Recipe Swap Roundup - Blogger's Choice Part 5

Another Blogger's Choice swap successfully completed. This time we had 35 (!!!) people participating in the swap. That's a lot of participants and in an effort to get this post published before too much time goes by I'm doing things a little differently. As you can see below, I'm only including the blogger's name, the link to the recipe made and the name of the blogger they had for the swap. Please click through to read more about the recipes that were made.

I made Chili Lime Tofu with Rice and Spinach from Stefanie:


Jenna made Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos from Joelen:


Lisa made Berry White Popsicles from Nichole:


Christine Magic in the Middles from Nicole:


Kate made Chicken Parmesan Burgers from Dawn:


Nicole made California Roll Lettuce Roll-Ups from Lisa:


Melissa made Baked Blueberry Oatmeal from Kate:


Jessica made Blueberry Lemon Loaf from Jenna:


Stefanie made Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Taquitos from Carrie:


Jenni made Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad from Amy:


Coleen made Baked Ziti with Bolognese from Lishie:


Heather made Beef with Eggplant from Jessica:


Cara made Cinnamon Bran Muffins from Mary Ellen:


Joelen made Peanut Butter & Honey Popcorn from Melissa:


Melissa made Chocolate Pudding from Angie:


Catherine made Fajita Pasta from Jennifer:


Mary Ellen made Apple Dumplings from Kylee:


Angie made Great Grains Muffins from Jessica:


Jaida made Zucchini Ravioli with Dill Sauce from Catherine:


Carrie made Ground Beef Ricotta Bake from Kristina:


Katie made Rich Chocolate Brownies from Jenni:


Dawn made Hawaiian Pulled Pork from Melissa:


Jey made Tilapia with Bacon Tomato Butter from Amy:


Jessica made Chicken Chile-Cheese Rice from Ashley:


Jennifer made Honey-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks from Coleen:


Krystal made General Tso's Chicken from Katie:


Nicole made Gnocchi Mac and Cheese from Christina:


Kylee made Chicken Diablo from Jaida:


Nichole made Alice Springs Chicken from Heather:


Ashley made Island Spiced Pork Tenderloin from Christine:


Christina made Summer Spaghetti from Cara:


Lishie made Lentil Bolognese from Nicole:


Kristina made Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Sauce from Krystal:


Amy made my Greek Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki:


Amy made Jalapeno Popper Dip from Jey

Italian Mac and Cheese

I can't tell you the last time I made mac and cheese. I love the stuff, but pasta drenched in cheese sauce isn't exactly on the new diet plan. Recently I had some leftover salami and a basil plant that was getting out of control, so I turned to this Italian Mac and Cheese I saw on Cassie's blog.

I've been loving roasted tomatoes lately and I was happy to make my own pesto with fresh-from-the-garden basil. The sauce ended up being a bit too heavy for us, but I think a lot of that has to do with the way we've been eating lately. I've modified the recipe below to be a little lighter, upping the chicken broth and decreasing the milk. I also upped the amount of tomatoes to 2 pints because 1 pint was just not enough.

This was a great way to use up some odds and ends around the house, with nice bright summer flavors from the tomatoes and pesto.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Slightly Modified from Cassie Craves

12 ounces penne
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces Genoa salami, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup pesto

Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are bursting, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and remove the skins, if desired.

While tomatoes are roasting, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salami and cook until onion is softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until the ingredients are coated and the mixture is bubbling, about 1 additional minute.

Stir in wine and cook until reduced. Stir in chicken stock and milk. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Stir in cheese until melted, then add the pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine penne, roasted tomatoes, and cheese sauce. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Pierogie Bake

We used to eat pierogies all the time. I'm not sure what changed. I think SP decided he was tired of them so I stopped buying them. A few months ago I saw Christina from Tales from a Mad Men Kitchen make this Bacon Pierogie Bake twice in a matter of weeks. She recommended adding broccoli, which I can't believe I didn't think of myself considering I served steamed broccoli with this the last time I made it, not to mention I used to serve broccoli with pierogies all the time.


I decided to leave out the bacon in order to make this mostly vegetarian (I still used chicken broth so it's not a true vegetarian meal). I was a little worried when I opened the package of pierogies and there were only 12 of them, but the broccoli made this a filling meal. I love the flavors, especially the tomato and green onions mixing with the cream cheese sauce. Baby Girl loved this dish, proclaiming it "yummy, yummy in my tummy."

Broccoli Pierogie Bake
From Cooking Light, as seen on Tales from a Mad Men Kitchen

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies (such as Mrs. T's)
Cooking spray
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Steam broccoli until tender. Coat an 11 x 7 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the broccoli and frozen pierogies in the dish.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with green onions, tomato, and pepper. Put back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Note - if you want a saucier dish, double the sauce ingredients (garlic, cream cheese, broth and cheese).

Recipe Swap - Chili Lime Tofu with Rice and Spinach

I have a food confession. Until I made this recipe I had never cooked tofu. I'd eaten it a handful of times, mainly when my vegetarian aunt visits and we get Chinese food to share. I was missing out.

I've mentioned several times that I'm trying to cook healthier meals, but lately we've been tossing around the idea of going mostly vegetarian. We won't cut out all meat, but we've decided to make a concerted effort to eat meat less often, maybe twice a week. This goes for everything from red meat to chicken.

Enter the humble tofu. All I really know about tofu is that it tastes like whatever you cook it in. I've had my eye on this Chili Lime Tofu with Rice and Spinach for awhile now, so when it was submitted for the last recipe swap I knew I had to make it. As luck would have it, I was given Stefanie's blog for this swap and the stars aligned. Stefanie really enjoyed the dish and Heather, the blogger that gave the recipe to Stefanie, loves it so much so that she puts it on her weekly menu every other week. That's a serious recommendation, so I figured what better recipe to try for my first tofu experience.


We loved this. Absolutely loved it. SP said if this is the kind of stuff he needs to be eating to stay healthy it wouldn't be as hard as he thought. The flavors from the sauce were outstanding. I doubled the sauce and I'm glad I did. There wouldn't have been nearly enough otherwise. The crispy tofu was delicious, although we decided I needed to cut the slices thicker. The thinner pieces were too chewy while the thicker ones were just right.

I also had a minor mishap with the tofu due to my own ignorance of how to prepare it. I started slicing the tofu, marveling at the amount of water that was coming out of the brick and wondering how it was going to get crispy in the skillet. Then I reread the directions and realized I needed to press and drain it. A quick Google search led me to instructions. I've added the steps to the ingredient list below for other tofu novices.

Chili Lime Tofu with Rice and Spinach
As seen on Kickin It in the Kitch, originally from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

1 cup jasmine, basmati or white rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 limes
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic chili pepper sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package extra-firm tofu
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

In a medium sized saucepan combine the rice, water, salt, zest of 1 lime, and nutmeg. Cook according to the package directions.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, soy sauce, garlic chili pepper sauce, garlic cloves, and juice of both limes. Mix well and set aside.

Unwrap the tofu. Place on a plate lined with 4 paper towels. Cover with 4 more paper towels and weigh down with a plate or skillet topped with heavy cans. Allow to press and drain for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Once drained, slice the tofu into 4 slices lengthwise. Cut each rectangle in half then each square into two triangles. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and cook the tofu for 10 minutes on each side or until it is golden brown.

Lower the heat and pour the chili lime sauce over top of the tofu. The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze. Watch carefully so the glaze doesn't become too thick. Remove from heat once the sauce is at your desired consistency.

In a medium pan sauté the spinach, sesame oil, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted but still green. Serve the rice topped with spinach with the tofu on top.

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Basil Cream

I had two more Black Bean Burgers in the freezer and wanted an easy, no-fuss dinner for the end of the week. I had seen this Avocado Basil Cream on How Sweet It Is so I thought I'd give it a whirl.


Please forgive the photos. I thought I'd try my hand at those staging shots so many bloggers do with the ingredients and the finished product. I even edited both of these photos in PicMonkey, although I doubt you can tell. My photography is a work in progress, that's for sure.

Anyway, on to the cream. It was delicious but I did modify it a bit. I've been burned before by avocado creams that have way too much sour cream, so much that you can't taste the avocado anymore. I was worried that this recipe had too much and since I was only using half an avocado to begin with I decreased the sour cream substantially. I also added lemon juice because I felt it needed a little something to brighten and lighten it up. It was delicious paired with the black bean burgers.

A funny story - Baby Girl insists on helping me in the kitchen these days (not that I'm complaining, I love it) and I also want her to taste and smell the ingredients. I offered her avocado, which she declined, but as soon as I opened the sour cream she asked for a taste. I ended up spoon feeding her at least 1 tablespoon of sour cream before I cut her off. First lemons and now sour cream? The kid is weird.

Avocado Basil Cream
Modified from How Sweet It Is

1 tablespoon sour cream
1 avocado, chopped
10 medium basil leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Add sour cream, avocado, basil, a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor, blending to combine. Once somewhat smooth, add lemon juice, blending a bit and then tasting. Keep tasting and seasoning until you're happy.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Vegetarian Part 2

Nicole isn't usually a fan of eggplant, but this Spicy Eggplant hit the spot after a long day:


I was skeptical of the blue cheese in tomato sauce but my Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce ended up being delicious:


Heather enjoyed how the flavors blended together in her Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Gratin:


Dawn's Summer Vegetable Pie was the essence of summer in a pie:


Elisha isn't normally a fan of quinoa but she ended up really liking her Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Spinach:


Christine loves spinach and artichoke dip but felt her Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellas was missing a little something, though nothing a little tweaking can't fix:


Nichole loved her Sauceless Garden Lasagna despite the fact that her husband won't eat zucchini or tomatoes:


Lindsay was excited when she saw Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream in her Inbox. They turned out to be delicious:


Kate was worried that making Homemade Manicotti would be too difficult but it was surprisingly easy and tasty:


Stefanie really enjoyed her Chili Lime Tofu despite being nervous about cooking tofu:


Ali made Jaida's Black Bean and Avocado Quesadillas. She doesn't have a blog so here is her review: I enjoyed this quesadilla. I cooked it on my panini press rather than in the pan. I find that it just cooks faster and crispier. Overall a great recipe that I'll make again but I will add something else for texture. I didn't add anything this time as I didn't want to change the recipe but perhaps some grilled chicken or crisp peppers. It needed some texture on the inside as the combination of avocado, black beans and cheese is pretty uniform. Delicious none the less and a fun first swap!


Mary Ellen was happy to find a healthier recipe for Lightened-up Eggplant Parm


Jenni also made Eggplant Parmesan, although this version isn't breaded:


Jenna used her Black Bean and Corn Dip to make tacos with sweet potatoes:


Jaida's Warm Chickpea Salad was a great light lunch:


Jey loves burgers and her Black Bean and Corn Burgers were a hit:


Nicole had to turn her enchiladas into a Veggie Enchilada Bake, but the flavors were still great:


Kristina wasn't able to use round pasta for her aptly named dish, Round Pasta, but she still enjoyed it:


Ashley enjoyed her Black Bean Salsa as a light summery salsa: