can use any kind of cooked salmon for this … or even canned salmon works.

I made this recipe for a special project I was working on last weekend (to be revealed later this week!), but there was enough left over for me to have a few good sandwiches out of it.

I really love the taste of salmon and asparagus together, so when I started making some salmon salad for a sandwich, it just seemed natural to grab the asparagus out of the fridge drawer and add that. Then it occurred to me it would be even better to pile a bunch of the beautiful green spears on my sandwich and melt some cheese over it. So I did! :)

Salmon Asparagus Salad Sandwich

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Salmon Asparagus Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

    For the salmon salad:
  • 15 oz. cooked salmon (canned works fine), flaked and smashed a bit
  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 - 2 Tablespoons chives
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup asparagus, cooked till crisp tender, cooled and chopped
  • For assembling the sandwiches:
  • Steamed asparagus spears
  • Toasted ciabatta rolls
  • Sliced sweet onion
  • Slices of swiss cheese

Instructions

  1. Mix all salmon salad ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Spread on bread, topped with some of those crisp-tender asparagus spears and sliced onion, lay some swiss cheese slices over top and bake at 400 for 5 - 10 minutes until the cheese is good and melty. Toast the top half of the bread and serve. (It's yummy just spread on bread cold too, with a few cucumber slices for extra crunch.)

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/salmon-asparagus-salad-sandwich/

Salmon & Asparagus Salad Sandwich ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #sandwich #recipe

This recipe was shared at Show & Share WednesdayTasty Thursday and Thursday’s Treasures.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake

with strawberry rhubarb rum sauce

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Rum Sauce ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #cake #recipe

A lower-fat cake made with yogurt in place of some of the fat and laced with strawberry, rhubarb, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Top it with vanilla ice cream and strawberry rhubarb rum sauce. It’s a dessert that just screams summer.

The strawberry rhubarb rum sauce is my sister’s “fault”  … when I made that lemon berry yogurt cake, I made a berry glaze for it, and she noticed how everyone was trying to get a bit of extra “sauce” on their cake. She said I should make some extra sauce so people could spoon it over their cake.

So this time, I did make extra sauce. And since I had sauce, I had to try it with ice cream … and oh man, was that good. Please don’t let the ingredient list scare you away … it’s really easy to make. I just get carried away adding things to get just the right flavor … trust me on this one, it is TOTALLY worth it. And please do try it with the ice cream. Just a bit. Get the healthier kind (or make it yourself!), but yes, ice cream. If you’re going to have dessert, make it an experience to remember.

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Rum Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 8 - 12 servings

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Rum Sauce

Ingredients

    Wet ingredients:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
  • 1 cup / 8 oz Plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt
  • Dry ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • and the Fruit!
  • 1 cup clean, chopped rhubarb
  • 1 cup chopped clean strawberries
  • For the rum sauce:
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1/2 - 1 cup rhubarb
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons rum + 2 Tablespoons amaretto (or 1/4 cup rum)
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray, then dust with flour.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy, then, with the beater on, add the sugar just a bit at a time (like a Tablespoon or so), beating as you add the sugar for about 3 minutes total.
  3. Add the oil and vanilla and blend shortly to mix.
  4. At this point, I put away my beaters and got out my mixing spoon because I didn't want to break down the yogurt. Fold in the yogurt, then fold in the dry ingredients JUST until mixed.
  5. In a separate bowl, toss the berries with a tablespoon of flour, then sprinkle them onto the batter and gently fold them into the batter.
  6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350 F. for about 45 - 55 minutes or until a wooden pick or knife inserted in center comes out clean.
  7. While the cake is baking, prepare the sauce: put all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb is completely soft and begins to fall apart, then stir in a bit of the cornstarch mixture and stir. Add just enough cornstarch liquid in little bits, stirring and cooking, until the sauce is thickened to your liking.
  8. Serve the cake with vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt!) and the sauce to drizzle over top.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/strawberry-rhubarb-yogurt-cake/

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Rum Sauce ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #cake #recipe

This recipe was shared at Show & Share Wednesday, Tasty Thursday and Thursday’s Treasures.

 

Sugar & Spice Almond Slices

Sugar & Spice Almond Slices ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #almond #recipe

Sweet & crunchy sugar roasted almond slices spiced with cinnamon and ginger.

My daughter and I both adore cinnamon roasted almonds. She likes to snack on them; I like them for snacking, too, but I really love them best sprinkled on a salad. My only frustration with that is trying to chop the whole ones up for a salad because you really need slices for a salad … I inevitably end up with several on the floor and oh I just hate wasting my beautiful cinnamon roasted almonds!

So I thought why not just make some cinnamon roasted almonds with almond slices instead? I had to try it … and you know what? They come out even more crunchy and wonderful! The crunchy sweet texture of the thin nutty slices is fabulous.  I had a hard time keeping my hands off them when I took them out of the oven. I quickly stuffed them in a jar and hid them from myself (and my daughter!) so I will have some left for salads.

Sugar & Spice Almond Slices

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: About 4 cups

Sugar & Spice Almond Slices

Ingredients

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups sliced raw almonds
  • 2 Tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Spray a large jelly roll pan (or other rimmed baking pan) with cooking spray or line it with a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg white and vanilla with a mixer until they are frothy, but not stiff yet. Pour in the nuts, and stir until well coated.
  3. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the sugars, salt, and spices until well mixed. Stir the spiced sugar into the egg/nut mixture and toss to coat all the almonds evenly.
  4. Spread the nuts out onto a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan (or other large rimmed baking pan) and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container or tin.
http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/sugar-spice-almond-slices/

Sugar & Spice Almond Slices ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #almond #recipe

This recipe was shared at Scrumptious Sunday.

Kickin’ Buffalo Chicken Salad

with avocado and a blue cheese yogurt dressing

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

Buffalo chicken wings meets salad! A cool crunchy salad with hot spicy buffalo chicken bites, sweet onions, little juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado, topped with creamy blue cheese yogurt dressing and blue cheese crumbles.

I “discovered” a salad sort of like this at Buffalo Wild Wings. My team at work was headed out for Mexican food for lunch, but when we got to the Mexican place, it was closed! There was a sign on the door that they were opening at 4 that day … no explanation why. So there we were, unexpectedly needing a place to go for lunch. My boss suggested Buffalo Wild Wings and so we headed over there.

The instant I saw this salad on the menu, I had to ask myself “why didn’t I think of that?” … I’ve never thought to put buffalo chicken on a salad. How could that be? I had to rectify this situation.

I enjoyed the salad at BWW, but I gotta say, I like my version WAY better. Maybe it’s the avocado, maybe it’s the fresh herbs in the dressing or the special little salad tomatoes I used (that actually have some flavor!) or the sweet crunchy onions, but IMHO, this salad is so much better balanced. It has the right mix of greens with chicken, tomato with cheese, hot with cold, spicy vs sweet vs creamy.

Kickin Buffalo Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Kickin Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients

    For the buffalo chicken:
  • Breaded chicken patties (or use cooked leftover chicken or 4 - 5 chicken nuggets per serving)
  • 2 Tablespoons Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce (like Frank's) for each serving
  • For the dressing:
  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1/2 of a sweet Vidalia onion, cut into large chunks
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • A small handful of fresh herbs: I used basil, thyme, and a bit of rosemary
  • 1/4 cup lowfat milk
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • About 4 Tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
  • For the salad:
  • Mixed greens
  • Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • Slices of sweet Vidalia onion
  • Avocado, peeled and sliced
  • Blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

  1. Cook or heat up your chicken (I cooked my chicken patty in the toaster oven). Once it is done, chop it into chunks, then toss it in a bowl with the hot wing sauce to coat all the pieces.
  2. While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a handi chopper, whir together the mayo, onion, garlic, and herbs until everything is finely chopped and mixed well. Use a rubber scraper to scrape this yummy mixture into a bowl, then whisk in the yogurt, milk and black pepper. Stir in the blue cheese crumbles.
  3. Next fill your salad bowl(s) with greens and sprinkle on some cherry tomatoes and sweet onion slices. Toss on the chicken, and drizzle with dressing, then arrange the avocado slices on top. Sprinkle with a few blue cheese crumbles for good measure.
  4. Dig in!

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/kickin-buffalo-chicken-salad/

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

This recipe was shared at Thursday’s Treasures, Scrumptious SundayMop it Up MondayClever Chicks Bloghop and Everyday Mom’s Meals.

Bacon Asparagus Breakfast Cups

Bacon Asparagus Breakfast Cups ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #breakfast #recipe

Eggs, asparagus, chives, cheese and bacon tucked into a crispy wonton cup.

The kids and I have a lot of tree work to do today and I needed some ready-made healthy protein and veggies to keep me going, so I thought these breakfast cups would be a good start and snack today.

We’re still cleaning up trees and branches that broke in the ice storm last month. It’s a beautiful day today … I’m going to enjoy working outside, now that I’ve got a good breakfast in my belly.

Bacon Asparagus Breakfast Cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 12 - 18 cups

Serving Size: 1 or 2 cups

Bacon Asparagus Breakfast Cups

Ingredients

  • 12 - 18 wonton wrappers
  • 1 cup chopped asparagus
  • 6 eggs
  • About 2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
  • 1 teaspoon Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 2 - 3 slices of bacon, fried till crisp and crumbled
  • About 2 cups of shredded Italian blend of cheeses

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray, then gently push a wonton wrapper into each cup. Spray lightly with cooking spray, then set the muffin tin into the oven and bake for 5 - 10 minutes or until the wonton cups are just lightly browned and crisp. Watch them carefully!
  3. Steam the asparagus until they are crisp tender, then plunge into ice water to keep them from overcooking. Drain off the ice water and towel dry with a clean towel.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the chives, water, garlic, and seasoning. Stir in the asparagus into the egg mixture, then scramble the eggs and asparagus in a frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, but leave them just slightly wet and undercooked.
  5. Now, take the wonton cups and put a tablespoon or so of shredded cheese in the bottom of each cup. (This is important to keep the bottoms of the cups crispy.) Add some of the egg/asparagus mixture to each cup to fill it to the top, then top with a little more cheese and a few crumbles of bacon. If you have extra egg mixture, you can eat it as is ... or make a few more cups!
  6. Bake for 5 minutes or so or until the cheese on top is melted. Set them on a serving platter.
  7. They are best served fresh and hot, but they are good cold too.

Notes

You can prep the wonton cups, egg mixture and bacon ahead of time (storing the wonton cups in an airtight container and the eggs in a container in the fridge) and then reheat the eggs, fill and bake the cups right before serving time.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/bacon-asparagus-breakfast-cups/

Bacon Asparagus Breakfast Cups ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #bacon #breakfast #recipe

This recipe was shared at Thursday’s Treasures, Scrumptious SundayMop it Up MondayClever Chicks Bloghop and Everyday Mom’s Meals.

Crispy Breaded Asparagus Spears

with Creamy Lemon Sriracha Dipping Sauce {gluten-free option … low in fat and calories}

Slightly adapted from my dear foodie friend Ann at The Fountain Avenue Kitchen

Crispy Breaded Asparagus Spears with Sriracha Dipping Sauce ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #asparagus #recipe

I have had my eye on this recipe for over a year, dying to try it … but somehow I just didn’t get around to making it last year. Well, I was bound and determined not to let another asparagus season pass by without trying this one!

So, although the asparagus was just beginning to peek out last weekend when I visited Mom for mother’s day, we went out and picked the patch together. Mom let me take all of the asparagus home, knowing the patch would bear lots more in the next few days. Thank you Mom!

My spears are very short, but I tried my “gotta try” recipe anyway, and made these tasty crispy spears my dinner (with a beer on the side). It’s a beautiful night tonight and I totally loved having some time outside, enjoying the green in all its glory, taste, sight, and sound. I made up the super simple creamy sriracha dipping sauce on a spur of the moment, thinking it would contrast nicely with the crispy crunchy asparagus.

I used part Rice Krispies (crushed) and part homemade whole wheat bread crumbs for the breading. If you want it to be gluten free, simply crush some gluten free rice krispies or chex to tiny crumbs and use those in place of the “bread” crumbs.

Crispy Breaded Asparagus Spears

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Crispy Breaded Asparagus Spears

Ingredients

    For the wet dipping mixture:
  • 2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard (or dijon)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • For the breading:
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs and/or rice cereal "crumbs" (I used a mixture of both)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry dill
  • For the asparagus:
  • Olive oil or canola spray
  • 1 pound asparagus (the bigger, thicker spears work best)
  • For the Creamy Lemon Sriracha Dipping Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons Sriracha
  • Garnish: fresh snipped chives

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Whisk together the wet dipping mixture ingredients and spread this thick mixture out onto a flat plate so that it's large enough to roll a spear of asparagus in.
  2. If you want to use rice cereal, whir it in a handi chopper or food processor until it's a fine crumb. Then mix in the dill with the crumbs. Spread the breadcrumb mixture onto another flat plate right next to the "wet" one.
  3. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and set it to the right of the breadcrumbs.
  4. Now, working left to right, take the asparagus and with your left hand, dredge it in the "wet" mixture, then set it on the right-hand crumb plate. With your right hand, sprinkle the spear generously with crumbs on all sides, then carefully lift and set it onto the baking sheet.
  5. Repeat with the rest of the asparagus, leaving some space between the spears on the baking sheet.
  6. Spray with olive oil or canola spray, then bake at 450 for about 5 - 7 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven, and turn each spear so the other side is on top, then return to the oven and bake for 5 - 7 minutes more or until golden brown on the other side and crisp tender on the inside.
  7. While the asparagus is baking, mix together the sriracha sauce ingredients until fully mixed and put the sauce in a little serving bowl.
  8. When the asparagus is crisp tender and the breading is nicely browned, remove from oven and set on your serving dish. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side, garnished with snipped fresh chives.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/crispy-breaded-asparagus-spears/

Crispy Breaded Asparagus Spears with Sriracha Dipping Sauce ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #asparagus #recipe

This recipe was shared at Thursday’s TreasuresTGIF Link Party, Clever Chicks Bloghop and Everyday Mom’s Meals.

Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Spanakopita Cream

Smoked Turkey with Spanakopita Cream Sandwich ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #sandwich #recipe

The weather did a total turnaround this week and went straight from winter (it froze again last Saturday night) to summer (92 degrees on Tuesday).  My daughter and I were SOOoooo hot so I bought some cold smoked turkey meat, fresh tomato and ciabatta rolls and  we’ve been devouring cold turkey sandwiches like they are going out of style all week.

Earlier this week, when I first dipped some bread into that Spanakopita dip, I immediately thought of a smoked turkey sandwich with this beautiful stuff as a sandwich spread and HAD to try it. Really, if you think about it, the difference between a so-so everyday sandwich and a freaking amazing sandwich has to do with the bread and the spread. A simple spread can elevate a sandwich from “yawn” to “oh my gosh this is Soooooo good!” … That’s exactly what happened here.

Of course some fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion stop in to add to the harmony, but really, it’s the spread that makes this one. I tried it on my several-days-old homemade bread too and it tasted amazing.  Don’t be afraid to spread it on good and thick, because 1/4 cup of it is less than 50 calories. Think about that:

  • Plain old Butter: 2 Tablespoons = 200 calories.
  • Mayonnaise: 2 Tablespoons = 180 calories.
  • Spanakopita sandwich spread: FOUR Tablespoons < 50 calories.

Also, the Spanakopita cream spread is packed with iron, fiber, antioxidants (from the spinach), and extra protein and calcium (from the Greek yogurt)  … more flavor, less calories, more nutrition. Taste buds are happy. Body is happy. Life is good!

Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Spanakopita "Cream"

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Spanakopita

Ingredients

  • 1 whole-grain ciabatta roll or two slices of good whole-grain bread
  • A liberal amount of Spanakopita Dip for spreading on the bread (recipe here)
  • 2 - 3 thin slices of thin-sliced natural smoked turkey
  • Sweet vidalia onion slices
  • Fresh sliced tomato
  • Greens or lettuce
  • Smashed avocado (optional)

Instructions

  1. Toast the roll or bread.
  2. While your bread is toasting, gather your other ingredients and slice up the tomato and onion.
  3. Spread both slices of the toast liberally with the Spanakopita dip (or spread half with the Spanakopita dip, the other half with smashed avocado).
  4. Pile on a few slices of the turkey, then top with sliced tomato, onion, & then the greens and the other half of the bun (or slice of bread).
  5. Enjoy!

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/smoked-turkey-sandwich-with-spanakopita-cream/

Smoked Turkey with Spanakopita Cream Sandwich ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #sandwich #recipe

This recipe was shared at Tasty Thursday, TGIF Link Party and Mop it Up Monday.

Spanakopita Dip {Spinach & Feta with Dill}

Spanakopita Dip ~ Greek-style #Spinach, Feta, & Dill #Dip from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

A dip with all the flavors of one of my very favorite Greek foods: Spanakopita. Flavorful and low in calories, this dip is wonderful on toasted bread (especially a nice crusty bread like Ciabatta!) … and I’m thinking it would be marvelous as a sandwich spread too.

This dip happened by accident … one of my work friends happened to share some very dill-infused creations of hers with me today, and then I (unexpectedly) had to run home over lunch, so I decided, since I’m in a dip mood, while I’m here, why don’t I whip up a dip?

So I did, and if I hadn’t cut my finger on the handi chopper blade (in true Monday style!), I would have totally made it back to work ahead of time (even WITH the construction zones). It’s super fast to put together and totally delicious. Just like spanakopita, except without all the work …

Spanakopita Dip {Spinach & Feta with Dill}

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: About 2 cups of dip (4 - 6 servings)

Calories per serving: 60 - 89 calories per serving ... less than 100 cal

Spanakopita Dip {Spinach & Feta with Dill}

Ingredients

  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 of a sweet onion
  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed, with all the moisture squeezed out (measured AFTER toweling out the wetness)
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill (fresh would be even better!)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 - 2 oz. feta cheese
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • About 1 Tablespoon finely chopped sun-dried tomato

Instructions

  1. First, thaw your spinach and with a clean towel (that you don't mind if it turns a little "green"), towel off all the excess moisture. The spinach will be very dense. You want about 1/2 cup of this dense green stuff.
  2. Now, put the spinach in a handi chopper with the garlic, onion, mayo, dill, salt, onion powder and feta cheese and pulse until everything is finely chopped and blended.
  3. Scrape the spinach mixture out of the food processor into a bowl and stir in the Greek yogurt and the sun dried tomato. Put in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors meld.
  4. Serve with toasted ciabatta or other crusty bread (or veggies!). Or spread it on a sandwich.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/spanakopita-dip-spinach-feta-with-dill/

Spanakopita Dip ~ Greek-style #Spinach, Feta, & Dill #Dip from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

This recipe was shared at Mop it up MondayMarvelous MondayTasty ThursdayTGIF Link Party and Clever Chicks Bloghop.

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