Sweet Potato Smoothie

Are you ready for this? I didn't have any spinach or kale (staples when I'm making green smoothies) but I did have some baked sweet potatoes that needed to be eaten. I made my husband try and guess my "secret ingredient" and he couldn't figure it out AND he liked it. The sweet potato flavor was masked by my fruit (not that you need to mask it's flavor...they are so tasty on their own).

Ingredients:

• About 16 oz of liquid--1/2 water, 1/2 apple juice
• 1 1/2 cooked sweet potatoes
• 2-4 Tb. milled flax seed
• 8-10 frozen strawberries
• 1/2 banana

Directions:

Put the liquid and sweet potato in the blender, blend for about 30 seconds. Then add milled flax seed, strawberries, and banana. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Notes about this recipe:

1. If you want less of a fruity flavor add less strawberries.
2. I only added 1/2 of my banana because it was really ripe. Ripe bananas can become flavor hogs, just FYI.
3. You don't have to add flax seed. I do because it is so good for you. I'll do an FYI post on it soon.

Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe was submitted by Vanessa H. She found it at The Pioneer Woman. (If you like step-by-step pictures head on over to her website.)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• 1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Directions:

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Notes about this recipe:

I think part of the reason I don't like a lot of the mac & cheese recipes out there is because you bake it. Ree's recipe can either be eaten right from the pan or transferred to a casserole dish and baked. I baked it this time, but next time I probably won't. I like it super creamy like Kraft-in-a-box.

Posted by Ree on August 4 2009

Greek Salad Pita Pockets

This recipe come from Deb. It was introduced to her by her mother.

Ingredients:

• 1c shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 tomato - chopped
• 1/2 c diced cucumber
• diced green onion
• 1 diced green pepper
• sliced black olives
• 1/2 T olive oil
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• pinch salt and pepper
  

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients and serve with pitas, hummus, and feta cheese.

Notes about this recipe:

The recipe is super easy and you can put more or less of whatever you like, the measurements are just a basic ratio.

Three Cheese Manicotti

This recipe comes from Vanessa B. She found it at Allrecipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 (26 oz) jars of pasta sauce
  

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
4. Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and continue baking 10 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

Total preparation and cooking time is 1 hour.
Makes 6 servings

Notes about this recipe:

It is just a basic Manicotti recipe, but I think the kind of sauce you use makes a difference. You could always make your own sauce if you don't want it from a jar.

Mushroom Ragout

This recipe comes from Vanessa H. Of the recipe she says, "This one was surprisingly delicious. You see this beautiful dish and expect it to taste like a savory pasta. But oh no, my friend! When you take a bite you get a surprise! It has a really yummy sweet taste to it!" She found it at Rachael Ray's website. (Also, if you are interested in seeing it made, Rachael Ray's site has the clip from her show.)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 ribs celery from heart, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, chopped or grated
• 1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 cups mushroom stock (vegetable stock can be substituted)
• 2 15-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
• Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1 pound whole wheat penne
• 1 cup (about a handful) basil, torn
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over high heat, add EVOO. When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms, allspice, bay leaf, marjoram and freshly ground black pepper.

When the mushrooms are brown, add a pinch of salt, the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and peppers, and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until it smells sweet.

Add the red wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, stewed tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Bring up to a bubble and simmer about 10 minutes.

While the ragout is cooking, cook the whole wheat penne: Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add some salt and the penne, and cook to al dente according to the package directions.

When the pasta is done, toss it together with the mushroom ragout. Top with torn fresh basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I have used both cremini and regular mushrooms. Both are good, but creminis are more expensive...
2. I don't use marjoram that much in cooking, so I never buy it. I didn't use it in this recipe.
3. I just use two red bell peppers instead of a cubanelle.
4. I substitute apple juice for the red wine.
5. I just used chicken stock instead of mushroom or vegetable stock because that is what I had in the pantry.
6. Fresh basil is expensive, so I use the dried basil leaves as a garnish instead.
7. I let my sauce simmer longer than 10 minutes to get it a little thicker (and the pasta takes more than 10 minutes when you calculate in the time it takes to get the water to a boil).
   

Ants on a Log

SO...I've been having a lot of dinner flops lately. Trying new veggie recipes that taste so-so instead of so-amazing-I've-got-to-put-it-on-my-blog. This means I need more of you to send me your tried and true amazing recipes! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

In the meantime, I've been coming up with some more yummy green smoothie mixes (which will be forthcoming) and today's blog post is on my latest go-to snack. I'm pretty sure I've had it almost everyday for the past week. Crunchy, nutty, sweet....hits the spot for me every time.

Ingredients:

• celery stocks
• raisins
• creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Wash celery sticks and cut to desired length. Spread peanut butter in the valley of the stalk. Put the raisins on the PB.

Breakfast of Champions Smoothie

This recipe comes from Cindy.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can no-sugar-added peaches in water
Three [very] large handfuls of fresh spinach or kale (it should nearly fill the blender)
1 banana
1 cup plain fat free yogurt
1 cup of ice
As much milled flax as you can handle ;)

Directions:

Pour the peaches and liquid into the blender, puree. Add greens and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds or so. Add in banana, yogurt and flax; blend briefly to mix. Add ice and puree until smooth.

Notes about this recipe:

Super quick and easy, so incredibly healthy, and super tasty. If you have family members who might gag at the sight of green liquid, you can add a cup of mixed frozen berries instead of ice, which gives it a nice purple tone (but ups the price tag).

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble

This recipe was submitted by Aubrey. She adapted it from Love Veggies and Yoga.

Ingredients and Directions:

Raw Crust:
1 c oats
2/3 c Whole Wheat Flour
9 Medjool dates, pitted (you can get these at Costco)

Grind these up together in your blender or food processor and then press in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

Filling:
4 large apples (this could be interchanged with other fruits- I'm going to try pears next time)
Peel, core and dice. Place in bowl and add:
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsp Raw Organic Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Molasses
1-2 Tsp Cinnamon - according to your taste.

Mix well and spread over the top of the crust.

Crumble topping:
3/4 c Almond Meal (you can just grind up almonds in your blender or food processor)
3/4 c Oats
3-4 Tbsp Agave (depending on how sticky/crumbly you like your crumble)

Give these a good couple of pulses and crumble evenly over the top of your apples.

You're done! Just place it in the fridge until you're ready for it. It's best to do this several hours ahead of serving to allow the flavors to meld, and the crust to get a bit gooey from the sauce in the apples.

Blueberry Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• About 14 oz of liquid---1/2 orange juice, 1/2 water
• 1 banana
• 5-6 frozen strawberries
• 1 c. frozen blueberries
• 1 1/2 handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 c. oatmeal

Directions:

Add liquid first, then all the other ingredients. Blend.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe comes from Good Life Eats. Very delicious and filling (my husband even said so himself).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced (deseed if you like)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Morton Season All Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2/3 cup diced sweet potato
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 37.5 ounces canned black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1/2 cup fire roasted salsa
• 2 bay leaves
• 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• toppings for serving: Monterrey jack cheese or feta and cilantro

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes, until tender and golden. Add the garlic and poblano pepper and saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the cumin and chili powder and saute another 2 minutes.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth (reserve 1/4 cup of broth), scraping to remove any browned bits in the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and toppings.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved 1/4 cup of broth and the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the chili pot. Stir until well mixed. Bring chili to a boil for 2 minutes and then lower heat to low. Simmer over low heat uncovered for one hour. Then, simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes.

Serve topped with your choice of toppings.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I served it up with cornbread muffins (using 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour).
2. I didn't used crushed tomatoes, I used chili ready diced tomatoes.
3. I just used 1 whole sweet potato (which was a little more than 2/3 c.), and I only used about 28 oz of black beans (about 1 1/2 cups).
4. I cut the chili powder in half, and it was still a tad spicy so next time I might only use 1/2 of the poblano pepper or 1/2 the salsa (I had used a medium spice salsa).

Chimichurri

I found the recipe for this marinate/sauce at Our Best Bites.

They used it as a meat marinate, but I loved this as a dipping sauce for pizza (meat or veggie pizza) and it was yummy drizzled on my steamed asparagus. If you decide to make it, tell me what you liked eating it with.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• 1/2 C loosely packed oregano leaves*
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 3 T chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
  
  *Fresh is best, but if you don't have access to fresh oregano, you could use fresh cilantro and parsley and add in 1 Tbs plus 1 tea dried oregano leaves.

Directions:

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped. Remove mixture and place in a bowl. Add red pepper flakes and then stir in olive oil by hand.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used water instead of red wine vinegar and it was still delish.

Cinnamon Fried Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tb olive oil
• 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oil and cinnamon in pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and stir until all potatoes have been coated with oil/cinnamon mixture. Cook until soft.

Pineapple Carrot Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• About 12 oz of liquid--1/2 apple juice, 1/2 water
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3 or 4 small chunks
• Leaves from 3 stalks of kale
• 1 handful of spinach
• 4 large spoonfuls of pineapple chunks (could use fresh pineapple as well)
• About 8 frozen strawberries
• 2-4 Tb milled flax seed

Directions:

Put liquid in first, then add other ingredients. Blend.

Tarka Dhal

This recipe is adapted from a cookbook called Best Ever Indian Cookbook. I actually took this picture the first time I made it, a few months ago. Tonight when I made it I changed some things but it still looked the same.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. red split lentils (also called masoor dhal)
1/4 c. yellow split lentils (also called mung dhal)
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp canned green chilis
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the Tarka:
1-2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Bring the lentils, water, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies to a boil. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until soft.

Mash the lentils with a fork (or you could use the end of a wooden rolling pin, or a glass jar; I actually just used the back side of my wooden mixing spoon) until it is a creamy constancy. Some of the lentils will still look whole. If the mixture seems too dry, then add water and mix.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and tomato for 2-5 min. (until onion is translucent).

Pour the tarka over the lentils and garnish with cilantro.

I serve it up with brown rice, and some bread/veggie/fruit (any or all).

Notes about this recipe:

1. You could use all red or all yellow lentils.
2. You could use fresh green peppers (serrano) if you like.
3. You could add more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it to be hotter. I prefer mild, which is what the above recipe is.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

I found this recipe at Whole Food Mommies.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. quinoa, cooked according to package
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Be sure to get your cilantro leaves off the stem before chopping finely.
2. I cooked my quinoa in 1/2 vegetable broth and 1/2 water, to give it more flavor. You could completely replace the water with veggie broth if you wanted, or just stick to the water.
   
3. I used it as a taco filler, along with sauted veggies & black beans with fajita seasoning. (See picture below.)