Stuffed Mexican Mini Peppers with Quinoa

This has been a recipe I have been wanting to make for a while. I finally made it yesterday and they were so good. I have been making a lot of vegetable recipes this week. It is fun to enhance the flavors of the vegetables and make them more exciting to eat. I think the color of this add a lot to the presentation of the dish. I love all the red, orange and yellow. These would make a great snack, side dish, or appetizer. They are a winner. You can cook the peppers or eat them uncooked. I enjoyed them uncooked. I loved the having the crunch as I ate it. I love the fact that it is a healthy appetizer that is hard to find.

Ingredients

3-4 T olive oil
1/4 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 T chia  seeds *optional
2/3 C cooked quinoa
2/3 C cooked brown rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin*
1/4 tsp chili powder*
1/4 C cheese shredded *optional (for vegan leave out)
handful of cilantro
12 mini peppers washed
garnish with cilantro

Directions  Heat oven to 350 if you are going to cook the peppers

1. Place skillet on the stove on medium heat. Pour in the oil and let heat up on medium heat.
2. Pour in the onion, and garlic and stir them around. Let them cook until they start to turn a light golden color. Stir in chia and let cook another 2 min.
3. Stir in the quinoa, rice, salt, cumin, chili powder and *cheese. Let them all cook until they are all warmed up. Toss in the cilantro after you take it off the heat.
4. While the stuffing is cooking. Cut a slit lengthwise on the peppers.
5. Get a small spoon and stuff the mixture into the peppers.
6. Place them on a greased cookie sheet if baking. Bake for 15-18 min until softened. Take out of the oven and let them cool.
7. If you want to eat them raw. Stuff the peppers and eat them immediately. I think they taste better when the filling is warm.
8. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. A great little snack. Heat them up in the microwave when you are ready to eat them.

*You can substitute 1 tsp of taco seasoning for cumin and chili powder.

Creamy Salmon Bisque (Dairy Free)

I hope you are enjoying the year and have nice things to look forward to. It is fun to set new goal and to have new things to work for. This is a great way to start out a healthy new year. Not on a "diet" I don't like that word. I like to look at it as a healthier way of living. This recipe will get you started on the right foot.

This is a nice creamy soup. My husband enjoyed 3 bowls of it. :) Our family has become salmon fans. I have never had salmon in a soup. I really enjoyed it too. Happy 2015.

Ingredients

salmon filets 1lb 8oz
3 1/2 C water
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 lemon sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
7 peppercorns
3 black peppercorns
5 green onions chopped finely
1/4 C whole grain flour ( I used spelt)
2/3 water
1 tsp salt
3/4 coconut milk
1 T dried dill
2 1/2 to 3 T lemon juice
more salt and pepper if desired

Directions

1. In a pot put in salmon, water, thyme lemon and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then turn down the heat to simmer and cover and let simmer for 20 min.
2. Take off the heat. Strain. Take the skin off the fish if there is any (The skin will add more flavor). Chop up the fish and set aside. Save the fish broth
3. In the pot pour in the oil and heat to medium. Pour in the onions, and garlic. Stir and let cook a couple minutes. Then stir in the flour.
4. Pour in the fish stock. It equaled about 2 1/2 C. Add an additional 2/3 C water, fish, and salt. Stir all together and let the mixture come to a boil. Then turn down the heat and let cook about 5 minutes.
5. Then stir in the in coconut milk and dill. Do not let the mixture come to a boil again. Let the mixture heat all the way through.
6. You can eat warm or chilled. Enjoy!

Red Roasted Pepper Hummus

My family scraped the bowl clean yesterday when we had this. It was so good. My sweet daughter made this. It tasted so good. I never thought my family would get so excited about hummus. We will be making this again. It had such a great flavor.

Ingredients

2 red peppers cut up and deseeded
5 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C tahini
2 garlic cloves minced
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of salt or salt to taste
3 T chia* optional
1 T dried onions
1 15oz can of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed

Directions   Heat oven to broil

1. Place peppers skin side up on a cookie sheet. Broil 5 to 10 min until the skin is slightly charred. Watch closely.
2. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 min. When they have cooled down and are ready to handle.
3. Uncover bowl and peel off the skin. Then chop up the peppers
4. In a food processor or blender pulse lemon juice and tahini. Pulse for about 30 seconds to get it nice and creamy.
5. Add garlic, oil, cumin, cayenne, salt, chia and onions, blend and scrape until all creamy.
6. Pour in have the beans and blend until smooth and then add the remaining beans and blend until smooth.
7. Then add the peppers and blend until smooth.
8. Serve right away with chips, vegetables, etc...
9. Store in airtight container in the fridge. Can last up to a week.

Cucumber Cream Dip Served on French Bread

We loved this it tastes delicious on toasted french bread or toasted baguettes. The crunch of the bread is a great combination with the dip. My daughters were over and they loved it.


Ingredients

1 C cashew cream *
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
4 green onion with stems cut off
1/2 cucumber washed
1 T dried parsley
1/2 cucumber diced
3 roma tomatoes diced
french bread sliced toasted with olive oil
garnish with dried parsley optional

Directions

*(Cashew Cream) The process for making the cashew cream. You soak 2 C cashews as long as you can or overnight. In 2 C water in covered in the fridge. After soaking is complete drain out the water and rinse, then add 1 C water while you blend in a blender till creamy. Set aside.

1. In a blender blend cashew cream, salt, chili powder, green onion and half of the cucumber. Pulse until mostly smooth.
2. Fold in the remaining diced cucumber.
3. Toast the french bread with olive oil spread on top. Toast until light brown.
4. Spread dip on toast. Top with tomatoes and parsley if desired.
5. Serve right away. You can have people make their own so the bread doesn't get soggy.

* Would also be great with crackers or  cut up vegetables.

Spinach Artichoke Sauce with Quinoa (vegan)

I have been planning making this recipe all week. This is by far my favorite recipe for the week. I love that leaving out the normal fat in this recipe had no effect on the flavor. It was soo good I was scrapping to get every morsel of it from my dish. This would be wonderful with crackers, chicken, french bread etc.... This a winner. 

Sauce: 
2 C unsalted cashew pieces
2 C water


*Prep 8 hours ahead or over night would be even better. Put 2 C of cashews pieces unsalted in 2 C of water. The longer you soak the better. It will make it creamier. 


4 T coconut oil
1 onion chopped up in pieces
1 14oz, artichoke hearts chopped up and drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves minced
3 C cashew cream 
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 tsp lemon juice
2 to 3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 C frozen spinach
5-6 fresh basil leaves chopped up
3 C cooked quinoa

Directions:  serves 6

1. (Cashew Cream) The process for making the cashew cream. You soak as long as you can or overnight. In 2 C water in covered in the fridge. After soaking is complete drain out the water and then add 1 C water while you blend in a blender till creamy. Set aside.

2. In a frying pan on the stove heat to medium-low heat and put in butter or oil. Pour in the onions and heat for 3-5 min till soft. Put in minced garlic and stir and cook for another minute or two.

3. Turn up the heat to medium to medium high heat and add the chopped up artichoke hearts and stir until lightly browned. Turn down the heat to low. Pour in the cashew cream. Continue to stir.

4.Then add zest, juice, salt, pepper, basil, and spinach .

5. Serve on top of cooked quinoa. Other great things to do with sauce use as a dip with crackers, or bread. Great with chicken too. 

6 Healthy Gathering Appetizers

Homemade Hummus

Homemade Cheese Ball

Jalapeno Black Bean Dip 

 

Guacamole and stretching it farther

Healthy Spicy Chicken Dip


                               

Salsa


Here are some fun healthy food options for your gathering this weekend or anytime. We love our family gatherings. Have a great weekend.

Bruschetta on Whole Grain Bread

Whole Grain Bruschetta

tomatoes

Sliced  bread

This was a yummy snack this afternoon. I loved the color of the tomatoes. Even after cooking them they kept the bright color to them. It is a fancy-looking snack or appetizer to serve your family and friends that doesn't take too long to make.

Ingredients
1 whole grain French bread or baguette
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 C golden snacking tomatoes, cut in half
3 T olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 basil leaves, cut in small strips
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 T olive oil
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice bread in 1 1/2" diagonal slices. Place on cookie sheet and place in the oven and cook on one side until light brown. Then flip them over and toast them on the other side.
2. While they are toasting mix the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, basil and salt and pepper together. Set aside.
3. Then mix in a small bowl 3 T olive oil and garlic. Brush on to the toasted bread when you take it out of the oven with a pastry brush on one side.
4. Place back in the oven 2 to 3 minutes to let the oil get absorbed into the bread. Take out of the oven.
5. Scoop some tomato mixture on to each piece of bread. Place back in the oven and let it cook 5 to 10 minutes to your desired prefrence. Take out of the oven.
6. Grate cheese on top of each piece of bread. Don't prepare too far in advance or the bread may get soggy. Enjoy!
     

Chicken Pot Stickers

Chicken Pot Stickers

We have bought these at Costco but never made them, so we decided to give it a try. It is fun to make your own so you can control what's in it. (quality control! :) They were so good we all loved them. They were loaded with good things in them as well. I will be making these again soon. They would be great for a get together if you are having one this weekend!

Hope you have a great weekend. We are looking forward to a wonderful family day on Sunday, too. It has become a tradition to have lots of yummy food for the day and enjoy the family. We skip the football game, and just focus on family time. Our family looks forward to this all year. :) Family time is what life is all about. Let the fun begin!

Filling:
2 1/2 C napa cabbage
1/2 lb ground chicken
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 C water
1 T low sodium soy sauce
2 T ultra gel (This is fantastic!) or 1 T cornstarch
1 T fresh ginger grated
3/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 C spelt berries or cooked rice, or cooked quinoa + 2 T water (optional)*
40 wonton wraps
small bowl of water
oil to cook them in (I used grape seed oil)



Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
4 T salsa
6 T cilantro chopped up
4 garlic cloves minced
1 T grated fresh ginger




Directions:

1. Mix ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cut up cabbage in thin slices. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 min. (This will help get some of the moisture out.)

3. In a skillet, saute chicken, and garlic till lightly browned.

4. Squeeze the cabbage in your fists over a bowl to get out the excess moisture. Then put cabbage, cooked meat, water, say sauce, ultra gel or cornstarch, ginger, pepper, mustard and grain (if desired) in blender or food processor. Blend until all combined and a creamy consistency.

5. Lay out the wonton shells several at a time so you can do a mass production. Scoop about about a tsp of the mixture on to the wonton wrapper. Wet your finger with water from the bowl and rub it all along the edge of the wonton wrapper. Fold over to make a triangle and seal shut, squeezing out the air as much as possible.

6. Heat up skillet to medium heat. Pour in a small amount of oil about 2 T. Place the pot stickers (Put in about 10 at a time depending on your skillet size) in the skillet with the seam up. Let them get lightly brown on the bottom. Then carefully pour in 1/3 C water and turn down the heat to medium low. Be careful, because if your oil is too hot, it could splatter! Cover and let it cook until the water evaporates or almost evaporates. Take them out of the skillet while and keep them warm while you cook the other pot stickers. Wipe out the pan after each batch with a paper towel and restart the process.

7. Serve with the dipping sauce. Yum! This recipe made about 35 small pot stickers.

*How to make spelt berries:

Ingredients:

2 C water
1 C spelt
1 T coconut oil

Directions:

Pressure cooking method:
1. Pour spelt, water, oil and into the pressure cooking.

2. Set the pressure cooker on to high pressure. Set timer for 25 min.

3. Put on lid and let it cook. Let the pressure release on its on. You can leave it on warm and serve whenever you want to.

Stove top method: Add an extra cup of water

1.Pour 3 cups of water into medium saucepan heat till comes to a boil.

2. Pour cup of spelt in boiling water and add spices and oil. Let it come to a boil again.

3. Put the lid on turn it to low. Let it cook another 40-60 min or until soft and they start to split. Drain off water.

Whole Grain Baguettes and Bruschetta

Several years back a friend came to my house with homemade Bruschetta. It tasted so wonderful. I have thought it would be wonderful to give it a try sometime, and so I finally did.

I enjoyed creating a new recipe I hadn't tried before. I thought it would be fun to make whole grain baguettes. The recipes I looked up all had white with the wheat. It is not a problem to have the combo, but my preference is to stick with the whole grain when I can. The baguettes turned out well. My daughter had given me a baguette pan that worked perfect. It helps to not have it spread when it rises and bakes. I also loved the texture it gave to the bottom of the bread.

It was then fun to make the baguettes into brushetta. It was a crowd pleaser. My son thought it was liking eating little pizzas (and he doesn't usually like tomatoes!). I look forward to making it again. You could buy the baguettes if you don't have time to go to the extra work. :) It would make a great addition to the 4Th of July weekend.

Ingredients: Makes 2 Baguettes

Baguette
5 1/2 to 6 C whole grain flour*
2 T flax seed ground
2 C Warm water
2 T yeast
1 T honey
1/4 C kefir or plain yogurt (helps with the rising.)
1 tsp salt
4 T olive oil

Directions:
1. In bread mixer pour in 2 C flour, warm water, ground flax, honey, and yeast. Let sit about 10 minutes till it starts to bubble and foam. If it doesn't bubble and foam, your yeast is dead.

2. Then add the kefir, salt, oil and flour 1 C at a time. You want the dough to be slightly sticky still, and the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead about 5 minutes. If you are using spelt. If you are using wheat and white flour you could knead a little longer. Let the dough rest 5 minutes in the bowl.

3. Then take the dough out of the bowl, and rub oil all over the dough. Cover and leave in a warm place on the counter. Let it double. (about 45 minutes to an hour)

4. Then form into 2 long loaves, and place on greased baking sheet or greased baguette pan. They should be about 2 inches thick approx. Then make small cuts across the top diagonally. Then brush olive oil on top. Let rise again about 20 minutes. Bake at 400 15 to 20 min.


*Whole grains ground into flour; about 5C spelt, 3C kamut, 1/2 C each: brown rice, oats, buckwheat. I have extra and store it in the fridge till next time I need it. You can use your own combo.

Bruschetta:

Ingredients:
5-6 ripe tomatoes Roma or vine ripened cut into small pieces
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 C olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
3 T dried bail or 1/4 C fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 baguette
1 C cheese mozzarella or fresh grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Turn oven on to broiler setting.

2. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Then let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the flavors combine.

3. In the mean time cut up the baguette into small angled slices about 3/4 " thick approx. Place on cookie sheet. Brush top side with olive oil and broil 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly golden.

4. Then take out of the oven, and put a scoop of tomato mixture on each baguette. Then top with small amount of cheese. Place back in the oven 3-5 minutes. Watch so they don't over bake.

Enjoy!