I always feel healthy after yoga and so for at least a good hour and a half I try to eat clean. 🙂 Today I decided to make a Kale and Quinoa salad. This salad is filling, good for you and tastes great too. Kale and Quinoa Salad 1 Bunch of Kale (cleaned and de stemmed) 1 cup Quinoa (cooked and cooled) I used Gluten free 1/4 avocado 3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Organic) 2 T Fresh lemon juice 1 t Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove diced salt and pepper to taste Clean and de stem Kale. Roll Kale leaves and chiffon chop them. Place chopped kale and about 1/2 cup quinoa in a bowl. In a small bowl mix E.V.O.O., Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Put about 1 T of the dressing on the kale and quinoa mixture. Top with avocado and chow! I save the extra kale, quinoa, avocado and dressing in separate left over dishes. I plan on eating this for lunch everyday this week. ENJOY! Your body will thank you. 
Category: Recipes
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice SNOW DAY Soup
Finally! The first snow day of 2015. . . and the kids had the day off school anyway! Oh well, slows life down a bit and makes me want to snuggle under a blanket in front of the fireplace. Also makes me eat my way through hibernation and NEED this soup. I found the recipe on Lauren’s Latest and will link to her at bottom of post. In my house, this recipe must be doubled (or the last guy to the pot won’t get any!). Happy Hibernating!
Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and cubed
6 cups good quality chicken broth
3/4 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
1-6 oz. box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/3 cup all purpose flour
plenty of salt and pepper
Directions:
In large pot, heat butter and olive oil. Saute onions, celery and carrots on medium low heat for 10 minutes to soften. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Pour in chicken broth and cubed raw chicken. Raise temperature to medium high heat to poach chicken in cooking liquid. Once chicken has cooked and become opaque, pour in rice and seasoning packet that came with the rice. Cover and reduce heat to simmer lightly for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In small bowl, whisk cold half and half with flour until smooth. Pour into soup pot and reduce heat completely to low. Cook 10 minutes or until rice is softened completely and soup has thickened slightly. Taste and season accordingly. Serve hot.
http://www.laurenslatest.com/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew
Sometimes I want a hot dinner ready even though I have a busy day and/or evening. I am pretty picky about what I’ll dump in the Crockpot, though. No Campbell’s soups, no ground beef. Kristin sent me this one that fits the bill. It’s just like the ever-popular slow cooker taco soups, but no ground beef! Perfect for a Monday!
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 15-16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-16 oz. can of kidney beans
1 15-16 oz. can of corn (drained), some like Mexicorn. I used a cup or 2 of frozen corn bc that’s what I had on hand.
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/ chiles (can use plain diced tomatoes if you are avoiding spicy foods)
1 1.25 oz. packet taco seasoning (had to measure my homemade seasoning with a shot glass!)
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I used 3.
Instructions:
Mix everything together in a slow cooker except chicken. Lay chicken over top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3/4 hours. 30 min. before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Can top with cheese, sour cream, or tortilla chips.
Number of servings: 14.
Orig. found on SparkRecipes.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
(not my best photo ever!)
This easy chicken soup is made with a light and refreshing lemon broth, orzo pasta, and vegetables. It is healthy and perfect for a cold day!
I found it at Two Peas & Their Pod, but I prepared the chicken a bit differently because I had boneless, skinless thighs in the refrigerator. Lately my husband is loving the flavor and moisture natural to chicken thighs vs. the way breasts tend to become dry so easily.
So, first I rinsed, salted and peppered the thighs and then cooked them in a bit of olive oil right in my deep soup pot. They didn’t take long. I removed them to cool and started sauteing the vegetables without even cleaning the pot. However, if you picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery, shredding that meat would work well, too!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil (1 for chicken, 1 for vegetables)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (you know I use jarred garlic!)
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
8 cups chicken broth
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat (cook chicken if needed). Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until orzo is tender. Add the cooked, shredded chicken and heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.
Healthy chicken tacos
I am a die hard Mexican food lover, but it’s just not always the healthiest of choices. Nevertheless, I need my Mexican fix weekly. This week I decided to make a healthier version of my favorite food. I had a million places to be on Monday night so I needed something quick and healthy. This recipe is easy and was the best chicken taco I have ever had. I think the salsa is the key. I used a Frontera Salsa…
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar Roasted Habenaro (HOT) salsa – Yes salsa matters!
1 head of green cabbage (thinly shredded)
1 package corn tortillas
Low fat sour cream
Fresh Cilantro
In crockpot combine chicken breasts with entire jar of salsa. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
1/2 hour before chicken is done, shred chicken breasts and place back in crockpot.
Assemble
Take 2 corn tortillas and heat in microwave for 20 seconds. (If you want crispy shells you can place the corn tortillas in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes.) Spread a dollop of sour cream on the top tortilla shell. Place shredded chicken on top of shell. Top with shredded cabbage and cilantro. Pick up and chow!
The two corn tortilla shells are key! Otherwise you can’t pick them up to eat…..they will just fall apart:(
This recipe is a keeper! I am telling you…..soooooo good!
Rosettes – Old World Scandinavian Treat or Funnel Cakes?
When we were kids, my mom would let us make Rosettes about once a winter during a long, cold, football-filled Sunday. They are pretty messy, very delicious, and a family tradition. The magazine that my mom saved this recipe out of says that they are likely to be “the new versatile sweet of the 70’s!” I think we can call this recipe “vintage.” I love that I still have the original, oil-splattered magazine pages.
My kids think they taste like mini-funnel cakes, covered in powdered sugar. They like to make them for no reason at all, but I rarely okay this as it seems like a waste of oil and requires lots of supervision. Still, I am glad to be passing on another family tradition! And it is fun to give the rosette irons as a gift with copies of this vintage recipe!
Rosettes and Other Tremendous Timbales We Have Known
Makes 3 dozen
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour (if using self-rising flour, omit salt.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar or sugar and cinnamon
1. Mix eggs, granulated sugar and milk. Stir in flour and salt, beating until smooth. Batter will be about the consistency of heavy cream.
2. Heat oil to 400 degrees in deep saucepan or electric skillet (I use a small, heavy pot that I don’t mind ruining.) Heat iron in hot oil; drain excess oil on paper toweling. Dip heated iron into batter until mold is 2/3 covered.
3. Dip coated iron quickly into hot oil, cooking until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove rosette from iron (a fork helps if stuck a bit). If rosette is not crisp, batter is too thick and should be diluted with milk. Dip rosettes in confectioners’ sugar while still warm.
Yum!
Chicken Gyros for Dinner
Tried this recipe when my sister and her family were visiting last year, and they keep acting like I invented the sun. So here ya go!
Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano {dried}
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion {powder}
1 teaspoon salt
In a bowl or bag, place all of the ingredients together and mix well. Marinate for up to 2 hours.
Once ready, place the chicken on a grill {even a George Foreman} or in a pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side.
Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon mint
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for at least 1 hour before using.
Condiments:
pita bread
lettuce
tomatoes, sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
tzatziki sauce {recipe above}
Take a piece of pita bread and layer with the lettuce, chicken, tomato, red onion and tzatziki sauce. Mmmmmm. . .
Pretty sure I found this recipe over at Basil. . .by Ashley. Thanks, Ashley!
http://basil-albi.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicken-gyros-with-tzatziki-sauce.html#.U-UfuvldWSo
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Before I found the recipe for these amazing Lemon Crinkle Cookies, I used to ask my husband what kind of cookies he wanted me to bake. He would say, “Chocolate Chip. What other kind is there?” But I got tired of chocolate chip and branched out. To THESE. Now these are the whole family’s number one choice. They are just so lightly lemon and so NOT from a cake mix. You’ve gotta try them. Your relatives will think you are really something.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Oven = 350.
Combine butter and sugar in mixer. Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients (excluding powdered sugar) separately and then add to sugar mixture.
Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into quarter-sized balls and roll in powdered sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes or until bottoms look like they might brown. Cool on trays about 3 min. before moving to cooling rack.
Yuuuuuuuuuuum!
*Sixteen-year-old informed me yesterday that she ate so many she thinks she will turn into a lemon crinkle!
This recipe was created by Lauren at Lauren’s Latest. She is some kind of lemon genius. http://www.laurenslatest.com/lemon-crinkle-cookies/
Pasta Con Broccoli — PINK, please!
St. Louis has a strong Italian heritage and a thriving Italian neighborhood and restaurant scene. And, boy, do I miss it! I think the whole family does, because they keep asking for pasta.
In St. Louis we love our “pink” sauce– a combination of white sauce and tomato sauce. That way we don’t have to choose one or the other.
I’ve been tweaking my Pasta Con Broccoli recipe for years and finally have an easy one that makes a ton and satisfies my family’s craving for pasta. It also reheats beautifully. Here you go!
1 lb box of uncooked large shell pasta
2 cups cream (heavy or whatever you find in the store)
2-4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 head of broccoli, chopped
8 oz sliced fresh button mushrooms
salt and pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese (I usually use a whole wedge or whatever I have.)
Cook pasta until it’s about halfway done (5 or 6 minutes); drain and return it to the pot.
Add cream, butter, garlic, tomato sauce, broccoli, salt, and pepper. Bring to a hard boil.
When noodles are fully cooked and sauce is starting to thicken, add mushrooms and stir to combine.
Remove from the heat; add cheese.
Toss and serve.
No More Jarred Spaghetti Sauce
I used to make pretty good weeknight spaghetti using Prego as a base and adding sauteed onions and ground beef. I would also doctor it up a bit with some Italian seasoning, garlic, a dash of cloves, and a bay leaf or two. But now that I’ve greatly reduced the amount of ground beef we eat and am trying to eliminate processed foods, no more Prego/jarred sauce! I needed a quick red sauce for those weeknights when I crave pasta. Sometimes I have a good sauce in the freezer from a weekend “all day in the pot” adventure, but not always. Last night I tried this easy variation, and Tim pronounced it “the best sauce you’ve ever made.” He might have just been really hungry. Anyway, here it is. If you Italians have a better one, I’d love to try it (30 min. or less, please!).
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce (I try to buy this in the carton as the cans can leach yucky stuff into the tomatoes.)
6 oz tomato paste
1-2 tablespoons sugar (adjust to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I always use too much; it was spicy!) Adjust to your taste.
Can substitute a teaspoon of Italian seasoning for herbs.
Simmer in a pot for 20-30 minutes. Season again to taste.
the spoon and the thimble 