Giving Thanks 2012

This Thanksgiving, Mike and I decided that it would be best if we stayed in San Antonio. We let our parents know they were invited to join us for the holiday, but that we were unable to travel this year. Mike's mom and my mom RSVP'd for our celebration and we had a wonderful time!

October Foodie Pen Pal!

Last month I signed up for a cool new program: Foodie Pen Pal!! Here's how it works: You sign up before the 5th of the month, then you are assigned a recipient and a sender. You pack a box of $15 worth of "foodie" things (can be homemade or local flavors or whatever) and send it to your recipient (you connect with them to find out their preferences and/or dietary restrictions). The sender does the same thing for you!

I sent my recipient some Julio's seasoned corn chips, Native Texan salsa, Taste of Austin coffee, San Antonio Fiesta blend chili powder and habenero pralines!! She lives in Florida and she said that she shared many of the items with her family and they enjoyed all the Tex Mex flavors. She even ordered some of the pralines online!

The box I received was from a woman who blogs at Bake No Prisoners. It was delivered on my birthday, which made it that much more exciting! She did a great job decorating the box for Halloween.

Inside were lots of Halloween- and Fall-themed treats, some homemade, others store-bought.

The box included pumpkin granola bars, pumpkin seeds, Yogi tea (!), Halloween bark, and some cookies (along with the cookie recipe). Everything was awesome (especially the Halloween bark!) and I even used the pumpkin seeds in my homemade bread. The recipe says they're optional and I never had them before so I always left them out, but I was excited that I could include them this time!

I've signed up for November and already sent my match a box of South Texas favorites (very similar to the one I sent my October match). I'll be receiving a box from a fellow Texan from Houston this time! Can't wait to see what's in store!

Feeding Friendship: No-Bake* Strawberry Cheesecake

Well, strawberries have been plentiful at the Farmer's Market and grocery store! Thanks, Ellie, for choosing strawberries for this round of Feeding Friendship!

I did a quick search of the usual sites (Pinterest, Punchfork) to get some ideas of what to make for this round. I ended up searching through the recipes at Skinny Taste and found this AWESOME No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake recipe!

The reason there's an asterisk in the title for this blog, is because I did some baking when I made it. I made the crust from scratch which required baking. It was So. Worth. It. though. This cheesecake makes me cackle to myself every time I cut myself a slice. I've decided this is the sign of a truly good dish from me: it inspires a cackle. So, without further ado...

Graham Cracker Crust (The recipe says to get store bought, but we're better than that, right?)
1 package of Graham Crackers (about 9 rectangular sheets)
1/3 c white sugar
6 T butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional, I just did a sprinkle)

Cheesecake Filling
1  8oz package cream cheese (go for the low-fat or fat-free if you wish)
1  8oz package cool whip (fat-free or lite, if you dare)
5-6 small strawberries, pureed (I added these for color and perhaps some flavor)
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
15-20 small strawberries, hulled and halved, lengthwise

1) To make the crust, combine all crust ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Press into pie plate and cooke at 375 degrees for ~8-10 min, until browned. Let cool before adding filling.

2) Whip cool whip, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy.

3) Add filling to cooled pie crust.

4)Place in refrigerator for a few hours to chill.

5) Before serving, add sliced strawberries to the top!

Enjoy!

Before

After!

Feeding Friendship: Stuffed Bell Peppers

I chose peppers for this round of Feeding Friendship because I have serrano and bell peppers growing our  planter in the backyard. The serrano plant is loaded with peppers and I get a few bell peppers a week. I needed help figuring out what to do with them! 

I chose to make stuffed bell peppers. I did purchase mine from the store, though, since the one's I'm growing weren't big enough yet and the ones at the store looked like mutant peppers (I won't think about that too much...) The leftover stuffing can be used for extra yummy tacos, too!

I got the recipe here. Here's how I did it!

Ingredients

4 or 5 large bell peppers

16 oz lean ground turkey or chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 T chili powder 

1 T ground cumin

16 oz jar of salsa

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

avocado

sour cream (optional, I didn't use it)

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bell peppers in half or cut the top off and remove seeds.

2) In a large skillet over medium heat, brown turkey with onions. Add minced garlic, chili powder and cumin and stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in salsa and rice.

3) Place cut bell peppers open side up on a baking sheet. Fill each one with stuffing and top with shredded cheddar. 

4) Bake for 7-10 min until cheese is melty.

5) Serve with avocado and/or sour cream on top. YUM!

Feeding Friendship: Basil Pesto Pizza

This round of Feeding Friendship (for which I'm oh so late!) feature nuts! I'll admit, I had to scramble a bit as life has been hectic and I didn't get my act together quick enough. I did realize that something I had planned to cook anyway included nuts, however! My favorite basil pesto pizza! The pesto contains pine nuts!

Pine nuts!

This recipe is sort of just in my head, but it originated from the interwebs. A couple years ago I "Googled" how to make basil pesto and it went a little something like this:

Pesto
2-3 loosely packed cups of basil leaves (I highly recommend growing your own. Smells amazing. Grows like crazy. WAY cheaper!)
1/4-1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
(Told you it was all in my head!!)

Naan bread or your favorite pizza crust option
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Other toppings of your choice!

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Place basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor.

3)  If your food processor has a drip hole for olive oil (inside the "lid" for the round column part), pour the oil in there while processing the basil mix. Otherwise, simply add the oil before processing.

4) Taste periodically to see if more salt/garlic/pepper/cheese/etc is needed.

5) Smear the pesto onto your pizza crust. Add any toppings and the mozzarella cheese.

6) Bake for 7-10 min. Until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Feeding Friendship: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I've had this recipe for a while, but I can't said I had it in mind when I chose pizza for this round of Feeding Friendship. I thought it might be a good way to lighten up my favorite dish and add some more nutrients. I topped this unique crust off with a classic red sauce, mozzarella cheese, olives, artichoke hearts, and sauteed mushrooms

It turned out ok, but one of my favorite elements to a good pizza, a crispy crust, was noticeably absent. This could have been improved a bit if I'd used less sauce. Either way, this might be a fun gluten-free option, if you're in the market. I adapted it from this recipe.

Here's how I made it:

Ingedients


3-4 large florets of cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed/minced (1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven for 450 degrees

The first step is to "rice" the cauliflower. This is just a fancy way of saying, "put it in the food processor until it looks like a grain."

According to the recipe, the next step is to put 1 cup of the riced cauliflower in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on for 8 minutes. I just realized that I didn't do this and I didn't have an issue. I don't think that would have helped the less-than-crispy crust issue.

In a medium bowl, mixed 1 cup riced cauliflower, beaten egg and mozzarella

Add oregano, garlic, salt, pepper to the mix.

On a greased baking sheet or parchment paper, pour the mixture out and pat into a 9" round about 1/2" thick.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

Let the pizza cool for roughly an hour while you take in some intense physical training.

Add desired toppings and place under the broiler on high heat until cheese is melted.

Feeding Friendship: Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

The ingredient for this round of Feeding Friendship was:

Beer!

We're on a budget for Lent (more on that in another post!), but Mike just happened to purchase some beer as a "splurge." He kindly donated one and a half beers to complete my recipe! He's a fan of Fat Tire and we both agreed it would be good in some Baked Flautas!

The recipe comes from Healthy. Delicious. and has been on my "Things to Cook!" Pinterest board for a couple weeks. I was excited to see that it included beer so I could try it for Feeding Friendship!

Mike took some leftovers to work for lunch and actually e-mailed me to tell me how good they were! Even a couple days later!

Here's how to make 'em:

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (about 4)
16 ounces Beer
2 cups Water
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
3 cups Baby Spinach, chopped
10 taco-size Flour Tortillas
6 ounces Queso Quesadilla or other melting cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or cooking spray
Salsa, for serving


Preparation
1) Preheat the oven to 450F.

2) Put the chicken thighs in a deep sided saute pan and cover with the beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3) Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings.

4) Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat until for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.

5) Spoon 1/10th of the chicken (about 1 tablespoon) along the long edge of a tortilla. Repeat with the spinach and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the edge with the filling. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

6) Brush the flautas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for until 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve with salsa.

Each flauta has approx. 180 calories, 9 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 18 grams protein

Feeding Friendship: Irish Food - Sheppard's Pie

It's almost St. Patty's Day, so this round of Feeding Friendship features Irish dishes! :)

I chose to make Shepherd's Pie. I had some in New York when we were there last year at an Irish Pub. It was delicious! Mine turned out a bit different, but still very tasty!

Sidenote: I accidentally had 2 recipes for Shepherd's Pie open on my computer and there was a bit of confusion both when making my shopping list and when getting started. There was a near-meltdown and we ended up with an extra can of fire-roasted tomatoes, but worse things have happened.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

 2  large potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (I didn't peel mine, but you could)

1/4 cup nonfat sour cream

1  tablespoon reduced-calorie margarine

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2  teaspoons olive oil

1  cup onion (chopped)

2  medium carrots (diced)

2  medium celery ribs, diced

1  lb uncooked ground turkey breast (or morningstar farms recipe crumbles)

3  tablespoons all-purpose flour

1  tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped or 1  teaspoon dried rosemary

1  teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2  cups canned chicken broth or 2  cups beef broth (or vegetable for vegan)

Please ignore the Balsamic Vinegar. That was leftover from the aforementioned confusion...

1.     Preheat oven to 400ºF.  

2.    Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.

3.    Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

The paddle attachment on the stand mixer makes mashed potatoes EASY!

4.    Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

5.     Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

6.    Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

7.    Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat.

8.    Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

9.    Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top.

10. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes.

If I had to do it again, I'd add more potatoes and bake it for 10-15 min longer!

11. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.