Cauliflower-Cheese Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons

Soup season is back!  I got this recipe from the Hy Vee magazine and it is delicious!

4 slices pumpernickel bread
1 garlic clove, halved
6 c. cauliflower florets
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
3 c. milk
6 T. flour or corn starch
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the bread with cooking spray and rub with garlic clove.  Cut the bread into cubes, place on baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine cauliflower, carrots, celery, and broth.  Bring to boiling.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir together the milk and flour (or cornstarch); add to cauliflower mixture.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Partially puree in a food processor.  (I leave it chunky)  Return to saucepan; add cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes more or until cheese melts.  Serve with croutons.

Power-Up Pumpkin Smoothie

It's fall and that means there are pumpkins everywhere!  This is a yummy recipe that I found in one of my training magazines.  It's great for a pre- or post-workout meal.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 t. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
1 T ground flax seeds
1 scoop protein powder (I use vanilla)
1 T. honey

Whip it up in your blender and enjoy!

(261 calories)

Fresh Salsa

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine awhile back.  With salsa, you can add whatever you want, which is what I love about it!  No exact measurements necessary!  Here's a good base to go off of:

2 c. chopped tomato
1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. ground red pepper

Combine and enjoy!

Basic Hummus

This recipe is from a friend of mine.  She says she normally doubles the batch and it will keep fresh up to 2 weeks.  She likes to add roasted red peppers and hot pepper flakes to it......I guess the possibilities with hummus are endless- you can add whatever you want!

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1/4 c. tahini
1 clove garlic
2 T olive oil
2 t ground cumin
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2-1 t salt
1/4 c. water
dash of paprika for serving

Combine and blend together in your food processor.  Done!

Easy Banana Ice Cream

This recipe is based on one that I saw from Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook.  It was so easy and so good!

4 ripe bananas
2 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla
1/2 c. almond milk

Peel and slice the bananas thinly.  Lay out the bananas onto wax paper covered pans or plates.  Freeze for 3 hours.  Take the bananas out of the freezer and put into your food processor.  Add the other ingredients and pulse in the processor until soft ice cream consistency.  Sprinkle some nuts on top or add a dollop of natural peanut butter.  Enjoy!

Easy Caprese

If you are looking for a quick snack that includes protein and a vegetable, here it is!

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 string cheese
drizzle of olive oil or macadamia nut oil
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together.  Enjoy!  This is a great summer recipe!

Fried Egg Over Spinach Quinoa

If you like quinoa, but don't have a variety of recipes to use it in, here's a good one....AND it's for breakfast!  I've made this a few times and really like it.

1 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. cooked quinoa
1 egg
1 tsp. olive oil

Cook the spinach with the cooked quinoa over medium heat until the spinach wilts.  In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and crack the egg into it.  Fry the egg to desired doneness.  Place the fried egg on the quinoa mixture.

Zucchini Noodles

I can't take credit for coming up with this idea.  It's another one that I saw on mariahealth.blogspot.com.  I just really liked it and it's so easy.  If you are trying to replace grains with vegetables, like I am, then this is a recipe for you.

4 zucchini (green)
2 T. butter

Take a vegetable peeler and peel the dark green skin off of the zucchini.  Cut the ends off and discard.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Grate the zucchini into the pan in long strips using your peeler, turning the zucchini as you go to make it even.    The strips will resemble linguine.  Peel until you get to the seeds and then discard and go to the next zucchini.  Saute the strips in the melted butter until the edges are translucent and the strips are soft.  Top with your favorite marinara sauce.  I find that 4 good sized zucchini feeds two adults.

Sunflower Seed Crackers

I love crackers!!  Anything crunchy, really.  It's something that I'm not eating these days until I found this recipe for homemade sunflower seed crackers on the mariahealth.blogspot.com website.  They are really yummy and really filling!  I made a double batch.

1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup water

Put the seeds and cheese in a food processor and pulse until its a fine meal.  Add the water and process until it's a sticky dough.  Put the dough on parchment paper and roll it out thin.  The thinner the better.  Score it into cracker squares with a pizza cutter.  Place it on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 28-30 minutes.  Let them cool and break apart along the scored lines.  Store in a container.  Yum!

I will say that my kitchen smelled a little funny when I made these because of the parmesan having such a strong smell.

Roasted Vegetables

Have you ever roasted vegetables?  If so, you know how easy it is to do and how yummy they always turn out.  You can get creative with the vegetables you choose.  I like mixing different root vegetables like:
-sweet potatoes
-red or yellow potatoes
-onions
-carrots
(Tip:  Sometimes, I cube up some lean ham and cook it with these root vegetables.  SO good!)

But, really, you can do anything-
-broccoli
-bell peppers
-zucchini
-squash
-shallots
-tomatoes
-asparagus
-brussel sprouts
-cauliflower
-Whatever!!

All you do is cut the veggies up into whatever sized chunks you want.  Lay them out in a single layer on a pan sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.  Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, sprinkle a little sea salt, lemon pepper, black pepper, parsley, or whatever spices you want to try.  I usually just do sea salt.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, take out of the oven and stir the vegetables.  Return the pan for another 20 minutes.  Done!  Serve with your favorite meat and a salad or fruit.  Healthy and filling!

Greek Farro Salad

Farro is a hefty grain and good alternative to rice.  It's a little chewier than quinoa with a mild, sort of nutty flavor.  I buy the steam bag of farro at Target.  It's already pre-cooked, you just steam it for 90 seconds in the microwave and after chilling it, add it to the ingredients listed below.  If you don't have a Target nearby, buy farro at any other specialty market or health foods store and cook one cup of it as directed on the package.

Add to the chilled, cooked farro:

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 can of chicken breast (optional- I add this for extra protein)
2 T. light balsamic vinaigrette

This makes a great lunch!

Peanut Butter and Honey Yogurt

It's just like it sounds.....

1 cup Fage plain yogurt
1-2 T. natural peanut butter
1-2 t. honey  (or, you could substitute jelly)

Voila!  If you are a sucker for peanut butter like I am, you will LOVE this snack!  Sometimes, I also add a little flax/almond granola on top for crunch or some cut up strawberries.  Sliced bananas would probably be good too.  This is a snack with lots of good protein and healthy fats.  It will keep you full too.  Enjoy!!

Beef and Barley Stew

It has been SOOOOOOO cold here in Minnesota and that makes me want to eat hot soup!  This is one of my favorite cold weather recipes for the crock pot.

1 lb. lean beef stew meat
1 T. veg. oil
1 pkg. (32 oz.) reduced sodium beef broth
2 cups baby carrots
1/2 pkg (16 oz) frozen small whole onions (1 3/4 cups)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 c. water
3/4 c. pearl barley
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley

Brown the stew meat in hot oil over medium-high heat.  Transfer to the slow cooker.  Stir in all ingredients except parsley.  Cover and cook on low (9-10 hours) or high (4 1/2- 5 hours).  Spoon stew into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Date and Nut Bars

I got this recipe for homemade date and nut bars from a friend.  Give it a try!

1 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup dates (or figs)
1/2 T. warm water

Put the cashews in the food processor until small crumbs form. Put in a bowl.  Put the dates in the processor and pulse until chopped in to small pieces. Add the cashews to the dates and blend well.  Form into bars, put in air tight container.  Store in the refrigerator. (Add a little more water if needed to form the bars.)

I have a recipe that is very similar to this one that includes sunflower seeds (a few Tbs), 1 T. of cocoa powder, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, and walnuts instead of cashews.  Experiment with it and see what you like best.

Cottage Cheese Spinach Quiche

MMMMM, breakfast!  I like this recipe because there is no crust, but it still tastes so good!  You can add any sort of meat or veggies to it.  Quiche is another great "dump in your leftovers" sort of recipe. Enjoy!

1 cup cottage cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, well drained (I use fresh instead)
3 eggs, beaten
1 scant tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
sprinkling of nugmeg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
paprika

Mix all ingredients, except the paprika.  Pour into greased 9 inch pie plate.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is cooked through.  Serves 6.