Granola!

Anyone still read this blog?  I still use it to look up some of my favorite recipes.  It's been a a while (cough, cough, cough), but here's a great one!

Granola:
6 C Old fashioned oats
1/2 C wheat germ (I could not find this.  I omitted it.)
1/2 C Sunflower seeds
2 C Flake cereal (Total cereal works great)
1 C Unsweetened coconut (I could only find sweetened. It worked fine.)
5 C Mixed nuts (I used pecans, walnuts and sliced almonds)
2/3 C Honey
2 t Cinnamon
8 T Coconut oil or butter (I used coconut oil)
3 t Vanilla
1 t Salt

Mix 6 first ingredients.  Heat other ingredients on stove til melted together.  Pour over dry ingredients and spread on cookie sheet(s).  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown (stirring every 10 min). Let cool and Enjoy!

My Green Morning Smoothie

Every morning I make green smoothies for the hubby and me. Here's how it goes. The first step is to buy a Blendtec blender. It's a bit of a price tag to swallow, and I was a bit hesitant myself, but I use it even more than I thought I possibly would. You want a smoothie, not a chunky. Plus it has a ton more uses. Go do a little research and you'll see for yourself. It is AMAZING!

Now, if you don't have a Blandtec, I don't want you to be scared off, because you probably don't have one and a chunky smoothie is still better than eating a doughnut for breakfast, so try this in your $30 blender and we'll hope for the best!

Step 2:
Add a bunch of greens to your blender with some water. Here I have some organic kale and about 1 1/4 cup of water.

Step 3:
Pulse/Blend till you have a bright green liquid

Step 4:
Add Fruit! I add a small apple, 2 handfuls of frozen fruit, some fresh strawberries, and my 2 ripest bananas. It looks something like this:

Bananas went in here too, I promise.

Step 5:
I press the amazing button on my blender marked "Smoothie". And blend baby blend!

Step 6:
Optional stuff:
I take my glass and add a couple drops of lemon oil. Lemon is supposed to be good for detoxification and stuff. I have this so I use it. (It was given to me BTW.) Add some citrus if you don't have the oil.

I then pour my smoothie in my cup and stir with a spoon. I would add the oil straight to the blender if I was making this just for me, but I have a husband whose taste-buds I have to get all that kale across. Sooooooo.......

Step 7:
I add a scoop of chocolate protein powder and pulse/blend a little more. (I don't dig the extra calories of the protein powder and being that I am 5'11" and not small, I don't have any issues building all the muscle I really want, and I get plenty of protein, and protein powder gets pricey, and this is what a run-on sentence looks like.) I figure if I don't use it, it'll go further for him (and I am perfectly happy with the taste sans the chocolate). So, here ya go! His and her smoothies!

We seriously have these every single morning. We haven't gotten sick of them yet. I personally get a little giddy when I get to make them. I'm sure I'll branch out and use different stuff in our smoothies, but this is our basic,"go to", smoothie for the moment. I often use spinach instead of kale (which is more mild and probably a better place to start).

Enjoy!! You'll be feeling great and have more energy in no time!

Now go to the gym!

White Trash

Be prepared to eat the entire pan.. it's THAT good. You can add whatever seasonal goodies you want to this, but it's a sweet and salty treat that will be gone before you know it!

Recipe:

24 oz White Chocolate Almond Bark

6 cups  Chex Cereal

3 cups  Pretzels

1 bag  Mini Reese Pieces, Mini M&Ms, Candy Corn, (Or your favorite treat)

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan over low heat, melt the chocolate until smooth. Do not over heat. Stir constantly. 

2. In a large mixing bow, combine cereal, pretzels, and candy. Mix. 

3. Poor chocolate over all and mix until well covered. Be gentle and don't break the cereal too much. 

4. Spread over a pan lined with wax paper and allow to cool for 30 mins or so. 

5. Break up into smaller pieces and enjoy!

Enchilada Dip Recipe, Easy Crock Pot Enchilada Dip Recipe With Only 4 Ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Crock Pot Enchilada Dip
Crock Pot Enchilada Dip
10 oz. can enchilada sauce
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
4 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:

Combine chicken and enchilada sauce in a 3-4 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or chicken is thoroughly cooked. Using two forks, shred chicken in the sauce.

Cut cream cheese into cubes and stir into the crockpot along with the cheddar cheese and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes, stirring twice, until mixture is blended and cheese is melted.

Makes about 30 servings

Dutch Baby

I recently went to visit my sister in Nashville and her new little baby. Her husband wakes up every weekend and makes breakfast for the family and while I was there he made this recipe. I had never had dutch babies before, and I just ordered myself a cast iron skillet to make my own. I am excited to make these. The bananas were an amazing addition! My BIL omitted the chocolate chips and cooked (ripened) bananas in only butter w/o the liqueur.

Chocolate Chip Dutch Baby
A Dutch baby is a puffy, baked pancake. A preheated cast-iron skillet enables the batter to start cooking immediately and causes it to puff. Cook the bananas while the Dutch baby is in the oven, so they'll be done at the same time.

Cookint Light 2004

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 dutch baby wedge, 2 banana pieces, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons whipped topping)
Ingredients
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 large firm bananas, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur (Kahlúa)
1/2 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.

Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in a 450° oven for 15 minutes. Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in preheated pan until browned, swirling to evenly coat pan. Add batter; sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until puffed and browned.

Cut banana halves in half crosswise. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bananas; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Add liqueur; simmer 1 minute. Serve with Dutch baby; top with whipped topping.

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

It's been a while. A long while. I actually have not been doing much cooking or baking lately. But, now it's the holidays, I am doing a little bit. I baked with a couple of my good friends to make some plates of goodies to give to friends. Then today I whipped up these cuties. I do not love making cupcakes. I do like transporting cupcakes. I do not like piping bags. I do, however, like to eat cupcakes. And I like the idea of portion control and a special piece of cake for each person. So, I usually buy cupcakes. But, I made these. I just used a box of white cake mix, and I searched the web for a frosting recipe. Pioneer Woman and 'Our Best Bites' both had this recipe and both raved about it. They were right. It's pretty amazing. I added a little coconut flavoring to mine. The whole thing was so light and fluffy. This is good stuff. Because the other web sites do such a good job of giving step by step instructions, I'll just send you over to them.

Links:

Our Best Bites

Pioneer Woman

There may be small variations between these two recipes. I used the one from Best Bites.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So these aren't exactly "healthy" since they still have plenty of butter and sugar, but the whole wheat and oats maybe make them a little better? Either way, they were really good. They spread really well and made a nice chewy cookie. I took these down to the bus stop and gave them to all the parents and kids. They loved them as did the hubby and my kids.

Ingredients

1-¼ cup Butter (2 1/2 Sticks)
1-¼ cup Brown Sugar
1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
3 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2-½ cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1-¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
1-¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
1-¼ teaspoon Salt
2-½ cups Quick Oats
2-½ cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well, then stir in chocolate chips. Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto greased (or lined) baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

I made these tonight and the whole family loved them, even the 3 extra kids we were babysitting gobbled these up. I kinda get tired of banana muffins being the only thing a make with my over-ripe bananas. This provided a great alternative. These were so light, fluffy and moist. The few alterations I made were that I used fresh bananas and I subbed coconut oil for the vegetable oil. They were sweet enough on their own to not add a topping, but most of my crew added syrup. I also used my immersion blender to blend everything up. I love that thing; I need to use it more often.

4 medium bananas, frozen
2 cups whole wheat flour 1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1 Pop the bananas on defrost in the microwave, or leave them out for an hour to thaw.
2 Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
3 Smoosh in the bananas and mix in wet ingredients. (Feel free to heat the honey a little if it is thick.).
4 Depending on the size of your waffle iron, a 1/3 cup for your batter scoop will be fine. Scoop batter into waffle iron and bake as desired.
5 They freeze well, so feel free to slightly undercook some for freezing and toasting on-the-go.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I made this tonight. It was excellent and easy. The hubs and I both gave this a 10!


Ingredients

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

When I actually cook, I make these fajitas about once a week! They are so flavorful, and leftovers are really good too!


Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced

2 T vegetable oil

2 t. chili powder

2 t. cumin

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. salt

12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve with warmed tortillas and enjoy!!

Photo and recipe from http://eatinonthecheap.com/2011/03/24/my-thoughts-on-food-magazines-and-baked-chicken-fajitas/

Caramel Popcorn

This recipe is a recipe a friend showed me from AllRecipes.com, but it is so good. It's very crunchy. I've only made it once, but it was gone FAST! Take this snack to your next party.

Ingredients:

1/2 c Butter

1/2 c Corn Syrup

2 c Brown Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

5 quarts Popped Popcorn. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
3. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Photo from http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-caramel-popcorn-85371
Recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-popcorn/

Philly Cheese-Steaks

A family favorite FOR SURE!! Some of this isn't an original recipe, but I've altered it enough so make it the best dang sandwich you'll ever eat! It is so melt-in-your-mouth moist, and leftovers, I dare say, might even be better! Don't forget the garlic spread: that's what makes these sandwiches so good. 

Ingredients:

2 lg Bell Peppers, sliced into long, thin strips

1 lg Onion, sliced into long, thin strips

2 lbs Steak, sliced into long, thin strips

1 c Beef Broth (I use Better Than Bouillon) 

Provolone Cheese

1 c Mayonnaise 

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

Oregano 

Hoggie Rolls (I use Franz French Rolls)

Aluminum Foil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Brown your steak in a sauce pan in beef broth, add your onion and bell peppers and cook until their tender. (Beef broth helps keep your meat and veggies tender).

3. Combine mayo and garlic in a small dish. 

4. On each hoggie roll, spread your mayonnaise mixture on each side and sprinkle with oregano. Place your provolone cheese and some steak mixture to the sandwich.  (I would fork out your meat mixture to allow the broth to drain off).

5. Roll each sandwich in foil and bake for 10 minutes. 

Left overs can be refrigerated. 

photo from http://delicious-cooks.com/philly-cheesesteak-sandwich.html

No-cook Blackberry Freezer Jam

Great, easy jam for breakfast toast! This makes quite a bit of jam and is very easy to make. You can probably use this recipe for any fruit jam.

Ingredients:
3 cups Blackberries, mashed (use a potato masher)
2.5 -3  cups sugar (depending on how sweet you want your jam)
1 pkg, or 3 1/2 Tbsp, fruit Pectin (Found on the making aisle)
3/4 cup Water

Mason Jars

Directions:
1. Mash your fruit and stir in sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Combine water and fruit pectin in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil for 1 minute.
3. Combine pectin mixture with your fruit and stir for 3 minutes.
4. Pour immediately into containers, and allow them to sit for 24 hours at room temp. Freeze for 6+ months or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Confetti Chicken Pasta

This is a dish that I've been wanting to make for awhile, and it was worth the wait! It's a good way to get your vegetable servings in for the day (which is what I really need!). We loved this pasta. I will be making it again soon! I halved this recipe for 2 people, and we had enough for lunch the next day. You can also substitute or add your favorite veggies to the dish.

Ingredients:
1 box pasta
2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 c Zucchini
1 c Broccoli florets
1 c diced Tomatoes
1 c diced Bell Peppers
1/2 c diced Onion
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
2+ Tbsp Olive Oil

Sauce:
2 c Milk
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes, a few shakes

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to the box.
2. In a separate skillet, cook combine olive oil, garlic, onion and chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. In the same skillet, add your veggies with some salt and pepper, and cook until tender.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and whisk in your flour. Add your milk and Parmesan cheese and bring to a slow boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow the sauce to boil for 1 minute (continue stirring). Add your seasonings and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat after the 1 minute is up.
4. Combine pasta and sauce, then stir in your vegetables/chicken.


Photo and recipe (altered some) from http://bakecakery.com/2011/04/13/confetti-chicken-pasta-recipe/

Sweet Potato-Corn Chowder with Avocado

Occasionally, I am shocked when I have a recipe that I haven't yet posted on my blog. I will come to my blog, search around for bit for a recipe that I have made many times, and am certain that I have posted, only to fine that it's not here. This would be the case with this recipe. I have made this several times and love it. I have a few soups that I make regularly in hug quantities and freeze for Stan to take to work for lunch. I do that with the black bean soup, that minestrone soup, and this soup. I got this one from my good friend, Kristen, who recently put me on speed dial, so that means we're legit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups of chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
3 1/2 cups of thawed frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 ripe pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 sour cream (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over in medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and suate until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, stir to coat, and cook 3 minutes.

Add broth, bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add bell pepper and corn and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Puree half the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot. Stir in cilantro and serve garnished with avocado and sour cream.

Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Pizza

This HAS to be one of the best things I have ever made. I got the recipe from HERE. The sweetness from the caramelized onions and the saltiness of the goat cheese is heaven. Caramelizing onions is a slow (but very worthwhile) process. I bought my pizza dough ready-made from the Publix bakery. They have a little pizza refrigerator where they keep freshly made pizza dough. I got 2, stuck 'em in the freezer, and set them on the counter to thaw while I was at church. When I got home they were perfectly thawed and ready to use. I had never bought their dough before, but I will again. It was SO good. Better than anything I would have made. This pizza was seriously a combination of some of my favorite things. Stan and I both gave it a solid 10!

Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

1 large sweet yellow onion (about 1 pound), halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cups baby spinach
Your favorite pizza dough
½ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup shredded Parmesan
3 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook over low heat until softened and caramelized. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted.

Prepare your pizza crust on a piece of parchment paper. Brush dough with olive oil and top with the mozzarella, Parmesan, onions and spinach. Dot with the goat cheese. Transfer the pizza with the parchment paper to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Picture and recipe from herbavoracious.

I make a black bean soup pretty regularly. I made it yesterday and put most of it aside for lunches, and I used the rest for this recipe. With the black bean soup already made, this came together very quickly. Stan and I both love spinach. You could easily double the filling to feed more people. Any black bean soup would do. I actually bought a few cans of some organic soup for this recipe, but ended up not using them since I made my own soup. Stan and I both loved this meal. I would highly recommend it!

Enfrijoladas de Espinaca – Tortillas with Spinach in Black Bean Sauce
Vegetarian and gluten-free; vegan if you omit the cheese
Serves 4
15 minutes

1 pound frozen spinach
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano (Mexican oregano if possible)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 quart Pacific Natural Foods Spicy Black Bean Soup
12 corn tortillas (double check ingredients for gluten-free)
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (or grated Monterey Jack) (omit or replace for vegan)
1 avocado, sliced
a few cilantro leaves

Defrost the frozen spinach and squeeze some of the water out of it. Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium high flame. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the spinach, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Heat the soup in a small saucepan.
Carefully dip a tortilla in the soup (using tongs so you don’t burn yourself!). Hold it there for about 5-10 seconds, until it has softened but isn’t falling apart. Remove to a bowl, fill with about 3 tablespoons of the spinach, and loosely roll up. Repeat for all of the tortillas, putting 3 in each bowl.
Top each bowl with 1/4 of the remaining sauce, a sprinkling of the cotija cheese, a few slices of avocado, and some roughly torn cilantro and serve immediately.

Granola Bars

My friend, Kristen, introduced these to me. She gave me a few and I gobbled them right up. These are quick to whip up and are a nice snack to have on hand to satisfy the munchies. I used quick oats since that is what I had on hand. I think both work well. I also added coconut. I mean, you are toasting these ingredients....who doesn't love toasted coconut?? I kept searching the ingredients, sure that it must be in there, but it wasn't. So I was a rebel and added it anyway.

Berry Powerful Bars
- adapted from Eating Well

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon flaxseeds, preferably golden
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetened whole-grain puffed cereal (see Note)
1 cup assorted dried fruits (blueberries, cranberries, cherries, golden raisins)
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray.

2- Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cereal and dried fruit; toss to combine.

3- Combine almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Over medium-low heat, stir frequently until the mixture bubbles lightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

4- Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. Transfer to the prepared pan. Using a silicone spatula, press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer (wait until the mixture cools slightly if necessary). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes; cut into 8 bars.

Polenta with Peperonata

I found this recipe and it just spoke to me...for a couple of reasons: 1) Stan and I love polenta (it's basically my way of getting him to eat grits) 2) I failed at making polenta stuffed peppers, in the which, we really just wanted more polenta and less pepper. This recipe was exactly what I needed; more polenta less pepper. The way in which the peppers are prepared is amazing (and time consuming, but worth it). I blended an onion into a puree for this recipe. I have to say that that was a first. I bought the Bob's Red Mill Polenta and followed the directions on the back. This is such good comfort food. This is what I would want to eat on a cold day after my kids were in bed while I watched a chick-flick in my sweats. I got the recipe from this cool new site that I found. I have several recipes lined up this week from this site...and I want the cookbook. There is something so enjoyable about holding a good cookbook in your hands vs. reading it from your computer. However, I hate having lots of cookbooks. Maybe one say I'll be grown-up enough to know which I'd prefer. Until then, here's a good recipe. Recipe link.

Peperonata (delicious over polenta)
Vegetarian, gluten free, kosher, and optionally vegan
Serves 4

8 ripe bell peppers (any combination of red, yellow or orange)
1 large or 2 medium white onions
5 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons double-strength tomato paste (or 6 tablespoons of regular tomato paste)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Handful flatleaf parsley
Preheat over to 400. Cut the tops and bottoms off the bell peppers and reserve for another use. Cut in half vertically and remove and discard the seeds and ribs. Place the peppers cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the skins are well blistered, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a covered bowl and allow to cool. Peel off skins and tear or cut the peppers into approximately 1/2″ wide strips. Save all of the liquid from the bowl and the baking sheet!
Meanwhile, while the peppers are roasting, make the sofrito. Puree the white onion and garlic in a blender. Put the olive oil in a large, non-reactive (i.e. not cast iron) skillet over medium heat. Don’t use a non-stick pan. Fry the pureed onion, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently, until the water cooks off and the onion is well browned; lower the heat if needed to avoid any burning. Add the salt and tomato paste and cook, scraping frequently for about 10 more minutes, until the sofrito is fairly uniform and a dark rusty brown and turn off the heat.
Add the onion, vinegar, peppers and reserved liquid from the peppers. Set the heat to medium low, and scrape the pan to loosen all those delicious brown bits into the sauce. Cook until the red onions are fully softened, about 15 minutes. You can add a small amount of water if needed.
Just before serving stir in the black pepper and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over polenta, finishing with a bit more extra-virgin olive oil.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Zucchini Bread

Here's a good zucchini bread recipe. My girls ate this up.


Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Brown Rice Veggie Stir-Fry

I made this meal for dinner last night. I liked it a lot, and Stan thought it was a little bland until he added a little szechuan sauce, and then he liked it a lot. I loved all the veggies, esp the cabbage, but that is mainly bc I have a hard time finding ways to use cabbage. The only real seasoning in the recipe comes from the small amount of soy sauce. You may want to add a little more. I did. I also added garlic bc it really seemed like a dish that would have garlic. - Brown rice always takes close to an hour to make (unless you have a rice cooker apparently, which I don't, bc I don't think cooking rice is difficult at all.) Many times if I have to make brown rice, I make a large batch and freeze the leftovers so that they are quickly thawed and thrown into other recipes. So, besides the brown rice, this dish is super quick. I made it and realized after dinner that I had all stuff still to make another batch so I whipped more up real quick to have as leftovers, which I am eating now as I type this. It's still really good. The almonds add some great crunch and everything else comes together nicely. I do hate me some mushrooms though, so no mushrooms were harmed in the making of my dinner. I also had my sister and her 9 year old over for this meal and they both ate it up. Two thumbs up from everyone here....at least Stan gave the second thumb up after adding more flavor.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup diced fresh tomato
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions

In a large skillet or wok, combine the water, soy sauce and oil. Add the zucchini, cabbage, mushrooms and onion; stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the rice, tomato and carrot; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with almonds.

Cauliflower Soup

Dear Followers,
This blog is going through a "phase" of sorts. We're still going strong in the "no meat" department. Not that we don't eat meat, bc we do, just not at home. This blog is primarily for my own purpose of putting my favorite recipes in one place, so the recipes coming from me are and will be mainly vegetarian and vegan....until I go through another phase. - I made this recipe tonight complete with the cheese crisps. Stan gave the soup a 9.5 and the cheese crisps a 3. I kinda agree. They turned out well on my silpat, but we just didn't love them. The soup is fantastic though. I sometimes get cauliflower in my co-op and I struggle sometimes to know what to do with it. I had this soup at my church the other night and found the recipe online (since I don't know who made it). This recipe was exactly what I had that night. This was also a great meal for 2 people and was a super quick soup to make with just a few ingredients. I had everything on hand except the cheese. It's nice to be able to make dinner and only buy one ingredient. I think my head of cauliflower was a little smaller than most leaving my soup a little more on the thin side, rather than creamy like I wanted. I mixed a little milk and flour and added it to thicken up. It was perfect. I think if I had more cauliflower than I would have been able to omit that last step. Here is the recipe complete with the crisps, but I would skip that part and maybe eat with a nice crusty bread or maybe sprinkle some croutons on top.

Ingredients
Soup:

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crisps:

1 cup shredded Parmesan
Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender* and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, make the Parmesan crisps:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the shredded cheese over the foil in 1 even thin layer. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisps. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple shards and a pinch of fresh chives.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Vegan Enchiladas

Most of my readers know me and know that I have a new little baby. You probably think that my neglect of this blog is because of this baby, and you may assume that I have not been cooking. I admit that having 4 little ones has been a big adjustment and I am the busiest that I have ever been in my life, but I am cooking. However, the majority of my cooking lately has been vegetarian and vegan. I am actually cooking a ton, but, I just don't feel like most of my readers want vegan recipes. I hold the recipes on this blog to a standard of awesomeness that I feel each recipe should have. It has to be good, really good. It has to be something that I would make over and over. I just can't say that about many of the vegan meals I have been cooking. They aren't spectacular. They are simple and good, but I just feel like they aren't worthy of being on this blog. Then tonight I made these enchiladas. They were so dang good that I don't think any carnivore would miss the meat and cheese in these. My enchiladas usually are nothing but meat and cheese. The link there shows a video of a guy making these. It is such a bizarre recipe with potatoes and marinara sauce! I was so skeptical. We ended up having my brother, his wife, and my dad here tonight. I was nervous that this was going to be a flop. Everyone loved them. I LOVED them. Who would have thought such odd ingredients would add up to such goodness?! If any of you want vegan recipes, let me know. Until there is a demand, my additions to this blog may be fewer than in the past. (However, I did have to bake for a friend this weekend and made a great dessert. I'll try to blog about that one soon.) I don't preach vegan. I am not a vegan. I am just trying to eat better. I do have to say that I feel much better eating this way. So if you want a meal that you can feel good eating then give this one a try! It got two thumbs up from all of my crowd!

VEGAN ENCHILADAS
12 corn tortillas
1 cup onions
1 cup potatoes
1 cup canned beans, your favorite kind
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup olives, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Lawry seasoning
2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
2 cups spaghetti sauce, from a jar
Non-stick spray (optional)

These enchiladas are cholesterol free and very low in fat. They have a special taste because of the potatoes in the filling and the addition of spaghetti sauce

Boil or steam the potatoes until almost done, but still firm, If you want to, peel the skin off with a knife while the potatoes are still warm. Dice the potatoes into small cubes. Next, sauté the onions in oil until transparent. Add some of the salt, oregano, and Lawry spice to the onions while they are cooking. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, the beans, the zucchini, the olives, and the sautéed onions. Season with salt, oregano, and Lawry spice to taste, and mix well. You can use any of your favorite seasonings.

Next, combine the enchilada sauce and spaghetti sauce in a bowl and mix well. If you want to make the corn tortillas softer before rolling the enchiladas, heat a drop of oil in a non-stick skillet and cook them briefly on each side, one at a time. Transfer them to a plate.

Grease or use non-stick spray to lightly coat a large ovenproof baking dish. You are now ready to roll your enchiladas. One at a time, spread a spoonful of the sauce on a corn tortilla, fill with 1/4 cup of the vegetable bean mixture, and roll up each tortilla. Place them in the baking dish, seam side down. Alternatively, you can dip each corn tortilla in the sauce before you add the filling, making sure that you coat each side of the tortilla with sauce. After all the tortillas are filled and rolled and in the baking dish, cover them with the red sauce, adding as much sauce as you like.

Bake in the oven at 350º for 20-25 minutes if you leave the dish uncovered. For a softer enchilada, cover the dish with foil on top and then bake for 45-50 minutes. Garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados and enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

Stan and I both loved this. It has great flavor and is easy to make. I froze my leftovers.

Black Bean Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 T olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)

3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)

1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3.5oz can green chilies

2 cans low-sodium beef broth

1 t kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 t chili powder

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes.

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup.

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters.

Puree soup until completely smooth. Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges. Makes about 8 C soup.