Roasted Butternut Squash and Crispy Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Tried and Tested!

This was a winner - for sure! Some things on pinterest flop, but I loved this one! 

Its worth the extra work. 

Yummy and large enough to serve for dinner, or make it on monday and eat it all week! 

My kind of lunch!

Isn't it beautiful? Crispy Chickpeas are amazing with the soft, sweet squash!

Click HERE for recipe

I used Baby Kale instead of Arugula, and added feta cheese! 

Enjoy!

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Easter Morn - Lemon Berry Crepes

Even though the skies may bring some dull gray, I was bound and determined to pretend otherwise!  Just closed my eyes and focused on the birds chirping (it works!)

... I'm so ready for spring! 

Nothing says spring more than LEMONS. 

This time of year always brings about a citrus focus; 

where ever treat, snack, meal and scented candle is lemon flavored! YUM!!

 It just screams bright and sunny!

These were the perfect balance of tart, sunny lemon for me.

 My husband wanted more sweet, but he always does! 

For me they were the perfect combination of that tart and sweet combination.

Crepes:

1 1/2 C Milk (any milk would work)

3 Eggs

1 tsp Lemon Zest

1/4 tsp Lemon Extract

1 Tbl Fresh Lemon Juice (or more to taste)

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Dropper of Vanilla Stevia, or pinch of Stevia Powder, Or just 1 Tbl of Sugar

1 Tbl Melted Coconut Oil or Butter

1 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Whisk wet ingredients, then slowly add flour whisking well. Heat non-stick 8-9 inch skillet over medium/low heat. Add about 1/3 cup of bater and quickly swirl the pan to cover. Let cook until you see edges curled and not wet, flip and cook for about a minut more.

Berry Syrup:

1 LARGE Orange Juiced (about 1 cup of juice)

1 C Fresh or Frozen Berries of Choice

1 Tbl Chia Seeds

Add juice and berries to small pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn of heat and smash slightly. Stir in chia seeds and let cool slightly until ready to serve.

Lemon Curd Filling:

1 C Low Fat or Fat Free Greek Yogurt

2 Tbl Raw Honey, (or more to taste)

1/2 Lemon Squeezed

1/2 tsp Lemon Extract (taste to see how much lemon you want and adjust)

Whisk all ingredients together.

Fill each Crepe with yogurt filling and fresh berries if you like. Top with Berry syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

ENJOY!

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Amazing Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

I was super excited when I saw this recipe on pinterest!

I altered the recipe a little bit, to give it more depth.

It was worth it!

We loved them! 

Perfect Sunday meal!

Picture borrowed from the garden grazer

Ingredients

{For the sauce}

1 clove garlic

3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder

Salt/pepper

{For the enchiladas}

1small onion, diced

1 cup chopped mushrooms

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)

6 oz. fresh baby spinach (baby kale would be great too!)

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large sweet potato, cooked and diced

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. cumin

1-2 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or pepper jack, etc.) ( I used lite cheese from TJ)

8 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

Make the sauce: in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, 2 tsp. cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, and set aside.

In a skillet, saute mushrooms in 1-2 tsp oil, until softened. Remove separate bowl.

Quick saute the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. Add to mushrooms.

In a large bowl, combine beans, 1-2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 2 tsp. cumin, and cilantro.

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom.

Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.

Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup (or less) cheese on top.

Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro, avocado, salsa, greek yogurt (pseudo sour cream), and/or green onions.

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Chipotle Black Bean Rice Soup

A Hubby's Fav - Great for a crowd that likes something new and different!!

pic borrowed from HERE

Adapted From Green Smoothie Girl

Ingredients:

1 C Dried Black Beans, (soaked overnight and rinsed well) or 1 can

1/2 Tbs Coconut Oil

1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped

1 Carrot, Diced

1 medium Green Pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 Tbs Dried Oregano

1/2 Tbs Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp powdered Chipotle (or less, its PRETTY spicy!)

1 LARGE dry chipotle Pepper

4-5 Cups Water

2 Bay Leafs

1/4 C Spelt or Barley

1/2 C Brown Rice

1/2 Tbs unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 C Fresh Orange Juice

Large Handful of chopped Cilantro

2-3 tsp Sea Salt

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Heat Oil. Add onion, carrot, pepper, and garlic. Suate until soft. Add cumin, chipotle powder, and Oregano and cook one minute. Add Chipotle Pepper, water, Bay Leafs, Spelt, Rice and bring to  boil. Then lower heat and Simmer for 1-2 hours, until beans are tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Remove Chipotle Pepper and Bay leaf before serving.

To serve, we squeezed each bowl with a little more orange juice, lots of Greek Yogurt (to help with the spiciness), fresh cilantro, and diced Avocado.

Enjoy!

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Easy, Easy Meatless Fajita's

Hey All - I've been in the middle of a cross country move! So sorry for the slowing of posts. 

I've been excited to share this simple, tasty one. 

One of my hubby's Fav's!

Meatless (but no one will know!) Fajitas

(if meatless isn't for you, by all means add some sautee'd chicken!)

Marinade:

Juice from one orange (save about 1/4 cup for sauteing) 

1/2 tsp Powdered Chipotle

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp Taco Seasoning

S & P if you want

Mix together in a bowl, throw in 1 lb of any type of sliced mushrooms to marinate while you cook.

 In a large saute pan, add some more fresh squeezed orange juice, sliced onions, and a green, red, and yellow pepper. Cover over med-high heat and cook until crisp tender. Add mushrooms and marinade and cook about another 5 minutes.

whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch, ultragel, or flour at the end if it seems runny.

Serve over warmed (we place them on our stove!) corn tortillas, add sweet pea gauc (below), squeeze of lime, greek yogurt, and cilantro. 

(oh - and cheese if you are my hubby)

Sweet Pea Guacamole

1 lb frozen peas thawed

1 ripe Avocado

TONS of Cilalntro

1/2 red onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 C Salsa

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend. Great as a Veggie Dip!

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COCONUT BUTTER - Tips and Ideas

I am Excstatic that I have finally figured this out! I've seen it all over the web, and was dying to try it. I've tried to make it with so many failed attempts, but finally figured it out!

All you need is a big bag of unsweetened coconut and a vitamix! 

THAT'S IT!

And you have a creamy, sugar free dream!

You can spread this on waffles, pancakes, or muffins, add to a smoothie to get a 'pina colada' result, blend with fresh pineapple and make frozen popsicles,  spread on graham crackers and sprinkle with mini choco chips for a treat, make a sugar free fudge (see below), place in freezer conatiners and make a frozen treat that's delightful (see below), or mix with Date Honey for an amazing fruit dip!
SO MANY OPTIONS!

Here are my no fail tips:

1) You have to have a vitamix, I haven't been able to make it work with my processor :( But some have been able to run it for 10 minutes and make it work. I just haven't been able to.

2) You must FILL your vitamix to the top!! I know its a bummer to have a large batch, but this is the only way to make it work. It also lasts forever in your cupboard and can be melted to spread again.
3) The unsweetened coconut chunks, instead of shredded coconut, works better!!

4) Don't let it get too hot, Let it run for about a minute or two, then stop and let it cool down, and do another 1-2 minutes. It should end up creamy. If it still doesn't get creamy, add another cup of coconut.

5) Use the damper the whole time while it runs to keep things going through.

6) Don't let your vitamix overheat, if its just not happening, you may need more coconut.

7) I just use unsweetened shredded coconut, you can a little bit of the sweetened stuff if you want.

Coconut Butter Bites:

Mint Chocolate Chip-

Mix about 1/2 C of Coconut Butter with about 1/8 tsp of Peppermint extract, 

place in freezer molds (or ice cube trays)

and sprinkle with cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips. Freeze until firm.

Cinnamon Raisin-

Mix about 1/2 C Coconut Butter with about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and chopped raisins.

Place in molds and freeze until firm.

Cinnamon Vanilla-

Mix 1/2 cup of coconut butter with roughly 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp vanilla.

Place in molds and freeze until firm! YUM

For more fun ideas visit CCK

I also made a variation of CCK's Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge:

Salted Chocolate Sugar Free Fudge

Ingredients:

4 Tbl Coconut Butter

2-3 Tbl Creamy Peanut Butter (all natural)

2 Tbl Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Vanilla

pinch salt

1/2 VERY RIPE Banana

You may need about 1/4 cup of Almond milk for a creamy consistency

If you want to add some stevia, feel free.

Pour into parchment lined plate or ice cube trays. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt and Dark Chocolate chips if desired. (or melt it and drizzle it on top!)

(I would have used mini chips if I wasn't all out!)
Take out of freezer and slice into pieces.
Store in fridge for a soft fudge, or freezer for a harder fudge.

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Coconut Almond Fluffy Oatmeal - Sugar Free!

Nice, Fresh, and Simple Tasting. 

Perfect for a summer day or sunday morning!

Scored high points with everyone in the family!

2 C Old Fashion Oatmeal (GF if need be)

3 C Water

1/2 tsp Salt

Bring to boil, reduce heat until all water is absorbed (about 4 minutes)

Add:

1 C Water

1 C 1% Milk or Almond Milk

1 Tbl Ground Flaxseed

1/2 C Powdered Coconut (throw Unsweetened Shredded coconut in blender)

1/8 tsp Coconut Extract or Flavoring

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1 tsp Stevia (or 1 TBL of Honey)

Simmer for about 10-12 minutes, stirring while it thickens. It should get very fluffy and thick. Turn off heat and cover with lid. To increase the fluffiness. :) Or just serve immediately!

Top With Unsweetened Coconut chunks and Slivered Almonds

ENJOY!!

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Fresh Mexican Salad

Summer is COMING!!! My favorite time of year for cooking! 

Here is something yummy to get us started!

This one is a winner! I don't know a single person who didn't care for it. Fresh, Simple, and SOOOOO Good! I could eat this ALL DAY!

Salad:

16-20 oz. Baby Spinach (I just used a bag)

1/2 Red Onion, Diced small

1 Red Pepper, Diced Small

1/2 Container of Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced

1 large Corn on the Cob, Raw and corn sliced right off! (this is the best EVER!! I NEVER cook corn!)

1 Avocado, Diced

1 Can Black Beans, Rinsed

Large Handful of crushed Tortilla Chips

Mix all together and Add Salt and Pepper. Mix Dressing and pour over salad and mix to distribute dressing.

Dressing:

1/4 C Olive Oil

Juice and ZEST of 1 Lime

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 LARGE clove garlic, diced small

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp White wine Vinegar

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, diced small

1/2 -1 Tbl Honey or Agave (to taste)

(if you want a fat free dressing, skip the oil, and juice the WHOLE lemon, add more honey if needed. Its a little tart, but tastes good once drizzled all over!)

ENJOY!

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Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars

Tried to think of  a shorter title, and couldn't. 

Too many words to describe. 

If you like Sweet and Salty (which we totally do in this household!)
You will LOVE this one!  And ITS GUILT FREE!

Good enough to take for a dinner dessert!

Adapted from the amazing Chocolate Covered Katie!!

Pretzel Bars

1 C Brown Rice Krispies

1/2 C Oat Flour (grind oats in blender)

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

5 Tbl of Honey or my choice is Brown Rice Syrup

3 Tbl All Natural Peanut Butter

1 C Chopped pretzels (GF if needed)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell (recipe below)

Combine Dry ingredients in a bowl (except pretzels). Combine wet ingredients, you may need to microwave peanut butter to get it smooth and able to mix well. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and slowly stir to combine. Line a bread pan with parchment and press into bottom of pan. use a cup to REALLY PRESS hard and smoosh down. Take chopped pretzels and spread them on the top. Take your hands and/or a cup and press the pretzels into the bars. Put in freezer for about 1/2 hour (or overnight if you like).  

Drizzle Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell on top and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips (or mini dark chocolate chips would be even better!). You could also sprinkle chopped peanuts on top! YUM Place back in freezer for about 15 minutes until hardened. Pull out of pan and chop into bars. Enjoy VERY SOON - they get gooier (is that a word??) and gooier as the time goes on!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hard Shell

2 tsp Peanut Butter

1 Tbl Coconut Oil

Melt those two together in microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and add:

3 tsp Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Stevia (or more if you need more sweetness)

Stir to combine and drizzle over bars. 

ENJOY!

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Inside Out Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

NOTE: Please vote on my sidebar - trying to figure out a new direction maybe?? :)

Need Something Yummy for Sunday Dinner? Or having some friends over and want to know what to cook? This is perfect!! Meal in one!

 If I would have known, we would have eaten it like taco salad, over chopped romaine lettuce, topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and sliced olives and salsa! YUM!

The next day I put refried beans in a bowl and put this on top and the kids used it as a chip dip for lunch! They LOVED it!

If you want - feel free to add some shredded cooked chicken!!

Inspired by Oh She Glows

1 C Multi Grain Pasta (any kind you like - GF if needed)

1/2 C Brown Rice, or wild rice blend

1 Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Green Pepper, Chopped

1 small Zuchinni, chopped

1 C Chopped mushrooms (any variety you like)

1 medium Sweet Potato, cooked, and diced

2 Large handfuls of Spinach, chopped

1 C Black Beans, drained and rinsed

3-4 Green onions, chopped

1/2 lime, freshly squeezed

1/2 Tbl Cumin

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbl Chili Powder

1 Tbl Nutritional Yeast (optional)

2 large handful of smashed tortilla chips, (I love "Food should taste good!")

2 C Enchilada Sauce (my recipe below)

1 C Low moisture/part skim mozzarella cheese (Optional)

Cook pasta and rice as according to directions. In large Saute Pan Add Onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes or until softened. Then add Green Pepper, Zucchini, and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add in diced, cooked sweet potato (pierce with fork and put in microwave for 5 minutes), Spinach, Beans, Green onions, and all the seasonings. Simmer for 5-8 minutes more.  Add 1 C Enchilada Sauce to mixture and combine.

In 9 x 13 dish, pour 1 Cup of Enchilada Sauce on bottom. Cover with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, and 1 large handful of smashed chips. Top with the rest of the veggie mixture, and then cheese and the rest of the chips. Bake at 350, 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. 

Top with Avocado "Sour" Cream (recipe below)!

NOTE: To make into taco salad, place over a bed of lettuce. Top with Avocado Sour cream, salsa, olives, tomatoes, and whatever else you can think of! YUM!

Enchilada Sauce

1 C Diced Tomatoes

1 C Tomato Sauce

2 Tbl Taco Seasoning

2 tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne (optional)

S & P

Blend slowly in blender.

Cilantro Avocado Sour Cream:

3 Ripe Avocado's

2 Tbl Water

1 C Packed Cilantro

1/4 C Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt

2-3 Tbl Lime Juice

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt ( more to taste)

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Black Pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor.

ENJOY!

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One Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies

I get anxiety when asked to make treats! Knowing the smell in my house and finger-lickin goodness is so close to be found, its impossible to not loose it and gorge myself!! Its better for me to never have that stuff around me!! Today the kids wanted to make cookies for a friend. I couldn't bear saying no to them, and knew there little friend probably wouldn't appreciate Applesauce Oat cakes or Coconut Breakfast Cookies. :-) 

So I just needed enough ingredients to just make a few. Not a ton that sit there and stare at me, just the perfect amount to give one to the kids and fill a plate with cookies to deliver. No scraps, done!

I have to say - I did this whole project without cheating!! I am SOO proud of myself! Trying to stay off sugar has been so hard, but its getting easier and easier as I go on and stay strong!!

One Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/4 C Butter (unless you want to do applesauce for fat free)

2 Tbl Unsweetened Applesauce

1/3 C Sugar

1/3 C Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Cream together. Then Add:

1 Egg

1 1/4 C Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 C Chocolate chips

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

ENJOY

Want to have a chocolate chip cookie without the guilt?? Try THESE!!!

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Whole Grain Berry Scones

These are a new Fav! 

Great for Guests, Holidays, or Sunday Mornings! 

You could easily make the dough the night before and let sit in fridge until ready to cook.

3/4 C Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Egg

1 1/2 C Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)

1/2 C All Purpose (or Whole wheat Flour)

1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats

4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Stevia Powder (or 1/4 C Honey/or Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar (you choose!))

4 oz. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 C Berries - fresh or frozen ( I did blueberries, raspberries would be amazing!)

Orange Sweetened Cranberries (bulk bins)

Zest of 1 Orange

Juice of 1 Orange

1 Banana (melted in microwave)

Whisk Egg and Yogurt and set aside. Combine Flours, oats, Baking Powder, Soda, Salt, and stevia (if using  a liquid sweetener blend into yogurt). Use a fork and add applesauce, juice, and mashed melted banana to bowl. Mash with a fork until crumbly. Add yogurt mixture to dough. Use fork to combine. Just stir until combined. Fold in Berries and Cranberries.

Place dough in fridge at least 1/2 hour or overnight. Form about 1/4 c of dough into 1 inch thick circles (or thick balls - whatever you prefer) on greased sheet or silpat. 

Cook at 375 for about 16 minutes. (15-20)

If you want, when they come out of the oven, spread with a little melted butter and sprinkle with evaporated Cane Juice or Sugar.

105 Calories
20 Carbs
1 gram Fat
5 Grams Protein!!

ENJOY!

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Easter Dinner

Nothing like an awesome Vegetarian Dinner! It was really yummy! 

Here's the low down:

Chickpea Deviled Eggs

These were REALLY good! I left out two of the yokes, and added a little more chickpeas. I also replaced the Mayo with Veganase or Nayonnaise. And I topped them with Paprika! YUM!

Definitely something you could entertain with! (need to remember this!)

Click HERE for the recipe

Pasta Primavera

8 oz. Quinoa Pasta or whatever pasta you desire

1-2 Tbl Olive Oil

1 red onion, diced

2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 C Dry White Wine

2 C Broccoli

2 C Cauliflower

1/2 Stalk of Asparagus Chopped

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 zucchini or yellow squash diced

1 Can Italian style Tomatoes

1 tsp Oregano

1/4 tsp Thyme

1) Cook Pasta.

2) Cook Onion and Garlic until soft.

3) Add broccoli and wine. Cover and simmer about 4 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and tomatoes, and herbs. Cover and Cook until desired consistency. (I like mine crisp tender).

4) Stir cooked pasta into veggies, stir in 1/4 C chopped Parsley and Basil. Lots of Salt and Pepper. Top with Parmesan Cheese if desired.

Pecan Sweet Potatoes

3-4 Large Sweet Potatoes/Yams

The Juice of One Orange

Dash Salt

1 tsp Ginger Powder

1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup/ Honey/ Or Agave (whatever you prefer)

1/2 C Chopped Pecans

Clean Potatoes. Poke with a fork and cook in microwave until fork inserts easily (about 5-8 minutes). Slice potatoes and put in blender with Juice, Ginger, Salt, and Maple syrup. Blend until all pureed. Put in 8 x 9 casserole dish. Spread with Pecans, 2 Tbl Sucunat or Brown sugar, 1 tsp Cinnamon and 1/2 tsp Nutmeg. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

ENJOY!

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