Charred Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

This salsa turned out so yummy.  Sweet at first and then the spicy jalapeno hits.  It goes perfectly on the shredded pork tacos I'm going to post later.  This recipe is from one of my dad's favorite restaurants, Salsa Brava, in Flagstaff.  The restaurant was featured on Food Network, and their roasted pineapple habanero salsa was written in the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives book.  I had to try it!  I followed the recipe the first time exactly and it was SO spicy we couldn't eat it!  So, I made a few adjustments and now I've got it down.  

This salsa is more of a typical salsa than what you would compare to other fruit salsas, such as mango salsa.  I think it would go on a regular taco or salad too.

Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

recipe adapted from Salsa Brava

3-4 fresh jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like it)

5 roma tomatoes, halved

1 large sweet yellow onion

1 16 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

1/2 c. water

1 c. cilantro

salt

Move your oven rack to the top spot and turn on the broiler.  Cut the jalapenos in half and carefully remove the seeds and ribs, being careful not to touch your eyes! Cut the onion in thick slices.  Lay out the jalapeno halves, tomato halves, and onion slices on a cooking sheet and broil the vegetables until they are charring on the edges, flip the veggies over and broil the second side. (I broiled mine 10-12 minutes on the firsts side and only 5 minutes the second side.)

Once the veggies are charred add them with water, cilantro and pineapple into the bowl of your food processor (or blender) and pulse until the veggies and cilantro are chopped.  Season with salt to your liking. Enjoy with tortilla chips or on a taco.

Buffalo Cauliflower

I know this is a strange idea...but it works!  This winter we got into a bad habit of getting pizza and wings...almost every Friday and it HAD to stop!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and loved that it was a lighter dish and also vegan. We loved this, it is a perfect accompaniment to homemade pizza night.  This is a little more intense as far as prep, but it comes together pretty quickly and it is worth it!  I love that the coating is more of a batter and reminds me of the breading on fried mushrooms.

Buffalo Cauliflower

recipe barely modified from The Curvy Carrot

1 medium head cauliflower, rinsed

1 c. milk of your choice

1 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. vinegar

2 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 c. buffalo sauce

Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing for serving (make your own!)

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay a wire rack over it.  I use a wire cooling rack. (You can grease the cookie sheet generously and lay the battered cauliflower directly on the sheet but it tends to stick.) Chop the cauliflower into chunks.  In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, flour, vinegar, garlic and sea salt.  Gently toss or dip the cauliflower chunks into the batter and transfer to the wire rack or greased cookie sheet.  Bake 15-18 minutes, until just starting to brown and crisp.  Remove from the oven and toss with the bufffalo sauce, returning to the foil lined cookie sheet. (No need to use the rack this time.) Bake another 5-8 minutes. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

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.

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.

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Lime Rice

This soup is super yummy, easy and inexpensive to make and just so happens to be vegan...even though you'd never know it!  It has such a great bright punch of lime in with the spicy black beans.  I ate some leftovers for lunch today and it's great leftover.  

If you can't find Cuban black beans, just add in extra seasoning.

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Lime Rice

recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Black Bean Soup:

2 tsp oil

1/2 an onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cans seasoned black beans, drained but not rinsed (I used Trader Joe's Cuban black beans)

1 Tb. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 can rotel

1 c. green enchilada sauce

1 1/2-2 c. water (depending on how thin you want your soup)

1 1/2 c. veggie stock

salt & pepper

Avocado for serving

Heat the oil over medium heat in a soup pot.  Add in the onion and cook until translucent.  Toss in the garlic and stir to cook quickly.  Add in the beans, chili powder, cumin, rotel, enchilada sauce, water, stock, salt & pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes. (Start the rice now.) Once the soup has simmered, remove half of the soup from the pot and blend it until pureed.  Add the pureed soup back to the pot and stir to combine.  To serve, put a scoop off cilantro lime rice in the bottom of a soup bowl and cover with a ladle or two of soup.  Top with avocado slices.

Cilantro Lime Rice:

1 1/2 c. white rice

3 c. water

1 Tb. butter or margarine

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 juicy lime

While the soup is simmering, bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pan and stir in the rice.  Cover, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let the rice stand a few minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in margarine, cilantro and squeeze the lime juice in.  Toss to combine.

 

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Mexican Style Pinto Beans

I have lots of bean recipes.  You what they say about the whole "musical fruit" thing...I guess we go for it because we eat lots of beans.  I love, love, love the typical refried beans and I usually make those, but my sister made these beans and we all loved them.  I made a double batch of this recipe to take to our small group nacho bar potluck and didn't have many leftovers!  What was leftover my kids ate with a spoon for lunch today.

These ranch beans are perfect wrapped in a tortilla, dipped with tortilla chips or in chili.

Mexican Style Pinto Beans

adapted from sparkpeople.com

1 lb dried pinto beans, or 2 c. dried beans

3 Tb. cumin

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

3 tsp. smoked paprika

3 tsp. granulated garlic

2 Tb. chili powder

1 Tb. salt

1 large onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can Rotel, undrained

1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes

3-4 c. water (or more if you don't soak the beans head of time)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Rinse the beans and cover them with water and soak overnight.  If you don't have time to soak the beans, just add more cooking time in the morning and 1-2 c. more water.  Rinse the soaked beans and add to your slow cooker.  Measure all dry seasonings, add to the slow cooker, and stir the beans to coat.  Add in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, rotel, tomatoes and water, and stir.  (You want enough liquid to cover the beans.)  Cook on low 4-6 hours, adjusting salt or seasonings as you like.  Stir in the cilantro once the beans are cooked. You can keep the beans on warm as long as you need before serving.  

 

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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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Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers

This burger is really good.  I would highly recommend not telling your kids it's a "burger" or else they'll be expecting a beef patty with ketchup & American cheese and I could see how that would be disappointing! I told my kids we were having sandwiches and they ate them happily.  

I found this burger on one of my favorite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows.  I did make a couple changes to make it simpler and more to our liking but for the most part, her recipe was amazing!  I just made these for the second time yesterday and I minced the veggies as small as possible without pulverizing them, and pulsed the chickpea mixture a little more in the food processor to make it a stickier batter and the burgers held together better when I cooked them.  You could definitely make this without a food processor but you'll need to mash the chickpeas with the rice really well with a potato masher or fork.  I recommend minute rice because it seems to cook softer (and much faster) and you want the rice soft to bind the burger together.  Either white or brown rice is fine, depending on what you like and what you  have on hand.

Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers, Vegan

recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

3/4 c. minute rice (white or brown)

2 cans chickpeas, drained well

1/4 c. minced red onion

1/2 c. minced red or yellow bell pepper

1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed, minced

1 small carrot, grated

3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 c. bbq sauce

1/2 tsp. Tony's (or other seasoned salt + dash of cayenne)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 Tb. ground flax seed

Prep the veggies before cooking the rice.  Put the rice in the microwave or cook on the stove as directed.  Drain the chickpeas well and add to the bowl of your food processor.  Once the rice is done add the hot rice to your food processor and pulse until combined, leave a few small chunks.  Don't try to use cold rice because it gets too firm.  Once the chickpea/rice mixture is ready pour it into a mixing bowl and add the veggies, cilantro, bbq sauce, seasoning and flax.  Combine well.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Form into patties, packing the burger mixture tightly.  Preheat a skillet, I recommend cast iron, to medium-high heat.  Cook the burgers 3-4 minutes on each side until browned well and warm throughout.  Serve on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and bbq sauce.  We ate these with oven fries.

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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 Veggie Flatbread

This is my go-to lunch lately and sometimes dinner. What can I say, I get in a rut.  This is very similar to the Greek hummus pizza, just less cheese and no making crust so you can actually throw it together in a couple minutes and just bake while you put your kids down for a nap.  Or whatever you do at your house in 10 minutes.  This is the perfect use for the roasted garlic hummus, but store bought hummus is great on it also.  If you're eating vegan just skip the feta.  But...the feta is really good on here so I pretty much never skip it.  Any veggie would be great on this so go for whatever you have/like.

Roasted Veggie Flatbread

1 flatbread, wrap or tortilla ( I use Flat Out wraps)

2 Tb. Hummus

Zuchinni or yellow squash, very thinly sliced 

Tomato, thinly sliced

Spinach (Just enough to cover the wrap)

Bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced

Red onion, thinly sliced

2-3 Tb feta, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425.  Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and lay the wrap or tortilla on it.  Spread the hummus all over the wrap.  Layer the squash, tomato, spinach, bell pepper and onion.  Sprinkle on the feta and bake for 10-12 minutes.  

 

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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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Carrabba's Bread Dip Mix

We live in a somewhat new/smallish suburb of Phoenix and when we first moved out here, there wasn't much. When Carrabba's opened we were there.  Rob instantly became obsessed with their herb bread dip and insisted I find a way to make some.  Immediately.  So naturally I googled "Carrabba's bread dip mix" and up popped the copycat recipe!  I love this recipe because you mix up all of the dry herbs and it stays fresh pretty much forever so you can keep it on hand.  Mix some with fresh garlic and olive oil and you have an instant Italian appetizer.  I like to bring this to people with a homemade meal and everyone loves it.  Really, everyone.

This would make a great little gift for your neighbors in a small jar, and is super simple to throw together.  I usually buy my dried herbs in the little packets on the Mexican food aisle.  They are super cheap ($.89.)

Carrabba's Bread Dip Mix

recipe from food.com

1 Tb crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tb. black pepper

1 Tb. dried oregano

1 Tb. dried rosemary

1 Tb. dried basil

1 Tb. dried parsley

1 Tb. granulated garlic

1 tsp. sea salt

fresh garlic cloves & olive oil for serving

Mix all herbs & salt together in a small bowl.  Store in a jar or ziploc bag until you're ready to use.  To serve, crush or grate a clove of garlic on a plate and mix 1 Tb. herb mix in with the garlic.  Cover with desired amount of olive oil and dip a baguette or french bread in the oil mixture. 

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Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Chili

I follow Our Best Bites like a stalker.  Every recipe of theirs that I have ever tried has been a win.  I bought my sister their first cookbook last year and got her hooked on them as well, so last Thanksgiving we tried many recipes--you can't go wrong.  I'm officially putting their second cookbook on my Christmas list! ...So, when they posted a recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili a couple of weeks ago, both my sister and I noticed it right away. 

We have been trying to eat a more plant-based diet so I tried this as a vegan recipe and made a few alterations to include butternut squash and it was a hit.  My husband is definitely a carnivore but he raved and raved about this and took it for lunch the next day.  All that to say, if you couldn't care less about being vegetarian, vegan, or eating your veggies, you could actually like this!  Don't freak out that it has a can of pumpkin in it...it doesn't even taste like pumpkin AT ALL.


Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Chili
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 Tb. oil
1 large onion, chopped--any color is fine
1 bell pepper (any color) or poblano, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz button mushrooms, chopped
3 1/2-4 c. butternut squash, chopped (about half of a large butternut squash)
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can pinto or Northern beans, drained
1 15 oz can 100% pure pumpkin puree
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
32 oz vegetable stock (beef or chicken stock would be perfect too)

Heat a stock pot over medium heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Saute onions, peppers and mushrooms until they just begin to soften.  Add in garlic and butternut squash and saute another 4-5 minutes.  (At this point you could absolutely pour everything into a crockpot and cook on low all day.) Stir in beans, pumpkin, seasonings, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to medium-low and cook another hour or until butternut squash is soft, stirring frequently.  Serve with cornbread, topped with cilantro, avocado and/or sour cream if you're so inclined.



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Skinny Pumpkin Cookies, Two Ways

I am in love with these cookies.  So is our small group it turns out.  It's actually kind of a problem, because even if the cookies are "skinny" compared to other cookies, if someone were to eat half a batch it would become the equivalent of eating an entire row of double stuff Oreos...not that I've done either one of those scenarios.  Whats almost as cool as how delicious these cookies are is how simple they are to make.  I don't necessarily enjoy baking but these come together with very little time/mess.

These cookies came about because I was trying to make the Pumpkin Cupcakes and realized that I didn't have any cupcake liners so then I thought..."hmmm I bet these could be cookies."  Then I had dejavu of  my sister in-law stirring pumpkin and cookie mix together with chocolate chips last Christmas and I figured it would work.  It did.

I love these cookies so much with the caramel icing or with chocolate chips or even just as uncooked batter.

Skinny Pumpkin Cookies, Two Ways

1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips OR
1 batch caramel icing

Preheat the oven to 350.  Beat cake mix and pumpkin puree together on medium speed with a hand mixer until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips, if you're using them. Drop by rounded tablespoon-full onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes.  They will still be quite soft when cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool.  If topping with icing, make the icing and generously drizzle over the cookies. 

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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.

Cherry Sauce

This recipe is so simple, yet so yummy!  This is really just the Our Best Bites strawberry sauce made with fresh cherries instead.  I've used that sauce recipe with strawberries, peaches and cherries and it's no-fail, it works with anything!  I used the peach sauce for dipping cream puffs at a party, the strawberry sauce is awesome in lemonade too! 

If you happen upon a bunch of fresh cherries try this out! We re-heated some leftover chocolate fondue (recipe coming!) and drizzled it on vanilla ice cream with the cherry sauce...it's pretty amazing.  Hot fudge would be great with the cherry sauce as well.  If you need some tips on how to pit cherries without an expensive space-hoarding cherry pitter, try this link.  I used the pastry tip method which was really easy but I would highly recommend wearing an apron!


Cherry Sauce
recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

2 c. roughly chopped cherries (or other fruit)
1/3 c. sugar (less if your fruit is very sweet)
1 tsp. vanilla

Put everything together in a skillet and cook over medium, stirring constantly, for about five minutes.  The juices should be running out of the fruit and making the sauce more saucy...very descriptive.  Remove from heat and let cool a while.  Pour the sauce in your blender and blend until smooth.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  Enjoy as you see fit!

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.