Quinoa with Pesto and Toasted Almonds

I had some pesto leftover in my fridge so I figured I would try it with quinoa. I came across this recipe on Oprah's website and it was perfect.

1 tsp. Olive oil
2 cups quinoa
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup dairy free nut free pesto or whatever pesto you like
1/2 cup sliced almonds , toasted

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in quinoa. Cook until golden, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally during the first 5 minutes and more frequently during last 2 minutes of cooking. Add chicken broth and salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until quinoa is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork; stir in pesto. Transfer quinoa to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature, topped with toasted almonds.

If you don't know how to toast almonds all you do is preheat the oven to 350°. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden and fragrant about 6 to 8 minutes.

Spicy Grilled Chicken

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just began working full time out of the house and haven't had much time to cook or post. I made this grilled chicken recipe last week and we loved it. I didn't use the lime zest as we didn't have one. It had a slight kick to it but not overwhelming that the kids couldn't eat it.

1/3 C. vegetable oil
2 Tbls. lime juice
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into cubes

Mix the oil, lime juice, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken for 6 to 8 minutes each side, or until juices run clear.

Crazy Chicken Marinade

I came across this chicken marinade and it sounded good so I figured I'd give it a try. It was really good. This one would go well in a pita with some homemade hummus. I found that there was not a lot of marinade left to boil so I skipped that step. Otherwise aside from cutting the chicken into cubes I stuck to the original recipe.

4 limes, juiced or 6 Tbls. lime juice
2 Tbls. Olive oil
2 Tbls. Chili powder
1 tsp. Sage, dried
1 tsp. Oregano, dried
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks

Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, sage, oregano, and cumin together in a small bowl. Marinade the chicken, coating evenly and tossing every 30 minutes for a total of an hour and a half. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the chicken to a platter and allow to come to room temperature. Grill the chicken on medium-high heat basting with the marinade remaining marinade until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Spicy Broccoli

I started getting fresh broccoli deleviered to my house on a regular basis and I was looking for creative new ways to make it that would appeal to my kids. I found this recipe for spicy broccoli and although I knew only 1 of my kids would try it I figured it sounded so simple to make and healthy that it was worth a shot. The 1 who tried it liked it as did all the grown ups who ate it. Since it was already simple and healthy I didn't make any changes to the recipe.

1 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil
3 C. Broccoli, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
3/4 C. Canned Tomatoes, crushed

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute broccoli, garlic, and red pepper flakes for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Enjoy!

Paula Wolfert’s Hummus

In browsing the web a few weeks ago I found this recipe for Hummus. As you can tell from amount of hummus recipes I have shared we are big fans of hummus. I was intrigued by this particular recipe however as it called for dried chickpeas rather than canned. I had never used dried chickpeas and decided I wanted to try this one. I found that while there are a couple more steps they are not labor intense. The only key with this recipe is that since you need to soak the chickpeas overnight you do have to plan ahead to make it. We did think it was quite delicious!

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup sesame seed paste(tahini)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, and more to taste
Cayenne, hot Hungarian paprika or za’atar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil

Rinse the soaked chickpeas well and drain them before putting them in a saucepan and covering them with plenty of fresh water. Bring to a boil; skim, add one-half teaspoon salt, cover and cook over medium heat, about 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft (you might need to add more water). Crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt together until pureed. Transfer the puree to the work bowl of a food processor, add the sesame seed paste and lemon juice and process until white and contracted. Add one-half cup water and process until completely smooth. Drain the chickpeas, reserving their cooking liquid. Add the chickpeas to the sesame paste mixture and process until well-blended. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. The hummus can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Serve, sprinkled with paprika or za’atar and parsley and drizzled with oil.

Herb Roasted Chicken Legs

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. When I first saw that this recipe included cilantro I was excited as it is one of my favorite herbs and I have a nice amount growing in my yard(If you live nearby and want to make this please come by and take some). Then when I saw how simple it was I was even more excited to try it. It comes from weelicious.com which is one of my favorite cooking websites. Speaking of which, I am compiling a list of my favorite food sites so if you have one(healthy or not) that you think I would enjoy please email me and I will take a look.
Back to topic-I made this one as it says with both boneless skinless chicken breast and with legs. If you use the boneless skinless chicken breast I would recommend pounding them and cooking for about half the time. If you don't pound the chicken(which I did) it will take the full 40 minutes to cook through. We all enjoyed this one, especially my daughter who couldn't get enough.

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 Tbls. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 lbs Chicken Legs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place tall except chicken into a ziploc bag and mix well. Add the chicken legs, coat with the mixture, close and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. Place chicken legs in a greased baking dish, pour the marinade over and roast for 40 minutes.

Roasted Carrots with Garlic

This recipe is from the Uncommonly Kosher cookbook. I have cut down the oil but otherwise left the recipe as is. We have been enjoying this one for quite a while. I often double this one as many get gobbled up before serving and we like the leftovers too.

10 large Carrots, sliced
8 large Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 Tbls. Parsley, chopped
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Place carrots in a bowl. Mix garlic, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Toss garlic mixture with carrots. Arrange on a single layer on a cookie sheet(I use parchment paper for easy cleanup) and bake for 40 minutes. Turn carrots while roasting.

Tiny Taco Meatballs

I had some ground turkey in my freezer and was trying to decide between tacos and meatballs when it came to me-how about taco flavored meatballs? Well a quick google search showed that I wasn't the only one who had this idea. I found this recipe and we were not disappointed. The only change I made was I used ground turkey rather than ground beef. They would probably be good half beef and half turkey as well-it was just what I had in the freezer. I served them over brown rice and some of my more adventurous family members enjoyed them with a little taco sauce poured on top.

2 eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
Taco sauce, optional

Combine the first five ingredients. Add the turkey and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 400° for 14-18 minutes. Serve with taco sauce if desired.

Basic Pancakes

One of the meals that all my kids like is pancakes. I have tried various types of pancakes that are healthier however I never revamped the basic pancake recipe that I had always made for them. I decided to give it a try the other night and the results were great. The original recipe used white flour, sugar and frying the pancakes in oil. I added wheat flour, switched the sugar to splenda and added flax seed. I also "fry" them in Pam. Just as tasty but better for you. Enjoy!

2 Eggs
2 C. Skim Milk
2 1/2 Tbls. Canola Oil
1 C. White Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Flax Seed
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Splenda

Beat eggs lightly then add milk and oil. Mix. Add dry ingredients and mix until slightly lumpy. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat. Drop by 1/4 C. full and cook until bubbles form. Flip and cook for another minute.

Turkey Meatballs and Zucchini

A friend of ours has a food blog and he shared this recipe for Meatballs and Zucchini. I was hesitant as I had never made meatballs without some sort of tomato sauce but since the author is a wonderful cook I figured I would give it a try. The results were not the prettiest however they were delicious. The only change I made was using ground turkey rather than beef. Also, if you like food salty you may want to add some more. I thought it tasted perfect however there were eaters in my house that needed to add a little salt.

2 kilo(2.2 lbs) Zucchini, cubed (1/2 inch cubes)
2-3 Tbls. Oil
6 Cloves Garlic, halved
1 Large Onion, diced
1 kilo(2.2 lbs) Ground Turkey
3 Eggs
Parsley
1 tsp. Oregano
Pepper
Salt
1 C. Water

Salt the cubed zucchini in a colander and let sit for at 30 minutes. Wash the zucchini and let sit.
In a pot heat the oil and brown the garlic. Remove the garlic from the oil and add the onion. Saute until soft. Add the zucchini and cook covered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients into the meatballs. Add the water to the zucchini. Drop in 1 inch meatballs and cook covered on low for 1/2 hour. Add in the browned garlic and let cook uncovered for another 30 minutes until the liquid is reduced somewhat.

Crustless Quiche

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website many years ago. You can use any vegetables you'd like or have on hand. Most recently I made it with just onion and red pepper. I also doubled the recipe to make it in a 9X13 pan. If you do so you need to add about 15-20 minutes to the cooking time so the center finished cooking.

1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1/4 Onion, diced
6 Egg Whites or 3 Eggs
3/4 C. Cottage Cheese
Salt
Pepper

Saute the vegetables in pam. Beat eggs and add cottage cheese mixing well. Add a
little bit of salt and pepper for flavor. Spray a 8X8 pan with Pam. Combine the vegetables with the cottage cheese mixture and pour into prepared pan. Cook at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until lightly brown and set.

Stir Fried Tofu with Peppers and Onions

With Passover approaching the dinner options in my house are minimal. I had a package of tofu in the fridge that I decided to make last night with no real recipe. I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised that both my husband and 2 year old really liked this one.

1 Package Firm Tofu, drained, squeezed and cubed
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tbls. Soy Sauce, divided
1 large Onion, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Tbls. Olive Oil

Combine 1 Tbls. soy sauce with garlic and toss together with tofu. Let sit 1/2 hour. Heat oil in frying pan. Saute onions and peppers. Add tofu with sauce. saute until browned. Add remaining soy sauce at the end to taste.

This would be great over rice.

Black Bean Hummus

I recently posted a recipe for White Bean Pesto Hummus which my family loved. We are big fans of hummus so I figured I would see what else I could do with hummus. I googled and found that the hummus options are endless. So be prepared for many more hummus posts. This recipe is really just a compilation of many different recipes. I took a picture of this one but it wasn't pretty so use your imagination.

1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 Tbls. Water
2 Tbls. Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove
1 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 Cup Parsley, chopped

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree for a few minutes until smooth.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Well I finally found a good cereal alternative that everyone in my house likes. The question is can I keep up with demand? I made Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins based on this recipe. I changed the flour so it uses mostly whole wheat flour. I also switched the brown sugar to silan and used a little less oil although in retrospect I am not sure why I didn't just use applesauce. I guess I was having a bad day as I also forgot to throw in a teaspoon or 2 of ground flax seed, both of which I would do next time.

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Oatmeal
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 C. Skim Milk
1/2 C. Silan
1/8 C. Oil
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 C. Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Combine flours, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, silan, oil and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients mixing until just combined and lumpy. Fold in berries. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with pam. Fill cups 3/4 the way full. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes testing if they are done with a toothpick.

Granola

I got this recipe from a friend who adapted it from a recipe she got from a friend. It probably doesn't resemble the original recipe at all but isn't that how it goes? If you like your granola a little sweeter I would add more silan. I used 1 Tbls. of cinnamon as my kids aren't huge cinnamon fans. I didn't add any fruit as I thought my kids wouldn't be likely to try it but if you like fruit in your granola then by all mean, add it. The only other thing that I am on the fence about is the whole almonds. I find them kind of clunky and am not sure but perhaps next time I would replace the whole almonds with more sliced almonds. So if that is something you would find bothersome then I recommend switching the whole almonds with more sliced.

This is really good and I have to keep myself from gobbling it all up.

6-7 C oats
1 C. Sunflowers Seeds
1 C. Whole Almonds (or more slivered almonds)
1/2 C. Plain Coconut
2 Tbls. Sesame Seeds
1/2 C. Slivered Almonds
4 Egg Whites
1/4-1/3 C. Silan
1-2 Tbls. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
Craisins, Raisins or dried fruit, optional



Combine oats, seeds, nuts and coconut in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, silan, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over oat mixture and mix until all ingredients are wet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it took me 2 sheets to make a single layer of oats). Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour. Rotate the pan and continue baking until cooked through and crunchy- about 5-10 minutes. After it is done baking you can add craisins, raisins or whatever dried fruit you like.

Hot Cocoa

The minute it starts to rain and get cold I know my kids will come home from school requesting hot cocoa. When my kids request cocoa I usually give it to them as they don't request it often and I am usually having a similar desire for a hot cup of tea or coffee. That said I hate making the instant packets of cocoa. Even the sugar free or fat free ones, which I think taste bad. So I found several recipes for cocoa online and consolidated them to make this:

1 C. Skim Milk
1 Tbls. Cocoa Powder
2 tsp. Splenda

Warm the milk on the stove and once it hits a simmer mix in the cocoa and splenda.

This one was loved by kids and grown ups alike!

Oat Apple Sauce Muffins

In my quest for healthy breakfast options I found this recipe for Oat Apple Sauce Muffins. They weren't too sweet and had a subtle flavor but my husband and I enjoyed them. The kids were not as excited about them as we were but they did try them, which is a step in the right direction.

Here's my edited recipe:

1 C. Buttermilk (or Buttermilk Substitute which is what I used)
1 C. Rolled Oats
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 Tbls. Ground Flax Seed
1/2 C. Applesauce
1 Egg

Place oats in a small bowl, pour in buttermilk. Let sit for two hours at room temperature. Preheat over to 375. In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and flax seed. Stir in oat/buttermilk mixture, applesauce and egg; mix well. Pour batter into lined or greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Fruit Roll Ups

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I found this recipe for Fruit Leather and thought it would be a good snack since my kids love Fruit Roll Ups, Gushers and all the dried fruit sugary snacks. It was very simple to make and very tasty. That said we found it hard to peel the fruit off the paper which could be the brand of parchment paper I use. I know the recipe already says this but I am going to reiterate- take notice of how even the fruit is on the cookie sheet before you bake it as this will make a big difference in the outcome.

Strawberry Fruit Leather:
3 Cups Strawberries or 1 box
1 Tbsp Honey

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove the stems from the strawberries and rinse.

Place the strawberries and honey in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula in a large rectangle making sure that the mixture is completely even.

Bake for 2-3 hours (or until it’s dry and not sticky to the touch). Remember, cooking times will vary depending on how thick you spread your mixture and how much water (juice) is naturally in the fruit. *Every oven is different, so the cooking time maybe less then 2 hours if your oven tends to be hot. Allow to sit and cool at room temperature. It takes several hours for the fruit to soften up (when you first take the leather out of the oven the edges will be a bit dry and crispy, but if you allow it to sit overnight it softens up nicely). Cut with a knife or pizza cutter into strips or use scissors, keeping the paper on, and then roll the leather into “roll ups”.

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

A few days ago I made Banana Pancakes which were really good and my kids loved them. I decided since I still had some bananas left and they had been a hit I would try another banana recipe. I came across Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and they sounded good and looked gorgeous! Plus Danya had been asking me to make chocolate chip muffins lately so I figured I would give it a whirl. Of course I don't know how to follow a recipe without changing it so here is what I made:

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 C. canola oil
1/4 C. milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbls. Vanilla
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Silan
1 Tbls. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
1 C. Chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or place liners in a muffin pan. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the flours, silan, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax seed and chocolate chips. Mix until combined but don't over mix. Fill each muffin up about 3/4 full. Bake about 10-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place muffins on a cooling rack and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove the wrapper. Makes 12 large muffins.


These were absolutely delicious and got rave reviews from the kids and husband.

Do we think these are an acceptable substitute for cereal for breakfast??

Cookies

Today I attempted making my regular blondies with half the fat and sugar. I announced to my husband that half the sugar was replaced with splenda, all the brown sugar was replaced with silan, half the oil(which used to be margarine, but I stopped using that a year ago) was replaced with apple sauce, half the white flour was replaced with whole wheat flour. I then agreed with him that if they came out edible it would be miraculous. Then we tasted them and couldn't believe how good they were. Now I am going to be honest and say that they tasted a little more like chocolate chip cake than chocolate chip blondies however they were so good. 2 of my 3 kids tried them and loved them. I rarely make this cookie recipe into cookies mostly out of laziness however I think they might make soft cookies. I'll give it a try next time.

So here is my healthier version of Nestle Toll House Cookies:

1/4 C. plus 1/8 C. Splenda
1/4 C. plus 1/8 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Silan (Date Syrup)
1/4 C. plus 1/8 C. Apple Sauce
1/4 C. plus 1/8 C. Canola Oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 C. White Flour
1 C. Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 bag Chocolate Chips

Mix Splenda, sugar, silan, apple sauce, canola oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Add flours, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 for 20-30 minutes(if it wiggles when you shake the pan you need to cook it more). If making cookies bake 8 minutes.

I would also like to add that this is my first time using silan and I was very pleasantly surprised. I am curious to hear how you use silan and at what equivalent. After today's experiment you can expect to see it showing up more in my recipes.