Caprese Sandwich with Avocado

We are almost ready to give up our hearty stews and soups as Winter is leaving us until next year. For lighter fare, I turn to this sandwich, which makes for the perfect transition into Spring. Its great alone, as the sourdough speaks for itself. Or a great companion to that soup we were talking about relinquishing. Or maybe not just yet 😉

Yields: 1 big sandwich

What you’ll need:

• 2 big slices of sourdough bread
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 3 fresh mozzarella cheese slices (I used 3 oz)
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• drizzle of Italian olive oil
• Optional: pinch of salt for your tomatoes

How to:

Start by slicing your sourdough bread with a serrated knife. Believe it or not, the order in which the filling is placed on the sandwich makes a difference on how well your sandwich stays together. I place the tomatoes on the bottom, that way they create the most stable “base”. Next, layer mozzarella, avocado, then basil. Drizzle with olive oil and top with the other piece of sourdough. Presto!

Spinach-stuffed Portobellos

Filling. Delicious. Easy. Can it get any better than that? Oh, and its healthy too!

Pop these guys in the oven for an easy dinner tonight!

What you’ll need:

• 5 Portobello mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 cup ricotta cheese, part skim
• 1 cup Mozzarella part skim 2% shredded cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 packages of frozen spinach, drained and squeezed
• dash of salt and pepper

How to:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F and line one cookie tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2) Sautee onion and garlic in frying pan on stove top.

3) Snap cap off of each portobello and using a spoon, gently scrape the underside, or gills, of it out. Discard. Place portobellos on lined cookie sheet.

4) In a large bowl, place spinach, ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, panko crumbs, rice, tomatoes, sautéed onions, garlic and lastly salt and pepper. Stir.

5) Fill each portobello with spinach mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.

6) Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until cheese starts to bubble.

Enjoy!

I served the stuffed mushrooms with a tomato & hearts of palm salad.

Chocolate peanut butter

Yes, it’s true. Dreams do come true. Especially when they involve my two favorite things: chocolate and peanut butter. I hope you all have your food processors ready. This beats Nutella. This is like Nutella on steroids!

Yields: 1 medium jam jar

What you’ll need:

• 2.5 cups of Raw XL Virginia peanuts
• 1 T honey
• 2/3 cups of chocolate chips, melted

How to:

You’ll want to roast the raw peanuts in the oven first. Grab a baking sheet and evenly spread out peanuts. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, turning about 3-4 times during roasting. Don’t forget to turn, otherwise peanuts could burn on one side. When peanuts are done, take out and let sit while you are getting everything together, about 5-10 minutes. In the bowl of a food processor, place peanuts first. Process for 30 seconds and add honey. Keep processing for another couple of minutes. (If processor gets hot, let it rest in between.) Once smooth, stream in melted chocolate chips. Process for another minute. Presto! 

Don’t get any ideas, now

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

It’s amazing the difference between homemade hummus and store bought-seriously! This recipe will convince you to always have some on hand at all times. Pair with cucumber & carrot slices for the perfect Friday night dip or for the kiddo’s lunch, spread on a sandwich bread instead of mayo. Get creative!

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked
• 3 tablespoons cooking water from garbanzo beans
• 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + a little extra for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 roasted red pepper

Yields: approximately 2 cups hummus

How to:

First, halve the red pepper and place face down on a baking sheet. Pop ’em in a 350 degrees oven, for about 20 minutes. When done, let rest for about 5 minutes, as it will allow the skin to peel off easily. When cooled, discard stem, seeds and skin. Next, in the bowl of a food processor, place garlic. Pulse until fine. Add garbanzo beans and pulse until they get sort of stuck to the outside of the bowl. Now, add cooking liquid, olive oil, tahini, salt, pepper, cumin, lemon juice and the roasted red pepper. Pulse all again until smooth consistency is achieved; about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Serve either room temp or cold. Drizzle additional olive oil over the top. Pair with pita chips.

Note: Home cooked garbanzo beans yield a tastier hummus versus using canned garbanzo beans. About 1 cup of dried garbanzo beans yields 2.5-3 cups cooked. (The variation is due to soaking time, cooking time and type of bean.)

Sweet potato soup

Using local produce is important to me. I can’t buy local all the time, year round, but I make sure that I push for it in the Summer and Fall months. It’s easy in North Carolina to get local apples starting in August and sweet potatoes almost all year long.  I’m not a huge sweet potato fan like the rest of my obsessed family, but with such a demand in the household I had to get creative! This soup takes a little prep time but with some effort, you’ll have a great big pot of soup to serve up and satisfy.

Yields: 6 big bowls

What you’ll need:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, baked and then skinned and chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T butter
• 2 leeks, washed and chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped and steamed
• 16 oz. low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of whole milk
• salt and pepper, as needed
• freshly grated parmesan cheese, as desired

How to:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Place sweet potatoes directly on the middle rack. Slide a cookie sheet one level below just in case sweet potatoes leak. Bake for about 45 minutes, depending on size of sweet potatoes. Once done, take out of oven and let cool on countertop for 15-20 minutes. Once cool, peel and chop.

Next, over medium-high heat brown onions and leeks in butter and olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper. Once onions are translucent and leeks are soft, add cup of milk.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, carrots, chicken broth and water. Let simmer again for about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender on the highest setting (I use a Bamix) blend until soup is a good consistency.  I like it a little chunky, but you may like it more smooth, so blend a little bit longer. It’s your soup, so make it the way you like it! If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could ladle it into a standard blender. But be careful; it’s hot. When done blending, serve in bowls and top with freshly grated aged parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin turkey chili with kale

Want an easy 20 minute dinner? This is it! Loaded with vitamins, protein and fiber, you’re certain that every person will be left satisfied from this hearty meal. Quick. Tasty. Period.

Yields:4-6 portions

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey (6% fat)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 3 bay leaves
• splash of red wine
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 can navy beans, rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• large bunch of kale with stems taken off and chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can organic pumpkin
• 3 green onions, chopped
• handful of flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper as needed
• goat cheese crumbles

How to:

In a large soup pot, brown onion and garlic with olive oil. When soft, add ground turkey. While cooking turkey, add chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil and bay leaves. Cook until meat is no longer pink and things in the pot are looking on the dry side. This is the moment to add a splash of red wine (I use Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec). This will hydrate everything and if any browned bits stick to the bottom of the pan, make sure you scrape it well so that flavor gets locked in! At this point, add the kale and stir, allowing the heat in the pan to wilt the kale down. After a minute or two, when kale decreases in size, add chicken broth and pumpkin. Incorporate and then add beans. When everything is up to the same temperature, throw in the green onions and parsley. Adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Discard bay leaves. Top each bowl with goat cheese crumbles for that tangy creamy goodness that will melt into your bowl of goodness.

topped with goat cheese!!!!

Granola with orange-infused dried cranberries

Granola is the perfect ready-for-Fall treat.  It’s uses are endless-on top of yogurt, cereal, smoothies, in a parfait, on top of ice cream even. You’ll find yourself pouring some into the palm of your hand and eating it by itself. You have your warning now, don’t leave the jar on the kitchen counter-it will be gone in a matter of hours! Use orange-infused cranberries for an unexpected twist. And it’s not overpowering either and quite pleasant, coming from me, a person who really isn’t fond of orange-flavored foods.  The dried cranberries were purchased by my sister at the Delkab Farmers Market in Atlanta. Post below if you have found where else to buy them at! Here is it:

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups old fashion Quaker oats
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (medium amber)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup orange-infused dried cranberries

How to:

Preheat oven (use two if you have) to 350 degree F. In a large bowl mix oats, coconut, almonds, and pecans. Add vegetable oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Stir with your hands until its well coated. Evenly distribute onto two cookies sheets. As you are putting them in the oven, reduce heat to 250 F. This will make sure your granola doesn’t burn. On low heat, it should take about 45 minutes. You will need to stir around granola a couple times through out baking, maybe 3-4 times. When golden brown color is achieved, take out of oven and let cool on countertop for about 30 minutes. Now, for the final touches. In a clean bowl, add granola, chocolate chips and cranberries. (That’s why we wanted granola to be cool, so it doesn’t melt the chocolate chips). Mix it and scoop into jars! Enjoy as desired!

Here the chocolate chips and dried cranberries are being added to the granola

Final product! This recipe yields 2 medium jars and 1 large jar.

Carrot-lovers muffins

You don’t have to be a rabbit to like this one-it’s like carrot cake, but a little healthier. I use white whole wheat flour which gives the muffin a little body, but not dryness like regular whole wheat flour. I add raisins and walnuts like a traditional carrot cake but forgo the icing. By using puréed carrots, the muffins are super moist and a hard-to-resist deep orange ! I’m so ready for Fall!

Yields: 12 muffins

What you’ll need:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup puréed carrots (about 3/4 lbs. of carrots)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
• shake of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

How to:

Start by steaming the carrots. Peel, take off the ends, and chop carrots. Throw into a steaming basket with about a couple inches of water in the pan, cover. Steam over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. While steaming, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, then grease and flour one 12-muffin pan. Using an immersion blender, pureé the carrot until consistent. Don’t worry if tiny pieces are visible; it will make the muffin more interesting. Next, in the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and both sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one by one, then vanilla. Once incorporated add carrot puree and cinnamon. Take mixer out of stand. The next part is done by hand, as to not over mix the batter. Add salt, flour, baking soda and powder and mix gently. Lastly, add walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips. Pour batter in by about 1/4 cup portions in to the greased and floured muffin tins. Place in the hot oven in middle rack for about 12-15 minutes.

Spinach artichoke bites

For my cousin’s NC backyard wedding I was appointed to provide appetizers for the event. I cringed wondering if she would regret asking the nutrition-conscious person in the family to provide to a group of fried-chicken-eating friends! I knew I couldn’t disappoint the bride on her big day but I secretly wanted to sneak some vegetables in any way I could. Always looking for a way to get more nutrients in, I adapted this Ina Garten recipe into my own party-pleaser appetizer! Watch these bites disappear!

Yields: 18-20 pieces

Ingredients:

• 2 packs of frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 small jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1- 8 oz. tub of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 3 cup of shredded Parmesano reggianito cheese
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 box of phyllo dough, room temp
• 6-8 tablespoons of melted butter
• Salt and pepper

Special equipment:

• pastry brush

How to:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and spinach until well mixed. Now add eggs, and parmesan, salt and pepper. Now, take bowl out of mixer holder and fold in artichokes with spatula.  The filling is complete. Now for the phyllo dough. Unwrap dough, and discard top sheet if it feels dry or breaks. Peel one sheet off and place it on the clean counter top in front of you. Using the melted butter and the pastry brush, lightly  brush the sheet. Peel off a new sheet and place it on top of the buttered one. Don’t worry if its not perfect. Be careful not to press hard when painting or the dough could break. Repeat for 10 layers. Now, at the bottom of the rectangle, lay out spinach mixture like a log. Use about half and reserve the other half for the next log. Using your hands, “roll up” the log so it looks really long. Transfer to the parchment lined cookie sheet. With a serrated knife, cut on a diagonal about 8-9 times. Brush with butter. Bake for 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. When done, finish slicing. Serve warm.

Cashew butter

As requested, cashew butter recipe is going public (again)! This is an Alton Brown recipe and cashews can be substituted for other nut types like almonds or peanuts.

Yields: 1 jam jar +

Ingredients:

• 2 cups toasted raw organic cashews
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Special equiptment: 

1. good food processor and sharp blade

How to:

First, preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spread out raw organic cashews onto a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for about 7-10 minutes and turn, then 7-10 minutes more until toasted. The longer they toast, the darker the color of cashew butter and more “toasted” flavor. I tend to like a little less toasted to where the cashew butter turns out a pale beige color. Now when  done toasting, place into a food processor with salt and begin pulsing. Pulse consistently until cashews are totally ground, maybe one minute. Now, stream in honey and then walnut oil. The trick to having  smooth cashew butter is to let it go for a couple minutes. At first, it will look like the cashew butter is stuck but the blade will heat up and sort of release the natural fat in the cashews. Trust me, it will loosen and all of the sudden get really creamy. Let it run, with breaks to let the motor rest, for about 5 minutes total. Happy processing! Enjoy!

What’s your favorite cashew butter snack combo?