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5 Fast, Easy, and Seriously Cheesy Dinners

Lizzie Fuhr — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:00:03 PDT

Every once in a while, the only thing that can curb my comfort-food cravings is a decadent recipe starring cheese. Whether I'm out and about at work or play, a little indulgence can go a long way - especially if it's a fast and easy meal to put together! For five tasty meals that are fast, easy, and seriously cheesy, just keep clicking and prepare to be hungry.

Feel Like a Spring Chicken - and Feast on One, Too

Lauren Hendrickson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:51:54 PDT

A whole roast chicken is one the easiest weekend meals to prepare; it's pretty hands-off, requires minimal cleanup, and usually yields plenty of leftovers for the rest of the work week. During the Winter, I keep this recipe pretty simple with potatoes and onions but once Spring has sprung, I love to add carrots, radishes, bell pepper, and even asparagus.
To season the chicken, coat it in a mixture of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil. Place the squeezed lemon rinds inside the cavity of the chicken for even more zest. Of course, a whole chicken will take longer to cook than those delicate Spring veggies, so I always start the chicken with baby potatoes and onions. As the chicken roasts, I add the other vegetables depending on their thickness and cook time. Carrots and radishes can take the heat but sliced bell pepper and asparagus should go nearly at the end. Serve your succulent chicken and Spring vegetables with some crusty French bread and white wine for a perfect weekend meal. Feast on your Spring chicken once you get the recipe.

4 Ways to Make Weeknight Dinners Healthier

Leta Shy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:23:44 PDT

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but many times, dinner is the most celebrated. If your excitement for dinner leads to overly decadent, big-portioned meals, here are a few tips for making a healthy dinner during the week.

Prep things for a quick meal: The time it takes to cook a healthy meal can be less than the time it takes to get takeout, but if you haven't prepped yet, it can be hard to summon the motivation when there is shopping (and chopping!) to do. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the week pulling healthy recipes, planning your dinners, and prepping veggies, so that when it comes down to the wire, a quick healthy meal is only minutes away.

Eat a smaller meal: That overly stuffed feeling never feels good, but it's especially bad a few hours before bed! Instead of ravenously loading up your plate, tell yourself you can eat something small after dinner if you get hungry before bedtime, and then try one of these delicious, filling, low-calorie snacks.

Opt for veggies: Loading up on carbs is good if you need energy early on in your day, but if you're winding down for the evening, too many carbs can lead to a blood-sugar spike - and then crash. Instead of spooning up a mountain of mashed potatoes, make room for a fresh, nutritious salad. Any one of these rainbow-bright vegetarian salads, for example, will keep your taste buds happy and your stomach filled.

Put away leftovers: If the leftovers are calling you from the kitchen, make a habit to box up remaining food before you sit down for dinner. You'll be less encouraged to pick at food every time you pass by the stove - plus, you'll be able to use them for lunch the next day.

Rainy Day Roast Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Onions

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:25:18 PDT

This weekend was nothing but rain and the perfect time for comfort food. Browsing through Tyler Florence's Dinner at My Place, I found myself drooling over a whole roasted chicken recipe. Since the weather was bad, I didn't want to leave the house, thus I improvised his recipe with items I already had on hand. Rather than Meyer lemons and fingerling potatoes, I substituted regular lemons and sweet potatoes. I also had a couple of onions, a shallot, fresh thyme, and rosemary lying around, so I threw those into the mix.

With my adjustments and additions, I was thrilled with the final result: a succulent, flavorful chicken and scrumptiously caramelized sweet potatoes and onions. Prep for this delicious dinner is quick, but cooking an entire chicken does take time, be sure to get started early. To brighten your day with this comforting classic,

Roast Chicken With Sweet Potato and Onions
Adapted from Tyler Florence Dinner at My Place

Ingredients

Roast Chicken
1 5-7 pound organic chicken
1 lemon, quartered
5-7 garlic cloves, cleaned
4 to 5 fresh bay leaves
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of sage
1 shallot, cleaned
Extra Olive Oil
Kosher salt and ground pepper
Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, 2 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh rosemary spring, leaves only
1 to 2 lemons, cut in quarters
2 onions, quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse chicken with cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
Season cavity with kosher salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon, garlic, bay leaves, shallot, rosemary, and thyme. Rub outside with oil and season with salt pepper.
Wash sweet potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Toss potatoes and onions with oil. Toss with rosemary, thyme, and lemon wedges in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes.
Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. (180 Fahrenheit)

Serves 4-6.

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Tarragon-Crusted Lamb With Goat Cheese Fondue

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:37:20 PST

OnSugar blogger Fresh Tart creates beautiful-looking food, and this tarragon-crusted lamb with goat cheese fondue continues her streak.

Spring is in the air! And on your plate!

Tarragon-Crusted Lamb with Goat Cheese Fondue at Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures/Food & Wine Magazine.

Want more? Start following Fresh Tart, then get crackin' on your own OnSugar blog. Who knows? You could wind up featured here!

6 Ways to Enjoy the Goodness of Fruit For Dinner

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:07 PST

We enjoy blueberries in our yogurt, fruit smoothies for snacks, and raspberry sorbet for dessert, but fruit with dinner is often overlooked. Get inspired to enjoy the sweet juiciness of fruit with these delicious dinner ideas.

Serve Up These Simple Salmon Cakes in 20 Minutes or Less

Lauren Hendrickson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:40:17 PST

When I get home late, it's easy to rush through making a dinner that's often not the healthiest. That's why salmon cakes are my new favorite: they take a mere 20 minutes to make, and they make a delicious but healthy dinner. The most involved part is giving your food processor a couple whirls to chop up the salmon and mix in the other ingredients. After that, it's a less-than-five-minute affair. I topped off the fish cakes with a little bit of sour cream and scallions just before serving, and noted to myself that they'd also make a great appetizer served atop crostini. For my most recent dinner, though, I served the fish cakes alongside a raw kale salad.

Keep reading for this incredibly fast and easy dinner recipe.

4 Ways to Prep a Healthy Dinner Quickly

Leta Shy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:10:51 PST

Just one bad decision - like quieting your rumbling stomach with greasy takeout - can undo a day of healthy eating. If you've been sabotaging your diet because of unhealthy dinner decisions, use these tips to cook a healthy meal without sacrificing time.

Double the amount: Week already looking full? Make extra servings the next time you cook so you can have healthy leftovers for the rest of the week. If you're worried about overeating, separate the leftovers into single-serving containers.

Prep your veggies: Spend time at the beginning of the week washing, cleaning, and cutting veggies, so you always have salad ingredients or something to snack on. Having veggies cut will also encourage you to use them more in your cooking since you know you have them at the ready.

Keep unhealthy food out of the kitchen: When I'm hungry, I reach for the first snack I can find, which usually isn't nutritious and often comes in a bag. If you're the same, stocking the fridge with healthy snacks can help, but not if you're tempted by all the junk food in your pantry. Keep unhealthy foods out of the house or divide your snacks into smaller portions to avoid ravenously going through an entire bag of chips before you even make dinner.

Eat a balanced lunch and snack: A lunch full of fiber and protein from fresh veggies, fruits, and lean meats will keep you full throughout the afternoon much more than a carb bomb or a too-restrictive meal. Following lunch with a healthy snack can lessen the temptation to order takeout once you get home since you'll be feeling full and satisfied. Check out our healthy snack ideas to get started.

3 Low-Carb Ideas For Evening Meals

Leta Shy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:32:02 PST

Carbs may be needed to fuel your body and your brain, but if you're looking to drop a few pounds fast, cutting them out (especially in the evening, as celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson suggests) may help. Make sure to do it the right way with these low-carb snack and meal ideas, which will keep you full throughout the evening (and don't forget to enter to win a year of KIND bars and a juicer in our Get Fit For 2012 giveaway!)

At dinner: If pasta is your downfall, there are several ways you can trick taste buds into (almost) thinking they're tasting the real deal. Here are a few delicious low-carb pasta alternatives for your next pasta night.
Light meal: If your idea of the perfect light meal comes stacked between two slices of bread, you don't have to give up your love of a good sandwich when it's time for an evening snack. Stick to low-carb options that still give you the satisfaction of biting into a multilayered snack with these no-bread sandwich ideas.
Late-night snack: Made it through dinner without spooning heapfuls of rice on your plate? Keep your low-carb commitment when hunger strikes late at night with healthy and nutritious low-carb snacks. From fruit slices paired with prosciutto to a quick tuna salad heaped onto tomato halves, we've got 10 filling, fresh, and nutritious low-carb snack ideas that will help satisfy cravings.

Sources: Flickr User DannyNic, Jason Perlow/Off the Broiler

Mediterranean Quiche Is Great Morning, Noon, or Night

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:09 PDT

About once a month or so, I like to make a quiche. Sometimes I'll bake my own pie crust, but other times, when I'm in a hurry, I'll use a pre-made one from the store. The thing I love about quiche is its timelessness. It can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I've even eaten a cold slice as a snack in the afternoon! It's also a great way to use up old and leftover ingredients. This Mediterranean-inspired quiche is my latest favorite recipe. It's a perfect easy meatless Monday meal, and it's so good you may end up eating half the quiche in one sitting! The filling is a combination of sautéed onions, zucchini, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes; gruyere and goat cheese provide a luxurious richness. To give it a try,

Mediterranean Quiche
From Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced yellow onions
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pie crust (store bought or homemade)
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes. Add the red peppers and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are wilted, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, basil, and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and half-and-half together. Add the salt, pepper, grated Gruyere, and crushed red pepper.
Spoon the vegetable mixture into the prepared piecrust, pour in the egg mixture, and crumble the goat cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8-10.

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