To Cook or Not to Cook

Very Fruity Green Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:33:00 +0000

This smoothie is sure to put some zip in your step! It's really good and refreshing! What a wonderful way to start the day. I hope you'll give this one a try.

Very Fruity Green Smoothie

1 whole orange, skin removed
1 cup frozen raspberries (or any berries)
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 ribs celery
2 cups baby spinach leaves (or greens of choice)

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth and serve.

Mango Raspberry Green Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:31:00 +0000

I know, this doesn't look very appetizing. I promise that it tastes way better than it looks. If you can't stand the way it looks go ahead & put it in a sports bottle or a non-see through cup & use a straw. Your body will thank you!

Mango Raspberry Green Smoothie

1 mango (fresh or frozen)
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3 handfuls of your favorite greens
1 cup water (more if using both fruits as frozen)

Blend greens with water, add in mango and raspberries, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Lemon, Cucumber, and Basil Infused Water

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:31:00 +0000

I found this recipe this morning & I just had to make it right away. I'm not a big fan of plain water, so anything that can help bring some life to boring plain water is win in my books! This water is really, really good. Will certainly cool you off while you're sitting in the sun. :)

Lemon, Cucumber, and Basil Infused Water
Original recipe found here

10 thin slices of lemon
10 thin slices of cucumber
10 small leaves of basil, ripped
3-4 cups of water

Put in fridge and let stand for at least 1 hour.

Luscious Pineapple-Orange Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:10:00 +0000

This is a very light & refreshing salad! It would be perfect on a scorching hot summer day too. It only takes minutes to prepare, but you'll want to let it set for a few minutes to allow the fruit juices to "dress" the greens. That's right - this is a salad dressing free salad! Don't worry you won't miss it. :) Also this would be really good with sprouts added. I didn't have the foresight to have sprouts made, but next time I will.

Luscious Pineapple-Orange Salad

1 cup chopped pineapple
1 orange (peeled & chopped)
4-5 handfuls of your favorite greens (I used mixed greens and baby spinach)
2 handfuls of your favorite sprouts

Place the greens in a large bowl. Add fruits & sprouts (if using) and mix all together. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the fruit juices can "dress" the greens. Eat slowly & enjoy!

Banana Mango Green Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:28:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've posted a new green smoothie recipe. I'm doing a green smoothie detox this week, so plan on sharing some of the new things I make. This is a lovely, creamy green smoothie thanks to the addition of mango. I used a whole celery stick in this green smoothie. If you have never tried using celery in your green smoothies, it does give it a different taste. I really would recommend starting out with a half stick of celery and building up to using more.

Banana Mango Green Smoothie

2 bananas (fresh or frozen)
1 mango (fresh or frozen)
3 large handfuls baby spinach
1 celery stick (use less if new to using celery in smoothies)
1 cup water

Put ingredients in blender in best order for your blender (I do the greens first), use the celery stick to push everything down to the blender blade, eventually blending the celery too.

Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:36:00 +0000

On Saturdays I try to cook something new; this was one of the recent meals I picked. And it's absolutely going to be on the rotation to have again. Everyone just loved it. The original recipe called for a lot more of the ingredients than I used, yet mine still made a huge amount. All 5 of us had this on Saturday and then again for lunch on Sunday. My husband and teenage son are big eaters, so that gives you an idea of how much this makes. :) I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet
Adapted from The English Kitchen

Ingredients:

500g box uncooked pasta (I used Tortiglioni pasta, because it's my favorite. Use whatever you like)
1 lb (500kg) of extra lean ground beef
6 slices bacon
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cans tomato soup
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp mixed herbs (I used oregano, parsley and basil - just use whatever you have on hand, it'll be great)
8 ounces extra strong cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove with and set aside to drain. Add the ground beef, onions and garlic to the drippings. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the beef is lightly browned and the vegetables are soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the herbs. Crumble inthe cooked bacon. Add the ketchup and tomato soup. Bring to the boil, then simmer while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the package directions until tender. Once tender, drain well and then stir into the beef mixture. Add 3/4 of the cheddar cheese and stir it in to melt, then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top and allow to melt.

I served this with a nice spinach salad.

Sesame Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:31:00 +0000

Tonight I made Sesame Chicken. When I lived in Michigan there was a great Chinese restaurant that served sesame chicken and it was so good! This is my attempt at satisfying the craving for it and it does an awesome job. Plus it's a lot healthier than the version from the restaurant - that was fried.

I was able to make this whole meal in about 30 minutes. So it's definitely a great weeknight meal! I made some stir-fry veggies in a separate pan and served it all over a bed of rice. You can use any veggies or rice you like.

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1 TB olive oil
1/4 cup honey (I use a local honey)
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari sauce
1/2 cup water
1 TB cornstarch
1 tsp ground ginger
1 TB toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Cook chicken for about 6-8 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Mix together honey, soy sauce, water, cornstarch and ginger. Wisk until no cornstarch lumps appear.

Pour sauce into skillet with chicken.

Cook until sauce thickens slightly. You can add more water if sauce gets too thick.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken starts to soak up the sauce.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Picture coming soon!

I made this zucchini bread on Sunday night. Today is Tuesday and the kids finished off the second loaf this afternoon. Yes, the kids liked zucchini bread! I'm heading back to the farmers market tomorrow to get more zucchini so I can make more bread. Probably a few loaves to put in the freezer too.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 applesauce (I used homemade from the freezer)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar (I use raw organic)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini

Directions:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Sift flours, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugars together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in the zucchini 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.

Adapted from Mom's Zucchini Bread on AllRecipes.com

Glazed Pork Chops

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:20:00 +0000

I made these for supper tonight and what a hit! My 13 year old son was asking if there would be leftovers to take to school before he even finished eating. These will certainly be back on the menu again. Added bonus is that they were super easy to make! Hope you enjoy!

Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

5 pork chops
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl combine the brown sugar and spices.

Rub the brown sugar/spice mix all over both sides of the pork chops. Use all of the spice mix.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, add the pork chops. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned.

If you are using an oven safe skillet, place the skillet in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to make sure they are cooked through. Otherwise, transfer the chops to a baking sheet lined with foil then place in the oven.

Remove the chops from the oven and drag each side around in the thick glaze that has formed around the chops.

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Chocolate Strawberry & Oat Energy Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:06:00 +0000

I love these bars. A friend introduced them to me awhile ago and I have been making them nearly every other week since then. Now that school is back in session I cut one bar in half and send each of the kids a little square once in awhile in their lunch. I feel a lot better about them eating these oat bars then I would store bought granola bars. I don't worry about all the preservatives and I know these are realatively healthy. And they are far more filling too! {sorry for the poor picture quality}

Chocolate Strawberry & Oat Energy Bars
Makes 16 or more bars depending on how you cut them {16 bars @ 172 calories each}

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk {I used almond mylk}
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups organic rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup carob chips
1/4 cup strawberry jam, melted
1/4 cup carob chips, melted

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a 7 X 11 X 2 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease lightly.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, vanilla/white granulated sugar, egg, milk, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the sugars have dissolved.
In a separate bowl, combine oats, all flours, baking soda and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Add to liquid mixture and mix well. Transfer to the prepared tin and spread uniformly.

You can bake as is at this point, or spread a 1/4 cup of melted preserves on top with an offset spatula/butter knife and then bake.

Bake 20-30 minutes until golden.Remove from oven and spread the melted chocolate over it and allow to cool until firm.

Once cool, chill for about an hour for the chocolate to set. Cut into bars/ squares and store tightly covered. Refrigerate if the weather is warm because the chocolate will melt. These bars keep well in an airtight box in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Adapted from Passionate About Baking

Healthy Basic Granola

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:54:00 +0000

I love this granola! It smells so good while it's cooking. It's tangy and sweet, but not too sweet. And it's completely customizable - take out what you don't like and throw in whatever you do like. Mix it up, be creative. :)

Healthy Basic Granola
Makes 25, 1/4 cup servings (142 calories)

Ingredients:

4 cups organic rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
2 tbsp flax seeds
3/4 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup organic coconut oil
1/3 cup local honey
1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
1 cup dried cranberries, or favorite dried chopped fruit

Directions:

Heat oven to 350º. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the oil, honey, and apple juice in measuring cup.

Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Spread onto a large sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, around 30-50 minutes, depending on oven.

Remove granola from the oven and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries. Store cooled granola in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Asian Baked Pork Chops

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:25:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying not everyone in my family is a fan of pork chops. These pork chops will be made again! Everyone (including daddy) loved them! I looked up and they had cleared their plates. These were so incredibly easy to make. If you are looking for something a little different to do with your pork chops, I highly recommend this recipe.

Baked Asian Pork Chops
Originally found on Cully's Kitchen

2-5 boneless pork chops
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Brown the pork chops on both sides.
Place in a greased casserole dish. (or use cooking spray)
Combine all the ingredients and pour over the pork chops.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Turn the chops over after about 30 minutes into the cooking cycle.

Butter and Garlic Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:08:00 +0000

This is a really good and easy side dish. One of the ways everyone in our house will eat potatoes too. You can use any kind of potato that you like. Tonight I used new potatoes because they are in season and so good.

Garlic and Butter Potatoes

5 or 6 medium potatoes, boiled
Butter
Garlic powder
Parsley
Salt

Directions:

Drain the boiled potatoes and place in a serving bowl. Using a knife cut them into bite sized pieces.
In a small bowl add butter (about 1/4 cup is what I use) a little bit of garlic powder, parsley and salt. Melt in microwave for about 1 minute, or until butter is melted. Stir well and pour over potatoes
Mix the potatoes gently with a large spoon, taking care not to break them.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:52:00 +0000

Today I took the kids for some back to school shopping. We bought 1 backpack and 2 lunch bags...$75.00! When did going back to school become so expensive? I'm dreading going to buy the sneakers and clothes. Hold me? lol Since the kids can't take peanut butter to their schools, I generally don't do much cooking with peanut butter during the school year. Today it was cool so I figured if I was going to bake peanut butter cookies it was a great day to do it. Here is the recipe I used and they are delicious! Very reminiscent of the recipe I used to love about 15 years ago and lost.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar vanilla and egg, beating until light and fluffy. Stir together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly.
Shape into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Flatten with fork tines in a criss cross pattern.
Bake at 350 °F. for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Drop Sugar Cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:49:00 +0000

Last night I was trying to think of a quick cookie I could make to send in lunches for the kids today. I decided to go with these, it only took me about an hour total to make them (cleaned up the kitchen while they baked), so not too bad at all. It made 4 dozen cookies using my cookie dough scoop. One other note about these cookies you want to pull them out of the oven before they are golden brown. Last night I cooked them around 8 minutes. They didn't look really done, but let them cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack. They will melt in your mouth. If they get golden brown they are still good but very crunchy.

Drop Sugar Cookies
makes 4 dozen

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, egg, canola oil, vanilla & almond extracts.
Mix the flour, baking soda & salt. Add to creamed mixture & mix thoroughly.
Roll into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fork & top with sprinkles (if desired).
Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack.

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Pizza Roll-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:30:00 +0000

Today was the first time I've made the kids a bento box styled lunch. For their main dish today I made pizza roll-ups. These were very easy to make this morning and both kids said they liked them.

Pizza Roll-Up
makes 1 roll up

1 8-inch whole-wheat flour tortilla
2 tablespoon prepared pizza sauce
6-12 leaves baby spinach
5-6 slices of turkey pepperoni
3 tablespoon shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:

Place tortilla on a plate and spread pizza sauce over it. Top with an even layer of spinach, pepperoni and sprinkle cheese on top. Microwave on High until the cheese is just melted, about 45 seconds. Carefully roll the tortilla up. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing into pieces, if desired.

Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Stuffed Baked Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:11:00 +0000

I made these two weeks ago and the kids have been bugging me to make them again, so tonight's the night. They are really good - I mean if kids are going to ask for potatoes that contain spinach they must be good right?

Ingredients

6 baking potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
approx 8 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
8 ounces goat feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the potatoes until cooked through, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet; add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach to the mushrooms; add the feta and stir until mostly melted. Stir in the pine nuts and dill; season with salt and pepper.
Cut each potato in half, scoop out potato, and add to the spinach, mushroom & feta mixture. Mix throughly and scoop back into potato skins.

Giant M&M Oatmeal Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Last fall I wrote this post about a cookie recipe I lost and tried to recreate. Well, I found the recipe! And I made them...and they were just as good as I remembered. Now I want to share the recipe with you. The recipe as I'm going to give it makes huge cookies - like bakery style huge. You can certainly make them like normal cookies but I would watch the cook time since it won't need to be as long.

Giant M&M Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour (I used 1 cup all purpose & 2/3 cup whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups mini candy-coated chocolate pieces
1 cup raisins

Directions:

Heat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate pieces, and raisins; mix well. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 325F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets

Cabbage Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:39:00 +0000

I made this soup yesterday for lunch, it makes a huge pot so I'll have lots for lunches for quite a few days or I can freeze it when I'm tired of eating it. It turned out really good, so I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. :)

Cabbage Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium onions, diced
1 large carrot, quartered and sliced
2 stalk of celery, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2-3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups of vegetable cocktail
7 cups of vegetable stock
1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes (broken up)
1/2 a medium white cabbage, cored and sliced (about 4 cups)
2 cups cooked white navy beans(drained)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 TB. Italian Seasoning
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise then sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, add your olive oil over medium-high heat. Add your onions, carrots celery, green peppers, bay leaves and saute for 7-10 minutes to soften.
Add your vegetable cocktail juice, stock, tomatoes, cabbage, beans, garlic, pepper, and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 40-45 minutes.
Add your zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes to cook. Serve hot. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Crock Pot Hungarian Goulash

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:18:00 +0000

I love my crock pot! It's great on busy days or days I just want to get supper prep over and done with early. This is one of our new favorite recipes to use with stew meat. It's easy, smells great cooking and tastes even better. And it's a kid pleaser. :) Steam a big bowl of veggies or add a big tossed salad to this and you've got a great meal.

Crock Pot Hungarian Goulash

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup water
1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Place meat in crockpot and cover with sliced onion.
Combine garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, paprika and mustard Stir in water, mix well, and pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Turn control to high. Dissolve flour in a small amount of cold water and stir into meat mixture.
Cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Serve over noodles or rice.

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Slow Oven BBQ Ribs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:47:00 +0000

I've only started making bbq ribs in the last 3 years. I tried before that but I could never get them to turn out good. They would always come out of the oven tough and chewy - yuck! Then my parents came to visit us here in Nova Scotia and my dad made oven bbq ribs. I wasn't expecting much but I was certainly surprised when they turned out so good. Now my kids are always asking can we have bbq ribs this week? I don't make them every week but sometimes enjoying some good bbq ribs is a real treat. Here's how I make mine:

Slow Oven BBQ Ribs

1 bottle of BBQ sauce or equivalent homemade version
1 rack of ribs - beef or pork

Directions:

Season ribs with your favorite seasoning. Place ribs meat side down in a foil lined roasting pan. Add approximately 1.5 cups of water and cover.
Bake at 300F for 2.5 hours. Turn ribs over carefully and spread bbq sauce over meat. Continue baking for 30 minutes.

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Mexican Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:24:00 +0000

For years I've been making the instant Mexican rice in a bag to serve on the nights we do taco bar. Lately I've stopped buying it though. It's not cheap to buy the flavored rice like that and have you ever looked at the sodium content in one serving of those packaged rice deals? Wowza - they have a lot of salt. I decided I could do better for my family. It took a couple of tries but I think I've come up with a recipe that is amazing. Hubby and the kids think it's even better than the packaged rice I used to buy and I know it's much healthier. I get to pick what goes in it - I can even buy organic ingredients so I know that this is much healthier.

Mexican Rice

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with taco seasoning.
Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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Frijoles Refritos - Refried Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:51:00 +0000

Frijoles Refritos

Recently I had my first attempt at making refried beans. I've had them from the can before and while that is nice and simple, I worry about the BPA that is present in canned foods. So I decided it was time to learn to make these from scratch with dried beans. I love beans of any form and I am thinking I'm soon going to start making some up and freezing them to use rather than canned beans. Anyhow that's another post for another day, let's get back to the refried beans. These turned out really good and I have lots in the freezer now. I usually use them on a tortilla - just spread some out, top with chopped veggies and roll up. Makes a great healthy and quick lunch. You could even spread them on a leafy green of your choice and have a great vegan meal. :)

Refried Beans

2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans
3 quarts of water
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
Salt to taste

Directions

Sort and rinse the beans. Soak overnight or do a quick soak
Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. Strain the beans from the cooking water.
Add the onions and oil to a wide, sturdy frying pan on medium high heat. Cook onions until translucent. Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out. Add salt to taste.

*Note* When I made my refried beans I put 1/2 the batch of cooked, cooled beans in the blender and puréed a bit. Then once I put them all in the pan, I mashed the rest a bit with the potato masher.

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Hot Pink Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:37:00 +0000

A friend of mine first introduced me to the idea of the hot pink smoothie - she was making them all the time and telling me how good they were. I found this video of the Green Smoothie Girl making her Hot Pink Smoothie and I've based my recipe on that.

Hot Pink Smoothie

1.5 cups pure water
5-6 baby carrots (or 1 whole carrot)
1/2 a medium beet
1/4 cup cashews
1 Medjool date
12 whole frozen strawberries

Place all ingredients except strawberries in blender and blend for 90 seconds. Add strawberries and blend on high until smooth (helps to use the chop ice function to start). Pour in glass and enjoy!

Pizza! Pizza!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:01:00 +0000

This is a staple at our house. I really hate buying frozen pizzas - one, they never have very much toppings on them and two, they are so expensive! With this recipe you can make 4 frozen pizzas that are healthy and delicious!

I usually make the dough for the pizzas in the morning and pre-bake the dough at 500 F for 5 minutes.

Then I set things up assembly line style and start putting on the sauce and toppings.

Put these in the freezer for a couple hours then take them out, wrap up and back in the freezer until you're ready for pizza night!

Homemade Frozen Pizzas

2 batches of pizza dough
3 cups pizza sauce
32 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
1 pound Italian Sausage, browned
1 pound ground beef, browned
8 ounces pepperoni slices
8 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
salt & pepper to taste
any chopped veggies or other pizza toppings you love

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500°F

Prepare pizza dough and pizza sauce as directed. Sprinkle corn meal over 4 round pizza pans (I use the disposable aluminum ones so I can put them in the freezer and not be without my pans later). Divide pizza dough into 4 and gently stretch pizza dough to fit pan, forming a raised edge at lip. Let sit for about 10-20 minutes. Take a fork and poke holes over bottom of crust. Bake in oven for 5 minutes. Let cool then lightly brush crust with olive oil to seal crust.

Cover each crust with 3/4 cup pizza sauce (more or less depending on your tastes), top with 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Italian sausage, 1/2 cup ground beef, 2 ounces of pepperoni, handful of chopped veggies that you like, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese and sprinkle of salt and pepper.

At this point I put the pans in the freezer to flash freeze. After a couple of hours I take the pizzas out of the freezer and wrap in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. I've had a pizza in there for as long as 2 months (that's the longest I can keep them around) wrapped this way and there was no freezer burn or anything.

To bake, place frozen pizza on a pizza pan on the middle rack in a cold oven and set oven at 400°F. Check at 20-25 minutes and remove when crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.