Strawberry Baked Oatmeal with Chocolate

 

 

Strawberry Baked Oatmeal with Chocolate  Rating: 10

Dessert for breakfast? Yes, please.  This is a real treat, especially with all those ripe, red strawberries this summer. My kids ask for seconds which almost never happens.  It tastes awesome but I am sure they are doing it because they are just that excited that mom has put chocolate chips in their breakfast.

I don't layer it all up like the recipe calls for.  I just put my bananas slices on the bottom of the greased pan and dump all the mixed up dry ingredients on top.  I add about 1/4 cup more strawberries.  Okay, I double it every time and use about 2 1/2 cups or so instead of 2 cups.  I really like the Chinese five spice in it. I use almond milk in place of regular milk and demerara sugar in place of brown sugar. I usually use dark in place of semi-sweet as well.  Very versatile and forgiving so have fun.

I cut out individual servings every morning and just heat in the microwave for 1 minute.  No need to add syrup.  I just drizzle a little almond milk on top to soften it up.

Tofu Peanut Butter Pie

Tofu Peanut Butter Pie  Rating: 10

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

This was great!  thick, creamy, sweet, smooth, crunchy--it was great.  I served this up with only a couple of hours of chilling and it didn't hold together.  But the next day it was set just right. 

Topped it with crushed pretzels and a dark chocolate drizzle and served it in a chocolate graham cracker crust--a total cheat and worth it.  I used a 14 oz. block of soft tofu instead of a 16 oz. one because that is what I had and I reduced the sugar to 2/3 cup of demerara sugar.  I'd even reduce it more next time if I used the same brand of natural peanut butter because it runs sweet for my taste.  No body knew there was tofu in it, not that I hid that fact from them.

UPDATE (9/13/12): We've made this once again.  We used a touch less PB, maybe 3/4 cup and still about 2/3 cup demerara sugar and it was still sweet and creamy enough for us.  And this is what it looked like before we ate it!

Avocado Mango Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Whole Wheat Jalapeno Focaccia

Avocado Mango Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds  Rating: 10

This recipe was one we got from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday when we checked it out from our local library.  His recipes are unique and he often gives variations. 

We would just like to start by saying, God bless Rick Bayless.  We loved this recipe!  There was A LOT happening in our mouths--sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, crispy.  Just delicious.  Those roasted pepitas rocked! 

We went with blue cheese because we like that punch but it can be made with a Mexican cheese.  We added the jalapeno in the dressing, but only half and with seeds and membranes removed.  Also, it calls for Bibb lettuce and that would truly be best as it is tender and would meld well with all the taste bud love going on.  We used our sturdy romaine because that is what we had on hand and we were still very happy.

Whole Wheat Jalapeno Focaccia  Rating: 8

We served it up with this bread.  It was just the right amount of spiciness and with the warmth and the whole wheat, it felt very comforting. 

We've used this focaccia recipe before but with some changes for Orange Rosemary Focaccia.

Mexican Enchilada Sauce

Mexican Enchilada Sauce  Rating: 10

Don't bother buying canned red enchilada sauce.  You have everything you need in your pantry and you'll know what you are putting in your body.  This is easy and yummy. Ole!

If you want total comfort food make homemade corn tortillas for your enchiladas.  These tortillas are a 9 or 10.  We started making our own when we started reading ingredients on packages and got Neal a tortilla press for Christmas.

Ginger Chicken with Coconut and Kale Chips

Ginger Chicken with Coconut  Rating: 7

This recipe came from Tyler Florence's Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating and it was pretty good but nothing overly special.  It felt like comfort food because the coconut milk used.  We used veggie stock in place of chicken stock.

The big hit of this meal was the kale chips.  The whole family could not get enough of them.  A great side or snack for us and our kids since we grow it in our backyard. 

Kale Chips  Rating: 10

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a large bunch of kale, stemmed, and torn into chip size pieces in a bowl, drizzle with a bit of oil (we used garlic infused grapeseed oil) and toss until lightly coated. Spread out on baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.  Put them in the oven and after 5 minutes toss them around on the baking sheet a bit.  Once back in oven check every few minutes.  They get crispy and you don't want too much browning at all.  You are just trying to dry them out not brown them. 

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Banana Nut Oatmeal  Rating: 10

I made this three days in a row it was so yummy.  Just throw 1/2 cup dry rolled oats, one half to one whole very ripe banana mashed, 1 cup water, and 3 Tbsp. flax meal into the pot over medium high heat and stir until it is to your desired consistency.  Take it off the heat and stir in a bit of vanilla extract.  Plop it in a bowl and top with chopped walnuts and a glug of maple syrup.  Quick and yummy.

Seriously Healthy Ice Cream

Just one ingredient needed.  Don't bother pulling out the ice cream maker.

So creamy, satisfying, and easy!  On rare occasion bananas in our house actually reach that brown spotted stage when they are super ripe and getting almost mushy soft.  That, my friends, is when I contrive to gain my family's adoration by peeling the banana, dividing it into 6ths (so they are easy to process and so I know how much banana I am using), and storing them in a quart size freezer bag in our freezer. 

Then I say, "Do you want ice cream tonight?" --sweet treats being only occasional in our home.  Then they laud me tremendously!  That Bible verse, Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed." --yeah, it's because of this ice cream.

Seriously Healthy Ice Cream  Rating: 10

I sometimes make this with just the banana and love it.  Her idea for adding nut butter (I use peanut butter) is great!  Depending on what I've eaten that day and where my calorie count lies, I will add or subtract extra ingredients.  I really like it with peanut butter, dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts best.  You can have fun with this but the calories add up quickly so do behave.  All you need is your food processor!

I love giving my family healthy foods that feel decedent.  I mean who wouldn't hand their kid a banana?!  It's fruit! Win-Win!

Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles -- How Texans Celebrate Pancake Day!

Today is Pancake Day and I decided to make a Apple Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake, for the first time.  It's good to shake things up every now and then.  I even went with a spiced up version to push my boundaries on spiciness since I often fear it.

Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles  Rating: 10

Why hasn't anyone told me about Dutch Babies?!  It's times like these I realize my mother never loved me. (Just kidding, Mom!--if you ever read this, which is unlikely...sniff, sniff)  Before I go and set up that counseling appointment, let me finish...

It was so yum!  Rich, warm heat, apple cinnamon syrupiness (I just made that word), like a giant pancake of love.  The sweet and spicy combo was great. I was so pleased with myself for using the jalapeno (and not obsessively cutting out the hot membranes).  Would do it again in a jiffy (except for the part when I touched my face even hours after handling the peppers -- yikes! Lesson learned).  I even forgot to give it a squeeze of lemon before shoveling it into my mouth.  I know that would have been a nice touch but it will have to wait for next time.

It was beautiful coming out of the oven but started to fall even as I was sprinkling (pouring?) on the powdered sugar, which was expected.  This was an easy recipe that had a good showman factor for company. 

My kids even ate it happily but they both mentioned the heat from the chile.  Sophie upon almost finishing her second serving said, "It's a little bit spicy." and Rhys at the end of his second serving, touched his mouth and announced, "Ow."

I did make changes: 3 Tbsp. instead of 4 Tbsp. of butter, 3 Tbsp. demerara sugar instead of 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon instead of 1/4 tsp., whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.  I used the Granny Smith apples and they were perfect for this.  You could use Rome or any firm-tart apple though.

I hear you can refrigerate the pancake and reheat it in the oven for 10-15 minutes but haven't tried it.  Now that I know about Dutch Babies, it would be hard not to gobble it up as soon as it left the oven anyway.

Can't wait to see what other variations I can try in the future.

Whole Wheat Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Heather's Vegetarian Chili

Our family had fun giving our own salute to the annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Sam Bass Days this weekend.  As part of the celebration we started the day with a chuck wagon breakfast.

Whole Wheat Biscuits  Rating: 7

Sausage Gravy  Rating: 8

It was not as rich feeling as the fattier version with white flour and pork sausage but it was a good substitution.

That evening we continued the cowboy theme with Heather's Vegetarian Chili.  This comes from our friend, Heather Lindeman, and we use it often. 

Heather's Vegetarian Chili  Rating: 10

Ingredients
1 tsp. vegetable oil (we use grapeseed)
1 med. onoin, chopped (1/2 cup) (we have also used rehydrated onion flakes successfully)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 sm. zucchini, jullieaned (we just chop it)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 15oz. cans chili beans with liquid
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup water (may not be necessary, check consistency before adding)

We also add 2 finely chopped kale leaves

Method
1. Heat oil and saute all veggies.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and seasonings.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer 20 minutes.

It's easy, quick, and just the right spiciness for Keri and the kids. Neal likes to add a little more heat to his individual bowl.  We sometimes top ours with a dallop of sour cream.

Basil Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It is National Pancake Week!  How about a more sophisticated pancake to celebrate?  These sound odd to some but the flavor combination is delicious and a happy wake up call for the mouth.  Herbs such as lavendar, rosemary, mint, and here, basil, are often paired with sweets.  These pancakes should be a safe place to start if you are unsure about venturing out.

I first saw the idea at Simply Scratch.  But I am much to lazy to make her pancakes so I just do my thing.

Basil Chocolate Chip Pancakes  Rating: 10

2 cups Go-To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. oil (I usually use grape seed or coconut)
1 1/2-2 cups milk, depending on the consistency you like
2 Tbsp.(or more) fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, less even

Cook them up on the griddle over medium heat and enjoy with pure maple syrup.  Makes about 10 pancakes depending on the size.  Two 4 inch pancakes are a hearty serving in my book.

Other possible choices to celebrate National Pancake Week:
Aloha Panckes
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Fresh Corn Pancakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Enjoy!

Apple Nachos

February is National Snack Food Month and I'd like to counter all the junk food options with a quick, easy, and fun snack that is a treat to eat.

Apple Nachos  Rating: 10

I make single servings with one apple sliced in 16ths and drizzle it with 1 Tbsp. of microwaved creamy natural peanut butter.  Then I sprinkle on the goodness but sparingly, as the calories can add up quick.  These apple nachos really don't need much to make my tastebuds happy.  I usually add 2-3 toppings on top of the peanut butter drizzle.

Topping options I usually add in 1-1 1/2 Tbsps. are:
chopped walnuts, almonds, or peanuts
shredded unsweetened coconut
raisins
dried cranberries
granola
dark chocolate chips (it really doesn't take much)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon

Have fun creating your favorite combo.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

This was very well received by a group of friends we had over for tapas and dessert.  I can only make this to share with others so I do not binge on the entire recipe.  I came pretty close to that when I made this around Thanksgiving.  Thanks for helping me out this time pals!

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries  Rating: 10

We use dark chocolate chips for this sweet.  Use salted pistachios if you like the salty/sweet combo.  Go ahead and double the orange zest.  You will not be sorry you did.  We use dried cranberries instead of cherries.  I love fresh cherries but anything else just makes me think of cough syrup.  I have a friend that feels the same way about black licorice, apparently.  She eats Twizzlers!  But she is a good person so I will try to look past that little foible, if she will try to see past my judgmental nature.

Also, we line the baking sheet with parchment paper instead of foil.  It turns out well without worrying about wrinkles and cleans up easy.

Spanakopita Triangles

Spanakopita Triangles  Rating: 10 

Yep, a 10! Opa! (Greek exclamation that is the equivalent of "Hooray!", "Woohoo!", "Heck Yeah!", or "Yeehaw!"

I had leftover phyllo dough from this recipe and already knew Neal and I liked spanakopita (a spinach and feta cheese stuffed pie) from dining experiences at Greek restaurants.  I was also secretly hoping this would be a way to get some more greens into my kids.

These were easy and very good!  I got to use my microplane to grate the whole nutmeg which always make me feel extra "chefy."  I threw a salad together and added some dried dill to some plain Greek yogurt for a quick and befitting veggie dip while the triangles baked.

Neal said it was commensurate to the best restaurant ones he has had and my kids asked for seconds! I loved these.  We served them as a main dish but they make great appetizers as well.

I still have phyllo dough so I wonder what will be next to use it up.

Andy's Cranberry Apple Pie with Walnut Crumb Topping

Our local library has a copy of Apple Pie Perfect: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America's Favorite Pie by Ken Haedrich and this is the first of his pie recipes we have done but we have many others bookmarked. 

Andy's Cranberry Apple Pie with Walnut Crumb Topping  Rating: 8

You'll have to hunt down the recipe yourself due to copyright laws.  The directions were easy to follow and produced a good pie.  We used only Jonigold apples because they were on special this week and are a decent baking apple.  We made our usual substitutions of demerara sugar for the regular granulated sugar and whole wheat for all-purpose flour.  I can't believe I'm saying this but I think the crumb topping was overly generous.  The cranberries made for a pretty pink slice.

If you are wondering where I found cranberries now that the holidays are over, I freeze them.  Lots of them.  They are easily added into the recipe straight from the freezer.

I did use my preferred whole wheat pie crust recipe: Giddy Gabby's Single 9" Whole Wheat Pastry Shell (Rating: 10), despite the irksome name.  It always produces a wonderful crust and now that we have a food processor, it is quick to create.  This crust can also be used for savory quiches and the like.

We made it to share with company and this is what was left the next day.  Honestly, I know that is mostly due to my addiction to sweets.  But we and our friends gave it an 8 so there you have it.

Citrus Broccoli Stir-Fry with Brown Sauce

The best thing to happen to stir fry in this house is a good brown sauce and orange zest.  Yum! 

Citrus Broccoli Stir-Fry Rating 10

Ingredients;
1 small onion cut into bite size chunks
1 yellow bell pepper cut into bite size chunks
2 carrots diced
3 broccoli crowns roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
zest from half an orange

Feel free to add or remove vegetables as desired, there is nothing that can't go into a stir fry.

For the sauce;
3/4 cup of your favorite stock (we use vegetable stock that Keri makes)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

Mix about 1/4 cup of your stock with the cornstarch and set aside.  Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small pot on medium-low heat

While the sauce is warming up, add about 1 tbsp oil (we used grape seed, you want an oil with a high smoke point) to your cooking vessel of choice ( I recommend a Wok for this, they are awesome and are relatively inexpensive <$20.00 at Ikea).  Cooking on a wok can go quickly so you need to constantly be watching it.

Now comes the time when knowing how long it takes to cook vegetables really helps since we want them all to be the same doneness.  So once your wok is warmed up add the carrots and cook for about 1 minute before adding in the peppers and onions, continue to cook and additional 2 minutes and add the garlic and ginger.

Once the sauce has come to a simmer add the reserved stock/cornstarch mixture and stir in to avoid any clumping. 

Add the broccoli to the stir fry and cook until the broccoli turns bright green in color, add the sauce and coat everything together.  Add the orange zest and stir again and remove from heat.  Serve immediately.

We served it with the Asian Quinoa we love so much.  Upon making the quinoa Keri discovered the fresh ginger had become, well, less than fresh so she substituted a scant 1/2 tsp. of ginger powder and it turned out equally well.

Additionally I like my food spicier than everyone else, so I always add red chili sauce or General Tso's sauce.

Our Go-To Granola

Do you want your home to smell like heaven on earth?!  Make your own granola.  No sweat.  Really. 

We love ganola as a quick breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert.  A bit with some dried cranberries and raisins, or all that atop plain greek yogurt is divine.  Our Go-To Granola is just slightly adjusted Jamie Oliver's Granola.  The recipe below is actually a pretty close online version.

Go-To Granola Rating 10

The changes we have made to this recipe are using 2 tsp. of cinnamon, 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. agave syrup instead of the 5 Tbsp. of pure maple syrup (although it's great that way too), and we don't add the dried fruit.  We add it later when we fix ourselves the bowl.  We use sunflower seeds and pepitas for the seeds.  Mix it up a little!

Just look at that yumminess!  I feel like I've won the lottery when one of those giant roasted brazil nuts lands in my bowl!

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Pasta in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce

WARNING:  This is a recipe of the unhealthy kind.  I actually wrote, "So high in fat, it is only to be served once a year or less!" at the top of my printed recipe page.  Notwithstanding, it receives a 10 rating.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Pasta in Brown Butter Sage Sauce  Rating: 10

I used an apple chicken sausage that was the perfect match for this recipe.  I also used demerara sugar in place of the dark brown and campanelle pasta as opposed to the orecchiette pasta.  Aren't the campanelle cute?!  Perfect for catching all that heart-stopping butter.

Neal and I just kept eating forkful after forkful and looking at each other knowingly.  The look of sweet sorrow--that this was a 10 but that we knew we were killing ourselves by eating it. And we are quite open to eating full fat products; but this recipe was ridiculous. 

My dear four-year-old strongly attests that "ridiculous" is a bad word and we should not say it.  She is deaf to our objections.  So I will say that this recipe was "redonkulous," which is perfectly acceptable in her mind.

It tasted like heaven.  Glug, glug...was that my heart?!

Cranberry Almond Whole Wheat Pancakes

Wow!  Our first absolutely underwhelming recipe for the blog! 

Cranberry Almond Whole Wheat Pancakes  Rating 5

I love cranberries!  I love almonds!  I love pancakes!  These, I imagined would be wonderfully nutty and sweet and tart all at once.  I love the wallop cranberries pack both healthwise and flavorwise.  These pancakes did not deliver.  They didn't even come close.

I used my Go-To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix (Rating 10) as the base.  If I was going in thinking I was having plain whole wheat pancakes, I would have been satisfied.  But these had all that extra yumminess added in and it just was a snore-fest.  I'm pretty bummed I wasted some of our coveted frozen cranberries we put away this winter.

Acorn Squash Quesadillas

Love this recipe!  This is my definition of healthy comfort food. 

Acorn Squash Quesadillas  Rating 10

As much as I love this recipe I do not make it too often because it is a little labor intensive and because I so often try new recipes, I seldom fit the 'tried and true' recipes in.  It is fun to roast my own peppers over the burners though.  I feel like such a pyro! (Once put strips of paper in a jack-o-lantern and set it on fire in my bedroom as a kid!)

If you roast your own peppers, your house will smell amazingly good and guest that come over will ask what smells so good.  We've had company drop in the last two times I've made these and on both occasions the yummy aroma has been noted.

We cut the oil by a tablespoon and used homemade whole wheat tortillas.  They are really good on sprouted grain tortillas as well.  We served them up with sour cream and jarred salsa tonight.

Blackberries and Coconut Oatmeal Bake

 Heaven on a spoon! This is a big 10!

January is National Oatmeal Month so I will be spotlighting a few different oatmeal dishes.  I used to think oatmeal was like warm goop that tasted like nothing.  As a kid, all we ever did to dress up oatmeal dump imitation maple syrup and raisins on it.  My quality of life has greatly improved since I explored a little.

Blackberries and Coconut Oatmeal Bake  Rating: 10

I've never been a big morning person but since I started exercising it's not so hard anymore.  I prepare the dried ingredients the night before and set out what I can for the rest of the recipe, i.e., baking pan, measuring utensils, and other non-perishable ingredients.  I got up this morning, turned on the oven, finished preparing the dish, and slipped it in to bake while I did my workout.  On my treadmill I could smell the sweet aroma of the cinnamon and coconut and increased the incline because I knew anything that enticing would be detrimental to my daily calorie allowance.

The substitutions I made were using full fat coconut milk (but I put it in the fridge overnight and skimmed off most the cream for a recipe I'll use later in the week, before pouring the remainder in this bake) and demerara sugar.  I greased the pan with coconut oil, used a combo of coconut oil and butter for the amount of butter that was called for, and I did sprinkle it with coconut and a bit more sugar as suggested. 

Although the family ate it up, we still have a few portions left to warm up for another breakfast or dessert.  Heaven!