This weekend my family got together for our monthly “family day” at my sister’s house to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. I’m not sure exactly when our monthly get-together tradition officially started, but I’m glad it did. My family is close, and we spend a lot of time together normally,  but it seems over the last few years with life getting busy with our growing families, jobs and just “stuff” that we weren’t getting together as a whole as often as we used to. My mom has been great about reaching out to each of us and setting a date that works for everyone to get together each month. We usually rotate houses and it seems that there always happens to be a reason to celebrate, whether it be a birthday or holiday or just each other.

Of course, food is absolutely always involved.

(My Nonna enjoyed playing my assistant while I took photos )

Last summer, at another family day at my sister’s house (where I made these cheesy corn stuffed jalapenos), my sister served up a corn and tomato salsa that was out of this world. When I was contacted by RO*TEL this month to host a Spring into Summer party and giveaway I immediately knew that I wanted to recreate that salsa and use RO*TEL tomatoes. My sister shared her recipe with me and I used it as a guide to put this super simple salsa together. Her recipe actually includes black beans, but on the day she made it for us she was actually out of them…I personally liked it without the beans because it was so light and refreshing, and since the second dish I was bringing over included beans (recipe to come) I opted to keep them out again.

There were plenty of good eats served up yesterday including deviled eggs (could not stop eating), a few dips, salads and fresh watermelon. My sister grilled up some hot dogs and had pulled barbecue turkey breast in the crock pot for sandwiches. My mom played bartender and kept these fresh whiskey sours flowing for us (so good – a must try!). Birthday cheesecake was enjoyed for dessert.

I put this salsa together in just minutes. Everything was in the pantry or freezer and it made a large amount, perfect for entertaining or for storing in the fridge as leftovers to use in other meals such as taco salads or over grilled chicken.

Zesty Corn Salsa

2 cans RO*TEL diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (if using fresh, lightly steam corn first then remove off cob. if using frozen, defrost by running under cool water)
juice from one lime
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
drizzle of olive oil

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Optional add ins: can of rinsed and drained black beans and chopped fresh cilantro

Giveaway:

Two lucky winners will receive their own Spring into Summer prize packs, courtesy of  ConAgra Foods and RO*TEL

Prize pack includes: two cans of RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, recipe cards, chip and dip serving bowl, party lights and an outdoor game set

Starts today, Monday, May 21 and ends Tuesday, May 29 at 12 noon (EST)

(Sorry, giveaway open to US readers only. Winners will be chosen randomly using Pick Giveaway Winner plugin application – winners will be notified by email and have 48 hours to claim prize or another winner will be selected.)

To enter into the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post telling me if you make your own salsa and/or what your favorite way to prepare it is.

Additional Entries can be earned by:

(leave a separate comment after you complete each item, each comment will count as an entry)

1. “Like” Aggie’s Kitchen on Facebook. (if you already a fan, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

2. Follow @AggiesKitchen on Twitter (if you already follow, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

3. Share about giveaway on Twitter: “I want to win a RO*TEL party pack from @aggieskitchenhttp://su.pr/1muEeA #giveaway ”

4. Share about giveaway on Facebook with link to this post.

5. Subscribe to Aggie’s Kitchen RSS feed.

6. Follow Aggie’s Kitchen on Pinterest.

(Disclosure: I am in a working relationship with RO*TEL and ConAgra Foods and have received compensation and product for this post.)

You can find more recipes and ways to use RO*TEL on their website, Facebook page, Pinterest board or by following them on Twitter.

When my husband travels, dinner time can get interesting here. I’m always tempted to really go all out and try new recipes that he might not necessarily want to eat, something very veggie or very spicy or just very girly (what is girly food anyway?). It’s easy to do when he’s away because my kids are easy to please with some buttered whole wheat noodles, steamed broccoli and some chicken cutlets out of the freezer. But me, no I want something more than that…I want something good.

Well, by around 5pm, let’s just say that reality kicks in. I don’t feel like really cooking, the kids are hungry, I am hangry and I still don’t want buttered noodles. Take out is an option, but the guilt of a full fridge and pantry squashes that real quick.

So instead of the homemade black bean and quinoa burgers I want to try or this chana masala that I’ve been craving…I pull out a can of refried beans, a tortilla and some salad fixings and make this tostada. And you know what? This tostada is good.

And I’ll be eating it again for lunch and possibly dinner.

Refried Bean and Fresh Jalapeno Tostada (for one)
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 whole wheat tortilla
cooking spray
1/3 can of fat free refried beans (I use these from Bush’s Beans)
1 oz or small handful of shredded cheddar cheese

fixings: salsa (I had this one already made in the fridge), fresh greens, sliced fresh jalapenos, sliced red onion, lime

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray your whole wheat tortilla on both sides with cooking spray. Place on middle rack in your oven. Cook for about 3-4 minutes then flip. Cook for same amount of time, or until it gets slightly crisp (but not too crisp!).

Take out your tortilla. Spread refried beans onto tortilla and top with shredded cheese. Place back into oven. Cook for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla crisps up even more (to your liking).

Top with salad greens, red onion, fresh jalapenos, and salsa. Squeeze half a lime over salad and serve with your favorite hot sauce (I had mine with some chipotle Tabasco, mmmm).

*******************************************************************************************************

I’ve really stayed on track with exercise since I talked about getting back into running several weeks ago. I haven’t run as much as I would like to, but I’ve been staying very active with swim workouts, time on the elliptical and I even started P90X last week (thanks to the encouragement of my brother). P90X has been a killer, in a very good way – I am not following it to a “T”, but I am doing all the strength days plus Plyometrics day and it’s been a great way to get my strength training back on track. In just a couple of weeks my posture has improved and my back isn’t hurting as much, which is something I have been struggling with for a while now.

Yesterday I hit the elliptical for an hour, I opted for the Rolling Hills workout on my machine and popped on my iPod with freshly purchased music. New music ALWAYS motivates me!

Here are a few of my newest downloads…got any fresh music yourself? If so, do tell!

Now go get your workout on!

Train – Drive By

Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa) – Payphone

B.o.B. – Strange Clouds (worked out to this whole album, love B.o.B.)

Flo Rida – Wild Ones

Justin Bieber – Boyfriend (I have no shame, my workout playlists are not complete without at least one JB song)

David Guetta – Where Them Girls At (I don’t even know who this guy is, but I keep buying his songs)

Nicki Minaj – Starships

Is it beach weather where you live yet (or I guess depending on where you live I should ask pool, lake or picnic weather)? Is our weather finally on the same page across the country?

My family and I started hitting the beach on the weekends early last month. I don’t necessarily wait till the weather warms up to enjoy the beach, I LOVE the beach pretty much all times of the year , every season (fall and early spring might be my favorite), any time of day (early mornings and late afternoons are the most peaceful for me), every weather condition (where I come from we flock to the beach when a hurricane is brewing). I spent most of my life just 10 minutes from the ocean (and was lucky to work at my parents restaurant that was just a few feet from it) and can honestly say that I am my calmest and happiest self near the water. When I lived at home with my family, going to the beach consisted of grabbing a towel, a bottle of water and a book and heading out the door. My hometown beach is small and quaint so parking or finding a quiet spot on the sand was never an issue.

It was and still is my favorite place to be.

These days though, I live close to 45 minutes from the beach. Sadly, we (I) don’t get there as often as I would like. And my “new” beach is not like my old quiet and quaint beach, it’s pretty much the exact opposite. My new beach is a destination beach and there are lots of cars, peoples, hotels, bikes and stuffs going on. It’s a little different. It’s a lot different. But you know what? Once I settle into my chair and see the backsides of my kids running out toward the water, it’s all good. I’m at ease and in a happy place (though sweaty and a little winded after lugging a ridiculous amount of bags, chairs, towels, toys, a cooler and an umbrella, I guess it counts as workout of some sort right?). There is absolutely nothing like that fresh ocean breeze and the subtle sounds of waves crashing, sigh…even if there is a Spring Break USA scene going on behind me.

For fun…last spring, I tweeted a photo of my kids to our weather guy… how excited were we to see it on the afternoon news later that day!

I always pack up a big cooler when going to the beach. We get hungry. It usually consists of lots of sandwiches, fruit, snacks, beverages. On our last beach day, I wanted to eat something a little different. I very quickly and easily put together this mayo-free pasta salad using basic ingredients I pretty much always have on hand. Since there’s no mayo, it’s easy to serve at any outdoor get together you may be planning or having over the next few glorious months of summer!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Beach Day Macaroni Salad
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

For the dressing:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mustard
good pinch of salt and pepper

Prepare dressing in an air tight container or glass jar. Add all ingredients to container and shake well for a few seconds until well blended. Taste for salt and pepper.

For the macaroni salad:

1/2 lb whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled
2-3 celery stalks, rough chopped
2-3 carrots, rough chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I use Bush’s Best Garbanzo Beans)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing to the pasta and veggies and toss gently to cover. Taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly. Add more dressing if needed or set aside to add at a later time (if not serving immediately, you may have to redress your salad a bit, the pasta tends to soak in the dressing when it sits in the fridge for a while. I also like just splashing on red wine vinegar on its own to freshen it up.)

More mayo-free pasta salads for you to enjoy:

Pasta Salad with Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette

Easy Mayo-Free Pasta Salad from Delicious Dishings

Shrimp Pasta with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette from Mommie Cooks

Spring Orzo Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Artichokes from Food For My Family

Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad with White Beans and Spinach from My Kitchen Addiction

Are you all familiar with Instagram? I know some of you are (since I follow a few of you who follow this blog). Instagram, for those of you who don’t know, is a fun little photo-inspired social media hang out. It’s a happy place, a community of some sort, where you can keep up with others (and vice versa) through the eyes of the camera on your phone. And if you aren’t into the whole sharing thing, it’s all good because there’s also a private option which enables you to use all the creative filters Instagram offers without having to make those photos public. Fun stuff.

So what does Instagram have to do with this Stuffed Cabbage Casserole? Well, I’ve met some pretty cool people through Instagram, not sure how honestly, but I can tell you if you post any picture that happens to do with food, healthy living, the beach or flowers then I pretty much get sucked in. I follow a gal named Powercakes on Instagram and have spent some time exploring her blog lately. It’s full of fitness inspiration as well as really great clean recipes, one of which inspired this version of Stuffed Cabbage Casserole.

Cabbage is one of those foods I want to love. I always pick it up with intentions to make something delicious with it, like this slaw, but I have to be honest – it sometimes goes to waste. One cabbage dish I have always LOVED is stuffed cabbage rolls. My grandfather makes them all the time and I’ve made them a few times myself (remember these Asian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?). But let’s be real, we don’t always have the time for the whole rolling step do we? That’s why when I saw this recipe over on Powercakes, I got excited. Not sure why I never thought of this myself, but let me tell you it was absolutely DELICIOUS. Total comfort food, especially on a night where you are really in the mood for something saucy and baked. I made this casserole with lean ground beef because I’ve been really craving it lately, but it could easy be made with ground turkey as well.

I served it alongside simple green beans, but next time I am going to try it out over some Cauliflower Mash!

Note: give yourself enough time to bake this up, it took about an hour and due to poor planning on my part, I got a little HANGRY waiting around for dinner. I prepped the entire casserole earlier on the day that I was going to serve it for dinner, covered it in saran wrap and threw it in the fridge till dinner time. Leftovers for lunches ROCK.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
Recipe adapted from Powercakes
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium head of cabbage, shredded
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used the green pepper and onion variety)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 small cans of mushrooms, drained (or 8 oz containers sliced mushrooms)
a good pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a nonstick skillet over medium, cook onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add your ground beef and continue to cook until browned.

While beef is browning, shred your cabbage by cutting in half, removing the core, then cutting in quarters. Slice each quarter into thin pieces. Set into a large casserole dish.

Top shredded cabbage with browned beef, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and sauce. Add about a 1/4 – 1/3 cup water to sauce cans to “clean” them out and add the saucy water to the cabbage mixture. Sprinkle everything with dried oregano, salt and pepper.  Bake for about 60 minutes in 375 degree oven until sauce is bubbly and cabbage is cooked through.

We’ve talked about how much zucchini is coming into this house these days. I understand that’s not happening to everyone just yet, but soon right? So please bear with me as I share, yet another, recipe featuring zucchini…and here’s a spoiler, there’s another zucchini favorite recipe to come later this week too.

Since Spring hit our neck of the woods, my mood for light, fresh food has kicked into full gear. I made these enchiladas a couple of weeks ago during one of those days I was trying to unload the produce drawer in my fridge. I have been making veggie and bean enchiladas like these for a long time, but changed it up a little this time around by kicking it up with some pureed chipotle I had in the freezer.

These enchiladas are meatless, so if you are trying to incorporate a couple of meatless meals into your week this is a great start, and perfect for this time of year if you are craving something lighter. My husband enjoys them every time I make them and he is far from craving anything meatless if you know what I mean. If you are concerned about not having enough protein in a meal like this, there are plenty of whole wheat flour tortillas that have a good amount of protein in them, in addition to what you are getting from the black beans and other vegetables (and cheese!). Or of course you can add shredded chicken, ground turkey or lean beef, or even another can of beans if you like.

What I love about making enchiladas is that they are so easy to prepare, especially if you are working ahead. I usually prepare them early in the day so that they are ready to pop into the oven at dinner time. To do this, I recommend putting together your filling and rolling your tortillas first, and saving the sauce and cheese topping for when you are ready to cook.

Chipotle Black Bean Fiesta Enchiladas
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen for Bush’s Best Beans

serves 3-4

1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini (about 2 medium-sized zucchini)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 can RO*TEL diced tomatoes, drained
1 can Bush’s Best Black Beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
6-8 tortillas
1 14 oz can enchilada verde sauce (or about 1 1/2 cups homemade enchilada verde sauce like this one)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl combine chopped zucchini, onion, tomatoes, Bush’s Best Black Beans, chipotle, cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Lightly grease a glass baking dish. Lay tortilla flat and spoon 2 tablespoons black bean and vegetable mixture onto center. Roll gently and tightly. Do the same with each tortilla. Pour enchilada sauce over rolled and filled tortillas. Top with remaining shredded cheese and put in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I’m happy to announce the winner of The Gardener & The Grill Cookbook giveaway….Karen! Congrats and enjoy the beautiful cookbook…it’s on it’s way to you!

And you may or may not have noticed a few things are different around here. I’ve been working with my friend Cory of Zesty Blog Consulting on freshening up the blog a bit, making it more clean and functional. I’ve updated my About page, added lots of new blogs to the Blogs I Love page, as well as continuing to update my Recipe Index. It’s all still a work in progress, as always. If there is anything specific you’d like to see on Aggie’s Kitchen, please let me know! My main priority with this blog has always been sharing recipes and food that I love, as well as more of my hobbies such as gardening, reading and traveling.

Have a great week!

(Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Bush’s Best Beans and created this recipe using their beans. I have received compensation and product from them, but as always the opinions on this blog are always my own. I am happy to work with companies that I respect and admire, and of course has great products that I am happy to share with my readers!)

{Giveaway Now Closed – Congrats to Karen!}

Is it possible to fall in love with food? I feel like I’ve asked this question a few times before.

I fell in love with this pizza. Totally took me by surprise, though not sure why since it’s pretty straight forward why – grilled vegetables, pizza crust, cheese and lemon pepper. Does it get much better?

I can most definitely eat like this every day.

I think it’s safe to say we have entered into my favorite eating season of the year. Spring (and summer) brings the most fresh tasting, amazing veggies and I am finding myself craving all things veg lately. Jessica would not want to be eating at my house these days (although I would totally throw some bacon on this pizza just for her because I adore her so much). I think crumbled bacon would go nicely on this pizza actually.

Let’s get back to this Springalicous pizza. I don’t know about where you live, but here in Florida we are just about to start swimming in summer squash. This is about the time when we start to see plenty of it in the grocery store and farmer’s market and I’m loving it.

(I love char.)

This pizza recipe came from a cookbook that was recently sent to me to review, The Gardener & The Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. I want and plan to eat my way through this cookbook. This book is FILLED with recipes showcasing all kinds of herbs and veggies and how to grill them up and turn them into amazing meals.

I have a few recipes bookmarked as you can see.

Here’s what’s caught my eye so far: Fresh Basil Vinaigrette, Garlic Chive Pesto, Grilled Gazpacho, Grilled Pepper Boat “Sandwiches” filled with Herbed Cream Cheese, French Garden Radishes with Grilled Onion Butter, and Grilled Cantaloupe Rings with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

I could go on.

Not only is this book filled with recipes, but it’s also filled with some great tips on gardening as well as page after page of “how-to’s” including how to grill your greens (let’s just add High-Heat Grilled Romaine Salad to the “try” list right now) to how to grill flatbreads and pizzas. And in case you are wondering, there is a whole chapter dedicated to meat, poultry and fish too.

This book is fun. If you love to grill, and to garden (or eat from a garden), then you will really enjoy this book.

And it’s pretty too.

I took a shortcut with this recipe and used whole wheat naan bread I picked up at the store. Use your flatbread or dough recipe of choice.

Char-Grilled Baby Summer Squash Pizza
Recipe from The Garden & The Grill, with permission

1 lb pizza or flat bread dough
all purpose flour, for sprinkling
4 baby summer squash, such as zucchini, yellow summer squash or patty pan
olive oil, for brushing
salt to taste
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 cup grated Romano or Asiago cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Divide dough into four equal parts and press or roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle flour on two large baking sheets and place two round of dough on each sheet.

Prepare a hot fire on one side of your grill for indirect cooking. Oil a perforated grill rack and place over direct heat.

Slice squash into 1/4″ to 1/2″ planks. In a bowl, toss the squash with olive oil. Transfer the squash to the perforated grill rack and grill, turning often until slightly charred and softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Quickly chop into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper seasoning.

To grill directly on the grill grate, brush one side of each pizza with olive oil and place, oil side down, on the direct heat side. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes, or until you see the dough start to bubble. Brush the top side with olive oil and flip each pizza, using tongs onto a baking sheet. Quickly brush with more olive oil, and then spoon on a 1/4 of the grilled squash and sprinkle with cheese. Using a grill spatula, place each pizza on the indirect side of the fire. Cover and grill for 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is slightly melted. Top with fresh basil and serve hot.

Note: If using already cooked flatbread, skip the oil and place directly on grate (over indirect heat) to warm up side that you will be putting squash topping on first. Flip over, put squash topping over other side and cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Giveaway:

{Giveaway Now Closed – Congrats to Karen!}

One lucky winner will receive their own copy of The Gardener & The Grill cookbook

Starts today, Friday, April 27 and ends Wednesday, May 2 at 12 noon (EST)

(Sorry, giveaway open to US readers only. Winner will be chosen randomly using Pick Giveaway Winner plugin application – winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to claim prize or another winner will be selected.)

To enter into the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite food to grill is.

Additional Entries can be earned by:

(leave a separate comment after you complete each item, each comment will count as an entry)

1. “Like” Aggie’s Kitchen on Facebook. (if you already a fan, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

2. Follow @AggiesKitchen on Twitter (if you already follow, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

3. Share about giveaway on Twitter: “I want to win The Gardener & The Grill cookbook from @aggieskitchen http://su.pr/5fe104 #giveaway ”

4. Share about giveaway on Facebook with link to this post.

5. Subscribe to Aggie’s Kitchen RSS feed.

6. Follow Aggie’s Kitchen on Pinterest.

(and of course…I’m required to tell you…)

Disclaimer: I received my own copy for review for this giveaway but as always my opinions on this blog are always my own. There are also affiliate links in this post.

Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to eat what the rest of my family is eating. Turkey burgers were on the dinner menu the other night, but I was craving something different…I was craving veggies.

My veggie drawer has been busting at the seams lately. Our pick ups from our CSA have been full of zucchinis, kholrabi, cauliflower as well as these pretty green and yellow beans.

While everyone’s burgers were on the grill, I quickly steamed up the beans and immediately threw them in an ice bath to keep them crisp. I quartered a few cherry tomatoes and added them along with some sliced almonds to the bowl of beans. Top with some crumbled goat cheese and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and you’ve got yourself a nice light spring dinner for one.

Green Bean, Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

bunch of green beans and/or yellow wax beans, lightly steamed
3-4 cherry or campari tomatoes, quartered
1-2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 oz crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
good pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine cooled and dried steamed green and yellow beans along with tomatoes and almonds in a salad bowl. Top with goat cheese. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over your salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: this could easily turned into a larger salad to serve at a picnic or barbecue by increasing the ingredients – perfect for spring and summer!

Enjoy!

More ways to serve up fresh green beans:

Three-Bean and Vidalia Onion Salad

Zesty Pesto Green Beans from Reluctant Entertainer

Pickled Vegetable Salad from The Meltaways

Green Beans, Lemon and Feta Cheese from Two Peas and Their Pod

A while back my friend Amy posted this open-faced black bean omelet recipe and I’ll tell ya, it got me intrigued. I had never thought of cooking up beans in my eggs, though I have had them on the side when I’ve ordered something like Huevos Rancheros out at restaurants, but not actually in the egg dish itself. At least not that I can recall.

Last weekend, I found myself with a few too many zucchini – and to be honest, I think that might become a weekly occurrence since our spring CSA started back up. Will you look at this beauty? I have had a couple that size (and bigger!) in my pick-ups the last two weeks in a row.

Monster zucchinis I tell ya.

Back to the frittata. So with that black bean omelet always in the back of my mind and with those hugantic zucchinis hanging out in my fridge, this Garden Black Bean Frittata was born. It was the perfect Saturday morning breakfast (and even better reheated in the toaster oven the next day sandwiched between two slices of toast).

Garden Black Bean Frittata
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

4 eggs
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup Bush’s Best Black Beans, rinsed
1/3 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, divided
salt and pepper

Heat a lightly greased small (8′) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped zucchini and onion to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Whisk eggs and half of cheese together well then add to pan along with black beans to vegetable mixture. Let eggs sit in pan for a few minutes until bottom starts to set. At this time, take a spatula and work around edges while tilting pan to let extra egg mixture fill in space around pan. Cook for another few minutes and add remaining shredded cheese on top. Place under broiler for up to 5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Carefully remove pan from broiler using an oven mitt and serve warm.

Note: Store your leftover Bush’s Best Black Beans in an air tight container for up to 3 days. Sprinkle in salads, throw together some quick quesadillas or salsa or even make this tasty Chipotle Black Bean Pizza.

I am loving all the responses to the my “Motivation” giveaway. I absolutely love hearing from readers that I haven’t heard from before, and also it’s nice to know you’re not the only one who needs a little kick start every now and then. So I wanted to share a couple of more things that help me get and stay motivated.

1: MapMyRun app – I have had this app on my phone since I trained for my first half marathon two Decembers ago. Before I started training for my race, I was mostly a treadmill girl and it was easy for me to know what distance I was running. However, once I started running outside this app on my phone came in VERY handy! I use it all the time now…and not just for running obviously. You have the option to save your routes and share with people, but I just use it for distance purposes. It also gives you time and speed tracking. Have fun with it!

2: “Filler” workouts – my main way to exercise has been running for a while now, but I find that I almost always burn out or get bored with running some time or another. It sounds like a lot of you do too. I am trying to find new “filler” workouts to keep me from getting bored. I found this elliptical workout from Julie/PBFingers and am absolutely going to use it at the gym this week. It’s perfect for my in-between-run days and it’s short enough to squeeze in on a day I am thinking I want to take off instead. She’s also got some great treadmill and circuit workouts if you need a little motivation or change-up in that department.

3. Have you checked out my Fitness page? There you will be find a some training and getting started to run programs I have used or loosely used over the years.
The Get Moving and Get Healthy giveaway ends tomorrow at noon – enter here if you haven’t already!

errr, I mean plate. But I just really like how bowl sounds. Would you agree?

This was dinner the other night. I prepared the entire thing on the grill (with the exception of the rice of course – I threw that in the rice cooker, which I finally have learned to use after a year of using up a lot of space in my cabinet).

I can’t really call this a “recipe” – it just is what it is. It’s a piece of wild salmon (from Costco, that I defrosted from the freezer) sprinkled in blackening seasoning and cooked on the grill over foil. It’s a few peppers and onions, sliced thin and tossed in a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then cooked in a grill basket next to the salmon.

It’s this rice.

And it all came together with a little hot sauce.

It was a totally perfect dinner on a night where I didn’t feel like messing with the oven. But if you don’t have a grill, no worries, you can make this easily by cooking up peppers in a skillet and salmon under the broiler (like this).

Blackened Salmon Fajita Bowl

Here’s what you need:

wild salmon fillets
blackening season (I use Old Bay Blackened)
bell peppers (red, green, orange, yellow), sliced thin
red or yellow onion, sliced thin
a drizzle of olive oil
sprinkle of salt and pepper
hot sauce, for serving

Toss sliced peppers and onions in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in grill basket over medium-high heat. Let cook for about 10-15 minutes, tossing and checking while it is cooking. You’ll want to keep an eye on your peppers and onions and make sure they are not burning (though a little charred always works for me!).

Lay a sheet of heavy-duty (make sure it’s heavy-duty!) aluminum foil over medium high grill. Pat dry your salmon fillets and brush with olive oil or cooking spray on both sides. Sprinkle top side liberally with blackening seasoning and place skin side down on aluminum foil on grill. Close lid and cook for about 10 minutes or until salmon has changed color and flakes. Do not overcook, test with a fork if you are not sure. Inside should be just turning pink.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Don’t forget to grab a little motivation and enter my Let’s Get Moving – Get Healthy giveaway!

Stir fry is definitely the way to go if you are looking for fresh, fast and good for you at dinner time. I mean, just look at that plate of food. I could eat that plate up several times a week with no complaints.

The key to a successful stir fry is to make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped ahead of time. Cut and clean your shrimp and vegetables ahead of time and make sure they are dry before putting them in the pan (the water on wet veggies takes away from the crisp and dry part of stir frying). Also, get your aromatics (garlic, ginger, spices) ready because those are a big part of the cooking process. Stir fry is quick and beyond satisfying if you do it right.

For the most part, my stir fries are very basic – protein, veggie, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. For this shrimp and veggie stir fry I added a special ingredient – szechuan peppercorns (by the way, szechuan – or sichuan – is not a pepper like you might think, it’s very aromatic and not spicy at all!). I learned of them years ago and finally picked up a jar on a field trip to my favorite spice store Penzey’s recently. Don’t be intimidated by them, challenge yourself to try something new – I think you’ll be pleased. I know I was.

Szechuan Shrimp Stir Fry
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoon whole szechuan peppercorns, toasted then crushed (this video shows you how to do this easily)
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in wok over medium high heat. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink. Take shrimp out of wok and set aside in a dish.

Add additional teaspoon of oil into wok and add red pepper flakes and crushed szechuan peppercorns, stir for 10 seconds. Add minced garlic and ginger to pan and stir for about 10 – 20 more seconds, until fragrant. At this time, add green beans to wok and stir fry for up to 2 minutes. Add pepper strips to green beans and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp back into pan and pour soy sauce over shrimp and vegetable mixture. Gently toss for another minute, then serve hot over prepared rice.

I serve my stir fry with this sprouted rice and quinoa blend I recently discovered at Costco – I love this stuff!!