Raspberry Walnut Spinach Salad with a sweet honey vinaigrette

Simple. Healthy. Refreshing. Best of all, I utilized the AMAZING raspberries I got today. The little touch that I thought was fun about this salad was stuffing the raspberries with Feta for a little extra flavor and color.

Ingredients:

For the salad

4 cups (170g) spinach

1/4 cup raspberries

1 oz fetta

1/4 cup (1 oz) walnuts

black pepper

For the Dressing:

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp sweet and spicy mustard (or your mustard of choice)

Instructions:

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. Stuff each raspberry with feta and set aside. Toss the spinach (I used my hands) in with the dressing. Distribute evenly onto two plates. Top with the walnuts and stuffed raspberries. Grind black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Serves 2

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Graham Cookies

I just ate one. They are seriously delicious. They are soft, fluffy and accented with the crunch of the crumbled grahams and chocolate chips. The peanut butter flavor was perfect. Next time I might cook them a few minutes less though, they were a little on the dry side and I like a chewy cookie. Other than that delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (128g) creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (96g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (20g) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup (40g) rolled oats
1 cup (142g) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup (20g) chocolate-covered or plain graham crackers, roughly crushed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon (35grams) and roll into a uniform ball. To get great bakery style crackle top hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are lightly golden (for me that was 18 minutes). Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Makes 20 cookies (35 grams each and 181 calories)

Source: Baker Girl

Feta Fritters

Fritter. Fritter. Fritter. I just love saying fritter, and I love these fritters. I have been looking for recipes that are friendly for my 1 year old to feed himself, hence the Quinoa Patties earlier this week. These are really simple to make and quite flavorful. They are a bit fragile but work great for a side. I made them with my Classic Meat Loaf to complete the our all American meal.

Ingredients:

10 oz organic red potatoes

1 egg yolk

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small green onion, chopped

1 oz feta

1/8 tsp salt

small pinch cayenne pepper

2 tsp grape seed oil

Instructions:

Put potatoes (with skins on)in a steamer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a bowl and roughly mash them with a fork. Don’t try to make them too smooth.
Add the egg yolk, garlic, green onion, and feta. Season with salt and red pepper. Shape into patties shaped and sized as you like (I made mine 25 grams each). Place patties in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to so that they would hold their shape better while frying. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the patties over medium heat, until browned on both sides.

Makes 12 small fritters

Serves 2-3

Rotelle Pasta with Roasted Zucchini and Balsamic Butter

This turned out to be a really easy and delicious dinner. For my own little twist on this recipe I reduced the balsamic with 2 cloves of minced garlic, speaking of which you better like garlic if you want to enjoy this dish! My other addition was tossing fresh oregano and basil. I didn't have asparagus on hand (which is what the original recipe called for) but I had loads of zucchini so I subbed that in instead. This dish has a lot of flavor without a lot of work. Below is how the roasted zucchini should look.

Just for fun I served it in a bowl with the zucchini lining the perimeter. The picture didn't turn out super well but I threw it in just for kicks.

Ingredients:

4 oz whole wheat Rotelle pasta

2 large zucchini (550g)
2 tsp grape seed oil
1/8 teaspoons salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced
small pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp (14g) butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (28g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

2 tsp fresh chopped oregano

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400°.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then lightly coat with oil. Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and use a misto to lightly coat the rounds with oil (if you don't have a misto lightly drizzle oil). Evenly distribute the salt, black pepper and dried thyme over the zucchini. Lightly grate Parmesan over the top. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
 

Meanwhile, put the vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan. Simmer until thickened and about 2 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the cayenne pepper (go really easy on the cayenne, it's hot!). Remove from the heat.

Cook the Rotelle in a medium pot of boiling water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, zucchini, Parmesan, oregano, basil and salt and black pepper to taste if desired. Top with additional Parmesan. 

Serves 2

Adapted from Food and Wine

Quinoa Patties

Incredible. Incredible. Incredible. I have been looking for ways to use some extra quinoa I had and I also have been on the hunt for recipes with whole grains that would be easy for my one year old to feed himself. I served them with grilled zucchini rounds but I also think they would taste great on the side of an omelet or for a simple snack. The only changes I made to the original recipe is I used pearl onions instead of white, and I sauted them before adding them to the quinoa mixture, and also used half the salt. I also used sprouted whole grain bread to make my bread crumbs for added nutritional value. I made 24 patties instead of 12 and it is the perfect snack size. My 1 year old fed himself three of these patties yesterday and LOVED them!

Ingredients
2 1/2 ( 340 g) cooked quinoa, at room temperature
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup (15 g) finely chopped fresh chives
1white onion, finely chopped (I used pearl onions)
1/3 cup (15 g) freshly grated Parmesan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup (100 g) whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed (I used sprouted bread)
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes sot that the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form in to twelve 1-inch thick patties (1 made 24 1/2 inch thick patties). I err on the very moist side because it makes for a  not-overly-dry patty, but you can add a mroe bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-pow heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook the patties to order, if you prefer.

Makes 24 little patties (50 calories each)

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Zucchini, Red Bell Pepper, Shallot, and Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices zucchini

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cayenne pepper 

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 ounce sharp cheddar, finely grated

1 pre-prepared pie dough, (I used Trader Joes - or you can make your own) 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Fit dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Fold edges under, and flute. Pierce bottom and sides of dough with fork. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°. To prepare the filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add shallots and saute 5 minutes. Add jalapeno, and saute another 2 min. Add zucchini, red pepper, and garlic then saute another 5 minutes or until squash and red peppers are tender, stirring frequently. Add salt and incorporate thoroughly. Cool the squash mixture slightly.

Combine eggs, 1 cup reduced-fat milk, cottage cheese, nutmeg and cayenne pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Arrange squash mixture evenly over crust, and sprinkle with all goat cheese. Pour the egg mixture over cheese. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until filling is set. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.

Serves 6

 

Chicken Pineapple Curry with Coconut Lime Brown Rice

Ingredients:
8 oz chicken, cooked and cubed
170 grams (1 cup) pineapple, cubed
1/2 cup Trader Joes Thai Yellow Curry sauce
1/3 cup light coconut milk

Cilantro
2 Masala Tandori Naan, warmed in a 300 F oven for 10 min
1 Recipe Coconut Lime Brown Rice

Instructions:
Begin by making the rice. Combine the chicken, pineapple, curry sauce, and coconut milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop the rice onto a plate, spoon the curry onto the same plate, then slice and arrange the Naan. Top curry with fresh cilantro.

Coconut Lime Brown Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water (or chicken stock)
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp garlic powder
Juice and zest of 1 lime

Instructions:
Boil water in a small saucepan. Add brown rice and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and garlic powder, stir and cook another 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Fries with Marinara

It's a beautiful Saturday and my hubby is going to grill burgers for lunch and I thought it would be fun to give Baked Zucchini Fries a try as a fun and healthy side. I saw a picture of these on Friday on Une-deux senses and since then have been itching to make them. If you are expecting french fries go bark up another tree, but if you are looking for a fun new way to make zucchini this is your chance! I also made my own breadcrumbs using sprouted bread. It adds more texture, not to mention it's a lot healthier AND I am always looking for a way to use the end pieces of my bread. Just dip these sweet little things in a bit of warmed marinara and you are good to go!

Ingredients:
2 Medium zucchini, sliced into sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned whole wheat (I used sprouted grain) bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray (I use a misto to spray grape seed oil)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper
1/2 cup marinara sauce, warmed

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place the breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese; shake well. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

Serves 2-3

Avocado and Pear Spinach Salad

Green, green and more green! Simple but tasty. Sweet from the pear, creamy from the avo and crunchy from the roasted sunflower seeds. I tossed it in my favorite homemade dressing of olive oil, balsamic, honey and sweet and spicy mustard.

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach, washed
1 oz avocado, cubed
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1/2 medium Bartlett pear, cubed
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1.5 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sweet and spicy mustard

Instructions:
Whisk last four ingredients together in a large bowl. Add spinach and toss to coat leaves. Top with pear, avocado, green onion, and sunflower seeds.

Serves 1-2

BBQ Garlic Chicken Pineapple Pizza (no cheese)

Because it's Friday. Because I LOVE garlic. Because I had these ingredients in my refrig. Because I don't feel like just eating a salad right now....I took the classic BBQ chicken pizza, added some pineapple for a bit of sweet, cilantro and green onion for some flavor. I didn't intend to eat my pizza without cheese but tomorrow is shopping day and I'm out - and I was pleasantly surprised. I served the pizza (to myself) with a large spinach salad topped with pear, avocado, and sunflower seeds. There you have it, my lunch start to finish in 15 min.

Ingredients:

1 par baked individual size pizza crust (to par bake simply make your dough as usual and cook it at 450 F for 3 min on a pizza stone. Let it cool completely and store in a Ziploc in the freezer).
3 Tbsp BBQ sauce, divided
2 oz cooked and cubed chicken
6 cloves roasted garlic
1 oz pineapple, cubed
1 green onion, sliced into rounds using all parts
Cilantro to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F with pizza stone in oven. Take par baked crust and spread half of the BBQ sauce, then top with chicken, pineapple, garlic, green onion, then drizzle remeaining BBQ sauce on top. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the crust is light brown on the bottom and slightly crispy. Remove from oven and let sit on stone for 2-3 minutes. Top with cilantro, cut and serve.

Serves 1

The Ultimate Vegetable Burgers

Once again I am looking for healthy snacks that my little 1 year old can feed himself. This is packed with protein and fiber and my little guy gobbled a whole patty right up! This recipe came directly from Heidi Swanson's 101 cookbook, I cannot take any credit for any portion of this recipe. I followed it exactly. I just adjusted the recipe to accommodate 1 can of garbanzo beans because that's all I had and ok, I did make one change, I only used half of the salt. I loved the lemon flavor from the zest. These also freeze really well in ziplock bags and can be popped out just an hour or so before consumption. Garbanzo beans have never tasted so good!

Instructions: 

1 3/4 cups sprouted garbanzo beans OR 1 15 oz can garbanzos, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (I used 1/4 tsp)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped ( I used 150g)
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try brocolli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts - optional)
3/4 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

If you are using sprouted garbanzos, steam them until just tender, about 10 minutes. Most of you will be using canned beans, so jump right in and combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into 10 1 1/2-inch-thick patties (50grams each). I err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 10 patties

Source 101 Cookbooks

Classic Guacamole

I love this guacamole as an appetizer and instead of using fried tortilla chips to scoop up this healthy deliciousness I use Multi-seed Flatbread crackers. It's flavorful, with lime juice to brighten the avocado, minced jalapeno for a subtle spice, and heirloom tomatoes for color. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 hass avocado, mashed
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 jalapeno, minced
2 tbsp red onion
6 mini heirloom tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp cilantro, stems removed and torn
6 Multiseed Flatbread crackers or chips

Instructions:
Add the lime juice, garlic, jalapeno and cumin to the avocado and stir well. Add the red onion, cilantro, and tomatoes (reserving a pinch of each for garnish) and fold in gently. Transfer to a small bowl and top with the reserved onion, tomato and cilantro.

Serves 4