Caprese Salad and Summer Shrimp Pasta

I still have plenty of nice tomatoes to use up, so I created this meal to use some of the ingredients that I had purchased for other meals this week.

Caprese Salad

2 beefsteak tomatoes (sliced)

4 slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese

8 fresh basil leaves

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Layer tomato, mozzarella, then basil and repeat until finished. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

This was SO GOOD! My husband kept looking at mine, to see if I was going to finish what I had!!!

Summer Shrimp Pasta

1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp

4 slices lemon

3 cloves of garlic

3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt pepper

1 lb spaghetti

2 tsp butter

2 roma tomatoes

handful of fresh basil leaves

grated Parmesan cheese

Marinade shrimp with lemon, 1 tsp olive oil, and 3 minced cloves of garlic for 30 minutes. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile saute shrimp mixture over medium heat with 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp butter, and red pepper flakes for approx 5 min (depends on the size of shrimp). Just until the shrimp turn pink. Dice the tomatoes and add to shrimp. Also add basil leaves (you can tear the leaves or julienne them). Grate 1/2 cup cheese and add to the mixture. Combine shrimp, tomato mixture and toss with pasta.

Pizza Night

Tonight I decided to make a couple homemade pizzas. I had a ton of fresh tomatoes and wanted to use them up. I also had a leftover chicken breast to use. I made a barbecue chicken pizza and a tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza.



Barbecue Chicken Pizza

1 store bought pizza crust
1 chicken breast (precooked-diced into small cubes)
1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 small slices of a red onion
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese



Spread BBQ sauce on pizza crust, then add onion and chicken. Cover with cheese. Cook according to crust package directions.



Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Pizza

1 store bought pizza crust
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
3 roma tomatoes (thinly sliced)
4 slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
handful of fresh basil leaves



Drizzle crust with olive oil, and arrange tomatoes, basil, and garic onto crust. Cook according to crust directions.

Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Mango Salsa

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb each)

2 Mangos (diced)

1 Jalapeno (finely chopped)

1/4 small red onion (finely chopped)

small handful of chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper pork tenderloin and place on medium grill (350 degrees). Grill on first side for 8 minutes, turn over and grill for about 6 min (until reads 140 degrees with meat thermometer). Let meat rest 5 minutes before slicing.

For salsa, combine above ingredients and place on top of pork.

I served the pork with corn on the cob and grilled garlic bread.

Mac & Cheese

I made this mac & cheese to take to a potluck lunch at work. We don't have an oven to heat anything up, so I will put it in my crockpot to stay warm until lunchtime!!

Ingredients
1 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups skim milk, heated
4 oz mild shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz sharp shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz 6 cheese Italian blend (mozz, provolone, Asiago, Fontina, & Romano)
16 oz elbow macaroni
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain well.
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook the mixture for 3 min. Whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in spices and cheeses and cook until melted. Combine cheese mixture and macaroni.

Zuccini Bread (thanks to Brenna's Bistro)

This recipe was taken from Allrecipes Tried and True Favorites cookbook. It takes 15 minutes to prepare, 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook, and makes 24 servings.

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil (I substituted applesauce)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsps. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tsps. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.