Another Quick Recipe by Elise: Homeade Bocata’s Pita Egg BLT

I love a quick meal. And I love this restaurant at our mall’s food court – Bocata’s. It is a sister company to Settabellos (yes the pizza place you love mom) and they have delicious pita sandwiches.  Ben and I have a favorite which is their egg, BLT.  So, when we say similar pitas at the store we had to try and make these sandwiches and I will tell you they came out pretty good!

Ingredients:

• Eggs (fried with the middle runny)
• 1 package StoneFire Pitas (they come in a pack of 4 at Smiths)
• Bacon
• Tomato
• Arugula
• Avocado
• Yellow bell pepper
• Ranch
• Mustard

Directions:

We used one one pita per person and cut them in half for filling and easy eating.  Ben and I liked putting ranch and mustard in our pitas for sauce.  You can also do mayo, hot sauce, etc.  We put one fried but runny egg on each side along with cooked bacon cut into smaller pieces.  Then we filled the pita with fillings such as tomatoes, avocado slices, and arugula! The arugula is one of my favorite touches that Bocata’s does. But feel free to experiment and do it how you like! We cut up a yellow bell pepper to act as healthy french fries with the sandwich. Overall it was delicious and fed us for 2 meals.  It was so filling for me that I only put an egg on one side and had a regular BLT on the second side.

ENJOY!

Ranch Chicken – a recipe borrowed

About a month ago I had this Six Sister’s recipe prepared for me. It felt like home so I felt like sharing it! It looked simple (which I am all about) and decently healthy. So this if you want a picture of what this tasty chicken looks like, check out the Six Sister’s Ranch Chicken Recipe. Anyways, here the recipe goes.

Ingredients:
1 cup corn flakes, finely crushed (you can substitute with bread crumbs, saltines, ritz, etc*)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 packet ranch dressing mix
8 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix corn flakes, cheese, and dressing mix together in a bowl until blended.  Dip thawed chicken in butter, then roll in corn flake mixture. Place coated chicken in 9″x13″ greased baking pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

*an addition/improvisation to the six sisters recipe.

Easy Broccoli Beef Stir-fry

This was a big hit with the husband and only took about 20 minutes to make! Success!

Easy Broccoli Beef Stir-fry

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak or charcoal chuck steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen)
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Rice

1) In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.

2) Add beef and toss.

3) Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef is done; remove and keep warm.

4) Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining Tablespoon of oil for 4-5 minutes.

5) Return beef to pan.

6) Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.

7) Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

8) Serve over rice.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

It’s been forever since I’ve added anything to the blog so I’m going to have a marathon of recipes today that I’ve been saving up. This one is a favorite at our house.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

• 1 can (10 oz) condensed Cream of chicken soup (You can also use mushroom or broccoli)
• 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs milk
• 1-1/4 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but I’m sure you could try another kind)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Dash of nutmeg
• 2 cups cooked broccoli
• 1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thinly coat a shallow casserole dish, or individual ramekins, with cooking spray or shortening.

In a large bowl combine the first 7 ingredients until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.
Pour into prepared casserole/ramekin.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.

Viola! You can even add cooked shredded chicken to the pre-cooked mixture for a nice alteration.