No Bake Granola Bites

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 c ground flaxseed
3/4 c honey
1/2 c chocolate chips (mini)
1/4 – 1/2 c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

optional: dried cranberries, shredded coconut

Directions:
Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until blended. Roll into golf-ball sized balls. Place in a 9×13 pan, cookie sheet, or plate. Store in the fridge. Done.

I tried this recipe because I was looking for a less expensive lunch option than buying boxes upon boxes of granola bars every month. I had tried homemade granola bars in the past and they always fell apart and just weren’t worth the mess and hassle. With this recipe, I took a different approach, and it worked like a charm. Instead of granola bars, I rolled them into balls – granola bites is the term for it now a days (or power bites or something?) A friend told me that these are a GREAT post-partum snack for new moms. They are super easy as they don’t involve any baking or microwaving or heating of any kind. Easier than rice krispie treats in that regard! This is a great no frills recipe. Adapted from Allrecipes.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Icecream

Ingredients:
2 cans organic coconut milk – full fat (13.5 ounce cans)
2/3 cups organic raw coconut crystals (or other granulated sugar)
1 cup organic peanut butter
2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
1/2 – 1 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Put coconut milk, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla into a Vitamix, or other blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into a glass bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for approximately 2 – 4 hours or until hard and firm. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before serving.

I found this recipe on Pinterest from The Healthy Family & Home Blog. I am always searching for great dairy-free ice cream recipes, especially since Brian enjoys some after-dinner icecream. This one was delicious and has the added benefit of being very rich, which means I actually eat a normal sized portion rather than the entire batch in one sitting. One note is that it took more than 2-4 hrs to freeze but that might just be because our freezer is not super cold.

Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients:
Large head of romaine
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
5 green onions
Optional: avocado

Dressing:
1 bunch cilantro
1 avocado
juice from 1 lime
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
Recommended: agave/honey, cumin

Directions:
Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Toss with desired dressing.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was instantly hungry looking at the beautiful pictures. Check out The Garden Grazer blog to see these wonderful images and a host of other recipes. I also made a few tweeks to the ingredients, mostly because I am lazy (e.g. 1 avocado instead of half because its easier). This salad is super fresh and delicious and uses some of my favorite ingredients: black beans, avocado, and lime.

Peanut Satay Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast tenders
1 8 oz package fresh sugar snap peas
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 10 oz package shelled edamame
1/4 cup horseradish sauce
1 8 oz package pre-cooked brown rice, or 1 cup brown cooked rice
1/2 cup peanut satay sauce (usually comes in a jar)
1/4 cup mirin or white wine
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cook rice. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat with 1/4 cup peanut satay sauce. Marinate for 10 minutes. While chicken is marinating, heat pan on medium heat with oil. Add sugar snap peas, mushrooms, and edamame. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to low. Combine horseradish, mirin, and soy sauce. Add cooked rice to vegetables, add horseradish sauce, and cook on low for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in separate grill pan or on grill, grill chicken. Once chicken is cooked, place chicken over rice-veggie mixture, and coat with remaining 1/4 cup peanut sauce. Serve!

For anyone who has spent time in the south, you know Publix. In addition to their weekly BOGOs (buy one get one free!) they have great recipes (Aprons recipes). This is a Publix Aprons recipe that my mother-in-law made on a trip to Florida. It was a big hit, and is delicious in addition to being pretty healthy.

Steak or Kabob Marinade

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 TBS garlic powder
3 TBS dried basil
1 1/2 TBS dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a ziplock bag or in a blender. Marinate meat in refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

I discovered this marinade when I was on vacation in Naples, FL visiting my sister-in-law. We made steak kabobs and used this marinade. It definitely lived up to its name – “Best Steak Marinade in Existence” – Allrecipes for the win once again.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green pepper
1/2 onion
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1egg
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup corn
1/2 or 1 cup of cooked brown rice

Directions:

Mash beans and mix in green pepper, onion, and garlic. Mix together 1 egg, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp chili sauce or hot sauce. Mix into mashed beans. Mix in 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup corn and 1/2 or 1 cup of cooked brown rice. Form into patties. Lightly grease the pan with olive oil. Bake 375 for 40 minutes. Flip after 20 minutes.

This recipe came from my sister-in-law. She is always trying new vegetarian recipes. Even the meat-eaters in the family enjoy this one! Tastes great topped with avocado or mango salsa.

Lentil Salad, courtesy of My New Roots

I found this recipe online named “The Best Lentil Salad, ever” on a wonderful little cooking blog called My New Roots, and it did not disappoint. You should definitely check out the original blog post as it provides a lot more detail and information. I’m including just the recipe here.

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups (1 lb.) Du Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup dried currants (you could also use raisins or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup capers

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. strong mustard
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional add-ins:
Arugula
Walnuts
Goat cheese
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil
Sprouts
Crispy seasonal veggies

Directions:
1. Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!
2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.

Copyright 2012 My New Roots at mynewroots.blogspot.com

Thai Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated (or 1 tsp dried ginger)
2 green onions, sliced into matchstick pieces
1 red chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you prefer very mild spring rolls)
1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped cabbage
4-6 mushrooms, cut into matchstick pieces
1 c shredded carrots
approx. 2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped (or dried)
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. oil, plus more for deep-frying
1 pkg. spring roll wrappers (thawed if frozen)

Directions:
Mix ingredients in bowl, wrap into spring roll wrappers, and fry.

Like the Thai Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup recipe, I got this Spring Roll Recipe from Thaifood.about.com – surprisingly good recipes!

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:
Marinade:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 dash sesame oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat – cubed

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1 quart olive oil for frying
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Combine marinade ingredients until smooth. Coat chicken and refrigerate 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring sauce ingredients (minus cornstarch and water) to boil in saucepot. Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm.
Fry marinated chicken in wok or fry pan in oil. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Pour the sauce overtop. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

I don’t make this recipe very often, but every now and then I have a craving for some American Chinese food, and this hits the spot without making me feel too guilty about putting who-knows-what into my body. It’s a bit more work than my standard mid-week meal, but is great for a weekend or dinner with close friends. I found this recipe on All-Recipes, aptly titled “Perfect Sesame Chicken” and they were right. The original recipe calls for deep-fry, but I just use a fry pan and its still delicious. The beef and broccoli is another great make-at-home Chinese food meal.
This recipe goes great with a side of steamed veggies and spring rolls!

Simple Scones

Ingredients:
2 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
8 TBS butter
1/2 c raisins, currants, dried cranberries or other dried fruit
1/2 c sour cream
1 large egg

Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut in butter in small pieces using a pastry knife, fork, or even with your hands. Mix until dough is crumbly mixture. Add raisins, sour cream, and egg. Stir until blended. Knead with hands until dough is evenly mixed.
Grease a round 8×8 or 9×9 pan and spread dough evenly on bottom. Cut into 8 slices. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Another All-Recipes find with great reviews. These scones were moist and delicious and not too sweet. Another hit at Jaclyn’s baby shower!