Hummus Crusted Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest...as usual. It was a good, very quick and simple recipe.  AND a new and more interesting way to eat chicken breasts, which is always a plus! 

Hummus Crusted Chicken

recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven

4 boneless chicken breasts

salt & pepper

granulated garlic

1 cup hummus, any kind you like.  Or make your own!

1 lemon

smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 450.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken down.  Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.  Cover each piece of chicken with a generous coating of hummus.  Sprinkle the top with smoked paprika and squeeze the lemon over the top.  Bake 20-30 minutes, checking to make sure the chicken is cooked through.  This was great served with garlic, rosemary & olive oil quinoa and roasted veggies.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Someone in our household has been sick enough to stay home for one entire month. I will be so happy to say farewell to March next week!! We are finally better and I'm back to blogging.  To make up for my lack of posts lately, I'm bringing you not only Ranch Dressing, but also this delicious salad.

When I first made the BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad and we were "mmmmm-ing" Rob said, "You have to adapt this to Buffalo Chicken!"  So last week I made this.  We loved this.  It is perfect for summer.  This would be just as good without the chicken if you prefer vegetarian or you could add an extra can of chickpeas to bump up the protein.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 c. quinoa

one cube or 1 Tb. vegetable bouillon

3 c. water

1/2 lb. chicken breast, cooked & shredded

1/4 red onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled & grated

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. buffalo sauce + extra for serving (I use Frank's buffalo sauce)

1-2 Tb. Frank's Red Hot (optional)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

black pepper to taste

Ranch dressing for serving

Combine the water, quinoa and bouillon in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork and season with granulated garlic and black pepper.  In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, chicken, red onion, green onion, celery, grated carrots, garbanzo beans and buffalo sauce.  If you like it extra spicy ad 1-2 Tb. Frank's Red hot sauce. Either serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat.  To serve, fill a bowl with a serving of the salad, drizzle with ranch dressing and extra buffalo sauce.

Garlic, Rosemary & Olive Oil Quinoa

This photo isn't a great one of just the quinoa, but I just threw the side dish together, not thinking it would be super tasty...but it was. So when Rob insisted that I blog the "recipe" I had to make it again and take notes, this is such an easy, quick side dish that would go with lots of dinners.  I served it with Hummus Crusted Chicken, which I will blog later, and it was a yummy, healthy meal!

On a side note, I buy my quinoa at Costco in a big bag and it's much cheaper than at the health food store...in case you were wondering.

Garlic, Rosemary & Olive Oil Quinoa

1 c. quinoa

2 c. water

2 Tb. olive oil

2 heaping Tb minced onion (red, yellow or white onion, or shallot)

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3/4 tsp. dried rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

Combine the quinoa and water in a sauce pan and cover. Heat on medium-high heat until it starts to boil, turn heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet.  Cook the minced onion 2-3 minutes and stir in garlic and rosemary heating another minute.  Turn the heat off and let the oil sit until the quinoa is cooked.  Once the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and pour in the olive oil mixture.  Serve right away.

Chicken Enchilada Squash Boats

It has been a bit of a blogging lull for me the last couple weeks.  I got sick.  Sicker than I can remember being in a long time!  And being out of commission for a week left me behind on life!  I am getting back into the swing of things finally and excited to share this recipe with you...writing this post makes me want to eat it again!

I saw this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats on the Skinny Taste blog and I couldn't wait to make them.  I had loads of yellow squash that I got from Market on the Move that needed to be used up right away and I am currently obsessed with homemade enchilada sauce...so it was meant to be!  I adapted the recipe a little bit to make more....because we eat a lot I guess.  You can definitely eat 2-3 of these boats without feeling super stuffed because they're so low-cal/carb. We liked this so much that I made them a few days later for my sister in-law after she had a baby and they loved it too!

I would like to say that, making homemade enchilada sauce is key. You can absolutely sub a can of sauce if you have to/want to...but the homemade sauce makes it!  On the Skinny Taste blog she gives nutrition facts, I changed the recipe a little bit and added a little more chicken, so this recipe may be a few more calories but that would be a good guideline if you're curious!

Chicken Enchilada Squash Boats

recipe adapted from Skinny Taste

Enchilada Sauce--I recommend making it!  Half the recipe is plenty so freeze the rest for later.

6-7 medium yellow squash or zucchini

1 colored bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 c. red onion, finely chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1/3-1/2 c. chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

2 Tb. tomato paste

1/4 c. + 2 Tb. water

salt & pepper to taste

1 lb chicken, cooked & shredded (crockpot, boiled, grilled, however you like)

shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Wash and dry the squash and slice lengthwise in half.  Using a small spoon or scoop, scoop out the insides of the squash and set aside, leaving a 1/4 around the edges.  Place the squash boats upside down on a plate and microwave 1-3 minutes.  You want to just take the crispness off of the raw squash. After a minute rearrange them on the plate to get even cooking.  While you are par-cooking the squash boats, chop the reserved flesh that you  have set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 400. Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions & bell pepper over medium heat 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to soften.  Add in chopped squash and continue cooking a few more minutes.  Stir in chopped cilantro & garlic and season with salt & pepper, cumin, chili powder and oregano.  Stir in the tomato paste and water, reduce heat to medium-low and let everything cook together 2 minutes.  Mix in the shredded chicken and heat through.  At this point if you would like the filling a little saucier, pour in a little bit of the enchilada sauce to your liking.  

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray (you may need a second pan depending on the size of your squash).  Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Fill each boat with chicken filling, press it down and place in the pan.  Top each boat with 2 Tb. enchilada sauce and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Cover the pan(s) with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Any leftover chicken filling makes for a great salad topping or also would freeze well. This is a great meal to serve with cilantro lime rice, chips and salsa, or Mexican style pinto beans.



Green Goddess Vinaigrette

This dressing is so delicious.  Seriously, it's our new favorite.  My mom made this recipe up and when she wrote it down for me and I looked at the recipe, it looked weird so I stuck it in the cupboard and forgot about it.  Then, I was at my mom's house and ate the dressing...and that was it.  It.  Is. So. Good. It's all natural, no chemicals like you might find in some grocery store dressings...and it isn't $6 for a bottle!  Win, win.

When you're looking for tahini, might I suggest you avoid purchasing the orange and white can of tahini?  It isn't very good.  At all.  But there are many brands out there in jars that taste awesome and my favorite is the one sold at World Market...and it's a good price.

Green Goddess Vinaigrette

recipe from my mom

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsp. sugar

3 Tb. soy sauce

1/4 c. fresh parsley

1-2 green onions, chopped

2 Tb.(heaping) tahini

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

pepper (no salt because the soy sauce is so salty)

Put everything in the blender and blend until parsley, onions, and garlic is pureed and everything is incorporated.  Refrigerate up to 10 days.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice

I'm posting this recipe just to show you all how simple it can be to make food you already like vegetarian or even vegan.  Now, I still insist that I have no intentions of becoming a vegan but I do believe that eating fewer animal products could do everyone a little good.  So, this recipe has so been done before, but we really, really love this meal (I probably make it every other week),  it freezes well (minus the rice) and is very inexpensive, easy and flavorful.  All that to say there isn't anything eye-opening about this but it's easy.  When I'm making something like this I up the seasonings a little bit to make up for the sausage that is usually in this meal, which adds flavor and salt.

On a side note, the best vegetable base/stock/bouillion I've found is Organic Better Than Bouillion Vegetable Base.  It's so good.  I haven't found it at my regular grocery store but Sprouts has it all the time.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice

1 lb dried small red beans, rinsed (kidney beans are not the same)

6 c. water + 2 Tb vegetable base

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. Tony's or seasoned salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. smoked paprika

dash of liquid smoke

For Serving:

cooked rice

4 green onions, sliced

Frank's Red Hot

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours.  Mash the beans some with a fork or a potato masher.  To serve, ladle some beans into a bowl and top with  rice, sprinkle with green onions & serve with Frank's Red Hot.

 

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Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Tamale Bake

Eating vegan is no big deal.  I mean, don't get me wrong, the thought of eating vegan for a month freaked me out, but once I got into the groove of it (read: found a suitable half and half substitution for my coffee) it's no biggie.  I've made several vegan meals and my family of five has enjoyed them all, which is super exciting!

This recipe I adapted from the chicken tamale bake, and despite the vegan adaptions, it was great.  If you're  eating vegetarian feel free to use a real egg in place of the flax egg and sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top. If you have time to roast the veggies ahead of time that will make putting this meal together even faster.

Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Tamale Bake

2 small yellow squash or zuchinni, thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 bell peppers, any color, thinly sliced

1 can black beans, drained very well (I dried mine with a paper towel!)

1 box jiffy corn muffin mix

1 Tb flax meal + 3 Tb. water (or 1 egg)

1/3 c. milk of your choice (I used soy milk)

1 can creamed corn

1 tsp. cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 10 oz can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 425.  Layer the yellow squash on one cookie sheet and the peppers and onions on a another cookie sheet.  Bake 10 minutes then stir with a spatula and rotate the pans.  Bake another 10 minutes.  At this point the squash should be cooked but the peppers may need longer.  Cook peppers & onions until they are soft.  Remove the veggies from the oven and then them cool.  

 

Turn the oven down to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  In a small bowl or ramekin mix the flax meal with the water and let it stand 5 minutes.  Stir the flax egg before dumping it into the corn mixture. Mix together the corn muffin mix, flax egg, milk, creamed corn, cumin & cayenne pepper and stir well to combine.

 

Pour the corn mixture into the 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and poke holes in the corn cake with a fork.  Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn cake and then layer on the roasted veggies and black beans.  Return to the oven another 15-20 minutes or until the corn cake is cooked through.  Top with sour cream or tofutti "Better than Sour Cream", if desired.

 

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Vegan Black Eyed Pea Bowls with Red Hot Tahini

Apparently I'm on Christmas Break too...but trying to get back into the swing of things, and back into the healthy eating swing especially! WAY too many cookies, chocolate pretzel bark, au gratin potatoes, shrimp scampi, etc... 

This month on Cracked Up Kitchen I will feature healthy recipes with vegan recipes at least once a week.  I know, I know, don't freak out.  I will throw a couple fun recipes in there also, but I know most people are trying to eat healthier in the new year and I think eating vegan gets a bad rap.  Lots of people think vegans eat weeds from the backyard and wear hemp cologne and smoke pot are hippies.  But vegan food can be delicious and even your family could like a recipe or two if you tried it.  

Now, we have no intentions of becoming permanently vegan or even vegetarian, we just want to attempt to eat healthier, reduce our animal product consumption, and be fit.  I have committed to eat vegan for the month of January (six days a week;) so I will be trying out lots of new recipes and I'll tell you how it goes! 

Today's recipe was a three thumbs up meal for the entire family.  As I was assembling my kids' bowls I said a little prayer that I would be patient if they were grossed out by it.  Which was completely the opposite of their reactions.  Two of my three little eaters ate seconds and Robbie immediately said, "Wow mom, this is good!" So if you're contemplating trying a vegan meal, try this!  I found this recipe at Post Punk Kitchen and I would've never thought I should make it just by  looking at the recipe but her photo was so delicious looking I had to try it and am so glad I did.  I realize that eating black eyed peas (Hoppin' John) is traditionally done on New Year's Day but I didn't feel like cooking so whatever!

A couple short cuts: You can absolutely use 2 cans of black eyed peas instead of cooking from dried.  I was really short on time yesterday so I used 2 cans of collared greens instead of sauteing my own, but fresh would be just perfect, probably better. Prep ahead of time, you can make the tomato salad, peas, rice & sauce ahead of time and reheat when you're ready to eat.  That's what I did and it made getting dinner on the table super quick.

Vegan Black Eyed Pea Bowls with Red Hot Tahini

recipe adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

Hoppin' John

1 lb bag dried black eyed peas

1 Tb. liquid smoke

2 bay leaves

salt

water

Greens:

2 cans collared greens, drained

granulated garlic &seasoned salt for seasoning

Tomato Salad:

2 c. chopped tomatoes, about 3 big roma tomatoes

3 large green onions, sliced thinly

1/3 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt & pepper

2 Tb. red wine vinegar

Red Hot Tahini

1/2 c. tahini

1/3 c. Frank's Red Hot sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. water (or more)

6 c. cooked rice for serving, whatever kind you like.  I used long grain & wild rice.

You can cook your black eyed peas on the stove or in a crockpot, keep in mind they cook faster than typical beans. Either simmer the peas in water with the liquid smoke and bay leaf 30 minutes or until al-dente, OR add the peas to a slow-cooker, cover them with water, add liquid smoke & bay leaves and cook on low 2-3 hours. Drain water & remove the bay leaves before serving.

While the black eyed peas are cooking make the tomato salad by combining the chopped tomatoes, green onions, parsley, salt, pepper & red wine vinegar in a bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  To make the red hot tahini sauce add all ingredients to a blender jar and blend until smooth.  You may want to add more water to get a consistency that's good for drizzling.  Directly before serving heat the greens & seasonings until hot.  To assemble the black eyed pea bowls layer rice, black eyed peas, greens, tomato salad & drizzle the top with the red hot tahini.  Enjoy! I love the mix of hot rice, beans & greens topped with cold tomatoes and sauce.  So yummy!

 

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Roasted Garlic Hummus

This seems like an appropriate post-Thanksgiving post.  I mean, I will speak for myself here in that I ate WAY too much junk...and with Christmas cookies right around the corner I need to load up on fresh fruits and veggies while I have the willpower to do so.

I have made my own hummus several times but wasn't ever super thrilled with it because I felt like the tahini overpowered it and it wasn't ever very smooth.  So I continually buy the Sabra hummus at Sam's Club (like, every single week) because it's really good and a super cheap price there.  Then, I read the Pinch of Yum's hummus tutorial and gave homemade hummus another try.  This recipe is SO easy, VERY inexpensive and is SO SO good & creamy.  

If you head over to her site you'll see that she makes a huge point of peeling the skins off of the chickpeas, which I have never heard of, and sounded like a pain in the rear but I did it and they just pop right off!  (Note--it does take a little time.)  My four year-old "helped" me and we just tossed everything in the food processer and BAM, hummus.  We love garlic but if you're not into it you could certainly reduce the amount, leave it out or substitute a clove or two of raw garlic for the roasted.  

Roasted Garlic Hummus

recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

4-6 cloves garlic

spray of oil

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 Tb. olive oil

1/2 c. water

sea salt to taste

dash of cumin

dash of smoked paprika

To roast the garlic preheat the oven to 350, peel the cloves and put in a small piece of foil. Spray with oil spray and wrap into a little packet.  Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes, check before removing.  The garlic is roasted when it is soft and golden-brown. Set aside.  In the meantime peel the chickpeas, just pinch them until the skins pop off and discard the skins.  Once the chickpeas are peeled and the garlic is roasted toss the chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, smoked paprika & olive oil into the food processer.  (If using a blender instead, pour a little water in first before the beans.) Process until smooth.  Then, slowly stream the water in until you get the desired consistency.  You may end up using more or less than 1/2 c. of water, just keep an eye on it.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  Serve with veggies, tortilla or pita chips, or flat bread.

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Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup

This is not my best photography.  Stating the obvious.  However, this recipe could change your life so if you make it you'll be able to forgive the not so awesome photo!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and I've made it many times...most recently I made a triple batch because we seem to be going through it rather quickly.  It's great in hot or iced coffee (it's still ridiculously warm here) with a splash of cream and almost makes you think you never need to wait in the Starbucks drive-thru line again. 

I realize that you can buy a bottle of Torani pumpkin pie syrup at World Market pretty affordably, but this recipe tastes even better than the bottled stuff and ends up being way cheaper than that.  I live an inconvenient drive from World Market and it is very fast to whip up a batch of this so this frugal foodie is sold!

I make this with Splenda, which I realize is probably the equivalent of drinking cancer, but I just can't stop.  And I'm allergic to stevia.  And every other non-calorie sweetener is cancer-causing too so I'll just stick with the Splenda.  (I don't give it to my kids EVER though...if that makes you feel better.)  Anyway, that whole rant to say...the recipe works with sugar substitutes!  The syrup is thick and the pumpkin settles, so always shake well before using. 

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup
recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion

1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar (or substitute)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tb. pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix!)

Mix water and sugar together in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Cook until the sugar or sweetener is dissolved in the water.  Whisk in the spices and pumpkin puree and cook over medium heat about five minutes.  You don't want this to boil.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Pour the syrup into jars and refrigerate.  To make a coffee, shake the syrup and stir 2-3 tb. of the syrup into strong iced or hot coffee and add desired about of cream (not cream-er).  Enjoy with whipped cream!

Mango & Avocado Salsa

I had some mango avocado salsa at a friends house and I was sort of skeptical about the mango/avocado combo.  But I loved it!  The next week in my produce basket I got some avocado and mangoes so I whipped up a batch.  We love it!  My kids ate it with a fork too so that's always a good sign.  One tip is to toss this together quickly because if you stir too much the avocado will mash up.  I served this on honey-lime grilled chicken (as a marinade I used the dressing from this salad) and it was great.

 

Mango & Avocado Salsa

 

2 large mango, diced

2 avocado, diced

1/4 c. red onion, finely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. cilantro, chopped

few dashes of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

 

Toss it all together and serve with chips or on top of chicken or fish.  Yum!

 

Kale Salad

I have recently come to enjoy kale.  It took a few tries and a little bit of getting used to the strong flavor but I love it now!  Sauteed is one of my favorite ways but after I had it raw in a salad at of my favorite restaurants, Windsor I had to try it.  Because the kale is so hearty it helps to toss the salad with the dressing and let it marinate in the fridge a while to soften up the leaves.  Rob and I loved this, the kids were a little more skeptical, but we will make it over and over again for us and force the kids to take a few bites!  Citrus goes well with kale so I used the dressing from the Quinoa Salad with Shrimp & Lemon Vinaigrette recipe, with plenty leftover to marinate some chicken another time.

 

Kale Salad

 

lemon vinaigrette

2 bunches kale, rinsed and chopped

2 carrots, grated or shaved

2 roma tomatoes or one large beefsteak tomato, seeded & chopped

handfull of dried cranberries or cherries

1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

 

Toss all veggies together in a large bowl.  Drizzle some dressing (about a cup) over and toss to coat.  Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Crispy Oven Fries

I realize that I have recipes on the blog already for oven fries and sweet potato fries, but I just had to give you this recipe also because of the way they crisp up in the oven!

I read a tip online that if you soak your fries in salt water they're be crispier so I had to try it.  It works.  It probably doesn't  hurt that I cut them much skinnier and did a little broil trick at the end, but whatever it is, my kids were very impressed with the results!

Crispy Oven Fries

2-3 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed
salt
2-3 Tb olive oil
seasoned salt
granulated garlic

Slice the potatoes lengthwise in 4-5 thin slices.  Stack those slices on top of each other and slice into skinny fries.  Fill a large pot with water and add in a good amount (probably at least 2 Tb) regular table salt.  You want the water to be salty like the ocean.  Stick the cut fries in the water and let soak for a couple hours or all day until you're ready to make them. 

Preheat the oven to 400.  Drizzle a large cookie sheet with a generous coating of oil.  Lay the fries on the pan in a single layer and sprinkle with seasoned salt and granulated garlic.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Stir the fries and bake another 15 minutes.  When the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to crisp turn on the broiler and cook another few minutes until brown and crispy.  These are great with a good burger.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I was blessed to have someone give me a brand new ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and have been delighted to learn how simple it is to use. (I'd highly recommend taking the plunge if you have the mixer.)  I'm sure you could make this ice cream in an old fashioned ice cream maker with the ice and rock salt or my friend told me she made it using the "science experiment method" with 2 ziploc bags and it worked that way too!  (See link for a tutorial on that method!) However you do it, I recommend trying this recipe even if dairy isn't an issue for you.

I made this coconut milk ice cream for my son when we first started him on a dairy & gluten free diet.  It turns out we all liked it!  It is super simple to make, very little prep, and it tastes good.  I have made both the vanilla and chocolate versions and both are great!  One tip--this sets pretty hard in the freeer, so set it out on the counter for 10 minutes before attempting to re-scoop.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

recipe adapted from Whole New Mom

4 c. full-fat coconut milk (I used a carton, but cans work well)

2/3 c. sugar

1-2 tsp. vanilla

dash salt

3/4 c. cocoa powder (for chocolate ice cream)

Churn in an ice cream maker 20-30 minutes and serve immediately or freeze until you're ready to eat it.

Homemade Slushies

This recipe is a keeper.  My kids are begging me for it daily.  And, because it's well over 100 degrees outside and we are attempting to abide by the budget, I've been making the slushies for them almost daily!  The ingredients are so simple and not necessarily nutritional but it could be worse...I think.

I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs The Frugal Girl.  The Frugal Girl talks daily about how to live frugally, joyfully and I really really enjoy what she has to say!  The other day she blogged this recipe so we immediately tried it with some old Halloween Kool-Aid, it was good.  The next day the kids and I went to the store and I let them each get a few flavors.  Since the "Ghoul-Aid" incident, we've made cherry, grape and lemonade flavors.  All of them were good and a hit with the kids, but my personal favorite is the lemonade.  I think it would be super delicious with a little splash of rum or maybe some raspberry vodka...if you're so inclined to do so!

These slushies are super frugal, maybe cost $.50 for a whole blender-full which is WAY cheaper than the ones from Sonic (even at happy hour).  I like to use the ice you buy at the store because it crushes really well in my blender, but if you're lucky enough to have a Vitamix...toss an iceberg in there.

Homemade Slushies
recipe from The Frugal Girl

2 c. ice water
4 c. ice
1 packet Kool-Aid, any flavor
2/3 c. sugar

I use a Pyrex measuring cup and fill it about halfway with ice and fill with water.  Then get out your blender, sugar, measuring cups and the Kool-Aid.  Toss everything in the blender and blend until it's slushy.  We think these are best enjoyed in the little pool in the backyard.

*I really think this could work with Crystal Light powder and no added sugar.  I'm going to try it!

Black Bean & Quinoa Bowls

This recipe is vegan. (GASP!) I almost put that in the title, but I knew some people wouldn't even look at the recipe because of that, so I didn't.  I'm finding that with my youngest son's food allergies (beef, pork, cow's milk, strawberries, oats and peanuts), combined with the foods I'm not giving him temporarily (wheat, eggs, soy, tree nuts) vegan recipes are making life easier.  Cooking vegetarian and vegan actually makes cooking easier because the prep work goes so fast without having to cook meat, grate cheese, etc.  I need more vegan recipes!

Several months ago my mom challenged us to eat animal products less frequently, so I started cooking vegetarian a couple times a week and I realized we didn't really miss the meat on those nights.  AND it's much less expensive to skip the meat.  While we have no intention of ever giving up cheeseburgers and going vegetarian/vegan completely, it is not a big deal for us to do without it sometimes. 

I recently posted another quinoa recipe and someone commented with an idea that made me try this for dinner tonight and we liked it!  I loved that this entire meal was ready in the time it takes to cook quinoa.  I made a quick guacamole to put on top but simply chopping an avocado for the top would be perfect if you want to make it even simpler.

Black Bean & Quinoa Bowls

serves a family of 5 or 3-4 very hungry adults

1 c. dried quinoa, cooked with 2 c. water according to directions

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 10-oz can Rotel, mostly drained

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 large avocados

2 Tb. thick salsa

generous dash of granulated garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tb onion, minced

Tabasco to taste

3 green onions, chopped

lime wedges

While the quinoa is cooking mix together black beans, rotel, chili powder, cumin, 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic, salt & pepper.  Cook in a small pot over medium heat until hot or microwave 3-5 minutes until hot.  In a small bowl mash the avacado with a fork and stir in salsa, garlic, salt & pepper, onion and tabasco.  Taste and adjust seasoning as you like. (Or, simply chop the avacado and set aside.) To assemble the bowls, layer some quinoa at the bottom of a bowl, top with a generous amount of black bean mixture, a dollop of guacamole or chopped avacado, sprinkle on some green onions and serve with lime wedges.

Mango Quinoa Salad

My entire family loves this salad and I've adapted it a few times, finally coming up with the perfect recipe for us and perfectly acccomodates my Weight Watchers points allotment.  It isn't over-dressed just a small bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar.  The best part is this is naturally allergen-friendly.  You could easily adapt the veggies and fruit for what you have.  I think fresh pineapple or peaches would be good.  I've used red or green onions and many colors of bell pepper based on what I had.

Try this salad with meat off the grill this summer for an oven-free meal.  (We had some wild-caught Alaskan salmon...yum!)

Mango Quinoa Salad

recipe inspired from Our Best Bites

2 c. cooked quinoa (any color)

2 small mangoes, or 1 large, diced small

1 c. cucumber, diced (I peel conventional cucumbers, but not English cucumbers)

1/4 c. red or green onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. olive oil
3 Tb. fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
dash of sugar or honey

Cook the quinoa and let cool.  In a large bowl mix together quinoa, mango, cucumber, onion, bell pepper and cilantro.  To make the dressing mix together vinegar, oil, lime juice, salt & pepper and sweetener.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat.

Goat Cheese Mac

I found this recipe and it looked yummy and then I forgot about it until recently....when we started my younger son on an elimination diet to try to get his intestines healthy and determine what foods are causing the upset.  So, for the next 4-6 weeks he can't have wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts or fish.  This pretty much eliminates my current recipe repertoire.  Then...I was going through my Pinterest recipes board and found it.  It was an "aha moment" for me.

I will say, if you don't care for goat cheese you probably won't like this.  I do think that a cream cheese/parmesan mix could work for this if you wanted to try this.  The thing I love most about this dish is it is so very simple, and comes together very quickly.  It does take time to roast the tomatoes but you can certainly sub some sundried tomatoes instead.  Unfortunately I ignored the "cover your plants it's going to freeze" warning and my basil plant died so I used dried...next time fresh basil for sure!

Goat Cheese Mac

recipe adapted from Nummy Kitchen

2 lbs roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

1 lb short-cut pasta (brown rice or quinoa pasta for GF)

3/4-1 c. pasta water reserved

2 Tb. olive oil

1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped or 2 tsp dried basil

salt & pepper to taste

6-8 oz goat cheese, crumbled (I used more like 8 oz)

Ahead of time, preheat the oven to 250, quarter the tomatoes if using roma and layer them on a baking sheet.  Roast for 2-3 hours, until they're dried on the edges but still moist in the middle.  Remove from the oven and let the tomatoes cool, chop them up and set aside until you're ready foor them.  Boil the pasta according to directions, before draining reserve some cooking water.  Add to the hot pasta: water, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper and goat cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted and it's all combined.  Add more cooking water if needed. Stir in tomatoes and serve immediately.

Cranberry Salsa

I spotted this recipe on Pinterest and really wanted to try it. I made a couple changes and we just love this stuff! It's great with tortilla chips on its own, or our favorite is spread over cream cheese with crackers. YUM.

This recipe is so simple and quick to make, I think I'm going to make it for the neighbors for Christmas. Making 10 batches of this would be WAY quicker than cookies. AND if I eat a whole bunch I wouldn't un-do all of my bootcamp hard work.
Cranberry Salsaadapted from bake-aholic

1 package of fresh cranberries (12 oz)
1/2 c. sugar
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, roughly chopped (I left in some seeds.)
3 green onion, roughly chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin

Pulse everything together in the food processer until chopped to your liking. I left in some chunks. Refrigerate 12 hours before serving. This will stay good in the fridge a long time (up to 2 weeks.) Serve with tortilla chips or over cream cheese with crackers.

Quick Spanish Rice

Another Food Confession for you...I love Rice-a-Roni Spanish Rice.  I don't know what it is about it, but I just love it.  So, usually when i'm doing burritos I whip up a box of Rice-a-Roni.  Last time though, I didn't have any on hand so I researched a few recipes online and put together a few ideas to make this recipe.  It turned out really well and it was really fast easy.  I had everything I needed which is something I love about a recipe--simplicity.

I'm sure I will make this over and over for a fast "mexican" side dish.

Quick Spanish Rice

1 Tb olive or canola oil
1 1/2 c. instant rice
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained
3/4 c. chicken broth (watch for wheat and soy)

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Saute onions and green pepper until onions are transluscent.  Stir in garlic and rice and cook another minute or so.  Add in salt, seasoning, tomatoes and chicken broth and cook five minutes or until the rice is cooked.