Some tasty and healthy recipes for you

Hi family! In the last month, we have been making a lot of changes in the way we eat, and in the way I cook. We want to feel our best so that we can be better parents. We have seen a dramatic change in our energy levels and happiness levels since we started. We are trying to follow the Word of Wisdom more exactly. So we are filling our diets with lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, etc. I have only included meat in our meals once or twice. And the main thing we have changed is we've cut out sugar. Anyway, I just wanted to share all of this because I know all of you are already very good at being healthy, and I just wanted to say to others who are already doing it, doesn't it feel good? I also thought I'd share some of our favorite recipes from the last few weeks. We loved them and highly recommend them!

Macaroni Salad: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/macaroni-salad-recipe.html

(We had this for dinner tonight, and it was awesome! The flavors were so good, I thought. Very fresh. I added a dollop of greek yogurt, and would do that again.)

Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies: http://www.kumquatblog.com/2012/03/blueberry-coconut-pecan-breakfast.html

(Macey was much more excited about eating them because they were called "cookies.")

Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream: http://naturallyella.com/2012/08/08/roasted-veg-tacos-with-avocado-cream-and-feta/

(We didn't like the feta on them. We sprinkled a little cheddar cheese on them instead. Make sure you check for seasonings before you serve. The filling was pretty bland until I added the right amount of salt. This is a good time of year for this recipe (or will be soon). Most of the veggies in the filling could be picked from the garden or bought from a farmer's market!)

Mixed Berry Crisp: http://www.lawfullyweddedwife.com/2012/04/13/mixed-berry-crisp/

(I've made this twice now. Once with mixed berries, and the other time with peaches and blueberries. Both were divine!)

If you've tried any great healthy recipes lately, you should share them! Love, Jenn

Honey Lime Dressing!

Tonight I made a green salad for St. Patties Day!  I decided to try out a lime dressing to go along with it and Shea and I loved it!  Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

Honey Lime Dressing:

1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbs. canola oil
2 tbs. + 1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
a few dashes of ginger

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe originated from Melskitchencafe.com.  It is extraordinarily yummy!

NOTE:  You can use regular diced tomatoes if you don’t have or can’t find petite diced, but if you have the option, go for the petite diced.  The smaller size of the tomatoes meshes better with the finely diced vegetables.

2 (14-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 cup finely diced onions

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons butter

½ cup flour

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups fat-free half-and-half, warm

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Croutons for serving (preferably homemade)

Directions:

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf.  Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender.

About 45 minutes before serving, melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 3 minutes.  The mixture will be crumbly, but that’s okay.

Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in 1 cup (or a ladleful) of the hot soup from the slow cooker.  Whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add another cup or ladleful and stir again until smooth.  Add another cup or two and stir until smooth.

Stir the creamy, hot mixture back into the slow cooker.  Add the Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes until ready to serve.  Serve with homemade croutons, if desired(and trust me, you’ll want to desire it).

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small (about 3-4 cups)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1 red pepper, diced small
• 1 small red onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drain
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (depending on your taste)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6-8 burrito-size tortillas (whole wheat, white or other favorite variety)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, jalapeno, red pepper and red onion with the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dump the coated veggies onto a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 18-20 minutes, tossing halfway through. The vegetables should be tender but not mushy at the end of cooking time.
2. Let the vegetable mixture cool. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and toss with the black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Taste the mixture and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to assemble the burritos or use immediately.
3. Place 3-4 tortillas on a microwave-safe plat and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until the tortillas are pliable. Place 1/4 cup or so of the vegetable mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with a sprinkle with shredded cheese, a little of each kind.. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until you have all the burritos you need (the filling can be refrigerated and used for 3-4 days).
4. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through and the top of the tortilla is golden brown. Adjust the baking time as needed depending on if the filling has been refrigerated or not. For a softer tortilla, wrap each burrito in tin foil and heat through. Serve immediately.

Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets, rested at room temperature 20 minutes
• 8 tsp flour, divided
• 2 Tbsp honey, divided
• zest of 1 - 2 limes (I like it with a generous amount so in my opinion 2)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 recipe Browned Butter Lime Sauce, recipe follows
Browned Butter Lime Sauce
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, diced
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Working in batches of two salmon fillets at a time (or using two skillets, because you don't want to overcrowd the salmon when cooking it on the stove-top so it cooks more evenly), place salmon fillets on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle 1 tsp flour over each side of the salmon fillets and spread flour to evenly coat. Evenly drizzle 3/4 tsp honey over each side of the flour coated salmon fillets.* Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into a 10 inch non-stick skillet, swirl pan to evenly coat bottom and heat over medium heat. Once oil it hot, carefully place salmon ) in pan and cook over medium heat, 3-5 minutes per side until salmon has cooked through and bottom has nicely browned. Plate salmon immediately, drizzle each fillet with 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp Browned Butter Lime Sauce and sprinkle with lime zest. Serve warm.
• *note that once you remove the salmon from the plate some of the flour and honey coating will stick to the plate so I'd recommend just scraping it up with a spatula and adding it to the salmon once it's in the pan, alternately you could just coat one side with the flour and honey then after adding it to the pan you can coat the top side with flour and honey. Either way works I'd just say don't waste any of that delicious coating.
Browned Butter Lime Sauce
• Place butter in a small (light colored) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is fragrant and has turned a tan shade (for a step by step tutorial on how to brown butter see link here, although I would recommend not to stir constantly rather swirl pan occasionally). Remove from heat and add browned butter along with lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper to a blender. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well blended. Pour sauce into a small glass dish (note: whisk butter mixture with a fork before pouring onto salmon as it will separate, rewarm if needed).

Mexican Salad & Tomatillo Dressing

Some of you asked for the recipe for the salad and dressing from Sunday dinner.  The dressing comes from a Cafe Rio Style Pork Salad and is the closest thing I've found to the real Cafe Rio dressing.  For the salad, I used 3 Costco heads of romaine lettuce and substituted 3 large roma tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes.  For the dressing, I used 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.  Be sure to use the ranch buttermilk dressing mix (I accidentally used the regular ranch mix once and it did not turn out the same!).

MEXICAN SALAD:

2 - 3 heads romaine lettuce

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

1 cup sliced black olives

2 avacados, peeled and sliced

Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl.

TOMATILLO DRESSING (Cafe Rio Style):

1 package ranch buttermilk dressing mix

3 tomatillos

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender; process on high.  Chill before serving.

Penne Pasta with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese!

 

Shea made this Penne pasta dish for us tonight and we loved it!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  All the stores were out of fresh basil so we just used dry but I am sure it would be even better with fresh!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
• 1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:

To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.