Crispy and Spicy Garbanzos

I'm so behind on posting what I've been making! With midterms, my actuarial exam coming up, and planning for Spring Break it's been slipping my mind. I'm basically running out of food and trying to clear out my freezer before I leave for the week, so there hasn't been too much exciting business going on, but I've made poptarts, shrimp and rice, and ....

Crispy and Spicy Garbanzos!

I wanted something salty to snack on while I was studying and these were tasty yet filling.However, they're not really that great the next day.

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
Desired spices. (I used cumin and garlic pepper. I wish I had more spices because paprika would be good)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil. Rinse beans and pat dry. Combine spices and olive oil in a small bowl and add beans. Toss to coat in spices, and then lay on cookie sheet in a single layer. Cook in oven for about 30 minutes, shaking every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Makes 3 1/3 Cup servings @ 130 calories each.

Now, back to studying. Adios!

Lentil Soup with Turkey Sausage

This soup was so tasty; my favorite lentil recipe to date! Although I love the lentil soup recipe I originally made, this one had so much more flavor and I could eat it every day (and have for the past few). It freezes well, and doesn't taste any differently after being thawed and heated. It fills you up and is ridiculously cheap;

I added in Turkey Italian Sausage because I had half a package left from when I made Sausage and Spinach soup for my friend Oscar:

I've mentioned this recipe several times, but it is still one of my favorites! 

Click here for the recipe!

Anywho, this lentil soup is pretty similar to the first one I made, just add the turkey sausage!

Click here for Lentil Soup I

Lentil Soup with Turkey Sausage
1 hour | About 5 1-Cup servings
Ingredients:
2.5 links Italian Sausage ( I used mild turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 tsp minced garlic
2 T ketchup
1 1/2 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
pinch dried thyme
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a large pot, cook and crumble sausage over medium low heat until all pink is gone. Drain excess fat. Add onion and carrot and cook an additional 4 minutes. Add garlic and ketchup and cook another minute. Add lentils, thyme, chicken broth, and two cups water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Don't skip this step; it makes all the difference!)

*Note: Pictured is a whole-wheat oatmeal bread  with honey-butter that I made the same night.Sounds a lot better than it was... I need to do a little tweaking on the recipe

Each 1 cup serving: 160 calories

Israeli Couscous with Cumin and Lime

The flavors in this really came together nicely. It can be a healthy side dish or light lunch and I'll definitely be making it again! I was just going to eat it plain, but the dressing was definitely worth it!

1 C uncooked Israeli couscous
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Lime juice
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 C vegetables of choice

Cook couscous according to package directions. Meanwhile, boil vegetables in small saucepan and water until tender. Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, and cumin in small bowl. When couscous is done, fluff with fork and toss with dressing and drained vegetables.

Yogurt Bars

I wasn't sure what to call these, let alone label them. I found them in the search for granola bars and kept it in my "make this!" folder because I have a large amount of dry milk to use up. The recipe I adapted them from calls them breakfast bars and I can see that, since they're made with cereal and yogurt. But they also turned out pretty sweet and look like ice cream sandwiches, so I've been eating them as a dessert.

These were honestly pretty... meh. I was contemplating not even posting the recipe, but I haven't been posting as often lately because I have a fridge full of leftovers and a freezer full of leftovers that I need to finish before spring break (11 Days!). This means cooking has been put on a slight standstill, and it's driving me crazy. I need people to cook for so I don't have so many leftovers all the time. hmph.

The 'meh' bars (hah) are growing on me as I eat more of them, but the first one seemed way too sweet. I mean, why add the honey? It has the natural sweetness of the yogurt and fruit. That's what I get for following the recipe and not making it my own I guess.

If anything, this has given me a (possibly) great inspiration for this recipe contest :
http://postnatural.com/RecipeContest.aspx

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here is the original recipe (with my alterations and notes in italics; I made half a recipe)

Yogurt Bars:
2.5 C grape-Nuts
3 Tbl honey
16 oz yogurt with fruit, nonfat
1 C fruit cocktail
2/3 C nonfat dry milk powder

How to:
Spray an 8 inch square pan with vegetable cooking spray. I used a nonstick bunt pan and didn't spray.

Line pan with about 3/4 Cup of the cereal

In a blender, combine the honey, yogurt, fruit, and milk powder. Blend until smooth. Fold in 1 Cup of the cereal. I didn't put this big of a proportion of cereal in the mixture. Next time I won't add any, or any honey. I also didn't have any yogurt with fruit. 

Pour yogurt mixture into pan, and sprinkle with remaining cereal.

Freeze for at least 4 hours.

Cut into rectangles; they will look like ice cream sandwiches.

Servings: 8. With me halfing the recipe, I cut it into 12 squares. With this amount of ingredients it would have made 24 squares, each at about 100 calories each. 

Pesto Shrimp Soup

I made spaghetti for lunch so I wanted a light dinner, but didn't really have anything planned. This came together nicely, however I'm not sure if I would intentionality make it again. It was good to use up things on hand, and it was definitely not a heavy or hearty soup, which was exactly what I was shooting for!

Pesto Shrimp Soup

20 minutes | 5 servings 

8 C water

1 chicken bouillon cube
1 bag precooked boil-in-bag whole grain brown rice
1 package McCormick dry pesto mix (I only had half left after Pesto CousCous)

7 oz. cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
1 C frozen peas, thawed

Bring water to a boil, add bouillon cube and bag rice. Cook rice according to package times. When rice is finished, cut bag open, dump rice into water, and discard bag. Add pesto seasoning, shrimp, and peas. Heat through, and serve.

5 servings at about 120 calories each. 

Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread

My initial plan was to make muffins, and so I whipped this dough up before I realized that my friend had borrowed my muffin tins. A double of this recipe would have made a typical size loaf of bread, but instead I made a short loaf.

Without any oil or butter and with whole wheat flour and oatmeal, I didn't feel as guilty scarfing this down. It was delicious! Very dense, this  bread was like warm cinnamon oatmeal in bread form. It freezes nicely as well, which I can attest to because I just had a slice thawed out in the microwave.

I'm guessing if you drizzle it with a glaze of powdered sugar and water and you could call this a healthy dessert.

No more buttermilk recipes for a  while. I pulled out the 1/2 gallon I had left and it was all spoiled. And the date was March 3, sad.

3/4 C oats
3/4 C buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
3/8 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 F. Let oats soak in buttermilk for 15 minutes. Stir in egg, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients and then add to the wet, just until moistened. Stir in craisins. Pour into non-stick loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is a staple in Ireland. A great accompaniment to any meal, it takes advantage of the reaction between baking soda and buttermilk to quickly leaven this bread. I chose a healthy simple version, and I chose to include raisins. Although it definitely wasn't my favorite quick bread, it's a great recipe to use up buttermilk and will stay in my buttermilk folder! I may even make it again next week to use up the 1/2 gallon I have left.
Reasons this is a perfect buttermilk user-upper:
- It uses quite a bit.
- The only other ingredients are pantry staples.
- It's not bad for you
- Can range from being toast at breakfast to the perfect side to a bowl of soup.

Whole-Wheat Soda Bread
adapted from: Eating Well
Ingredients:
1 C whole-wheat flour
1 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/8 C buttermilk

*This is actually 1/2 of the recipe that I was looking at. It's so easy to half or double though, just make sure you adjust the cooking time (which I failed at doing).

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little flour.

2. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in buttermilk. Stir in fully circles until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, in a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well floured surface.

3. Pat and roll the dough gently with floury hands, just enough to tidy it up and give it a round shape. Flip and flatten slightly. Transfer the loaf to the prepared baking sheet. Mark with a deep cross using a serrated knife and prick each of the four quadrants.

4. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 F and continue to bake until the loaf is brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped, 25-30 minutes more. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool.

Chocolate Banana Vegan Pudding

Let me start by saying I'm not vegan. Not vegetarian. Or even close. But more often than not, I choose the friends that are vegetarians, vegan, are allergic to berries, are gluten intolerant, lactose intolerant.... etc. Therefore, I'm always up for building up my repertoire of bizarre recipes that will please the group. 

This "pudding" was actually really tasty and is great for vegans and non-vegans alike. I thought I had finally found a group pleaser... until I remembered the one that doesn't eat bananas. *sigh* 

Anyway, The taste was magnifique and the texture was very smooth. My only concern was that it could have been a thicker consistency. Next time, more bananas! 

Chocolate Banana Vegan Pudding

Takes 5 minutes + chilling

....oops... 

I'll get a better picture next time.

Ingredients: 

1 banana, frozen in chunks 

1 (12 oz) package soft silken tofu

1/4 cup powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 Tbsp soy milk*

1 pinch ground cinnamon

* I didn't have soy milk so I make mine with regular cows milk and added a dash of vanilla. 

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for an hour before serving. 

Makes 5 small 100 calorie servings. 

Thyme & Rosemary Carrots

I'm still using up the same package of carrots and am trying different ways to cook them. Thyme isn't usually my spice of choice, but it was great with this side dish.

2 carrots per person, cut into coins
1/4 of an onion per person
dried thyme
rosemary
minced garlic

Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil until tender. Add spices and garlic. Meanwhile, boil water in a different pan and add carrots. When tender, add to pan with onions.  Cover and steam until ready to serve.

Turkey Meatballs over Greens

I had stirred up a few turkey meatballs a while ago and popped them in the freezer. I had an open package of ground turkey to use up, and made a mixture of egg, breadcrumbs, ketchup, bbq sauce, garlic, and spices. Today, I thawed them in the fridge during the day, baked them in the oven, and then sauteed them in spaghetti sauce. Instead of pasta, I ate the meatballs over broccoli and cauliflower, and it was a delicious (lower calorie) version to the traditional spaghetti and meatball dish.


Frozen meatballs; homemade or store-bought
spaghetti sauce; homemade or store-bought
broccoli and cauliflower; frozen or fresh


One serving: 200 calories

Buttermilk Thyme Drop Biscuits

When I was at the store I wasn't sure how much buttermilk I needed for the red velvet cupcakes, so I bought way to much. Too much is definitely better than too little, but now I'm going to be baking with buttermilk for the next two weeks in order to not waste any. The obvious choices are pancakes and biscuits, but hopefully I'll be able to find a few different things to make with it too. I'm adding a 'Buttermilk' label to my blog so I can refer back to it when I run into a half-used carton of buttermilk, which seems to be more often than not.

These were yummy. I love biscuits. The bottoms got a little crunchy, but I attest that to the fact that I need a new cookie sheet. Also, they're great warm out of the oven, but doubt they'll be good tomorrow or after they're frozen. I'll keep you posted.

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits
adapted from : Martha Stewart

Makes 6 biscuits| Total 25 minutes

1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 T baking powder
a few shakes of salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 T cold unsalted butter
1/2 C buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. With a pastry blender, incorporate butter into flour mixture.

Mix in buttermilk until a sticky dough forms; you may need to add a little more.

Drop 6 mounds onto a nonstick baking sheet and lightly pat tops to flatten slightly

Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.

~115 calories per biscuit

Valentine Cupcakes and Such

What do key lime pie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and red velvet cake have in common? 


Today, all three of these things are often prepared with food coloring when traditionally they weren't. Most recipes call for an insane amount of red food coloring and some call for beets to give the cake it's distinct color. Cocoa used to be more alkaline than it is today, so the reddish hue came from the reaction of the combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa. Before my third year of college, I had never even tasted one bite of Red Velvet cake. Now, a year later, I have easily made over 300 cupcakes of this flavor, and claimed it as one of my most favorite things in the world. 


Having my own cupcake business last semester was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had at college so far. I met so many new people and had an excuse to play around with a wide array of types of cake and frosting. Although I've decided to take a break from it for a while, when one of my friends asked if he could order 3 dozen for valentine's day (and another had a pending order for red velvet) I gladly agreed. 


There are so many different varieties of Red Velvet cake. Just google it and you'll see there are so many different combinations of ingredients. Just like a vanilla cake I suppose. I've always stuck with the one from my mom (who got it from her mom) and I doubt I'll ever use a different recipe. It's tried and true and I've gotten a lot of thumbs up for them.

Psh, you thought I was going to hand out the recipe? Sorry kids, not this one.

 Also on the menu was my favorite chocolate cake  with peppermint frosting.

The whole process, and the fact that Valentine's Day is right around the corner made the Red Velvet Truffles pop into my mind. Too bad my blender broke so I can't make them :(

Healthy Lentil Loafs

After making lentil and veggie soup twice, I figured I should expand my expertise of cooking with lentils to something other than soup. I saw a recipe on About.com for Lentil Carrot and Veggie Burgers, which I adapted into these healthy lentil loafs. I didn't have buns, therefore they are more like a (sans)meat loaf than a burger, but regardless of what is 'actually' is, they were pretty tasty. Nothing spectacular, and I'll probably make something different next time, but they were good while they lasted. I think I should have made some sort of sauce to go with them, because that would have brought them to another level. 

Oh, and I made them into hearts because it's officially close to Valentine's day, when everything becomes heart-related. 

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely shredded carrot

3 cups cooked lentils, mashed

3 Tbs. ketchup

3/4 C breadcrumbs, (roasted garlic and savory spices)

1 tsp minced garlic

garlic pepper, salt, rosemary to taste

1. Cook the onion and carrot in water until tender. (This seemed a little pointless to me... it's a tiny amount of onions and carrots... next time more!)

2. Drain off water and then combine all ingredients until well blended. 

3. Form into patties (or press into a heart shaped cookie cutter!) and stick under a broiler for 5 minutes on each side, or until browned. 

Alternatively, you could fry these in a frying pan with a bit of oil. I choose to consume my fat in the form of cupcakes, but to each his own. I think they probably would have been better that way, actually. 

Happy eating! 

Ginger & Honey Glazed Carrots

These carrots were delicious! 

Simplicity

As Leonardo da Vinci said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

I bought Cara Cara oranges at the store by mistake. While only available December through april, the cara cara orange is nicknamed the "power orange." Appearing on the outside to be a regular orange, the interior of the cara cara  is a lovely pinkish red. They don't have any seeds, are really easy to peel, and are popular because of the low acidity content. They have a ton of nutritional benefits too. 

Single Serving Fried Rice

Yesterday was a beautiful day. It made me fall in love with living in Florida again. While the rest of the country was threatened with "bone-chilling temperatures" and "loads of snow," I spent the day on my balcony basking in the sun. 

Chocolate & Peanut Covered Banana Pops

I rarely buy bananas at the store. They're far from being in the ranking for my favorite fruit, but hey, a girl needs variety in her life. And honestly, smother a banana in the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter and I'll eat these bad boys all day. 


Initially I was going to make the sauce on the stove, but I wasn't really feeling the whole process of washing the pan, so I experimented with making it in the microwave and it worked perfectly!


Also, I... um... didn't have any Popsicle sticks. So one of my pops sported a knife (worked really well!) and one a straw (which proved to be too flimsy). Be creative. Or, if you're privileged enough to have a form of transportation, drive to the store and get Popsicle sticks!

5 minutes + freezing | 2 pops 

2 T cocoa powder
3 T sugar 
dash salt 
3 T water
1 T creamy peanut butter


Combine cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and water in microwavable bowl. Microwave on High one minute. Stir in  Peanut butter until melted. Set aside. 


Meanwhile, Cut a large banana in half and make into a pop by sticking a Popsicle stick (or knife) in one side. Chop peanuts until small. Sprinkle on foil. 


Use a spoon to cover banana with chocolate peanut butter mixture. Roll in peanuts or other toppings. One of mine had peanuts and the other had sprinkles!


Place on foil in a pan in the freezer until hard (a few hours). Enjoy!

Oregano and Garlic Flaxseed Crackers

Flaxseed is one of those ingredients that I always hear about in correlation with healthy food, but  had never experimented with it, until yesterday! I bought a box at the store and decided I would make something with it eventually. After doing a little searching on the internet and reading the box, I was surprised at how much flaxseed can be used for. Two recipes on the box were for types of bread, but my apartment is pretty full to the brim with pancakes, bread, and muffins already so I skipped over those for the time being. I ended up making a cracker recipe, which was a good experience because I've actually never made crackers before. They were kind of tasty, I'm just not really a cracker kind of chick. 

Interestingly enough, milled flaxseed can be used as a substitute in many ingredients. According to the box, 3 Tbsp. Milled Flax Seed can replace 1 Tbsp. fat or oil in a recipe. Likewise, 1 Tbsp. milled flax seed plus 3 Tbsp. water can replace 1 egg. Who knew? 

It doesn't taste like much, but can be added to smoothies, yogurt, salads, cereals, juices, baked goods, etc. to add to the nutritional value. The front of the box advertises all natural, good source of fiber, gluten free, no sugar, no cholesterol, no salt, 0 trans fat. 

Notes: I found it close to flours and cornmeal. It's usually in a box and should be kept in the fridge after opened to maintain freshness. 

38 crackers | 45 minutes total | 10 minutes active

1/4 C Milled Flaxseed

1/2 C wheat flour

1/4 C all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp margarine/butter

1/4 C milk

garlic pepper & oregano

- Combine flaxseed, flours, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. (Don't have a pastry blender? Two knives or a fork will do the trick!)

-Stir in milk until combined. I ended up using my hands to kneed all the moisture in. 

-Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes

- Divide dough in half. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until dough is very thin. Sprinkle generously with garlic pepper and oregano. Use rolling pin to roll spices into dough. 

-Cut into squares and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remainder of dough. 

-Bake in oven for 15 minutes until crisp. (Preheated at 325*)

 More experimenting with flax seed coming soon!

xoxo, Aysley

Turkey and White Bean Chili

It's settled. I can't live in a place that's cold and rainy all year long. It just begs me to stay in my pajamas and be lazy ALL day long. Luckily, it's Saturday and my stacks of homework gave me a reason to do just that. A day full of pajama's and soup that ended with a trip to the skating rink, yippee!


The kitchen definitely kept me busy today. This chili we've made at home before, but I've never made it here at school. It's pretty simple, yet I managed to not read the ingredients right. Still turned out pretty tasty! I added more water to stretch it out a bit, but feel free to make it however thin/thick as you wish. It went really nice with the home-made crackers (stay tuned).


25 minutes | 5 (1 cup) Servings


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil *
1 lb. ground turkey
1 med. onion, chopped
4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes in juice, chopped
1 can (15 ounce) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained


1. In 12 inch skillet, heat oil on med-high heat until hot. Add turkey and 1/2 tsp salt; cook 6-8 minutes or until turkey loses it's pink color throughout, stirring to break it up with spatula. Add onion; cook 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin, cook 1 min. 


2.  Add tomatoes with juice, beans, 1/2 cup water, heat to a boil on high. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. 


Optional: Serve with a dollop of yogurt. 


* I omitted the olive oil. I couldn't find 93% lean turkey at the store, so the fat in the turkey was enough for it not to stick. 


Calorie count per 1 cup serving: 215 (Although this could really change depending on the meat you buy)

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

My mom bought me this really cute mug for valentine's day. I know, it's ten days away. But it inspired me to make hot cocoa on this miserably rainy day. It was really tasty, but next time I would probably add more sugar. It's handy because you can just multiply the recipe for however many servings you want to make. Whip this up for your honey this valentine's day!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa 

Serves: 1 Time: 5 minutes

Healthy, Quick, Inexpensive

1 C fat free milk

1 heaping T of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp sugar 

1/4 tsp peppermint extract 

Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat. Once steaming (but not boiling) add cocoa power and sugar. Whisk until combined. Add peppermint extract. Serve in your new valentine's day mug (or any old mug will do!) Serve with marshmallows, marshmallow cream, or a peppermint stick!

Calories per serving: 105

(15 Cent) Muhjadarrah

For starters, let me just say that this dish is 15 cents per serving. Yes, cents. For those who argue that you can't eat healthy on a budget, I declare you're wrong!

 Sure, you can run down to your favorite fast food chain and get something of the dollar menu.

Yes, how convenient. But it honestly isn't as cheap as you might think. Are you only getting one thing off these value menu's? I doubt it. My point is that if you decided you wanted to eat this dish three times a day for an entire week, it would only be $3.15. And it would be good for you. 

Anyway, rant over. I'm just excited at how cheap it is. 

The story behind this is actually pretty funny. I thought I was being clever putting some random things together for lunch, but after a quick google search I actually found out I made a classic Egyptian meal called Muhjadarrah. For my avid readers (ahem, hey Mom and Dad!) you will probably recall that I recently had an epiphany about lentils and how they are my new super food of choice. Well this dish is simple, chock- full of protein, and tasty. While I wouldn't nominate it for a beauty contest, the fact that it's pretty amazing in all the other areas makes up for it. 

Muhjadarrah

serves: 2 takes: 20 minutes

1 onion, cut in strips or cubes

1/2 Tbs. olive oil 

1 cup cooked brown rice (I used some thawed from the freezer)

1/2 C lentils

Cook lentils according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in pan on low heat and caramelize onions. This will probably take as long as the lentils cook (about 15 minutes). Caramelizing the onions is the key step in this recipe. It really brings the flavor to the dish. You don't want them to burn or they'll seem bitter, so keep an eye on them and stir often. When lentils are done, season with salt and pepper and stir together with rice. Top with onions and serve. Feel free to season as you wish. It was tasty by itself, but also very good with a splash of lemon juice. 

Per serving: 240 calories

Roasted Cauliflower

I love veggies! There are so many different ways to prepare them, and this is (as-of-yet) my favorite way to eat cauliflower. 


The natural flavors of the cauliflower are brought out with the roasting process and enhanced with the salt and pepper. I tried it two different ways: one with olive oil on a cookie sheet and one with cooking spray on a glass pie pan. It was more of a result of my cookie sheet being dirty that I tried out the glass pan, but it actually turned out a lot better. Maybe because my cookie sheet is crap. Nevertheless, eat cauliflower, it's delicious. (unless it's not cooked and then it just tastes like dirt)

Roasted Cauliflower

Cut cauliflower into small pieces and place on cookie sheet or glass baking pan. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add in some minced garlic or whole cloves. Place into preheated oven (400 degrees) and cook for approximately 20 minutes, turning cauliflower halfway through. Bake your your liking, I like mine pretty tender. Right after taking it out of the oven, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve!

NomNomNom. 

Pesto CousCous with Green Beans and Tomatoes

I bought some green beans and tomatoes at the store and figured I would be able to fit them into some kind of meal this week. This turned out to be pretty good!

Pesto CousCous with Green Beans and Tomatoes

serves: 3 takes: 15 minutes 

1 cup Israeli couscous

2 plum tomatoes, washed and sliced

1 cup green beans, washed and cut 

4 tsp. McCormick pesto sauce mix

Cover green beans in frying pan with water; bring to a boil. When water has evaporated and green beans are tender, add tomatoes and heat until warm. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to directions on package. When veggies and couscous are ready, combine peso sauce mix with 1/4 cup water or milk in a small pot and heat slowly. After 2 minutes on medium heat, remove pesto sauce from stove and mix into couscous. Serve with veggies. 

Calories per serving: 240

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

This might just be the best pumpkin bread I've ever had. It's super moist, dense, and yummy! I would have never guessed that it was made with 1/2 whole wheat flour and absolutely no butter or oil. Unlike most bread recipes, it only made one loaf, which was nice... but it only took 1/2 a can of pumpkin which is convenient if you already used 1/2 a can for pumpkin pancakes! 

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

from: Eggland's best heart healthy bread

Ingredients

• 7 1/2 oz. canned pumpkin
• 2 large  eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon
• dash nutmeg

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×5 loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, mix pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, water, and sugar.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. When dry ingredients are evenly mixed, mix into the wet ingredients while stirring.
• Stir only until no more dry ingredients can be seen, but take care not to over mix. Pour batter into pans.
• Bake until a knife in the center comes out barely wettened, or about 50 minutes.
• Let sit in pan for 10 minutes and then remove.

Yield

Makes 12 servings

1 Serving: Calories 140