In the past I’ve mentioned that my kid and I were both delighted to find ready to bake biscuits in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s. These biscuits taste every bit as sinful as the Pillsbury kind but have none of that artificial crap in them. They may not be from scratch but they bake up to be pretty darn dee-lish!

We started with a the Trader Joe’s biscuits as a base and we pretended we were planting a garden. First, my kid dug the hole, then he planted the broccoli and finally sprinkled it with cheese. We put it in the oven and biscuit puffed up in a muffin shape all around the fillings. The broccoli on top got slightly roasted which made it even better than expected. They were the perfect compliment to our dinner. Now for the recipe…

Broccoli Cheddar Biscuit Muffin Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins  Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
1 package ready to bake biscuits
2 cups broccoli florets (blanched + chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray. Using one biscuit at a time, place a biscuit into the muffin cup and then press down to “dig a hole” in the middle. Plant your broccoli by dividing it evenly among all the biscuit cups. Sprinkle cheddar atop each biscuit and  bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the biscuits are turning golden brown. Serve warm.

Ole!  So… I had to fly across country AGAIN this week, but the night before I left my kid and I decided to whip up this Mexican style pizza before watching the Emmy’s. My veggie husband was quite pleased with this plan until my kid (who is only 4.5) complained about having to watch the Emmy’s. That’s what Tivo’s for, I declared! My husband thought otherwise. We worked out a compromise and enjoyed this double decker pizza which turned out to be double delicious.

After getting our tortillas nice and crispy, we started the bottom layer with a nice spread of vegetarian refried black beans.

Then we sprinkled organic corn kernels atop the beans.

And finished off the first layer with cheese and salsa. Here’s how we made the rest…

Double Decker Mexican Pizza Recipe

Prep Time: 20 mins  Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
olive oil cooking spray
1 can vegetarian refried black beans
1 can organic corn kernels
1/2 cup salsa
1 to 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 avocado (sliced into thin wedges)
1/4 cup sliced black olives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the front and back of the tortillas and put them on a cookie sheet. Place them in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are crispy. Remove from oven and use a spoon to scoop beans onto 3 of the tortillas. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly to the edges. Sprinkle each tortilla with some corn, cheese and just a few dabs of salsa. Place the second tortilla on top of the first and spread another layer of beans, corn, cheese and salsa. Return to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and top with olives and avocado slices. Let rest a moment and then use a sharp knife to cut into triangles. Serves 4.

That’s brownie on the outside and peanut butter frosting on the inside. Need I say more? I need not, but I will. The brownies are actually made with nonfat yogurt no oil / no egg! This makes them the perfect consistency for the whoopie pie and a wee bit better for the wee one in my life.

My kid was feeling camera shy when we made these. And even though he loved using the stand mixer, he didn’t want me taking a picture. I wonder if he’s starting to think of me as paparazzi? Regardless, despite his claim that he doesn’t like chocolate, he gobbled these brownies right up. Now for the recipe…

Peanut Butter Brownie Whoopie Pies Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins  Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package No Pudge! Fat Free Fudge Brownie Mix (or another mix and follow the directions)
3/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temp)
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using the No Pudge! Fat Free Fudge Brownie Mix stir together mix and yogurt until it becomes shiny. (You can use any brownie mix and follow the directions on the back of the carton instead.) Carefully spoon mixture into a well greased whoopie pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes and then test with a toothpick. If it’s clean, the brownies are done. If not, bake a few more minutes and test again. When the toothpick comes out clean remove from oven and turn over on to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat together peanut butter and butter. Slowly add the sugar until it becomes frosting. When brownies are completely cooled, assemble the whoopie pies by spreading a layer of frosting on one round brownie disc and then placing another brownie on top. Makes 12 pies.

I am delighted to report that this dinner was not only dee-lish, but it was also one of the easiest dishes we have ever made! I was hesitant to make it because my kid has never touched salad, but he actually ate the spinach leaves and the tortellini and the chicken.

How can you go wrong with rotisserie chicken and pesto? Plus the warm tortellini wilts the spinach perfectly. It is such a great meal to throw together on a hot summer night. Now for the recipe…

Warm Tortellini & Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 small rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups of chicken)
1 pound tri-color tortellini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup pesto
1 pre-packaged bag of baby spinach

Cut the chicken off the bone into small chunks and set aside. In a large pot of salted water boil the tortellini for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add chicken and pesto and saute until warm. When the tortelleni is done use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the saute pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and divide baby spinach among 6 bowls. Top each pile of spinach with tortellini and serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

When my friends Angie and Josh were over the other day, they told me that their kid loves stromboli. I hadn’t even thought about stromboli since high school! I tucked it away in the back of my head and then tonight I remember when I was starring at some left over pizza dough in the fridge.  If you have left over pizza dough or the pre-made kind in your fridge, this is a great kid friendly alternative to pizza. Even though it’s got a lot of the same basic ingredients, I find it’s fun to mix things up a bit. It’s what kids cooking is all about.

Not only did my kid like eating it, but he totally dug making it. What could be more fun than rolling up all the ingredients into a nice big log? As you can see, the robot was very involved in preparing this meal. He was with us every step of the way but didn’t get a chance to taste it because my kid cleaned his plate. Next time we’ll have to have Angie and Josh’s daughter, Molly, taste test it for us. Now for the recipe…

Broccoli & Cheese Stromboli

Prep Time: 12 mins  Cooking Time: 20 to 25 mins

Ingredients:
1 package pre-made pizza dough (we used whole wheat)
2 cups broccoli florets (blanched and chopped)
1 cup good marinara sauce
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon oregano
1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella
Grated Parmesan for sprinkling
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl mix together ricotta, sauce and oregano. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. Spread sauce mixture evenly on dough leaving room on the sides for crimping. Top with broccoli and mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with some Parmesan. Starting at one end roll the dough up and crimp the edges to seal. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Crack egg into a small bowl, add water to egg and whisk to form egg wash. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and poke a few holes to let steam out. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is well cooked and golden brown. Be sure to let it cook until it’s good and crusty – otherwise the inside will be too doughy. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra marinara for dipping. Makes approximately 8 slices.

If you follow the blog, you already know that my husband is a veggie; this dish was invented in honor of him. I’m not sure that I should even count it as a recipe, but my husband thinks it’s brilliant so I’m sharing it with the world. Believe it or not, this has become a household favorite even though it is made from chickenless patties.

My kid actually requests this meal and has introduced several of his friends to it. We always serve it with whole wheat pasta and some greens. It’s also great on a roll as a chickenless parmesan sub! Now for the “recipe”…

Chickenless Parmesan Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins  Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
4 breaded chickenless patties
1/4 cup marinara
1/3 cup shredded part skim mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chickenless patties on a cookie sheet and cook patties for 15 mins. Remove patties from oven and flip them over. Add a spoonful of sauce to each patty and divide cheese evenly among the patties. Return to oven and cook for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

A few weeks ago, my brother met a Trader Joe’s executive at a BBQ. He promptly told the exec about my blog and my love of TJ’s. I dreamed of that guy getting in touch with me and giving me a big fat gift card to Trader Joe’s so that I could continue to pimp their food on my blog. Nothing of the sort happened (he probably didn’t even remember the name of the blog) but here I go again, yammering on about how easy Trader Joe’s makes my life.

This pie crust is so good that sometimes I feel like it’s not really worth making my own. My kid liked stretching it out into the pie plate and also enjoyed continually eating the apples we had prepared for the pie — right up until the moment it was closed up and crimped. Now for the recipe…

Easy Apple Pie Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins  Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
8 cups peeled granny smith apple slices
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice
2 tablespoons butter (cubed)
2 tablespoons milk
1 package prepared pie crust (such as Trader Joes)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Thaw pie crust and place bottom crust in 9 inch pie dish. Crust should drape over side of pie plate. In a large bowl toss together apples, sugar, flour and spice. Pour apples into pie crust and dot with butter. Put top crust on pie and crimp edges with a fork to seal. Brush top of pie with milk, cut slits at the top for steam and bake for 15 minutes. Remove pie from oven and turn it down to 350 degrees. Cover the edges of the pie with foil and put it back in the oven to bake for an additional 45 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

We had some folks over for a BBQ this weekend and I planned to make old-school boxed brownies but my kid loves marshmallows so much that he asked to make something with them. (Truth be told, I think he just wanted to be able to eat the marshmallows while we were cooking.)

These brownies are super easy to make but they are really difficult to cut. Be warned that you need a pair of scissors along with a knife to get them into squares. The marshmallows stick to the knife – so what I did is cut with a knife, pull away a bit and then clip them with the scissors. It’s not exactly elegant but totally worth it. Now for the recipe…

Marshmallow Brownie Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins  Cooking Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:
1 box Ghirardelli  brownie mix
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Make brownies according to package instructions. Remove from oven and sprinkle top first with marshmallows and then chocolate chips. Return to oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until marshmallows just start to melt and brown. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Be sure to check out cutting tips above.

By now you already know how much I love the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks. You also know how much I love Trader Joes. They had a total eclipse when I discovered that Trader Joe’s carries pre-made baby beats in the refrigerated section of the store. I used them to make this recipe. My kid was a very good helper but as you might imagine he would not touch the stuff.

While making this dish my kid discovered zesting – that he liked. He was also fascinated by the red stain left by the beets. That’s where the love affair ended. Oh well, at least I’m exposing him to new things! Now for the recipe…

Beets with Orange Vinaigrette Recipe
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Prep Time: 8 mins

Ingredients:
2 packages Trader Joe’s Baby Beets (16 oz)
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
2 large seedless oranges, zested
Segments 2 large seedless oranges
sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Drain the beets and cut in half and then quarters. Place the beets in a mixing bowl and add the raspberry vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, and red onions. Toss together and then add salt and pepper to taste. Zest the oranges and then segment over a bowl to catch the juices. Add the orange zest, orange segments, and any juices and mix well. Serve at room temperature.

When my friend Myra made mention of this salad in an email, I immediately wanted to make it. The next day I bought all the ingredients and whipped up a batch with my kid before heading off to Anne’s house for dinner. Anne made these Salmon Croquettes and served the lentil salad along with them. The kids (one 4 year old and two 7 year olds) were reluctant to taste the lentils but after finally giving in they requested helping after helping. I’m not kidding, it’s THAT kid friendly! Shocking, I know.

Anne sent me home with the salad because she had already resolved to make a batch of her own the next day. When I saw it in the fridge in the morning I just had to fry up an egg and serve it atop a warmed up scoop of salad. The result was divine!

That night when my kid wanted pasta for dinner, I simply could not resist using the last of the lentils instead of sauce. This may be my favorite incarnation of it yet. Next time I’m going to use spaghetti.

One healthy salad, served three different ways. What could be more appealing? Now for the recipe…

Summer Lentil Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked green lentils*
1 1/2 cup tomato bruschetta*
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 additional tablespoon feta cheese
6 basil leaves (torn)

Lentil Salad
In a large bowl combine lentils, tomato bruschetta and 1/3 cup feta cheese. Toss. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with 1 tablespoon of feta and basil. Serve salad at room temp. Makes approximately 3 1/2 cups.

Lentils & Eggs
Place left over lentil salad in a small pot and warm over medium low heat being careful not to overheat. Meanwhile, fry an egg in a non-stick skillet. Transfer warm lentils to a plate and slide fried egg on top.

Pasta with Lentils
Place left over lentil salad in a large non-stick skillet over medium low heat being careful not to overheat. Meanwhile, boil your pasta of choice and cook al dente. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Combine pasta and lentils and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with some additional feta and torn basil.

* To save on time we used Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils and jarred Tomato Bruschetta. This recipe is just as good when you make your own. To make the lentils, start with 1 cup dry green lentils. Rinse and transfer to a pot. Add 1 cup vegetable broth and 2 cups water. Add a bay leaf and 2 whole peeled garlic cloves. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat as soon as they start to boil. Make sure the heat remains low and continue to cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. Take them off the heat, remove garlic and bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste. Let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes, then you can cool them completely. To make the Tomato Bruschetta combine 1 can good diced roasted tomatoes (drained), 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar, fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste.