Guest Posting on Topsy and Havoc // Dinner Recipe

My friend, Laura, is having "Food Week" over on her blog and it's gonna make you really hungry. She asked me to share an easy recipe and you can see it on her blog HERE.

I am really happy with how the Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli recipe turned out. I love both vegetables and roast them often, but steaming and marinating was a great change.

Every Sunday Egan and I are trying a new recipe out of "The New Moosewood Cookbook" that we each got for Christmas a few years ago. We are loving that it's letting us explore new methods and ideas in the kitchen. 

Have you ever cooked/baked your way through a cookbook?

Recipe // Date Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

I changed quite a bit from the original recipe and I was very happy with the result.

Date Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Eating Well
makes 14

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup flaxseeds, ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk (or almond milk plus 1/4 of a lemon, squeezed)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chopped, pitted dates
1/3 cup chocolate chips or more

Preheat oven to 400.
In a small toaster oven, I toasted the cup of rolled oats and walnuts for 6 minutes or so. Let cool.

Whisk whole wheat flour, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a small bowl till smooth. Whisk in buttermilk (or substitute), applesauce, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in dates, oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

Once in muffins tins, sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons oats. Bake for 15-20 minutes or golden brown.

Recipe // Overnight Oat Waffles

On Sunday morning we had a sister breakfast at my place cause Kristine was in town. I made these waffles and they were so good I had to share. I love that they are flour less, I love the soaking aspect, and I loved having a leftover waffle for breakfast the next morning. I bet they would freeze great.

For toppings we had apples/bananas/strawberries/maple syrup and then a side of perfectly scrambled eggs (nice job Egan).

Overnight Oat Waffles
from Feeding the Young Athlete
yields 4 (double if you are serving more than 2 people)


2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3/4 cup water
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sucanat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine oats, yogurt, and water in blender. Cover and soak overnight in refrigerator.

In the morning, preheat waffle iron.

Blend oats mixture with remaining ingredients in blender until smooth

Valentine Pancakes 3 ways // way 3

 

Try this way: frozen raspberries thawed for about 20 minutes circling a stack of pancakes and a drizzle of pure maple syrup

 

Pancakes
adapted from Blonde Design
yields 6 (I highly suggested that you double this recipe)

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg

In a medium bowl whisk together milk, butter, and egg.
Add dry ingredients and mix just barely.

Cook on a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Valentine Pancakes 3 ways // way 2

 

 

Try this way: a small dollop of whipped cream topped with quartered strawberries and with a carrot peeler take a chocolate bar over the pancakes for a nice sweet sprinkling

Pancakes
adapted from Blonde Design
yields 6 (I highly suggested that you double this recipe)

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg

In a medium bowl whisk together milk, butter, and egg.
Add dry ingredients and mix just barely.

Cook on a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Valentine Pancakes 3 ways // way 1

 

 

Try this way: a dollop of strawberry greek yogurt with diced strawberries.

Pancakes
adapted from Blonde Design
yields 6 (I highly suggested that you double this recipe)

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg

In a medium bowl whisk together milk, butter, and egg.
Add dry ingredients and mix just barely.

Cook on a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Recipe // Molasses + Bran Muffins

 

Molasses + Bran Muffins
adapted from Pacific Northwest Magazine

makes 12

1 cup raisins
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups wheat bran (use Bob's Red Mill)

1. Put paper muffin liners in the muffin tin. Lightly spray the papers with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine raisins with boiling water and the the raisins simmer until they are plumped and soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the raisins and their cooking liquid to the food processor and process until the mixture becomes a rough puree. With the motor running, add the oil, sugar, molasses, and egg.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then stir in the wheat bran. Add the raisin mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.

4. Distribute batter evenly in the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are browned on top and springy to the touch, about 20 minutes.

*froze some of these for later

 

Recipe // Apple Berry Smoothie + Oatmeal Raspberry Muffins

 

Apple Berry Smoothie
granny smith whole
frozen banana
tangerine
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1-2 kale leaves (chopped and frozen in ice cube trays)
1 container Chobani strawberry greek yogurt
cold water as needed

Oatmeal Raspberry Muffins
makes 12

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup raspberries (frozen works fine)
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with a little lemon juice or vinegar)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce

In a large bowl mix flours, oats, sugar, baking powder and soda. Add fruit; stir to coat. In a small bowl beat eggs with a fork; beat in buttermilk and butter. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blendd. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15-25 minutes.

*great for freezing too! just heat up and eat for on-the-go mornings!

Recipe // whole wheat waffles

 

 

 

 

 

And by "whole wheat" I really mean entirely whole wheat. These waffles are delicious and cooked so well. They held a fruit topping really well too.

Recipe // Whole Wheat Waffles
adapted from Keeping Up Cookbook
serves 4

1 cup whole wheat kernels (wheatberries)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Place whole wheat and buttermilk in a blender and blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add:
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1/3 cup oil

Blend for 20 seconds, then allow batter to sit for 10 minutes. Cook on a hot, greased waffle iron.

topping:
Slice 4 granny smith apples and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over them and sprinkle some sugar. Microwave with a paper towel for a few minutes. Stir in 1 cup frozen blueberries and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Recipe // Seattle Dutch Baby

 

 

 

Seattle Dutch Baby
variation from Seattle Times recipe

serves 4

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
3 cups frozen berries
1/4 cup jam
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Place 1/3 cup butter in an 11 to 12 inch ovenproof skillet or shallow baking dish*. Place skillet in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden.

While butter melts, quickly mix batter. Using a food processor or blender mix eggs until light and lemon-colored. With motor running gradually pour in milk then slowly add flour. Continue mixing 30 seconds.

When butter is sizzling in pan, pour batter in and bake 22 minutes or until puffy and golden in the center, browned around the edges.

While pancake is baking gently thaw mixed frozen berries, heat jam (jelly or syrup work too), sift powdered sugar in separate bowls. 

Just before pancake is done baking, stir the warm jelly into the thawed berries. Remove pancake from oven--caution it will be HOT. Pour the berry mixture onto pancake while hot and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.


*works great with a cast iron and be careful to use glass because it they can crack in the heat

Greens salad // Recipe

 

I was in charge of bringing a salad to our family dinner on Sunday and as usual I was taking inventory of the produce I already had when I called my mom for some guidance. She suggested I try to make a variation on a salad that is at Costco. I was super happy with the results so here I am to share.

You'll need a food processor. I don't even know how to describe the blade tool I used, but you don't want to chop the vegetables, you want to slice them into strips. So you the circular top one with a curved slicer.

The amounts of each ingredient are up to you, I just eye balled as I went to fill a big white dish I had. There was enough leftover that I had it for lunch today and it held over very well. Especially cause it was barely dressed.

Greens salad // Recipe

brussel sprouts
purple cabbage
romaine lettuce
baby spinach
cauliflower
dried cranberries
pumpkin seeds

Chop the ends off the brussel sprouts and put through the food processor. Repeat with the cabbage. The romaine lettuce should be chopped into bite size pieces. Take a small handful of baby spinach and roll them together and cut into a few pieces. Cut the cauliflower into thin pieces.
I toasted the pumpkin seeds for a few minutes in my toaster oven.
Toss the salad then sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.

As for the dressing, I made a poppyseed dressing using sugar, oil, dried mustard, apple cider vinegar, and poppyseeds. It tasted good, but I'd prefer to cut down on the sugar and oil. Do you have a healthier poppyseed dressing that you use? Please share.

Quinoa Dinner Bowl // Recipe

 

My sister Egan is always cooking up some delicious, healthy, unique concoction. Every time I go over to her house I'm inspired by something she's making.
Yesterday we made dinner and she helped me with a craft project. I think I could eat this meal every night no problem.

Quinoa Dinner Bowl

layer the following:
+raw kale with a little olive oil
+purple cabbage
+cooked quinoa (hot or cold)
+canned black beans (hot or cold)
+celery
+carrot
+tomato
+roasted sweet potato
+stir fried chicken (grass-fed)
+avocado
+drizzle of balsamic vinegar

the variations are endless...

Carrot Apple Muffins // Recipe

 

Years ago my sister Egan introduced the family to these healthy muffins. They've always been a great way to use any extra carrots or maybe apples that aren't crisp enough to eat.
I adapted this recipe a little and they still turned out great.

Carrot Apple Muffins
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic sucanat
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/8 tsp. baking soda
3/8 tsp. salt
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 shredded carrot
1 shredded apple
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white

Stir dry ingredients together. In food processor shred apple and carrot. Add most ingredients to dry ingredients. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes.

whole wheat pancakes with pompegranate

 

I was skimming my pancakes tab in google reader and saw this recipe that interested me. I subbed almond flour in for the walnut flour. I also didn't have a full cup of almond flour, so I added the oats. I didn't have any applesauce, so I put in some plain yogurt. The story is, it turned out great. Delicious pancakes without having to go to the grocery store!
recipe adapted from Good Things Grow
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. If you do not have almond flour you can take almonds and put them in your food processor until a flour like texture.
In a small bowl mix the eggs, milk, yogurt, and maple syrup. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Don't over mix!

A drizzle of maple syrup and sprinkle of pomegranate arils is all you need! I got my pomegranate arils from Costco.

Guest Post: Gardening// Ellie

 I've asked a few gardeners to guest post about their experiences with gardening and what they've learned. Being interested and passionate about natural foods and self-sufficient living has me looking forward to a garden of my own someday. 

Guest: Ellie, as she says below, recently got married and moved away from me. Our other cooking girl, Brooke, got married this week. So our cooking meet ups have taken a break, but we still keep in touch and wish we were in the kitchen together. I love Ellie and she has a passion for health and eating wholesome foods. I can't believe this garden!

With our recent marriage came relocation to a small town, and one of the first things we did upon arriving was plant a garden. We were lucky to find a landlord who would let us experiment with a large piece of their land, and experiment we did. We now have quite the jungle in our backyard.

We purchased our starts from a local nursery, our landlord (who grows her plants from seeds she harvests!) and from Home Depot. Home Depot has a great selection of Bonnie Plants, a brand of heirloom and traditional hybrid plants (non-GMO) that are sold in biodegradable pots.

What we planted:

A variety of peppers, a variety of tomatoes, zucchini, crookneck squash, butternut squash, eggplant, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, beans (bush and pole), beets, corn, carrots, strawberries, cilantro and basil.

What grew well:

Peppers (Anaheim, green, banana), zucchini (grew like a weed!), crookneck squash, corn, carrots, basil and cilantro.

Our tomatoes are growing rapidly but have yet to ripen, the butternut squash is just starting to come in and our beets and beans are growing nicely.

Advice from novice gardeners:

Jon:

• Find a local gardener who can help with pointers on what to plant and typical frost dates.
• Make sure that your garden is protected from animals, especially deer in our case.  In the end, we put up deer netting around the entire garden.  
• Invest in a cheap water timer for your hose.  Saves time.  Also helps to avoid accidentally leaving a sprinkler on all night.  
• Pay attention to planting instructions on plant spacing and thin if necessary.  It hurts to pull up a healthy, growing plant, but it helps with overall plant growth and makes harvesting a much smoother process.  

Ellie:

• Use Nutri-mulch (organic fertilizer locally produced here in Sanpete County).
• NEVER plant more than one zucchini plant.
• Freeze any excess produce, it’ll come in handy during soup season. I’ve been slicing/shredding produce and bagging it in 2 cup portions.
• Don’t be afraid to try something new. I’m absolutely lost when it comes to cooking with tomatillos (I didn’t even know that they were a relative of the tomato), but after looking up a few recipes I’m excited to make some salsa verde.

Speaking of recipes, I’ve been experimenting with zucchini bread a bit. I’m teaching a health class and I’m on a kick where I’m trying to make unhealthy foods as healthy as possible. Call me crazy.

Healthy(ish) Zucchini Bread

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅓ cup honey
1 egg
½ cup applesauce
2 cups shredded zucchini

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix together dry ingredients
3. In a separate bowl whisk together honey, egg, applesauce and zucchini
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
5. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, spread evenly
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until top is firm
7. Let cool, slice and enjoy!

Warning: This bread will be moist because of the moisture in the applesauce and zucchini, but it’s delicious!

 Thank you Ellie! I would love to come to your classes and learn all your healthy tips. And I can't wait to try that bread with the large zucchini on my counter.

Guest Post: Gardening// My mom

I've asked a few gardeners to guest post about their experiences with gardening and what they've learned. Being interested and passionate about natural foods and self-sufficient living has me looking forward to a garden of my own someday.

Guest: My mom. Lives in Seattle, WA. I first blogged about my parent's beautiful garden HERE. Oooooh how I love that place.

There are a lot of poems about gardening.  There are two I think of--and both kind of have a morbid touch to them (Robert Frost’s “A Girl’s Garden” and this one below, lyrics from the musical “A Secret Garden”).  Here is a sample: 

A bit of earth,

She wants a little bit of earth,

She'll plant some seeds.

The seeds will grow,

The flowers bloom,

Their beauty just the thing she needs.

She'll grow to love the tender roses,

Lilies fair, the iris tall.

And then in fall, her bit of earth

Will freeze and kill them all.

Gardening is like that--there are delightful and delicious rewards, but there is also the cycle of life--things get hurt, get sick, and even die.  There are things out of our most diligent control. But next thing you know it is spring and stuff starts growing again.  So, it is worth it.

I grow a few flowers but I really focus on berries and vegetables--edible things.  That is because I like to eat more than I like to have a vase of flowers in my house.  I like the idea of being a bit more self-sufficient (there must be a better word) and I also like the idea of having really fresh vegetables and fruit.  I can go out in the yard at 5:30 and find something to make for dinner or breakfast from early May to mid-October.  Then I can go to my storage shelves or my freezer the rest of the year and get a bottle of tomatoes  (there is nothing canned that compares to the taste of home-bottled tomatoes) or zucchini relish, rhubarb for a crisp, or a bag of blueberries to smother my oatmeal.  It is a lot of work, but it is satisfying to me.

During my semi-Hippie days when I was 16 years old I began to long for a garden--to get back to nature. So when we bought our first home a few years later I planted a vegetable garden--that was in SLC which has great weather for gardening.  Then we moved to Seattle and gardening there is a different kind of thing altogether.  The sun is spotty,, the moss is pervasive, the slugs are ferocious eaters, and the nights are cold.  But I can usually get a really good crop of tomatoes and zucchini, some beets and carrots, early lettuce and peas, lately I’ve had great results with kale, and then there are the berries.   Berries love the Seattle climate and the acidic soil.  

Last night I made a delicious soup from a few zucchini and 2 bunches of kale.  Instead of the vermicelli it called for I used some angel hair spinach pasta.  I only used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 4 and was judicious with the red pepper flakes--but really, the flakes are an important part of the flavor of this soup so I was glad I added some.

Some of you readers probably haven’t gardened much yet, but I hope you won’t be afraid to try.  I was a city girl and had to learn through doing.  You can to--your plants might die, but next time they’ll grow and you’ll be so excited when you pluck a tomato off your very own vine!

Thanks for the post mom! I have so much to learn from you. Every single summer I am so sad I'm not in Seattle feasting on your garden.

Recipe: chicken and veggie pizza-tacos

 

Cool recipe name right? I was stumped.

I used the same dinner formula that I did (every night) over HERE.
I had canned chicken (I don't like cooking meat and I rarely make or order it). I had cherry tomatoes and zucchini from my sister's garden. And, then I went to the store and bought the remaining pieces to my creation.

Recipe: Chicken and Veggie Pizza-Tacos

sprouted corn tortillas
olive oil
zucchini
cherry tomatoes
shredded mozzarella cheese
canned chicken
garlic powder
chili powder
red pepper flakes

On a cookie sheet with parchment place tortillas.
I sprayed (with my Misto) a little olive oil on each one.
Sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella cheese.
Top with sliced tomatoes and zucchini.
Next, add some canned chicken to each.
I added a dash of chili powder, red pepper flakes, and a garlic powder.

Oven at 350. 10-15 minutes (I didn't time, just guessed).

Listening to: Band of Horses to prepare for Thursday's Twilight Concert Series here in SLC, UT.

Recipe: Shrimp Tacos with kale and zucchini

 

When it comes to dinner I can get real stumped sometimes. Especially because I'm cooking for one. I want something healthy and colorful, but I don't want to spend a lot of time on it or make too much. Usually my thought process goes like this: what do I have? what vegetables do I need to use? what kind of protein do I have/want? The answer to this question usually results in an omelet type of dinner. (any vegetables + eggs + little cheese = delicious and no grocery store trip)

Last night--- a successful new dinner that I pulled together after my usual round of questions. no grocery store trip: check / colorful: check / protein, grains, vegetables: check

Recipe: Shrimp Tacos with kale and zucchini
makes 2 tacos

1 cup of pre-cooked/tail-less frozen shrimp (thaw)
1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 zucchini (sliced in half circles)
handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
handful of kale (pre-cut and washed)
2 Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas
mexican cheese
sea salt for taste

1. heat up a skillet, use some cooking spray, and toss in zucchini. once those are heated up mostly add kale (new discovery: I found kale pre-cut and washed in a plastic bin at my nearest grocery store. Yay! so easy), finally add cherry tomatoes.

2. heat up another skillet with a tiny bit of coconut oil and add shrimp. they are already cooked so it's just a matter of heating them up here. salt the shrimp

3. heat up Ezekial sprouted grain tortillas with a sprinkle of mexican cheese.

4. layer shrimp and vegetables. fold up tortilla and enjoy

What is your go-to easy dinner?

Recipe//Breakfast Muffins

 

I wanted to switch up my pre-workout snack (usually a piece of toast and honey) this week so I made these muffins and put them in the freezer. They are an easy treat to grab (only 15 seconds in the microwave) and give me just enough energy to take me through my morning workout.

They are really good too! Not too heavy or dense or dry like some healthy muffins can be. These are soft with a great texture and with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips it's the perfect amount of sweetness.

Breakfast Muffins

adapted from Abascal Way

makes about 16 muffins 


2 cups almond meal (ground almonds, also called almond flour)
½ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup large ripe banana, mashed
1 cup cooked fresh squash, pumpkin or sweet potato--or canned or frozen (I used canned sweet potato)
¼ cup olive oil

(additions: I added dried cranberries, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chopped red walnuts, but let your imagination go wild here)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin papers in muffin tins. 

Combine almond meal, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk eggs until creamy.  

Process the banana, squash, and oil in a food processor or blender or beat them by hand.  Stir into the eggs, then stir into the dry ingredients.  Fill muffin tins to the top.  Bake for 20 -25 minutes.  

strawberry rhubarb pancakes

  

 

As a renter I have not yet been able to have my own garden, but I am lucky enough to have two generous sisters that live close to me and garden. I came home with a bunch of rhubarb last Sunday that I had chopped and put in the freezer with thoughts of muffins in my head. But Sunday morning I woke up and I had one breakfast wish: Strawberry Rhubarb Pancakes. I'd never had them before, nor heard of them, so I used a pancake recipe I liked and simply added the chopped rhubarb and diced up strawberries. Easy, tasty, and in season.

Recipe//Strawberry Rhubarb Pancakes

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used almond milk and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar)
3/4 cup almond milk
mix and set aside

1 egg
1 tbsp oil
add to oat mixture

1/2 wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
drizzle of 100% pure maple syrup
dash of cinnamon
mix and add to oat+egg mixture

Pour 1/3 cup amounts onto a greased and hot skillet.