Quinoa & Butternut Squash

Quinoa & Butternut Squash

Shaliese Original

1/2 C. quinoa, rinsed

1 c. chicken broth

1/4 C. pine nuts

1 Tbls. olive oil

2 C. butternut squash, diced

1/4 C. finely diced red onions

1 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 Tbls. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. Add quinoa and chicken broth to a small pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.  Drain any excess liquid and set aside.

2. Heat a pan to medium heat.  Add pine nuts and cook, tossing often, until pine nuts are toasted.  Remove pine nuts from the pan and set aside.

3. Heat saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil.  When oil is hot, add the butternut squash with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for one minute.

4. Add red onions to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

5. Stir in the bacon and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through (cooking time will depend on the size of your squash). 

6.  Add Quinoa and pine nuts to the pan, stir until heated through.

7.  Remove from heat.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve!

Healthier Banana Chocolate Muffins

Healthier Banana Chocolate Muffins

recipe modified from this one

3 large bananas

3/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 C. applesauce

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour

1/2 tp 1 C. dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mash bananas

3. Add sugar and egg

4. Add applesauce

5. Add dry ingredients

6. Mix in chocolate chips.

7. Fill muffin tins half full.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes.

Comments:

I don't think the majority of people would choose these muffins over the big greasy ones you can buy at the store.  However, these are quite good and my kids sure gobble them up.  They make for a great after-school-snack. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe found here

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix the first six ingredients, then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Roll into balls, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and press down with a fork.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Marinara

Marinara

Modified from this recipe

2 Tbls. olive oil

3 diced onions

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 dice green bell peppers

2 Tbls. dried basil

4 Tbls. dried parsley

4 tsp. dried oregano

1 generous pinch chipotle pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbls. onion powder

1 Tbls. garlic powder

4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 Tbls. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbls. sugar

1 28 oz. can garlic fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

4 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes, undrained

6 oz. tomato paste

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, bell peppers, basil, parsley, and oregano; saute for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Recipe found here

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn
2 cups taco sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
8 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease, and add the onion, bell pepper, and corn. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the taco sauce, and season with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin, stirring until blended. Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Open the can of beans, and spread a thin layer of beans onto each of the tortillas. Spoon the beef mixture down the center, and then top with as much shredded cheese as you like. Roll up the tortillas, and place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with melted butter.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve with lettuce and tomato.

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Recipe found here

3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 C. cornstarch

2 whole eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 C. Canola oil

For the Sauce:

3/4 C. sugar

4 Tbls. ketchup

1/2 C. vinegar

1 Tbls. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic salt

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees.

2. Cut the chicken into chunks.  Season with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in eggs.  Fry in a little oil until browned on all sides, but not cooked through.  Place in a single layer in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

3. Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

4. Bake for one hour in preheated oven.  Turn chicken every 15 minutes.  If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to boil on the stove top.  Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Awesome Chicken Salad

Awesome Chicken Salad

Modified from this recipe

2 chicken breasts

1 Tbls. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 to 1/2 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. paprika

3/4 C. dried cranberries

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 C. minced green bell pepper

1/4 C. salted pistachios, chopped

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet with lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling.  Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  Place the chicken top-side down in the hot skillet and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes until golden brown on top.  Flip the chicken over, add the chicken broth, cover the skillet and let the chicken simmer gently over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the skillet, let it cool, then shred.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients.  Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Comments:

What can I say other than we love it...well, I can say that it makes a great open face sandwich on toasted ciabatta bread.

Roasted Squash and Pine Nut Quinoa

Roasted Squash and Pine Nut Quinoa

Recipe found here

1 Butternut Squash

1 C. of quinoa

1/3 C. pine nuts

12 cherry tomatoes

3 C. broccoli (cut bite size)

2 limes

1 bunch cilantro

Olive Oil

Oregano

Thyme

Rosemary

Paprika

salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel the skin off of the squash and chop into little cubes.  Put the cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on dried herbs, paprika and salt.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Stir the squash and bake for another 10-15 minutes until soft, but slightly firm.

2. While the squash cooks, make the quinoa according to package directions, but adding the juice of one lime, dried herbs and salt to taste.  Let it cook for 10-15 minutes.  Chop the broccoli and cilantro.  Add them to the quinoa with 5 minutes left of cooking time.

3.  Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan on medium heat.  This should only take 3-4 minutes, so be careful not to burn them.

4. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters. 

5. One the quinoa and the squash are cooked, stir them together with the pine nuts and the more lime juice and the cherry tomatoes--do not cook the tomatoes!

Comments:

I absolutely love this recipe.  It has some of my favorite flavors and it is extremely healthy.  You can also add the avocado cream from the original recipe, but my avocado's weren't ripe yet, so we had it without, and I don't think that it needs it.  This recipe is a gluten free vegan dish (I can't believe I'm even trying to feed it to my family) and it give me hope that you can eat deliciously without added sugar or dairy.  No worries, I'm not going on some extreme diet or anything, I just say this blog and it looked delicious...I will definitely be trying more recipes from Ella!

Fresh Broccoli Salad

Fresh Broccoli Salad

Modified from this recipe

2 heads fresh broccoli, cut to bite size pieces (approximately 6-8 C.)

1/4 C. finely chopped onion

6 oz. bacon

1/2 C. craisins

1/2 C. pine nuts

1/2 C. mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. ginger vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1. Bake bacon in the oven at 425 degrees on a rack over a shallow pan.  Bake until evenly browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Cool and crumble.

2. Combine broccoli, onion, bacon, craisins, and pine nuts in a bowl.

3.  Prepare the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and vinegar.  Stir into salad, let chill, and serve.