Recipes

Baked Oatmeal Cups

Yeah, I know Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…but you know, sometimes there’s just not time to do more than grab a granola bar and cup of coffee to swallow in the car…and as much as Cliff Bars and everyone advertises how healthy their products are, well…they are far from it. So…I LOVE finding good on the go breakfast recipes and it’s been one of my summer goals to test them out and find some good ones so we’re all ready to go come school time…and this is one I’ll be remembering for sure!

It comes from Sugar Free Mom and although I changed it up some (ahh mmm…improved it…in my opinion) it still pretty similar to her recipe. So…here we go:

I used pink liners for the ones with stuff I like in them, the blue liners for the ones the hubby likes and then the yellow for “compromise” toppings that we’d both eat.

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups applesauce, unsweetened
  • 2 bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 5 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats- NOT instant!
  • 1/4 cup ground up flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • Whatever kind of dried fruits, nuts or candies you want to add in (I used about 2 cups worth)
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mash up the bananas and mix with honey, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Mix well.
  3. Add in oats, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
  4. Stir in the milk, followed by the dried fruits, nuts and candies you picked.
  5. Scoop into a lined muffin tin. They will not expand so you can fill it up as little or as much as you want.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes. Let them cool.
*These only last in the refrigerator for a few days, but you can put them in the freezer and throw them in the refrigerator to thaw the night before.
*Hubby’s tip: Microwave them for about 20 seconds in the morning before leaving…they’re extra yummy that way.
Categories: At Home, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , | 5 Comments

Rosemary Spaghetti with Asparagus

I don’t brag about my in-laws quite as much as a probably should…because let me tell you I am insanely lucky to have gotten such amazing in-laws. A few months ago I made Rosemary Green Beans while my father and mother in law were here. And they loved them…in fact, they loved them so much my father-in-law bought me a rosemary plant…which is awesome! We eat rosemary quite a bit and several of my favorite recipes feature rosemary…including this one, Rosemary Spaghetti with Asparagus. It’s a super easy recipe that is truly full of flavor. Makes a great entertaining dish, and because the asparagus is tossed in with the pasta, it makes it a very cheap dish too.

Rosemary Spaghetti

Total Time about 45 minutes/Makes 8 servings

  • 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp coarse salt
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large coarsely chopped onion
  • 5 cloves sliced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread asparagus on a rimmed baking pan, in a single layer; brush with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  2. Roast 7-12 minutes or until fork-tender. Shake pan halfway through cooking to redistribute.
  3. Cut stalks into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside. (to decrease baking time, you can cut first then bake)
  4. Begin cooking spaghetti according to directions.
  5. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, melt butter on medium low. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
  6. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  7. Add broth and rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and reduce liquid by half.
  8. Add pasta to butter mixture. Add asparagus; gently toss.
  9. Serve with cheese.

Let me know if you try this! Would love to hear what you think.

 

 

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Salad Recipes- In a Jar!

I love salads, hubby loves salads…I, however, do not like the time it takes to make salads on a daily basis…the washing, the cutting…ehh…so…we have found the perfect solution…salads in a Mason Jar! These are truly awesome. Can not say enough about how awesome these are!  You layer all the ingredients in a certain way to prevent the lettuce from getting mooshy (yes that is a real word) and they’ll keep in the refrigerator for about a week or so (we’ve had them go up to 2 weeks without getting soggy). I love these cause you just make them on Sunday and then they’re there in the refrigerator to grab all week…super fast lunch or lazy dinner when I don’t want to cook.

Most of these recipes call for dressing on the bottom…which works good, but I do find that the chicken or veggies on the bottom tend to soak it up and leaves for a drier (yet, still tasty) salad, so now we just make little individual cups of dressing to leave in the refrigerator with them. We do make sure they’ll fit in the jar though, along with the forks we pack so it’ll all go in the jar and make for super easy clean up (and keeps hubby from leaving the dressing containers and forks at work…and keeps me from losing them in my car).

So without further ado…some recipes…just layer them in the exact order starting at the top and you’ll be good. (and learning to make your own combos in no time!)

Caesar Salad:

-Caesar dressing
-shreds of carrots
-diced cooked chicken ( I used a Quoron veggie substitute)
-lettuce
-parmesan
-Freshly ground black pepper
 I pack this with a small ziploc bag of croutons to be added when I eat the salad, no matter how you pack salads if you add croutons they’ll get mushy, so just take the extra step and put them in a ziploc bag.
Garden Salad
-Ranch dressing
-shreds of carrots
-cucumbers
-tomatoes (grape tomatoes cut in half work best)
-diced up onion
-lettuce
The picture on this shows it differently…follow these directions…I learned from my mistakes. :)
Cranberry and Walnut Salad
-Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
-diced up chicken
-tomatoes
-onion
-Lettuce
-shredded mozzarella cheese
And take a ziploc bag with dried cranberries, croutons and walnuts to be added in when eating
Those three are my personal favorites…and my own personal recipes…I have some recipes included below that I know you’ll all love, plus the source that I got them from.
These three are from the My Not-So-Simple Life blog.
Poppyseed:  
-poppyseed dressing
-carrot shreds
-green peas
-pineapple
-blueberries
-raspberries
-lettuce
Asian:
-light asian ginger dressing
-peapods
-carrot shreds
-cabbage shreds
-water chestnuts
-green peas
-bean sprouts
-quinoa
-toasted sesame seeds
-lettuce
Seafood
 -dressing (I make a light dressing with light mayo, skim milk, salt and pepper, and Parmesan)
-cabbage shreds
-cherry tomatoes (halved)
-black olives
-celery
-drained canned crab / drained canned salad shrimp
-lettuce
These next ones come from The Daily Muse, and are truly amazing alternatives to the regular salads.

Caprese Pasta Salad

2 tbsp basil pesto (homemade or store-bought)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 ½ oz fresh mozzarella, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 oz cooked penne pasta
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Chickpea Salad 300x300 The Best New Way to Bring Your LunchChickpea Salad

2 tbsp easy lemon vinaigrette (see below)
1 cup chickpeas½ cup sun-dried or oven roasted tomatoes
¼ cup spring onion, chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup olives, chopped
¼ cup piquillo peppers, chopped
½ cup fresh spinach

Greek Pasta Salad

2 tbsp easy lemon vinaigrette (see below)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 cup cucumber, chopped
½ cup feta, crumbled
2 oz rigatoni, cooked
½ cup mixed greens
½ cup fresh mint, chopped 
Easy Lemon Vinaigrette(will make enough for 3-4 

Greek Salad 300x300 The Best New Way to Bring Your Lunch

mason jars)Juice from one large lemon½ cup olive oilGood pinch of saltCouple of grinds of black pepperShake all ingredients together in a small container
Categories: At Home, Recipes | Tags: , , , , | 7 Comments

Black Forest Pie

I remember the first time my mom ever made this…it quickly became a family favorite! My mother can seriously burn water (I say that with the utmost amount of love) and yet this is a recipe that she has never messed up! It’s super easy and prep time is minimal. It doesn’t need to refrigerate before serving, so plan a little ahead. P.S. My picture isn’t gorgeous but the taste is AMAZING! (I should also note this is a Keebler recipe that we found off of their piecrust…many moons ago. :)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping (Cool-whip), thawed
  • Keebler® Ready Crust® Graham Pie Crust (or Oreo Crust)
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 1 package (4-serving size) chocolate flavor instant pudding & pie filling
  • 1 cup canned cherry pie filling

Directions

  •  Spread 1 cup of whipped topping in crust.
  •  In medium bowl beat milk and pudding mix with wire whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of remaining whipped topping. Spread over whipped topping in crust.
  •  Spread remaining whipped topping over pudding mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Form slight depression in center of whipped topping. Spoon pie filling into depression. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  • Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator.

 

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a great versatile recipe that can be used for any type of cookies or cakes. I won’t lie…this is stole from Martha Stewart Living, June 2003 issue. It’s a basic simple Cream Cheese Frosting…granted it’s exactly the same as my mother-in-laws awesome frosting…so…is it really stealing? (I only “stole” it cause it was easier to copy and paste from another site than write the whole recipe out all over again. :)

  • Makes about 2-3 cups

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar*
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

*1 cup of confectioner’s sugar makes it into a not-very-sweet icing. Some people like that, I personally, prefer a sweeter icing so we ended up using about 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Start with 1 cup and add in until it hits the sweetness level you like.

Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches with Cream Cheese Icing

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Carrot Cake Cookies

“Fat kids heaven”

I LOVE Carrot Cake…and I really love Trader’s Joe’s inside out carrot cake cookies, sadly, I’m 3 hours away from the closest Trader Joes. These, however, are SO good they may make me swear off the Trader’s Joe’s version for ever. My husband’s response after he took a bit “Oh my god, I’m in fat kid heaven.” I’m not usually okay with making fat kid jokes…but, these are so good. I’ll let it slide. The recipe is modified from a Martha Stewart recipe and is slightly modified from the recipe I found at A Whisk and a Prayer.

Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3-4 large carrots)
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside.
-Combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until well combined.
-In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir to combine.
-Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended.
-Mix in oats and carrots. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

-Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
-Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough.
-Once cooled completely, spread cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. (Personally, I didn’t like the Sandwich…maybe my mouth just isn’t big enough? So we just topped ours with the icing and ate them individually)
According to Martha Stewart these made 28 sandwiches…maybe I just made mine really big, I got 28 cookies total, which would make you 14 sandwiches.
Bonus picture: My amazing hubby mixed up the frosting for me…how sexy is a man that can cook??
Categories: At Home, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , | 8 Comments

Stuffed Tomatoes

I love stuffed peppers, but my hubby however, doesn’t like bell peppers…so, perfect solution? Stuffed tomatoes! This recipe is actually modified from one I found on Delish.

Stuffed Tomato with Rosemary Green Beans

  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef (or we used 1 pkg Morningstar Meat Crumbles)
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish (even if you don’t like mint, it works well in this recipe- we left off the garnish)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if using Morningstar, knock this down to 1/4 tsp)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 large tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In 3-quart saucepan, cook rice as label directs.
  2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium 1 minute. Add onion, and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Stir in ground beef, half of mint, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until beef loses its pink color throughout, breaking up meat with spatula and stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining chopped mint.
  3. While ground beef cooks, cut each tomato horizontally in half. With melon baller or spoon, scoop out tomato pulp; place in large bowl. Remove 1 cup tomato pulp from bowl and chop. Discard remaining pulp or save for use another day. Return chopped pulp to bowl. Add rice, feta cheese, and beef mixture; stir until well blended.
  4. In 15 1/2″ by 10 1/2″ jelly-roll pan, place tomato halves, cut sides up. Mound scant 1/2 cup beef filling in each tomato half; sprinkle with panko. Bake tomatoes 25 to 30 minutes or until crumbs are browned and filling is heated through. Garnish with mint sprigs.
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Mint and Feta Cheese Pasta Salad

I’m not a huge mint fan, in fact…I pretty much avoid the stuff unless it’s gum or toothpaste. There’s just something about it…for this recipe ( from Bon Appetit) I made it first without the mint…and well, the recipe was missing something…like mint. So, I have to admit, this recipe is better with mint. I’m listing the original recipe below, but…in parenthesis I’m listing the actual amounts I used. The proportions seemed very off in the original recipe. Anyway…it was delicious! (And is great for day hiking lunches!) This is one of those many pasta salads that taste better the next day.

  • 3/4 pound fusilli or other corkscrew pasta

    Was VERY good! Super easy for a quick lunch.

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (I doubled this to 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (I doubled this to about 4 cups)
  • 1 15- to 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained (This was a good amount, but if I were to make it again, I’d probably add another can, just to add some extra protein to it. Use one can, and see what you think, and if it needs more, add it :)
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled ( I ended up using 12 oz, I started by adding 8 oz, but it still just wasn’t enough)
  • Additional chopped fresh mint

preparation

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain again.

Combine 1/4 cup mint, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and lemon peel in large bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Add pasta, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and feta cheese. Toss to blend well. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared ahead. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours; or cover and refrigerate overnight, them let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Mound salad on large shallow platter. Garnish with additional mint.

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Crock-Pot Vegetarian Vindaloo

My inspiration for this recipe

Part of my new year’s resolutions was to try 52 new recipes this year…so here’s recipe attempt #1. I LOVE veggie vindaloo, but really the only time I get it is when I go to India Garden. Vindaloo is actually a very healthy, spicy dish. Great for all you people who decided to make eating healthier or losing weight one of your New Years Resolutions. Normally I try a recipe the first time the exact way it’s written and then modify it the second time. Well…the recipe I found called for some stuff that I’m not a huge fan of, and left stuff out that I am a huge fan of, so I broke from my rule and went a head a created my own recipe based on the one I found in “Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.” Which…is in my opinion the BEST vegetarian cookbook out there. For those of you who aren’t vegetarians, you really won’t miss the meat in this hearty dish (my meat-loving husband has really enjoyed this recipe).

This recipe uses cayenne pepper for the heat even though if you wanted to really add some heat you could add one or two minced hot chiles. Personally, I think it was PLENTY hot enough, and next time I’d probably cut it down to about half the cayenne pepper. Start with half…add to fit your personal preferences.

Now…for the recipe:

Crock-Pot Vegetarian Vindaloo

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic closes, peeled

1 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to your personal taste

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 large onion, chopped (yellow or white work best)

2 small carrots, thinly sliced

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 cups small cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen

1 small zucchini, cubed

1 15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans

12 oz Tomato paste blended with 3 cups hot water

1 medium potato, cubed

1/2 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper

  • In a food processor, combine 1 tbsp of the oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne, turmeric, and vinegar and process until it makes a paste.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until softened. Then transfer to a slow cooker and turn it on Low.
  • To the slow cooker add the spice paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  • Add the bell pepper, (if using fresh) cauliflower, zucchini, potatoes, and garbanzo beans.
  • Add the tomato paste mixture and season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on low for about 4 hours.
  • Add the (if using frozen) cauliflower and peas. Cook on low for another 2 hours.

Tips: If you aren’t home to add the cauliflower and peas at the 4 hour mark, you can add it at the beginning they just may become mushy, or you can thaw them and add them about 10 minutes before serving.

I’d serve this over fragrant basmati rice, which is the traditional way to do it. However, all I had to use was brown rice…it worked just as good.

I like extra sauce, so you can adjust the hot water to fit your personal taste. I ended up adding a little extra during cooking.

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