Recipes

I've been told that my recipes are hard to find. So, in an effort to help all five of you find my recipes more quickly, I have built this page. It also resides as a permanent link on the right of the page. Enjoy!

• Best Broccoli
• Crash Hot Potatoes
• Elana's Rosemary Apple Chicken
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Gluten-free Candy Bars
• Hummus and Barbecue Onion Wrap
• Lime Cilantro Brown Rice
• Mom's Corn Salsa
• Mom's Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
• Roasted Veggies and Potatoes
• Smoked Paprika Almonds
• Spinach Turkey Burger
• Super-fast Smoothie

RECIPE: Mom's Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

This recipe is one that my mom, Jamie, created  this month. She made it for Sunday dinner a couple of weeks ago and it was so good that we've both made it for dinner parties since then. The mixture of black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, and lime juice make it yummy and the cilantro is the perfect finishing touch. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by a sweet potato salad recipe from Mary Jesperson

1          small sweet potato, unpeeled and cut in small cubes

1          large red onion, diced

3-4       Tbsp olive oil

1          Tbsp Parmesan Garlic Bread Dipping Blend  from Pepper Creek Farms brand 

            OR any spice combination you would like i.e. Herbs de Provence, or cumin and paprika, etc, and salt and/or pepper to taste.

             

Mix veggies together in a medium-sized bowl with olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet, then add spices and salt and pepper.  Roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

1          4 oz box of Farmhouse Long Grain & Wild Rice, Herb & Butter Flavor 

           (Jamie: cheapest place in our town to buy this is at WinCo)

           (Jamie: I haven’t tried it yet but you could use any rice and season it).

           Prepare as directed on the box.

1          can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2       cup fresh cilantro

Dressing:          

2  Tbsp fresh lime juice

2  Tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Whisk together it all together

Add  together roasted sweet potato combination, black beans, cilantro, dressing and rice. Mix gently to combine.  Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Foodie Weekend

One of my friends came to town this weekend for a conference and we made a three-day affair out of the event. Amy got to attend her conference and Katy and I got to cook for her and all hang out together. These two love to talk about food, plan food and especially enjoy food. They both have some food allergies so it makes it even more fun to cook together because we get to discover food in new ways.

This is the menu from this weekend. Hopefully it sounds as good as it tasted.

Thursday

Dinner: Penne pasta with a garlic, veggie, ground turkey tomato sauce

Friday

Breakfast: Katy's Breakfast Burritos (eggs wrapped in a brown rice tortilla w/ almond mozzarella cheese, avocado and salsa)

Lunch: Hot, fresh gluten-free bread with almond butter and jam

Dinner: Brazilian night (black beans, garlic jasmine rice, kale sauteed in olive oil, lemon and garlic)

Saturday

Breakfast: Blueberry smoothies and eggs

Lunch [Brown bag while attending the conference): Salmon salad sandwich with avocado mayo, apples & carrots

Snacks: Trail mix, cashews, almonds, blackberries

Dinner: Pad Thai w/ asparagus at Noodles & Co.

Dessert: Cherry amaretto coconut ice cream

Sunday

Breakfast: Egg and toast

Lunch: Veggie tacos with fresh cilantro and feta

Snacks: Maple raspberry scones

Dinner: Garlic baked salmon with an avocado remoulade sauce, asparagus sauteed in olive oil, garlic & salt, spinach salad with chopped almonds, apples, blackberries with a citrus vinaigrette, zucchini and yellow squash veggie medley and crash hot potatoes

Dessert: Cookie dough coconut ice cream w/ 2 chocolate chip cookies

Monday

Breakfast: Tuscan Baked Eggs

Lunch: Hummus & Barbecue Onion Wrap

Thanks to several great food bloggers for sharing their excellent recipes. One not featured in this list is Elana at elanaspantry.com. We didn't have time to make her chocolate chip cookies or some of her other great recipes, but I utilize her recipes weekly in my daily cooking. It is such fun to be connected across the Internet to great people who cook well. I had my computer in the kitchen most of the weekend as I was referencing recipes and I realized with the iPad in existence, we are just steps away from having permanent computer screens in our kitchens so we can pull up any recipe in our collection of virtual recipes. Can't you see the iPad installed on the front of your kitchen cabinet so all of your recipes are eye level for you? That will be fun!

As far as pictures of all the food are concerned, I didn't snap a single photo. I think I get so absorbed in the cooking that I entirely forget (or I am too tired) to chronicle the event in photos. I will continue to work on incorporating more photos.

Also, after typing out this menu, I realize we consumed a lot garlic this weekend. I think staples in any kitchen include garlic, salt, lemons and olive oil. Those were used in abundance and they made everything taste yummy!

In addition to all of the good food, I pick up little tips and tricks from friends as we cook and experiment together. From Katy, I learned about the art of compiling her breakfast burritos and the way to warm a brown rice tortilla to perfection. From Amy, I learned about adventure as she experimented with several citrus vinaigrettes inspired by the ingredients available to her. From both, I get a delight in good food shared among friends.

Good friends and good food make for a great time.

Health Round Up: March 2010

I've been in a bit of an incubation period lately. So many thoughts have been rolling around in my head for the last several months about health that I almost don't know where to begin.

Suffice it to say that in many ways I've decided to embrace my inner tree hugger. The more I study health and try to solve my own health issues, the more I am pulled deeply into a world of fresh, whole, real foods. The less packaging the better. The more natural the better. I look for local, organic and fresh in my food plans. What excites me about this process right now is that my mom and sister have been experimenting a bit as well and I love the synergy of learning things together and making delicious, yummy food that tastes great and is great for my body. Who knew that health could be so much fun???

I am, once again in my life, on a giant learning curve. I feel enthused and inspired by health one day and overwhelmed and vexed by all the changes the next day. But all in all I can't get enough. I've always been a bit higher on the learning side of things than the doing side so I'm really focusing on doing now and not just learning.

Here are some of the changes I've been incorporating in my life and some readings that have helped me along the way.

1. Buying raw milk: I've never been much of a milk consumer. I think I stopped drinking milk as a teenager and I've never taken up the habit again. I pretty much gave up cereal around that time too. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have purchased a gallon of milk since I moved out on my own in college. I've always used other types of milk: rice milk, soy milk, almond milk and during the last couple of years coconut milk. My pantry is well stocked with almond milk and coconut milk but now I've purchased raw milk a few times in the last several months. Yummy! It makes me think about when we had a milk cow on our little farm in Burley and drinking fresh, creamy milk chilled to perfection. Maybe that's why I've never quite been able to stomach the pasteurized, homogenized variety on store shelves. This fresh-from-the-source milk just tastes so gooood!

2. Bought my first CSA vegetable share from a local farm: I am so excited about this. Lots of veggies, all organic and local and fresh from the vine. Most people agree there is just something different about eating a food fresh from its source--something that hasn't been picked early, wrapped in plastic and transported thousands of miles to hopefully ripen under the yellowish hue of fluorescent lights in your local big-box grocery store.

3. Working on purchasing pastured chicken, pork and beef from another local farmer: This excites me too. To know the source of my food, that I'm supporting my local economy and that I'm feeding my body the best nature has to offer. Animals that have been fed on natural grasses are full of omega 3s and a different kind of fat than the marbley white fat that we are all so used to seeing in our meat. That fat develops because beef are fed a heavy grain diet which allows them to pack on pounds quickly. When you look at grass-fed beef, the meat is not as marbled and the fat is more of a yellow color and much smaller.

4. Read a great blog NourishedKitchen.com that was featured on CNN in early March. This blogger had a real foods challenge with her readers for a month where everyone ate only foods that were local, fresh and not packaged. Can you imagine not consuming any packaged food for a month? Not a bit of packaged food at all? It was kind of inspiring to read what they made and how they ate for that month.

I'm working on incorporating more and more real foods in my life. I'm thrilled with some of the great recipes that have been coming into my life because of this research. I hope to be able to share more and more of those over the next few months.

In the meantime, here is one I plan on testing out this week with some great root vegetables, small red potatoes and a whole chicken. It comes from one of my favorite food bloggers, Elise, over at simplyrecipes.com and is titled "Keller's Roast Chicken." Anyone want to try it out with me?

RECIPE: Hummus and Barbecue Onion Wrap

Hello friends! I've missed you. A thousand times a week, I think "I should blog about that" and then it seems time slips out of my hands. And by that, I mean if I'm not at work or school then I'm doing the essentials like sleeping or brushing my teeth.

So, here I am finally blogging about something. A delicious little wrap that I made the other night and loved, loved, loved. It comes from my new favorite cookbook The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook which comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Ali at the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog (www.nourishingmeals.com). Ali and her delicious recipes have helped me expand my food horizons and my nutrient profile. I like her green smoothies (who knew that kale was so delicious first thing in the morning?) and her maple raspberry scones which were my first foray into mixing flours in gluten-free cooking, and her apple crisp which introduced me to the wonders of coconut sugar.

I feel the same way about her cookbook. It has pages and pages of great, nourishing recipes that taste good. When I ran across the wrap below, it sounded so good that my mouth immediately started watering and I knew I had to try it out. Read it with me and see if your mouth goes into paroxysms of delight as well.

RECIPE: Hummus and Barbecue Onion Wrap

from Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Cookbook, p. 350, by Alissa Segersten

Barbecue Onion

2 large red onions

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

pinch sea salt

2 to 3 Tbsps. organic, gluten-free barbecue sauce

The Wrap

2 brown rice tortillas, warmed (either in microwave for 30 seconds or in a pan)

1/2 cup of hummus

1/2 cup barbecued onion

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 small zucchini, shredded

1/2 cup finely sliced romaine lettuce

1. To make the barbecued onions, remove the skins from the onion, cut in half, and then thinly slice in crescent moons. Heat large stainless steel skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, then add the sliced onions and a pinch of sea salt.

2. Saute the onions for about 7 to 10 minutes or until the onions are very soft. Remove for heat and stir in barbecue sauce. Onions can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

3. To assemble the wrap, place the tortilla on to a flat surface or plate. Spread 1/2 of the hummus evenly over one side of the tortilla. Place 1/2 of the barbecued onions, shredded carrot, shredded zucchini, and thinly sliced romaine lettuce into a line in the middle of the wrap.

4. Tightly roll, and then cut in half. Serve immediately or wrap in waxed paper for later use.

I didn't have any romaine lettuce or zucchini on hand so I substituted both for some finely chopped fresh spinach. Also, I used roasted garlic hummus because I wanted some extra zing that I don't find in regular hummus. I found a great barbecue sauce too that was gluten-free and is a new staple in my pantry now. Then I made my first batch and oooohhhhhhh wow! I suddenly knew I had another keeper recipe on my hands.

I took a sample to one of my main taste testers (Meg) and got a thumbs up, so back to the kitchen I went to perfect my technique. In the meantime, I called over a couple of friends and we had a little impromptu dinner party and ate these to our hearts' delight. There is just something about barbecue and onions and wrap that seemed to make all go right in the world that night.

So try these and see if they make you smile too. You might even find yourself in the midst of your own impromptu dinner party.

The Thanksgiving Cooking Experiment

I have not a single photo from Thanksgiving this year. My mind was a bit preoccupied with the menu. If I can scavenge some photos from my family I will post them. In the meantime, if you want to check out our LOVELY Thanksgiving table take a look at my sister-in-law Michelle's post on her blog regarding all of her hard work.

My November had been filled to overflowing with school, school, school and applications for graduate school and the GRE and work that I had barely a moment to breathe. But I promised myself a whole day of cooking for Thanksgiving. Since my allergy-free diet, I don't eat wheat or gluten and that was going to put a big cramp in any major dining at the table since stuffing, rolls, pie and often the turkey have gluten in them. So, I was going to create an entire Thanksgiving meal that was gluten-free.

We didn't actually have our dinner until the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend so that gave me all day Thursday to cook and bake. It was a good thing too because I needed all that time.

The menu included:

Balsamic roasted turkey with apple stuffing from elanaspantry.com

Cranberry, almond, apple spinach salad

Ground turkey and mushroom stuffing (my riff on my Grandma J's classic stuffing)

Mashed red potatoes

Gluten-free gravy from glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com

Gluten-free dinner rolls from glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com

Pumpkin pie with almond flour crust from The Gluten-free Almond Flour Cookbook

It was a little bit insane. Mostly because every recipe but the salad and the potatoes was brand-new for me. Eeek! What was I thinking? Not to mention, I started the whole shebang out with making my own chicken stock too--another first! I needed a great chicken stock as the base for my gravy and stuffing and I had frozen several chicken bones from past roasted chickens and I decided to turn them into a chicken stock. I cobbled together a chicken stock recipe by pulling bits and pieces from some of my favorite cooks and started simmering a huge stockpot on my tiny white oven. It made enough chicken stock not only for Thanksgiving recipes but I also froze several packages of it as well to use in later recipes.

The stock turned out great and smelled so good as it simmered on the stove. It totally put me in the mood for a day of cooking and baking. Good thing too because that mood was going to get stretched a bit thin. The turkey turned out well, the salad was good, the potatoes were a bit dry b/c I didn't mix them until right before dinner and I was kind of harried at that point. The gravy, stuffing, rolls and pie were each pretty time intensive and here's why:

Gravy: I made this very, very last right before dinner was served. What I didn't realize was that I would spend about a half an hour over the stove experimenting with the thickness and trying to get it just right. I was completely bushwhacked at this point so that is likely my memory could be elongating the time it took. The consistency turned out fine but I think to kick it up a notch next time, I will add a bit more seasoning and salt in the beginning so that it zings more.

Stuffing: The stuffing actually turned out much better than I imagined and was probably the biggest success of my adventure. For the bread base, I used a mix from Pamela's that was expensive but worth every penny in the end because the bread was good and spongey and soaked up the chicken stock and flavors from the mushrooms, turkey and seasoning very well.

Rolls: The rolls were good especially for my first real attempt at rolls from scratch and using a mixture of gluten-free flours that would have quelled me with fright a few months ago. I actually ended up making two batches of these though because I needed more than a single batch and didn't realize this until they came out of the oven. Also, the texture of the rolls is a bit more biscuit-like. They were not light, airy dinner rolls so while the taste was excellent, I would prefer to find a roll that more closely mimics my idea of a soft, fluffy dinner roll.

Pumpkin pie: This recipe needed the most finessing as my crust burned on my first attempt. I tried it again and this time, I cut the baking time in half, cooked the pumpkin mixture mostly on the stove and then covered the almond flour crust with aluminum foil when I put the two together and back in the oven. This time the pumpkin pie was much better. I still need some work on perfecting that almond flour crust but all in all it was an admirable pie for another first.

So, you can see why taking photos was the last thing on my mind with all that cooking. The problem is that I need to take photos of what I am cooking though too. It helps my memory of the event and it makes it more fun to blog about too. Maybe that can be one of resolutions for the new year? Take food photos!

I took all of my food over to my parents' house for Thanksgiving where my mother served 52 people--bless her heart! I had one cousin at dinner who is gluten-free as well so she got to enjoy my food too and of course, I put it out for everyone else to taste and try as well. Michelle put together a fabulous table that stretched out to incorporate all the adults and teenagers. The nearly 20 children had their own tables that she decorated as well out in the garage.

All in all it felt like a spectacular Thanksgiving with the best people, the best food and lots of thankful hearts.

RECIPE: Lime Cilantro Brown Rice

I made this for our Labor Day Mexican fiesta yesterday and it turned out surprisingly well. This is my take on my mom's recipe for lime cilantro rice. We were recreating Cafe Rio salads for our holiday family party and this was the impetus for the recipe. I don't want to forget a good thing so here goes:

1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used 7/8 cup short grain brown rice and 1/8 cup aromatic whole grain brown rice)

2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 large or 2 smaller cloves of garlic

2 limes, juiced

1/3 to 1/2 head of cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

Put rice and chicken broth in a medium pot on the stove and bring to a boil while adding garlic, lime juice, cilantro and a bit of salt. Once the mixture has come to a boil, cover with a lid and turn to low for 45 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn off burner and move pot to another burner. Leave covered and let sit for 20 minutes. Then uncover, salt to taste and serve.

Delicious served with lime chicken, black beans, chopped romaine lettuce, salsa and guacamole. Corn chips and hot, fresh tortillas are other possible options.

RECIPE: Mom's Corn Salsa

We had a little party at work the other day and I made up a batch of my mom's corn salsa to take to the party. It is such an easy, simple, yummy recipe that I thought I would share.

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

2-3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1-2 avocados, chunky

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup of Italian dressing

Prepare a few hours ahead to allow flavors to blend together. Refrigerate. Serve with big scoop Fritos or corn chips.

Cooking Up a Storm

The last few days have been filled with food, food, and more food. I have been cooking and I've been having a blast. I've been cooking for a variety of reasons but the best part of it is I've been cooking for others. I love experimenting in the kitchen and trying out different foods but once I've run through a recipe a couple of times, I want to try it out and see if it is a success for others too. 

Let me acknowledge once again in all of my cooking now how much of a debt of gratitude I owe to my favorite food blogger, Elana, at elanaspantry.com. Nearly 90% of these recipes come from her site with a few modifications here and there by me. She got me excited again about cooking and eating because she taught me through her blog that I could make food that was delicious and appetizing even with my food sensitivities. I owe her much for sharing all of her scrumptious recipes. She's got a great gluten-free cookbook coming out this summer that you can pre-order if you like, so check it out. I can't wait to get my copy. 

Monday I cooked because my sweet, multi-talented brother Adam came and put up three curtain rods and a towel rod for me. He keeps telling me that if I get a great drill I could do it myself. I keep telling him I would miss seeing his face. :) So, Adam and Michelle brought their little girl and Michelle's sister and we did dinner and FHE together. Of course, we girls chatted up a storm while Adam did the work but I think everyone had a good evening and we got to pull my table out from the wall and put it to good use. 

Menu for Monday night was 

• BBQ chicken
  
• crash hot potatoes
  
• spring salad with chopped almonds and apples and Elana's awesome ranch dressing
• asparagus sauteed in olive oil
• fresh strawberries and pineapple
• vanilla cupcakes

Tuesday was our monthly supper club with a group of friends where we each cook a dish around a theme and bring it to supper club and then eat and chat the night away. I was hosting for the month of May and since it was gluten-free night and most people are not gluten-free, I did a little extra cooking just so everyone could try out a variety of dishes. We had a great turn out, several people brought some excellent recipes and my favorite patio was put to good use. 

Menu for Tuesday night

• Rosemary apple chicken
• roasted veggies
• fresh strawberries
• Elana's chocolate chip cookies
• vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting
• blueberry muffins

Then last night I had to use some ground turkey I had had in the fridge for a few days and I made spinach turkey burgers. In all of my cooking, my mom and my sister are my ad hoc test kitchen so I will run food over to them to taste and try together. Despite all of that testing, I had not ever made my spinach turkey burgers or my special sauce for Meg, so I wanted her to try them both. She's a very receptive audience to all of my cooking attempts so I wanted to get her reaction to them. Then she had been asking for smoked paprika almonds again, so I whipped up a batch of those too. 

While I was cooking, Mom stopped by to try the leftovers from supper club. I love talking food with both of them because Mom had a few ideas for tweaking the blueberry muffins a bit and I had figured out a way I wanted to modify the cookies a bit and Meg had made the ranch dressing herself twice and we could compare notes. Cooking is always a collaborative effort whether it is over the stove or at the table and it is fun to experiment and try things together. 

Katy came by one night when I was knee-deep in cupcake batter and loving every second of it. She tasted and tried and even ran to the store for a last-minute item that I needed. In the midst of the hustle bustle she stopped and said, "Isn't cooking fun? It feels like an art to me some days like here is my oil painting or this is my watercolor" and I had to agree. That feeling isn't there every night but on the nights it does descend on me in the kitchen--well, it's pure magic. 

What kind of magic have you created in your kitchen lately? 

Food Friday

via funwallpaper.blogspot.com

Are you all tired of hearing about my allergy-free diet? I got the most comments on the photos from my recent trip to Massachusetts so it makes me wonder if I'm boring you to tears when I talk about all things health. I've got to admit that besides school and work, the other topic that consumes my mind endlessly is health, my health, your health, our health and how to get healthier.

So much to learn. So little time it seems.

I'm starting my fifth month on the allergy-free diet. All that really means is that I'm eating more of the things that are good for me and less of the things that I've long suspected give me a bit of trouble. Slowly over the last several weeks, I've felt my energy build and build and build to a point that I feel more alive and whole than I've felt in a long, long time. Not to overstate the case but I feel like I've discovered a secret long hidden and long wondered about in my life--what it means to feel good on a daily basis.

Is this how the rest of you live life on a regular, daily basis? Because I've got to tell you that having energy like this feels like a rock star life. And the universe has been holding out on me for far too long. I could get addicted to feeling this way each and every day of my life.

Now, I'm human and I know that I'm going to experiment, test the boundaries and generally push my own buttons to confirm what I've learned so far. I know that just because I feel spectacular for one day or even for many days in a row does not guarantee that this feeling will continue unabated ad infinitum. I'm just going to be okay with the process wherever it leads and whatever I learn from it.

And for now, that means the allergy-free diet is staying.

At some point in the future, whether in three weeks or three months or three years, I'm going to do the second phase of the allergy diet which means challenging each of the foods that I have a sensitivity to and trying them each one by one for a twenty-four period and then waiting three days to see if I experience any negative consequences from that particular food item. For now though, I mostly want to focus on feeling good and not worry about the second phase just yet.

I went to the doctor today and confirmed that this lifestyle change is having a marvelous effect on my overall health as well as my particular health issues. Yeah! Take that metabolic syndrome and PCOS! I've finally found a secret weapon. And it tastes goooood.

On my trip to MA, Amy and I spent a lot of time being foodie friends and discussing all things yummy and tantalizing. I'm continually surprised by Amy and her sister Kate's natural, intuitive leanings toward not only good health but good food too. Good food is fun with them. And good food is really, really yummy with them.

So, in the spirit of simple, warm, yummy food here is a very easy recipe for roasted veggies that Amy made one day. I've done a version of this recipe before but Amy has a magical touch and these veggies and potatoes came out tasting so yummy that I've made this simple dish at least twice since I've been home. Pair it with roasted chicken or spinach turkey burgers and a big salad and you've got a spectacular meal.

RECIPE: Roasted Veggies and Potatoes

1 yam or sweet potato

2-3 red potatoes

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion

1 red pepper

light or virgin olive oil

extra virgin olive oil (only used after veggies are cooked)

sea salt or kosher salt

Slice and quarter the yam and red potatoes. Slice the onion into long, thin strips. Slice the red pepper after removing the seeds and stem. Put everything in a bowl and toss with regular or light virgin olive oil until veggies are well coated. Layer in a 9x13 glass baking dish and salt then bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Pull out pan once during baking process and turn all veggies. After an hour the veggies should be soft. If not, you may want to bake a little longer. Pull them from the oven and let cool for five minutes and then garnish with extra virgin olive oil and salt if necessary.

Makes a warm, hearty dish.

I'd love to hear any great recipes from you. Also, have you made any health changes that have significantly improved your energy? And are you still doing those things? Let's chat.

Cooking Like a Star

My mom loves to cook. She loves it. My whole life I've watched her in the kitchen working her magic making dishes and treats and snacks that wow the taste buds, lift the heart and make you come back for more and more and more.

My mom loves to cook so much that she takes classes, tries new recipes and discusses food a lot. She also cooks incredible food and feeds her whole family every Sunday. That means seven of her eight children and five of their spouses, plus 16 grandchildren. That's 30 people every week. That's a lot of people to cook food for each week. When my baby brother is in town with his family our numbers bump up to 33 at dinner.

A couple of months ago, Mom took a class by a girl named Kelsey Nixon who is a minor celebrity around here for having competed on The Next Food Network Star reality show last year. Ms. Nixon is young--only 24 years old--but she is bubbly and cute and full of energy. And she likes to cook and talk about it.

Well, I was invited with some of my family to attend a cooking class with Ms. Nixon the other night. We got to watch her cook some amazing food and we got to talk about food. A lot. We chatted about knives and knife sharpening and how to cut an onion and how to let meat rest when you pull it out of the oven. We talked about culinary school and the Food Network show Kelsey was on. We had a great time. She made Greek grilled veggie panini sandwiches, a roast pork, a veggie orzo salad, and a lemon curd and berry dessert. Good food.

The amazing thing to me was that Kelsey could cook and talk for the whole two hours. I think I would have poured lemon curd into the pork roast and put berries in the panini sandwiches if I was up there. She didn't have problem though and chatted away merrily throughout the class. 

And then we got to partake of her labors. Yummy. It was all food that we call "girl food" around our house and all the girls thoroughly enjoyed it. I even saw my dad and my brother sneak in and steal some bites of each dish. 

Mostly, just a fun night that reminded me that I really like food and it is a lot of fun to talk about it with a group of like-minded women. 

RECIPE: The Best Broccoli

I stumbled across this recipe about a month ago and it has become a new favorite. I'm always buying broccoli and looking for new ways to introduce it into my menus before it rots in the fridge. Mostly, I've steamed the broccoli and dressed it with olive oil, lemon juice and salt which is good but this recipe kicks the whole taste factor up to an entirely new level. An entirely yummy level.

This recipe comes directly from the Amateur Gourmet who says it is a play off a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa and her recent cookbook called Back to Basics. Well, the Contessa has my vote for getting this basic just right.

I ate nearly the half the pan of broccoli the first time I made it and was certainly enjoying the mix of flavors when I suddenly felt profoundly full. It was like my body had been calling out for this particular mixture of roasted broccoli, lemon, garlic and salt and when I had received just the right amount of nutrients, my body proclaimed a halt. I sat around after that just feeling completely satisfied all the way down to my toes.

Hmmmmm. That is a gorgeous feeling that I want to replicate more often in my life.

Now, as to the food photography, I recognize I will win no awards for that photo but I'm trying to remember to catalog these recipes visually so I can share the love. Hopefully, we will see an improvement in the photography skill as I continue.

Also, I changed the quantities on the recipe a bit because I didn't want 4 to 5 lbs. of broccoli just for me and I don't use Parmesan cheese, I only use almond mozzarella cheese because of the food allergy thing. You can use either regular mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese with this. So, here's a recipe to enjoy.

The Best Broccoli
from the Amateur Gourmet via the Barefoot Contessa

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1 large bunch of broccoli cut into florets (washed and dried thoroughly--it won't roast as well if it is still wet or damp)
3 Tbsps olive oil
3/4 to 1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced

Place broccoli florets on cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and cloves. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes.

When the broccoli comes out of the oven it will be tinged brown on the edges of the florets. Now dress it with the following:

Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
2 Tbsps of toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup of shredded almond mozzarella cheese

I paired it with my favorite roast chicken the other night and the meal was delicious. So, now you know that broccoli can not only be good for you but also just plain good.

RECIPE: Elana's Rosemary Apple Chicken

This recipe has become a recent favorite in the last few months. It is a simple, quick recipe to prepare and then you let it roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours and it will come out smelling salty sweet and will be tender and juicy. Every time I've made it I nearly swoon from excitement as the smell permeates my house. For me, it is the kind of recipe that makes the centerpiece of a great meal when paired with a big salad or roasted veggies. I've served it to friends and family and it is the kind of go-to recipe to have on for times when you take food to neighbors and friends.

And the best part is it takes all of five minutes to put together.

Once again, this is Elana's recipe over at elanaspantry.com. I certainly am inspired regularly by her and feel so, so lucky to have her as a food mentor right now. You may feel lucky too once you try this.

Rosemary Apple Chicken

from Elana at elanaspantry.com

1 chicken (2 to 3 pounds)
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
4 apples, cored and sliced
4 sprigs rosemary

1. Rinse the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel and place in a 9×12 inch glass baking dish
2. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with salt
3. Arrange the apples around the chicken in the baking dish
4. Place the sprigs of rosemary under the chicken
5. Bake at 350° for 90 minutes, until browned on the outside
6. Serve

Serves 6

RECIPE: Candy Bars--A Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I hope it is a great day full of love for each of us. May we all share love and joy with those close to us. 

Now to celebrate your Valentine's Day, here is a recipe that will not only hit your sweet tooth but do it without causing unnecessary damage. I made these treats this week and got rave reviews. I think what contributed to those reviews was the first time I made these a few months ago, I burned the pecans and burnt pecans lend a distinct flavor of overdone to any recipe they inhabit. So, this time I watched the pecans much more closely and the candy bars turned out much, much better. 

Again, this recipe is from Elana  over at elanaspantry.com. She continues to inspire and influence my cooking. This journey has been a lot more joyful because I've had her as a mentor through it. So, I hope this recipe hits the spot for some of you who are looking for a sweet treat that is quick, easy, and without some of the normal pitfalls (white flour, sugar) of sweet treats that abound at this time of year. 

Candy Bars

from elanaspantry.com
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons celtic sea salt
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 cup almond butter
½ cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate 73% (I cut this down to 1 1/2 cups for a little less chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 500°
2. Warm grapeseed oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saute pan over high heat
3. Add pecans to pan and cook for 3 minutes
4. Remove pecans from pan and immediately transfer to a baking sheet
5. Place pecans in 500° oven for 3 minutes, remove and cool
6. Warm almond butter, agave, vanilla and ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat
7. Remove from heat and stir pecans into almond butter mixture
8. Spread batter into an 8 x 8 inch pyrex dish and freeze for at least 1 hour
9. Remove from fridge, cut into 1 x 3 inch bars; place on small (parchment paper lined) baking sheet
10. Melt chocolate in saucepan over lowest heat possible
11. Drizzle chocolate over each bar
12. Sprinkle bars with remaining ½ teaspoon salt
13. Freeze and serve

Makes 18 candy bars

I love chocolate and these treats are particularly good with gooey chocolate. What I've found though is that when I consume really good dark chocolate like this recipe recommends that I don't have to eat the whole pan of candy bars. One or two hits the spot just right for me. And then there are more treats left over for the next day and the next and the next. Also, my taste testers and I decided that these treats are even better the second day because the chocolate is less intense and the almond buttery goodness of the pecan mixture is even more noticeable. 

Hope the day of love is full of lots of sweetness and light for you and your loved ones. 

RECIPE: Smoked Paprika Almonds

The allergy-free diet has been going strong for a week now. While I'm pleased as punch about this week, I'm even more interested to see how week 18, 19 and 20 develop simply because I'd like to have jumped all the hurdles I'm going to have to jump through to actually arrive at those weeks. In other words, mama wants to know if she can make it that long. 

It has by no means been a obstacle-free week. For example: 

• opened and used a can of black beans and then looked a the label only to discover that it contained sugar. I like to think I'm a pretty consistent label reader but this one caught me totally off guard. Why is sugar added to beans? 
• foraging after a party at the parents' house this weekend and took a big old bite of flank steak only to realize within seconds that it had been marinated in soy sauce (contains wheat); that didn't stop me from taking 3 or 4 more bites; it took me that long to wrestle myself away from it. 
• could not eat my smoked paprika chicken without what I call special sauce (mayo, ketchup, dijon mustard) and said a fond farewell to ketchup (contains sugar) as a part of that mix; know that I will be experimenting with making my own ketchup just so I can keep making the special sauce.

Thank goodness in all of this for Elana over at elanaspantry.com. She's been keeping me sane. She's also been keeping me cooking. In the last few days, I've made her chocolate chip cookies, her almond butter blondies, her cod piccata, and her smoked paprika almonds. All were yummy, but the smoked paprika almonds were fragrant and smoky and hot. I tested them out on Meg's clan and got rave reviews. 

I modified the recipe a bit because I'm not a spicy hot fan. You should know though that any recipe that starts with fresh garlic and smoked paprika is going good places. 

Smoked Paprika Almonds 

from Elana at elanaspantry.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

3 cups raw almonds

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat

2. Add garlic to the skillet and saute for 3-5 minutes, until the garlic is almost brown

3. Add smoked paprika and salt and stir to make a paste

4. Add the almonds and stir constantly until they are thoroughly coated

5. Continue toasting almonds in the skillet until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes

6. Remove from heat and allow the nuts to cool in the pan

7. Serve

They actually made me think of popcorn too. There was this delicious, toasty smell wafting through my house the rest of the night and I ate more almonds than should likely be consumed in one four-hour period. 

Easy, fast and you may not be able to stop at just one!

RECIPE: Spinach Turkey Burger

I promised to share my favorite spinach turkey burger recipe a while ago. I made it again the other day and realized I had not yet shared it. I love this recipe for a few reasons: (1) I can eat a burger and feel like it was healthy (2) I looooooove the combination of the spinach with red onion and garlic, (3) I get a great serving of greens and its not a salad.

Really, I'm much more of the type to go out and buy a bacon double cheeseburger. So, I was shocked to find this recipe hit the "burger button" spot in a big way for me without a problem.

This is a simple, easy, hearty, healthy recipe. When I discovered it a couple of months ago it was an immediate hit. Often I'm underwhelmed by a recipe or overwhelmed by the intricacies of the instructions, but this recipe is straightforward and simple. I love those kind of recipes.

Typically, I find myself at the grocery store stocking up for the week and unless I have my menus for the week mapped out I will return home having forgotten one essential ingredient for some recipe. This recipe is so easy though, I doubt I will forget anything.

My version is a variation on this recipe from SparksPeople.com. Mostly, I cut the feta cheese and replaced the frozen spinach with fresh spinach. I think the fresh spinach is much yummier.

Spinach Turkey Burger

• 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 box or bag, 5 ounces, fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
• 8-10 thin slices mozzarella cheese (I use almond mozzarella)
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast,
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Salt-Free Steak Seasoning by McCormick)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. To one side, add a little grapeseed oil, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool. Return pan to heat. Add grapeseed oil to pan and then add fresh spinach without stems. Cook over medium heat until spinach wilts about 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach to the bowl with cool onions and garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add in ground turkey, grill seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix and form into 8 small to medium patties, 1-inch thick. Raise heat on pan to medium-high. Add patties and cook 6 min on each side. Or you can grill on an indoor grill for 5 minutes. Add mozzarella slices to top of patties and melt them for 1-2 minutes.

Makes 8 small burgers or 4 large burgers.

Note: The original recipe said to cook the onions and garlic in extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat, but extra-virgin olive oil is not made for sauteeing things at high heat, so I use grapeseed oil to sautee the onions, garlic and spinach. Still adds a great flavor but grapeseed oil can withstand the higher temperatures. You could use an olive oil made for high heat temperatures, but you might want to try grapeseed oil and see if you like it too.

RECIPE: Super-Fast Smoothie

I've been making this super-fast smoothie for the past few months nearly every day. I was bemoaning the fact the other day that I didn't have a lot of great go-to foods and then I realized that this smoothie was actually a great go-to food and I can whip it up in less than three minutes. 

I have some food allergy issues with dairy, cane sugar and wheat, so I've been revamping my pantry and almond milk and agave nectar are my favorites. Here's the recipe:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 1/2 to 2 cups almond milk 

1 to 2 tsp. of agave nectar (or a squirt or two is how I do it)

I know super-scientific, right? Let's just say that my measurements are all about eyeballing the amounts so this is my best approximation. Add more or less of anything to taste. 

Also, I will periodically get some flax seed and grind it up and add it to my smoothie as well. I love this recipe and it makes me feel like I'm visiting Jamba Juice every morning. 

It's healthy and delicious and a lot of times I pair my smoothie with an egg over easy topped with fresh salsa and avocado. I think the two go together beautifully. 

Now, if I could only find 937 other recipes that are as fast and easy and yummy as this one and I could really get the hang of this healthy living thing. Until then, I will continue wildly yo-yoing between my smoothie recipe and my chocolate obsession. I certainly enjoy them both! 

RECIPE: Goddess Divine

I really have to start taking photos of food when I cook. I think it would help me explain why I love certain recipes so much. Then we could drool over that recipe together.

In the meantime, I found a picture of an avocado. Hmmmmm. Avocados. I LOVE THEM. If I could have avocados fed to me intravenously, I would do it. If I could grow avocados where I live, I would do it. Avocado trees in my backyard might even convince me to move to California. Have I mentioned that I like avocados? Avocados are the reason I like this next recipe so much.

It is an absolutely gorgeous salad dressing called Green Goddess Dressing and I got it from elanaspantry.com--you know, my favorite food blogger.

This dressing is so scrumptious. I made it last week for the first time and took it to Sunday family dinner with a chef salad made of romaine lettuce, chopped, hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, toasted sliced almonds, garden cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. The dressing was the perfect finish.

There was enough dressing left over that I took it home and proceeded to eat it every day for the next five days. I had a bunch of fresh spinach so I threw together a salad every single day just so I could see if the Green Goddess Dressing would still taste as spectacular and you know what? It did!


I've never been much of a salad dressing fan (or a salad fan--I mean, let's be honest) once I discovered that drowning my salad in ranch dressing was not necessarily a healthy habit. So, when ranch dressing flew the coop, so did most of my salad fantasies (has any one ever put those two words together? salad and fantasy?) But now all of my salad dreams have come true again! Because this week I've been eating more salad than ever and liberally applying this new dressing and you know what the best part is? I don't even feel guilty about it.


Yeah, yeah, you go ahead and tell me how much fat there is in avocados and olive oil. I say pffffffft. It's healthy fat. Or at least healthier fat than buying deep-fat fried french fries drowned in fried mustard dressing and coated with melted cheese and and onions. Which is likely what I would be eating if I couldn't get my fix with this dressing.


So, go ahead, my friends, read, make and ENJOY. And don't blame me if your own salad fantasies start to take over your brain.

RECIPE: Green Goddess Dressing
from Elana's Pantry


1 avocado
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
3-5 drops stevia
1 cup water

1. Place all ingredients in a Vitamix
2. Process on high speed until smooth and creamy
3. Pour over your favorite salad greens
4. Store remaining dressing in a glass jar in fridge
5. Keeps for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long)

Hot Potato

I made something the other night that turned out so well, that eight-year-old Sam, my blueberry muffin skeptic and later convert, asked me for the recipe. Do you get asked often for recipes by an 8-year-old? Neither do I, so it immediately put this recipe high on my favorites list.

They are called Crash Hot Potatoes and they looked so good from the photos that I couldn't wait to try them. When I made them the other night for the eight-and-under crowd I got a thumbs up all around.

I've got Ree at Pioneer Woman to thank for this recipe. Ree has an excellent website that centers on her life as a rancher's wife in the Midwest. She plays constantly to the fish-out-of-water aspect of this life as she was city-born and -bred and never expected to live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. She's got some great recipes, four kids that she homeschools, excellent photography skills, and a rather hysterical love story called Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. She has a no-holds-barred style of writing and the stories to back it up, so peruse her site and enjoy. 

I boiled enough potatoes to make two large pans of this recipe because I wanted to try my own variation on it. I've had one particular hankering for the last, oh, six months. This hankering seems to come upon me late at night when nothing else will satisfy me. It is the one thing I seem to want ate least once a week and some weeks once a day: oven fries.

On the second batch of potatoes, instead of mashing them with a potato masher, I cut the potatoes in slices, like french fries. Then I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper just as the recipe states. And I baked them at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They turned out just as I imagined: hot, crispy and satisfying. And way better than these oven fries that got me started on this hankering several months ago. 

Now, if you really, really want to make this variation of oven fries low-calorie and low-fat, you can make a little homemade fry sauce to dip them in. The cast of characters includes ketchup, mayonnaise, and a little mustard. You mix a 2Tbsps. of the ketchup and 2Tbsps. of mayonnaise together with 1 tsp. of the mustard and you will get this magical mixture that goes perfectly with oven fries. And if you are really gutsy, make the fry sauce with the exact brand of ingredients that I listed for the best results. 

If you aren't up to my variation of the recipe though, I can guarantee you that Ree's recipe is perfection in and of itself without my additions. It has been rather hot here lately so I haven't been in the mood for potatoes for several weeks, but the night I made this recipe the temperature outside did not affect my enjoyment of these delicious little creations.  You might just find that to be the case at your own house.

RECIPE: Crash Hot Potatoes
from The Pioneer Woman

12 whole new potatoes (or other small, round potatoes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
rosemary (or other herbs of choice) to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available).

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.