Crunchy Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

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Greek yogurt and fruit is a very common breakfast for T.W.O. But lately, this dish has been missing something- crunch! So since it is Fall (even though the weather doesn’t feel like it in California!), we decided to add some Fall flavor to granola! This recipe is so simple and yet so flavorful! The best part about it too is that it is healthy, gluten free and full of nutrients to help start your morning off right. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!


Crunchy Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

Ingredients:
– 3 cups rolled oats
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp ground allspice
– 1 tsp ground nutmeg
– ½ tsp ground ginger
– ½ cup pure maple syrup (or agave/honey)
– ½ cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
– ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
– 2 Tbsp brown sugar
– 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
– 1 cup dried cranberries
– ½ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients (oats through ginger) and set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine the next 5 ingredients (maple syrup through vanilla) with a whisk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. With a spatula, combine thoroughly before folding in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
5. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Cool completely before storing.


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Harvest Roasted Sweet Potatoes

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Harvest Salads are officially in season and you know what that means? Turn on those ovens and start to roast your vegetables! Exchange your strawberries for dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds and add some candied pumpkin seeds. It’s like a party salad – so much fun! Since everyone has their favorite harvest salad ingredients, T.W.O. decided to focus on how to perfectly roast your vegetable – specifically  sweet potatoes. It’s an easy recipe that will add so much flavor to your salad without a ton of work. Grab your apron and let’s start roasting!


Ingredients:
– 2 sweet potatoes, washed and cubed
– Olive oil
– Sea Salt
– Pepper
– Cinnamon
– Nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 415⁰F.
2. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Place in a bowl.
3. Season the potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
4. Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
5. Put into heated oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping the sweet potatoes at 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven. The sweet potatoes should be a little brown and slightly crispy.

T.W.O. included the following in their salad:
– Baby Romaine
– Pomegranate seeds
– sugar coated pumpkin seeds (from Trader Joes)
– BBQ Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts*
– Granny Smith Apples
– baby heirloom tomatoes

*BBQ Honey Glazed Chicken recipe is coming soon to the blog. Stay tuned!


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Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Hatch Chile Sauce

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Taco Tuesday? How about Enchilada Tuesday!?!? Yes! Hatch chilies are in season, so T.W.O. decided to make a homemade enchilada sauce. And boy did we turn up the heat! Hatch chilies compliment the chicken and pepper jack cheese nicely. Grab your apron and lets start cooking!


Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Hatch Chile Sauce

Ingredients:
– 1 ¼ pounds hatch chilies (poblano chiles also work)
– 3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 8 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon ground pepper
– 3 ¾ cups reduce-sodium chicken broth
– 10 corn tortillas
– 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded
– 3 cups shredded cooked chicken*
– 4 Tablspoons cilantro, chopped
– 1 cup crimini mushrooms, diced
For garnish:
– 1 avocado
– sour cream
– cilantro
– lime
*T.W.O. shredded a whole rotisserie chicken

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to a broil. Make sure the racks are positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. Places the hatch chilies on a baking sheet lines with foil and broil for about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
3. Remove from the oven and reduce heat of the oven to 400°. Once the chilies are cooled, pull the skins off and remove the steams and seeds.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chilies and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then add 1 ¼ cups chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let reduce for 10 minutes.
5. Place the chile mixture into a blender and blend on low until the mixture starts to look like a pesto. Set aside.
6. In a bowl mix together the shredded chicken, mushroom and cilantro. Set aside.
7. Using the same skillet, add 2 ½ cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Dip each tortilla in the hot broth to moisten and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 9 tortillas.
8. Add 2 teaspoons of cheese to each tortilla and the chicken and mushroom mixture.
9. Roll them up and place in a 9×13 baking dish, seam side down.
10. Pour the chile sauce over the enchiladas, leaving the edges exposed. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
11. Bake in the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Once melted, turn the oven to broil and cook until the cheese is brown.
12. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with cilantro, avocado, lime and anything else your heart desires!


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Cheers,
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Arugula Salad with Sliced Green Apples

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T.W.O. created this Arugula Salad to complement their surf and turf dinner.  It’s a simple recipe that  includes green apples and shaved parmesan reggiano cheese with a homemade lemon dijon vinaigrette.


Arugula Salad with Sliced Green Apples

Ingredients:

– 6 cups arugula
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– ¼ cup white vinegar
– 4 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
– 2 green apples, diced
– 1 cup shaved parmesan reggiano cheese
– 2 teaspoon garlic powder
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1.Add the arugula to a bowl. Thinly slice the green apple and add to the lettuce. Top with shaved parmesan.
2.For the dressing: mix the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.
3.Once the dressing is done, add to the salad mixture. Toss and serve!


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Shrimp Cocktail

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For the month of September, T.W.O. decided to think outside the box and serve non-cheese appetizers.  It wasn’t hard to come up with ideas and we can’t wait to keep sharing them in future posts! In this post, T.W.O. created a shrimp cocktail for some special guests.  It’s an easy, light dish that everyone (seafood lovers) can enjoy.  No recipe required, its just all about the prep and showcase.  Here are a couple tips for your next shrimp cocktail.

1. Find a good shrimp cocktail mix.  T.W.O. purchased Marinade Bay Products – Seafood Cocktail Sauce at Whole Foods.

2. Make sure to put the shrimp cocktail on ice – it will keep the shrimp cold during your happy hour.

3. Lemon slices add color and a tasty flavor to the dish. Organic meyer lemons are our favorite.

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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Summer is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to change your menu completely! Here in Southern California the weather is still warm, so T.W.O. decided to whip up the Mediterranean quinoa salad. It’s easy, refreshing and easy for those weeknight meals!


 Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
– 1 cup quinoa
– 2 cups chicken broth
– 2 cups chopped mini heirloom tomatoes
– 1 cup Persian cucumbers, quartered
– 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
– 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
– 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
– 1/2 cup feta cheese
– 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
– 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
– 4 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa as directed using the chicken broth instead of water.
2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, olive oil and balsamic. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Add the mint.
3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add to the vegetable combination and mix well. Top with feta and lemon juice and you have yourself a European salad!!


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Kale Chips

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Here is another recipe to add to our cheese-less appetizer idea book – – – salty kale chips! With only four ingredients, this small dish is a great nibble for your guests while they wait for dinner to be served!


Kale Chips

Ingredients:
– 1 head lacinato kale
– 2 Tablespoons blood orange infused olive oil
– 4 Tablespoon fig infused balsamic
– 2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the kale. Chop kale into large chunks. Put in a bowl to toss.
3. Add olive oil, balsamic and salt to the kale and toss.
4. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.


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Grilled Chicken Salad with Roasted Squash & Cranberries

imageIt’s not officially Fall, but that isn’t stopping T.W.O. to slowly start introducing Fall Foods into their recipes.  Since it’s still warm out, we decided to take this semi-Fall dish and throw it over a bed of lettuce.  Check out how we created this delicious, sweet tasting transitional salad.


Grilled Chicken Salad with Roasted Squash & Cranberries

Ingredients:
– 4 cups spinach
– 2 boneless chicken breasts
– 2-3 Persian cucumbers
– 1/2 cup dried cranberries
– 3/4 cups mini heirloom tomatoes, halved
– 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, diced
– 1 small butternut squash
– 2 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
– 1 Tablespoon nutmeg
– 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
– I Tablespoon chili flakes
– pear champagne vinaigrette dressing
– Krazy Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the BBQ to medium heat.
2. Season the chicken breasts with garlic powder, chili flakes, Krazy Salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. Cut the butter butternut squash into flat slices so they can be put on the grill. Season with olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Once the BBQ is heated, place the butternut squash on the grill along side the chicken. Make sure not to turn the heat up too much, you don’t want to burn your squash. Cook for 20 minutes or until done.
5. While the chicken and squash are cooking, chop all the vegetables for your salad. Plate and add dried cranberries.
6. Remove the chicken and squash from the grill. Slice the chicken and cube the squash. Add to the salad topped with the pear champagne vinaigrette.
7. Grab your utensils and enjoy!


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Cioppino

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If cioppino is on a restaurant menu, it will be ordered! T.W.O. absolutely loves this dish, but has not yet experienced making a pot of their own. So we decided to take a stab at it – it was a success! This cioppino recipe is simple, full of flavor and is definitely a favorite recipe to file in the book!


Cioppino

Ingredients:

-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 large fennel bulb, chopped
-1 sweet onion, chopped
-3 large shallots, chopped
-4 large garlic cloves, minced
-3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
-1 small can tomato paste
-2 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes, in juice
-2 cups dry white wine
-4 cups chicken broth
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-Salt & Pepper
– Mixed seafood (mussels, shrimp, calamari, rockfish)

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes, wine and chicken stock. Season with salt, pepper and basil. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
  4. Add the mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the shrimp, calamari and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the mussles are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer.
  6. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.
  7. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

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Quinoa Circus Bowl

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One Sunday afternoon we decided to spice up our quinoa bowl with some fresh veggies and chicken.  It wasn’t complete without the sriracha garnish.  Check out how to make this healthy and flavorful dish for your next Sunday Night Dinner.


Quinoa Circus Bowl

Ingredients:
– 2 cups quinoa
– 4 cups water
– 2 teaspoons garlic powder
– 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
– 1 cup carrots, chopped
– 1 cup hearts of palm, sliced
– 2 cups Brussel sprouts
– 2 cups broccoli
– 4 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1/4 cup lemon juice
– 2 chicken breast*
– Krazy Salt
– Pepper
– Sriracha

* Marinate your chicken breast with Lawrys Season Salt.

Directions:
1. Preheat the bbq. Chop the brussel spouts and broccoli. Dress with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and Krazy Salt. Add the chicken to the bbq along with the brussel sprouts. (Brussel sprouts should go on a grilling pan or foil.
2. In a sauce pan, bring the water to a boil. Once the water is ready, add the quinoa, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Mix and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Mix in the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice.
4. Remove the chicken and brussel sprouts once done.
5. Plate the quinoa, top with the vegetables and sliced chicken. Top with sriracha.


 

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 Cheers ,

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