sweet potato veggie burgers

I know this may sound and look gross....but truly these were very good and we will be making them again! True they are not the same as biting into a thick, sirloin burger...but it was so nice to have a burger with no little fatty balls of gross! The kids and C loved them.

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
makes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
3-4 small or two large sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1-2 squeeze of fresh lemon
1/4 cup wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste

plentiful Panko crumbs
grapeseed or olive oil


Directions:

1. Place potatoes in large bowl and mash
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan over high heat. (make sure this is hot before you add the burger)
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. Use more panko as you form the burgers and they will stay together nicely
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve with whatever toppings...we used avocados, dijon mustard and ketchup

it's been awhile...

since I posted any recipes or food items! It's just been really busy and I can name two reasons why...A and M.

So today we stocked up at Trader Joe's and I am inspired to go meatless this week.....not sure why just so many yummy recipes out there that need no meat!

Tonight I'm making an oldie but goodie....black bean tostadas with corn relish...the kiddos love it!

So I bought Grapeseed Oil today too and will try it out on salads and with cooking this week :)

Squash Chips

I will be trying this recipe out tomorrow for sure. Friend said it was very yum.

Squash - slice as thin as possible
Spray cookie sheet with non stick spray
Spread squash out, they can touch but not overlap
sprinkle with salt and pepper - add spicy to one side if you like

bake at 200 for two hours, 30 more mins if you like them crispier

spaghetti squash with no cook tomato sauce

This dish is great for warm days, when you want a nice pasta dish with low carbs and no hot stoves. I make this no cook tomato sauce for real pasta too but we really enjoy using Spaghetti Squash instead of pasta.
No Cook Tomato Sauce

4 garlic cloves - place in a bowl of 2 tbsp of olive oil and let sit.
 
1-2 lbs. plum tomatoes - peel off skin, squirt out seeds and squash with your hands. Place in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the tomatoes and add in 2 tsp grated lemon peel, 2 tbsp chopped up butter and mix. Add in the olive, sans the garlic. Mix well and season with more s & p as desired.
When you pasta or squash is ready, mix into the sauce. Use a little pasta water to thin out. Top with freshly chopped up basil and fresh parmasean cheese.
Spaghetti Squash
Cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and guts. In a dish, place 1 half face down and pour about 1in of water. Microwave 6-8 minutes until soft. Do the other half the same way.
When squash has cooled a bit, pull out and mix with the sauce. It will melt the butter. Top with extra lemon.
In the fall/winter I prefer to bake my squash but since it's warm out will use the microwave.  
 
 

Location:Western Ave,Homewood,United States

Carb loading Rigatoni with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Sausage

I have been making sure that I have been eating three meals a day - not skipping on any meals. I don't want to weight myself, I did at the gym the other night and I was only up to 111, normally I have been floating between 109-110. BUT this week is different. I want my body ready with plenty of fuel. So this week I have been adding in more carbs than usual to our meals. Complex carbs like brown rice and whole wheat pasta...but you can see below that is not the case tonight. Sometimes a good, Trader Joe's rigatoni just calls to you. I swear they have the best prepackaged pasta. So I whipped this up early before M's soccer practice so when we get home we can chow down. I will be sure to have an extra helping or two! I plan to have some big meals on Friday and Saturday, nothing crazy. I have been trying to drinks water, I am so bad at this!

3 days to go!


1 lb rigatoni - cook per the instruction, always salt your boiling water - reserve a little of the pasta sauce

In a deep saute pan, warm up olive oil and sautee 3-4 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 chopped onion. When fragarent, add in:
1 lb Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage (if you have a Marino's near you, GET THE CHICKEN BASIL  SAUSAGE - so good) I chop my sausage up in bite sizes

Brown sausage, then add in 3-4 chopped up zucchini, bunch of quartered grape tomatoes, splash in a bit of white wine, cook it down, simmer until all is browned and liquid is gone.

Toss with pasta and top with fresh Parm!
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thoughts on raw - veggie sides

I have never been much for diet trends: Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, etc. I am just a firm believer in eating healthy foods, watching portions, moderation and not snacking after 8pm. However I like to pull ideas from some of these trends as I think each has some good ideas from them. I was reading up on Raw Diet today a bit and how much research has been done on cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts) and how cooking them really robs them of their nutrients that are disease fighters. Makes me think of trying to serve more raw veggies - not only is it healthier but honestly tastier too. I think food should be served in it's most pure form as possible. I believe in using herbs and other natural flavors to make food tasty.

As I was preparing our yellow french beans the other night for dinner, the girls each kept sneaking beans off the counter and eating them. I realized then, why am I going to cook them?

French Green Beans
Mixed minced garlic, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, pepper, and toss with the beans. YUM

Raw Broccoli Salad
Rinse broccoli and chop up into bite size pieces. Mix a little balsamic vinegar with a little organic mayo, season with pepper, whisk it up and mix with the broccoli, toss in raw peanuts and serve.

Grilled Chicken and Greek Orzo Salad

Today was the first NICE day of the season. The kids were outside most of the day and loved it. We cleaned up the grill, bought some new propane and had our first grill out. It started to rain as we were about to eat so despite A's protests (she reallllly wanted to eat outdoors) we took our meal in.

Grilled Chicken
Marinated chicken breasts all day in Trader Joe's Red Wine and Olive Oil Vinegrette. YUM! Grilled up perfectly and a great marinade.

Greek Orzo Salad

1. Boil up salted water, cook about 1 cup of orzo. Set aside. I placed mine in the freezer to chill. Toss with olive oil when done.
2. Meanwhile place in a large bowl:

1 chopped up english cucumber
1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives
1 c. chopped grape tomatoes
14 oz. marinated artichoke hearts (drained but reserve the juice) chopped up

Squeeze lemons over and season with pepper. Toss with Feta cheese and the orzo. Chill if needed. Pour artichoke marinade over before serving and toss.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

We make this a lot in the summer. It's been sunny the past two days and feels like spring...until you step outside and feel the near single digit chill. Anyhow, we are having this tonight in hopes of warmer days.

Blue Cheese Dressing:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk (or milk)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (or feta cheese, as my girls prefer)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Chicken Buffalo Salad:

1-2 lbs chicken tenders

Franks Red Hot sauce

Olive oil

s & p

chopped up celery and carrots, bite size

bunch of romaine, cleaned and ripped into bite size

1. Preheat oven to BROIL. Toss the chicken tenders in a bowl with as much franks red hot as you like it spicy, some olive oil and s & p. Broil for about 4-6 minutes until chicken is just done.

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing and chop the veggies. You can serve this on a big platter, layer lettuce, veggies then chicken and toss with salad dressing. Or, serve veggies, salad and chicken seperatly and let everyone make up their own plate with dressing on the side.

I give my kids the chicken and veggies and serve their dressing on the side as a dip.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/buffalo-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Bangers and Mash with Cabbage

For St. Patrick's Day I was going to do Corned Beef but it's so salty and I'm not a huge fan so I opted for a less traditional St. Patty's day Irish Dish. The girls LOVED it and ate a ton. Next year I'll be sure to make!

Irish Bangers:
1 lb. Trader Joe's Irish Bangers
1 sliced onion

In a deep saute pan, I  first poached the bangers in water for about 7 minutes. I then drained the water and browned them over medium heat. After about 10 minutes I added a pat of butter and the onions and cooked until the onions were browned and a little sauce formed. I transferred the bangers to a bowl and covered to keep warm.

Cabbage:
In the same saute pan, I added a little olive oil and sauteed the sliced cabbage seasoning a bit with salt and pepper. Cooked over medium heat until they were cooked a slightly brown.

Mash: Peeled and diced baby dutch yellow potatoes. Boil in cold water, added salt when boiled, for 20  minutes. Added in milk, butter and a little pepper and salt, chicken stock until a good texture.

Serve bangers over the mash and top with Cabbage.

Taco Tuesday

One of my favorite singers, Tristan Prettyman, coined Tuesdays, Taco Tuesdays. Ironically we are indeed having Taco Tuesday in our house.

Slow Cooker Tacos

1 jar favorite salsa
2-3 fresh squeezed limes
fresh bunch of chopped cilantro
1 lb organic chicken thighs
can black beans, rinsed
1 orange pepper, sliced and diced

1. Mix the salsa, limes and pepper. Place chicken in the mix and top with cilantro. You can add in the beans, optional and also a little dash of chicken stock if salsa is too spicy. Cook on low all day
2. When done, shred the chicken. Sprinkle more cilantro and lime juice. Serve in your favorite tortillas. I warm mine on the stove, using corn.

Cowboy Caviar on the side!

Thai Chicken

I may have posted this recipe before but I will do it again as we really enjoy it.

Thai Chicken - slow cooker

1 lb chicken thighs (organic)
1/4. c. peanut butter
2 tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce
2 tbsp freshly grated Ginger
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or your favorite salsa, as mild or spicy at you want)
1/3 c. chicken stock (optional if you need to difuse the spice of salsa)
1-2 freshly squeezed limes
1 can coconut milk (haven't tried this yet but I think it will make it creamier)
Chopped peanuts
freshly chopped cilantro

1. Lay the chicken in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, tomatoes, limes and, if using, chicken stock. Pour over the chicken.

2. Set on low for about 6 hours or on high for about 4. Serve over brown rice and veggies on the side.
Top with freshly chopped peanuts and cilantro for garnish.



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Meatloaf beatloaf

I made this last night and it was very moist. The kids loved it, A had seconds then thirds.

1.5 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, minced
1 green pepper, minced
1 tbsp worchester sauce
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1/3 c. parm cheese
1/4 c. balasmic vinegar
1/4 c. ketchup

1. Saute onions and green pepper in olive oil season with pepper, a little salt and garlic powder. Cook until soft and set aside to cool.
2. Mix the  meat, worchester sauce, bread crumbs, egg and add in the onion/pepper mixture. Add in the parm cheese until blended. On a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with  non stick spray, form the meat into a loaf. Whisk the vinegar and ketcup together until thickened and pour over the meatloaf. Bake at 350 for about an hour until cooked, don't overcook.

Served with roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli and lemon

Doggy Cake!

It's our beagle, B's 9th birthday tomorrow! Our other beagle, C, has an unknown bday so we usually tag his along too. We traditionally get hot dogs and fries for the beagles to have for their birthday. This year we made this cake...I have made it for them in the past and decided to treat them again to this recipe.

Doggy Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. shredded carrots
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4. c. canola oil
1/3 c. honey

1. Mix the dry ingrediants then add in the wet. Mix until just blended. Shape into a large dog bone and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Crockpot Chicken and Chorizo

This was spicy, but we all enjoyed it. Very flavorful! I had tried a sample of soy chorizo at Trader Joe's the other day and bought it. I then threw this together and it was great.

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, halved then sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
1 package soy chorizo, crumbled out of the casing
1 14 oz. can diced tomato
sea salt and pepper
1/2 c. chicken stock (more to dilute the spice of the chorizo)

1. Lay the chicken on the bottom of a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and lay the garlic on top. Lay the onions on top and crumble the chorizo over, pour the diced tomatoes and stock and peppers on top.
2. Cook on low all day. Serve over brown rice and I had peas on the side. YUM!

It is spicy, if you use the Trader Joe's soy chorizo but the girls handled it fine, they each had about 3 glasses of milk!

Another lentil stew

We really love lentil stews. I made a different recipe tonight. I used Rachel Ray's
Lentil Kale Sausage Stew
The changes I made where the following:
1. Used Italian Chicken Sausage - diced it up
2. Used Tuscan Kale from Trader Joe's, ready to go bag
3. Used low sodium chicken stock, and a little water to make it a stew, not a soup
4. Used red peppers instead
5. Added Curry Powder since we like that flavor on kale
6. Served warm Naan on the side

Olive Garden Pasta Fagoli

I'm trying a new Pasta Fagoli recipe (I usually make my recipe or my friend's recipe). I am not a fan of Olive Garden per se, but I do think they have a good pasta fagoli. I saw this recipe on Pinterest
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta Fagoli 
I tweaked it a bit to make it my own and here is what I used. and always, when you make pasta fagoli, COOK THE PASTA SEPERATLY! If you add it into the soup and save the leftovers, it will be a soggy pasta mess. Always serve the pasta on the side and let your eaters decide how much pasta they want.

I made this is a dutch oven on the stovetop. It makes A LOT so be sure to have a large crockpot or large stock pot. 
1 lb. organic ground beef
1 small chopped onion
3 carrots, diced
1 c. chopped celery
1 can drained  and rinsed kidney beans
1 can drained and rinsed white northern beans
2 - 28 oz diced tomatoes
1 small jar of marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's)
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1 shake of crushed red peppers
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp pepper
splash of white vinegar

1. Brown the beef and drain. Add in the onions, carrots and celery. Cook about 5-10 minutes until veggies are soft. Season with parsley, oregano, garlic and pepper.
2. Add in the tomatoes, sauce and beans. Stir and season with a bit of the crushed peppers. Bring to a boil then simmer, partly covered.
3. Cook at a simmer for a good hour to let the seasons blend (pasta fagoli is always better the next day so I imagine this in the slow cooker would be GREAT). I splashed in some white vinegar at the end.
4. Cook shells or ditalini or some small pasta on the side to al dente. Serve on top of the soup, grated parm cheese and fresh bread

Lemon Garlic roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and green beans

Tonight's dinner was easy and really yummy. A ate up all the green beans and M ate up all the chicken.

Roasted Chicken

4 bone-in, skin on large chicken breasts
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion, sliced
s & p
oregano
5-7 garlic cloves, smashed

1. Preheat oven to 400. On the bottom of a large baking dish, place the lemon slices, onion slices and garlic cloves. Meanwhile, rinse and pat very dry the chicken breast. Place them on top of the lemons and brush with olive oil. Season with oregano, sea salt and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour until cook thru. A nice sauce forms on the bottom that is great poured over the potatoes :)

Roasted Potatoes

1. Scrub baby potatoes (I used red potatoes or fingerlings from Trader Joe's) and cut into quarters. Toss in olive oil and season with sea salt, rosemary and pepper. Roast on rack below chicken for about 40 minutes until tender.

Green Beans with Dijon Vinaigrette

The kiddos helped with this one. They snapped the ends off of the green beans and snacked on a few raw ones too,hehe.

1. In shallow pan, place green beans and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook just until green beans are just bright green, tender but still crunchy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Dijon Vinaigrette  
Mix in a small bowl:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper

2. Pour vinaigrette over green beans in a serving dish. Enjoy!

Cake Mix Rice Krispies

What do you do when it's freezing out, hardly any real snow to play in and there is no school?! Make goodies to munch on. The kids had fun helping with this and I think I had more fun eating them (I am all about texture and the gooey marshmello cereal combo is great).

A friend posted this recipe this morning and we had to try it...it was very yummy

6 c. rice krispy cereal
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 c. yellow cake mix
10 oz marshmellows
sprinkles

1. Over low heat, melt the butter in a large sauce pan then add in the marshmellows. Stir until just about melted. Take off the heat.

2. Add in the cake mix slowly and mix until all is blended. Add in the rice krispies and the sprinkles.

3. In a prepared 9x11 (sprayed with pam) press the mixture firmly and evenly. Sprinkle some more sprinkles on top. Let sit for about 20 minutes and cut. Place right away in air tight container and eat within a day or they get hard

Eggplant Rollatini and Kale Caesar Salad

Two new recipes I tried tonight from Real Simple magazine. Both were delish and kiddo approved!

Kale Caesar Salad

1/4  cup  mayonnaise ( you can use greek yogurt to cut fat too instead of Mayo)
1/4  cup  finely grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
2 freshly squeezed lemons
2  tablespoons  olive oil
1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2  medium bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
2  hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)
1/4  small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, oil, mustard, Worcestershire, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the kale, eggs, and onion and toss to combine.

 

Eggplant Parm Rollatini

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  large eggplants (about 3 pounds total ), sliced lengthwise (about 16 slices total) slilce fairly thin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups maranara sauce
• 2  large eggs
• 1  15-ounce container ricotta
• 2  teaspoons  dried basil
• 2  cups  grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Divide the oil between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Dividing evenly, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and turn to coat in the oil; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
2. Bake the eggplant, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until soft and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool. Reduce heat to 400° F.
3. Meanwhile, in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch or some other 3-quart baking dish, spread ½ cup of the marinara sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta, basil, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. Place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on one end of a slice of eggplant, roll it up, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and ricotta mixture.
5. Top the eggplant rolls with the remaining cup of marinara sauce and the remaining cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
6. Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Cookies

 3/4 c. sugar (I cut this down from 1 c.)
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 egg

1. Since I used PB that needs to be refrigerated, I let it sit out a bit in a bowl then I mix in the sugar first. Once that is creamed, I add in the egg.

2. Place small drops on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 350. Don't over bake. Let cool then enjoy!



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