Creamy Turmeric Tea

Source: marksdailyapple.com via happily on Pinterest

This creamy turmeric drink is deeeee-licious!!! All you need is almond milk, turmeric, ginger,cayenne, honey, cinnamon, and maybe even a little cardamon. Mix together, heat up, and enjoy!

Moroccon Crispy Chickpeas

I just found this fantastic recipe for Moroccan Crispy Chickpeas here and haven't tried it yet. I figured if I posted on the blog then I'll remember to try making it some other time! If anybody tries this before I do, let me know how it turns out. I'm on a spice buying mission, so we'll have to see where I end up buying them from. When I make these, I'd probably use two cans of beans since the video made it seem like there would be plenty of extra spice.

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. California chile powder

2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. sweet paprika

1 t. ground coriander

1/4 t. ground allspice

1/4 t. ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

1/4 t. salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Rinse chickpeas well, then lay on a paper towel and pat dry. Transfer to cookie sheet.
3. Toss with olive oil until  chickpeas are lightly coated.
4. In a small bowl, combine California chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, allspice, ginger, and salt
5. Sprinkle spice mixture over chickpeas, then toss until evenly coated. Save any leftovers for your next batch!
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Bread con queso! and some facts.

Hola!

So, Superbowl Sunday has passed and the Mr. has had a birthday since I've last posted. (Lots of food, but we're trying to stay in shape by running a little more than usual!) I made the bread pictured below, and have also found out that picnik.com (my favorite photo editing site) will be closing in a few months, which is sad. However, the "premium" features are now available to everyone, so I edited the same picture a few different ways to mess around and see what I liked.

Original photo

 Here is a recipe for the Cheesy Jalopeno Pull Bread recipe - it's very easy, and very yummy.

And remember if you make this: the more places you cut the bread loaf, the more places there are to stuff cheese!!

postage stamp

 So, I saw that em at then along came the boy tagged me in a game!

Here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them.

reflection frame

 11 Fun Facts About ME!

1. Green has always been and always will be my favorite color. 
2. I like rollerblading, but hate finding sidewalks/streets that aren't covered in gravel.
3. Horror movies are SO not for me.
4. Some of my favorite TV shows right now are 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development, and It's Always Sunny.
5. I like pea coats and wouldn't mind having one in every color. So far I have green, yellow, and black.
6. I know how to play the cello and piano and would like to play more often than I do now.
7. (I asked the Mr. for one fact) He said I am "straightforward".
8. Crafts are fun in my downtime: cross stitching, sewing, crocheting, jewelry, making cards.
9. Cooking is generally fun and relaxing for me. My baking skills are improving, but cooking still wins.
10. Caterpillars are GROSS.
11. I lose my cell phone quite often, especially when it's on silent.

squares

Questions from em to answer:

1. What is your favorite vacation destination and why? Of places I have visited: Hawaii. Per degree of weather, it is the warmest place I have ever been with the least amount of bugs. That's a winning ratio in my book. :)
2. What is your favorite color? Green!
3. Cats or Dogs? Dogs, definitely.
4. What is the one consumable item you cannot live without and why? Vitamins? or water!
5. Do you know multiple languages? If so what are they? Just English. I have dabbled in Spanish and German, but nothing fluent.
6. What is your favorite hobby? Cooking
7. Who is your favorite singer/band? I really have a hard time picking favorites...
8. Who is your favorite author? Um... Clive Barker? or Stephen King? I like a variety of authors.
9. If you could have one do-over in your life, what would you do-over? I've previously thought I'd re-pick my college major, but I actually like the experiences I've had along the way because of it, so I don't think I'd do that over. 
10. Do you like to bake or cook, or both? Seriously, I did not read these questions before I listed my 11 facts about myself. COOKING, yo.
11. What type of footwear do you have on right now? No footwear, just socks. My feet are covered- don't worry!

newspaper print

Feel free to participate- I won't be offended if you don't.
People I tag

1. Tadoette! - Tadoette
2. Joy! - Christmas Spirit All Year Long
3. Melanie! - Happy Jax
4. Ana! - Sixty-Two
5. Patty! - Finding Serendipity
6. Megan! - Loving the Little Things
7. Nancy! - A Rural Journal
8. Mountain Mama! - Mountain Mama
9. Jaymi! - Live, Love, Travel
10. Jodi! - Sweets and Shutterclicks
11. Jennifer! - Mommy Y

Questions for the people I tag

1. What is your favorite TV show?
2. What character is most similar to yourself from #1?
3. What do your like to do to celebrate your birthday?
4. Are you a tea or coffee drinker?
5. How many pairs of shoes/boots/sandals do you own?
6. Do you wear a watch?
7. What is the worst food you have ever eaten?
8. Do you believe in ghosts?
9. What does your hair look like right now (style/cut/color)?
10. Aside from paying bills, do you ever send snail mail?
11. Do you prefer mittens or gloves?

BTW- What was your favorite bread photo edit? Just curious!!

Berry Muffin Recipe

Don't these look tasty? I've made these a ton of times... sometimes I add cocoa or change the flavor of the yogurt.  I've made them in regular 'muffin' sizes, but I am really enjoying eating the mini-muffin size. :)  They are great with coffee, tea, or water...it's a fact! The recipe is below...

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup flax
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. berry flavored yogurt (raspberry, mixed, blueberry, blackberry all work)
1/2 cup canola or olive oil
1 egg
1 cup frozen berries (rasberries, mixed, blueberry, blackberry work- whatever you want, really!)

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 375* F.
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together (flour, flax, sugar, baking poweder, baking soda, salt)
3. Mix all of the wet ingredients together (yogurt, oil, egg).
4. Mix all of the dry and wet ingredients, but do not overmix.
5. Mix in the berries, do not overmix.
6. Either use oil spray or liners to prepare the muffin pan.
7. Fill the cups about 2/3 full for 'regular' sized muffins and about 1/2 full for 'mini' muffins.
8. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Small muffins take less time than big muffins.

While they are baking, I prepare a glaze for the top mixing together lemon juice, powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla flavoring, and sometimes a little flax. There you have it! It makes slightly more than a dozen regular sized muffins and about 18 mini-muffins. Let me know if you try it....they're really tasty!

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

The ingredients and instructions might look daunting, but it's really easy to make! As long as you can slide, dredge, dunk, and spray, you'll be able to make this. I usually enjoy this as the 'main course' of the meal, and two stacks of three eggplant slices are plenty filling for me. This could also be a side dish, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large eggplant  (or 2 medium eggplants)
1 c. egg substitute (or 2-3 eggs)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 c. crumbs
2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 c. marinara sauce (or any other tomato/pasta sauce)

*For breadcrumbs, I use whatever I have on hand and pulverize it using a food processor.  Sometimes I'll make breadcrumbs from toast in the food processor.  This time, I used a combination of leftover Cheerios, Club crackers, and graham crackers which were left over from this recipe.

Preparation
Heat the oven to 400* F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Instructions

1. Wash the eggplant, trim the ends off, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
2. Whisk together the egg, oregano, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, and 1 c. of Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge each eggplant slice through the egg mixture (making sure it is entirely coated) and then through the crumbs, pressing down to make sure the crumbs get all over every part of the slice.  Place on the baking sheet.
4. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all the slices have been coated with crumbs. Spray the top sides of the eggplant slices with a coat of cooking spray.
5. Bake for 20 minutes then flip the slices over. Coat the new "top" sides with a layer of cooking spray and bake for 20 more minutes.
6. Take the baking sheets out of the oven. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on each slice and bake for two more minutes, or until the cheese melts.
7. To serve, put one eggplant slice on a plate, top with marinara, and add mozzarella. Repeat the process with two more slices stacked on top of the first slice.  

Egg mixture, crumbs, and a happy eggplant

ready to go!

baking in the oven

prepared and ready to enjoy. yum!

I used two eggplants, which made plenty of leftovers for just the Mr. and I. I store the eggplant slices just as they are straight out of the oven. Don't put the marinara and mozzarella on until right before you serve it. It seems to keep it's freshness best if the leftovers are made that way, instead of assembled and then stored.

Also, I tried to put this recipe up on this website so that it could be formatted better, but I'm not sure if I have the hang of posting recipes yet. If anyone has any tips on how to get Google's recipe search to integrate with recipes on blogger, I'd be more than happy to hear how that works!

No-Bake Twix Bars

This recipe came in a bound collection of favorite recipes which was a wedding present from a few friends. {Thanks, again!!} It is a delicious version of "Twix" bars. I don't think I've posted it before, so I figured I would share the recipe. It's pretty fun, quick, and easy to make.

Ingredients
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c margarine
1/3 c. milk

Club Crackers
2/3 c peanut butter
1 c chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate chips)


Instructions

1. Butter a 9x13 pan and line with a layer of Club crackers.
2. Boil the graham cracker crumbs, white sugar, brown sugar, margarine, and milk for 5 minutes.
3. Pour over the crackers and add another layer of Club crackers.
4. Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together. Spread this mixture over the crackers.
5. Chill until firm and then cut into bars.

layered the bottom

making graham cracker crumbs

middle layer

top layer

the whole pan

close-up of the layers

I don't cook/bake/buy desserts too often, but these are definitely one of our favorites! :)

Also, I'm linking up with and then, she {snapped}. Lots more to check out over there, too. 

Stir Fry with Veggies, and Chicken, and Beans, oh my!

This stir-fry recipe is a standby recipe in our household.  Most of the time we eat it veggie-style, but this time we made it with chicken and imitation crab, since we had some of each left over.  I've had it with tofu before, and I liked that.  I've never made it with beef, pork, or shrimp, but I imagine they'd all work just as fine, too. Sometimes we add a fresh bell pepper if we have it on hand, and sometimes we serve it over rice.  It's fairly healthy, other than some of the soy sauce, but if you're worried about that, just cut down the soy sauce and increase the white wine vinegar.  Serve with Baked Crabby Rangoon, and you're set. It's certainly nothing exquisite, but it's fast and e-a-s-y. :)

Ingredients

2tbsp Canola oil

1 bag of frozen, mixed stir-fry veggies

Mushrooms

Crab/chicken/tofu/beef/pork/shrimp {Use none of these, or use a combo if you like- usually 1 c. of each works well}

1/4 c. Soy Sauce

1/4 c. White wine vinegar

Dash of oregano

1 can of cannellini beans

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan at medium to medium-high heat.
2. Put bag of frozen, mixed stir-fry veggies in. Mix together.
3. When they are not cold anymore, add sliced mushrooms. Mix together.
4. Once the mushrooms are warm, add crab/chicken/tofu/beef/pork/shrimp -whatever you'd like to include. {This chicken was precooked, so we didn't have to worry about that part of it.) Mix together.
5. Add soy sauce and white wine vinegar. Mix together.
6. LET IT SIZZLE into delicious, SIZZLEY GOODNESS.
7. Add drained cannellini beans. Mix together.
8. Serve when hot.

ENJOY!

And for the more pictorally favored readers:

add oil, then frozen veggie bag

frozen veggies in pan with oil

mushrooms and crab ready to go in

the chicken has been added, but not mixed in yet

soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and cannelini beans

everything added, ready to be mixed and heated some more

ready to eat!  YUM!

Baked Crabby Rangoon

By: nat
Published: April 29, 2011
This is essentially the recipe that the Mr. and I have settled on when we want crab rangoon without having to go to a restaurant. Also, instead of its customary fried cousin, our version is baked.  It's pretty fun to make, and you can vary the sizes and amount of filling in the wrapper, if you want (that'll change the nutrition and cost information).  They go double-duty and work as an appetizer and a snack. Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients:
Low-fat cream cheese: 8 oz
Imitation crab, stick or flake: 4 oz
Wonton wrappers: 1 Package
Optional: Cayenne, hot sauce
Note: You may use egg roll wrappers if you can't find wonton wrappers, since there's not a big difference- just cut them into a smaller square size so your baked crabby rangoons don't turn out enormous.  Wonton wrappers are 3 1/2" by 3 1/2".

Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese and imitation crab in a food processor until mostly smooth. Add cayenne and/or hot sauce if desired, and blend further.
2. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the center of a wonton wrapper.
3. Folding the wonton: Bring opposite corners together to make a triangle. Fold the two symmetrical corners towards the middle. Fold the top down. (It should look somewhat like an envelope.)
4. Place the wontons on a baking sheet, folded side down.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350* F or until under side is lightly golden. Flip them over and bake for another 5 minutes or until the under-side is lightly golden as well.
6. Let cool 2 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 40 crabby rangoons
Serving size: 2 crabby rangoons

Calories per serving: 75 calories

Fat per serving: 2g
Sodium per serving: 197mg
Protein per serving: 3g

For more detailed nutrition facts, click here

Cost Effectiveness
{2.50} Block of 8oz cream cheese
{3.00} 8 oz Imitation crab, used half -
{3.00} Egg roll wrappers- usually about the same price as wonton wrappers


$8.50 = Cost for the whole batch
$0.43 = Cost for each serving of two crabby rangoon

Fruity Black Bean Soup

The Mr. and I ate huge bowls of this for Easter dinner with cheesebread and really enjoyed it.  It's really easy to make, fairly healthy, and pretty cheap.  Nothing beats that!  You can serve it as a small soup as an appetizer before the meal, or eat a big bowl of it as the main course.  My batch probably made roughly 6-8 servings, since serving size can vary. Bon appétit!

Ingredients
2 cans (15 oz each) of black beans, rinsed and drained {or cook your own from the bag for less sodium}
30 oz vegetable broth {or chicken stock, whatever. No big difference!}
8 oz fruity tomato-based salsa (any combination of peach, pineapple, and/or mango salsa will work)
*I think most stores carry some type of fruity salsa.  I used half a jar of Mango Peach Salsa by Archer Farms {found at Target}.
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado/guacamole

Items used
Blender
Large bowl to store soup
A spoon to mix with

Method

1. Roughly estimating, put about half of the beans, broth, salsa, and spices in a blender.  Blend until fairly smooth.
2. If your blender will fit the rest, add the other half of the beans, broth, salsa, and spices to the blender.  Blend until smooth, and add to a large bowl with a lid.  {If your blender is smaller, pour the puree from step 1 into a bowl.  In the blender, add and blend the remaining beans, broth, salsa, and spices until smooth. Pour into the bowl, and mix well to combine with the first batch.}
3. To thicken, let chill in a bowl for 15 minutes or longer.
4. Serve cold if you like, or heat up in the microwave until warm.
5. {Optional:} Garnish with sour cream and avocado/guacamole. 

Three main ingredients go into a blender, one yummy soup comes out of the blender.  You can eat it warm or cold, if you prefer, with as many or as few garnishes as you like.  Vary the spices if you'd like more variety. {Cumin and cayenne could work here, too.} Seriously, it's super versatile and easy!


Added April 28- Click this link to see the nutritional information per serving...it's pretty cool! I was able to add almost all of the exact ingredients I used.  

This bowl was much more full when I initially made it.  I forgot to take a picture right away, so this is how much is left after about four servings.

My avocado concoction {basically guacamole- it tastes way better than it looks!}, and sour cream.

Cost Effective-ness

{1.58} 2 cans of beans @ 0.79 each

{1.98} 2 cans of 15 oz broth @ 0.99 each

{1.50} 16 oz jar of salsa @ 2.99, used half

{5.06}

*I'm going to neglect the cost of the spices, since it's a small amount and I usually have it on hand, so it's is fairly negligible in the cost.

{0.43} sour cream @ 1.70 each, used about 1 tbsp in each serving

{2.00} 1 avocado @ 2.00 each, used 1/6 to 1/8 of the avocado each time

$5.06 without garnishes, per batch ($0.63-0.84 per serving)

$7.49 with garnishes, per batch ($0.94-1.25 per serving)

YAY FOR MATH!!!