Quinoa Carrot Breakfast Bars

Mornings in my house are crazy.  In the midst of potty training, getting the clothes for potty training at school and feeding my child, I'm shocked I remember all I need to get out of the house - Oh wait.  That didn't happen yesterday.  I left the house with the nap mat, the potty training clothes, my work computer and my lunch....what did I forget?  My PURSE!  Good thing 1.  I had a yummy green smoothie for breakfast and I packed myself a snack cake for later in the morning.  I'm a big fan of pick it up and run.  This breakfast bar has potential.  I am publishing the recipe as I found it from another blog.  My recommendation???  Split the flour 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour.  The rest of the ingredients are super healthy for you.  A little splurge can't hurt - right?  Anyway....I have a week worth of breakfasts to grab and go!

from: Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
4 medium eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup grated carrot (1 large carrot)
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:
1.  In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.
2.  In another large bowl mix together eggs, yogurt, honey, and vanilla.
3.  Add dry ingredients and quinoa to wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
4.  Add carrot, raisins, coconut, and nuts and fold into the mixture.
5.  Pour into greased 8 x 8 baking pans.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
6.  Cool bars completely, cut and divide into freezer bags.

Spicy Chicken & White Bean Chili

Football means football food.  I have made various types of chili in the past... Cincinnati chili, Turkey chili.  I have never tired chicken chili.  This recipe appealed to me recently because it clearly uses the dark meat of a chicken.  I really do think white meat chicken might make the chili kind of dry.  The other reason this recipe appealed to me is that it didn't have to stew and cook all day to get flavor.  I was able to use my Vitamix twice while making the chili which is a win-win in my books!  I upped the chilpotles in this recipe to 3.  The heat is nice although it might make you sweat if you don't have a beer handy to wash it down!  In case you are wondering this might not be a kid-friendly meal if you kick up the heat!

Adapted from: Fine Cooking

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice
1 large white onion, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes, about 6 Tbs.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 chipotles, plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skiness chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, or 3-1/2 cups shredded
store-roasted chicken
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 cup lager beer, such as Corona
Additional toppings: Sour cream
Serve with Cornbread

Directions:
1.  Make the topping by toss the avocado, about one-quarter of the onion, 2-1/2 Tbs. of the lime juice, and 2 Tbs. of the cilantro, salt and pepper to taste and put aside for garnishing later.
2.  In a food processor/Vitamix, combine 1 cup of the beans, the tomatoes and their juice, the chipotles,
and adobo sauce and process until smooth. Set aside.
3.  Season the chicken with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it's shimmering hot. Add the chicken (the thighs
should just fit, evenly spaced) and sear without touching until golden brown, 3 to 4
minutes. Flip and cook the other side until also golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and let rest for 10 minutes.
4.  Take the pot off the heat and set aside. When the chicken has rested, shred it by hand or chop
it coarsely.
5.  Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion to the pot and cook, stirring,
until the onion begins to brown and soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin
and stir for 20 seconds.
6.  Add the beer and cook, scraping the dutch oven with a wooden spoon to incorporate any browned bits, until it almost completely reduces, 3 to 4 minutes.
7.  Add the remaining white beans and the puréed bean mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken
along with any accumulated juices on the bottom of the plate.
8.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes so the chicken finishes cooking and the flavors mix and meld. Stir in 1-1/4 cup of the cilantro and the remaining lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
9.  Ladle into large bowls and serve immediately with a generous spoonful of the avocado
mixture, a dollop of sour cream (if using), and a sprinkling of the remaining cilantro.

Serve with cornbread.

New Year and New Resolutions?

Although I planned to post more in 2012 it seems that life got in the way. I had lots of highlights in 2012 including a ton of trips like Venice, FL, Palm Desert, CA, Nassau, Bahamas, Bowen Lake, WA, Rhehobeth Beach, DE, St. George & Las Vegas, NV, and lastly our girls trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico. (I know poor me) Somewhere in between there, I worked and spent loads of time planning social activities at the neighborhood pool. I think my husband is glad my duties will soon be over at our our pool so we can get back to enjoying time at the pool instead of working it. In 2012 I also was able to take a few cooking classes to expand my knowledge base. LivingSocial's 918 F Street is so convenient to take a class and I loved each one of them - Sushi with Sticky Rice, Sausage Making with Kyle Bailey from Birch and Barley, Pie making with Dangerously Delicious Pies were my favorites! Thanks @floridagirlindc for being my cooking class buddy.

So back to where we are...looking forward to 2013. Yes I am recommitting to the blog. The very first step is to make it easier to post to the blog. In my wealth of iDevices I have yet to successfully post through one of them. I've done my research and am trialing an app on my iPad mini called DraftCraft. Let me know if you know of better apps cause I need all the help i can get- including an excuse to get a wireless keyboard for my iPad mini as I type this!!! -forgive the mispellings.

2013 has motivated me to recommit to my love of food. Cooking and eating. Additionally I am thinking I need to expand my repertoire of cocktails I drink - even though I have been enjoying my pear martinis. Lastly my rededication to being healthy...my mommy bought me a VITAMIX....whooo hoo. Yes be prepared for smoothie recipes. I will continue to enjoy my various shades of green smoothie in the AM and frozen cocktails to start the evening then a homemade sherbert for dessert!!!

Anyway, motivation is something I am sharing also with my friend. I hope that my one friend will be launching her blog imminently AND when she does I will share and give her proper credit on this recipe. In the mean time I will share a recipe she taught me and my family enjoyed yesterday pre-Redskin loss.

Garlic Chicken Bacon Sandwich

Recipe from: my Gluten free Dairy free Carnivore friend

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast
8 slices of bacon
6 french rolls warmed
8 cloves of garlic minced
Lettuce or another green veggie

Directions:
1. Slice the chicken breast horizontally in half. Then pound each chicken piece to be more tender. Cut each breast half in half vertically. You should have 6 pieces of chicken now.
2. Cook the bacon to your desired tenderness. Crispy works well for the sandwich.
3. Place bacon on a paper towel to drain off the oil. Keep the baconfat goodness in the pan.
4. Over medium-high heat cook the chicken through on both sides. Then remove from the pan.
5. In the remaiing bacon fat goodness, saute garlic until browned.
6. To assemble the sandwich, in each roll place garlic, chicken, lettuce and bacon.

Tip: You might not want to go out on a date after this sandwich. If you do....bring your date a sandwich!!!

Slow cooker Pork Soup with Noodles

Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, but what we need now before going out to clean up the debris is a yummy soup. I recently got a new crockpot. I've been trying to find recipes to make my life easier and get dinner on the table fast when I get home from work.  This soup has a ton of flavor and I will definitely making it again in the near future!

Recipe Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
2 pieces star anise
Kosher salt
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 head bok choy, roughly chopped (substitute spinach if you can't find bok choy)
3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 package of cubed tofu
5 rehydrated sliced shiitake mushrooms

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the pork, then cover and cook on low 8 hours.

2. Add the bok choy, tofu and mushrooms to the slow cooker; cover and cook about 20 more minutes.

3. Add the noodles to the slow cooker, making sure they are submerged. Cover and cook 10 more minutes.

4. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred the meat and throw away the fatty parts. Divide the pork, bok choy, tofu, mushrooms and noodles among bowls, then ladle in some of the broth.

Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Not the way my mother cooked them!! Anything cooked in butter and bacon is delicious!!!  You cannot go wrong.  Well yea you can go wrong - don't use frozen ones.  Use fresh brussel sprouts to achieve the desired yumminess.  Please note for those taking Cholesterol medicines this is probably not the recipe for you.

Now for those that wish to indulge....  My love for brussel sprouts did not start until 2 years ago when I had them at Zaytania.  A couple months ago I had these vegetables again at Mike Isabella's Graffiato.  Delicious!!!  My quest began for the recipe to recreate this side dish.  My family balked at the idea of trying a new vegetable that looked like tiny cabbages.  To tell you the truth - my 13 year old still wishes I did not make this dish.  However she does eat them with her nose plugged - does that really do anything??  The crispiness of the outside of the brussel sprout and the tenderness inside really make this dish.  Try it out and you will realize that brussel sprouts aren't your least favorite veggie any more.


Recipe from: Food Network

Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:
4 strips thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1.  Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Once it is crisy, remove and place on a paper towel to address remaining oil on the bacon.  Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.
2. Add the butter to the bacon fat to melt over high heat.
3. Add onions and Brussels Sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
4.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss bacon back into pan. Serve immediately.

Coconut Ice Cream with Honey Lime Strawberries

Fourth of July was crazy hot.  Temp=99 degrees. Heat Index= 105+ After spending the day in the sun at our Annual Fourth of July event at the pool and then grilling out for a BBQ with our neighbors it was nice to kick back and have this scrumptious deliciousness.  Before the craziness of the day started, while the rest of my house was still snoozing - I made the coconut ice cream in my new Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment.  After throwing it all in the ice cream maker, I just ran it for a little and froze it until we were ready for the yum yum.  So Worth It!!! Stay tuned for more ice cream this summer as I plan to use it ALOT.  I did not change one thing in this recipe.  It is perfect as is.

Recipe from: Nobile Pig


Ingredients:

Ice cream
1 cup whole milk
1-3/4 cups (or 14 oz can) creme of coconut
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Honey-Lime Strawberries
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon clover honey
1 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of one lime

Directions:
1.  Don't forget to freeze your ice cream container.
2.  For the ice cream, blend milk and creme of coconut together in a blender before adding it to the ice cream maker.
3.  Pour in heavy cream and turn on ice cream maker. Keep it going until the cream mixture is thick, about 30-40 minutes. Remove ice cream from the ice cream maker bowl and place in appropriate container in the freezer; at least 4 hours.
4.  Before serving the ice cream, you need to make the topping.  Wash, hull and halve strawberries. Set aside.
5.  In a small saucepan combine honey, lime zest and juice. On a low flame just until honey is melted. Pour over strawberries and toss. Once cooled, spoon over ice cream and serve.

The Best Mussels on Earth

No seriously that was the name of the recipe. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back. I had my doubts since the name is pretty darn cocky- but damn these were delicious!! Typically we don't eat mussels unless we are in a restaurant, however I had a hankering for seafood this weekend.

Bad timing though. Practically all the surrounding grocery stores had no power due to the huge storms in The MD-DC-VA area. I felt fortunate enough that we had power, but I did complain when I walked into Shoppers and the meat display and seafood display were barren. The produce choice was kale or um artichokes. Yea so- seafood was not on th emery last night.

Luckily after church I stopped by the Giant on route 1 and found they never last power and BLAM I got the last bag of mussels in the store. WHHHHOOOOOO HOOOOO!!! Yes I did a little dance in the seafood section of our local GIant store. Anyway-after i worked hard at our local pool craft day & my husband cleared our yard of huge tree limbs, I rewarded ourselves with the "Best Mussels on Earth".  Don't skip any of the ingredients especially the lemon. It definitely adds a kick at the end. This recipe is a definite keeper.

Adapted from: Food Network's Aaron McCargo Jr.'s recipe

The Best Mussels on Earth

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound chorizo, remove casings
1 onion, diced
1/2 bulb fennel, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pinch saffron
1 beer
2 pounds mussels, cleaned and beard removed
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
French bread toasted, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the red pepper flakes and chorizo. Make sure to break up the chorizo, but into to tiny pieces or you won't find the tasty goodness later. Cook the sausage for 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavors.
2. Stir in the onions and fennel and cook fir 4-5?mins until they wilt a bit.
3. Add the garlic and saffron and allow the saffron to bloom.
4. Stir in the beer and mix well. Add the mussels and stir.
5. Cover the pot and steam until the mussels open, about to 5 minutes. Remove the lid, then add the tomatoes, herbs, lemon juice and salt and pepper, and stir well. Ladle the mussels and broth into large serving bowl and serve with French bread

The Aftermath....