The Non-Processed Irresistible Oatmeal Cookie

After months of not blogging, I'm back.  I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe since February, total blog slacker!  So I've adopted a new eating lifestyle.  I'm trying to omit as much processed food as I can and eat mainly Organic, fresh, unprocessed foods.  But who would want to give up their sweets when trying to eat healthy???  I don't know about you, but I love cookies... who doesn't love a cookie, right?  Processed flour (white flour) and processed sugar (granulated sugar) are two of the worst things you can feed your body.  Guess what cookies are made of... crappy processed flours and sugars.  So, I followed a cookie recipe I have and switched all the bad things out and replaced them with good things.  This cookie is made with 100% whole wheat flour (which you can find at any grocery store or in a bulk bin at your specialty stores) and switched the sugars for unprocessed Organic cane sugar (granualted sugar subsititute) and Organic brown sugar.  I haven't checked the regular grocery store for these, but your "health" stores will carry these sugars (stores such as: Spourts, Henry's, Trader Joe's, Mother's Market).  Adding walnuts to your cookies gives you the extra Omega-3 fatty acids your body needs and 2 TBSP of whole ground flaxseed meal adds even more Omega-3 and fiber (flaxseed has no taste, therefore it does not alter the taste of the cookie... all it does is add extra nutrtion to your cookie).  These cookies truly are guilt free and packed full of nutrition!  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 sticks Organic Butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed Organic brown sugar

½ Organic Cane Sugar (substitute for granulated white sugar)

2 large Organic – Omega 3 enriched brown eggs, room temperature

1 tsp Organic vanilla

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp whole ground flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp kosher salt (optional)

3 cups quick cooking Oats

1 cup raisins (try large golden raisins or dried cranberries for variety)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.      Heat oven to 350 degress.

2.      Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.

3.      Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

4.      Add combined flour, flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

5.      Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts; mix well.

6.      Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

7.      Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.

8.      Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen

Side Notes: 

1.  I found that using the non-processed ingredients actually took a little longer to bake, about 15 -18 minutes.  Just keep an eye on them.   

2.  I hope you try this cookie, it's so delicious, you won't want to make them with processed ingredients ever again!!

Green Bean & Chicken Casserole

Blog slacker here!!!  :-)  So I made an awesome dinner tonight.  I've taken a traditionally great Thanksgiving side dish and made it into a meal.  I made green bean and chicken casserole and it turned out delicious.  It's also VERY easy.  The portions are probably for a double batch... so if you are cooking for one to two people, I would cut the recipe in half.  It would pair great with a salad or even some Pillsbury biscuits, but we just ate it by itself.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 - 16oz packages frozen green beans, thawed
2 cans Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 large can French Fried Onions
Garlic Salt
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2.  In a large cooking skillet, spray warm pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Cook chicken on high heat until cooked completely through (no pink).  Season with garlic salt and pepper.
3.  Place thawed green beans, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cheese and cooked chicken in the casserole dish.  Mix well.  Add half of the can of French Fried Onions.  Mix in well.
4.  Place in oven, uncovered and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Add remaining French Fried Onions to top of casserole and bake another 5 minutes.
5.  Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes.
6.  Serve warm.

Side Notes:
1.  You can also use left over chicken you have or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred for this dish.
2.  You could also add other veggies to give it flair.  Frozen corn, peppers, carrots... whatever you like.

Enjoy! 

Classic Pot Pie

Tonight's dinner was delicious!  I made Classic Pot Pie from my Pillsbury magazine.  And surprisingly is was very easy to make and not all that time consuming.  I used some left over baked chicken I had (boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes) rather than buying a rotisserie chicken and shredding it (to save money).  I paired the pot pie with a garden salad.  They go great together. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on the box
1/3 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups cubed or shredded chicken or turkey
1 Steam Fresh bag of mixed veggies (cook for about 4 minutes or so) - should be about 2 cups

Directions
1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Make pie crusts as directed on  box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass plate.  (Do not pre-bake your pie crusts).
2.  In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended.  Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.  Stir in chicken and mixed veggies.  Remove from heat.
3.  Spoon mixture into crust-lined pie plate.  Top with second crust; seal edge and flute.  Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
4.  Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil during last 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Side Notes:
1.  If you want a little extra flavor, try adding a few cloves of minced garlic and some Italian seasonings.  Otherwise leave as is for the classic flavor.
2.  If you are a great pastry chef, try making your own crust.  I have yet to master that skill, so for now I use the store bought kind (which turned out great and very tasty).
3.  I used low-sodium, fat free chicken broth and 1% milk and it still had all the flavor.
4.  I did put foil around the edges of the pot pie 15 minutes into the cooking process.  I'm not sure if it's me or if it's just an overly difficult task, but I had a heck of time getting that foil to stay around the edge of the crust.  If anyone has any tips on how to get it stay, please do tell! :-)

I have different variations of pot pie recipes in my Pillsbury magazine.  I've tried a few different recipes and this is by far my favorite.  I hope you give it a whirl.  It's quick, simple and delicious! :-)

Grilled Fish Tacos & Cilantro Lime Rice

Thank goodness it's January... I'm back in the kitchen making my family healthy meals.  Last night I made one of our family's favorite meals, fish tacos.  Yup, both boys love them and it's one of mine and Denis' favorites.  I paired it with homemade cilantro lime rice and refried black beans.

Here's the recipes:

Grilled Fish Tacos

Ingredients
1 pound fresh Tilapia
Non-stick cooking spray (or 1 tbsp of butter)
1 lemon
Salt & Pepper
Corn Tortillas (heated in microwave)
Shredded Cabbage
Chipoltle Sour Cream (recipe to follow)

Directions
1.  Rinse and pat dry your fish.
2.  Heat a large frying pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Let pan get hot!
3.  Place fish in pan - fish should sizzle when you put it in the pan.  Reduce heat to medium-high.
4.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let fish cook until the edges and top of fish start to turn white (about 3-4 minutes).
5.  Flip fish and cook another 5 minutes or so (cover with lid).  Keep cooking and flipping every 5 minutes or so, until fish is completely white (middle of fish is thicker and takes longer to cook, make sure middle of fish is no longer pink).
6.  Place fish on a plate and squeeze lemon onto fish.  Let cool for a couple of minutes and then lightly shred with two forks.
7.  Assemble tacos:  warm tortillas, fish, cabbage and chipotle sour cream.  Serve while fish is warm.

Chipotle Sour Cream

Ingredients
1 cup fat free sour cream
Chipotle flavored Cholula Hot Sauce (quantities varied, depending on how hot you like your sauce)
Garlic Salt to taste (about 1 to 2 tsp)
Lemon Juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon)

Directions
1.  Combine sour cream, chipotle flavored Cholula, garlic salt and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Taste and add as your taste buds like. 

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients
1 large bunch of cilantro (stems cut off)
3 large garlic cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Lime zest
3 1/3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups rice
2 tsp Kosher salt

Directions
1.  In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and 2 cups of chicken broth.  Blend well and set aside.
2.  In a large pot, heat olive oil and then saute onions.  Add rice and saute for about 3-4 minutes. 
3.  Add remaining 1 1/3 cups broth, cilantro mixture and salt.  Bring to a boil.
4.  Cover and lower heat to simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.
5.  Fluff with a fork and serve warm.

Side Notes:
1.  Serve with refried black beans.  I think black beans go well with fish.
2.  You can add a serrano chile to your rice to add a little heat.  Place chile in blender and blend up with cilantro.

I hope you give these recipes a try and enjoy them as much as we do.  :-)  Happy Eating!

Navy Bean Soup

We've finally approached full-fledged soup season.  The recent weather is definitely an inspiration to make soups, stews, chili... anything warm and cozy.  My friend gave me her ham bone so I could make homemade Navy Bean Soup (with the contingency that I invite her over for soup).  Which is exactly what I did last night.  I made the soup and invited her and her hubby over.  The soup was a huge hit... and the best part is that it is super healthy. 

I was just going to follow the recipe on the back of the dried navy bean bag, but it didn't sound like it was going to have enough flavor... so I just created my own recipe. 

Please note:  When cooking with dried beans, remember to allow overnight soaking of the beans.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
2 1lb bags of small navy beans
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better)
32 oz (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
12 cups warm water
1 lb carrots, chopped very finely
6 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp season salt (Lawry's)
regular salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

Directions
1.  In a large pot, soak beans in 12-14 cups of cold water over night (at least 8 hours).
2.  Drain and sort through soaked beans.
3.  In a large stockpot add beans, ham bone with ham, chicken broth, water, onions, garlic, celery and carrots and bay leaves.  Add salt & pepper to taste.
4.  Cover and cook on high and bring to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook about 2 - 2 1/2  hours or until beans are soft.  Keep pot covered.
5.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Remove ham bone and ham from pot.  Remove ham from bone (discarding of any fat) and chop into bite size pieces.  Add ham back to soup.
6.  Add garlic salt & season salt (salt according to your liking).  Add more pepper if you like.
7.  Remove about a cup of beans and mash well.  Add back to pot.  This will thicken the soup.  If you like a thicker consistency, mash another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of beans.
8.  Remove from heat and let stand about 15 minutes.
9.  Serve with biscuits or warm toast.

Side Notes:
1.  I did not have a bay leaf for my soup, but next time I make it, I will be using one.  Don't worry if you don't have one though... turns out great.
2.  I chopped my celery and carrots in my small chopper I have.  Carrot and celery pieces were very, very small.  Unless you like large pieces of carrot in your Navy Bean soup, I suggest using a chopper or food processor to chop up celery and carrots.
3.  I started my soup in the late afternoon and it was ready to serve by dinner time.  It was quick and easy to get started and then you can just walk away while it cooks.

I hope you give this soup a try and enjoy it as much as we all did.  :-)

Split Pea Soup

Well, I hate to admit it, but I've been a slacker lately.  The holiday's were very busy and not much home cookin' was going on.  The first meal I made in 2011 was Split Pea Soup... and it turned out absolutely amazing.  And, it's so healthy and so easy to make.  Just takes some time.  It's best to make Split Pea soup with a ham bone, but if you don't have a ham bone, you can either use just chunks of ham and/or bacon.  I actually had a few pieces of bacon left over from a dish I cooked on Christmas and I threw it into the pot as well.  The recipe I'm going to list below will make a lot of soup.  I made mine in a large stockpot.  It freezes and reheats well, so if you do want to make a lot of soup, you could freeze and reheat at a later time.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better, but not an entire ham)
3 pounds dried peas
3 32oz cartons of low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
2 large onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices of applewood smoked bacon
2 1lb bags of baby carrots
1 bunch of celery, diced
2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, diced into small even pieces
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1.  Rinse your peas and sort through, discarding of any rocks.  Dry peas.
2.  Fill your large stockpot with the chicken broth, water, dried peas, onions, garlic, ham & ham bone and bacon.  Simmer on low for about 2 hours, or until peas start to "split".
3.  Remove ham bone and cut remaining ham off bone.  Shred ham into small bite size pieces.  Set aside.
4.  Add potatoes, carrots and celery.  Cook another 2 hours, or until all veggies are soft and peas are completely split.
5.  With a stick blender, blend all veggies until everything is combined well.  There shouldn't be any large pieces of veggies.
6.  Add ham back to soup.  Add salt (or garlic salt) and pepper to taste.
7.  Serve warm :-)

Side Notes:
1.  Crisp up some fresh bacon, chop into small pieces and serve on top of the soup as a garnishment.
2.  Chop all your veggies ahead of time, so you're not scrambling to get them chopped when it's time to add them.
3.  This soup is easy, but time consuming.  Make it on a Sunday and package up small tupperwares full for lunch time.  Reheats well.

Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did.  It was so delicious, especially on a cold rainy day.  :-)