The PERFECT Salad

I love salads. Almost any kind, but most especially green, leafy salads. It is hard to find something unique in a green salad, but recently I did! Try this one for some fresh, zesty goodness. You won't be disappointed!

Servings

4

Ingredients

• Mixed greens
• Chopped romaine lettuce
• Blue Cheese
• Craisins
• Candied pecans (directions below)
• Cooked, crispy, chopped bacon
• tomatoes diced
• avocado diced
• balsamic vinegarette (recipe below)

Directions

1. Candied Pecans: Chop 2 cups of pecan, Melt 1/2 cup of butter, Add pecans to butter, Add 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of salt to pecans, Melt sugar until mixture has a carmel color, Spread coated pecans onto a greased cookie sheet, Sprinkle with sugar, Leave until cooled and then crack into small pieces.
2. Balsamic Vinegarette: Mix these items well with a blender--1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 cup white (or regular) balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup of sour cream or mayo, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, 1 pinch salt, ground black pepper to taste (If it is too tangy for you add a bit of brown sugar or honey)
3. Salad: Layer salad with items listed above, lettuces on the bottom. DO NOT toss the salad, simply layer it. Serve with Balsamic vinegarette.

Footnotes

• Would go well with grilled chicken and homemade bread to make it a meal or as a side to a meaty meal.

Tangy Chicken Marinade

For 4-6 Chicken Breasts:

1/4 cup honey
1 TBSP Djion Mustard
2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Rosemary (1-2 sprigs ((chopped)), fresh/1-2 tsp. dried)
Thyme (1 sprig/1/2-1 tsp. dried)


Preheat Oven to 350. Pour 2 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP White Wine Vinegar in the bottom of baking dish.  Lay chicken breasts in baking dish. Salt and pepper them (I substituted lemon pepper for ground pepper for more flavor). Brush them with marinade and pour any remaining over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear. Be careful not to overcook or the chicken will be dry (not speaking from experience of course. ):)

Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

My fabulous second mother, Mama Schwartz makes this absolutely delicious soup. It's the age-old Chicken Noodle Soup, but with a citrus twist. This recipe serves lots of people, so it's great for a crowd!

 12 cup. chicken broth
1/2 cup. lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1 pint whipping cream (half and half will do)
8 oz. egg noodles
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup cold water
2 cups chicken, cooked with poultry spices
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup chicken broth, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture has reduced to 1/2 cup (about 45 minutes). Take off heat, stir in cream and set aside.

While mixture is reducing, cook chicken with spices and chop the vegetables. In large pot, heat the remaining 11 cups of chicken broth to boil, then add noodles and vegetables. Cook 13-15 minutes. Blend flour and water together, whisk into soup. Bring to a boil once again. Reduce heat to low. Add cream mixture, chicken, spices, salt and pepper to taste. Heat through, but do not boil, and serve.

Note: I think it might work to just cook the chicken and onions together in the large pot, then add the broth, vegetables and simmer, add the noodles at the end and cook until tender.

Personal Alterations: I added Rosemary and Thyme to the cream sauce. I also added asparagus to the soup. 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Our aunt Janette gave us this recipe and we love it! When this recipe means whole wheat, they are talking about the WHOLE wheat kernel and these pancakes are so yummy!

Blend the following for 4-5 minutes in a blender:
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat unground

Add:
2 eggs
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2 tbs. baking powder
2 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook. If desired add apple slices to the pancakes before you flip them. They add a delicious flavor.

Healthy? Better than they could be.

So is any dessert really healthy? (That's rhetorical. There probably is one in some foreign country where they don't eat fat or sugar.) However, I wanted to share this CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE recipe with you because it cuts out the butter, are incredibly moist and tastes quite delicious - no frosting needed!

CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES
from Chocolate Snowball, a Deer Valley bakery recipe

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup coca powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the filling:
In a small bowl or food processor, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until it is smooth. Mix in the egg completely, scraping the bowl as needed. If using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a bowl. By hand, stir in the cranberries and set aside.

To make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners or coat the tins with melted butter and dust with four or spray generously with cooking spray.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt into a medium bowl. In another bowl, mix the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; mix until blended. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared tins. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake. The chocolate batter will rise around the filling as it bakes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake part of the cupcake springs back when touches with a finger. Cool. Remove from the pan and serve.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

High altitude: Reduce sugar in the cupcakes by 2 tablespoons. Reduce the baking soda to 3/4 tsp.


When I worked in events, Deer Valley gave me this wonderful cookbook, Chocolate Snowball. It features fantastic bakery recipes from their famous pastry chef, Letty Halloran Flatt. I would highly recommend it, even if all the recipes aren't quite so healthy.

Follow the link for more of Flatt's recipes - soups, pizza and more.

Roasted Potatoes and Yams

So, this recipe can be easily adapted to whatever taste you find most delicious - this is just generally how I roast potatoes:

Serves 4-5 people

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4-5 large potatoes (red or Yukon Gold are best, but any will do) - CUBED
2-3 medium yams/sweet potatoes - CUBED
1-3 tbsp. olive oil
Fresh or dried herbs, such as Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Marjoram, Sage, etc.
1-2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2-3/4 tsp. pepper
Additional spices - paprika, chili powder, fresh minced garlic (2 cloves), cinnamon, cardamom.
If you like a slightly sweet taste, sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

Cube the potatoes and yams. Spread on a cookie sheet. Brush them with olive oil so that the potatoes are as evenly coated as possible. Sprinkle with herbs (Rosemary, Thyme are a must and others are delicious to add as well), salt, pepper and any other additional spices you wish to add.

Bake in oven for 30 - 35 min or until tender and golden brown. Serve warm.

Sorry there is no picture - they should just look like yummy roasted potatoes. :) But...here's a picture of a fresh summer spread to hopefully inspire all of us to eat more fresh foods:

 

Kimberly's Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 17-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 large avocado, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, chopped (I generally use half an onion)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3-4 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Combine ingredients in a large bowl, cover and chill. Garnish with avocado and fresh cilantro. May serve with tortillas, chips or alone. Enjoy!!

Lemon Nutmeg French Toast

This is my first original recipe and it's not too complicated so don't be that impressed. I thought it was yummy though!

Combine:

Milk (to desired consistency - probably about 1/2 cup)
3-4 eggs
Zest of 1/2 - 3/4 of a lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Dip your bread into your milk/egg mixtureand cook in frying pan until golden brown. Serve immediately with berries and buttermilk syrup or whatever you like to eat on french toast. Also good with cinnamon. Makes 4 -6 pieces.

Green Bean Goodness

Doesn't this just make your mouth water? It does mine.

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans trimmed & cut into 1 in. pieces
2/3 c. olive oil
1 t dried dill weed
1/3 c white wine vinegar
1/2 t minced garlic
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans - toasted
1/2 c. diced red onions
1 c. crumbled feta cheese

Cook green beans in large sauce pan of boiling water (about 4 min.). Drain, immerse in cold water, drain and pat dry. In small bowl, combine olive oil, dill, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk to blend. Place beans in shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle with pecans, red onion and feta. Just before serving, top with dressing and toss.

Most importantly...enjoy :)

Smoothies!!

I went to a class where my friend Mary Jesperson taught us how to make lots of yummy smoothies. Here are the recipes for the delicious, healthy smoothies that she shared with us. She makes them for her kids all the time, but they are good for anyone.

Enjoy!

Spinach Smoothie

                        - Mary Jesperson

1 cup orange juice (or 1 med orange)

Handful of spinach

1 leaf of Kale (minus the stem)

Mix together until smooth and green. Then add:

1 banana

½ cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, Costco triple mix berries)

ice

Blend together and serve immediately (it doesn’t keep well)

“Mommy’s Yucky Smoothie” (need a good blender for this one)

                                    - Mary Jesperson

1 cup milk (or soy milk)

½ of an apple

3-4 baby carrots

handful of spinach

1 banana

½ cup blueberries

5 strawberries (frozen or fresh)

protein powder (optional)

ice

Blend

“Go-Go Juice”

-       Ruth Holmes

2 cups cold water

2 large handfuls of greens (spinach, kale, chard…)

2 fresh or frozen bananas

2 cups fruit, fresh or frozen (strawberries, blueberries, apples, etc)

Ice (optional)

Pour water in blender and add greens. Blend on high until there are no visible green leaf pieces. Add fruit and ice if desired. Blend until smooth and creamy. Will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Apple Celery Strawberry Smoothie

                        -Delicious Meets Nutritious, Xagave cookbook

1 apple, core removed

1-2 stalks of celery

4-8 strawberries (if using frozen strawberries, eliminate the ice)

juice from half a lemon

½ cup water

4-6 ice cubes

2 TBS agave syrup (if you don’t have agave, use honey or other sweetener if desired)

Blend together. Serve immediately.

“Green” Banana Smoothie

-       Big Book of Juices and Smoothies

2 bananas

2 kiwi fruits

1 handful red, seedless grapes

½ cup plus 2 TBS apple juice

ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth

Strawberry Ice Cream

-       Mary Jesperson

1 cup milk (or soy milk)

3 cups frozen strawberries

1-2 dropperfuls of vanilla stevia (to your taste)

Blend until creamy

Chocolate “Frosty”

                        -Delicious meets Nutritious, Xagave cookbook

4 cups ice

2 ½ TBS cocoa powder

1/3 cup agave syrup

1 (14 oz) can coconut cream (or milk)

½ tsp guar gum (optional blending agent that makes frosty smooth, not icy)

Blend all ingredients on higher until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). 

California Chicken

This is a regular favorite at our house. My sister-in-law Mary, who is a fabulous cook, introduced us to the recipe. Super easy and delicious, which is basically what we look for in a recipe:)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 8-12 tenders)

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small onion

1/4 tsp garlic salt (or to taste)

pinch of black pepper

1-2 avocados

2 ripe tomatoes

8 slices of Monterey Jack Cheese (or any desired cheese) sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butterfly chicken if using breasts. Warm oil in skillet and add garlic and onion. Cook until onions are browned. Add chicken, garlic salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes or until almost done.

Place chicken on a cookie sheet and top each breast with 1-2 slices of tomatoes and a slice of cheese. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove from oven, top each piece of chicken with a slice or two of avocado and serve immediately.

This recipe is super adaptable, we just use what we have usually and it is always great!

90 Minute Whole Wheat Bread

My husband's aunt Jamie is an absolutely fabulous cook. One day we asked her if we could come watch her make wheat bread to learn how she does it and that experience has changed my life. I haven't bought a loaf of bread at the store since January. We make our own bread and it is the most delicious that I have ever had. All the credit goes to Jamie of course. It really does only take 90 minutes! Enough of those hours and hours, we usually make it on Sundays or whenever we run out.

Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

5 cups wheat flour (I use about 1/3 red and 2/3 white wheat kernels)

½ cup gluten flour

2 Tbsp. instant yeast (SAF is my favorite)

4 cups hot water (run sink so it is hot but not scalding)

1 ½ Tbsp. salt

½ cup oil (can reduce this amount if desired)

¾ cup honey (we use a little more, more like 1 cup)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, bottled

5 cups wheat flour, in addition to previous 5 cups

Add first 5 cups of wheat flour, gluten, yeast and hot water in mixer and mix for 1 minute using wire whisk attachment. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes (if your kitchen is cold, it may take a few minutes longer to rise). Add salt, oil, honey, lemon juice and rest of flour (one cup at a time). Change to dough hook before adding remainder of flour. Let beat for 10 minutes until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (the texture of dough will change during the 10 minutes, so make sure to give it that time).

Heat oven to lowest temperature possible (e.g. 160 degrees). Turn dough onto oiled counter top. Knead together. Divide and shape into 4 loaves. Spray pans with oil and place dough in pan. Place directly in oven to let rise for 10-15 minutes. Once bread is about ½-1 inch from top of pan, increase temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. (Don’t remove bread from oven while waiting for oven to heat up). When baked, butter tops and remove from pans onto cooling racks.

Makes 4 loaves.

You'll find a picture of the bread here with blackberry jam. We're almost out so I will be making some probably tomorrow. I'll try to take some pictures step by step so you will know what it should look like. It is definitely worth the time. This bread is so soft and stays soft. We just put one or two loaves in the the freezer and one or two in the fridge and it never goes bad before we get to it. Enjoy!

Rosemary Grilled Chicken

This is from the food network. I just grilled the chicken, sans the bricks. I didn't take time to marinate for an hour. It would be better that way, but it worked as a quick meal too. Bon appetit! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 (3-pound) chickens, butterflied
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary in a large baking dish. Add the chickens and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium. Wrap 4 bricks in aluminum foil and set aside. Remove the chickens from the marinade, blot off excess oil, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chickens on the grill, skin-side down, and place 2 bricks on top of each chicken. Grill the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, then turn over, and return the bricks to the chickens. Close the cover and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into quarters. Serve with lemon wedges.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/rosemary-bricked-grilled-chicken-recipe/index.html

Stuffed Peppers

Yes, I have definitely been MIA for the past few weeks but I am back and have a diploma! Yay! (Well, technically it is on its way:) Try this stuffed peppers recipe I got from my friend Kristie. My husband and I love peppers and have tried lots of different versions of stuffed peppers. But Kristie's takes the cake for us and is now a regular meal at our home. Sometimes we just make a few and use it as a side, but it is so filling and complete that sometimes we add ground turkey and make it the main dish. Either way it is so fresh and flavorful from the herbs and spices, and the brown rice makes it filling as well.

Kristie's Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

4 peppers of your choice (we LOVE the red, orange, and yellow combo pack that you can get a Costco:)

2 large tomatoes-diced

1-2 broccoli crowns-diced

3-4 green onions-diced

1/2-1 yellow onion-diced

1 c. chicken broth

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

1 c. cooked brown rice

1 c cheddar cheese

1/2 lb. ground turkey (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice 3 of the peppers in half, length wise. Then de-seed and wash them. Set aside to dry. In a large skillet sauté onion, garlic & herbs in olive oil until the onions are slightly opaque. Add other pepper, tomatoes, broccoli, green onion & chicken broth. Let simmer on medium-low for 3-5 min. Add brown rice simmer on medium-low for 3-5 min. Fill each half pepper half full of mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-25min. Makes 6 halves.

W We like to top them with fresh salsa, but they are great plain too. Enjoy!

Morocaan Couscous, A Barefoot Contessa Recipe

Moroccan Couscous

from Barefoot in Paris, Ina Garten

2 cups diced butternut squash

2 cups chopped yellow onion (I did a little more than half that)

1 1/2 cups diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 1/2 cups diced zucchini (2 med)

2 T good olive oil

Kosher  salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. saffron (I didn't have any, but still tasted great)

1 1/2 cup coucous (10 oz)

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped (didn't have these either)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the butternut squash, onions, carrots and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper (I thought this was too much pepper, I would 1/2 it). Roast for 25-30 min, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 tsp. salt (depending on the saltiness of the stock), 1/2 tsp pepper, cumin and saffron and allow to steep for at least 15 min. 

Bring the broth back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken broth over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 min. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Here's a dark photo of our meal:

And here's Jane stirring the couscous with the fork

This was a very yummy dish!

Getting in your Greens: Spinach and Eggplant Rolls

This is probably my favorite homemade dinner that I have had in the past 3 months. I don't have a food processor so I just used my blender... I'm sure a food processor would make the prep time much quicker. This one is definitely worth a try!! Recipe found on mealeasy.com

Spinach and Eggplant Rolls

Servings: x4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes (ya right - it took me like 45)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Other Time: 5 minutes

Cuisine Type: Italian

Ingredients:

· 2 cloves garlic (~2 tsp)

3 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted

· 2 cups spinach, baby, packed

· 1 cup basil, fresh, packed

· 1 cup cheese, ricotta, part skim milk

· 1/2 cup parsley, fresh italian / flat leaf

· 2 tbsp cheese, Parmesan, low sodium

· 2 eggplant, cut lenghtwise into 1/4" thick strips

· 1 tbsp olive oil

· 1 cup tomato sauce, no salt added

· 1/2 cup cheese, mozzarella, low sodium, grated

Instructions:

1. Prep

1. Place the garlic, sunflower seeds, spinach, basil, ricotta, parsley and Parmesan in a food processor and puree.

2. Set aside.

3. Preheat the broiler.

2. Cooking

1. Brush the eggplant slices with the olive oil.

2. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes, flipping once after 5 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. Set the oven to 400F.

5. Spread half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9" X 13" baking dish.

6. Place about 2 tbsp of the spinach and ricotta mixture onto the short end of the broiled eggplant strips and roll up to form a cylinder.

7. Place the eggplant rolls, seam side down, on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish.

8. Cover with remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella.

9. Bake until cheese melts and tomato sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

10. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.