I apologize for not posting for quite some time. My life has been extremely busy. I am (hopefully) back now. My goal is to have 3 to 5 new posts a week. I want to keep you all excited about cooking, because I know how boring it can get when you are stuck in a rut. I spent 2 weeks, totally and utterly, bored with cooking. This last week I found my outside gas grill. It has been wonderful. I am going to be cooking on it a lot more.
We found this nifty thing at our local Lowe’s. The chicken legs and wings hang from it.
What we ended up with was some really tasty chicken. The skin was perfectly crispy and the actual meat was still juicy. I will be cooking all of our wings and legs like this from now on. I put a seasoning on the chicken called Weber Grill Creations Roasted Garlic and Herb. This seasoning is great, it has no added sweeteners or anything weird in it. I then sauteed the green beans in a pan with a little Olive Oil and added a little seasoning called Weber Grill Creations Veggie Grill Seasoning to them. (I am really liking this Weber Seasoning line). I also cut some tomatoes in half and grilled them next to the chicken. This dinner was fabulous!
This recipe is from ElanasPantry.com-if you haven’t been over to Elana’s Pantry, you really should go check it out. This is one of my favorites when I am really craving something wonderful. I know that this is a bit of a stretch, but once every couple of months or so, I really need something brownie like and this covers it.
Ingredients:
1 - 16 ounce jar Almond Butter
1 Cup Agave Nectar (I am sure you could use honey, but the Agave Nectar is lower on the GI)
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup Dagoba Chocodrops (I use dark chocolate chips because I can’t find the chocodrops where I live)
Directions:
In a large bowl, with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer), mix almond butter until creamy. Mix in all other ingredients except chocolate. Mix with blender until thoroughly combined. By hand, mix in 1/2 the chocolate (I usually dump them all in). Pour batter into a well greased 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Scatter the other half of chocolate on top of the batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.
Enjoy!
I got the idea for this recipe from Atkins for Life
Marinade:
1 1/2 Tbsp.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 tsp. Salt1/2 tsp. Pepper
8 quarter inch thick slices of Eggplant
Pesto Sauce:
1 Cup packed Basil Leaves
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup toasted Pine Nuts
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Other Ingredients:
2 Large Tomatoes, cut into slices
8 Thin Slices Fresh Mozzarella
Combine all Marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add Eggplant and coat well. Let stand for 1 hour turning eggplant over occasionally. In a food processor or blender, bled the Pesto ingredients together except for olive oil. When it is all chopped finely, drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is on. When pesto sauce is done, cover and set aside. On a medium hot oiled grill, cook eggplant for about 5-6 minutes per side, until tender. When done, cover eggplant with foil until ready to assemble. Lay out eggplant on a baking sheet and spread about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of Pesto sauce over each slice. Next, place tomato slice on top and then add a slice of cheese. Broil in oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and turning golden. Enjoy!
When I make lunch, I usually find whatever leftover stuff we have in the refridgerator. Today, however, our fridge is pretty empty. I had a lot of items that I could never use alone as a side. My kids thought it turned out good and asked to post it on here. So, I am. I hope that, even if you don’t like what this is, it will inspire you to make a concoction out of your fridge.
Ingredients:
3 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 Sweet Potato, Diced
6 very small Carrots, Chopped
1 Onion, Cut into big chunks
6 oz. Spinach
2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
Season Salt
Garlic Powder
Pepper
A little bit of Olive Oil
Directions:In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat up a little olive oil. Add in all the veggies except the spinach. Cook them until cooked through and the sweet potatoes are almost soft. Add in the spinach and cook until all the spinach is limp and cooked. Meanwhile, in another pan, brown the beef. When completely cooked, drain. Put back into pan and season with garlic powder, seasoning salt, and pepper to taste. Dump the ground beef into the veggie mixture and stir well.
Serve and Enjoy.
By the way, this recipe, as is, makes enough to feed about 6 people.
(Original recipe from Elanaspantry.com)
This recipe is wonderful. This is what my kids have now been asking for on special occasions.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 cups almond flour
2 eggs, whisked
6 Tbsp. butter
1 - 24 ounce jar of your favorite tomato sauce (original recipe has directions on making your own)
16 ounces mozzarella cheese ( I actually use about 12 ounces)
4 ounces parmesan cheese
Directions:Dip chicken into egg, let excess run off. Coat well with almond flour. In a pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute chicken until deep golden brown on both sides. Place 1/2 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 9″x 13″ pan. Place chicken into pan and cover with remaining sauce. Spread mozzarella on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
I got the idea for this off of a forum somewhere, but I have no idea where. It is really yummy, feels a little like eating cereal (if you count the “granola”), and it is very good for you. The thing that I like best, we can change it however we like.
Ingredients:
Fresh Fruit, whatever you like
Coconut Milk, canned or fresh if you know how to make it
Flax Seed and Nut Granola, or another granola type substance that you prefer
Today, we took some cut up cantaloupe, green grapes, and blueberries. (Use whatever fruits you want/like/crave) Drizzle a little coconut milk all over the top, don’t smother it, drizzle it. Next, sprinkle some Granola on top. Lastly, eat and enjoy.
(Original from The South Beach Diet
I have made this recipe 5 or 6 times. The chicken comes out very moist each time. My entire family loves it. The leftover chicken (if you have any left overs) is great on a salad the next day.
1/2 Cup shelled pistachio nuts, finely ground (kids are a great help at shelling pistachios)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the nuts in a pie plate (I use a regular plate) with the salt and pepper. Press the chicken into the nuts. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a skillet and cook the coated breasts, 2 minutes per side. Place the breasts in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until thermometer inserted n the thickest portion registers 160 degrees and the juices run clear. (I am realizing that I have totally forgotten to fry the chicken in the skillet first the last 5 times I have made this. I usually just bake it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Why dirty extra dishes?)
1 large mango, peeled and sliced
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups halved fresh strawberries
2 cups seedless grapes (I sliced mine in half)
2 nectarines, unpeeled and sliced
1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
For honey-orange sauce:
1/3 Cup unsweetened orange juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions:
Prepare and combine the fruit. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl and mix. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the fruit.
*I use whatever fruits I can get or have. The other night I couldn’t ?nd nectarines. So, I used 2 apples instead. It was still just as good.
*This recipe has become a favorite of mine. It is so yummy. I make it at night and we have about 1/3 of it for dessert. The other night I even made some sugarfree whipped cream to put on top of it. The next morning, the rest of the fruit, that’s been sitting in the juices, gets mixed together with 2 cartons of plain yogurt and mixed well.
(Original recipe from Lucy’s Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook
1/2 Cup Raisins
1 1/4 Cup Pecans
1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 Teaspoon Vanilla (I use an equal amount vanilla powder)
1 Tablespoon Softened Butter
2 Tablespoons Honey (I use an equal amount of Agave Nectar)
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth, but still with a little texture. Form “dough” into balls and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Gently ?atten. Bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden.
(from www.mrbreakfast.com)
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped almonds
1 stick of butter — melted [I tried cutting the butter down in this one, it really needs the butter. It didn’t turn out right.]
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla powder (sugar and alcohol-free)[This was a little expensive. From what I have read, you can sustitute extract for powder equally.]
3 packets of Splenda (or other sugar alternative) [I have used 1/4 Cup Honey. I really like it with 1/4 Cup Agave Nectar. Both are really good. I like the honey a little better, but I like the less sugar effect of the Nectar]
In a large roasting pan, mix together flax seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut and nuts. Drizzle with melted butter. Stir in cinnamon, vanilla power and sugar substitute. Toast in the oven at 325 degees for a half hour, stiring every 5 or 10 minutes.
[I ended up roasting it all in a Wok on the stove. I melted the butter and the honey together and then added the spices. I then dumped the nuts and the coconut into the mixture and coated everything really well. I stirred constantly until everything was starting to get all golden.]