Corn Salsa

Oh so good and healthy!

Put the following ingredients in a medium sized bowl:

1 can corn, drained

1 c chopped cilantro

1/2 c chopped red onion

3-5 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1 can black beans, drained

2 lg avocados, chopped

Next, add:

1 Tbsp salt

6 Tbsp lime juice

2Tbsp vegetable oil

2Tbsp cider vinegar

Mix everything together with a spoon and you're done! Great with chips!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

This was the very first recipe i ever tried with sweet potatoes and Salsa Verde and now i love finding recipes with them whether its together or separate. This is SO SO good. Its also a nice change from other enchiladas and once you do it once or twice it is actually pretty easy. Again the hardest part for me was the sweet potatoes (the first time) and i know you will find what is easiest and best for you and your family. I personally never put any enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan, mainly because i always smother them in enough on top that it gets on the bottom. Like all other recipes i use what i have. Enjoy!~Lynette

by: a Couple Cooks

Makes: 6

What You Need

• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (3 cups diced)
• 15 oz. can black beans
• 8 ounces canned diced green chilies (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium red onion
• ½ tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• ~2 cups salsa verde (or homemade tomatillo salsa)
• 6 to 8 oz. Colby jack cheese, shredded
• 8 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas (or 10 6-inch)
• Sour cream
• Fresh cilantro, to garnish

What To Do

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the sweet potato: Peel and dice the sweet potato. Place in a pot and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Prepare the filling: Finely chop the red onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. (If using cilantro to garnish, you could chop it at this time as well.)
4. Assemble the filling: In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, black beans, red onion, green chilies, ½ tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Mix to combine.
5. Assemble the enchiladas: Warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave, or in a pan for a few seconds per side. In a large baking dish, spread ¾ to 1 cup of the salsa verde. Fill each tortilla with a heaping ½ cup scoop of the filling, add a handful of cheese, and roll it up. Place the enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining salsa verde (about ½ cup or so) and the remaining cheese.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
7. Serve, garnished with sour cream (mixed with a tiny bit of water to loosen it) and chopped cilantro.

Notes

As a time saver, you could cook the sweet potato beforehand, and even prepare the entire filling in advance.

Chicken Ranch Tacos

Ok here is another one that i am really enjoying and is super super easy. So the only part that takes a long time is that i have to defrost and cut up the chicken. I really don't follow much of the amounts i put how much seasoning and ranch as i see fit with the amount of the chicken i do. What i LOVE most about this recipe is i know for sure i ALWAYS have everything i need to make this meal. Plus, the chicken is amazing on a salad, burritos, nachos and the tacos, of course, and I’m sure a ton of other things. But it taste great and its what i need on a busy day. Hope you all like it as much as we do.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

3 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
taco shells
lettuce
cheese
Ranch dressing
tomatoes
any of your favorite taco toppings!

Directions:

1) Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken & warm it for a few minutes. Sprinkle on the dry taco seasoning. Do not add any water! Heat for 5-7 minuted until all heated through & powder is stuck to the chicken.

2) Add Ranch dressing, heat an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.

3) Serve in taco shells with all the fixings you love – plus an extra squirt of Ranch!

 

Sweet Potatoe, chicken & Quinoa Soup

GO TRY THIS, SO AMAZING!! SO SO YUMMY! EVERYONE INCLUDING DIETER LOVED IT, OF COURSE JEFF AND I BELIEVE ITS OK TO GIVE HIM LOTS TORTILLA CHIPS OR CHEESE IF THAT MEANS HE WILL EAT THE HEALTHY FOOD. THIS IS PROBABLY BY FAR ONE OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES I HAVE EVER FOUND AND MADE. VERY EASY TOO. NOT ONLY IS IT HEALTHIER, BUT YOU CAN MAKE IT AS HEALTHY AS YOU WANT AND ITS VERY VERSATILE. YOU CAN EAT THIS LIKE JUST A REGULAR SOUP, OR YOU EAT IT LIKE A TACO SOUP SO WITH CHEESE AND TORTILLA CHIPS. AS LEFT OVERS JEFF AND DIETER HAVE EATEN IT AS THE TOPPING OF NACHOS OR IF YOU CAN DRAIN ENOUGH OF THE BROTH YOU CAN PUT IT RIGHT INTO A TORTILLA AND MAKE IT INTO A QUESADILLA OR BURRITO. PLUS, YOU CAN ADD ANY KIND OF VEGGIES YOU CAN THINK OF. I HAD SOME YELLOW SQUASH THAT WAS GOING TO START GOING BAD AND IT WAS PERFECT WITH IT. IN REALITY YOU JUST MIGHT NEED TO MAKE SURE THERE IS ENOUGH BROTH FOR ADDITIONAL VEGGIES. I USED CANNED BROTH SO 3 CANS WAS JUST ENOUGH OVER THAT THE ADDED SQUASH WAS PERFECT.  

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup quinoa (I used a black bean quinoa package)
• 2 large sweet potatoes (1 pound or ~3-1/2 cups)
• 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 packet (1.25 ounces) chili seasoning mix
• 5 cups chicken broth*
• Optional: fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Remove the fat from the chicken breasts and put them into the slow cooker along with the rinsed quinoa.
2. (I found a black beans seasoned quinoa package which I used and loved, but regular quinoa will work as well, just make sure to rinse it well.)
3. Remove the skins and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes adding them into the slow cooker.
4. Drain and rinse the black beans and add those in. Add in the undrained petite diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chili seasoning mix, and chicken broth.
5. Place on high for 3-5 hours (It took 4 hours on high for my crockpot.)
6. Using two forks, shred the chicken and stir all the ingredients together.
7. Add salt and pepper and if desired fresh parsley.
8. Serve immediately.

Scotcheroos

A wonderful brother of mine reminded me how addicting and amazing these are!! WOW! FHE here we come!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Kellogg's® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
• OR
• or 6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
• 1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Note: Before measuring the corn syrup, coat your measuring cup with cooking spray--the syrup will pour easily out of the cup.

Almond Sesame Chive Crackers

Makes about 40 crackers, depending on what size you cut them

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup freeze dried chives
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 flax egg (2 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons warm water)
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons water

Salt Oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Whisk the sunflower oil and sea salt together in a small dish and set aside.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the almond meal, flour, garlic powder, sea salt, chives and sesame seeds together in a medium mixing bowl
3. Whisk together the flaxseed and warm water in a small bowl to make your flax egg. Set aside a few minutes to thicken.
4. Add the oil, water and flax egg to the rest of the cracker ingredients and mix until combined and a ball of dough forms. You will have to get your hands in there to help make a ball of dough.
5. Roll the dough out about 1/8 of an inch thick on a piece of parchment paper. The thinner you roll it out, the crispier the crackers will be. Slice the dough with a knife or pizza cutter into small squares.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, watching carefully until lightly browned and crisp. Allow to cool completely before brushing with the salt oil and removing from the pan. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. These are best eaten the first day. After a few days they are no longer crispy, but still yummy.

These crackers pair perfectly with a bowl of thick and creamy homemade tomato soup (recipe to come).

http://livelearnloveeat.com/2012/08/02/what-to-do-with-that-leftover-almond-meal/

Healthy Snickerdoodles

Healthy Cookies, what?!  Can this be real, snicker doodles healthy style. And what's more....they're de-wait for it -licious, delicious! Can you believe. So these are from a blogger, "Urban Poser". This is a great recipe with all natural ingredients, simple and easy and the best part they taste good. Here is her recipe and then I will give you my own thoughts and insight:

Snickerdoodle Cookies (Egg/Grain/Gluten/Dairy Free)There are two kinds of SNICKERDOODLES.....there's the big puffy, "cakey" ones and then there's the RIGHT ones! Sweet, thin, crackled and chewy; these are the only kind of Snickerdoodles that you'll find here at The Urban Poser. So if you are looking for the former then...."These are not the cookies you are looking for....move along."

I decided to make these lovely grain/dairy free cookies egg free as well. This combo makes them perfect for baking with your kids because it's safe to lick all that sticky, cinnamon covered dough off your fingers (not that my boys would EVER do that). Best of all though, they are super easy to make and super tasty too, so get ready for some finger licking goodness!

Snickerdoodles (Paleo,Vegan, egg/grain/dairy free)

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched, fine ground almond flour (such as Honeyville)

scant less than 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
4 tablespoons coconut oil, softened or liquid (5 Tbls for a softer cookie)

1/4 cup mild honey (like clover) or vegan alternative,*see note
1 tablespoon GF vanilla extract

Cinnamon coating:

2 tablespoons raw coconut crystals, such as Coconut Secret or Maple sugar (optional)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

This may make more than you need. We keep the extra for sprinkling on grain free bread or butternuts quash. YUM!

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F and line and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Note: When measuring almond flour, remember to use the "dip & sweep" method for best results. Dip the measuring cup in to the loose almond flour and drag a knife of flat edge over the top. Pouring into the cup can result in too much or even too little AF in the recipe.

In a medium sized bowl, combine dry ingredients; mix together well. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the almond flour mixture and mix till combined. 

Combine the coconut sugar crystals/maple sugar (optional*) and the ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

Note: Coconut sugar crystals or maple sugar ARE optional. The cookies look and turn out great with just the cinnamon as well. 

Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop out the dough, then gently form into a ball. Roll in, or sprinkle all sides with, the cinnamon mixture. Place the balls of cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. 

Using a mason jar or your hands, slightly flatten each cookie. Dip the bottom of the jar in some of the sugar & spice mixture to help keep the cookie form sticking. to the jar.

Note: If the dough is still sticking to the jar, lightly grease the bottom of the jar. You may need to give the jar a little tap to remove the cookie (if your house is very warm, they will tend to stick more). 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-9 minutes. Leave cookies on the cookie sheet while cooling. They may seem under-baked at first, but they will firm up to just the right texture as they cool.

To help prevent burning on the bottom of the cookies you can double up on your cookie sheets.

Ok so here's some insight of mine... make your own Almond Flour. Thanks right make it, it's easy! You can look up recipes online to blanch* the almonds to make it beautifully white, like the ones you would buy at the store. Or you can be like me and do the lazy thing- throw Almonds in the blender. (I don't mind the skins.) Check out my Almond post.

Also I've found this to be a recipe you should follow with exactness including pressing, they just turn out better that way. I love how chewy they are.

They'll be a little "greasy" don't be scared- the oil is truly good for you! And it won't seem greasy when the cool. I love how chewy they are! Enjoy!!!