Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup

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My Pinterest addiction is leading me to so many new recipes!  I love spending hours (I mean a few minutes...shhhh...don't tell the hubby!)  browsing all the different recipes floating around the net.  
This is one I'm SO happy I found.  Thanks to Closet Cooking, this recipe will now be part of my monthly menu MUST cook list.  (oh, perhaps I should mention that it's STILL in the mid 90's here with about 80% humidity)  Yeah, that's when we just crank up the AC (thank goodness the hubby's company pays that bill) and pretend its winter time here.
This soup tastes rich, but the only fat is coming from the cheese.  (I used fat-free milk)  The girls had three bowls each and requested some for lunch the next day.  I'd say that counts as a hit in this house!

You could totally make a few variations to this dish...try different types of cheese, add bacon (oh how I miss thee), spike it with some hot sauce...have fun!

Looking forward to making this again....may add some beef bacon (so not the same...but what can you do?) next time!  

What are some of your favorite Go-To soups?  Do you have some fall faves?

Chocolate-Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Yesterday my darling Bug was home from preschool and begging me to help her cook something.  I had found this awesome recipe for "pupcakes" (this is what she calls them and I refuse to correct her)
Anyway..get this..two ingredients.  You read that right...2.  Now THAT is my kind of baking!  So simple you could probably let your kid make it themselves (just help with the oven of course)

Lets just say that I was totally skeptical about how these would taste.  I read through many of the reviews and added a bit more pumpkin spice so the pumpkin flavor would stand out a bit.  Also, good luck finding apple cider here, so I had to use regular apple juice and it made the icing a bit sweeter than I think it was meant to be.  Nevertheless, these are moist delicious pupcakes!  Beyond simple to make and no added fat from oil or eggs.  

So, what are you waiting for??  Get baking already!  :)

Pesto Pasta with Mini Meatballs

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It's kind of funny...I couldn't wait to get to Italy and cook all these great dishes that I haven't been able to cook in Saudi, but I come to find that I can't get everything I want in Italy either!  I couldn't wait to eat kale...but couldn't find it anywhere, no matter how hard I searched.  Broccoli too...seems to have just disappeared from the Como area! 
And just a little note about Lake Como....I'm in love.  Just in love.  We stayed in a town called Menaggio...in my opinion, the best one on the lake...and it's just a short ferry ride to Bellagio and Varenna.  Menaggio (pronounced Men-A-jo) has a beautiful piazza and then you walk (uphill) all the way to our house.  We stayed where the old castle used to be in a 500 year old house.  It was so lovely and we made friends with the neighbors.  I was even lucky enough to be invited over for dinner!  It was great fun trying to talk Italian with them.  The food was wonderful.  (and yes, they even had the traditional Italian red and white table cloth)  :)

So, the next night I had to cook for myself and the girls.  No broccoli to be found, but at least they had cauliflower.  We'd already feasted on different tomato based sauces, so I wanted something different.  And keeping with the fact that I wanted to enjoy pork as much as possible, I figured some yummy meatballs would do the trick topped with a nice pesto sauce.  Had I been in my regular kitchen I would have made my own pesto, but with the serious lack of kitchen staples in my rented house, I went with the jarred kind.  Turned out wonderful and the girls really liked it as well.  Score one for mom!

Lentil & Veggie Tacos

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I've been having a lot of fun roaming the net in search of yummy, high protein, meatless main dishes.  When you have a husband who refuses to eat soy, you really have to broaden your search.  
I was really happy to find this recipe (from Peas and Crayons blog).  The whole family enjoys tacos...and well, living here, they can be a real "treat."  For one, there aren't any real Mexican restaurants here in Yanbu (and Taco Hut at the mall...though good, just doesn't cut it).  Two, you can't always buy taco shells at the grocery store (isn't that awful??)  So, when we can make a taco...we do.
Very simple recipe with lots of room for adding your fave toppings.  Loved the idea of making my own seasoning so my family didn't end up devouring a bunch of MSG.  I can tell you honestly, we didn't miss the meat...not one bit.  (and there wasn't a single taco shell left)

The filling also would be great wrapped up in a corn or flour tortilla.  You could sub out the refried beans for black beans (I know some stores sell refried black beans)

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried lentils
16oz no fat refried beans
1 cup diced onion
4oz mushrooms, minced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of your favorite enchilada sauce (store bought or make your own) 
taco shells (or tortillas)
a splash of oil

For the seasoning:

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4-1/2 tsp dried cilantro [I highly suggest trying this stuff on everything!]
1/4 tsp salt

Topping Ideas:

shredded lettuce or cabbage

diced avocado

feta, cheddar, pepper jack (pick a cheese!)  

diced tomatoes

greek yogurt

salsa

jalapeños

Directions:

Rinse and sort 1 cup of lentils.  

Heat 3 cups of water in a pot until it's just about to boil, add lentils, and reduce to simmer for 15-25 minutes or until tender (when done, drain and return back to the pot)  For whatever reason, mine took forever to cook...and still had a bit of a bite to them in the end (because I couldn't wait any longer...four hungry people to feed!!)  

While the lentils are simmering, get going on the rest of the meal.

Saute onions, mushrooms, and garlic with a bit of oil until tender.  

Next, add seasoning blend (the one you made) and enchilada sauce at the end and stir.  

Then, combine them with the lentils, along with the refried beans and heat on low, stirring gently to incorporate.  

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.  Stuff into shells, pile on the toppings and enjoy a fabulously healthy NO MEAT dinner.  :)

Pineapple-Carrot Muffins

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Many of you know my feelings on baking... I love to bake, it hates to turn out right.  So, I tend to shy away from baked goods.  You'd think the control freak in me would love the preciseness of baking...yeah, not so much.  
Therefore, I must have been in a weird mood when I decided I just wanted to...bake something.  I've had a can of pineapple in my cupboard for the last 5 months...I figured it was time to put it to good use.  There are not very many healthy snacks to be found here for my kids and I'm desperate for something else to give them aside from granola bars.  I love muffins, all kinds, but I know they can be just has bad as eating a fist full of cookies.  
When I found a recipe claiming both pineapple and carrots, I figured, well, at least there's some veggies in these!  If I could find whole wheat flour, I would have used that too, but I'm stuck with good ol' AP flour.  The recipe was super simple, the girls helped me, and we turned out some pretty tasty muffins.  They are good at room temp, but I find them much tastier after 10 seconds in the microwave...and if you're feeling a little devilish, slide a bit of butter over the top...crap, I was trying to make something healthy wasn't I?  
These have mass potential to be tweaked...think of adding, raisins, oats, cranberries, or strawberries.  Try some slivered almonds on top!  I'd love to hear what you'd come up with!

I couldn't wait...had to take a bite!  ;)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cup canola oil1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat would work well too...just cut the amount in half)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup drained, canned crushed pineapple

Directions

1. Stir together sugar, oil, and applesauce.
2. Stir in the eggs until well combined.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Stir into sugar mixture just until combined.
6. Stir in carrots and pineapple just until combined.
7. Spoon into well greased muffin tin, filling to top. (I used liners, but I think next time I'll try without...the liners pulled away a lot of the muffin)
8. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes or until done.
9. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.
   
   
   
   

Easter Egg Cake Pops

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Such a cute idea...wish I had the ingredients to make these here in Saudi.  :/  Ah well, I'll be in France for Easter anyway, I'll just buy something cute this time!  :)
(photos from Bakerella)


Easter Eggs Cake Pops from Bakerella

Recipe From Bakerella

Ingredients (for the cake pops)

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can frosting (16 oz.)

Wax paper

lollipop sticks

Instructions

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)

To decorate:

Pink Candy Melts
Yellow Candy Melts
White Candy Melts
Pastel Confetti Sprinkles
Sanding Sugars
Light Corn Syrup
Paper Lollipop Sticks
Styrofoam Block
Paramount Crystals
Small Paintbrush
Toothpicks

To decorate:

* Shape the cake balls into an egg shape.

Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)

Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)

Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.

* Dip in candy coating color of your choice holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don't tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. 

* Let sit in the Styrofoam block until dry.
* When dry, use a small paint brush to paint on a thin layer of corn syrup in a line around the egg. Do one line at a time. Right after you paint on the syrup, sprinkle on one of the sanding colors until all of the corn syrup is covered. Use a bowl sprinkle over.
* Repeat with varying designs and colors.
* You could probably also do this with the melted candy color, but this time I was experimenting and tried the corn syrup.
* For the confetti sprinkles, either dab a little bit of the candy color with your toothpick and glue on the sprinkle shapes or use a little bit of the corn syrup to act as the glue. The corn syrup will take a little longer to dry.
* Dry completely.

Apple Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

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It was time for another ladies coffee get together.  I really wanted to bring something nice and I had found this great coffee cake recipe.  (coffee cake...but no coffee in it...weird right?)  Nah, it's just cause it goes great with coffee!  :)
The recipe is super simple...especially for someone like me who is not fond of baking.  Easy ingredients...not much you can do to mess this up.
The streusel on top was perfect...I love the crunch it added.  You can use almost any kind of apple in this.  I also read reviews of people who used pear and cranberries.  (which both sound good to me!)
Whip this up the next time you want to impress someone (without out a bunch of work involved!)  Feel free to leave off the streusel topping if you want to cut back on the sugar...a nice dusting of cinnamon and sugar will work great too.  Serve this warm for the best taste.

Streusel Recipe:

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup butter , softened

Directions:
mix all ingredients until crumbly -- . (don't over mix...you'll end up with a ball)

Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 medium baking apple, peeled and sliced

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with or pie pan with a 4-cup capacity.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk vigorously together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3 In a separate small bowl, mix 1/4 a cup of the sugar with the cinnamon, set aside.

4 Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat in the egg until blended. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beating after each addition until just combined.

5 Pour half of the batter in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the apple slices on the batter so they just cover the batter (you may have to overlap some slices). Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, reserving a teaspoon or two to sprinkle on top. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar on top.

6 Bake the cake for 25 minutes or until it is golden brown and apples start to bubble at the edges.

Recipe from Simply Recipes

Healthy Baked Corn-flake Crusted Fish

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I am still hunting for really good fish recipes.  So far, my fave way to eat our fresh fish is either my husbands amazing civeche or my baja fish tacos.  I tried baking the fillets, but didn't really enjoy it much.  Tried pan searing...eh.  It was okay.  

Then, I found this recipe.  I love that it's not fried (since I fry my fish tacos) and that it is super easy to do.

We had friends over and the fish didn't last long at all.  The corn flakes were nice and crunchy and the fish was so tender.  We used grouper, but you could use any nice flaky fish for this.  Totally going into the fish rotation!

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) grouper or other firm white fish fillets
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg white
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray or line with nonstick aluminum foil. Spray a rack with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle fish with red pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Whisk egg white and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge fish in flour, shake off excess, and dip in egg white mixture. Dredge in cornflakes, coating completely.
4. Place the prepared wire rack coated with cooking spray inside the large baking pan. Arrange fish in a single layer on rack; coat top of fish lightly with cooking spray, and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp and browned. Serve with side salad and lemon wedges.

recipe from Coastal Living

Tuna, Buccatini & Lemon

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Wandering through the grocery store today....trying to figure out what I could whip up for lunch for me and the girls.  We decided we wanted pasta of some sort, but I wanted something other than the normal red sauce.  Then I remembered a yummy dish my friend mentioned she has made many times before.  Using simple ingredients, this dish is ready in no time.
I was a bit skeptical...I'm not a big canned tuna fan.  I was worried that this dish would just fall a little flat for me in the flavor department.  I was wrong.  (shhhh, don't tell me husband I know how to say that sentence!)
Full of flavor, good punch of protein from the fish and cheese, and my girls loved it. (so did I...I had to helpings)
Make use of those pantry items and through together this tasty dish for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner.  I used Buccatini because that was all I had.  Regular spaghetti works perfect too.  

Ingredients:
1lb spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tin of tuna fish in oil, drained (you want the oil packed version so you don't end up with dry fish)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil (add salt if you like) and cook pasta according to directions..you want al'dente.
When the pasta is done, drain and place in a bowl that you have pre-warmed in the microwave.


While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over low heat.  Add the garlic and parsley and stir continually while gradually adding the tuna fish.  Keep the heat low so that none of the ingredients change color.  You just want to heat everything through.


Add the "sauce" to the pasta and stir to combine.  Then add the lemon juice, cheese and butter. Mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  (add some red chili flakes for a nice kick!)
Stir well and serve at once.

Balsamic-Honey Chicken Drumsticks

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I love chicken wings as much as the next gal.  When we were in the States a fave treat was hitting up the local BWW.  (aka Buffalo Wild Wings) A yummy, sticky mess of wings and a nice beer.  sigh...
Okay, so no luck with the beer here, but I can make some sticky chicken!  Found this great recipe and didn't hesitate to give it a try.  
Beyond easy to make...through the ingredients in a bag, marinate for 2 hours, drop the legs on a baking sheet and 30 minutes later you've got a killer dinner.
This would make a great dish for your upcoming Super Bowl party!  (oh man, now I really miss the States...we're hoping to possibly get the game here, but well, we'd also have to get up at 2:30am to watch and not all that sure if we'll get the commercials here)
By the way...these legs should get even the pickiest eater to chow down!  (my little one sure loved them...see picture after recipe!)
Happy Cooking!

Crispy Curried Roasted Chickpeas

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I'm always trying to find new snacks for my girls.  My youngest definitely has a soft spot for salty foods.  While I don't mind her getting a bit of salt now and then, I'd really rather it wasn't from a bag of chips.  I've seen recipes for chickpeas a few times and never got around to making them.  Today...well, I got around to it.
Incredibly simple to make, but the real question was whether or not my kids would want to nosh on them...
Taste tested....approved!!!  Rave results.  I love the curry flavor and the best part is that these little gems are extremely low-fat and packed with protein.
At the end of the recipe, check out some other great seasonings to try...lots of options here!  Have fun!
Happy snacking!  

Super Quick Pasta with Green Veggies

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Yesterday I was getting a rare treat...a sushi dinner with friends.  NO kids!  I have only been out without my girls twice in the last 5 months.  Not for a lack of trying, it's just been beyond busy.  So, last night I was heading out for dinner and enjoy the company of grownups.  Of course, what did we end up talking about most of the night?  That's right, our kids.  Ah well, it was still a great time.
Before I left, I wanted to make sure my girls had something yummy for dinner.  I raided my mom's pantry and freezer for ideas.  (we're camping out at grandma's until we ship out to Saudi next week)
I spied a bag of pasta and some frozen veggies.  Perfect.  If it has noodles, my kids will eat it.  Period. 
This is such a simple dish with light flavors and a nice punch of veggie goodness.  Spike it with some red pepper flakes for a more grown up taste.  :)

Baked Mac & Cheese

Pin It Now! We recently celebrated my daughters 3rd birthday.  (it's not offical till the end of August, but we were with family)  When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she didn't hesitate "mac & cheese!"  Okay, see, here's the funny thing...I hardly ever make mac & cheese.  It's really once in a blue moon type of thing.  She is on a TOTAL "noodle" kick right now.  She'll eat anything if there are noodles in it.  She wanted noodles for breakfast three days in a row.  (not that she got them)  
But, of course I would indulge her for her birthday.  I decided to make a nice homemade baked mac & cheese.  Got the recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network.  I wanted something that wasn't insanely unhealthy and coated in heavy cream.  His recipe fit the bill.  Since my birthday girl and her big sis were going to be the only kids there, I also made a separate dish of mac & cheese with bacon and mushrooms added in.  Wicked good.  
I had a happy kid and happy family.  It was a wonderful little party.  Best of all, my little one got her noodles.  :)

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

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I saw this post on Facebook from the blog A Spicy Perspective. I can't wait to make this!  The girls and I LOVE strawberries and they are pretty cheap right now.  Sad to say, with my love/hate relationship with baking...I don't own a bundt pan.  Hoping I can borrow one from a friend...and then of course give her a huge, lovely slice of cake.  Looking forward to making this...

Moist yumminess...wonderful light cake...love.

Bite-Sized Banana Splits

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 We're not a family who eats a lot of sweets.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE chocolate, especially the dark kind, but we don't keep it in the house.  (if I can help it)  Does this mean I torture my children with no fun foods?  Nah, we just do it in moderation.  Sometimes a "special treat" after dinner will be applesauce, other times it's strawberries and whip cream.  And there are those few times we get ice cream.  I just want my kids to realize that sugary foods aren't great for you and you should only indulge in them periodically.  (yes, I speak to them like that too...j/k)

That being said, I'm always looking for fun sweet treats that aren't over the top.  I'm not going to bake an entire cake, because seriously, who the hell is going to eat it?  We're trying to be healthy here people!  So, when I stumbled on this recipe, I thought...PERFECT!  They get the sweet ice cream and chocolate (plus healthy bananas) in fun, little kid portions.  I think these might have to be once a week treats.

Go grab your kids and make these for dessert tonight!  :)

photo from Bakers Royal...(mine to come!)  :)

"Strawberry Milkshake" Cupcakes

Pin It Now! My fab cupcake making friend whipped these up the other day.  Sigh...if only you could eat a picture....

Simple and easy for the everyday chef to make, yet they look like you paid $5 per cupcake.  She is brilliant at what she does and I'm so thankful she shares these recipes with me...now if I could just get her to mail samples to me...hmmmmm.....

Yeah, You know you want one...or two...or three....

Check out more of her amazing recipes at:

Lena's Cupcakes & Sweets

Click "read more" for the recipe

Monday: Beef Yakitori

Pin It Now! I love when you manage to score a good deal on something and it turns out just has wonderful as you hoped.  I received a ad in the mail to get a Food & Wine cookbook (plus a bonus cookbook) for the cost of shipping.  So, I figured, why not...I mean, I'm a book fanatic and another cookbook will look great on my shelf.  Funny thing is...I've been reading through it non-stop.  There are some really great recipes in it.  Now, can you find the same recipes online?  Sure.  But I just love curling up on the couch with a book in my hands.    So, this week's menu are all recipes from Food & Wine.  Should be a fab week of food!  :)


I made Chicken Yakitori a couple weeks ago and there weren't any leftovers.  So, why not try the beef version!  My girls tend to turn up their noses at mushrooms, but I still put them on their plates.  (they have to try at least one)  Maybe they'll like them one day...maybe not.  But, that doesn't keep me from making dishes with mushrooms!  :D  And I mean, who doesn't love meat on a stick!?  ;)  Going to serve this with some Udon noodles and stir fry veggies.

Monday: Sweet Corn Cheeseburgers & Potato Dominoes

Pin It Now! To me, summer has always meant lovely ears of sweet corn.  I miss it all year round and I can't wait till the stores are basically handing them out!  Found this recipe in a parenting magazine and it just sounded perfect for a beautiful summer night meal.  I wanted a fun side dish (something different from the normal sweet potato fries) and thought I'd give these little potato dominoes a try.  Simple and extremely budget friendly.  I know I should have some kind of green veggie, but I'm just going to count the avocado as my green.  ;)  Happy cooking!  

Friday: Pizza Muffins- "Breakfast" for dinner

Pin It Now! I've mentioned before how much I like using muffin tins to make a fun meal.  These sounded just too good not to try.  I mean...it says pizza, how bad can they be?  Quick and easy to make and the bonus is that they are full of veggies.  (shhh...don't tell your kids!)  ;)  A nice salad would be fun to have with these.  Or for a more breakfast feel, some sausage links or even a fried egg.

Friday: Spiced Beef Kebabs and Couscous

Pin It Now! Last week's Yakatori was a huge hit with the girls.  They loved eating the chicken off the sticks.  So this week, I decided to take advantage of all the meat on sale from Memorial Day weekend and grill up some beef kebabs.  I'm going to double the recipe, but I have a feeling there still won't be any leftovers.  A nice side of my fave couscous recipe will round out this dish.  Some grilled veggies would be awesome too. 
If you can plan ahead, marinating overnight would really make this dish sing, but if not, really try to get to the 4 hour mark.  You want those flavors to sink in and tenderize the meat.  
If you like spicy...add some cayenne to give it a great kick!!