A Cafe Rio Collaboration

There are a lot of different Cafe Rio "copycat" recipes out there on the interwebs.  So I did a little lot of looking around to find the most common, most highly rated, or just plain best looking versions of our favourite Cafe Rio dishes.  If you haven't had Cafe Rio, make sure you hit one up if you're ever near one! In my opinion, the best thing is a Sweet Pork Salad with black beans and lime cilantro rice.  The Sweet Pork Burrito with medium sauce and black beans takes a close second.  With the recipes below, you can makes either!  If making your own tortillas seems like overkill, I recommend at least buying uncooked ones and cooking them in a skillet before you put your food together :)

Sweet Pork Barbacoa

• 5-6 lbs pork ribs or pork roast
• 1L coke or Dr. Pepper (not diet! We tried both coke and DP, and I can't tell the difference. You don't use all of it, so cans work too, but liters are usually cheaper)
• 1c brown sugar
• 1/2c white sugar
• 1 clove garlic
• 7oz can chilies in adobo sauce
• 6oz red enchilada sauce (I used medium)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Put the pork, 1/2c of the brown sugar, 2c pop, and enough water to cover the pork halfway in a crockpot and cook on low overnight. In the morning, drain the liquid, and trim and shred the pork.

Remove the chilies from the adobo sauce. Rinse with some pop to get all of the sauce off.  Discard the chilies and combine the sauce with the rest of the sugar, garlic, enchilada sauce, spices, pork, and enough pop to mostly cover the meat.  Cook on low for several more hours (at least long enough to finish cooking, but the longer you cook it the more tender the meat is.  We just leave it in the pot until church is over/the rest of the food is ready :)  If it seems too watery, cook for 30 minutes uncovered to evaporate some liquid.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

Note: This works with chicken too, but you don't need to marinade it! Just cook the chicken with the 1/2c brown sugar, pop, and water for a few hours, and then drain/shred/cook with the other ingredients for an hour or two. 

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 15oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1T lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2T fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/4t cumin

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Cook garlic slightly.  Add rice, 1t lime juice, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Cook on low for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Combine 1T lime juice, sugar, cilantro, and cumin and pur over cooked rice, fluffing with a fork.

Cilantro Black Beans

• 1tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4c minced onion
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 can black beans
• 1 1/4c tomato juice
• 1T fresh chopped cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Cook onion, garlic, and cumin.  Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low until heated through.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

• 1 packet traditional ranch dressing mix
• 1c mayo
• 1c buttermilk
• 2 tomatillos, husked and minced
• 2T fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1T lime juice
• 1T onion
• 1/8t chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Tortillas

• 3c flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1t salt
• 4T shortening
• about 1 1/4c warm water

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in the fat.  Add water gradually until dough is soft but not sticky.  Knead for several minutes. Break into 8 equal sized balls.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit about 10 minutes.  Roll very thin (about as thin as you can get it!) and cook on both sides in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat.

Serve with chopped lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, or whatever else you want.  

This is the only picture I have in Cafe Rio.  Baines and I were having a moment after the Holi festival back in 2012. 

Udon and Veggie Ginger Thai

We have been loving sesame oil dishes lately!  It's a great way to get healthy fat in your diet and give your food fantastic flavour.
I found this recipe on foodgawker.com, one of my favourite websites to just browse through.  It's like pinterest, but just with food.  There are some really cool recipes on there!
The original recipe called for soba noodles, which in my humble opinion are gross and overpriced, so I used brown rice udon noodles instead.  I also added a ton of veggies and some cashews and tweeked the sauce a bit. It was a hit! We will definitely be having this again! I think that the sauce would be super good to add to any stirfry or put on rice, too!

Udon and Veggie Ginger Thai

• Udon noodles (2 servings-- about 200g)
• Sesame oil-- 1 tsp
• Green onion- 2 stalks
• Ginger, minced-- 1 Tbsp
• Garlic, minced-- 1 clove
• Cilantro, rubbed-- 1 tsp
• Red pepper flakes-- 1/4 tsp
• Soy sauce or aminos-- 1 Tbsp
• Rice vinegar-- 1 Tbsp
• Honey-- 1 Tbsp
• Salt and pepper-- to taste
• Cashews, chopped-- 1/4 cup
• Chopped veggies-- 3-4 cups (I used 1 small zucchini, 1/2 yellow squash, 2 julienned carrots, and snow peas. Water chestnuts, mushrooms, peppers, or bamboo shoots would be awesome too!)

Bring water in a medium saucepan to a boil, then add noodles and cook according to directions.  In the meantime, heat oil in a skillet.  Cook the ginger and garlic until tender/browned. Add vegetables and cashews.  In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and then pour over veggies once tender and noodles are done.  Drain noodles and add to skillet, stirring to combine.  Serve hot, with additional cilantro and cashews for garnish if desired.

Pita Pockets

I had no idea that making pitas was so easy.  I thought you would have to do all of this fancy rolling and pinching or something to make them hollow.  They really take hardly any work, and very little time!  They tasted fantastic (warm, fresh bread? Always great) and I like to know what exactly is in my food.  This recipe made 12 pitas, which was too many for just the two of us, so I would probably half or third this next time (and there will definitely be a next time!)

I used the great silicone baking mat Jennifer and co. gave me for Christmas to make them perfectly even!

They just puff right up!

Perfection.

Pita Pockets

• 1 package yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 cups flour (I used half white, half wheat)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp oil

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.  Add flour(s), sugar, salt, and oil.  Mix well.  Knead dough until soft.  Divide dough into 12 equal parts.  Roll each part into a ball and then flatten into a 6 inch circle.  Place dough circles on floured surface and let rest for 40 minutes or until slightly puffy.  Place on ungreased jelly roll pans (I needed two large ones).  Bake at 500F for 4-8 minutes, flipping halfway through baking.  Stack pitas in 2-3 piles and cover loosely with a dish towel to let steam escape.  Slice in half with a serrated knife.

I loved these with Justin's Maple Almond Butter, egg white/spinach/cheese scramble, and Greek salad.  So good!

One of the best things I've made.

Not going to lie, I felt very proud of myself as I took the first bite of this sammich.  It rocked. It's also healthy. And fresh. And you can do some of the work ahead of time so that it doesn't take so long.  And leftovers taste great with chips. Or tortillas.
There are really four recipes involved to make this big thang, but you can definitely add/take things away.  I think that grilled veggies or a slice of pepperjack would also be great to add (but there is already a lot of goodness involved, so good luck keeping it all together on the bread).

Mango Salsa

• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 mango
• 1/2 cup total of chopped bell peppers (I used a combination of red, orange, and yellow)
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• juice from 1 lime
• dash of ground chili powder (to desired spiciness)

Chop up your vegetables, then combine everything! Easy! You could also add chopped onion, but we don't like onions and it tasted great without them.  This stores well in an airtight container in the fridge.

Black Bean Spread

• 1/2 can black beans
• dash of hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt, pepper, and chili powder (to taste)

Run all ingredients in a food processor until it reaches a hummus-like consistency

Basil Lime Spread

• 1/4 cup light miracle whip (or mayo)
• juice from 2 limes (or 2-3 Tbsp lime juice)
• 1 tsp basil

Stir all ingredients together. Taste, and add more basil or lime juice as desired.

Lime Grilled Chicken

• 2 Tbsp cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbsp lime zest (use additional lime juice if you don't have enough zest from your limes you used with the other recipes!)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

Whisk together all ingredients except for chicken.  Place in a large ziploc bag.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Place in bag with marinade and evenly coat.  Let sit at least an hour (or overnight).

Cook in a non-stick skillet until done.

To make the sammich (I prefer mine open faced)

• Toast, bean spread, lime basil spread, cooked chicken, salsa, spinach. You can also serve with chips and extra salsa and bean spread.

Perfection.

Spicy Thai Spaghetti Squash

This recipe is super easy, fast, healthy, and tasty!  It's probably my favourite way to eat spaghetti squash. Enjoy!

Spicy Thai Spaghetti Squash

• 1 spaghetti squash, cooked (about 2 or 3 cups)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce or aminos
• salt and pepper to taste
• green onions, chopped roasted peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds

Heat oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet.  Stir in honey and soy sauce. Add spaghetti squash and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds.  

Makes about two servings (depending on if its a side or meal :)

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Oh man, is this sweet loaf good!  My sister Jennifer just posted the recipe, and I highly recommend that you head on over to her blog and try it out!  I would post it here, but her page includes pictures of her cute kids, and I can't compete with that!

I just so happened to have a crate of blueberries and half a zucchini hanging out in the fridge, so I jumped on making this.  The only difference between ours is that I used lime juice instead of lemons.  She also gives a great tip on keeping the colour from the blueberries from bleeding that I had no idea about!  Check it out!

PS: I really want to try this with slivered almonds!

Tofu Manicotti

I felt very, very sneaky making this manicotti.  It's one of those dishes that you don't tell your family what is actually in it-- or at least not until after they try it and say that it's good.  It is good.  You really can't tell that it's tofu.  Trust me!  But don't worry-- I'll post the "normal" recipe in the near future if that's more your style :)

Manicotti shells:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. water

Beat eggs with an electric mixer.  Slowly add flour and water.  Batter will be thin.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray.  Pour a small amount of batter into pan and tilt to spread thin.  Cook both sides until spongy.

Filling:

• 1/2 lb tofu, drained and crumbled to resemble ricotta
• 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 lb chopped, cooked spinach
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Tofu Manicotti

• Cooked manicotti shells
• Prepared filling
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• Additional mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

Pour 1 cup of sauce into a 9x9'' glass baking dish.  Take each manicotti shell, put in a few spoonfuls of filling, and wrap up like a burrito.  Place them in the dish with the seam on the bottom to hold together.  Pour remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle additional cheese on top. Bake at 325F for about 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. 

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Oh my lanta, this cheesecake was fantastic.  Sam is pretty picky about his cheesecake qualities and doesn't even enjoy desserts a whole lot most of the time, but he loved this one.  And I did too!  It had a really nice texture and taste to it.  In my own words when tasting it, "it's decadent, but not so rich that I feel like I'm going to die after eating two bites!" (*cough*cheesecakefactory*cough*).  Plus, everyone will be super impressed if you brought this baby to a Christmas party.  It would look fantastic with a whipped cream garnish around the edge and some chocolate shavings!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

• 2 cups crushed oreos
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. (OPTIONAL: Use 1 jar of raspberry jam instead of doing this process!)
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Wrap the pan in aluminum foil to make it water-tight.  Place in another pan (such as a jelly roll pan).  Fill the bottom pan with water, being careful to not go over the foil around the cheesecake.  Bake for about 55 minutes, or until done.  (You will know it is done when you tap the side of the pan with a metal spoon, and the whole cheesecake jiggles "as one".  Do not overbake!  If it looks done in the oven, it will be overdone when it cools!)  Turn off the oven and let sit for an hour.  Place in fridge and let cool for at least 4 hours-- preferably overnight.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

This soup was super easy and really good!  It was perfect for using up some of our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, but you could also just cook up your own chicken or turkey to use.  I added a bit more chili powder to make it spicier, but it was really good as is, too.  We ate it with a bit of sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. This one is definitely going into the regular rotation!

Turkey Tortilla Soup

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 cups water
• 1 (10.75oz) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup salsa
• 4 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes 
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 cups frozen corn

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, turkey, parsley, and bouillon.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon dissolves.

3. Add black beans and corn.  Simmer 20-30 minutes

3.  Serve soup with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onion, or other desired topping.

Vegetarian Noodle-less Lasagna

This lasagna was satisfyingly awesome.  You use zucchini and yellow squash sliced thinly lengthwise instead of pasta, fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and delicious spinach instead of meat.  Even Sam, who is a big fan of classic lasagna, enjoyed it.  It's filling, delicious, and healthy.  I loved it and will definitely be making it again!

Squash Lasagna

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 medium yellow squashes
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 small carton of cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 package of frozen spinach (or 2 cups cooked)

Slice squashes very thin, lengthwise, using a very sharp knife (be careful, it's tricky!), vegetable peeler, or fancy-schmancy tool.  Cook very slightly in a frying pan to remove some of the moisture.  In a 9x9 dish, make a single layer of squash.  Cover with sauce, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and spinach.  Make another layer running the other direction, continuing until you run out of squash.  On the top layer just put sauce and shredded cheese.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour, and then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese on top.

Feel free to use whatever type of cheese you want, to add cooked ground beef, to add more or less of the ingredients to your layers (I had some leftovers of both cheeses!), or add other veggies!  The beautiful thing about lasagna is that you can do whatever the heck you want and it will probably still be good :)

Fresh Cranberry Orange Loaf

Up until last week, I had never tasted a fresh cranberry.  While I was at the grocery store I saw a big bag of them for pretty cheap, so I grabbed one and decided to try making something with them.  When I tasted one, I was expecting something sweet and tangy-- but it was so bitter!  I was surprised, but apparently that's just what fresh cranberries taste like.  I guess cranberry sauce just has a LOT of sugar in it ;)
I found a recipe for a cranberry orange loaf, and let me just say that it is FANTASTIC.  This is definitely going into the holiday baking rotation.  It's amazing.  If my ward would actually assign me some people to visiting teach, this is what I would take them.  For now I guess Sam and I will just have to work on eating large quantities on this beautiful thing.

Cranberry Orange Loaf

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 c fresh cranberries
• 1/2 c nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c margarine, softened
• 1 c white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c orange juice
  OPTIONAL GLAZE:
• combine icing sugar and orange juice to form a syrupy consistency
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a 9x5'' loaf pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and nuts. Set aside.
3. Cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth.  Stir in orange juice.  Stir in flour mixture until just moistened.  Pour into pan.
4. Bake 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  (If desired, poke holes in the top, glaze and let sit another 5 minutes).  Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Tips:
I needed 2 large oranges to get the right amount of zest and juice.  To get more juice from your oranges, heat them up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds and then roll on the counter, applying enough pressure to soften it up.  Then cut in half and squeeze to juice it.

The glaze is delicious, but not necessary for it to be awesome :)

If you wait for it to cool completely it's quite easy to cut with a serrated knife.

Try making mini loaves to give as gifts!

Cajun Baked Catfish

Normally we don't buy meat, but Smiths was having an awesome sale on fresh catfish, so I decided to buy some to try since I have never had it before.
One 5.7oz (159g) filet of catfish has 25g of protein.  It has healthy fats (including 4g of monounsaturated and 114mg of omega-3) and healthy nutrients like vitamin E, B-1, and B-3 (among others!).  It also has less mercury than other fishes. (source)

I got the recipe for this dish from allrecipes.com (one of my go-to recipe sites).  I liked that it was a fairly subtle taste so that you could still taste the catfish.  Sam didn't love it since he doesn't like the taste of fish, though, and probably would have preferred something stronger to mask the fishiness, haha.  This would work well with other fishes too, such as fresh tuna.

Cajun Baked Catfish

• 1T canola oil
• 1t garlic salt
• 1t dried thyme
• 1t paprika
• 1/4t cayenne pepper
• 1/4t hot pepper sauce
• 1/8t pepper
• 2 catfish fillets

Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl.  Brush over both sides of the fish. Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray and place fish inside.  Bake at 450F for 10-13 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

We had ours with peas and coconut lime curry rice :)

White Chocolate Cranberry Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Man, that's a mouthful of a name!

The unique thing about these cookies is that they don't use flour!  Thus, gluten free, for those of you who are after that :)  Just make sure your oats don't contain trace amounts of wheat!  Last time I checked, Quaker does.  Bob's Red Mill is safe, though.  They're super tasty, and I loved the white chocolate/cranberry combination, but you could use any mix-ins.  The original recipe used m&ms, chocolate chips, and candy corn.  I can think of so many combinations that would be fantastic with these!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

• 3 eggs
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. white cugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. butter
• 4 1/2 c. quick oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• Approx. 2 cups total of add-ins

Beat the eggs and sugars.  Add the salt, vanilla, butter, and PB and whip.  Add the oatmeal and baking soda. Gently stir in add-ins.  Form balls of approx. 1/4c and flatten slightly.  Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.
Do not overbake!  They will seem too soft at first, but they will firm up more as they sit.  Don't bother trying to remove to a wire rack for a few minutes!

**EDIT:
For the person asking about dairy and egg free, you could use something other than the chocolate chips (nuts, coconut, etc) and a margarine/veggie spread fat, and for the eggs, here are a few different options:

• 1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg = 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed simmered in 3 Tbsp. water
• Ener-G egg replacer (you can buy it at most natural food stores and some grocery stores)
• 1 egg=1/4 c applesauce

I haven't tested any of those substitutions with this recipe, so I'm not sure if it would change the taste/result, but you could try it!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cornbread

This little guy is an adaptation from Sugar Cooking.  It has a really subtle pumpkin taste, and is very filling!  I used whole wheat flour, I added wheat bran, and used apple sauce instead of oil.  I also used 3 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs.  

I had to leave before it was done baking so I got Sam to take it out.  While I was at my meeting, I got a text from him: "Wow, this pumpkin stuff is a keeper".  I got home and tried it with some honey, and it is definitely a keeper!  I would love to try this with a squash-type soup, but unfortunately it was gone before I got the chance! I guess I'll need to make more ;)

Pumpkin Cornbread:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbps wheat bran
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 1/4 c milk
• 1 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 400F and grease an 8x8 baking dish.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, bran, baking powder, salt, spices, sugar, and cornmeal.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and stir in pumpkin, applesauce, milk, and honey. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combine.  Pour batter into pan and smooth out as well as you can.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a fork tests clean.

Healthified Corn Chowder

I love soup, but especially cream based soup.  Unfortunately my slight lactose intolerance and general health do  not appreciate frequent indulgences.  The other day I found a recipe for corn chowder, and it saddened my heart to see the LARGE amount of butter, flour, and cream in it.  Then I remembered the leek soup that I made a while ago and how it was quite cream-like while using a cauliflower puree.  Thus, I decided to combine various ideas and come up with my own corn chowder recipe.  Tadaaaa!

Healthified Corn Chowder

• 3 cups cauliflower
• 1 can of corn
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 medium potato, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped

Place cauliflower and liquid from the corn in a microwave safe dish and cover with saran wrap.  Cook for about 9 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.  Carefully transfer cauliflower and liquid to a blender.  Add about 1/4 cup of corn.  Puree until smooth.  Transfer puree to a medium saucepan.  Add broth, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. Return to a simmer.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook for about 15-18 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

Notes:
You can garnish with basil or more thyme or serve with garlic toast!
You can use corn starch instead of flour if you're going for GF.  It's just for thickening :)

And here is my crappy picture =D

Banana Poppyseed Muffins

These muffins are special because there is no egg, no dairy, and you use avocado as the fat.  They’re also tasty!  They’re kind of the bomb!  I’m also pretty proud of myself because I came up with the recipe from scratch ;) 

Banana Poppyseed Muffins

1/4 cup mashed avocado

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 tsp wheat bran

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 T poppy seeds

Cream together the avocado, lemon juice, stevia, and honey.  Add flours, wheat bran, baking soda, and salt and stir until just combined.  Stir in banana and poppy seeds.  Bake at 325 until center tests done (about 20 minutes).

Keep in mind that avocados in baking will cause more browning, so the outside might look done while the inside isn’t.  Just test one after 20 minutes and wait longer if you need to!

Breakfast Quinoa

here

This is another recipe that I found on pinterest. We tried it out tonight, and I was very impressed!  Sam loved it too!  It tastes very creamy, it's quite filling, <350cal (without adding agave, which it really didn't need), and it's very healthy!  The original recipe called for pecans, but I switched it for slivered almonds.  It also had both regular and red quinoa, but we only had regular and that worked great :)  Give it a try! (Picture/original recipe found here)

Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup quinoa

1 cup skim milk (almond, coconut, whatever)

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups berries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 Tbsp coconut

Agave or honey, if desired

Combine quinoa, milk, water, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Let cook 15 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes.  Stir in cinnamon.  Top with fruit, almonds, coconut, and agave.   

(We actually had it for dessert, it’s that good!)

Gnocchi

Yeah, I'm a pro food photographer. Hello there, webcam.

I love gnocchi.  If you've never had it, you're seriously missing out.  It is a dense potato dumping from Italy, and there are a ton of variations of what to put in it.  I haven't had it in ages because it's so darn expensive at the store!  Then I said to myself, "DUH! Make it yourself!".  Little did I know that it is also CRAZY easy.  Seriously.  The plain recipe has 3 ingredients. No kidding.

Basic Gnocchi Recipe:

• 2 russet potatoes
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egeg

Cook the potatoes, either by boiling or microwave.  Mash in a bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in most of the flour and egg. The dough may seem quite dry at this point, but just try squeezing it together with your hands until it makes a firm, dense dough.  Add additional flour if necessary.  Heat a large pot of water to a boil.  While the water heats up, form your gnocchi.  Roll a portion of dough into a snake about 1.5'' thick.  Cut into bite size piece and roll into an oblong shape.  Once water is at a rolling boil, insert gnocchi and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Stir every few minutes, cooking until the gnocchi floats to the top. Cover with your favourite pasta sauce!

These little guys are filling.  I would say that this recipe could feed 3-4 people easily.  

Now, these obviously aren't the healthiest in this form.  But hey, this was my first shot and I was going for something basic.  Next shot, I'm going to try it with wheat flour and chopped spinach. And I really want to try doing it with sweet potatoes... How awesome would that be?  Other variations include adding ricotta, ground meat, fun Italian spices... Good stuff.

You can also use gnocchi in soups (like at Olive Garden), casseroles, etc. 

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Such a yummy snack, full of fiber and protein!  Better for you than S&V chips ;)


Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Recipe from “Oh She Glows”

• 1 can chickpeas
• 2(ish) cups white vinegar
• sea salt
• Non-stick spray (canola or olive oil)

Rinse chickpeas, then place in a pot and add enough vinegar to submerge well.  Add about 1t of sea salt.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 425F.  Drain chickpeas, then place in a tinfoil lined baking dish.  Give them a quick spray with the oil, then sprinkle more sea salt all over, stirring to cover well.  Bake for 45 minutes, making sure to watch carefully after the 35 minute mark (they can burn quickly!).  Roast until browned and crunchy.  

Ranch Cream Cheese Veggie “Pizza”

Ranch Cream Cheese Veggie “Pizza”
(courtesy of Pillsbury :)

makes 4 servings, 325 calories/serving

• 1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
• 4oz (1/2 a block) fat free cream cheese
• 1/2c low fat sour cream
• 1/2 pkg ranch dressing mix
• Chopped veggies (cucumber, broccoli, peppers, carrots...)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangle.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch mix.  Spread on cooled dough.  Place chopped veggies on top and enjoy!