It's Been Awhile: Two Recipes For You

Good news!  Sammy is back to his normal self.

Last night, I made him some chicken and rice and mixed it with his food.  He immediate ate it and then went back a few minutes later to polish off his food and gulped down a bowl of water.

He has been perfectly fine today, so I guess he must have just had a little bug yesterday. See, a good dose of healthy food and rest is all he needed.  I know that if we would have taken him to the vet they would have given him shot after shot of things he didn't need on top of numerous drugs that mommy and daddy would have spent an arm and a leg on.  Last time we took him to the vet because he stopped eating, the vet gave us $150 eye drops and said that he needed a professional dental cleaning for $500.  Seriously?!?!?!

I love my pup more than life itself, but I don't even spend that kind of money on my own cosmetic procedures.

Today was gloomy and rainy and a perfect day to spend in the kitchen.  Something about cooking on days like these is just so alluring to me.

So on that note, I have a few recipes to share with you.  I realize it's been awhile since I've actually posted a recipe, so this is for your eating and viewing pleasure.

Sunday Breakfast:

Cinnamon Vanilla Pear French Toast 

Ingredients (Serves 2) 

• 4 slices of Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread 
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Soy Milk 
•  1/4 Cup Egg Beaters
• 1 TBL + 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 TBL ground Flax
• 1 Red Pear, sliced
• 1 Tsp agave
• 2 TBL dried cranberries

Sautee the pears in a skillet and sprinkle with 1 tsp of cinnamon.  After the pears are browned and slightly soft (about 10 min) add the agave and let them cook down for another 10 min. 

Next, mix the milk, egg, cinnamon, and flax in a shallow bowl.  Submerge the bread in the liquid and let soak for about 5 min.

Place the bread on a hot griddle or skillet and DON'T TOUCH! This is the key to having a perfectly golden crust on the toast.  Let the bread cook for about 5 min before you flip.

Plate the bread and top with the sauteed pears.  Lastly, sprinkle with dried cranberries and drizzle with almond butter.  I like to put the entire plate in a warm oven so that everything melts.

Delicious!

You can also top with vanilla yogurt and maple syrup, which is exactly what I did.  Trust me, the toppings make the toast!

I ran to the store after breakfast and conducted one of my favorite chores….grocery shopping.  After a few hours of shopping, cleaning and organizing food for the week, I was famished for lunch.

TJ's Vegetable Masla Burger on wilted spinach with Mango Chutney, Sabra hummus, and Cholua

I LOVE these burgers.  I also love roasted acorn squash and have fully decided that squash is the one vegetable that would be the one I would live off of if I had to make a choice.

Dinner tonight was one to go down in the books.

I have been craving a nice homemade stew and after sorting through a few recipes, I came up with one based on some inspirations and my own inclinations.

Sweet Potato White Bean Kale Stew

Ingredients

• 1 MASSIVE sweet potato (or 2 regular sized), peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 TBL Minced Garlic
• An array of spices that I did not measure (chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, caraway seeds, smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper)
• 1/2 Cup of Veggie Broth
• 1 cup light Coconut Milk
• 1 can of Cannoli Beans, undrained
• 1 jar of Trader Joe's Fired Roasted Salsa (could also use fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained)
• 1 small Zucchini, diced
• 3 cups of chopped Kale

Directions: 

Sautee the onion and sweet potato in garlic until onion is translucent and potato is browned (about 8 min).  Add all of your spices and cook down for another 3 min.  Add the beans, zucchini, salsa (or tomatoes), broth, and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, cook on low for 30-45 min. Add the chopped Kale during the last 10 min of cooking.

This stew was sensational!  Thick, hearty, a tad spicy, creamy.  Everything I could ask for in a stew.

I added a dollop of Greek Yogurt which made it even more creamy!

Served with a side salad and a slice of TJ's Whole Wheat Tuscan bread with White Bean Basil Hummus

Love!

Hope you enjoy these recipes!!!

Quenching My Appetite

Hello Friends!

This week is flying by, even considering it has been exactly one week since my surgery and I've moved off the couch a total of 5 times.

Okay, I may be embellishing a tad, but truly, doctors orders are to rest and rest is what I have been doing.

Last night, like clock-work, I had my 3am pain wake up call and quickly swallowed some pills to put me back to sleep.

I woke up feeling a little better today, but still pretty crummy. I think the antibiotics are slowly working their way out of my system but it's amazing how different my entire body feels when I am taking them.

Even though I wasn't very hungry and food wasn't exciting in the AM, I knew I needed to eat. I can't stress enough how much better I feel when I have something in my stomach.

Today, hot oats or coffee were just not doing it for me. I craved sweet, juicy, cold.....

Like these strawberries....

And Applesauce and Yogurt. I put these things together with a diced pear, cinnamon and some Kashi Autumn Harvest. Oh and I can't forget the Honey Almond Butter!

This was a winning choice. Everything sat really well in my stomach and made me feel 100 x better!
It was a cold and rainy day. We even had our first measurable snowfall last night, so walking Sammy was a joy. This little dog hates the cold, rain, snow, or any slight breeze, so trying to get him to do his business was quite a task.

Eventually, he gave in and I proceeded on with my day.

I needed to run to the Health Food Store to pick up a few ingredients for a recipe I was making. This store is dangerous for me; I'm like Paris Hilton in Tiffany's.

After spending way more time then my intended 10 minutes, I did get the things I needed plus a few other fabulous finds...

Kefir! Allie, this one is for you girl! I've been meaning to try this ever since you've inspired me with your love for this cultured milk product. They had these little 80z containers on sale, so I grabbed the Blackberry.

Some other goods I scored: Coconut Milk Ice Creme, Cherry Amaretto (Okay, so there does happen to have about 12 different kinds of ice cream in my freezer at the moment, but I just couldn't help myself. This was on sale and my deep love for coconut milk and cherry and amaretto was far to great to pass it up!), Vegan Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies, SO Coconut Milk Creamer (I've been looking for this EVERYWHERE!), and Organic Ginger Crystallized Dark Chocolate (Sounded purely heavenly to me).

And the best of all....

PUMPKIN!!! Even though I may have paid an arm and a leg for the high priced organic stuff, it was well worth it. I also finally found me some Butternut Squash Puree!

Despite the cold, rainy weather, again, I craved cold and refreshing for lunch.

A smoothie sounded so perfect!

Spinach, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen blueberries, frozen mango, almond milk, a little POM juice and wheat germ.

I also made a big salad with the rest of the tuna I made from yesterday.

Romaine, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Olives, Tuna Salad, Hummus and Pesto.

And because I also felt the need for a little carb action, a small piece of pump smeared with LC and mango chutney.

This was an Andrea kind of lunch indeed!

Now I know why this gal eats these lunches so much. Everything was fantastic and I had the best of all worlds in one meal.

After I ate, I cleaned up and moved right on to my next "to-do", making Homemade Granola.

I've decided to make Granola to give away as Christmas gifts to my friends and co-workers this year. Since I don't bake cookies, this is my way of spreading the Christmas Cheer with some homemade love to people I love. Who doesn't love some homemade granola? I decided on

Cherry Almond Pecan Coconut Granola

4 Cups Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 cup raw whole almonds

1 cup raw whole pecans

1 cup dried cherries

2 tbl canola oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbl agave

cinnamon (as much as your heart desires!)

Mix everything in a large bowl until the oats are completely coated.

Spread on a cookie sheet lined and greased with foil.

Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 min (stirring every 10 min).

That's it! Couldn't be easier!!

I tested out a little of the hot granola with a splash of the Kefir.

LOVE! Loved the granola and LOVED the Kefir! Allie is right, it's like drinking yogurt. Kind of like a grown up healthy GoGurt! :)

I can't believe it's already 4pm! I haven't even had a chance to nap yet, haha.

Better get on that because Toly will be home soon and I need to have BFD ready a little earlier tonight because he has plans to go out later.

Be back soon with some Wednesday Night BFD action for you! :)

See you soon!

Baking with Mom

**DISCLAIMER: I am going to make a valid attempt at posting a semi-decent post, as I lay here half awake and mildly conscious. Forgive me if things start to get muddled, but you have been warned.

Well, another day down and I'm hanging in there. I'd like to think that I am getting better, but there really is no telling since I only seem to be functional in the medicated state. It's okay, I've totally come to terms with it.

T'was a rough night. I woke up again, but this time not from pain, it was due to a ridiculously awful feeling of nauseia. I thought I would be saying some prayers to the porcelain gods; but thankfully, the feeling passed and I fell back to sleep.

Things weren't much better when I did wake up but after about an hour, I decided to should try to eat something because I knew it would help.

All I could really settle on were oats. Banana Oats to be specific.

With Raspberries, Toasted Hazelnuts, Jam and a touch of Nutella.


There were oats under all that, I swear!

I actually felt so much better after I ate this. I have to keep something in my stomach all the time or else I get pretty sick. (Which is why I believe I keep waking up in the middle of the night wanting to vomit)

During breakfast, Sammy was looking rather photogenic and begged me to conduct a photo shoot.

I think Chipolte needs a mascot. The Taco Bell dog is getting pretty old, and Sammy is just about 1000 x more handsome. Wouldn't you agree?

Later, my mom came over. I somehow convinced her to bake me cookies (maybe it was my pathetic plea) but moms always seem to know how to take care of their sick children and never pass up the opportunity to play the maternal card. I love how that will never change!

As I mentioned yesterday, Holly's Pumpkin Molassess Cookies were haunting my mind for a few days.

I helped by pulling out all of the ingredients.....

And Mom did the work. Okay, I may have measured out a cup of four or two, but just like the old days, I was deemed the "official" spoon licker. A baking task that I am fully capable of.

Oh, and I did do the decorating. Making those cris-cross patterns took great detail and concentration mind you!

They looked great! But we all know, that means absolutely nothing when it comes to my baking.

Here we go......

Result: YUMM!!!! Yay for finally having something edible come out of my oven in the baked form.

I, of course, blame the success entirely on my mother. She is such a wonderful baker. Good thing because I've already put in my order for Christmas cookies and will anxiously await for my traditional tray of Mom's cookies.

Since she baked, I cooked. (Love this trade off)

I made us her favorite lunch. Tuna Salad.

I really like Tuna Salad but I HATE mayo with all my might, so I never really order it out and I often forget to make it. I also don't ever follow a recipe (when do I ever follow a recipe though) just throw whatever sounds good into the bowl and it almost always comes out fantastic.

The mix today was PERFECT however, so I will write this one down and share.

Lauren's Tuna Salad

First I started by chopping about 2 cups of baby spinach. I added a drizzle of Poppyseed Dressing and Balsamic and wilted the spinach for about 1 min in the microwave.

Then, into the bowl went one can of Chunk Light Tuna, 1/2 Cup or so of whipped cottage cheese, Dijon, Capers, Avocado, Sun Dried Tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Mix everything together and vola! Gourmet Tuna Salad in less than 5 min!

Tuna goes so well on Pumpernickel bread I believe.

Since my mom LOVES split pea soup and I LOVE my mom, I also heated a can of Amy's to go with our tuna sammies.

Tasty afternoon it was!

I am happy to say that I did end up finding a few things for Toly this afternoon. Now he will be one happy boy to have a present with his name on it under the tree. I swear I could buy this guy a pack of gum, so long as he gets to unwrap a present at Christmas, it doesn't matter what it is.

Well, I think I did a pretty good job considering my state at the present time. I'm praying that tomorrow is better; today was a little rough. I actually stopped taking my antibiotics because of some crazy side effects that I was having. Like I said, this little body doesn't do so well with drugs so it should be interesting to see how they will treat me for the infection. Seesh, will it ever end?

Okay, enough of this "Debbie Downer" attitude, I'm off to bed!

Always wishing you the best my friends! :)

Pomegrante Glazed Salmon with Honey Roasted Banana Whipped Squash

Tonight's dinner was absolutely sensational! My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures and I just cleaned my plate not even an hour ago.

Salmon is probably one of my favorite things in the world. It's so rich, buttery, hearty and delicate. I often make salmon using my "special" and top secret recipe; however, tonight, I took a different spin on our favorite fish.

Pomegranate Glazed Salmon

For the Marinade:

1/4 Cup of POM Juice

1 TBL Soy Sauce

1 TBL Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

1 TBL Honey

1 Tsp of brown sugar

1 TBL Dijon

1 Tsp lime juice

80z salmon fillet

salt, pepper, Pom Arils

Make the sauce by combining all ingredients for the marinade in a small sauce pan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to medium and let it reduce for about 15 min.

Remove from heat and let it sit to cool and thicken for about 10 min.

In the meantime, season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in an oven-proof dish. When the sauce is cool, pour the marinade over the fish and let it sit for about 30 min.

Bake at 400* for about 20 min, basting with the sauce every 10 min.

Top with 1/4 Cup of Pom Arils and more sauce and broil for about 5 min.

This was awesome! The sauce was sweet but so savory on the buttery salmon. And the POM Arils gave it wonderful texture and flavor.

With the Salmon, I made one of the BEST side dishes I think I have ever created!

Honey Roasted Banana Whipped Squash

1/2 Cup Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)
1/2 sliced banana
Salt, Pepper
1 Tsp of Honey
1 Tsp Smart Balance
1 Tsp crushed pecans

Season the squash with salt and pepper and roast at 400* for 20 min. After 20 min, add the banana slices and drizzle with honey. Continuing roasting for an additional 10 min.



Place the squash and banana in a bowl and add a teaspoon of butter. Whip it up and place the mash into a small ramekin. Top with a few crushed pecans and broil for 5 min so the nuts become toasted.

Guys, this was out of this world amazing!!!!! The roasted banana with the squash and the honey; I can't even describe how good! And the little crunch from the roasted pecans; unbelievable!!!! I can't believe I have never thought to add bananas to squash. It's positively brilliant.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts completed this incredible dinner.

Toly confessed how much he enjoyed the salmon. Even though his absolute favorite will always be my "special" salmon; this one came pretty close.