Crispy Kale Chips

A delicious super-food snack that even the toddlers love!

Ingredients

• 3 stalks fresh kale
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Morton Nature's Seasons
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees; spray a foiled baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Cut kale into bite-sized pieces (the curly ends are the best part!) and put into a large mixing bowl.
• Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings; stir to coat well.
• Spread seasoned kale onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes, stirring half way through.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Here is a copycat of Chipotle restaurant's delicious cilantro-lime rice. It makes a great base for any meal! I first published this recipe in my Chipotle Burrito Bowl post, but thought it deserved its own placement.


Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or butter (I use Organic Valley butter)
• 1-1/3 cup white, long-grain basmati rice (I use organic)
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse sea salt)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
2. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute.
3. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil.
4. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. (If rice looks dry during this time, add more water as needed)
5. Remove from heat and add in the cilantro and fluff rice with a fork.

Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes

These are too delicious not to share!  The ingredients are very simple and not unlike other mashed potatoes recipes I've followed. But the difference is the method of preparation. I made these the night before Thanksgiving and heated them up in the oven 30 minutes before the big turkey dinner.  But they're just as delicious when eaten straight out of the pot!
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks (by Ree Drummond).

(photo from blog NinjaBread)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1-½ stick butter (plus a few extra pats)
  
• 1 package (8 oz.) organic cream cheese, softened
• ½ cups (to 3/4 cups) light whipping cream
  
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon  black pepper

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes (more or less depending on size of pieces). When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
   
   
2. Drain the potatoes in a large colander.
   
   
3. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. 
4. Mash the potatoes (with a hand masher, NOT an electric mixer) over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape.
5. Turn off the stove and add 1-½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of whipping cream. Mash away!
   
   
6. Next, add seasoning salt and black pepper. Stir well. Taste and season more as needed.
   
7. Serve now OR place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
   
   Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Cranberry, Walnut, & Feta Salad

This recipe was initially combined with my Tomato-Basil Soup recipe (January 2008), but I decided to give it its own entry.

We tried this salad at a holiday party and I fell in love. I've never been a fan of fruit in my salad, but you really have to try this - it's out of this world!



Ingredients :
Salad -

• 2 cups mixed salad greens (I used baby spinach and romaine)
• 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (Craisins work, too)
  
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (plain or flavored)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces (toasted if desired; I did not toast them)

Dressing -

•  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine greens, cranberries, feta, and walnuts in large bowl.
2. Mix vinegar, honey, mustard, and pepper with wire whisk until well blended.
3. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until well blended.
4. Pour over salad; toss to coat.
5. Serve immediately.

Baked Taco Dip

I wanted to try something new to munch on while watching the PSU-Illinois game today.  My original plan was to make a baked chili dip...alas, I ran out of chili powder.  So I decided to make a baked taco dip, instead.  And because I use natural or organic ingredients whenever possible, it's not TOO unhealthy :-)

I didn't have a recipe to follow, so I just kind of made it up as I went.  I hope it's good!
**This can be served cold without baking, too.**



Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey (all-natural; you could use ground beef instead, of course)
• 6 tbsp taco seasoning (recipe here; or 1 packet store-bought)
• 3/4 cup water
  
• 8 oz cream cheese (I used Nature's Promise organic), softened
• 4 oz sour cream (also organic)
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 2 green onions, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
  
• 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese (used Kraft all-natural)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F
   
2. Brown ground meat in a skillet; drain when done.
3. Add taco seasoning and water to pan; mix and simmer 3-5 minutes.
   
   
4. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro,  and green onions until blended (I use an electric hand-mixer to get all of the lumps out).
   
   
5. Spread cream cheese mixture into bottom of an 8x8" glass casserole dish.
   
   
6. Layer seasoned meat on top of cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly.
   
   
7. Layer shredded cheese on top.
8. Sprinkle with extra green onion as garnish.
   
   
9. Bake 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
   
   
10. Serve hot with crackers, Tostitos Scoops, or cornchips.

*Optional add-ins (add as layers): Salsa, fresh tomatoes, black beans, refried beans, corn, olives....whatever you like!

Baked Garlic-Parmesan Asparagus Spears

(adapted from "asparagus with Parmesan crust" on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 15-20 thin asparagus spears
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used Gazebo's Lite Greek Dressing, see photo)
  
• 1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese
• Sprinkle of minced garlic
  
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and snap asparagus.
2. Place asparagus on a baking sheet, in a single layer (I cover sheet in foil to avoid a mess).
   
3. Drizzle with olive oil (or dressing).
   
4. Sprinkle with minced garlic and Parmesan cheese, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven (perhaps longer for thicker spears), until cheese is melted and asparagus is tender but crisp. Serve immediately.

A Spicy Salsa (or Sauce)

Originally posted as part of my Chipotle Burrito Bols recipe (March 2009).


Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 tablespoon onion, diced
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (more or less for desired spice)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Drain and discard about half the juice from the can of tomatoes.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor or a blender and pulse until well mixed.
3. Blend more for a smooth salsa; less if you prefer chunky.
4. Taste test: I add more cayenne, lime, and cumin until I get the desired spice level and flavor.

Garlic Croutons

I got made fun of a bit for this one....I mean, isn't salad supposed to be simple? :-)

I've had trouble finding non-processed croutons...I did find an organic, whole wheat variety, but honestly, they sucked. So I decided to make them myself. They're very easy! And I mean, what else are you going to do with that stale bread??

Garlic Croutons


Ingredients

• Stale bread (I used 3 hoagie rolls that had been in my fridge for a couple weeks. The staler, the better....just make sure it hasn't gone moldy!)
• 4 tablespoons butter (I use organic butter. For my 3 rolls, I actually needed a full stick of butter)
• 1 clove minced garlic (I used garlic powder instead)
• Herbs of choice (I used parsley and Italian seasonings)

Directions

1. Cut bread into small cubes
   
   
   
   
2. Melt butter in large skillet; add garlic + herbs
3. Add bread cubes to skillet and toss until well coated; cook on medium for about 1 minute (I had to do 2 batches, each with 4 tbsp butter).
4. Spread bread onto baking sheet (lined with foil so you don't have to clean the pan!).
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes - turning croutons frequently to avoid burning and to ensure even baking.
   
   
   
   

Put unused croutons in an airtight container or bag and store in pantry. I plan to keep adding to my supply every time I have some bread to use up, so that I always have some on hand for a quick salad.

Pesto Bruschetta Chicken and French-Cut Green Beans

When I started on my natural / non-processed foods kick in September, this was the first meal I made. Everything is natural and as good as it can get, short of growing it all myself!

French-cut green beans are a favorite, simple side dish of mine; until recently, I've always gotten them from a can. Why not try to make these fresh, too?!



Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

For Pesto:
Ingredients

• 2 cups packed home-grown basil (or fresh as you can get)
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, cooled
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese (either or both)
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup EVOO, depending on how creamy you want it (I used 1/4 cup)

Directions

1. Put into a food processor first 4 ingredients.
   
2. Pulse to blend.
3. Slowly add oil through feed tube to make a nice paste.
   
   

For Chicken:
Ingredients

• 1 lb all-natural or organic chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) - I cut them lengthwise for this
  
• 1/2 cup homemade basil pesto
• 2-3 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet with foil.
3. Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat. [or spread the pesto on top of each piece like I did here]. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
   
   
   
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
5. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes (if desired) and cheese.
   
   
6. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

French-cut green beans:
Ingredients

• Fresh green beans from produce section (I used organic)
• Splash of extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Seasonings to taste (I use dried onion, minced garlic, black pepper, and a touch of salt)

Directions

1. Wash green beans.
2. If the beans are long, first cut them at an angle into lengths of about 2 inches.
3. Cut them in half lengthwise, running the knife down the flat part between the seams of the bean.
4. In small pan, heat oil; add beans and seasonings
5. Toss over medium heat until until desired softness.

Kung Pao Chicken with Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

Okay - I've taken a LONG break from blogging, but I certainly haven't taken a break from cooking! I have months and months of food pics so now it's just a matter of getting all of those recipes typed out. So here I go:

Kung Pao Chicken


On those rare Friday nights when Bill and I are actually home (and when I'm not making pizza), we like to get take out from Pei Wei Asian Diner (the "fast food" version of PF Chang's). We tend to get the same meals every time, so I thought I'd challenge myself to recreate one of Bill's favorites - Kung Pao Chicken (modified from a recipe on recipezaar.com):

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp light sesame oil (I used EVOO)
• 3 tbsp chopped green onions (including tops)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts (I use lightly salted)

Directions

1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl; toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat.
3. Add chicken; stir fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Add onions, garlic, red pepper, and ginger to skillet; stir fry 15 seconds.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in small bowl.
8. Stir well; add to skillet.
9. Return chicken to skillet.
10. Stir until chicken is well coated; add peanuts.
11. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

Serve over hot rice - I added a side of sauteed sugar snap peas (cooked quickly in EVOO with fresh garlic and black pepper, and a touch of Nature's Seasons seasoning salt).

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

So my first comment has to be that I do not know how to follow a recipe!! ;-)

I found this recipe on RecipeZaar.com. It calls for 1 cup of cheddar and then 1/2 cup grated Parm on top. Somehow, I read this as 2 cups of cheddar! So that's what I used and thought it felt a little thick when stirring, but I went with it.

Because of how much thicker the sauce turned out with the extra cheese, I poured a little more light cream on top and stirred it in with the sauce.........then after it had baked for about 40 minutes, I felt the sauce was still too thick - though quite tasty! - so I added another 1 cup of skim milk and mixed it up, then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.

The recipe below has the total amount of milk/cream added at the beginning, to correct my "mistake".

Also, I skipped the Parmesan topper because I wasn't necessarily going for ultra-cheesy potatoes.


So here is my inadvertently modified version of Scalloped Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used my Cuisinart food processor, which sliced the potatoes thin-ish, but I heard using a mandolin is better. Have to get me one of those!)
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk (I used 1-3/4 cups skim milk and 1-1/4 cups light cream)
• 1 teaspoon Nature's Seasons seasoning salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1-1/2 cups "taco blend" because it's what I had!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
3. Let sit for a minute.
4. Add cold milk/cream, stirring with a whisk.
   
5. Add seasoning salt and cayenne.
6. Cook sauce on medium until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
7. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
8. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased casserole dish **I sprinkled with black pepper and some dried minced onion**.
9. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
10. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
11. Top with some paprika for color, if desired (I skipped this because of the seasonings in the taco blend cheese).
12. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (or until potatoes are soft and sauce is bubbly and brown.

Bill thought this dish was paired very well with my Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken (shown below)

Roasted Cajun Potatoes

This recipe makes a great substitute for French fries or mashed potatoes.



This is a very spicy potato! Feel free to cut down on the paprika, cayenne pepper, onion, and garlic. We liked them this way though :)

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil (I used Gazebo Lite Greek Dressing)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt (I used Nature's Seasons)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges (cut each one in half, if desired). In a large bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat well.
3. Pour out onto foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 10 minutes ***I added a few drizzles of olive oil half way through**. Sprinkle with parsley when done.

Honey-Wheat Bread

I am seriously in love with my bread machine. I've only used it about 8 times so far (it was a wedding gift), and each time I use it I swear the bread is better than the last batch.
Homemade bread is so easy to make! I love the idea of making fresh bread every Sunday when we have a family.

I've tried a few of the recipes in the manual (including French bread and Italian Herb & Cheese), but here is my favorite recipe so far:



Honey-Wheat Bread
(inspired by "Simple Whole Wheat Bread" from allrecipes.com, but I changed the recipe a lot)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 3 tbsp honey (adjust this to taste - more honey for sweeter bread)
• 1-1/2 tbsp melted butter
• 1-1/4 cups bread flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp melted butter (for top of bread)

Directions:
(follow the directions for your own bread machine - these directions are according to the Salton Breadman Bread Machine manual. For oven instructions, see further down)

1. Add liquid ingredients to bread pan (water, honey, melted butter).
2. Add dry ingredients (wheat flour, bread flour, salt) and create a small hole in the center for the yeast. Make sure the hole isn't so deep that you reach the liquid ingredients.
3. Select bread settings (for my machine, I choose the Whole Wheat setting, 2-lb loaf, rapid rise. Consult your manual for alternate settings).
4. Lift lid of bread machine when 10-15 minutes remain. Baste loaf with melted butter. Close lid and allow to finish.

Oven Directions
(directly from allrecipes.com recipe mentioned above - I have not tried this method for myself):

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/2 of the honey. Add bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in melted butter, rest of the honey, and salt. Stir in whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take additional whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down (divide into 2 loaves, depending on your bread pan size). Place in greased bread loaf pan(s), and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard.