Something Different

Cherry Peach Crostini
4 oz. goat cheese, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup peaches, chopped small
1/2 cup dried or fresh cherries, chopped small
2 tbsp. honey
2 fresh sage leaves minced
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
3 bacon slices cooked and chopped
salt and pepper


Toasted baguette slices 
Mix goat cheese and cream cheese together and keep cool. Cut peaches and cherries small and add to a bowl. Add cut up bacon pieces. Mix together honey, sage, balsamic and olive oil and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper and taste to adjust. Mix together with fruit. If you want a little brighter flavor, add a little lemon or use a white balsamic instead of traditional.

Yum!

Something New & Easy Too!

Curry Veggie Burger
1 1/2 cups white beans (canned, drained + rinsed)
1 1/2 cups chickpeas (canned, drained + rinsed)
pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove smashed
1/2 lemon squeezed
1/4 cup white onions, minced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric 
sprigs of cilantro (about 10)
2 tsp maple syrup
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 tsp virgin coconut oil (for pan)


Secret Sauce
1 tbsp mayo (vegan)
1/2 tsp sriracha  
1 lime squeezed

Burger Options:
Whole wheat buns or gluten free bun
Avocado
White Onion 
Tomato
Cucumber
Arugula, Romaine or Spinach

In a food processor, pulse your onion, cilantro until it's minced. Add garlic and add your beans and chickpeas. Pulse until they are lightly combined. Once the mixture looks like it's starting to come together but isn't gummy and in all your seasoning, tahini and lemon. Divide mixture into 4 portions and pat them in your hand until it's a thick patty shape. Heat oil in a non stick skillet and lay 4 patties down into the pan gently. Cook on medium heat letting the patties brown on one side before turning them. While the patties are browning, mix your secret sauce and take care of your other burger extras. Be creative! 

Coconut Corn Chowder
1 tablespoon coconut oil, or your oil of choice
1 medium whole leek, thoroughly cleaned, white and light green parts thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 green chile pepper, stemmed and seeded, minced
1 can of northern white beans, drained
2 sweet bell peppers (red and yellow), chopped
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 can of creamed corn + 1/2 can or a 1/2 cup of frozen whole kernel corn
14-ounce can of coconut milk
1 cup water 

In a medium pot, heat the coconut oil on medium-low heat. Add the leek, carrots, garlic, chili flakes and green chile and saute until they have softened, around 5-10 minutes.  

Once the leeks have softened, stir in the chickpeas, salt, red and yellow peppers, corn, coconut milk, and water.
 
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

 
 
I was looking through all of my beautiful recipe books and found this amazing raw veggie lasagna recipe. I thought it would be boring and tasteless, but boy was I wrong. This is the best thing I've made lately. I love BareRootGirl who came up with this recipe for all of us. I loved how she dissected each layer so make it easy. Please tell me what you think. 

Veggie Lasagna
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1/2 c. fresh spinach
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
salt and pepper

Cut zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise, about 1/4" thickness.  Tear spinach and basil into manageable pieces, matching the lengths of zucchini and squash.  Set aside.

For the sauce:
2 lbs cherry tomatoes, you for better flavor use 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 shallot
1 small clove garlic
1/2 c. basil leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 small lemon
splash of red wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
shake of hot pepper flakes (optional)

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it's combined. You want it to be chunky, but well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Pine Nut 'Ricotta"

1/2 c. pine nuts, soaked 15 minutes and drained

zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth (scraping down the sides occasionally), about 1-2 minutes.

Walnut Sage Pesto 
1 c. walnuts, soaked 30 minutes and drained
1/4 c. fresh sage leaves
a few fresh oregano leaves
2 tbsp. olive oil
splash red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth (scraping down the sides occasionally), about 1-2 minutes.

Layer it on up and enjoy with a hunk of crusty bread

Banana Pudding Love

Oh my gosh, this is the best little mini bite you'll ever shove in your mouth, seriously!

This mini tastes like fresh banana pudding and is gluten free too. If you don't want to make them gluten free, just use a traditional yellow or white cake mix instead of the gluten free version. 

Banana Pudding Minis
1 box Gluten Free Betty Crocker yellow cake
1 cup mashed banana (I like fresh banana)
1/3 cup melted butter (hemp is great)
1/3 cup water
3 eggs beaten
2 tsp vanilla (If you're gf, watch ingredients)
2 tbsp banana pudding mix 
16 gluten free vanilla wafers for crumbs plus more for topping
mini muffin tins/papers
       Banana pudding frosting + whipped topping

Combine cake mix with banana pudding and then add wet ingredients. Mix together like a traditional cake. You'll have lumps because of the banana. 

Place crumbled vanilla wafers into the bottom of each muffin cup. Fill your mini cupcakes with a little over a tablespoon of mix and shake the pan so the bubbles even out. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time. Depending on where you are located, you an give it a giggle test or toothpick test and adjust your baking time. Top with your frosting after they have cooled and add a mini wafer to the top. Yay, happy banana cupcake day! 

• Pudding Frosting and Whip

I simply added the remaining pudding mix from the cupcake batter to 1 1/2 cups whipped topping and 1/4 cup milk (If you can't use milk, unfortunately almond and coconut wont work, so just use the topping or stick to a prepared vanilla frosting with your pudding mixed in for taste. 
The pudding should be cold, if your milk or frosting seems wet, place it in the fridge before you top your minis. Then top with more whipped topping and a wafer.

Tex Mex

This is the easiest tex mex soup in the world. Big flavor in such a short time. I love it and everyone is always asking me to make it. It also freezes well and heats up so nice. It's a good one for the crock pot. 

 

Truly Tex Mex Soup

1 medium onion

1/4-1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp oil
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (GF)
12 oz shredded rotisserie chicken breast meat
1 cup frozen corn
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado + a spoonful of salsa, chips

 

n 5-quart sauce-pot, cook onion, cumin and chili powder in oil on medium-high for 5 minutes, or until onion starts to brown. Add chicken broth. Heat to simmering; stir in rotisserie chicken breast meat, corn, lime juice, and cilantro. Simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped avocado and a scoop of salsa and tortilla strips.

 

If you want to use a slow cooker, literally just drop everything in and save avocado for the end and a scoop of salsa and tortilla strips.

 

 

Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

2 Bell Peppers, tops sliced off and hollowed

1/2 cup prepared taco meat

1/4 cup cotija cheese

1/4 cup cheddar or blended cheese 

1 small can of green chillies chopped small

1/2 cup mashed black beans or re-fried beans 

In a baking dish, lightly spray the bottom of the pan or place peppers atop non stick tinfoil. Pour in 1 tablespoon water. 

In the bottom of each pepper start with refried beans, then taco meat, a scoop of green chillies and then top with cheese mixture. Back at 350o for about 20-25 minutes. The edges of the pepper should start to curl. If the cheese looks like it's starting to get to brown, place a little bit of tinfoil over the top. 

When they come out of the oven, let them sit for about 5 minutes. 

Top with:

 Sour Cream, Salsa, Tomatoes, Onion, Avocado, Olives, shredded lettuce or whatever your favorite toppings are.

Salad Change Up

We all love those restaurant recipe salads, they are a big go to. We think we are getting a healthy salad, but in most cases we are not. Here are a few of those favorites, but they are lightened up a bit.

Oriental Chicken Salad feeds 4
1 (16 oz) bag of coleslaw mix
2 cups romaine chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts- grilled or baked with 
                 1 tsp tamari, 1/2 tsp coconut oil/oil pepper and onion powder
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used red)
1/2 cup cooked edamame (If you're watching soy, replace with a green onion or celery)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
11 ounce can mandarin oranges
sliced almonds, toasted
2 tbsp crunchy chow mein noodles*
sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, splenda or honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper pinch

*I have yet to find a gluten free chow mein noodle, sorry 



Lemon Chicken Caesar 

3 romaine lettuce heads, chopped (or torn)
12 oz grilled chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced
3/4 cup Lemon Caesar dressing
1/4 cup whole wheat or GF croutons
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese 

Dressing:
8 oz nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 2 tsp. anchovy paste in a tube (This is a better method than opening a small can)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Buffalo Chicken Salad makes 4 salads
2 chicken breasts
       marinate your chicken in franks red hots with a squeeze of lemon and 1/2 tsp oil. Bake chicken on foil lined sheet until thoroughly cooked about 15 minutes at 400o. Remove and let cool. Do not slice until your salad is assembled

2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese 
1 tbsp ranch dressing (I used lighthouse brand)
1 tsp franks red hots sauce
2 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
2 stalks celery cut on the bias
4 cups mixed romaine and iceberg lettuces

Mix greens, celery and carrots with ranch. It doesn't seem like very much ranch dressing, but it will be. Portion out your salad, top with chicken and blue cheese crumbles and drizzle the buffalo sauce on top of chicken. 





This next salad is my very favorite. I swapped out the sour cream in the dressing for low fat plain yogurt and an extra pinch of cumin and a squeeze of lime. It made it even better. Trust me on this one, it's better than the original. The object of the game is to bump up all the veg, mix the salad with as little as 1 1/2 tsp dressing and mixing your own bean salsa instead of buying homemade. I do recommend the black bean salad at The Store. It's all natural and full of really yummy seasonings that are all gluten free and fresh. If I use that salsa mix, I use 1 tbsp total for my salad.

 
Chipotle Chicken Salad makes 4 servings
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

*If you don't like your dressing with heat, try adding 1 small can of green chilies instead of the chipotle in adobo.  

2 chicken breasts, seasoned with cumin, salt and pepper and cooked in a skillet or baked in oven
4 cups romaine or mixed blend
1 avocado cubed
1/4 cup black bean salsa
                 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
                 1 large tomato diced, seeds removed
                 1/2 can sweet corn
                 1/2 bell pepper diced (I used red)
                 1 shallot sliced in rings or minced
                 1 small jalapeno minced
                 1/2 tsp cumin
                 1 tsp oregano
                 1/2 tsp salt
                  2-3 dashes pepper
                  2 limes juiced
                 1/2 tsp cider vinegar 

Toss your greens with dressing, then top with all veg and chicken. Drizzle a little more dressing if needed. Enjoy!

The Sweet Onion

Vidalia Onion Relish
3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
3 stalks of celery, minced
1 Tbsp minced hot pepper of your choosing ( I opted for a sweet banana pepper)
5 pound bag of Vidalia onions, peeled and minced
1 cup sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground celery seed

Heat oil in a large pot, add celery and peppers over medium heat, sautéing until tender, about five minutes. Add onions and remaining ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Turn heat up to cook off excess moisture released by onions until thickened, stirring regularly for 25-30 minutes. Pack into sterilized quart jars and refrigerate once cooled.

I would double this recipe if I were you. 


Here is a great way to use this onion relish. 
 
8 0z Cream Cheese softened
1 1/2 cup vidalia onion relish 
1 Jar of Fresh bacon or you can be like me and cheat and get hormel chopped bacon in a bag haha.
1/4 Cup of Diced Green Scallions