Fall is finally here which means it's now time for making all things pumpkin along with delicious bowls of soups, stews, pot pies and such. It truly is my favorite season- I just love seeing the leaves beginning to transition into all of the beautiful colors which also means we're a lot closer to all of my favorite holidays. My family knows that come this time of year I go a little nuts in making anything and everything pumpkin- whether it's a bread, muffin, pancake, waffle- you name it! I was excited to see the large quantities of canned pumpkin puree at my grocery store, so of course I just had to stock up! Two days prior to purchasing the pumpkin puree I had purchased a french bread to make subs, unfortunately I never got around to making them. As I mentioned before, I really dislike to waste food, which brings me to why I decided to make this delicious pumpkin bread pudding using the french bread I just couldn't let go to waste. For this recipe I decided not to add a sauce on top of the bread pudding- as I wanted to cut back on the calories (although, I'm sure it'll taste delicious). I chose to sprinkle a bit of confectioner sugar on top and I just loved the added sweetness it gave the bread pudding without at all overpowering it. This bread pudding paired beautifully with the candy corn coffee I picked up at my local Target store. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
1 French bread – cubed
1 Cup pure pumpkin puree
4 Cups skim milk
2 Eggs
½ Cup Truvia baking blend sugar
1 Tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter- melted
1 ½ Tsp. pure vanilla extract
Confectioner sugar- for sprinkling
Instructions:
1. In a bowl place cubed bread.
2. In a separate bowl (for wet ingredients), add eggs, pumpkin puree, combine well.
3. Add butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and pumpkin pie spice, combine well.
4. Add milk, combine well.
5. Pour custard over bread; combine well so that each piece of bread is nicely coated.
6. Lightly spray casserole dish with cooking spray.
7. Pour soaked bread into casserole.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Sofrito also known as recaito is the base to all Puerto Rican and most Latin cooking. I'm sure if you go to a Puerto Rican persons home you'll find a container of sofrito in their refrigerator as it's truly a staple in many homes. It's made up of green and red bell peppers, onions, fresh garlic, and lots of cilantro that are then pureed together. It's so versatile which can be used in marinating meat, can be added in stews, soups, beans, rice- the possibilities are truly endless. Sofrito really takes the flavor of food to the next level and the aroma is simply intoxicating! While there are many variations of sofrito- I'm so very excited to be sharing my Titi (aunt) Zulma's recipe. Many people love my aunt's sofrito- they've even wanted to purchase it from her! While some may not agree with me (due to the large amounts that's typically made and chopping involved), I really think it's super simple to make- just chop and drop in to your blender/ food processor and you're done! Typically when making sofrito you want to make enough to last you a few months. When making it I strongly recommend having a glass blender and or food processor specifically for making sofrito. The reason being is because the aroma of sofrito will linger in a plastic blender- while it's amazing, I'm sure we're not going to want the aroma and taste of sofrito in our smoothies and anything else we may want to use our blender/ processor for. I have one blender for making milkshakes and smoothies and another one specifically for making sofrito. When storing it always use the same containers, because as I mentioned the aroma does linger. You can store it in your refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 3 months as well as store it in your freezer for up to a year. Others may prefer to freeze their sofrito in ice cube trays however I wouldn't recommend it as your entire freezer is going to pick up its aroma. Making your own sofrito is by far much better than a store bought jar- there's absolutely no comparison! Every time I take a whiff of sofrito it brings me back to when my mom and aunts would be cooking and every time I'd see the container of sofrito on the counter I'd have to open it up and inhale its amazing aroma. Till this day, I still do that every time I cook. I hope you enjoy my aunts recipe as much as my family and I do. Enjoy!
Sofrito
Ingredients:
2 Green bell peppers
2 Red bell peppers
2 Onions (medium sized)
1 Head of garlic
3 Bunches of cilantro
2-4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
1. Roughly chop all ingredients (to help your blender/ food processor).
2. In a blender and/or food processor divide ingredients in half and puree.
3. In a bowl add first batch of pureed sofrito.
4. Add second batch of ingredients in blender/ food processor and puree.
5. Add first batch of sofrito to second batch and blend.
6. Store desired amount in an air tight container in refrigerator and freeze the rest. Makes approximately 5 1/2 cups.
Enjoy!
One of my all time favorite snacks are chips and salsa, no matter if it's summer, spring or winter time. The freshness of this delicious salsa pairs beautifully with the baked whole wheat tortilla chips I make at home. It's great in tacos, on eggs, perfect to take for a potluck or to barbecues, and not to mention- football season is back, which would also be great to serve on game day. Most recently I topped off this beautiful salsa on my baked chicken taquitos ( recipes on the blog) and I have to say it really completed the dish. It's super simple to make, very delicious and best of all- it's fresh, and nothing beats fresh. I also really love the texture of the salsa as well! It's definitely a much healthier option than popping open a bag of fried chips. Once you've put together your salsa allow it to sit in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes- and that's when the magic happens. By letting it sit in your fridge it allows the natural juices of the ingredients to release which makes for a much better salsa. Once you make your own salsa at home, I bet you won't want any of the store bought stuff. Enjoy!
Chunky Salsa
Ingredients:
2 Medium sized tomatoes- diced
1/4 Cup onion- finely chopped
1/4 Cup cilantro- finely chopped
1 Fresh jalapeno-finely chopped
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt -to taste
Pepper- to taste
Instructions:
1. In a bowl add all of the ingredients, mix together.
2. Store in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Give it another stir before serving to ensure the natural juices are well combined throughout the ingredients. Enjoy!
I really enjoy an Alfredo pasta however I always feel so guilty every time I buy a jar from the grocery store and when I dine out. To lessen the guilt I decided to do some research in finding what an Alfredo sauce consists of and came up with this healthier version. I now can enjoy an Alfredo pasta and not feel as guilty because I know what's in it and I'm able to control the amount of ingredients, such as using a healthier cream cheese, not adding so much butter, adding extra garlic (one of my favorite ingredients), and using skim milk. I made 1/2 lb. of pasta and was left with about 1/2 cup of the sauce- if you're like me and don't like too much sauce in your pasta that may happen. The less than five minutes it takes to make is so worth it and it sure beats buying the jarred stuff. Enjoy!
Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Cup skim milk
1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 Cup cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp garlic powder
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Instructions:
1. In a sauce pan on medium heat add milk, cream cheese, butter, seasonings and stir to combine well.
2. Break down cream cheese with spoon and give another stir. Use whisk to help breakdown cream cheese if needed.
3. Once sauce is smooth add Parmesan cheese, stir until well combined.
In my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies video one of the ingredients I used was my homemade brown sugar. My cousin made a video request on how to make it as she believed it would be helpful to others as well as herself. So I put together a quick video demonstrating how I make my better for you homemade light brown sugar. I use the Truvia Baking Blend Sugar that contains a combination of Stevia natural sweetener as well as granulated sugar, which is a healthier alternative rather than simply using granulated sugar, and of course I used molasses to achieve that beautiful light golden brown color. I made a double batch as I wanted it to last me, however if you don't need as much you can easily make half of what the recipe below calls for. If you'd prefer a dark brown sugar simply add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 3 tbsp of molasses. Store the brown sugar in an air tight container to prevent clumping and hardening. I hope you enjoy this quick and simple tip for a better for you light and dark brown sugar.
Light Brown Sugar
Ingredients:
2 Cups Truvia Baking Blend Sugar
2 Tbsp Molasses
Instructions:
1. In bowl add sugar, molasses.
2. Using a fork mash and mix ingredients until well combined.
I was recently at my local Trader Joe's and bought a few goodies. I have to say the stand out item I picked up was the kale. It seemed like everywhere I looked someone was talking about kale. Naturally I became really curious on what the buzz was all about. I simply had to pick some up when I came across it while I was shopping for my produce. Since I've never cooked with kale before I figured I'd do a bit of research prior to purchasing it. Upon my research I found a lot of really good things about it. Kale is rich in antioxidants, contains vitamin A, C, and K, along with many more health benefits. I also read kale is comparable to spinach- and that's when I knew I had to try it! I have such a love for spinach no matter how it's prepared. After reading more and more about it I had a feeling I was going to like it- and after trying it, I love it! It's delicious and cooks in minutes! I decided to make a shrimp and kale Alfredo pasta. I used a homemade Alfredo sauce (will share recipe in a separate blog post), and used a whole grain spaghetti pasta. Since spinach and kale are so similar to one another, I decided to cook the kale just as I cook spinach- using a bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and some finely chopped fresh garlic- super simple yet very delicious. Since kale and shrimp cook around the same time I cooked them together in a skillet while the pasta was cooking in a separate pot and had the Alfredo sauce cooking in a sauce pan. As I was cooking the kale I noticed it cooked down similar to the way spinach does. It's got a bit of a thicker texture than spinach and definitely has a bite to it, with a very slight bitter/tangy flavor-which I really enjoyed. Once the kale and shrimp were done cooking I added the pasta and my homemade Alfredo sauce and dinner was served. This meal took a matter of minutes to cook, after a long work day it was really nice to whip dinner up in no time! It's also a healthier alternative for when you have a craving for an Alfredo pasta. I now get what all the kale buzz was about! I definitely see myself swapping out spinach for kale, don't get me wrong I still love spinach - I'm just very curious to see how the flavor and texture combination of the kale works in my other dishes. Please visit this site for kales top 10 health benefits http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4408/Top-10-Health-Benefits-of-Eating-Kale.html I hope you give it a try- it really is delicious. Enjoy!
Kale & Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Chopped kale
1/2 lb. Uncooked shrimp (I used 41-60)
1/2 lb. Whole grain spaghetti pasta
1 - 1 1/2-cup(s) Alfredo sauce
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
Instructions:
1. In
a skillet add olive oil, kale, shrimp, salt, and pepper and cook
for 5 minutes on medium heat.
2. In a pot boil pasta per the instructions listed on the
box. (I sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt in pasta)
3. In a sauce pan heat Alfredo sauce.
4. Add cooked pasta to kale and shrimp. 5. Add Alfredo sauce, combine well.
I had some leftover chicken from the night before and as I mentioned before I really try my hardest not to let any food go to waste. I just love it when I can reinvent another meal from leftovers and the leftover chicken I had worked great for this recipe.Which brings me to why I decided to make these delicious baked chicken taquitos. Taquitos are typically fried however I really try to avoid eating anything fried- so baking these were the way to go and they didn't disappoint! I shredded the boneless skinless chicken breasts (use whatever chicken you have on hand) and added a 1/3 less fat of cream cheese and a blend of Mexican cheeses. The cream cheese really keeps the chicken very nice and moist without overpowering any of the other flavors. I used flour tortillas simply because I was out of my whole wheat tortillas but none the less they were very tasty. I then filled my tortillas and rolled them tightly and lightly brushed some olive oil on top and put them in my oven and before I knew it dinner was served! I topped off the taquitos with a homemade salsa and a dollop of reduced fat sour cream. Not only is this meal delicious, it's cost effective, quick, simple and the best part was that I was able to achieve the crispiness I was looking for without the guilt of all of the unnecessary calories a traditional taquito has. Enjoy!
Baked Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients:
Cooked shredded chicken (I used 3 chicken breasts)
1/4 cup 1/3 less fat room temperature cream cheese
3/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese blend
1/2 tsp Olive oil
Optional: Fresh salsa and a dollop of reduced fat sour cream
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven 350F.
2.Lightly spray baking pan with cooking spray.
3.In a bowl add chicken, cream cheese, shredded cheese and combine well.
4.Put tortillas in microwave for about 30-40 seconds to soften them so their easy to roll.
5.Add chicken filling to your tortilla and tightly roll to form taquito.
6. Place taquitos in your baking pan and lightly brush olive oil on the tops of the taquitos.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes half way through the baking time give taquitos a flip and give another light brushing of olive oil to achieve a nice crisp, and finish baking.
A
few days ago a good friend moved into the building I live in. As a "welcome
to the neighborhood/building" gesture (people still do that, right?) Anyway, I decided
to bake her and her family these beautiful peanut butter banana nut muffins. Earlier in the
week I had bought some bananas from my grocery store and it was now the ending
of the week which made it perfect for me to use up the rest of my bananas as
they were very ripe. I try my hardest to not let any food go to waste, which is
why I love that I can enjoy fresh bananas on their own, in a smoothie, or in a banana
cream pudding -just to name a few ways of how I enjoy them when they're at their
freshest. However, once bananas have a lot of brown spots and are a brown color
they're at their sweetest which makes for a delicious banana bread and/or
muffins- best of all they don't go to waste, which is always a plus in my book! Which brings me to why I decided to bake my new neighbors these better
for you, delicious, and moist peanut butter banana nut muffins. The better for you ingredients I used were white whole wheat flour, Truvia baking blend, and reduced fat peanut butter. The nice thing
about this recipe - other than they're amazingly delicious, moist and a healthier alternative- is that you don't need a
stand or hand mixer and they don't require any elbow grease to make them. The batter is very easy to work with. Once the muffins were out of the oven I let
them cool and shared them with my new neighbors- she enjoyed two of them in one
sitting. If that's not a sign she loved them - I don't know what is! (Ha-ha).
The next day she sent me a message letting me know she and her family really
enjoyed them. She also mentioned the muffins were all gone!That's how yummy they were!
No one (including my friend) would ever have guessed these peanut butter banana
nut muffins had healthier ingredients. It always makes me feel better and less guilty when I know I'm eating something that's better for me and that's what this recipe does for me! Enjoy. :)
Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients:
4 Very ripe bananas
3/4 cup White whole wheat flour
1/4 cup Sugar (I used Truvia baking blend sugar)
1 1/4 tsp Baking powder
1 1/4 tsp Baking soda
1 1/4 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Reduced fat peanut butter
1 Egg
1/2 cup Chopped walnuts
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mash bananas with a fork.
3. In a separate bowl combine and with a whisk beat together bananas, egg, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl combine white whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and stir into batter.
5.Stir in walnuts.
6. Place muffin liners into muffin pan.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Once out of the oven let cool on a baking rack for 5-10 minutes.
Hi everyone, I was in the produce section of my grocery store and came across an amazing selection of mushrooms. However, the ones that were yelling at me to take them home were the Portobello's. They looked too nice to leave behind! I immediately decided to make Portobello burgers.
When I explained to John (my sweety) how the Portobello was going to act as the "meat" of the burger-immediately he was skeptical. Coming from him- the biggest meat lover I know- the pressure was definitely on. I really wanted him to see that he could still enjoy a tasty "burger" without all of the extra fat. I cooked the portobello's, along with some red and green peppers along with some onions. I then decided cook up a few slices of turkey bacon and made an avocado spread (recipe below). Once the Portobello's were cooked I placed a slice of muenster cheese on John's burger and since John's not big on red and green peppers he opted for Romaine lettuce and Roma tomatoes along with the other fixings. As for my burger I added a slice of smoked cheddar cheese and the green and red peppers along with the rest of my ingredients. I paired my Portobello burger with some homemade Parmesan Cajun wedges ( recipe will be on a separate blog post). Once he took his first bite I was given a thumbs up! I did it! I made a delicious and almost vegetarian dinner for my meat lover/ food critic! lol I really do enjoy eating meat, however I just wanted to make something that was tasty yet a bit healthier, and boy did I deliver, if I don't say so myself lol. We truly did enjoy this burger, I hope you do too. Please keep in mind that I usually cook for two, however this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. The beauty of cooking is that you can make any recipe into your own. Below is the recipe, feel free to swap out any of the veggies I used for ones you may prefer or have on hand. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Thank you for spending time with me!
Portobello burgers Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. of Extra virgin olive oil 2 Portobello mushrooms 1/2 Red pepper 1/2 Green pepper 1/2 Medium onion (of your choice) 4 Slices of turkey bacon (or your preferred bacon) 2 Slices of cheese (I used smoked cheddar and muenster cheese) 2 Burger buns Optional: Romaine lettuce and Roma tomatoes
Instructions:
1. Using a spoon to scoop out and remove gills, and cut the stems from Portobello's. 2. Using a damp paper towel wipe the tops of the mushrooms to assure they're clean. 3. Halve the peppers, and onion then onion cut in to rings. 4. In a warm skillet add extra virgin olive oil. 5. Add Portobello's and the rest of the veggies. Cook until fork tender. 6. In a separate pan cook bacon. 7. Once the Portobello's are cooked place your preferred cheese on top of the mushroom so that it can quickly melt, stack the rest of the veggies.
Avocado spread Ingredients: 1 Avocado 2-3 Pinches of kosher salt Freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
1. Slice avocado in half cube it in shell and scoop into a bowl with a spoon. 2. Add the salt and pepper 3. Using a fork mash the avocado until you form a spread / paste consistency.
Lightly toast your burger buns and on each bun spread on the avocado spread and assemble your burger.
