Before I posted one of my most asked for recipes, I had to do a little research on what to call it first. This is what I learned (from Wikipedia):

Marinara sauce is an Italian-American term for a simple tomato sauce with herbs—mostly parsley and basil—but, contrary to its name (which is Italian for “sailor-style”) without anchovies, fish, or seafood. In Italy, marinara refers to a seafood-based sauce or food and does not imply that tomato is either included or excluded.

I have always assumed marinara sauce to be simple, chunky tomato sauce but I never looked up it’s actual definition. My family is from Sicily and to be honest, I don’t really remember referring to our sauce as “marinara” until we opened up our second restaurant in Florida over 20 something years ago. Our sauce was always “sauce” (not gravy either…just sauce).

My sauce, apparently, is a perfect example of what marinara is. It’s simple that’s for sure, and that’s just the way I like it. I’ve always loved tomato-ey sauces, and I have always asked for an extra scoop over the top while my mom or grandpa set up the plates. That little extra sauce made a nice companion to the extra bread I like to consume during our weekly Sunday pasta lunches. Total perfection I tell you. Nothing better than cleaning up your pasta plate with a chunk of bread.

I put together this quick marinara sauce yesterday for our Sunday lunch, served over whole wheat rotini pasta and accompanied with sun-dried tomato chicken sausages, roasted broccoli and some roasted eggplant. Oh, and don’t forget the Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Simple Marinara Sauce
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (Italian style or regular is fine)
1 small onion, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
good pinch salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small handful of fresh basil torn

In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes until onion starts to soften and all becomes fragrant. Add both cans of tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with dried oregano, salt and pepper and stir. Let sauce simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes. Taste for salt along the way and adjust. Add fresh torn basil towards end of cooking time. Serve over warm pasta and enjoy.

We all tend to be creatures of habit at times. At least I know that’s true for me. When I find myself enjoying a certain food or meal, I notice that I start to enjoy that food or meal often – it can be almost comforting at times. I like no-brainer meals, to be honest. As much as I like to think about food all the time, there are times where I’d rather just go on auto-pilot.

This little throw together lunch falls into the category of “go to” meals for me. There’s nothing gourmet about it, nothing fancy, but to me it’s pretty perfect. It’s simple, and I make sure to always have all the ingredients available for me in the fridge (helps with auto-pilot mode).  I’ve been enjoying it almost every weekday for the last few weeks. It’s become “ole reliable” when I can’t think too hard about what to make myself for lunch (I work from home during the day, so this could easily be dinner for those of you who don’t, please keep in mind).

Don’t shame me, but the veggie burger that I cook up is a frozen one, and I love it. I buy a big box of them at Costco and cook them up in my toaster oven until hot and a bit crisp. I’ve been wanting to try making my own homemade veggie burgers for a while now, and it’s a challenge I plan to take on very soon.

I’ll enjoy these until I do.

Veggie Burger Wrap
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 veggie burger – your favorite, right now mine is Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, but I also enjoy Morningstar Black Bean Burgers
1 whole wheat tortilla wrap – I love these from La Tortilla Factory
1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge – any flavor – or slice of cheese of your choice (optional of course)
green leaf or red leaf lettuce
shredded carrots
alfafa sprouts
Sriracha, hot sauce, mustard or ketchup – your choice and optional

Cook your veggie burger until crisp, according to directions. While veggie burger is cooking, lay out your tortilla and spread your cheese on it. Top with lettuce leaves, carrots and sprouts. Top with veggie burger and a dash of Sriracha or hot sauce.

Serve with fruit and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite recipe for homemade veggie/bean burgers? If so, please share in the comments (links are very welcome!)

Here are a few I’ve seen around and am dying to try:

Quinoa Black Bean Burger from Bake Your Day

Chickpea Burger from Martha Stewart

Black Bean Patties with Avocado Tomato Salsa from Cookin’ Canuck

Reuben Style Bean Burgers from Three Many Cooks

 Mediterranean Veggie Burgers with Lemon Caper Mayo from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Can we just talk about these green little gems for a second? They are sprout chips! Yep…baked brussels sprout leaves that turn into crunchy little chips! I just came across them recently over on the blog inspiredRD and they made my head spin a bit. I mean, really, I thought kale chips were genius…these are right up there in the same category! (Speaking of kale chips…have you tried them? My friend Alison just posted a recipe for kale chips the other day, and I encourage you to try them if you haven’t. I dip mine in ketchup and can seriously eat a whole pan of them in one sitting…the kids love them too!)

I baked these sprout chips up the other day with some of my favorite lemon pepper seasoning (I just can not get enough of that stuff) and they were a perfect snack to munch on. My kids have never tried brussels sprouts and this might be the way to do it. I’ll report back and let you know what they think.

I posted the recipe for Baked Lemon Pepper Sprout Chips are on Family Kitchen, hop on over and check it out.

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(Photo Credit: Katie’s Cucina)

By the way…a couple of weeks ago I was asked by the organization Produce For Kids to be a speaker on a panel for an educational workshop called “How Food Bloggers are Influencing Produce Consumers and How to Create Advocates for your Brand” at the Southeast Produce Council‘s Southern Exposure Conference in Tampa, FL. I sat on the panel alongside Jeff Houck, food writer for The Tampa Tribune and author of the blog The Stew as well as bloggers Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers and Ricky of Tasty Chomps.

We had a great discussion answering several questions from moderator Heidi McIntyre of Produce For Kids as well as from the audience from how and why we started our blogs to how we deal with PR pitches to how companies in the produce industry can effectively work with bloggers. I had a great experience and really enjoyed my time at the conference (although, not going to lie, I was incredibly nervous sitting up on that stage with a microphone!!!).

(I have a thing for cute Gators. )

(Lunch with bloggers Katie, Dawn, Ricky, Julie, Julia and Rod)

After our panel discussion, lunch and a brief tour of the conference floor I spent the rest of my time with my friend and fellow produce lover Katie of Katie’s Cucina. She’s visited us here at AK before and we’ve met in person a couple of times over the last year. Katie and I both share a slight obsession with fruits and vegetables and make each other feel less weird about it.

I couldn’t have spent my time at a produce conference with better people. You’ll have to check out Katie’s recap and photos of the conference here on her blog, she did a great job of showcasing our day, as well as all the fruits, veggies and products we sampled. You can also read Julie’s recap on the conference here on Peanut Butter Fingers as well as Ricky’s recap here on Tasty Chomps.

This is my first time participating in Kitchen Play’s Progressive Party and I’m happy to be be bringing some of this delicious Italian Fish and Potato Stew made with this month’s featured ingredient – potatoes.

When I initially started thinking about creating a soup with potatoes, I immediately started thinking of creamy soups. I might be in the minority here, but I don’t get excited about creamy soups. Then I remembered that most chowders, specifically my favorite type of chowder – Manhattan style – usually have potatoes in them. Ding ding ding! Since I had a nice piece of cod in the freezer already, I picked up some red and white potatoes along with a few other ingredients and put together this comforting, straight forward soup that was enjoyed on a dreary rainy afternoon.

This Italian Fish and Potato Stew is actually inspired by a stewed cod fish dish my grandfather makes every Christmas Eve. It’s hearty, and perfectly satisfying. It’s chock full of good clean vegetables like potatoes, celery, onion, tomatoes and garlic. I brightened it up a bit with a little clam juice and fresh squeezed lemon. At the end I threw in some roughly chopped green and kalamata olives along with the chunks of fish. It is absolutely delicious, and incredibly good for your health and for your soul.

I chose white and red potatoes for the soup because I knew they would hold up well in the hot liquid. I diced the potatoes just small enough so that they would cook up at close to the same rate as the other veggies in the soup. Adding potatoes to a healthy soup like this is a great way to add a little extra nutrition, since they are naturally fat free, high in vitamin C and great sources of fiber and potassium.

Now that is my kind of soup.

Italian Fish and Potato Stew
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, small dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, small dice
2 red potatoes, small dice
1 large white potato, small dice
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch salt and pepper
1 28 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 8 0z bottle of clam juice
4 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable – I used 4 cups water swirled from tomato can and added a tablespoon vegetable bouillon)
juice from 1 large lemon
1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen cod fish (or any other firm white fish), cut in 1″ – 1 1/2 ” pieces
handful of roughly chopped green and kalamata olives
additional salt and pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil and add onion, garlic, celery and potato. Season with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes until slightly softened. Add tomatoes, clam juice, lemon juice and broth. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add pieces of fish and olives to soup and gently stir. Continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes until fish is cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.

Serve with whole grain bread, crackers or on it own.

Stay inspired to include potatoes into your diet by checking out the US Potato Board’s Facebook page or by signing up for the US Potato Board weekly recipe email here.

This idea for dinner slapped me in the face the other day as I was sitting in car line waiting to pick up my kids for school. I had no plan for dinner, and the lack of plan was occupying my mind…I knew I had to think of something quick.

When I find myself in this last minute “what do I make for dinner” situation it can easily go either way…it can go in the direction of giving up and ordering pizza or Greek take-out or in the direction of digging through the freezer for the main ingredient and everything else falling into place because of that main ingredient. In this case, I dug through the freezer. I knew that I had these great Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Chicken Sausages that I always pick up when I go to Costco. They are so quick to defrost at the last minute and easy to cook up on the grill, and the best part, everyone in the family likes them.

I almost always have peppers and onions on hand. And they pretty much go hand in hand with grilled sausages in my opinion. Just look at that beautiful basket of veggies. Makes your mouth water a little doesn’t it? I love that grill basket wok by the way, it’s becoming one of my favorite gadgets to cook with. I picked it up at Target and have grilled so many different veggies in it. Grilled carrots are so delicious and I’m going to try broccoli next.

Do you use a grill basket? What’s your favorite grilled veggie?

You can find the recipe for Grilled Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pita Sandwiches over on Babble. Have a great week!

I was obviously very hungry when I made my tuna sandwich earlier this week. I mean, look at this beast.

It was perfect, and definitely hit the spot. I’m such a sucker for tuna sandwiches. Something about them makes me crave potato chips too, I just need some crunch when I’m eating tuna I guess. Which is why I decided to load up this sandwich with crunchy vegetables the other day…to get my mind off the crunchy “other stuff”. It worked, for the most part.

The best part of this beast of a sandwich is how GOOD it is for you. Look at all those veggies! And that bread…it’s a Smart Bagel. Good stuff (100 calories, 6g fiber, 5g protein), look for them. They will most definitely make you feel smart, I promise.

(disclaimer: your sandwich will not look pretty after the first bite. sorry.)

The Big Tuna
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 whole wheat Smart Bagel (or bread of your choice)
1 can of tuna, drained well and dressed with a little mayo, mustard and lemon pepper seasoning
alfalfa sprouts
thinly sliced cucumber
sliced tomato, lightly sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper
red leaf or green leaf lettuce

Assemble your sandwich and enjoy!

From the looks of it, all I’ve been eating lately is salad and pizza.

There’s a little truth to that.

You’ll want to make this one for yourself for lunch or dinner soon. It’s seriously so good. I made it for my lunch earlier this week but it’s going to be my dinner tonight…Gina and I are having girl’s night in while the boys are at the Magic game. This is perfect girls night in food don’t you think? (and no, Gina won’t eat this exact same thing with me, I’ll make her pita toasted with some cheese and chopped tomato and cucumber on the side)

And before I forget, I have to tell you about this pita bread I found at Walmart. It’s the only place I’ve seen it and I stocked up on a few packs for the freezer. One pita bread is only 60 calories, has 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. It’s called Joseph’s…look for it! It has slightly changed my life as far as pita bread is concerned.

I posted the recipe for this Greek Salad and Hummus Pita Pizza over on Family Kitchen this week. Go check it out! Happy Friday!

PS…my sister-in-law Jamie of Mom’s Cooking Club is having a giveaway for a $25 gift card to Publix! We ((LOVE)) Publix!

I’m linking this post up to Tidy Mom’s I’m Lovin’ It this week!

Back in the day, when I was in college, I worked at a sports bar called the Gainesville Ale House. During my 3 years there, I waited tables, hostessed, expo’d, and even had a short stint as a prep cook one summer. If you’ve ever worked at a restaurant, especially while in college, then you probably remember eating a lot of your meals there…usually for the sake of convenience and even more so for the employee discount. You really couldn’t beat that employee discount.

One of the meals I ate the most while I worked at the Ale House was the blackened tuna ceasar salad. Sometimes I would switch it up and have blackened grouper or mahi, I loved it and ordered it all the time. This salad here that I made for dinner last night reminded me a lot of those days.

This salad is a perfect dinner salad, especially when we start getting into warmer spring weather, the kind of weather that tends to put us into salad eating mode. It’s not a complicated ‘recipe’, but more so of a great healthy dinner idea or option. It’s a stand by in our home and could easily be made with chicken, steak or shrimp.

I seasoned my fish (by the way, I always have frozen fish in the freezer, it defrosts quickly and is perfect for last minute meals like this one was) with Chef Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic (I prefer to use Blackened Redfish Magic but ran out!). I used my favorite salad dressing of the week for this salad and topped it with a little freshly grated parmesan cheese and lemon pepper seasoning. I would have to say that it definitely hit the spot. Go ahead and throw on some croutons if you so desire.

Blackened Mahi Ceasar Salad

for 2 salads

2 filets of mahi mahi, (if frozen, defrosted)
blackening seasoning (I prefer Chef Prudhommes Blackened Redfish Magic or Seafood Magic)
non stick spray
mixed salad greens of your choice
lemon pepper seasoning
your favorite ceasar salad dressing (I prefer Bolthouse Farms)
freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving
croutons, optional

Preheat  a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Pat your fish filets dry with a paper towel and sprinkle liberally with your seasoning. Spray your skillet with non stick spray and place your fish into hot pan. Let it sear and cook for about 5 minutes until bottom of fish starts to blacken cook through. Season other side of  fish with seasoning and carefully flip over. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until fish becomes flaky (depends on thickness of fish). Be sure not to over cook fish because it will dry out.

In a bowl, toss greens with salad dressing and croutons, if using. Add your dressed greens to dinner plate and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, lemon pepper seasoning and fish.

It’s Valentine’s Day. I have no chocolate or hearts or anything really all that cute for you. Doesn’t mean I don’t love you though. I do.

I have pizza for you.

Pizza is one of the loves of my life, so in the spirit of the holiday of love, here I am sharing it with you. The other loves of my life and I like to have pizza on Friday nights…sometimes we go out for it, sometimes we take some home, and sometimes we (I) make our own. Our last pizza night was a few weeks ago and I was craving something different. The rest of my crew doesn’t usually crave what I crave so I made their traditional standby 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni pie while I experimented a bit with mine based on what I had going on in the fridge and pantry.

Voila.

Mexican Pizza
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

pizza dough (I wish I could tell you I make my own, but I don’t. I am working on that. I buy my pizza dough at my grocery store bakery)
your favorite salsa (I tried out this sweet onion salsa and it was YUM)
shredded Mexican cheese
red onion, sliced thin
black olives, sliced
roasted pobalanos and cubanelles, sliced thin

Roast your peppers ahead of time. Here’s how I roast my peppers.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees, I like to preheat my pizza stone or pan at this time too. I find the crust comes out so much better when prepared on a preheated stone (or pan).

Throw some flour on a clean, dry surface and start to prepare your pizza crust by shaping your dough (I find that lightly coating it with some flour first helps). I start by gently using my fingertips and spreading it out into a circle until it looks like a disc. I then take the “disc” and start tossing it back and forth from hand to hand to start loosening it up (I learned this from watching my dad make pizza all my life, it took a while for me to really get it down, so don’t expect perfection, have fun with it!). Once you get your pizza spread into the shape you want, pull out your pizza stone or pan and place on a trivet on your counter and transfer your dough to the stone. You may have to work your pizza out a bit once it hits the hot stone, it may start to shrink up, just be careful not to burn yourself!

Now is the easy and fun part. Spread the desired amount of salsa over your dough. Top it with however much cheese you want. Add the rest of your toppings over the cheese and pop it into the oven to bake. Keep an eye on it, but it should be ready in about 15 minutes, or when cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Are you craving more pizza? If so, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to it. Enjoy!

I think I may have mentioned that I’m drowning in cabbages and salad greens a few times and to a few people over the past few weeks. If you didn’t know, I joined a CSA last month and every Thursday evening the kids and I get in the van and drive over to our pick-up spot to get our share of local farm fresh produce to take home. The process of coming home with two huge bags filled to the rim with veggies (some I don’t always recognize) was a little overwhelming at first, I will openly admit. Since the veggies are literally coming straight from the farm and off of a truck into my hands, I have some work to do when I get home. I start before I leave the house by cleaning my sink well. When I get home with my bags, I open them up and sort through what I have. I fill up my sink with cold water and start cleaning the veggies by cutting off any roots or yellow leaves and letting them soak for a few minutes.

I lay out 2 or 3 clean dish towels on the counter next to the sink where I let everything completely dry for a good hour or two afterwards, before putting it all away in the fridge, either wrapped in dry paper towels or in ziploc bags.

I have to say, 4 weeks in, I’ve got a good system down and it really has become an interesting and delicious experience for my whole family.

(and the scraps are keeping the compost bin entertained and full!)

I will say, joining a CSA isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like to be too adventurous with your cooking, or like to have very planned meals, then it’s probably not something you want to invest in. Though you do have somewhat of an idea of what you will be taking home each week, it’s really not the same as pushing your shopping cart through the produce section of the grocery store with a list. Instead, your CSA bag is basically filled for you by a farmer and filled with whatever nature is growing for you that week. I love the whole concept of it and I really enjoy the surprise of what we take home. But it is a challenge.

My kids think it’s pretty cool too.

Needless to say, I’ve been having to stay on my toes as far as finding recipes and ideas for how to use up all of this wonderful produce. One thing I’ve been getting  a lot of is asian cabbages like napa cabbage and bok choy.

You already saw the Asian Stuffed Cabbages I made for dinner a couple of weeks ago that turned out to be a hit. Here’s another Asian-inspired dish I made recently using up the rest of the cabbages I had in the fridge. A delicious, soba noodle stir fry that fed me at lunch for two days. That’s right, fed me…meaning, my husband and kids never even got to try it. Oops.

I guess that means I have to make it again soon. Soon meaning probably this weekend.

You can find my recipe for Stir Fried Soba Noodles with Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy over on Family Kitchen this week. Enjoy!!