Enjoy Each Bite

About a month back, I tried a recipe using butternut squash, which isn't a common vegetable in my kitchen. It was on sale and I thought I'd give it another chance.  Find the original  RECIPE HERE  and be amazed at the long list of hearty ingredients that I stashed into my rendition of this soup (see below). I couldn't resist a recipe from a fellow cook named "Chelsea", and as a bonus, the soup turned out delicious, although I can't brag that it was a family favorite. It wasn't my kids' favorite. Sometimes healthful and full of new flavors isn't as satisfying to them as boring mac'n'cheese from a box. I can say that I was successful at hiding the leftovers of this "soup" (which had thickened significantly in the fridge) as the filling for enchiladas using  THIS  favorite enchilada sauce recipe and with fluffy white tortillas. Ingredients in my soup: chicken broth, chicken breasts kidney beans garbanzo beans ...

I have always enjoyed scalloped potatoes, especially when they are loaded with creamy goodness. I found a recipe online and I adjusted it to fit with what I had and to be dairy-free. This recipe turned out great when I first made it in the oven so I tried it another day in the crockpot and I loved that method even more. It is now a family favorite. There are many variations and the ingredient addition options are open to your creativity. I took these photos with my phone, so they are lacking much, but hopefully still give an idea of what this dish looks like.  Since the crockpot version is my favorite, that is what I will share the recipe for.  Place in a large crockpot: approx. 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 chicken breasts (or 6 thighs) 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 white onion, diced In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for sauce: 1/2 cup flour (or substitute cornstarch for gluten free) 4 tsp chicken bullion (or replace all water with chicken...

My husband says this salad is the ONLY way to eat broccoli, a vegetable he could do without. I think it's very tastey as well. I put the original recipe on the blog a while back, but have some photos of it from dinner tonight (Tonight's salad had no bacon and sliced almonds instead of sunflower seeds... still very happy taste buds). Broccoli Salad . Ingredients 2-3 broccoli crowns, just the florets, finely chopped (5-6 cups) 10 bacon slices, crisp-cooked and crumbled 1/3 C red onion, diced 1/3 C sunflower seeds 1/3 C dried cranberries, chopped (golden raisins are equally good) 1/2 C mayonnaise 2 T apple cider vinegar 2 t sugar salt and pepper Instructions In a salad bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Add broccoli, bacon, onion, seeds, and cranberries and stir until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tofu Cabbage Stir fry as leftovers I wouldn't say that tofu is our family's favorite food, but I have concluded that it is relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare dishes that satisfy the family. I purchased Sprout's organic tofu to try it out for the first time and I am pleased and will likely prepare tofu in the future. Our latest tofu dish turned out full of flavor. I got the recipe from HERE . I made about twice as much and altered the recipe to fit what I had (dry ground ginger instead of fresh, half rice and half apple cider vinegar instead of sherry, olive oil instead of peanut oil, no chilies). Dry about 14 ounces tofu, dice small and coat lightly with corn starch.  Fry in 1 Tbsp olive oil until evenly light brown. Add 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove cooked tofu from pan and set aside.  Saute on Med-High heat, adding in this order: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 white onion 3-4 green onions (white parts) 2 Tbsp minced garlic ...

One night as I found myself brainstorming for dinner, I had a desire to make a quiche to use a bunch of fresh eggs from a neighbor and a zucchini that was needing to be eaten. I found THIS   recipe for a quiche that is filled with cheesiness and I wanted to adapt it to our needs. I also really didn't want to turn on my oven and heat up my house and I didn't have an hour to prep and bake dinner, so I decided to use the recipe as a guide for the ingredients and then do it my own way. And it was a very delicious result. Here's how it went. I first saute'd  some finely chopped red onion and minced garlic in a bit of olive oil and then added one raw zucchini (Italian squash) shredded with my Chef's Envy. (And a sprinkle of sea salt) I cooked it until it was mostly done and slightly browned. I chopped up some raw spinach leaves and set them aside. I beat some eggs with 1-2 Tablespoons of almond milk and then added a few squirts of honey dijon mustard,...

In haven't had much time for blogging lately or even to take pictures of my delicious creations, but I wanted to share three new recipes that I have tried with happy success. First, a  Broccoli Salad . Ingredients 2-3 broccoli crowns, just the florets, finely chopped (5-6 cups) 10 bacon slices, crisp-cooked and crumbled 1/3 C red onion, diced 1/3 C sunflower seeds 1/3 C dried cranberries, chopped (golden raisins are equally good) 1/2 C mayonnaise 2 T apple cider vinegar 2 t sugar salt and pepper Instructions To a salad bowl, add broccoli, bacon, onion, seeds, and cranberries. In a small bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing mixture over salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least one hour). And an Apricot Crisp  which served to use many canned apricots from last year's apricot season. I didn't have any walnuts, but any nuts or no nuts works great too. Ingredients for Topp...

These are an easy and tasty addition to a meal. Using my new Simple Slicer from Pampered Chef, I whipped these potato and sweet potato (or yam) chips up in about 20 minutes.  Seasoned lightly with garlic salt and sprayed ever-so-lightly with cooking spray/oil spray. I love how the yam chips curled up and browned so nicely. Both tasted great and were loved by young and old in our house. 

I discovered a new vegetable thanks to a random bountiful basket order a few weeks ago.  Parsnips I like them! I have now made Parsnip Fries  in the oven and stove-fried parsnips with potatoes, carrots, yams, ham and onion. Both with olive oil with some sea salt and pepper to season. Parsnips taste a little like carrots, but have a stronger "spicey" flavor. They smell sweet when they are being cooked/baked.  Yam, red potato, parsnip, onion, ham Parsnip Fries 2 1/2 pounds medium parsnips 2 tablespoons olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel 2 1/2 pounds medium parsnips; cut as directed above. On two large rimmed baking sheets, toss parsnips with oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets and tossing parsnips halfway through baking time. I didn't take a picture of the fries....

I've breaded catfish before and we really enjoy it. I have always cut the fish up in bite-size pieces before breading it, but that tends to be quite time consuming, so this time I breaded the entire filet. The other change I made was using oat and wheat flours along with corn meal, lemon pepper and garlic salt to make the meal more nutritious. It was quick and delicious. First, in a small bowl, mix about a 1/4 cup of each: oat flour wheat flour (or a gluten free flour) corn meal Sprinkle in about a tsp of lemon pepper and a dash of garlic salt. Mix well. Lightly beat 1-2 eggs in another bowl. Dip raw fish filet into egg mixture. Set the egg-coated filet on a large plate. Spoon the breading over the filet and pat. Keep the spoon dry so it can be re-used for the breading. Place breaded side down into a skillet with about 1 T heated olive oil (Med-High heat) and bread the other side. Flip in about 3-4 minutes and cook on lower temperature until c...

I had the munchies and I wanted something slightly healthy but with some flavor. So, I started my rummage through the pantry and added a handful here and a handful there until I had this: So, the mini marshmallows didn't really assist in the "healthy" part of this snack, but I saw them in the pantry and couldn't resist. My fault for even having them!  Walnuts Sliced Almonds Shredded Coconut Dried Cranberries And of course, the marshmallows. Loved it! 

I thought green smoothies were gross, until I actually tried one! My mom converted me over to the green way and I love making them for my family. And I do, for everyone from age 9 months to almost 30. :) Each of these four "smoothies" have the same basic ingredients with a few simple alterations. First, I threw into my Ninja: 4 big handfuls of spinach leaves 1 carrot 1 apple 2 bananas 2 peaches 1 scoop orange juice concentrate About 1/4-1/2 cup water I blended that all up and dumped some into the baby's bowl. Then, in the Ninja, I added: almond milk ice cubes Blended that all up and dumped a glass full for my husband. Then, back in the Ninja, I added: Vanilla yogurt And then I poured the two cups for me and my 3 year-old. For baby, I added some dry baby cereal flakes to thicken it enough to spoon feed. We all enjoyed them, and our bodies said "thank you"

So, I've just finally gotten used to saying quinoa correctly (keen-wa) instead of reading it phonetically. What an achievement. And now I'm on to experimenting more ways to cook with this awesome grain-like seed. This meal was AWESOME. Not too hard to accomplish with salmon. Here's how I made the quinoa. In a small saucepan, combine: 1 cup dry quinoa 2 cups water 1 T chicken boulion 1 T olive oil about 10 shakes of basil :) 1/4 of a white onion, diced Boil until moisture is all absorbed, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in fresh chopped ingredients, such as: corn, tomato and cilantro Other possible additions: black beans, green onion, bell pepper Serve warm, topped with perfectly ripe diced avocado if you have one.

Three good reasons to make this applesauce: Cheap Fast & Easy Healthy - No sugar! Place dehydrated apples into a bowl or directly into your food processor or blender if it can hold a high level of water. Cover the dried apples in water and soak for 5-10 minutes. Pour most of the water into a large cup for use later.  Blend the soaked apples until smooth, adding the soak water as needed to achieve the thickness you desire. Add ripe peaches (I left the skins on) and blend until smooth. Refrigerate and enjoy cold. Homemade applesauce doubles as baby food in our house, but everyone gets to enjoy it too.

I always think it's funny when I discover how easy it is to make some things from scratch. Especially the things that I have depended on Rice A Roni for all these years. One such example, is Mexican or Spanish Rice. I have always used the box rice mixes to make these, until a wise woman taught me otherwise. So, here's how I make it now. In a sauce pan, combine and brown over medium/high heat for about 4-6 minutes: 1 cup white rice 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 onion, diced 1-2 stalks celery, cut small Add water and one can of diced tomatoes (with liquid) to equal 2 1/2 cups liquid total. Add any seasonings if desired (garlic, salt, red pepper, chili powder). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all moisture is absorbed. Stir and Serve. I'm aware that this photo below is NOT dairy free, but I thought it looked so visually appealing, I couldn't help putting it on here.

These are fun to make and healthily yummy. Winner! Mix together: 1 cup oats 1 cup coconut flakes (toasted or not) 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup ground flaxseed 1/3 cup honey Optional: 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Chill in the fridge for about a half an hour, then shape into balls. Store airtight in the fridge or freezer.

Quinoa is a new grain to me. Here is the first way I have prepared it. Quinoa with asparagus on the side. 1 cup quinoa boiled in 2 cups water Cook about 20 minutes (no water left, just like rice) Add 1-2 Tablespoons salsa (I used Herdez Mild) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Serve warm or cold.

I am passionate about Avocados. They are my favorite fruit of all (I think they are considered a fruit anyway). I am grateful when they are affordable and perfectly ripe at the store. Here's how I make guacamole, although I never measure anything, so these are estimates. 2 perfectly ripe medium avocados (I usually buy hass) 1/8-1/4 cup chopped cilantro (from my GARDEN !) 1/2 Tbl garlic salt 1-2 tsp lemon juice Mash it all together and enjoy in huge amounts with tortilla chips!

As I was searching recipes for potato salad, I found lots of ideas of yummy ingredients to include. I ended up combining a bunch of recipes and made a delicious and loaded potato salad with lots of great flavors. Here's what's in Loaded Potato Salad: 6-8 potatoes, diced bite size (I used yellow potatoes and left the skins on) 1 cup mayonnaise (I use olive oil MAYO) 2-3 T Dijon mustard 1/4 cup white onion, diced small 2 stalks celery, cut thin 1/4 cup bacon bits 4-5 boiled eggs, sliced 2 T Sweet Pickle Relish Seasonings to taste (salt, garlic salt, pepper, Natures Seasoning blend) Boil diced potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly before adding other ingredients. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and stir well. Cool in refrigerator before serving.

I love chili. I even love the canned kind, like Dennisons or Stagg brands. But, my husband reacts poorly to the greasy canned chili, so I like to make my own sometimes for Taco Salad (as our family calls it) or to eat with corn bread or any bread. I like no-spice chili. I am not a spicy type. :) This time, I soaked and cooked my dried pinto beans. It's so easy, but takes some preparing ahead for the meal. I used about 3 cups of dried beans (They grow a LOT after being soaked) Soak the beans overnight, drain, rinse and then cover with water and cook in the crock pot on high for 4-6 hours until they are tender. Drain and return beans to crock pot. Then add these ingredients to make the beans into chili: 1 lb cooked ground beef (I like 93/7, very lean) 4 Tb Chili Powder 1 Tb Basil 2 Tb minced Garlic 1/2-1 white onion, diced 2 cans diced stewed tomatoes (I like the garlic and onion seasoned ones) 1 small can of Tomato Sauce Salt and Pepper to taste Cook on High in the cro...

I asked my husband what one of his favorite Christmas time treats is and he surprised me when he said peanut brittle. I don't recall ever having peanut brittle and I never thought of it as being that awesome of a treat. Christmas came and went and my intentions on making some peanut brittle for him never turned into action. So, New Years Eve, I decided it was my turn to try out candy making with my new candy thermometer and all. I followed this recipe and tried to do everything with precision. It turned out good and he likes it so that's all that matters. :) PEANUT BRITTLE Ingredients 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup water 1 cup peanuts (I used dry roasted) 2 tablespoons butter, softened (I used Smart Balance) 1 teaspoon baking soda Directions Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set c...