Ginger Peanut Pasta Salad

I found this recipe in the Whole Foods magazine. I changed a few things. I really enjoyed this! It's super easy.

3-4 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
2 T. rice vinegar
1 1/2 t. minced fresh ginger
1 t. soy sauce or braggs aminos
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 t. lime zest
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 c. thawed peas

1. Puree the penaut butter, vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, zest, and 2 T. cilantro in a blender until smooth. Add a little water if needed.
2. Toss together the pasta, vegetables, and sauce. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

I've Had Enough!

That's it! It's time for something to come to an end. Early this morning, I went on a nice long bike ride. I love bike rides because I always do my best thinking while enjoying the fresh air and peace of nature. Last night some nice friends brought over some yummy Easter treats. I completely over induldged myself and of course, woke up not feeling the greatest. So, it's time to make it known. I, Mari have an addiction to sugar! It's time to nip it in the bud. I'm tired of waking up with sore throats and having yeast issues during my pregnancy. I'm tired of not being able to control myself if there's sugar in the room. So there's only one thing to do: give it up! I'm letting everyone know (if anyone even reads this blog) that white sugar and any type of corn syrup will not be a part of my life any longer. I've had enough. So amongst all the Easter treats this weekend, I will not be partaking. Sugar: I will not miss all your negative side effects, speed to my aging, and nutritional depletion that you give to my body. I'm ready to be free and healthy! Anyone: if you read this, please the next time you see me, ask me how the sugar thing is going, I need to be accountable!

Anyone want to join me?

Sweet Potato Donuts with cinnamon agave glaze

The other day I was craving donuts big time. But being the cheap frugal person that I am, I decided we wouldn't buy them but try and find a good recipe and make them ourselves. But how could I make them healthy? Donuts and healthy, impossible right? Actually this recipe is not entirely all bad. I searched the internet and the first recipe I found was the "Secret Donut Recipe". Not so secret anymore I guess. It used mashed potatoes as part of the recipe. I decided we would swap that out for sweet potato and try half whole wheat flour, and cook it in coconut oil. No frosting on these, we made a cinnamon agave glaze from Ani's Raw Food Desserts. I have to say they were absolutely divine! So good immediately after cooking, and okay later that day. I will definitely be doing them again. They do have a lot of yeast in them though, so next time I think I will divide the yeast in half and just let them rise a little longer. Enjoy!


Donuts:
Microwave 1 cup of milk so that it is warm (not hot) add the 5 teaspoons of yeast (2 packets) and a pinch of sugar and stir. Let stand for about 5 minutes


In a bowl combine:
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1/2 cup of warm mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of sugar


Then in the bowl add:The milk mixture (from above) and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Mix the dough well by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes.

Prepare your kneading surface by spreading a few tablespoons of flour on a smooth surface.

Put the dough in the middle of the flour and sprinkle a little flour on top and on your hands. Knead the dough a few times. It will be smooth and soft, not tough.

Once the dough has been kneaded, spread it out to be a half inch thick with your hands or with a rolling pin.
Now it is time to cut out the donuts, you can use a donut cutter or...
Just use something about the same size and then...
Find something to make the hole with.


Place the donuts on a floured pan to let rise as you get the oil ready. Let them rise for a total of ten minutes (it takes about five minutes for the oil to heat up).
Pour about a half inch of coconut oil into a pan.
The oil needs to be about 360 degrees which on my stove is about Medium to Medium High. If the oil starts to smoke it is way too hot.

Test the oil with some of the scraps of dough and when it is ready cook the donuts until golden brown on each side. This doesn't take very long at all, so watch closely.

Allow the donuts to cool on a rack or on some paper so that the oil soaks off.


Cinnamon glaze:
1/4 c. agave
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix together and drizzle over the donuts! Yumm!

Soft Pretzel Bites

Ok so these aren't the most healthy thing, but we tried them out anyway. They were pretty easy and so yummy. I tried one batch with half whole wheat flour and one that was all white flour. Both very tasty and very similar to the soft pretzels you can get at the mall or other places. I got this recipe from twopeasandtheirpod.com.

Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast

3 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

3 quarts water

3/4 cup baking soda

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt

For the Pretzels:

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape.

Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.

Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time.

Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon.

Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching.

Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce, recipe below.

*You may need to add more water as the boiling process goes on. Make sure you have about the same amount of water with the baking soda, or it will taste like baking soda.

Cheddar cheese sauce:

½ Tablespoon unsalted butter

½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup milk

8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

For the cheese sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

*If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don’t measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

Recipe makes a lot of bites-perfect for sharing!

Yummy sandwich

I love grocery shopping day! I warned Martin that this grocery shopping trip for the two weeks would be mostly veggies. I've really been wanting to get more a variety of veggies so I did it. I bought great things like beets, turnips, sundried tomatoes, sugar snap peas, jicama, and the list goes on. I made this fabulous sandwich for lunch. I was in heaven, I'm loving all the different veggies!

2 slices whole grain bread

slices of fresh parmesan cheese

sun dried tomatoes

spinach and parsley pesto (recipe in another post)

avocado slices

a few leaves of fresh basil

1 slice of turkey

leaves of romaine lettuce

1. Build it and enjoy, yum!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls

Here's a recipe I kind of started out with from Ani's Desserts and then I pretty much changed everything. Easy and you don't have to cook it.

1 c. rolled oats

1/4 c. shredded coconut

1/3 c. raisins

1/3 c. soaked dates

1-2 T. agave

1/4 c. peanut butter

1-2 T. coconut oil, liquified

1 T. ground flax seed

1. Put oats in a blender or food processor and blend a little, not to a fine flour

2. Chop raisins and dates finely

3. Combine all the ingredients and mix well

4. Roll into balls and you're done!

Breakfast is Changing

This week I've been trying to have more of a veggie breakfast. It has really helped me to not have such a drop in my blood sugar by the afternoon, which is when I crave the sweets the most. So I've been trying cold soups first thing in the morning. I know, sounds so bizarre. But I've actually really enjoyed it. By the third day, I woke up and was craving it, which is pretty weird for me. So here's a few I've tried, but you could do almost anything combined with tomato and cucumber. They are very similar. It will be good to have more fresh herbs in the summer and change it up a lot.

Cold Veggie Soup
2 roma tomatoes
1 small mini cucumber or 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled if needed
1/4 peeled avocado
few fresh basil leaves
few stalks of cilantro, leaves only
pinch of celtic salt
1 T. olive oil

1. Put all of it in a blender and blend until desired consistency.
2. Top with chopped cucumber, cilantro leaves, and avocado

Cold Veggie Soup #2
2 roma tomatoes
1 small cucumber, pelled if needed
1/4 avocado, peeled
1/4 red bell pepper
pinch of Celtic salt
few stalks of cilantro, leaves only
juice of 1/2 of a lemon or lime

1. Put all of it in the blender and blend.
2. Top with cilantro leaves, chopped red bell peppers

You could probably double or triple these recipes and keep them in the fridge for the next day. they could be altered in so many ways too. Add some celery or carrot juice or spinach or other greens. It's great to have something a little different everyday.

Basic Stock

The leftovers

I love making my own chicken and veggie broth. It's so easy, tastes good, and is so much better for you.

chicken bones

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

other veggies: zucchini, tomatoes, garlic cloves minced, etc.

basil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, bay leaves, others as desired

water

large pot

1. Combine all items in a big pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 hours. Taste and add spices as needed.

2. Drain out the veggies and cool the broth.

3. Freeze in 1 or 2 cup servings in baggies and lay on a cookie sheet to freeze.

Broth still steaming

Carob Bark

Seriously this stuff is soooo good. And even better, it's so easy to make. I got the basis of it from Ani's Raw Desserts but changed it a little.

1/2 c. coconut oil, liquified

1/4 c. carob powder

1-2 t. agave nectar

1/3 c. roughly chopped soaked almonds

2 T. shredded coconut

1/4 c. raisins

1. Combine oil, carob, and agave and stir well and remove all lumps.

2. Add almonds, coconut, and raisins and stir to coat.

3. Line a small pan with waxed paper.

4. Spread mixture on the waxed paper and put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until hardened.

5. Break apart into pieces and keep in the fridge.

Granola

Ryan and I made granola this morning while Kate was taking a nap. I started out with a suggested recipe from a friend but then of course we jazzed it up and changed some things. I think it turned out great, not too sweet as granola can sometimes be.

5 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
2 c. bran flakes
3/4 c. raisins
2 c. wheat flour
1 c. cheerios

1 c. honey
3/4 c. coconut oil
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla
pinch of sea salt
2 T. peanut butter (opt.)

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix all wet ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook on low heat to liquify the coconut oil and mix together well.
3. Pour the wet over the dry and mix really well to coat all the pieces of grains and seeds.
4. Divide into 2 batches and spread each batch on a lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Cook at 275 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy as a cereal or with yogurt.

Carob Sauce covered bananas

I got this recipe from "Ani's Raw Food Desserts". I changed it a little. The kids loved them, and so did I.


Carob Sauce
1/2 c. coconut oil, liquified
about 1/4 c. carob powder
1/2 T. agave, optional


1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Cut a banana in half and place on a skewer.
3. Dip or drizzle the banana in the sauce.
4. Roll in your favorite toppings, almond pulp, chopped nuts, seeds, coconut.
5. Freeze until firm, at least a few hours.


We rolled ours in almond pulp and shredded coconut. You could also use this for strawberries, pineapple or other fruits.

Veggie enchiladas

I combined two recipes and had this for lunch today. I enjoyed it!

Enchilada sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, chopped and pureed if desired

1 t. cumin

1 t. salt

1/4 t. oregano

2 t. chili powder

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 T. minced onion

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and simmer in a pan for 20-30 minutes.

Filling:

1/4-1/2 lb. spinach, fresh or frozen

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 onion, diced

1. Heat a small pan over medium heat and add about 1 T. oil. Sautee spinach, carrot, and onion for a few minutes until softened.

Tortillas:

corn tortillas

oil

1. Place a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat, enough to cover the bottom.

2. Dip the tortillas on each side in the oil for just a few seconds.

Assembly:

1. After dipping the tortillas, top with a spoonful of the veggie mixture and the sauce and a bit of shredded cheese, if desired.

2. Roll up and place in a pan sprayed with oil.

3. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

4. top the tortillas with a little bit of sauce and cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until hot.

Top with shredded lettuce, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.

Spinach and Parsley Pesto

I am totallly missing the fresh basil from the summer garden, so I decided on trying a new pesto. The measurements are all approximate. I ate it three different ways. First I spread it on tilapia and cooked it on a skillet on the stove top, then I just had it as a sauce with wheat pasta, and today I spread it on my sandwich. On my sandwich I put the pesto, turkey, cheese, and spinach. I also just made bread the previous day, so it was moist and sooooo yummy! It was all very fabulous!

2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/3 bunch of fresh parsley, leaves only
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
olive oil

Place spinach, parsley, parmesan, garlic, and salt in a blender. Add enough oil to allow the blender to blend. Continously taste and add more ingredients as necessary.

You can freeze any leftovers.

Italian Chicken and Couscous

I found this in Betty Crocker's cookbook. I had some couscous in the fridge and was looking for a recipe to cook it in. I really liked this! I would change a few things though, next time. I'd only do 1/2 c. couscous, 1 c. broth, and 2 cans tomatoes instead of just one. But other than that it was very good.

1 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can stewed tomatoes, liquid reserved

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into strips

1 onion, sliced

1/2 t. oregano

1/8 t. pepper

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, cut in half, then slices

3/4 c. couscous

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook one minute.

2. Stir in tomato liquid, chicken, onion, oregano, and pepper. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir in broth, heat to boiling. Stir in zucchini, couscous, and tomatoes. Cover and cook about 5 minutes.