Brussel Sprouts

This dinner looks simple and normally it is. But there is quite a story behind these brussel sprouts.....

I had to go to four different places to finally get them. There no longer in season at the farmer's market, Trader Joe's was out of stock, Albertonson's didn't have any and then finally I called Von's before I even went because I was so frustrated and by the grace of God they had them! And they were beautiful, you know how sometimes there really little or off color, nope these ones were round and vibrantly green. I normally would not have made such a big deal out of getting brussels but I had bought these beautiful little potoatoes and I don't even really like potatoes except in this meal. Which is one of my favorite dinners and I was craving it. It's so easy, I just steam the little potatoes, wash the brussels and then throw them in as well. 15 or 20 minutes later I check them with a fork and when they soft they're ready to go! Sprinkle on lots of lemon n' pepper seasoning and enjoy!!

Love ya, Dani

Homemade Condiments

Here are two great healthy condiment recipes! This salad dressing is one of the first homemade dressings I made and I have yet to find anyone who doesn't like it. I always use it to impress people at dinners :) and it always works! The mustard recipe is so simple and so cheap, I'm warning you though you must let it sit for a week because it is so spicy when you first make. After some time it calms down and then the flavor is just perfect! Hope you enjoy!

Sweet Italian Dressing

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1/3 C raw unfiltered honey
1/3 C lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
1 T minced sweet onion
1 t oregano
1/2 t basil



Dijon Mustard

1/2 C brown mustard seeds
2/3 C water
1/2 C raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 t turmeric

Put seeds, water and vinegar in a bowl and let sit for 2 days. Then blend well and add in turmeric.



Salad dressing recipe is taken from The Hallelujah Diet by George Malkmus and the mustard recipe is taken from Gourmet magazine.

Enjoy,
Dani

Twice-Baked Potato

After browsing through How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman I discovered some great ideas to spice up the traditional twice-baked potato. I've actually only had a twice-baked potato once in my life, I'm too lazy to take the time to bake it twice. But I'm almost convinced now it's always worth the extra half hour.

How To Make A Twice-Baked Potato:
Step 1: Bake the potato as you normally would. Scrub them clean because eating the skin is the best part! Poke a hole or two and put the potato right on the rack in the oven at 425 degrees for about an hour. Check to make sure they're fully ready by inserting a knife, there should be no resistance.
Step 2: Let the potatoes cool a bit until you can handle them with your hands. Cut a slit in the top and scoop out the flesh being very careful to leave the skin intact like a shell.
Step 3: Mash the flesh in a bowl and add in all the filling ingredients. You can probably add about a total of a half cup extra ingredients for each large potato.
Step 4: Being very careful again not to tear the skin, gently add the mashed potato filling back in. Step 5: Put back in the oven, right on the rack at 400 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes, until they are getting golden brown and crispy on the top.
I made mine with chopped curly kale, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, garlic and lots of lemon. It was wonderful, the sun-dried tomatoes made it perfectly sweet! I would call this my own Tuscan version of the twice-baked potato.

Here are some of my other creations:
Spicy Spicy: Chopped olives, hot red pepper flakes, chopped parsley, and olive oil
Asian Twist: Miso paste, sliced scallions, snow peas and dark sesame oil
Swedish Delight: Pureed root vegetables like rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, or beets with lemon and olive oil
Mediteranean: Chopped cooked eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash with marinara sauce
Autumn Melody: Baked winter squash with sage, thyme, and oregano
Italiano: Cooked broccoli with pesto and chopped cherry tomatoes
Curry it Up: Steamed and chopped cauliflower with curry, cumin, and garam masala
Mexicano: Corn, chopped celery and fresh salsa topped with cilantro

Enjoy,
Dani

My New Favorite Pasta Dish

I don't usually post recipes, but I have been experimenting a lot lately and want to share with you all some of my favorites. I have been making this pasta dish weekly because it is just so good!!! The raw grape tomatoes on top give the pasta such a fresh and pungent flavor.

What you will need for the PASTA:

1/3 package brown rice linguini

1 cup green beans

1 T olive oil

1 clove garlic

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

Place pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and garlic in a skillet on medium high heat. Add green beans, salt and pepper and saute for 8-10 minutes. When the pasta is "al dente" (firm to the bite), drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the cooking liquid to the green beans and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until tender. The cooking liquid should evaporate from the pan. Combine pasta, green beans, and fresh tomatoes. Then proceed to making the sauce...

What you will need for the SAUCE:

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 T chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic

juice of 1/2 lemon

water as needed

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all sauce ingredients in a VitaMix or blender. Blend until smooth adding water as needed. Add the sauce to the pasta dish and garnish with lemon zest. Voile! So good! Let me know what you think.

Love, Bianca

Simple Breakfast

I always start off my day with a simple yet filling and delicious breakfast. After getting berries that were on sale at the farmer's market I continued a trend of fruit with flax all week long. Just cut up fresh fruit and top with freshly ground flax seeds and a little sweetener, such as stevia, agave or honey. Flax seeds offer many health benefits, are full of fiber and good fats, you'll want to use around 2 tablespoons. Whole the seeds themselves are not digestible but freshly ground they are very nutritious. Below are some other combinations of this breakfast meal!
Have a great week! Check the blog more this week, I have more posts coming soon!
<3 Dani

BEETS BEETS BEETS

After reading somewhere that when you boil beets the skin simply falls off of them I had to try it out for myself. What I discovered...it's true! It's really that simple! Previously I had avoided them because I always thought you had to peel them before you cooked them, and trust me if this was the only way it was not worth. Your hands, the sink, and everything around you becomes stained fuchsia and in the end all you get is an addition to your salad. But now I just throw a bundle of them in a big pot of boiling water, refrigerate them and use them all week long! It's fabulous! I love all the variations, yellow, red and candy cane!

Beets do take awhile to boil, after the water is at a rolling boil check after 15 minutes by sticking a fork directly into one of the beets. When they are tender and the fork easily pierces the center of the beet then they are ready. Strain them in a sink with the water running on cold. Once the beets are cool enough to touch, simply rub them with your fingers and the skin will peel off. Cut them in squares, throw them in salads and store the rest in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Another great thing about eating beets if you don't have to waste anything! The beet greens are fabulous as well and contain many nutrients. Cook them like you would any other leafy green like kale or chard. I have discovered my favorite dish is steam sauteed beet greens, I prefer the red ones, with lots of lemon over quinoa. It sound so simple but the combination is wonderful. Another way to use the greens is to juice them, really this vegetable has endless possibilities :) that's why its my new favorite!

One more fun fact, they stay in season year round! Hooray for beets!

<3 Dani

Wild Flowers

I almost feel like a guest blogger since it has been so long since I posted anything, but it's good to be back. I have been picking wildflowers a lot lately because there are so many great flowers now that Spring is here (YAY)! The picture that is above is of the flowers that I picked for Mallory on her birthday/baptism. I encourage you all to go out and pick some. I like to put them in mason jars since the stems are often quite short.

Yesterday, Dani and I went thrifting at Alpha Thrift. Dani bought a cute red rose trinket box and I got these two bud vases and a lemonade jar. I love looking for little vases like these to just throw a couple of flowers in that you pick while out on a walk or biking home from school (in my case). The green one was $2.00 and the glear class one (my fav) was just $1.50!!

Just another one for inspiration :-) Love you all and Happy Weekend!

Rosemary Biscuits

Bianca and I felt the need to re-post our favorites biscuits! Because really guys, these are the best biscuits!! You must try them! There so versatile as well, we have made them before with poppy seeds, caraway seeds, and this time we used rosemary. Add any of your favorite herbs and enjoy!

Recipe can be found at a previous post titled "Pumpkin Soup with Oat Biscuits" from January 26th, 2010.

Mom's Homemade Granola

My mom has never been much of a cook so it surprised me when one day she wanted me to find her a recipe for homemade granola. I sent her the first one I had seen in Recipes for Life from God's Garden by Rhonda J. Malkmus. After doing her own adjusting and tweaking she called me to tell me it turned out great and that even Dad loved it! So naturally she whipped up a batch for me and this granola is really like none other. It has become her little treat to me and she always sends the bags with lots of love :)

Mom's Homemade Granola

4 or 5 C old fashioned rolled oats

1 C oat bran

1/2 C sesame seeds

3/4 C raw sunflower seeds

1/2 C almonds, chopped

3/4 C flax seeds

In a separate bowl mix following:

1/3 C raw, unfiltered honey

2 t vanilla

1/3 C freshly made apple juice

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, stir and lay in a glass oven dish. Bake at 300 degrees for an hour stirring every 15 minutes or so. Let cool, then add in 1/2 C raisens.

Easter Cookies

Nan and I had a great Easter, simply relaxing around the house and enjoying each others presence. We started our off by going to church Water of Life and then decided that we were just going to hang around the house today. The pastor at WOL had a great sense of humor and somehow he puts everything in such a way that makes so much sense. This morning he said, "And what do I come here every week to tell you, that God is crazy about you!" I just love the way he put it and it goes perfectly with the book I am currently reading, Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

The truth about God's enduring love is astounding. It struck me while I was baking my Easter cookies and she was sitting at the table reading the paper. We barely spoke at all but it was just so nice to be with her. We so often have days like this and it really made me realize how much God just simply loves to be with us. That so often we "spend time with Jesus" praying or reading our Bibles, which are essential aspects of faith but how much does he love to be invited into just simply being with us. Who are we to be so loved that the God of the universe wants to be with us in our minuscule day to day tasks? Who am I that He wants to sit with me while I bake cookies? I am awed by that love, a love that is greater than life itself. A love that is relentless and so overwhelming it causes you to love him back and give him your life. That is one of Francis Chan's main points, that only out of a true love for God can we exercise a faith that is pleasing to him. I believe that love stems from revelation into how much God really does love you simply because you are you :)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16

Hope you had blessed Easter! Here are those cookies I was talking about.



Cashew Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

2 C oat flour
1 C finely ground cashews
1/4 t salt
1/4-1/2 C lemon
1/4 agave syrup
1 t vanilla extract
any flavored fruit extract, I used raspberry, grape, and orange

Add the dry ingredients; flour, cashews and salt together and mix. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredient; lemon, agave and vanilla. Then slowly fold wet into the dry ingredients and mix together. The mixture should be very thick and doughy. Then roll into spoon size balls, flatten and using your thumb make a whole (not all the way through) in the middle to place the jelly. Spoon the jelly into the wholes. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

After running around all day with my Nan I decided we would make my favorite Split Pea Soup for dinner. She chopped all the veggies while I prepared the peas and spices. It was that easy. We left it simmering on the stove for two hours and wallah! My Nan loved it too! So simple, yet so delicious, you must try it!

Split Pea Soup

2 cups split peas
10 cups of water, less if you want it thick
2 small yellow onions
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp marjoram
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Combine everything in a large pot over the stove. Bring to a boil, then simmer for two hours stirring every 15 or so minutes. Freezes great too as this makes a lot of soup :)