Happy Insides

We have both enjoyed cooking for a long time, but to be honest our cooking wasn't exactly the healthiest.  It consisted of carbs, cheese, fat, more cheese and more carbs.  In the last 4 years we have really worked hard to clean up our diets and work to make some significant changes to the way we eat.  One of the biggest things that spurred this change was Cassie's health.  She was only 25 years old and found out that because of her weight she had high blood pressure.  That was the kick in the butt that we needed to really make some significant changes to our diets.  These changes didn't happen overnight and in some instance we still have more changes to make, but little by little it has added up to a huge difference and meant a significant amount of weight lost for Cassie and blood pressure that is now maintained at a healthy level.

One of the challenges of going to a new way of eating is feeling like you have to give up your old favorite staple meals that you used to always eat.  We really enjoy taking a lot of those recipes and really working to cut out significant portions of unnecessary calories and bad fats without sacrificing  flavor (It helps to really like spicy food).  Some previous posts where we have done just that are our Huevos Rancheros and Pizza along with many others.

We participated in yet another recipe swap this week.  The theme of this week's swap was side dishes and once again we were given another great recipe.  We received this recipe from the blogger over at Lemons & Love.  Definitely check out the blog lots of other great recipes.  We really enjoyed the pasta and it really made a great side dish.  If you are interested we shared browned onion kugel as our entry into the swap.

 

Baked Lemon Pasta
Adapted from Lemons & Love
Makes 4 Servings
6 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
1.5 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 a medium lemon
zest of 1/2 a medium lemon
1/2 c. non-fat Greek yogurt (we recommend Fage 0% yogurt)
1-2 T. chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-1 oz. shredded Parmesan

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Cook spaghetti until al dente.

2) Meanwhile in a separate bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, Greek yogurt, parsley, salt and pepper.  Toss spaghetti with this mixture and put into a oven proof dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle on top with Parmesan and then bake for 15-17 minutes.     

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Since we used to be vegetarians (and Jason was even vegan for awhile) we are not afraid to eat a lot of meals that don't center around meat.  A lot of people have recently started trying to have meatless Mondays or are trying to give up meal for 1 meal a week.  We think that is a really great effort and really applaud anyone who is willing to try it.  There are so many really delicious meatless meals out there too many people are missing because they think it HAS to have meat to be a "real" meal.  We really recommend to everyone to really give it a fair chance and you may find that you actually like (possibly even love) plenty of vegetarian dishes.  Just remember that not every dish is suited for every palate and not every cooking technique will be liked by every person.  So if you try something and aren't thrilled with the results don't give up.  Keep trying!

While perusing the Cooking Light website not to long ago we came across this wonderful looking dish that we knew we just had to try.  It looked super easy and really tasty.  Plus we just love to use eggs in our dinners.  They are a very healthy and really cheap source of protein.  Even if you buy pasture raised eggs and a dozen runs you closer to $4 than to $2 you can still get a lot of good meals out of that dozen eggs.

Italian Eggs over Spinach and Polenta
Adapted from Cooking Light 
Makes 4 servings
1 16 oz. tube of polenta, cut into 12 slices
cooking spray
2 c. tomato basil pasta sauce (fresh or store bought)
1 5 oz. package of Fresh baby spinach, washed
4-8 eggs (depending on if you want 1 or 2 per person)
2 oz. Parmesan
Fresh basil, shredded for garnish

1) Preheat your broiler to high.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray polenta rounds with cooking spray and place them on the baking sheet.  Broil for about 3-5 minutes until heated through and begin to get crispy on top.  Set aside.

2) Meanwhile bring your sauce to a simmer in a large skillet.  Add the spinach.  Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.  Make 4-8 (depending on how many eggs you are using) indentations in the spinach mixture with the back of a spoon.  Carefully crack an egg into each indentation.  Reduce heat a little and cover.  Let eggs cook about 5-7 minutes till they are the desired doneness.  Serve by placing 3 polenta rounds in a dish.  Spoon the spinach mixture over each round and top with one or two eggs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and serve.

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We have to say that we were pretty shocked that we had yet to blog about this recipe yet.  It is one of our favorite weeknight meals.  It is easy, healthy, and inexpensive to make.  We usually end up making it about once a month, which for us is quite frequent. 

We found this dish on one of our favorite food blogs Cara's Cravings.  We have eaten a ton of her recipes and enjoyed every one we made.  We definitely recommend it as a great source for new eats.  One of the things that originally sold us on the dish was the giant fan of avocado across the top of the dish.  You can almost always guarantee that if a dish uses avocado (even if just for garnish) we will end up trying it.  It did not disappoint and while the avocado may look like garnish we would definitely recommend that you NOT skip it.  It really adds a nice creaminess and great flavor to the rest of the dish.  It is pretty integral in our opinion.  Along those same lines don't skip the cilantro garnish either.  We are also of the mind that cilantro makes many things better.  

Southwestern Egg & Black Bean Skillet
Adapted from Cara's Cravings
Makes 2 Servings
1 t. olive oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. frozen corn
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1 10 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (we use Rotell Original or with habanero) 
2 large eggs
1-2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
chopped cilantro and sliced avocado for garnish

1) In a skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until it begins to be translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, corn and black beans and cook another 2 or so minutes until the garlic is fragrant.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. 

2)  Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove the cover and make two small indents into the beans.  Carefully break an egg into each indent and then replace the cover.  Continue to cook covered for another 5 minutes until eggs are set and depending on your desired results (runny yolks or fully cooked).  Serve with feta cheese, avocado and cilantro.

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Months and months ago we were having some people over for dinner and were raking our brains with what to make.  Jason suggested we try our hand at Pozole so we did.  Before that point in time Cassie has never had hominy.  Sure she had heard of hominy and had a sketchy idea of what it was, but had never tasted it.  From that Pozole on though Cassie can officially declare herself a hominy fan.  When we found this recipe we knew we were going to have to give it a try.  It did not disappoint.  It was definitely a lot better tasting than our photo shows and we urge you to give it a try. 

Green Chile and Hominy Casserole
Adapted from Elly Says Opa
Serves 4-6
2 Poblano chiles
1 T. canola oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapenos (1 seeded), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped 
2 t. lime juice
2 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
salt and pepper to taste
sliced scallions

1) Place the Poblanos under a preheated broiler till their skin begins to blister and blacken.  Turn to make sure all sides are blackened.  Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let them sit about 10-15 minutes.  When the poblanos are cool enough to touch begin to rub the skin off of them.  Once you have all the skin removed, remove the seeds and dice them. 

2)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a cast iron (or other oven safe) skillet heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and let cook 3-5 minutes until it begins to soften.  Add in the jalapeno and cook another minute or two.  Add the garlic and let cook 30 seconds. 

3)  Remove the skillet from heat and add the diced poblanos, black beans, hominy, sour cream, Greek yogurt, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, lime juice, half of the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine.

4) Top with the remaining cheese and place in the oven.  Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  Top with the scallions and serve.

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As reformed vegetarians there are certain dishes that you can get either vegetarian or not, but you liked them so much in the vegetarian state that you feel like there is no need to eat them with meat in them.  Kung Pao Tofu is one of those dishes.  We realize that they make Kung Pao with beef, chicken and seafood as well as with tofu, but we just really like it with tofu and just don't see the point of adding meat.  Sure meat can be tasty, but tofu really can be as well.  Plus tofu is a LOT cheaper than ethical meat. 

Kung Pao Tofu
Adapted from Jaime Cooks
Makes 4 Servings
1 c. brown rice
1 12 oz. package Extra Firm Tofu, well drained and diced
3 T. sesame oil, divided
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. water
4 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 t. corn starch
1 t. sucanat
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 t. fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 c. snow peas
1/8 c. roasted unsalted peanuts

1) Bring 2 c. water to a boil and add rice.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes until rice is tender.  When done fluff with a fork before serving.

2) Meanwhile heat a wok or a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 T. of the sesame oil.  Add the tofu to the pan and cook turing occasionally until tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove tofu from the wok and set aside. 

3) Add the onion to the pan and let saute about 4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.  Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the tofu back to the pan. 

4) Combine water with the soy sauce, corn starch, sucanat, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Add this mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil.  Add the red bell pepper and the snow peas and toss to coat with the sauce in the pan.  Let the vegetable cook for about 2-3 minutes until they are beginning to be tender, but still crisp.  Toss in the peanuts and serve over brown rice. 

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We have mentioned before how much we like our grocery store, Natural Grocers.  They sell really quality products and always have tons of great meal ideas in there store.  This meal came from their magazine they were giving away Delicious Living.  In the February 2011 issue they have a section on cooking with cocoa.  This instantly drew our attention and when we saw the black bean soup we knew we had to make it.  It just sounded way too good. 

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Mexican food is serious comfort food around our house.  We both grew up in areas with lots and lots of good Mexican food (Texas and Southern California).  In fact the debate about what is better, Tex Mex or more authentic Mexican food, is a pretty common around our household.  Jason being the Texan of course thinks Tex Mex is better while Cassie holds that authentic Mexican food beats out Tex Mex any day.  We will probably never reach an agreement on this subject.  One thing we do know is that we both love enchiladas and were very excited to find this healthy enchilada recipe that can be a made anytime rather than just waiting for a special occasion.  Also the sauce from this recipe was wonderful.  It will now be our go to recipe for enchilada sauce.  

Kale and Pinto Bean Enchiladas
Adapted from Cate's World Kitchen
Serves 4

1 t. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, with or without seeds, diced
1 t. cumin
2 small zucchinis, finely diced
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. cilantro, minced
1 recipe enchilada sauce, below
12 corn tortillas
1 c. grated jack cheese
salt and pepper

1) Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, and jalapeno.  Cook for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften.  Add the cumin, zucchini and salt to taste.  Cook for another 3 minutes and then add the kale.  Stir until the kale has wilted.

2) Remove from heat and stir in the pinto beans, some black pepper, the cilantro, and a few spoon fulls of the enchilada sauce.

3) To assemble the enchiladas heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Warm each tortilla in the skillet for about 30-60 seconds per side until soft and pliable.  Fill the warmed tortilla with the kale and pinto bean mixture and then form into a roll.  Place in a oven proof dish with a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom.  Repeat this step until you have 12 enchiladas.  Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle the cheese on top. 

4) Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and begins to bubble.  Serve warm.

Enchilada Sauce
1 large poblano pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of whole fire roasted tomatoes and their juice.
1 t. agave nectar
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1-2 t. lime juice

1) Cut the chili in half and place it cut side down in a pan.  Place the chili under the broiler in your oven for about 10 minutes until the skin is charred and bubbly.  Cover with cold water and soak for 15 minutes.  Dice the chili finely. 

2) Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the chili, onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring.  When the onion has softened add the tomatoes, agave, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.  Use a spoon to mash up the tomatoes as they soften.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.
3) Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Using an immersion blender puree mixture until it is smooth.  This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  The sauce is best when it has sat for a few hours to let the flavors really meld. 

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Indian food is definitely a favorite in our household.  We love the flavors involved and it is a great use to bring out a ton of spices and really just have some fun in the kitchen.  One of our favorite Indian dishes is saag.  The greens mixed with all the spices turns out a very creamy and flavorful meal that is very fulfilling and perfect for a cold night.  You can make saag with almost any protein.  Paneer, lamb, chicken, etc.  It all goes well.  Our favorite saag is with paneer (Indian cheese).  Paneer can be a bit of a high calorie addition to the meal so we decided to give it a try with tofu instead of paneer.  What resulted was a truly delicious and extremely healthy dish that will definitely be made in our household again.

Saag Tofu
Adapted from Chef In You 
Serves 4

1 c. brown basmati rice
1 bunch chard or Mustard leaves
1 bunch spinach
5-10 parsley leaves (for freshness)
generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves 
1-2 green chilis, with or without seeds depending on taste 
2 T. canola oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
1 t. crushed garlic
1 t. crushed ginger
1 package firm tofu, well drained and cubed
1 t. garam masala
pinch of tumeric
1/2 t. corriander, ground
1/2 t. cumin
salt to taste

1) Rinse rice and prepare according to package directions.  

2) Wash and roughly chop the chard and spinach.  In a large pot steam the first four ingredients until wilted.  Place all the wilted greens in a blender with the green chilis and puree until smooth.  You can add a little water if the mixture is too thick to puree.

3) Meanwhile heat 1 T. oil in a medium skillet.  Add tofu and cook for 5-10 minutes until it begins to brown.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

4) Add the remaining 1 T. of oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic, ginger and spices.  Heat for 5 minutes until onions begin to soften.  Add the tofu back to the pan and let cook for another 5 minutes.  Add in the greens puree and bring to a boil.  If the mixture is too watery you can add some corn starch to thicken it up.  If it is too thick you can add some water.  Salt to taste and serve warm over the basmati rice.

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This dish was incredibly simple, hearty, filling, inexpensive, healthy and delicious.  In our opinion all of that adds up to a total winner in our book!  We really enjoyed this stew and it was perfect for a cold winter week night.

 Egyptian Edamame Stew
Adapted from EatingWell.com
Makes 4 servings

1 c. quinoa, uncooked
15 oz. frozen edamame, thawed
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy food)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 small lemon

1) Rinse quinoa and then prepare according to package directions.

2) Meanwhile fill a pot with water and the soy beans and bring to a boil.  Cook for 4 or 5 minutes, drain and then set aside.

3) Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the onions.  Let cook for about 5 minutes then add the zucchini.  Let cook for another 3 minutes until the onion begins to brown. 

4) Add garlic, cumin, corriander, cayenne and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

5) Add the edamame to the tomato mixture and cook until it is heated through.  It should only take a few more minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and the lemon juice and serve over quinoa.

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Tahini is a wonderful thing.  It is tasty and can really be used to make a lot of yummy dishes.  Our problem with tahini is that it can be relatively expensive and it always seems to spoil before we can use it all.  That means that we tend to very rarely purchase it.  The other day while on her way to work Cassie caught the tail end of an interview on National Public Radio with a chef who had a new book coming out.  She was talking about some of her favorite holiday dishes in this new book.  Unfortunately Cassie did not catch who the chef was or what her new book was called, but she did catch her speaking about making hummus with peanut butter in place of tahini.  Peanut butter is a staple in our home and we always have some spare peanut butter around so we decided to make some hummus for a healthy snack on Christmas Eve.  We never got around to making it Christmas eve, but we did make it the day after Christmas and it was wonderful.  There isn't a huge difference from hummus with tahini, but it gives it a bit of a peanuty hint of flavor.  We both really enjoyed it.

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Buttermilk biscuits are a comfort food that we haven't indulged in recently.  We like biscuits a lot, but since they aren't normally the picture of healthy food we tend to only have them on special occasions.  Well we recently had one such special occasion...Christmas.  We decided to make some buttermilk biscuits for Christmas morning this year, but instead of using normal all purpose flour we decided to go ahead and try our hand at making them whole wheat as we both just enjoy whole wheat stuff so much more these days.

We selected whole white wheat flour since it tends to be more mild and palatable than a lot of normal (or red) whole wheat flours.  We also thought it would be mild in flavor to let the buttermilk and buttery flavors shine through.  We certainly weren't disappointed.  What resulted was a warm and flaky biscuit that had a great soft texture, but the heartiness of whole grain.

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Back in September we told you the story of Our Soup.  A dish that came about one night while scrounging in the cabinets to see what we had.  Well this pasta dish's beginnings were created in much the same way.  Since we have added on and perfected the mix, but we like to think of this (and frequently call it) Our Pasta.  It is an easy, but delicious meal and adds a bit of a kick to regular spaghetti.  We have used various forms of protein in this spaghetti and can be made with just about anything.  In this recipe we use Chicken Italian Sausages, but you can also use beans, tofu, ground meat, chicken breasts, etc. or you can just omit them totally.

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We admit that for the most part it tends to take us awhile to blog about meals.  Sometimes it will be weeks or months after we actually have the meal before we actually blog about it.  Not the case with this meal.  We were both just so excited about it and enjoyed it so much we wanted to get it up on the blog ASAP.  This meal came to be (at least for us) because of a huge hankering for chile rellenos.  We both just love Mexican food and we wanted to find a somewhat healthy recipe for them rather than cheese laden deep fried version that you normally get in restaurants here.  So we headed over to our old reliable source for delicious yet healthy recipes, Eating Well.  There we found this casserole that isn't only healthy and delicious, but it is ridiculously easy.  It takes just a few minutes to whip up before you pop it in the oven.  This meal is definitely going into our regular rotation from now on.

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Cassie is a reformed picky eater.  She used to not like anything.  With some challenging from Jason she has come to realize that not only does she not hate most of the foods she was so sure of before, she really likes most of them.  For the longest time mushrooms were solidly on the hate list.  In fact it wasn't until pretty recently that she has finally has eased up on the mushroom hate and decided to give them a genuine try.  So until recently our diets have been pretty devoid of mushrooms, but now we are certainly making up for some lost time. 

As part of her Impressive Dinner, Cassie made Stuffed Mushrooms as an appetizer.  These were really simple to make and turned out really delicious.  They were a great way to start out the meal.

Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from Epicurious.com
3 slices sprouted grain or whole grain sandwich bread
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
20 large cremini mushrooms + about 4 or 5 more
2 T. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 oz. Gorgonzola cheese 
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Tear bread into large pieces and place in a food processor.  Pulse in the processor until you have breadcrumbs.  Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper till they are well coated.  Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and place in the oven to cook for 6-8 minutes.  Transfer them back to a bowl.

2) Meanwhile, wash and remove the stems from all the mushrooms.  Separate the 20 you will make into stuffed mushrooms from the extra.  Put those 20 in a baking dish cap side down and bake about 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

3)  While the mushrooms are baking chop the remaining extra mushrooms into a fine dice.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and melt the butter.  Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic and oregano.  Saute till the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the vegetables cool slightly and then toss them with the breadcrumbs, Gorgonzola cheese and parsley.

4) Turn the mushroom caps in the baking dish stem side up and pack the empty space with the breadcrumb and vegetable mixture.  Bake in the oven for another 20 or so minutes until the filling is golden brown.  Serve warm.

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When we started out to make these we were supposed to be having stuffed zucchini, but we soon realized we had a problem.  We had the tiniest zucchini on the planet.  This is what happens when Jason shops for zucchini.  He always grabs super tiny ones.  As we amassed the stuff we were supposed to actually stuff into this tiny zucchini onto the counter we realized...this isn't gonna work.  So, being the resourceful people that we are we decided to make stuffed bell pepper instead.  Regardless of the mix up it was a great dish with lots of flavor and made eating those veggies to be truly enjoyable.  Plus...bonus, these are really easy to make.    

The recipe for this wonderful side dish came from kind of a funny place...a calendar.  Way back at the beginning of 2010 our Grocery store, Natural Grocers, was giving out free calendars.  We didn't yet have a 2010 calendar so we snatched one up and brought it home.  It was filled with a new recipe card every month and a coupon.  Hooray.  Many many months passed and neither of us spent much time paying attention to our calendar as it was hanging in our spare room next to the very rarely used treadmill.  That was all until a few weeks ago when Cassie injured her knee and was unable to go running outside and had to settle for walking slowly on the treadmill.  As she passed to tedious time her gaze shifted from the wall in front of her to the October page of the calendar to her right.  She was looking at the recipe and decided that it looked pretty good and it needed to make an appearance on our menu sometime soon.  Boy are we glad it did too.  This may become one of our new favorite ways to eat a load of vegetables.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
Adapted from our Natural Grocers 2010 calendar
1 medium green bell pepper
1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini or summer squash, diced 
1 large tomato, diced
4 scallions sliced
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg, gently whisked

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice green bell pepper in half from top to bottom, remove the seeds and the stem and set aside.

2) In a skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and red bell pepper to the skillet and saute for about 7-10 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add the zucchini, tomato and scallions and saute another 3-5 minutes.

3) Meanwhile in a medium bowl mix together Parmesan, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs and salt and pepper.  Stir till they are well combined and then add the egg.  Mix well into the breadcrumb and cheese mixture until incorporated.  After the vegetables are done add them to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well until they are well coated. 


4) Fill the green bell pepper halves with the vegetable mixture and place in a non stick oven dish.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes until the tops of the stuffed peppers are golden brown.  Serve hot.

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Here we go with another sweet potato recipe.  What did I say before?  We just can't get enough of these things.  They are so great for the cold fall weather.  We found this recipe and couldn't wait to make it.  Not only was it delicious looking, but it also included fresh rosemary which we happened to have on hand and wanted to use up before it dried out.  The recipe can take some time, but it is definitely worth it.  It is perfect for a hearty Sunday night meal.  We really enjoyed the flavor of the squash, caramelized onion and feta all together.  It really created a satisfying meal.  We added bacon to the pie because, well honestly, because we are both a bit of bacon fanatics.  It added another layer of flavor and was a really good addition, but certainly isn't necessary to the overall pie and would be perfectly delicious left vegetarian.

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Feta Pie
Adapted from Christine's Recipes
Makes 4 generous main dish servings or 6 side dish servings

Shortcrust Pastry:
8 oz. whole wheat pastry flour 
4 oz. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 T. cold water

Pie:
15 oz. butternut squash,diced
7 oz. sweet potato, diced
6 cloves garlic unpeeled
3 T. olive oil, divided
3 oz. feta cheese
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. sucanat
2 t. finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 egg, whisked
shortcrust pastry

To make the pastry:
1) Place the flour and butter into the food processor and pulse until well combined and crumble.  Add the cold water and pulse again until the dough begins to come together.

2) Knead the dough into a circular disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes until you are ready to use it.

To make the pie:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the squash, sweet potatoes, and garlic cloves into a baking dish and toss with 1 1/2 T. of olive oil.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is tender.  Remove from the oven.

2) Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan.  Cook the onions over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes.  Add the vinegar and the sucanat and cook for another 12 minutes until the onions are caramelized.

3) Squeeze the roasted garlic out of their husks and discard the husks.  Return the garlic to the roasted vegetables.  Add the onions, rosemary, feta, salt, pepper and bacon (if using) into the roasted vegetables.

4) On parchment paper roll the pastry till it is about a 11 inch circle.  Heap the vegetable mixture in the center of the pie leaving a 1 1/2 inch border of crust.  You may have some filling left over.  Fold the edges of the pastry up pleating it as you go.  Brush the crust with the whisked egg.

5) Bake for 25-30 minutes on 400 until the crust is golden.  Serve immediately.

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When we were on vacation in Texas this summer we were staying at a friend's house.  One night while we were sitting around talking he had an episode of Grill It with Bobby Flay playing in the background.  Cassie always has an issue of paying full attention to either a conversation or the show playing when the T.V. is on, so her focus was swinging randomly between the two.  When Bobby Flay started talking about some sweet potato fries her attention was caught for the time being and she watched the recipe.  That night we ran to the grocery store and got the ingredients to make these fries for dinner.

Now months and months later armed with only a faint memory of the recipe we decided to go ahead and try to recreate them at home using our oven rather than the grill.  The grill would have been great, but we only have a cast iron grill pan and no large outdoor grill.  We were not up to trying to grill these.  We would have had to work in small batches and it would have taken WAY too long.  So we adapted this recipe for the oven and I think we did a pretty good job recreating it.  The flavors that caught us the first time around were all there again and it was much easier to do. 

Honey Mustard Glazed Oven Fries
Adapted from Grill It with Bobby Flay

2 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed and cut into thin wedges
1 T. canola oil
1-2 T. McCormick Grill Mates Cinnamon Chipotle Rub (or any other chipotle cinnamon mixture you can find/make)
4 T. dijon mustard
2 T. honey

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly brush the sweet potatoes with canola oil and line them up on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the cinnamon chipotle rub over the fries, making sure they have a nice thin coat.

2) Bake the fries in the oven for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile in a small bowl mix the dijon mustard and the honey.  Remove from the fries from the oven and brush both sides of the fries with the mustard mixture.  Return to the oven to bake approximately another 15 minutes until slightly crispy and the glaze is nicely browned.

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For about 3 or 4 years now we have been eating roughly the same breakfast every weekday.  Toast with peanut butter.  There have been a few times where we have experimented, but it always comes back to toast with peanut butter.  We decided recently to start playing around with some different breakfast recipes that were easy, tasty and healthy.  We found these protein waffles and they are great to make ahead of time and put in the freezer.  Every morning we can just pop one into the toaster and TADA, waffles for breakfast.  You can top them with whatever you want, but of course we have taken to topping them with peanut butter and just a drizzle of honey.  What can we say?  We are creatures of habit (that and we are pretty giant peanut butter fans).  This recipe makes 10 4" waffles.  We usually just double the batch and we have enough to get us through 2 weeks.  The waffles are made using a base of beans and oats.  You would never know though.  They taste great and are very hearty.  They aren't a whole lot different than regular waffles.

High Protein Waffles
Adapted from  NutritionMD.org
1/2 c. dry cannellini, white kidney, or great Northern beans
2 1/4 c. water
1 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats
2 T. sugar or 1 T. agave nectar
3/4 t. whole flaxseeds
1 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. salt
5 scoops of plain protein powder
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
non-stick spray

1) The night before you make the waffles soak beans in cold water so that it covers the beans completely. 

2) Drain the beans and discard the soaking water.  Place all ingredients through the whole wheat pastry flour in a blender or a food processor and blend until the beans and the oats are smooth. 

3) Heat waffle iron.  Once it is heated spray the iron with non stick spray and then add 1/3 c. of batter to each 4" waffle spot in the iron.  Let cook for 8-9 minutes until fully cooked.  If the waffle iron is difficult to open then let the waffles cook for another minute or too.

Note:  If you plan on freezing the waffles let them cool completely then place them in a zippered freezer bag to freeze.  They need to be cooked at a medium setting in the toaster. 

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Egg nests is one of our favorite meals.  It is delicious, easy, super healthy and you feel great after you eat it.  We frequently make these for breakfast on Saturday mornings.  They are a great way to use up any leftover veggies in your fridge from the previous week.    You saute veggies in a pan and then make small wells and crack eggs into those and the eggs cook and adhere to the vegetables making them into a nest around the egg.  The recipe below is just what we happened to use the day we took this picture, but really the possibilities are endless.  You can use any type of green, add any vegetables that you want and try any combination of spices that you desire.

Egg Nests
Got the idea from the blog Clean Eating Machines
2 Servings
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 head kale, washed and chopped
1 zucchini, diced
1 jalapeno, minced (seeded or not depending on your preference)
4 eggs
2 T. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1) heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add the zucchini and saute for about 2 more minutes.  Add the kale and saute until wilted.

2) your vegetables should cover the entire bottom of the pan.  Make four wells in the vegetable and crack an egg into each well. Cover the pan and let the eggs cook until they have cooked through, about 4 minutes.  They should still be slightly soft to the touch.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

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Well it is that time of year again...Rosh Hashannah.  One of Cassie's favorite New Year's treats is kugel.  For those who have never had kugel it is a dish made with either egg noodles or matzoh (during passover) with cottage cheese, sour cream and eggs.  Kugel can take many forms, but Cassie mainly grew up with her grandmother's sweet kugel.  When she found this savory individual kugel recipe on epicurious.com she knew we would be making these for Rosh Hashannah.  When Jason tried them he decided that these kugel may need to make semi-regular appearances through-out the year.  They are made in regular muffin tins for an individual kugel for each person.  This recipe makes 12 kugels.    Sorry for the less than perfect photo on these.  The weather was gloomy and they didn't stick around for an extra day to try again.

Browned Onion Kugel
Recipe from Gourmet February 2005 found through  Epicurious

6 oz. egg noodles
1 stick unsalted butter
3 c. chopped onions
1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/4 c. cottage cheese
1 T. poppy seeds
4 large eggs
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

1) preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Cook noodles until aldente, drain in colander and then rinse with cool water and drain well.

3) Melt the butter in a skillet over moderate heat.  Brush the muffin cups with butter.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned (~20 minutes).  Transfer to a large bowl and sir in noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese and poppy seeds.  Lightly beat the eggs with salt and pepper and then mix in to the rest of the ingredients until well combined.

4) Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cups of the muffin tin and bake until puffed and golden, about 20-25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

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