Enchilada Quinoa and Chicken Stuffed Peppers

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Found this great blog...Ambitious Kitchen.  She's got all kinds of great recipes, and many very healthy ones.  When I found this recipe...for the stuffed peppers, well, I couldn't make them fast enough!  I'm being very stingy with my quinoa...I only brought back two boxes from France...so I want to use it with a dish I know I'm going to like.  (and I did)

This would work great as a vegetarian dish as well...just use all quinoa.  I made these following her recipe, but the recipe below shows how I would make it next time...mine came out a bit dry this first round.  It was a hit with the whole family...I use a very mild (homemade) enchilada sauce, so the hubby had to spice his up a bit.  The girls really liked the filling but weren't big fans of eating the pepper...though they both took three bites.  Rules are rules and all.  ;)

We served it up with a side of chips and homemade guacamole (hubby's recipe).  Great dinner!

Ingredients

3 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

1/2 cup cilantro, plus more for garnish

1/2 onion, diced

1/3 cup egg whites

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup red enchilada sauce

1 cup reduced fat cheese of your choice, divided (we used gouda because it was all I had...tasted great too!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl combine chicken, quinoa, egg whites, onion, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, and enchilada sauce. Mix well.
3. Stuff each pepper half with the mixture. Top pepper with 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce and 1 tablespoon of cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.

Italian Bread & Veggie Soup

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So, the other night I wanted to make a Ribollita soup...thought I'd bought all the ingredients, then got home and found out they didn't give me one of my bags.  Crap.  And it's not like I can just rush back out to the store...that requires calling a taxi...and well, I wasn't about to go through all that again.  
Instead, I improvised.  Took a couple of different recipes, pulled ideas I liked and threw this soup together. Thankfully, it worked out really well.  The whole family enjoyed it and there weren't any leftovers.  Nice.
It's a forgiving recipe...so you can add or remove ingredients with ease...enjoy!  Make it Vegan and leave out the cheese.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Tbs herbs de Provence
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 turnip, peeled and cubed (small cubes...not big ones)
4 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cans stewed tomatoes (with juice)
small head of cabbage (I used Napa), sliced thin
1 (3 inch piece) Parmesan rind
6 cups low-sodium Veggie broth (or chicken)
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
half a loaf day old french bread torn into pieces
Fresh grated parm cheese


Directions:
Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery, and sprinkle with seasoning.  Cook until veggies are tender.
Next, add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the turnip and zucchini...cook until tender (about 10 minutes)
Stir in the stewed tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, the cabbage, the Parm rind and broth.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. (45 if you have the time)
Remove the rind. (whatever's left of it)
Toss in the beans and cook till heated through.
Lastly, stir in the bread pieces, ladle into bowls and top with grated parm cheese.  You could also add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Roasted Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Garlic Soup

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My friend loaned me a cookbook...full of soup recipes.  Not sure if she's going to get this one back any time soon!  
I've found so many wonderful recipes and I've been having a great time trying out new soups.  This one is one of my new faves.  Roasting the veggies creates a wonderful smokey taste while the roasted garlic adds creaminess.  The recipe called for a drizzle of basil oil, but I wasn't able to find any (or make any in time for the soup); however, I bet it would add a great finishing touch.
We ate this soup as our main dish with a side of crusty bread.  A nice salad with perhaps some chickpeas tossed in (for the protein aspect of the meal) would round out the whole dinner.  
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
4 red bell peppers
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 garlic bulb; halved horizontally
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion cut into wedges
2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
a handful of fresh oregano leaves
salt and pepper
to serve:
fresh basil leaves
basil oil


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (190 Celsius)
Put the whole eggplant and peppers in a large roasting tin.  Sandwich the thyme between the garlic halves, drizzle with oil and wrap in foil.  Add to the roasting tin.  Roast in preheated oven for 35 min.
Remove the garlic from the oven and check for tenderness.  Set aside to cool.  Remove the peppers, place in a ziploc bag, seal and leave to cool.
Add the onion to the roasting tin with the eggplant and cook for another 20 minutes or until the eggplant is tender. **(note:  my eggplant was done much sooner, so keep an eye on yours)
Meanwhile, peel the skins off the peppers and discard.  Transfer the flesh (seeds and all) to a blender and liquidize with a third of the stock until smooth.  Transfer to a sauce pan.  
Squeeze out the soft flesh of the garlic and add to the blender.  Spoon the flesh out of the eggplant and add to the blender along with the onion and another 1/3 of the stock.  Blend until smooth and then add to the saucepan with the pepper puree.
Add the tomato sauce, oregano, remaning stock, bring to a boil and season to taste.
Divide between 4-6 bowls, scatter with basil leaves and drizzle with basil oil.  Dig in!

Bean Bolognese with Quinoa Pasta

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While we were in France, we went to a local farmers market where I picked up a package of quinoa pasta.  I've never even eaten quinoa before and you can't find it here in Saudi.  So, when I found this great veggie bolognese recipe, I thought it would be a great time to try the pasta too.
The bolognese was simple to make with lots of flavor.  The quinoa pasta actually had a bit of a sweet taste to it and went really well with the sauce.  All in all it was a great dish that the whole family enjoyed.  Another veggie dish on the rotation!

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (or other white bean), rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup white wine (I had to use chicken broth which therefore nixed the vegetarian aspect)
• 1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 8 ounces Quinoa pasta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

**Note: you are going to have more beans than you need.  Either go ahead and toss them in or set aside and have with eggs for breakfast!  :)

Directions:

1. After rinsing the beans, combine them together in a bowl.
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Scoop out 1/2 cup beans and mash in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add a cup of the whole beans (or add them all); cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, according to package directions. Drain.
5. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.

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

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Stew

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Always on the lookout for great soups and stews...and now, more than ever, ones that feature mostly veggies.  This is a great low budget stew that just bursts with flavor.  

Quick to put together and on the table in under and hour (prep included)  Expand your veggie world with this wonderful stew...

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. coconut or extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a small head of cabbage, chopped (heaping 2 cups)
3 cups cubed butternut squash (sweet potato would be good too)
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cocoa powder
pinch of chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked, black beans (about one can, rinsed and drained)
salt to taste

avocado, for garnish (we couldn't find any ripe ones...hoping to get some the next time)
cilantro, for garnish 

to make tortilla crispies:

3 corn tortillas
scant 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt 

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed pot, warm the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until just beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cabbage, squash and broth. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes for the vegetables to cook. 
Add the spices and the beans and stir. Let everything continue to cook another ten minutes for the flavors to blend. Salt to taste. At this point, you can do a few pulses with your immersion blender through the soup, in case you want to thicken up the broth a bit. This is optional, but makes it seem a bit thicker. You could also, run just a bit of the soup through a blender or food processor, and add it back in to the pot. OR a sprinkle of cornmeal will help thicken it as well. 

For the tortilla crispies, preheat the oven to 375'. Stack them and slice into thin matchsticks. Spread on a baking sheet, dirzzle with the oil, sprinkle the salt and toss gently to coat. Spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes until they are light brown and crispy, giving the pan a shake halfway through. 

Garnish each both with some diced avocado, a handful of chopped cilantro and some of the tortilla crispies! 

Recipe from Sprouted Kitchen

Roasted Cauliflower and Beets

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It's official, we're beet freaks.  Could eat them every day...the roasted flavor is just oh so good.  My kids love them, hubby loves them...its win win.
We also love roasted cauliflower, so I figured why not combine the two.
I only found one recipe that featured both fresh veggies roasted together.  However, the other recipe used golden beets which (so far) I haven't found here.
Roasted beets are just fine all by themselves, but the seasonings we used for this recipe were really nice.  Oh, and the kids got a kick out of the "pink" cauliflower.  :)
Can't wait to make this one again....soon!

1 to 1.5 pound head of cauliflower, cored and broken into medium florets

• 6 small beets, peeled and cut into long wedges
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 dried red chiles (optional)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Grease a large baking dish (at least 13" x 9") with olive oil.
3. Grind cardamom pods, dried red chiles, coriander, cumin and peppercorns into a fine powder.
4. In a small bowl, mix this spice powder with olive oil.
5. Add all the vegetables to a large bowl and drizzle the spiced oil over the vegetables. Using your hands, rub the oil into the vegetables instead of tossing to coat.
6. Transfer to the greased baking dish and roast for about 1 hour or until tender and wonderfully caramelized. Use your kitchen timer to remind you to stir every 20 minutes.

recipe adapted from Indianfoodrocks

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

Rainbow Shamrock Cookies

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These are just too cute!!  Had to share.  Check out the recipe by clicking the link below.  :)

photo from Bake at 350

Bake at 350: Double-decker Rainbow Shamrock Cookies: You didn't think you'd seen the last of the double-decker cookie , did you?!?  Oh no...I sense a double-decker cookie obsession coming on. ...

Roasted Beets - Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar

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We are becoming beet freaks.  
The downside:  They are messy.  Turn your hands pink.  They stain clothes.  You might have to warn your kids school that your child ate beets the night before...lest they panic during potty time.
But, oh, they taste SO good!  My girls love them.  I love them.  Hubby loves them.  They have zero fat, they are high in folate, and a cup of cubed, cooked beets is a meager 64 calories.  Plus a healthy dose of folate.  What's not to love?  :)
Usually I just roast them in the oven and eat as is.  Then I found this recipe from Simply Recipes.  The balsamic glaze was really good...added depth to the beets.  Great recipe and will make again for sure.
The best part is watching my girls eat them...they get a kick out of eating the beet and then smiling at each other...showing off pretty pink teeth.  ;)

 INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds red beets, medium sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.

2 While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.

3 After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. (you may want to use gloves to save staining your hands)  Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces.

4 Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a little orange zest to serve.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

recipe from Simply Recipes

Slow Roasted Spiced Chicken

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We've become quite fond of cooking whole chickens.  It's easy, cheap, and doesn't require many ingredients.  I found this recipe stating the chicken would taste like a rotisserie chicken you'd get at the grocery store.  (You can't get that kind of chicken here...only at restaurants)  Sounded good to me and I've never slow cooked a chicken in the oven...usually that's the hubby's job and he does it on the smoker.  
This one required a bit of planning ahead and for once I didn't forget to let it sit overnight.  I really liked the flavors and I loved the color of the chicken!  Looked so pretty!  Nice that the recipe called for two chickens because the chickens here are very small and I always cook two...(no way one of those little buggers will feed our family of four).  
Give this recipe a try next time you want to "spice" up you roast chicken dinner.  :)  

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 (4 pound) whole chickens
• 
  

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
3. Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

recipe from AllRecipes