April

Sides and Salads

Melanie: Cornbread

Rebecca: Spinach Salad

Larissa: Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Haylie: Maple Roasted Asparagus and Mac-n-cheese bites

Anne: Sweet Potato Fries

Cierra: Tomato Salad

Jessie: Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

Sides : Cornbread by Melanie

Recipe Coming Soon!

Salad : Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad by Jessie

Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
Caesar salad dressing (about 1/4 c., but really it’s to taste)
Bowtie pasta (cooked to al dente, drained and cooled)
Marinated chicken, cooled and cubed
Cherry tomatoes (we just had regular tomatoes tonight, so we used those)
Mushrooms, sliced
Olives, sliced
Sunflower seeds (optional)
Croutons
Parmesan cheese

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Top with additional parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.This is really adaptable...I use spinach instead of lettuce...and because of Matt and Molly leave out the mushrooms, olives, sunflower seeds and tomatoes!

Salads : Tomato Salad by Cierra

Recipe:
2 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber (optional, could replace with additional tomato)
1 cup fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lemon juice
seasoning salt
oregano
one half red onion (optional!!!)

Dice tomatoes and cucumbers and place in mixing bowl. Thinly mince cilantro and add to salad. Add spices to taste. (More spices DO taste better in this case, don't be too shy)

Sides : Mac-n-cheese bites by Haylie

(They were supposed to look a lot better than this...I cooked them in a muffin tin, but probably should've let them bake a little longer so the cheese held the shape better, but they still tasted delicious!)

For the crunchy topping:
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt
For the macaroni and cheese:
1/2lb cut pasta, any shape
2 Tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
dash red chili pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups 2% milk
1/2lb extra sharp white cheddar (I used Harry and David)
4oz  cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
1. For the crunchy topping: melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add in panko bread crumbs. Cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley flakes, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
2. For the macaroni and cheese: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with salt and add in pasta. Cook until pasta begins to soften, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Return the pot to the stove, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add in garlic and red chili pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add in flour and whisk for 1 additional minute.
4. Slowly whisk chicken broth and milk into the flour mixture in batches, whisking until mixture is smooth between each batch. After all the liquid has been incorporated, stir constantly and cook until thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Add cheeses and stir until sauce is smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour the macaroni and cheese into a non-stick sprayed 8×8 baking dish. (Or try a in a muffin tin to make individual portions)   Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until breadcrumbs are crisp and sides are golden brown and bubbly.

Recipe and step by step instructions found HERE 

Sides : Maple Roasted Asparagus with Pecans by Haylie

Ingredients
1 pound asparagus
1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Chop pecans.

3. Toss cleaned asparagus with pecans, syrup and vinegar.

4. Spread on lightly oiled pan and place in oven. Roast for ~30 -35 minutes (give them a little stir once or twice).

5. Enjoy!

Original recipe from HERE

Sides : Sweet Potato Fries by Anne

Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 yams
Oil
Coarse salt

Slice up a yam, spread on cookie sheet, drizzle with oil (olive or vegetable, olive has a distinct flavor) and sprinkle coarse salt on them. Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes depending on how brown you like them. Enjoy!

Salads : Spinach Salad by Rebecca

Sherri's (my mom) Spinach Salad

8 oz (or so) fresh spinach

1 ripe avocado chopped into bite size pieces

11 oz can of mandarin oranges drained

3 or 4 pieces of bacon (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer) cooked and chopped into bite size pieces

8 or 9 mushrooms chopped 

Pull the stems off the spinach and add all of the other ingredients. Mix up the salad dressing (recipe below) and slowly add the dressing until the salad is moderately coated.  You will most likely have some dressing left over. Toss and immediately serve and enjoy!

Dressing:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Sides : Cilantro Lime Quinoa by Larissa

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package and cooled to room temperature

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped finely

1 TBS Olive Oil (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

See original recipe here