Lobster Mac & Cheese, lightened up

In honor of National Lobster Day, I decided to make a healthier version of one of our favorite comfort foods - Lobster Mac and Cheese.  Because everything seems to be lightened up with a filler of either squash or cauliflower these days, I hopped on the train and went with it.  Because HEALTH.

Ingredients

1 cup bow tie pasta

2 cups cauliflower chopped into small florets

1 TBSP grape seed oil

1/2 sweet onion, diced

3 fresh torn basil leaves (or 2 tsp dry basil)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup milk (you choose the type)
1/2 cup cream cheese (again, you choose the type... Whole fat, reduced fat... Just not a whipped variety)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (you choose, I used a combination of fontina and gruyere but whatever floats your fancy)

1/4 cup parmesan

LOBSTER (really you can add as much or as little as you want, just make sure its cut into bite sized pieces.  I added two large lobster claws to my last one)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare by preheating the oven to 375 degrees, also heat large pot of water over high heat and coat a 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray (set aside).
2. Cook pasta as the package instructs and be sure to add the cauliflower florets to the pot when the timer reaches 3 minutes left in cook time. Drain when done.
3. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a skillet.  Add garlic and onion then sautee until the onions are translucent and the garlic makes your mouth water.  Stir in the pasta, cauliflower, milk, red pepper flakes, basil and cheeses, combine until the lumps are gone.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If it seems dry, add more milk.  At the very end, add the lobster and stir to combine.
4. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish.  Add breadcrumbs to the top.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and delicious. 
5. Eat

Coconut Rice

Coconut Arborio Rice (great for fish side dish!)
Serves 2

• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1/3 cup low-fat canned coconut milk
• 3/4 cup water 
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Rinse and drain rice, then place in a small saucepan with coconut milk, water and salt.
2. Heat over high until the ingredients come to a boil.
3. Stir, then reduce the heat to very low.  Cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Check the rice to make sure that most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice (cook more if necessary), then remove the pot from heat.  Let stand for about 10 minutes, then fluff and serve!

Elk Meatloaf… (insert movie quote here)

Long time no blog!  Sorry about that, but I've had a few hiccups happen over the past few months.  I'm happy to be back though!

This is a recipe for elk meatloaf.  We have a plethora of game meat in our freezer, so this is the meat I chose for the recipe BUT you can use whatever ground meat you'd like.  Just make sure that you cook it to the proper temperature for your chosen meat. (I wonder how many times I can say "meat" in the post)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground elk
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 TBSP grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or grated, your choice)
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 TBSP olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Pour grape seed oil in a large skillet and warm over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for about one minute, then add in the onion.  Cook until the onion is opaque and then add in the spinach.  Cook until the spinach is just wilted, but not soggy!  Remove from heat and let cool
3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, parsley and basil
4. In a separate large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, kosher salt and black pepper.  Add the Elk meat, egg mixture and spinach mixture, then add the worcestershire, balsamic and olive oil. Combine until just mixed using your hands.  Do not over mix or else it will become too tough!
5. Place the mixture in a loaf pan (if you do not have one, a glass bottom pan will do but just form the meat into a loaf shape).  Cover in the marinara sauce
6. Cook for about 45-55 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150 degrees.  Remove and let stand for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving

Deer (Meat)balls...

It's a snowy day in Kansas City… normally when it's snowing or too cold (or too hot… for when I lived in Arizona), I make my Nonno Tony's sauce.  Yes, it's my Grandfather's recipe and not my Grandmother's and maybe some day I will share it all with you all but this post is dedicated to the little balls of glory that you place in the sauce to make it perfect… meatballs, made with the deer meat my husband so lovingly shot down in Montana this past fall.

Your best friends for this recipe are a food scale and a mini cupcake tin.  If you do not have these, no worries.  You can just eyeball the quantities.

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground venison (feel free to substitute with a ground pork or beef option, or better yet mix the two together for a more authentic italian ball)
• 1 oz pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped finely
• 3 TBSP bread crumbs (I used a gluten free variety)
• 2 oz ricotta (skim or non-fat)
• 2 TBSP egg substitute
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well using a fork.  I say fork because it will keep the meat from compressing and thus becoming more tough during the cooking process.
3. Measure the meat out in 1oz portions and place in the mini cupcake tin (if you do not have a scale but have a mini cupcake tin, the meat will fit perfectly in the tin when formed in a ball).
4. Bake for 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and drain the meatballs from the grease.  Add them to your favorite sauce and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.  Serve over pasta… or spaghetti squash… or in a grinder for a delicious sandwich

Fudgey Brownies (made with coconut sugar)

Seriously, have you bought your Better Batter yet?  It is life changing.  If not, you can settle for a whole wheat and regular flour blend in this recipe.

Ingredients
1 Cup Better Batter Flour (or 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup regular flour)
1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 ounces of your favorite chocolate, chopped
3 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
1 Cup coconut sugar (you can use granulated OR use 3/4 cup of agave syrup for a lower sugar option)
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8 inch glass or metal pan with cooking spray, set aside
2. Combine flour, cocoa and salt into your mixing bowl
3. In a separate small bowl, add the chopped chocolate and coconut oil.  Heat in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, stopping sporadically to mix them together. Set aside to cool a bit
4. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, egg whites and egg to the flour mixture and mix on low for about a minute
5. Add butter mixture and applesauce to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are mixed
6. Pour the batter into the dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes.  Do a toothpick check sporadically to make sure they are baked to your liking (the pick with come out clean when they are fully cooked, but if you like a more doughy consistency, remove them from the oven when the pick comes out with just a trace amount of batter on it)
7. Cut into 12 servings for 128 calorie bites (2 grams of fat/2 grams of protein) OR into 8 servings for 188 calories (3/3)

Gluten Free, Less Guilt M&M Cookies (made with COCONUT SUGAR!)

I received copious amounts of M&M's for Christmas (maybe my family knows it's my favorite candy?) so I needed a good recipe to give me an excuse to eat them.  Since I adore Better Batter's flour mix, I decided to make a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies… swapping my favorite candy for chocolate chips.  They are a soft and chewy cookies, very reminiscent of Soft Batch cookies but with less fat and less sugar.   Rather than use granulated sugar, I used coconut sugar.  Next time I may try the recipe with full coconut sugar because it was so successful in this recipe.  I'm a pretty big fan of them and so was the Hubs :)

COOKIE COOKIE COOKIE!

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter (room temp - can use soy butter or other dairy-free butter)
1/4 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg (room temp - or you can substitute 1 Tbsp flaxseed mixed with 3 Tbsp water for a vegan version)
2 Cups Better Batter Baking Flour (or you can sub regular/whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup M&Ms


Directions

1. Add butter and greek yogurt to a large mixing bowl and beat together for about a minute on a medium speed.  Add both sugars to the mixture and cream on medium until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg and vanilla, then set aside.
2. In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients (except the M&Ms!).
3. Gently mix in the chocolate until its evenly distributed throughout the batter
4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate the dough for an hour MINIMUM.  
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes.  While it is resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with oil
6. Roll the dough in one tablespoon increments.  Place the balls about an inch or two apart on the cookie sheets and flatten them slightly
7. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes (warning:  They really won't get brown on the edges since the dough stays true to its form.  You may just have to do the finger test to make sure they are done to your liking)
8. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
9. Since they are soft, be sure to store them in a covered container…. that is, if you have any to store :)

Butternut Squash Risotto… light but hearty

Craving risotto but not wanting all the calories?  Try this lightened up version of a fabulous fall staple.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• kosher salt (or sea salt) and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter (I use Earth Balance soy-free butter)
• 1 ounce pancetta
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp saffron or nutmeg
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (Go Veggie is a good dairy-free alternative)

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. chop butternut squash into 1/2 inch cubes and place in a ziplock bag
3. add olive oil to bag as well as salt/pepper to taste.  (close the bag) shake and then spread on a baking sheet.
4. bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cubes are fork tender
5. while the squash is baking, heat the stock over low heat in a sauce pan
6. in a dutch oven or cast-iron pot, melt butter on a medium-low heat and add the pancetta and garlic.  cook until the pancetta is crispy and the garlic turns opaque
7. add rice and coat with the pancetta mix, then add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes
8. add a ladle (approximately one cup) of stock as well as the saffron (or nutmeg) and continue cooking, about 5 minutes (or until the rice becomes dry), then continue slowly adding ladles of chicken stock until the rice turns opaque. This should take about 30 minutes (about 5-10 minute intervals of adding the stock and simmering out)
9. when the butternut squash is done, transfer half of the cubs into a blender and puree.  then add the puree and remaining cubes to the squash mixture. 
10. Once the rice is done cooking, add parmesan cheese and mix completely.  Wait until the very last minute to add the parmesan because it dries out the rice! Then season with salt, pepper and serve (with the remaining white wine, of course)

Painless Pork Chops

In light of recent gatherings with friends, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to those of you who are "cooking impaired".  Many times I have heard that people do not cook simply because they do not know where to begin, so let us start here.

A basic rule of protein: generally your meat has more flavor if you have the bone still attached to it (same goes for fish... the skin keeps a more genuine flavor to the dish).  Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up some bone in pork chops that are about one inch thick - about the length of the index finger between the top joint and the middle joint of the finger - and try this recipe.

You will need at MINIMUM one hour of marinade time but better yet, make this marinade the evening ahead and let the chops sit overnight to let the flavor really seep in.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 bone in pork chops, one inch thick
• 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar (I happened to have some of my Maple flavored on hand but you can use regular, or even a red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup apple juice (or just use 1/2 cup of vinegar if you do not have apple juice)
• 1 TBSP canola oil or melted ghee
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

One day prior (or at minimum, one hours prior to cooking)

1. Place pork chops into gallon ziplock bag.  
2. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and whisk together.  
3. Pour contents into the gallon bag, remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.  
4. Let rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, max of a day.

Cooking

1. Prior to cooking, take the meat out and let it rest for about 20 minutes. 
2. While the meat is hanging out, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (see below for TIPS on making this a complete meal)
3. Place about a teaspoon of grape seed oil (or canola... just DO NOT use olive oil, it is delicate and burns very easily) in a cast iron or heavy skillet and heat pan over a medium flame for about 5 minutes.  
4. Gently add the pork chops to the pan and sear each side for 2 minute per side.  
5. Place the skillet in the preheated oven.  
6. Continue to cook the pork chops another 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees.  
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place pork chops on another plate. Let the meat rest for about 7-10 minutes.  The meat will continue to cook (safe consumption is between 145 degrees and 160).
8. Serve!  I recommend a dry white to pair :)

Tips for making a complete meal: When you take the meat out of the oven to rest, thinly cut a sweet potato into 1/8 inch slices (your iphone is 1/4 inch  in height when you have it laying flat so half of that) and a zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.  Place vegetables in a bag, add a tablespoon of olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt then shake the bag until the ingredients are well dispersed.  Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven just before you START the pork on the stovetop (so when your 20 minute timer to start cooking hits 10 minutes, get your veggies in the oven).  They will be ready when the meat is done.  Easy peasy

Blueberry Balsamic Short Ribs

It's blazing hot here in scenic Middle America, so I decided that Saturday Dinner should involve some meat, some beer and plenty of patio time.  Hubs and I were in Lawrence a few weeks back and did some balsamic vinegar & olive oil tasting at Extra Virgin... I was instantly addicted to their Blueberry Balsamic.  Problem was, up until now I had no idea what to use it with other than drizzling it over some toscano cheese every now and again.  Cue an "aha" moment when I was contemplating what ingredients to use with some delicious short rib and jalapeño mashed potatoes... sweet blueberries just sounded fantastic.  Anyways, here's the recipe:

Ingredients
3 pounds boneless short rib, cut into 3 inch sections
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1/3 cup blueberry balsamic vinegar (or another high quality BV)
1 TBSP light agave syrup
2 C veal broth (or veggie... just DON'T use beef broth... it just tastes terrible.  You can find veal broth at boutique butcher shops - if you're in KC, McGonigle's has it)
2 C red wine (cab or dry red but ALWAYS cook with a wine that you will drink!)
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil over in a dutch oven on the stove
3. Brown meat on all sides, set aside and remove any remaining oil from the pan
4. Add fennel and shallot, cook until opaque.  Add garlic and cook for another minute
5. Add broth, balsamic vinegar, wine, remaining spices and agave syrup to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer
6. Place the browned meat into the dutch oven, cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours.  Check the meat often to make sure the liquids do not burn off  -  this is very important so that the meat stays moist and fork tender
7. Serve with your choice of sides (and the remaining red wine)

Linguini with Clam Sauce (and shrimp)

Spring has finally sprung in Kansas so I wanted to make a dinner that was light but hearty.  I was enjoying my new patio furniture with a glass of sauvignon blanc and thought that a seafood linguini sounded amazing.   I had clam juice hanging out in the pantry (you can always substitute water and a sprinkle of salt for the juice if you do not share my odd habits in stocking a pantry) and shrimp in the freezer so I went to work. The end result is a sweet light sauce with a little kick of spice that my Hubs raved about.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1/4 package linguini - do yourself a favor and use on a product that is made with Durum Wheat.  It just TASTES better and the Italian government actually requires that all pasta made there is made with it.
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 bottle clam juice (or about half cup of water with a pinch of salt)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 TBSP basil
• 1 TBSP parsley
• 8 large shrimp, deveined and detailed
• 1 can clams, drained
• 1/4 cup dry, drinkable white wine
• 1 TBSP lemon juice

Instructions

1. Cook linguini according to the package instructions.  This is usually about 10-12 minutes which is just enough time to make your sauce (not  counting water boil time).
2. In a large skillet, combine olive oil and sliced garlic.  Cook until garlic is opaque, approximately 2 minutes
3. Add red pepper and clam juice.  Allow mixture to come to a boil and then bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes
4. Add basil, parsley, wine, lemon juice, clams and shrimp then stir.  Let simmer a minute and a half, then flip the shrimp.  Continue cooking another 2 minutes.
5. Serve over a bed of linguini, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy with the rest of the white wine you used while cooking :)

Dessert for Breakfast? Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes with plenty of protein :)

I am a carrot cake fiend (in case you couldn't tell with my last carrot cake inspired recipe).  I had originally planned to make these for Easter but had a little glitch in our original plans.  Anyways, this recipe has greek yogurt, protein powder AND healthy oats for a breakfast that will tickle your sweet tooth and satisfy you for hours.

Ingredients (serves 2-3 people)

For the batter

• 1/2 cup gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (you can omit this, just add more flour if you do)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp light agave syrup (you can use regular sugar but you'll need about one and a half tsp)
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites

For the delicious cream cheese sauce

• 1/3 cup low fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grade A maple syrup (don't skimp on yourself with the fake stuff... it's just not the same)

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat your skillet.  
2. Add all batter ingredients to a blender.  
3. Blend well.  
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into your preheated skillet and allow to cook until you see bubbles coming from the center of the pancake.  Flip and cook to your desired doneness (about 2 minutes).  
5. While you have your pancake line going, add cream cheese and maple syrup to a smaller blender (I have a ninja and find that the three different blender options come in handy) and combine.  If you do not have a small blender, heat the cream cheese up in the microwave on low for about 30 seconds and mix the maple syrup in.
6. Find your prosecco and orange juice in the fridge, then make your mimosa side dish.  Enjoy!

Carrot Cupcakes with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting (gluten free! and raisin free)

Kansas City was hit by Snowmageddon the other day and unfortunately I had such a wicked craving for Carrot Cake... usually I just go over to Whole Foods when that predicament happens but since my driveway was covered with 11 inches of fresh snow, I opted to try to whip up a healthy version at home.

Ingredients

Cake (makes 6 cupcakes)

• 3/4 cups Better Batter flour (or regular cake flour if you opt for a gluten cake)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TBSP orange juice (pulp free!)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 2 TBSP non-fat greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup carrots

Frosting

• 3 oz neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon, then add salt and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugars and egg until well mixed and creamy
4. Add vanilla, O.J., Oil and greek yogurt (just the 2 tbsp) to the mixing bowl and set on a low setting.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix until wet
6. Fold in the carrots (that you have either sent through the food processor or manually grated)
7. Spoon the mixture into 6 sprayed cupcake tins then bake for 20-25 minutes

Frosting

1. In a mixer, combine all ingredients for the frosting.  Please note that the frosting will be more of a glaze consistency but if you would like to make it thicker, simply add another spoonful of confectioners sugar
2. Spoon on top of cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy (with or without your favorite bubbles)


Nutrition: per cupcake 240 calories/9g fat/25g sugar/5g protein

Date Night Deep Dish Cookies

My husband is a peanut butter cup fiend.  He prefers the holiday shaped varieties because (according to him) they have the ideal peanut butter to chocolate ratio.  My mother-in-law gave him a huge bucket filled with football shaped ones (which look suspiciously like the Easter egg variety) for Christmas so I've been "helping" him drain the contents.  The other night I had a wicked craving for a deep dish gooey pizza cookie so I decided to put some of those "football" cups to use.  I placed them in the freezer for about 15 minutes so that I could chop them up into pieces and went to work.

You can substitute the candy in this recipe for your chocolate/toffee/other sweet of choice.

Date Night Deep Dish Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 C chopped peanut butter cups (if gluten intolerant, use a belly friendly candy!)
• 1/2 C flour (I use Better Batter, a gluten free blend)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 3 Tbsp light agave syrup (or 1/4 C brown sugar)
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two ramekins with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Beat butter, yogurt and sugars in a mixing bowl for approximately one minute on a low-medium speed. 
4. Add egg white and vanilla then blend for another 30 seconds
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl.  Make sure the ingredients are blended together, approximately 1 minute on low-medium.
6. Fill each ramekin just over halfway full
7. Bake for approximately 17-20 minutes, depending on how gooey you like your cookie
8. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream :)

Game Day Turkey Chili

This Christmas my mother-in-law gave me a nifty baking pan that forms bowls.  I had a super craving for chili and thought... jalapeño cornbread bowl... filled with yummy chili... genius!

Turkey Chili

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey (I found ground breast meat to keep the "others" factor out of the meat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 can reduced sodium black beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 red pepper, diced
2 tbsp cayenne pepper (omit or lessen if you do not like it spicy)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste

Directions

• Add oil and garlic to large sautee pan and heat.
• Add onion and ground turkey to pan and brown. Drain any fat from the pan and place the turkey mix into a crock pot
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot and combine.
• Set crock pot on low to cook for 8 hours or on high for 4
• Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tortilla Stew

As some of you may know, our household revolves around when the Longhorns and Patriots play on the weekends.  This past Sunday, the Pats happened to be playing the early game so I wanted to throw some items in the crock pot for an easy dinner (i.e.: something that was ready to chow down on after an afternoon of mimosas/beer and screaming at the television)

I had a ripe avocado, mass quantities of roma tomatoes, a few measly pickled jalapeños and leftover butternut squash.... I guess we were destined for a southern dish... or maybe I was just missing Texas again.  Toss it all into the crock pot and 8 hours later, out came spicy chicken tortilla soup with a little sweetness of butternut squash.

Ingredients
2 large organic chicken breasts
1 small can tomato paste
1 can low sodium black beans, drained
1 8-oz container of low sodium, free range chicken broth
5 roma tomatoes, diced (you can use any tomato or even a can of diced tomatoes if you want to be that way, I just always seem to have these nuggets of joy on hand)
1 shallot
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped butternut squash (optional but this is what gives the dish a thicker consistency and sweeter taste )
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Garnish
Avocado
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (if you're gluten sensitive, check to ensure they're gluten free!)
Low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Combine all ingredients into the crock pot, mix and turn on low for 8 hours or high for 4.  Garnish as desired and serve!

(Obviously mine was cheese-free)

Pumpkin Gnocchi and Mini Cheesecakes (gluten free)

I have been researching gluten free flour options because I have found that most of my baked goods have tasted too potato-ey.  I finally found the answer... Better Batter.  The basic gist is that this woman found a great flour combination that can be used as a straight substitute in cooking, rather than having to add special ingredients with the options I had found previously.  At $7.50 a box, it is SO much cheaper than other flours and it makes a huge difference in baking.  Another great thing about this company is that they have all sorts of grants and funding that help make it possible for people in need to obtain the nutrition options they require.  I love that this company gives back and is not just another food conglomerate looking to make money off of people who have gluten tolerance issues.

Anyways, over to the great Pumpkin.

I have had a large can of pumpkin puree glaring at me from the cabinet so I decided to have a little fun in the kitchen.  Armed with vino, my Kitchenaid mixer and my new favorite flour, Better Batter, I got to work on a pumpkin feast.

Pumpkin Gnocchi (Gluten Free) with Browned Ghee (butter) Sage Sauce and Spinach

Ingredients (serves 4)
gnocchi
1 and 1/2 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg whites, frothed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
ground pepper

Sauce
3 TBSP ghee (or butter)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried sage
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh ground parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Start your large pot of water and salt when it comes to a boil (if you place the salt in first, it will take longer for the pot to boil... seems elementary but I thought I would toss that tip in here).  
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, nutmeg, salt and a pinch of ground pepper.  
3. Fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula.  Slowly fold in the flour until the pumpkin mix becomes doughy.  The dough will be sticky, so do not add more flour as the gnocchi will be chewy if you do.  
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and carefully roll the dough out into a few long snakes, about one (1) inch in diameter. Cut the dough into one (1) inch intervals.  
5. Add the ghee (butter), garlic and sage into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  Once warm, add the balsamic vinegar
6. Add spinach to the sage sauce, and stir constantly to ensure the mixture does not burn.
7. Gently add the gnocchi to the boiling water and allow to cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the gnocchi rises to the top.  
8. Drain the water from the gnocchi and plate it up
9. If desired, add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir. 
10. Remove from heat and pour over the gnocchi
11. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gnocchi!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes (gluten free)

Ingredients - makes about 24 mini cheesecakes

Crust

1 cup almond meal

2 TBSP ghee (or butter)

Cheesecake

8 oz low or non-fat cream cheese

1 TBSP non-fat plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/3 cup agave nectar)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the ghee/butter in the microwave
3. Combine the ghee/butter with the almond meal
4. (I recommend either lining the mini muffin tin with paper or placing a small circle of wax paper on the bottom to prevent sticking) Spoon the mixture into the mini tins and press down so that it is compacted down. 
5. Bake in the oven for about 7-9 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust.  It should just brown on the edges
6. In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese, yogurt and brown sugar, but be careful not to over mix as cheesecake should be creamy, not fluffy!
7. Slowly add the pumpkin puree, sea salt, egg, vanilla and spices
8. Spoon the pumpkin mix evenly into the muffin tins
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the outer edges are brown and the center is no longer jiggly.
10. Let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, remove from the pan and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours prior to serving.

Linguini all'Amatriciana

The husband took us to Italy last month... or should I say, we ate our way through Italy last month and it was amazing.  I picked up a sauce cookbook while over there and I learned some very valuable information regarding Italian food.  The two most important things I learned was to "respect" garlic and buy quality pasta.  I'll get in to how to "respect" garlic in another post but the pasta bit is quite interesting.

Why?  Well the Italian government actually regulates commercially manufactured pasta in that they require a certain quality of flour and dictate the percentage of soft wheat flours used (or sub-quality flours that are commonly found in large quantities in US pasta) used.  This is why it tastes SOOOO drastically different and SOOO much better than what we have here in the States.  It also explains why I was not as sensitive to wheat during my travels in Italy.

So back to cooking.  The book I picked up was simply called Pasta: All The Recipes and it has everything from sauce to noodle and ravioli recipes.  It's basically my new Italian Bible. I had some pancetta in the fridge so I decided to make a modified all'Amatriciana (or alla matriciana as the romans say) sauce... which basically just means I took out the parmesan cheese and used the olive oil sparingly.

Ingredients
5 Roma tomatoes or 1 can of diced tomatoes... whichever is easier
1/2 cup pancetta
1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 onion
1 TBS freeze-dried or fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese I did not use this in the recipe... lactose and I are not friends
1 pound linguini (or bucatini if you want to be authentic but a long noodle is best)
Salt

Okay so I have my important ingredients

Now to cook!

Directions
1.  Start your water for the pasta.  Once boiling, add a little bit of sea salt to prevent the noodles from sticking to one another
2.  Blanch the tomatoes, then peel and chop them to your desired consistency
3.  Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and brown the pancetta until crispy (approximately 5-7 minutes).  Scoop the pancetta out of the pan, but leave the drippings in

MMMMM pancetta!

4.  Turn the heat down and add the onion and sauté until opaque (approximately 4-5 minutes)
5.  Add the tomato, basil and let your sauce thicken, stirring occasionally, while you cook your noodles
6.  Before you serve the sauce, add the cheese to it and combine.  Pour it over the noodles and mangia mangia mangia!

All'Amatriciana, sans cheese

Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes

In honor of Father's Day, I decided to pay homage to my favorite childhood meal that my Daddy used to cook... pancakes.  These pancakes are gluten free AND have protein!

Ingredients

• 1 c of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
• 1/4 c ground flax meal
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional - if you decide to omit, simply add more flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c almond milk (if you like thinner pancakes, add more)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup blueberries

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, flax meal, baking powder.  Set aside
2. In another small bowl, mix together the egg, almond milk, salt and brown sugar. Add to the dry ingredients, then fold the berries into the mixture.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  If it's not a non-stick pan, be sure to spray with cooking spray.
4. Drop batter as desired to the pan and heat approximately 1-2 minutes per side (until bubbles appear and golden brown).  The recipe makes approximately twelve 4 inch pancakes.

Rosemary Chicken with a Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

I took two things I really love - balsamic vinegar and blueberries - and put them together for a delicious sweet and savory sauce.  The blueberries take a bit of the zing out of the balsamic vinegar and it really pairs well with the rosemary in the chicken.  You could also use this sauce over a white fish or even salmon.

Ingredients
For the sauce

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• black pepper to taste

For the chicken

• 2 boneless organic chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil
• 2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take out a glass baking dish and place aside
2. Heat grape seed oil in a large sauté pan
3. Rub dried rosemary on both sides of the chicken breasts. Set aside while you start the blueberry sauce
4. Pour balsamic, honey, garlic and salt into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  You should start the chicken as you wait on this.  
5. When the sauté pan is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides for approximately one minute each side
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it in the baking dish.  Set in the oven and cook for 7 minutes
7. While the chicken is cooking, your sauce should be coming to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook the sauce for a few minutes.  Once the balsamic is cooked off a bit, add blueberries (and pepper, if desired). Stir intermittantly over low heat while you prep the chicken.
8. At 7 minutes, your balsamic should be cooked off enough so that it is a thicker sauce consistency. The blueberries should also collapsed at this point and added a gorgeous deep blue/purple color to the sauce.
9. Take the chicken out of the oven and pour the balsamic sauce over the chicken.  Place back in the oven and cook until chicken is done (approximately 4 minutes - until internal temperature reached 170 degrees)

I made this dish with a sage honey glaze butternut squash.  Super easy... take a small butternut squash, skin it, remove the seeds and cube it.  Place it in a plastic bag and add 1 tbsp honey with 1 tsp sage.  Place it on a baking sheet in your preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (about how long it takes to cook the recipe above!).

St. Patty's Day Corned Beef

So you're looking for a great corned beef recipe that you can just throw into a crock pot so you can watch March Madness?  Great!  This is my Grandmother's Recipe (ish... funny how when you ask for pointers the generations ahead of us just tell us to put in whatever feels right.  Well, I am pretty sure she makes the best corned beef this side of the pond so I'll just go with it).

Ingredients
Corned Beef (at least two pounds with some good chunks of fat on the outside)
1 bottle Guinness (or heineken... if you wanna go Full Brawders)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 shallot, chopped

Directions

1. Take out your large crock pot 
2. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients with the exception of the beer, bay leaf and beef. Stir
3. Place the two bay leaves in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add the beef on top.  Pour both the beer and mixture over the meat and set on a low setting for 8 hours.
4. (OPTIONAL:  if you like cabbage, potatoes and carrots you may add them to the crock pot at the 5 hour mark and cook.  I usually just roast the carrots and bake the potatoes... and omit the cabbage all together)
5. Enjoy with your favorite green beer/wine/water/milk