Bacon & Goat Cheese Frittata with Mushroom & Onion

Spice up your boring eggs with this frittata recipe. This is a great recipe to have for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. It’s so versatile and you can add any proteins, veggies or cheeses. I used bacon, (because I love it so much), mushroom, onions and goat cheese. It came out delicious. This is definitely an elevated dish for any meal. It’s sure to please even picky eaters and can be put together so quickly.

Take a look at my recipe and just add ingredients you love. There is no rules here. 🙂

Bacon & Goat Cheese Frittata with Mushroom & Onion

Ingredients:
5 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup milk
3 oz goat cheese
3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped|
2 t olive oil
5 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t crushed red pepper, optional
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven 375°. Heat a medium, oven safe saute pan or cast iron skillet over high heat. Add in olive oil let heat a minute. Add in onion and let cook 2 minutes and then add in the mushrooms.

Lower heat to medium and let cook 4-6 minutes, mixing a few times. Season with salt and pepper. Add milk to the whisked eggs and season with salt, pepper, thyme and crushed red pepper. Mix well. Add in bacon, reserve a few pieces for the top.

Add the egg mixture to the pan and make sure it fully covers the mushroom mixture and the bottom of the pan. Let cook 3-5 minutes until edges are set. Crumble goat cheese evenly over the top of egg mixture and top remaining bacon. Remove from heat and put in the oven for 13-15 minutes until cooked and serve immediately.

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Shrimp & Bacon BBQ Ranch Salad

I’m about 2 weeks into doing Weight Watchers and I’m finally realizing that dinner doesn’t have to be a production every single night. I have a habit of over thinking a meal and then getting frustrated or discouraged. I always feel like every meal should have a a protein, a vegetable and a starch. That must be my culinary professors in my head telling me that.

So, I’m learning it’s ok to have eggs for dinner or a quick thrown together salad or something simple. With doing Weight Watchers I feel it’s easier as I can really eat anything I want.

I put this salad together this for dinner that was full of protein and very delicious. It really was super simple.

Shrimp & Bacon BBQ Ranch Salad

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
20 medium shrimp, cleaned and cooked and slightly warm
1 small avocado
½ cup no salt black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 small red onion, diced
¼ cup shredded cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and rough chopped
6- 8 cups romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped
2 oz bbq sauce
2 oz ranch dressing

Directions: In a small bowl mix together bbq sauce and ranch dressing. Add lettuce to a large bowl. Add in corn, black beans, onions, cheese and dressing and mix well. Separate into individual bowls and top with even amount of shrimp, bacon and avocado. Enjoy!

Notes: Feel free to mix all these ingredients together and serve it up. I always like to make sure the main proteins or higher fat/calories items are equally distributed to both bowls especially when county calories or points. In this case, that would be the shrimp, bacon and avocado. Use any bbq sauce you’d like, mine had a slight kick and it gave a nice flavor profile. If you don’t have cooked shrimp, feel free to use raw and just cook them up. That’s exactly what I did.

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Scallop Gratin with Crispy Prosciutto

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. In my family we always do seafood on Christmas Eve. We are Italian and it’s been a tradition for as long as I can remember. I made this scallop dish and it was a hit and super delicious and rather simple.

Scallops are one food item I have gotten a lot of questions about. People are worried about overcooking the scallops. That’s a common thing actually. If you are searing them, it’s a hot pan for 2-3 minutes on each side. You want the inside glistening when you cut into it. For these they are baked an take a little longer. There is so many different ways to use scallops. Check my recipes for seafood and you’ll find the scallop tacos. They are to die for as well.

For now, check out this upscale simple recipe!

Scallop Gratin with Crispy Prosciutto

Ingredients:
4 oz prosciutto or par-cooked bacon, minced or rough chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2- 2lbs bay scallops, rinsed, dried and mussel removed

Topping:
1 stick butter, soften
¾ cup plan panko breadcrumbs
3 T fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
3 T olive oil
2 medium shallots, small diced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t kosher salt
1 t pepper

Directions: Heat oven 425°. In a medium baking dish add the wine and top with the scallops. In a medium bowl add all ingredients for the topping and mix well till incorporated. I used a fork to mash the butter and get everything fully mixed. Add mixture evenly on top of the scallops. Sprinkle with prosciutto or bacon. Bake in oven 12-16 minutes. Serve hot. Feel free to serve with bread for dipping in butter mixture.

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Bacon Wrapped Dijon Pork Tenderloin

You have to make this awesome bacon wrapped Dijon pork tenderloin.  I like to experiment a lot with pork tenderloin.  They are so easy to make and you can do so many different things.  You can stuff it, wrap it, grill it, roast it and the list goes on and on.

I decided to wrap it with bacon for this recipe.  Bacon is one of the best foods around if you ask me.  I know it’s not healthy but it is delicious.  Everything in moderation right?  Give this dish a try.  It’s delicious.  I can’t wait to make again.  Also, if you’d rather omit the bacon, feel free just add the glaze on the pork and bake in the oven, no need to brown in the sauté pan. It still comes out with an amazing flavor.

Bacon Wrapped Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, 1-3lbs
8-10 bacon slices (good quality)

Glaze:
2 ½ T light brown sugar
2 T Dijon mustard
½ T soy sauce, low sodium
½ T olive oil
2 t onion powder
2 t garlic powder
2 t paprika
2 t chili powder
Sprinkle: salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°.  In a bowl whisk together all ingredients for the glaze.  Set aside.  Open tenderloin and pat dry with paper towel.  Lay out bacon on large surface close together.  Add the tenderloin on top of bacon over to one side.  Brush the glaze all over the pork.  Tightly roll the tenderloin making sure the bacon is staying in place.  Feel free to use toothpicks to keep the bacon on the pork.

Heat a large sauté pan on high heat.  Once the pan is hot, brown the pork tenderloin on all sides 4-5 minutes.  This will help cook the bacon slightly prior to putting in the oven.  Add the meat to a baking dish and cook in the oven 35-45 minutes depending on the size of the pork tenderloin.  Cook till internal temperature is 160°-165°.  Remove from the oven and tent with foil and let rest 7-10 minutes.

Carefully cut the pork and serve with your favorite sides.  Then enjoy!!

 

 

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Happy Sunday! What do you planned for your Sunday?  This morning I felt like making a breakfast sandwich.  I only have my healthier bread on hand which isn’t ideal for breakfast sandwiches but it served it’s purpose.  I personally don’t like my bread toasted but if you do feel free to toast your bread.  It’s almost easier to eat toasted as the sandwich won’t fall apart.  There’s what I did.

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 slices bread (toasted or not toasted) or english muffin or bagel
1/2 T butter
3 slices of bacon, cooked (I made a woven square)
2 eggs, cooked anyway (I made fried eggs)
1 slice, cheese (I used cheddar)

Directions: To assemble the sandwich: butter the bread/toast add slice of cheese and top with egg and bacon.  Eat and enjoy.

Note: You can use any bread you’d like. I’m doing Weight Watchers so I used bread that is healthier.  You can make this any which way you’d like. I just wanted to share with you how I made mine.

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Bacon & Egg Sandwich

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Stuffed Meatloaf with a Bacon Blanket

It’s a beautifully Saturday here.  I’m loving this amazing weather.  This morning I went to get some groceries to do some cooking this weekend and then met up with a friend.  We grabbed a quick breakfast and went to a craft fair at our old high school.  It was a fall craft fair with so many things.  It made me feel optimistic that maybe the fall weather will stay past this weekend but I don’t think that’s the case after my Alexa read me the 10 day forecast.  Oh well! Today it feels a little like fall and I decided to make a comfort food for dinner.

I made a meatloaf with a bacon blanket.  Sounds like heaven right??  I never have been a fan of meatloaf, honestly.  It always seemed like an odd concept.  You mix together ground meat some other ingredients and form it into a loaf and bake it.  Doesn’t really sound super appealing.  However, over the years I’ve learned to tweak it and make it how I like it.  Now I don’t think of it as just a lump of baked meat.

I made the meatloaf today with a mixture of ground beef and ground turkey.  When I’m trying to keep it healthier I usually opt to go with all ground turkey.  I haven’t used ground beef in a while and decided I’d use that today.

Once I made the meatloaf I covered it up in a bacon “blanket”  if you will.  Just last week I tried the woven bacon for my BLTs so today I did the same thing on a larger scale.  It came out pretty well. I’m not sure I’ll ever make bacon any other way again.  I hope you enjoy this dish.  (Btw, can we change the name from meatloaf to something more appetizing?  I’m not sure what, but I’ll start brainstorming.  You do the same and report back. 🙂 )

Stuffed Meatloaf with a Bacon Blanket

MeatLoaf

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1.5 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, seasoned
2 eggs
10 oz mozzarella cheese
3 T Worcestershire
1 T Garlic Powder
1 T Onion Powder
2 t oregano
2 t parsley
1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 cup tomato sauce, no salt
Sprinkle: Salt and Pepper

Bacon:
1 lb bacon

Glaze:
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 T Worcestershire
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T honey
1 T ketchup

Directions: Mix all ingredients above for the glaze in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Make 1 lb of bacon in the oven.  I made mine woven. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, it will be under cooked. If you just cook regular slices of bacon, watch the time because it may not take as long.  You want it to still be flexible when you remove it.

Add all above ingredients for the meatloaf  to a large bowl minus the mozzarella.  Mix it very well.  Form into 2 even loafs.  I do measure out the meat to make sure it’s as even as possible. You don’t have to do this but it’s just a good way to make sure the meat is evenly divided. Once you make the loafs remove the top section of the meat and add in 5 oz of mozzarella to each and then add the top back and reform the loaf.  Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Then remove meatloaf and add the glaze, recipe below.  Put back in oven for 10 minutes.

After remove from oven then top with the partially cooked woven bacon.  I just lay the bacon over the top. You can make more bacon and wrap the meatloaf fully.  However, remember the bottom of the bacon won’t crisp up and will remain soggy.  This is why I just lay the woven bacon on the top.  Then place back in the oven for 10 minutes.  Your meatloaf may take longer to cook. I made mine a little smaller  in width so they cooked quicker.  Remove from the oven and cut with a serrated knife to make sure the bacon stays in place.  Enjoy!

Note:   You may want to use 2 different pans to make the meatloaf.  Once it’s baked it will produce some fat so before you put back in the oven with the glaze and bacon I’d change to a new pan.  This is why I use disposable pans.  I may double the glaze next time. Also, if you bacon comes off when you cut the meatloaf just top on top of your slices.  One of my pieces the bacon came off and that’s what I did.  Tasted just as good.  This makes 2 meatloaf.  You can just add the bacon to 1 of them and freeze the other one just don’t add the bacon.

 

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Finished!
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Woven Bacon
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Baked loafs prior to glaze
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After adding the glaze

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Baked after glazed