Cauliflower Pizza Bites

I can't take credit for this recipe. I can't take credit for most of the recipes on my blog but I'm happy to attribute and pass along. I have to admit I ate the whole batch of these that I made. Steve had one bite and said they were good, but he had fries and a grilled cheese on his plate. If I could have, I would have eaten that too. I love the cauliflower rice idea. I think I will be using this in a couple different applications from now on. This recipe can also be found here: http://www.damyhealth.com/2012/03/cauliflower-pizza-bites/ A big thank you to Jamie for sharing this!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Grated Cauliflower (washed, dried and grated using a food processor or cheese grater by hand until rice-like or thinner – Note – Approximately one head of cauliflower)
• 1/4 Cup Egg Whites
• 1 Cup 1% Cottage Cheese (drained)
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• 2 Tsp Parsley
• 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (Optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce (Optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 450 F.
2. Using a healthy cooking oil spray your mini muffin tin.
3. In a hot frying stir fry the “cauliflower rice” until the cauliflower is slightly translucent (about 6-8 minutes). Place in a bowl and let cool.
4. Place all other ingredients the food processor and blend until smooth.
5. In a bowl combine both the “cauliflower rice” and blended ingredients. Mix completely.
6. Evenly spoon mixture into your muffin tin molds. Press pizza dough down evenly and firmly (*The pressing down firmly is very important to make sure these stick together).
7. Place in your oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove the pizza bites from the oven and let set until cool (This is also very important – let these pizza bites set in their pan for 5 – 10 minutes before removing – If you take them out while they are too hot they will break).
9. Once cool remove from muffin tin (either by tipping them out OR by running a thin knife down along the side and popping them out).
10. Use organic, natural pizza or pasta sauce for dipping (or make your own sauce- Simple Marinara Sauce link).
11. Enjoy!

*A little change I made was to use regular sized muffin tins, and I might add an extra egg white next time, just to help them stick a little more. 

Stuffed Tomatoes

Today it's all about Mare's lunch! I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this one. Today was one of those days when you don't feel like you have anything in the house to eat. Today is the day before our grocery trip. I especially am feeling it because I don't eat cereal and toast 24/7 like my hubby and my kids do. I choose to eat on the cleaner side. This is what I came up with for lunch:

1 egg white
1 whole egg
1 med. tomato cut in half and gutted
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Beat egg white and egg season with salt and pepper, a little Italian seasoning might be good too. Here is a little trick I learned after a bit of a mess, cut the underside of the tomato so it has a 'foot' and it is more stable. This will keep your egg from spilling out. You can salt and pepper your tomato halves before you add the egg. Pour half the egg mixture into each tomato. Bake for 30 minutes. I sprinkled a touch of Parmesan when they were done. Perfection!

*I have to be honest I tried to bake it at 350 for 30 minutes but the egg was still runny so then I turned it up to 400 and left it in for another 15 mins. Just check your eggs to make sure they are cooked to your liking, maybe start at 25 mins then check them. Let me know what works best.

Kale Chips

I know you've all been worried sick about Steve's well being and his nutrition. I assure you that he has been eating just as well as when I was posting regularly. I am so happy to be back and I feel like in a small way this is a calling of mine. I know these are not gourmet recipes nor are they recipes that are exclusive to this blog, but I love sharing them with you! This one is a brand new discovery for me, kale chips. I am trying to eat clean and made these to help with those crunchy cravings. Don't worry though, this will not turn into one of those healthy food blogs. If it's good, healthy or not it will be here.

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 275. Cut kale leaves from stalks. I like to do this by folding them in half and cutting them out. Then break the leaves into bite sized pieces. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Place in a large bowl and toss with the oil until well coated. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 30 mins or until just starting to turn brown. Enjoy! And I promise you will!

A word of caution: Though these are addictive and super healthy, they will leave a TON of green in your teeth.

Butternut Squash Soup

This one I discovered while making Rachael Ray's Butternut Squash Mac and cheese. The butternut was the base instead of the white sauce, sounds weird but it's so good. When I tasted the butternut base I just about fell over! Totally worthy of its own meal. It's the perfect thing on a cold, rainy autumn day.

1 butternut peeled, and cubed

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs dried Thyme (2 Tbs fresh chopped)

1/2 medium onion

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup cream or half and half

salt to taste

Boil the squash in a large pot, salt the water well. Heat the oil and butter in a small skillet and grate onion directly into the pan, let simmer until onion gets soft. When squash is tender drain and mash with a masher, I always keep a little cooking liquid in to make it a little smoother. Add onion and oil mixture, broth, thyme, and cream, check the seasonings, add more salt if needed. Let simmer until ready to eat. Top with parmesan or cheddar cheese. 

Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

I debated on wether or not to post this cause seriously these cookies are out of this world delicious! I love how they are buttery (oh so buttery) and the texture is so different than a traditional chocolate chip cookie. Granted it doesn't make a monster batch but it is heaven in your mouth! My favorite part of this recipe is you can chow on the dough with no worries of food poisoning, there are no eggs!
I got the shortbread recipe from foodnetwork.com so thank you to them!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cup Hershey's special dark chocolate chips 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add flour, salt, powdered sugar, to a mixer or food processor. Then add vanilla, butter, and water. Pulse or mix just until a dough forms. (At this point you can wrap the dough and chill then cut into cookies or you can move on to the next level, oh yeah!) Add the chocolate chips and mix well. 

Roll teaspoon size balls and place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently press the dough flat. Bake for 12-14 minutes rotating half way through cooking time. Cookies are done when they turn a little brown around the edges. Place on cooling rack and wait 5 minutes, if you can...

Tips: Store in airtight container for up to a week or freeze uncooked log for up to a month. Also, use the freshest ingredients possible for the best tasting cookies.

Crock Pot Lasagna

I got this recipe from a friend and was skeptical because I thought noodles would be mushy after being in the crock pot. Nope. They were perfect!

1 lb ground beef cooked
1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz) bag shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 (8 oz package of bow tie pasta (I used elbow mac)
1 (12 oz) container cottage cheese

Cook noodles 2 minutes short of package recommended time. Brown meat and combine with sauce. In crock pot layer 1/2 each of meat mixture, pasta, cottage cheese and shredded cheese. Repeat with second half of ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Tzatziki Sauce

Oh wow! There goes my new year goal to post every week, SHOOT! I will post two recipes just to make up the numbers.

This Greek sauce is so delicious! I had it at a little place called Pita Pit a long time ago,  I couldn't get enough, little did I know it's a cinch to make! Now I can have it any time. It goes really well with grilled Eggplant.

1 1/2 c plain yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt if available)
1 cucumber grated fine and squeezed well, make it as dry as you can
1 clove garlic minced or grated fine
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let chill, if you can wait that long.


Grilled Eggplant


1 eggplant peeled and sliced (about half inch thick slices)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Brush slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 minutes each side or until tender. Serve with fresh tomato slices and Tzatziki sauce

*A friend of ours thinned out some Pesto with olive oil and then grilled his. This is so versatile, if you have ideas or have done something different share with us!

Avocado Succotash

This is the best thing I ever put in my face! I would have taken a picture of it (cause it's gorgeous and colorful) but it was devoured way too fast. We use this as a dip and eat it with tortilla chips. However I think it would be perfectly acceptable to eat it as a salad.

2 avocados diced
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 can black beans well drained
1 jalapeno diced (remove seeds and ribs for a more mild flavor)
1 cup corn (frozen, thawed or canned, drained)
Drizzle of Italian dressing
Salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl, toss to combine and eat it up!!!

I also think a great addition would be some fresh chopped cilantro, yummm!

Cornbread

I am usually not a big fan of cornbread (hush puppies, gag) but I really like this recipe, it's more of a corn cake then the really dense, grainy cornbread. A little story though:

I made this to go with my white chili on a Sunday. My sister and her boyfriend were over so it was a nice big family Sunday supper. When my sister got there we got to talking and giggling. The timer beeped for the cornbread and I noticed it didn't look like it usually did. I cut into it and something was definitely not right. The top half was cooked but the bottom half was ookey. Before anyone else tasted it I looked at the recipe again and realized I forgot to add the flour! Not a good idea, make sure to add all the ingredients, it really is good if you'll do that!

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 evaporated milk (1 can)
2 eggs
1/2 c oil

In mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar. In separate bowl beat together evaporated milk, eggs, and oil. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring only enough to blend. Pour into a greased 8x8 banking dish and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until edges are just brown. Serve with butter and/or honey.

White Chili

I love chili, but in the summer it's just too heavy and hearty for me. This white chili is just perfect. It's light but filling. I modified the recipe that I got from a friend, thanks Pam! This has to be one of my new favorites!

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 c chicken broth
2 cans white beans
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 handful fresh cilantro chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the  sour cream and the cilantro. Let simmer for 30 mins to an hour. Add cilantro and sour cream right before serving.

*Play with the seasonings until it's to your liking. I always like a little more in mine but start off with less, it's hard to take them out once they're in there!

Caramel Dip by: McKay Peisley

I tried this dip at a friend's party and it was to die for! Her daughter made it and passed on the recipe to me, thanks McKay! I will copy the recipe exactly the way she gave it to me :)

1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
whole thing cream cheese stick
1 tsp. vanilla

Cover and put in fridge for 30 minutes.
Dip fruit in there.

Hummus

Don't be scared, it's not as weird as you think it is. I love hummus! So good and super healthy too!

2 cans garbanzo beans a.k.a chick peas drain and rinse one can and not the other
1/2 bulb of garlic (about 5 cloves)
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt (regular also works great)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Blend beans, garlic, and yogurt in a food processor or blender until smooth and drizzle in the olive oil, add your salt and pepper (use about 1 Tbs. salt). Enjoy with pita chips or tortilla chips, even raw veggies are great!

*To add variety you can add things like roasted red peppers, feta cheese, and sun dried tomatoes to change up the flavors a bit. For ideas just stake a stroll around the special cheese case where they sell the hummus and you'll see a bunch of different kinds.

Dutch Oven Chicken

We just got back from a great camping trip and this is what we had for dinner one night. Soooo good! If you want to make this at home just throw everything in your dutch oven or a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 for an hour or until chicken is tender and cooked though.

4 chicken breasts
1 bottle of French salad dressing
1 envelope of onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in together and cook over hot coals for an hour. Make sure to put coals on top (12 of them if possible) to keep it hot enough.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Sounds weird right? It's so good! When it first starts to cook you think you're going to have root beer flavored meat. By the end it's very subtle and yummy!

1 pork tenderloin roast about 3 lbs
1-2 cans of root beer, no diet please
1-2 onions cut kind of chunky
3 cloves garlic minced
1 jar chili sauce (I didn't have any so I used taco sauce, still good)
salt and pepper to taste
Buns

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours. Shred the pork with two forks. Put shredded pork back in the crock pot with all the juices and root beer, cook on low for another 3 hours. Toast the buns under the broiler and load it up with the meat. I'm tellin' you it's good!

Applesauce Jumbles

My mother-in-law makes these on occasion. She always puts them in the "cookie tupperware" Let me tell you you will never see a more excited human than me when I see that beautiful fog colored tupperware sitting on the counter.

2 3/4 c. flour                            3/4 c. applesauce

1 1/2 c. brown sugar              1/2 c. shortening

1 tsp. salt                                 2 eggs

1/2 tsp. soda                           1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon                      1 6-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 tsp. cloves 

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Drop by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 10-11 minutes (Be careful not to overbake).  Remove immediately.  Cool.  Spread with glaze.

Brown Butter Glaze:  

Heat 3 tablespoons margarine over low heat until golden brown.  Remove from heat.  Blend in about one cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Stir in 2-3 tablespoons water until spreading consistency.  Spread on top of cooled cookies. 

*A little tip: put a piece of bread in with the cookies when you store them to keep them nice and soft.

Cranberry Chicken

This one is a good one to just throw in and let it go all day so you don't have anything to worry about at dinner time.

2 chicken breasts
1 c barbeque sauce
1 can whole berry cranberries
1/2 onion chopped fine
1/2 c celery chopped (optional)
2 c cooked rice

Throw everything in the crockpot together and let it go for 4-6 hours on high. Shred the chicken and serve over rice.

Hot Fudge Sauce

This is a recipe that I have been sitting on for a while. I got it from a friend's mom and decided it would be one of my "secret" recipes. I have since decided that the few faithful followers I have should be rewarded and thanked. I cannot lie to you this hot fudge is some of the best you will ever consume. It may take a time or two to get the hang of it but hang in there it's worth it!

2 C sugar
4 heaping Tbs cocoa powder (easiest to use a soup spoon)
1 1/3 C evaporated milk
1 stick margarine (I have used real butter and it still turns out)
1/2 jar marshmallow fluff
splash of vanilla

Measure sugar into a soup pot. Sift cocoa into the sugar. Stir to combine the sugar and cocoa. Add milk and turn on heat. Bring to a full rolling boil and turn the heat down a notch, you may have to turn it down more you just want to maintain the boil for 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly. remove from heat and add the butter and the fluff and splash of vanilla extract, stir to combine well.  Let cool well before serving with ice cream

*The longer you let it boil the more candy-like the fudge will be. When reheating the fudge make sure you keep an eye on it. It has the tendency to boil over the container and make a mess in the microwave. Store any unused fudge in the fridge.

ENJOY!

Mega Breakfeast

I got the idea for this from Rachael Ray (of course). She does a Farmers' market breakfast thing and I didn't follow her recipe exactly but it was still stinkin' good. It's a lot like the breakfast skillets at Village Inn.

1/2 lb sausage
2 potatoes diced small
1/2 red or green pepper diced
1/2 onion diced
3 eggs whole
2 egg whites
Cheddar cheese

Pan fry the potatoes in some vegetable or olive oil over medium heat turn every couple of minutes to brown evenly. Be patient with the potatoes it's the key to crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. While potatoes cook start to brown the sausage add onions and peppers. When no more pink remains and the onions and peppers are soft remove from pan and drain. Scramble eggs in the same pan the sausage was cooking in, add salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble: first put half the potatoes on a plate and then the sausage. Sprinkle with cheese and top with eggs and a little more cheese.

Pani Popo

This is a recipe from the Polynesian islands. It's known to us mainlanders as coconut bread. I for one am a HUGE fan! I can't ever get enough coconut! This is great with Kalua Pork or grilled chicken.

2 c warm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1/2 T salt
1/4 c sugar
6 T butter
2 eggs
1/2 c powdered milk
6-7 c flour

Mix together water, sugar, salt, powdered milk, eggs, and butter, add flour slowly. Knead dough for 8 minutes (this is much easier with a Bosch). Turn into a greased bowl and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

While dough rises make coconut milk syrup.

1 can coconut milk
2-3 c water
3/4- 1 1/2 c sugar
5 T cornstarch

Mix all ingredients well in a sauce pan and cook on low to medium heat until thickened. Place in fridge to cool.

Form dough into rolls. When they have doubled again pour syrup over the rolls and bake at 375 for 20-25 mins.

Naan

My new favorite food.

2/3 c warm milk or water
2c all purpose flour
2 tsp onion seeds (optional) You could also add some garlic powder
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 T clarified butter
2 T plain yogurt

Whisk warm milk with yeast and sugar. Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. Sift flour and salt three times into a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, half of the clarified butter (ghee) and the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough the knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough and kneed another 5 minutes divide into six balls and then roll out into 8 inch rounds. Cook in a hot pan brushed with ghee on top of the stove. Naan is ready to flip when it's puffed up, about 2 minutes on each side.

*To make clarified butter. Melt a stick in the microwave and let it sit and cool. When it's all cooled off there will be a top layer and a bottom layer. Skim off the top layer, this is the clarified butter. The bottom you can still use for toast and cooking.