52 Recipes | Crockpot Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bowls

Cold, winter days are some of my favorite days for setting up the slow cooker. Something about the soft smell of slowly cooking meat and aromatics is so warming. Plus, I feel like most slow cooker meals are so filling as well. Perfect for winter!

Today's recipe is a mix of a couple recipes to make something new. I was really craving fajitas but we didn't have all of the ingredients and I didn't feel like putting all of the necessary work of making them. So, instead, I cooked it all in the slow cooker and then served it over a warm fluffy bowl of quinoa.

Recipe:
I adapted a Woman's Day recipe for Cuban-style Braised Steak and Peppers for this one.

ingredients

• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion 
• 2 red peppers 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp cumin 
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 
• kosher salt and pepper 
• 1 lb. chicken

directions

1. Slice onions and peppers, mince garlic. Stir the tomatoes and juices, onion, peppers, garlic and apple cider vinegar into the slow cooker. 
2. Slice the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Place the chicken among the vegetables and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high, depending on your slow cooker.

Adjustments:
According to package directions, I cooked up enough quinoa for our family. Into each bowl, I spooned in some quinoa and then served the chicken and peppers over top. The kids got a little bit of cheese and sour cream. I ate it as is.

Results and Thoughts:
This was a really tasty and easy weeknight fajita option. We will be making this again, regularly.

Roasted Mushroom Broth

The idea of making mushroom broth came up while I was looking for great, and nutritious, vegetable broth recipes. Vegetable broth was one of the things allowed on my cleanse and boxed is bland and gross. While I was looking I found a ton of mushroom broth recommendations. After during my research, I decided to make my own mushroom broth instead of vegetable broth and I am so glad I did.

Why mushrooms?

Well, because they’re delicious, and they are a great meat alternative. They relatively high in protein, by weight and contain a ton of vitamins and minerals! As a result, mushroom broth is a great alternative for healing your gut, boosting your immune system and remineralizing your body. It was an easy choice for me for adding to the cleanse I was doing gearing for doing all of those things!

Even when not on a cleanse, mushroom broth is a rich, hearty option for soups and grains, and any dish that you would use regular broths/stocks. I decided to roast my mushrooms to kick up the natural flavors just a bit since I would be drinking it as is. Also, using a variety of mushrooms (shiitake, reishi, cremini, etc) will provide a more complex flavor, but I am a fan of using what you have on hand or is easily accessible for making broths. For me that meant, mostly cremini mushrooms plus some ginger, oregano, and turmeric that are staples in my kitchen.

Roasted Mushroom Broth
ingredients

• 1.5 pound mixed mushrooms, 
• 1 yellow onion, skin on and halved crosswise 
• 3 cloves garlic smashed 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3 quarts cold water 
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped 
• 1 tbsp sea salt, plus more to taste

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. While oven is coming to temperature chop mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces and half the onion.
2. Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the onion halves into the mushrooms, sprinkle the smashed garlic over, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15-20 minutes. 
3. Add the remaining olive oil to a heavy stockpot and heat until shimmering. Add the grated carrot, turmeric, oregano and ginger. 
4. Remove the sheet from the oven and drop the roasted mushrooms and onions into the pot with the carrot and seasonings mixture.
5. Pour in the broth and bring it all to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue simmering, covered, for about 30 minutes.
6. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, add additional salt, if needed. Then use a wide-mouthed funnel to pour it into two 1-quart jars, sealing the lids tightly. 

From here you can cook with the broth right away, or store it. It will last about 5 days in the fridge and approximately 6 months in the freezer. Just make sure to leave head room in a glass jar prior to freezing. 

52 Recipes | No. 3 Meatball Sliders

Moving on to recipe three of my 52 recipes project for 2018. Today it is meatball sliders. This is a recipe I hodgepodged together from a bunch of different things that I've seen on the Internet. We've all seen those Tasty and BuzzFeed Food videos that are popular on social media right now. And those recipes using sweet Hawaiian rolls. All of those were what got me thinking about making sliders to begin with. Then I went searching for a recipe that I thought we might like but nothing really called me so here is what I did.

Pistachio Project Grain Free Meatballs with diced onion and grated carrot

Recipe:
12 2oz. meatballs
Slider buns or Sweet Hawaiian style rolls
Provolone cheese
Pasta sauce
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Open the buns and lightly toast both sides under the broiler. While the buns are toasting, warm the meatballs and pasta sauce in a saucepan. Remove the buns, and a loos to cool for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350*F. Place bottom buns in a casserole dish, and layer provolone slices on top. Then spoon a meatball and some sauce onto each bun. Cover with the top buns. Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese together and drizzle over the top of the buns. Cover with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes making sure the top buns don't burn. Serve while warm!

Adjustments and Thoughts:
This is another recipe where I use the Pistachio Project meatballs. I love Britney's recipe and we use it for all different kinds of meals around here so they are always on hand.  Sometimes, I hide veggies in them like bell peppers or carrot. If I know I am going to be making sliders later in the week, I will prepare larger meatballs by adding in a little bit more meat and veggies and roll out 12 meatballs instead of 16. They end up being closer to 2oz instead of the 1oz ones from the recipe. Than I cook them for 25 minutes. You can use whatever meatballs you like though.

Most recipes for sliders I saw called for shredded mozzarella over meatballs and sauce on top of an untested bun/roll. Instead of ending up with a soggy mess, I decided to toast my buns then layer on sliced provolone then add the meatball with sauce. I feel like this allows for a more solid slider. The cheese acts as a little bit of a moisture barrier and things are a lot less soggy.

Like I mentioned above, because I use the meatball recipe that we like, I tend to have the meatballs already made and so it's an easy meal to throw together on a busy night. Also, this is something that my husband and the toddler both love. Most nights, we serve them alongside a nice big salad and it's a complete dinner.

52 Recipes | No. 2 Slow Cooker Chicken Chickpea Curry

​
Hey everyone today I'm here with my second 52 recipes post. Today we are talking curry chickpeas and chicken or chicken curry with chickpeas. I don't quite remember what the original title of the recipe was. This came from the Woman's Day Slow Cooker Classics magazine that I got from my grandmother for Christmas. We've made this recipe a handful times already and we've done it a couple different ways. I'll talk about that below.

Recipe:
As mentioned above, the recipe was from a Woman's Day recipe edition. You can find the recipe online here. I serve it over jasmine rice instead of the plain white rice listed in the recipe.

Adjustments:
So the first time we made this the only change the name made it was substituting almond milk for coconut milk. I am pretty allergic to most forms of coconut so anytime we make curries or Thai food we make that substitute. It's a little thinner but the flavor is very similar. The other ingredient change is using chili powder instead of cayenne because of the little palates in our house.

The second time we made this recipe, we used chicken that had been made in the crockpot separately when I made a big batch of bone broth. I sautéd the vegetables and spices. Then added in the almond milk and other fluids. Lastly, I added in the chicken and let it simmer for a little bit.

Results and Thoughts:
This recipe is definitely the jumping off point for a new family favorite. The toddler eats a large portion and Berkeley and I have seconds. Both ways we cook it are fairly quick and easy for such a flavorful and filling meal.

52 Recipes | No. 1 Faux-bondigas Soup

How is it already the end of February? I feel like 2018 has already been the fastest year. I think I say this every year but man it sure has flown by this time around. Today I'm sharing the first of my 52 recipes in 2018. And if you want to learn more about this project you can check out my previous post here.

Like I mentioned in that previous post, I have a list of ideas and recipes that I am using as a jumping off point. Since I will be using other people's recipes, I decided when it comes to sharing in this space, I will either link to a website where the recipe can be found, or sum up the ingredients and process if it's not my own. I'll also be sharing any adjustments I made, as well as my thoughts on the recipe. I also have created #amakEats52 and an Instagram stories highlight for this project. The order in which they're in my stories on Instagram will be the order in which I post them here on the blog to make things easier. Lastly, Instagram will probably be more up to date than the blog. If you look right now, there are four or five dishes shown. Today I am sharing my faux Albondigas recipe and then I think next week I will be sharing both the curried chickpeas and the meatball sliders recipes.

So now that we have the more administrative stuff taking care of, on to the recipe. This started out as a cleaning out the fridge type of situation. We had a little bit of ground beef left over from a different recipe and I used one of Pistachio Project's meatball recipes. We didn't have a full pound of ground beef so they ended up a bit smaller than a normal meatball. With all the other stuff I was trying to use up, I decided Albondigas soup was on the menu.

Soup is so hard to photograph!

If you're not familiar with Albondigas soup it is really simply just Mexican meatballs in soup base made with broth and onions and garlic and tomatoes with a ton of vegetables added in. This is very much a comfort meal and, as such, there are so many different ways people make it. Most recipes use carrots, potatoes, green beans, and zucchini. I was just using what we had on hand (our pantry and fridge staples) thats why I am jokingly calling this faux-albondigas or fauxbondigas.

Recipe:
12-16 small meatballs (again, I used this recipe)
1 sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes
4 c. broth
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

First, I sautéed all the vegetables about 5 minutes, then added in the garlic and spices and sautéed for another 1-2 minutes. Next, add the stewed tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the pre made meatballs. Lastly, simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender and the meatballs are warmed through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Results and Thoughts:
Given that this was a "flying by the seat of my pants" recipe, and my first time making Albondigas soup, I think it turned out okay. More importantly, it was toddler approved which is a big deal and makes this recipe something we will make again.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

For me, one of the best things about having a toddler is that he now has the ability to keep himself occupied for longer periods of time which allows me to play in the kitchen more often. Granted, a lot of times him keeping himself busy includes emptying kitchen cupboards or devising a plan to get up on to the counters, but that is a story for a different day. During one of our more recent "kitchen play days" I decided to satiate my peanut butter and chocolate craving with some cookies!

If ever there was a "healthy cookie" these would be it. On my quest to make cookies, I discovered we had very little flour, sugar, and butter. All of which are pretty standard to a typical cookie. Since we live a good distance from our grocery store now, I made do with what I had. Enter in a plan for some flour free, egg free, peanut butter cookies.

So I talked about what these cookies don't have, but lets talk about what they do have. For these, I turned to old fashioned peanut butter and oats! I have a mixture of rolled oats, and oats ground into a flour. I chose this mixture to achieve more of a cookie texture as opposed to a no bake bar.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
ingredients

• 1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 2 large eggs 
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if desired) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Place 1/2 cup of oats in food processor and pulse until just barely ground. 
2. In small bowl mix together the ground oats, remaining rolled oats and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a larger bowl mix peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. 
4. Mix in dry ingredients and then gently fold in chocolate chips. 
5. Roll dough into 2 inch balls. Place onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart. The cookies may not be as round in shape or flatten to a typical cookie shape while baking but that's okay. 
6. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. Gently, flatten the tops of the cookies with a fork. They may look slightly underdone but will continue cooking as they cool. 
7. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

Cranberry Orange Wheat Scones

I have been on a baking kick lately. I don't know what it is but I really enjoy the measuring and mixing of all the different ingredients. The science nerd in me even likes doing the calculations and adjustments for altitude. I also like experimenting with different flavors and trying to making our favorite sugary treats into something more healthy.

This past weekend, I decided to take on scones! While the flavor combination is pretty standard, Cranberry and Orange, I did look for ways to tweak an old recipe so that they are a bit healthier. For me, that meant adding in whole wheat flour, using greek yogurt, and switching the sweetener. Usually, I would try to swap the butter out for something else but cold butter is essential in creating the little pockets of air that makes a scone what it is.

Next up is the fruit going in these scones. It isn't exactly cranberry weather in these parts, despite the frigid temperatures and snow on the ground, so instead of fresh cranberries which would be best, I used some I had in the freezer. A lot of people like chopping their cranberries up, I keep mine whole. I find they do not affect even baking and I love the burst of tart cranberry juice. Lastly, do not skip on the orange zest here. It is where most of your orange flavor is going to come from.

All that is left to do is mix it all up, bake it and enjoy. All three of us enjoyed these for breakfast. They aren't as sweet as a typical scone but if that is something you are looking for, you could easily sprinkle the top with sugar or make an orange and confectioners sugar glaze to drizzle over top.

Cranberry Orange Wheat Scones
ingredients

• 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 Tbs orange zest
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 Tbs chilled butter
• 1 c fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 c greek yogurt
• 1 Tbs fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 egg

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder and baking soda. 
3. Use a pastry blender (or the two knives method) to cut the butter into pea sized pieces. Combine with flour mixture. 
4. Stir in cranberries. Optional: You can roughly chop up the cranberries before adding.
5. In separate small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice, and egg, then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. 
6. Turn dough out onto a work surface. "Knead" 3 or 4 times. This may be difficult as the dough will be crumbly. 
7. Form into a circle roughly 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 10-12 wedges. 
8. Transfer onto a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. 

Avocado Cauliflower Rice

One of the meals we really like is at home Chipotle style burritos. It is quick, fairly simple meal but I started to notice that the flour tortilla paired with a sizable helping of rice started leaving me a little bloated. Back in October 2014, I made the switch to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet (you can read more here), in which I try to avoid eating foods that cause an inflammatory response in my body and bloating is a sign of inflammation.

Since moving away to our rural mountain town, staying on track has been a little harder. When one of our favorite meals starts triggering the things we are trying to avoid, I immediately went on the hunt for an alternative to keep this quick meal option in the regular rotation. This is when I started entertaining the idea of cauliflower rice!

Today I wanted to share the recipe for the rice we use in our Chipotle style burritos. I love using cauliflower rice with avocado and lime, especially on nights we choose to go vegetarian with our burritos. Not only does it add more veggies as a whole, it adds avocado which is a huge plus for this former California girl. The avocado in turn add texture and another layer of flavor! It takes our burritos to a whole new level!

Not only is the avocado lime rice great mixed in, it is also delicious by itself and Tiny Krueger thoroughly approved. The first time I made this recipe, Berkeley was on a work trip and I had a serving leftover. The next day I piled the rice onto some corn tortilla chips and it was amazing! Just as a side note, depending on the color of your avocado, the color of the rice can vary from really green like the rice in my burrito above to more yellowish like the photo below.

Avocado Lime Cauliflower Rice
ingredients

• 2 - 3 cups cauliflower rice 
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 medium ripe avocados 
• 2 Tbsp lime juice 
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more) 
• 1 small clove garlic, minced 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil slightly smokes, add the onions, and stir to coat. Continue to cook onion until they are golden brown at the edges and have softened, about 8 minutes. 
2. Add the cauliflower and stir. Add salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the cauliflower has softened about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Mash avocados in a large mixing bowl (I leave mine a little chunkier). Stir in lime juice, cumin and garlic, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in warm cooked rice and serve.

Tiny Krueger's First Birthday Cake {Sugar Free Banana Oat Cake}

Starting back when I first got pregnant (side note: I can't believe it has almost been two since we found out) we've been trying to limit the amount of refined sugar we consume. Naturally, when it came time to think about cake options for Teddy's first birthday (because what is a birthday without cake?) I wanted something healthier and without a ton of sugar. I also knew that he probably would not eat most of it so I didn't want to spend too much money on a cake or the ingredients and chose to experiment with what we had on hand like bananas, and homemade puree.

The result is this banana oat cake sweetened with apple and pear puree (No sugar added applesauce could easily be used instead of puree). To finish it off, I slathered the cake with a cream cheese frosting. TinyKrueger loved it! He ate more of it than I ever would have expected. I will say that the frosting is a little tart from the cream cheese but our little guy is also a big fan of tart and sour flavors like pickles, lemon, sauerkraut, onions, etc. He liked it so much that I made it twice. Once for his actual birthday as a small layer cake, (top photo) and once for his party as a single layered cake (second photo). 

Banana Oat Cake

ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas 
• 1/4 cup apple or pear puree 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup oat flour (grind rolled oats in blender, then measure)
• 1/4 whole oats 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

for the frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup pear puree 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• cinnamon (optional)

directions

1. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl. Add in the applesauce, oil, and vanilla to the bananas. 
2. In a separate large bowl, mix the flours, baking soda, and cinnamon together. 
3. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture slowly. Mix just until incorporated. 
4. Coat a 9" cake pan with oil. Spread the batter into the bottom of the pan. 
5. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. 
6. Cool the cakes. Use a small bowl or a biscuit cutter to make 3 small rounds. 
7. Soften the cream cheese then whisk with the puree and vanilla extract (and optional cinnamon) until smooth. 
8. Stack the smaller cake rounds with a layer of frosting in between and then frost the entire outside of the cake. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Danish Braid

One thing about living in the woods, is that there isn't easy access to a bakery to quickly grab a donut or breakfast pastry to complement a hot mug of coffee when the mood strikes. When we were in Flagstaff, we were lucky in that we never lived more than a 5 minute drive away from such deliciousness! Now that we don't have that luxury, we have to do a little more planning by either picking what mornings we get an extra sweet treat or by making our own pastries at home.

Today I am sharing how we make quick pastries at home! The hardest part of this is the dough. If you are ambitious you can make danish pastry dough at home beforehand and keep it in the freezer or you can sub in pre made crescent roll or croissant dough instead. I've done both and I love it both ways. Our go to filling is a peanut butter and jelly swirl but this could easily be made more traditional with a cream cheese filling or even as a savory danish with cheddar cheese, eggs, and breakfast meats. Hmm... I may have to share my hearty savory danish next!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Danish Braid
ingredients

• Danish pastry dough - I like this recipe but pre made crescent roll dough could be used
• All natural crunchy peanut butter
• raspberry preserves
• egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

directions

1. Roll out enough dough to make a 12x6 inch rectangle (one tube of crescent rolls or half of the pastry recipe linked above) onto a lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400*F
2. Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter down the center of the dough. Add a thin layer of preserves.  Then take a butter knife and swirl the peanut butter and jelly together. 
3. Cut slanting strips about an inch wide along both sides. Fold the bottom ends up to seal the filling in. Bring the strips along the side across the filling, crossing the strips in the middle. alternating from the left side and right side. Optionally, you can give the strip a little twist as you cross it over the center. After you finish your "braid" allow it to rest 10-15 minutes while the oven heats and you prepare your egg wash. 
4. Beat together 1 Tbsp milk and egg. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. 
5. Bake braid for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. If your oven has hot spots, be sure to rotate the pan so that your braid is browned evenly. 
6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then cut and serve! 

BBQ Bacon Dog Totchos

The summer before starting this blog I worked at a 1950's style hot dog and ice cream joint! The dogs were steamed all beef franks and the ice cream was hand scooped with loved. One of my favorite weekly specials was our BBQ Bacon Cheese Dog! It was so good that I often try to recreate the flavors at home. When Influenster tasked me with create a unique nacho recipe using some OreIda tots, for some reason all I could think about was using the ingredients for my beloved BBQ Bacon Cheese Dogs.

Some grilled dogs, crispy bacon, gooey cheese, salty OreIda Tater Tots, and a drizzle of BBQ makes up an awesome platter of Totchos! I prefer the OreIda brand Tots to other brands because the flavor is perfect. It is the best balance of crispy, salty goodness on the outside and soft potato-y inside.

This Totchos recipe was an instant hit around here! It is super simple and a quick weeknight dinner idea. The first night we ate these was during a hockey game while enjoying beers. It is for sure to be a great dish for the upcoming "Big Bowl Game"!

BBQ Bacon Dog Totchos
ingredients

• 4 hot dog franks (I prefer all beef)
• 6 strips bacon
• 1 pkg OreIda TaterTots
• 16 oz pkg shredded cheddar cheese
• BBQ sauce
• 1 medium onion
• sour cream (optional for serving)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 425*F and prepare the Tater Tots according to the package directions. 
2. While the tots are cooking pan fry and crumble the bacon, then set aside. Cut franks into half inch chunks or "half moons" and brown. Set aside. 
3. Once tater tots are finished cooking, arrange half in the bottom of a oven safe dish. Layer on half of the meats and onion, and then 3/4 c. cheese. Drizzle with BBQ sauce. Repeat saving 1/2 c. of cheese. 
4. Return the oven and bake for another few minutes until the cheese is melted. 
5. Remove from the oven sprinkle on remaining cheese and serve! Garnish with optional sour cream if desired. 

Mushroom Whole Wheat Lasagna

We are big fans of lasagna over here. So when Inflenster and Ragu tasked me with creating a recipe using Ragu pasta sauce lasagna was an easy choice. For this lasagna, I chose to use mushrooms and bell peppers instead of ground meat. I am really happy with how this turned out. I don't normally use jarred sauce but with the baby I am always looking for ways to make things easier right now. The Ragu really helped speed things up as well as adding great flavored sauce!

Mushroom Whole Wheat Lasagna
ingredients

• 1 box whole wheat lasagna
• 1 jar Ragu 
• olive oil
• 24oz white mushrooms, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 24oz small curd cottage cheese
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp parsley
• shredded mozzarella
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil. 
2.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Let mushrooms cook until soft. Stir in sauce, salt, and pepper. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.
4. To assemble, spread a little of the mushroom and pasta sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on the noodles. Top with a layer of mozzarella. Add mushroom sauce mixture over the mozzarella. 
5. Repeat the layering two more times. End with a large helping of mushroom sauce and a "layer" of Parmesan. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Pickled! Red Onions

Lately I have been craving the sweet and tangy flavors of a good pickle. Not just pickled cucumbers either, but real pickled vegetables! It is so weird because, unlike the typical cliche, they never even came to mind during pregnancy and now they are all I want to snack on. One downside of living in the mountains is that pickles are expensive. The same goes for most groceries but pickles are a few things that are really ridiculous!

So today is the first of a series of posts on pickles. We are starting with one of my favorites: Pickled Red Onions. They are so easy and so delicious! A note before we continue is that I am not canning/jarring these for storage. These are all "refrigerator" pickles for consumption within a week or two. I don't boil the jars or intentionally seal them after filling but I do sterilize beforehand since most of my jars are recycled.

Pickled Red Onion
ingredients

• 1 med red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 c. water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• peppercorns (optional)
• coriander seed (optional)

directions

1. Slice onions thinly. Place onions and garlic into the jar. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, turn off the heat. 
3. Pour hot brine over the onions and loosely screw on the lid. Leave out to cool. Once jar is cool enough to handle. Tightly screw on the lid and store in the fridge. Once cool, enjoy!

No Bake "Energy Bites"

If you ask people to think of a common "side effect" of pregnancy I am sure that answers relating to increased appetite would be the most popular. That wasn't the case for me. I was really apathetic towards food. I ate healthy and made sure I was getting enough for me and the baby but I wasn't particularly ravenous or craving crazy meals while pregnant. Now that the baby is here and I am nursing it is a completely different story.

The newborn stage is a rough stage, especially for a nursing mother. Not only is the baby dependent on you for all of his/her sustenance, you are getting up several times throughout the night and you are always "on call". For me, I was left feeling exhausted, hungry, and craving all the sweets! Add in a husband currently living four hours away and I was starting to feel a little crazy. 

This is where these little nuggets come into place. I can grab a few "bites" and sit down to nurse. I can satiate my sweet tooth and urge to snack all at once. I will admit this idea isn't novel or unique. Everyone has a recipe for energy/protein balls/bites. After a few hours of going through recipes, I couldn't find one that fit everything I wanted in an easy snack and utilized on hand ingredients so I came up with my own recipe. This one uses almond butter and unsalted butter, and leaves out the coconut. 

No Bake Almond Butter "Energy Bites"

ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup of almond butter (mine was a little "dry" since I used homemade so I did 1/3c almond butter and 1/4c unsalted butter. If you use store bought nut butter you don't need the unsalted butter)
• 1/4 c of mini chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp honey 
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds

directions

1. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. 
2. Chill the mixture for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. 
3. Form the chilled "dough" into 1-inch balls. 
4. Store in an air tight container in the fridge. 

Homemade Almond Butter

What happens when the local grocery store switches bulk bin distributors and changes up their entire bulk section? A person might end up with a couple pounds of ridiculously cheap almonds. And what to do with all those almonds? Well, this person chose to use some of those almonds to make almond butter! The process is simple and really only requires one ingredient. Once you've got it down there are any number of ways to make any flavors you want. For me, I prefer oven roasted with sea salt! However, honey, cinnamon, and ginger are all great choices for add-ins.

Oven Roasted Almond Butter
ingredients

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 2 tsp sea salt

directions

1. Spread almonds in a single layer onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes in a 350* oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
2. Once cooled, place almonds into food processor. Blend on high for several minutes occasionally stopping to scrape down the sides. 
3. Continue to blend until the almonds are the consistency of play dough. This is when you add in the salt and any other flavorings you want. 
4. Blend for just a few more minutes until the butter comes together. 

Slow Cooker Curried Lentils and Chicken

For some reason, pregnancy has left me completely apathetic to cooking and food. I have little desire to spend any time thinking about what I want for dinner, let alone actually being in kitchen. I haven't even really had cravings! It is pretty sad, really. Every now and then, I get a small wisp of something that could be craving and I find the easiest way to satiate the need. That is how I whipped up these curried lentils.

As a side note, I used ingredients that were more in line with my dietary restrictions and what I had at home. Culturally, coconut milk is used in curry dishes, instead I used almond milk as I am allergic to coconut. I also cut out the white potatoes I would normally used and subbed in carrots and kale which I had on hand. Lastly, Berkeley and I like spice so we use a lot of curry powder.

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils
• 1 lbs carrots, washed and sliced into pieces 
• 3 stalks kale, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped 
• 1 Tbsp yellow curry powder plus more
• 1 tsp ginger 
• kosher salt and black pepper 
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
• 2 cups almond milk
• Approx. 1 3/4 lbs chicken (I used breasts and thighs)
• sour cream or plain yogurt

directions:

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the lentils, carrots, kale, onion, garlic, curry powder, ginger, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the broth and almond milk. 
2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Add to slow cooker. Cover and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. 
3. Fifteen minutes before serving, shred the meat; return it to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine, adding more water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Serve topped with the sour cream or yogurt.

Easy Fish Tacos

Berkeley and I love a good fish taco! And these really hit the spot. I have always been a little nervous to try my own hand at making them but I decided to jump in.

We grabbed some Pacific Whiting/Hake from the grocery store (it's cheap and sustainable!), marinated it, cooked it up, and added it to corn tortillas. We dressed ours with broccoli slaw, a cream sauce, and tomatillo salsa. They were great tacos. These are now in the rotation for a quick week night meal!

Easy Fish Tacos
ingredients

• 1 lb white fish
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper
• corn tortillas
• garnishes

directions

1. Mix oil, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin. Pour over fish and marinate 20-30 minutes.
2. Add oil to cover the bottom of a large pan and heat to medium. Gently place fish into hot pan flesh side down. Cooking times depend on your fish type but usually only takes 4-6 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then flake.
3. Heat tortillas and then build your tacos with dressings and garnishes.

Kale Apple Berry Smoothie

Summertime means breakfast smoothies around here. Last year, I kicked it up by adding kefir to the mix. This year, I am doing kale. I know, I know. Everyone is all about kale right now. I added it to my morning smoothie to get some extra vitamins. I have noticed some impacts of vitamin deficiency recently so in the kale goes to help combat some of that. This particular smoothie is pretty heavy on the kale.

Kale Apple Berry Smoothie
ingredients

• leaves from 2 stalks of kale
• 1 half Granny Smith apple
• 1 half nectarine
• 5 strawberries
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup or more water

directions

1. Throw it all in the blender and go at it until smooth. I like mine a little thicker so a little more liquid maybe needed to get it to desired consistency. Pour and enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup

I know spring has sprung over most of the country but our mild winter seems to drag on. In fact, it snowed just the other night at the ski resort and was below freezing here in town. As a result, we are still craving warm, filling meals. Whether it be lunch or dinner, this soup is great for warming up on a cold winter day. This is another one of those "throw it together" recipes.  For this soup, I use the vegetables and noodles I have on hand. Essentially, anything you prefer will do!

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup
ingredients

• 1 lbs sweet italian sausage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups broth
• 12 oz frozen vegetable mix (mine had peas, lima beans, carrots, corn, okra, and potato)
• 14 oz can great northern beans, drained
• 1 cup dry pasta

directions

1. In a stockpot or Dutch Oven, brown sausage with minced garlic over medium heat. Stir in broth and vegetables. Reduce heat, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. 
2. Stir in beans and noodles. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes or until noodles are tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and serve. 

Egg Chorizo Breakfast Skillet

In a time where everyone is all about Paleo this, Whole Foods that, and any number of other diets, we are still all about home cooking like our grandmas'. Simply put we will probably never be on those diets. Berkeley enjoys sugar, meat, gluten, fats, and diary just too much to have anything other than those things. This breakfast/brunch is a definite indicator of that! 

It is a fairy simple meal and can be made for one or for many depending on the size of your skillet. Just cook your meat, add your hash browns, and then add and cook the eggs. The result is a fluffy gooey egg surrounded by crispy potatoes and spicy chorizo.  The soft yolk mixes with a oils from the chorizo to make a great sauce to bring it all together. You could even go a step further and smother the skillet in cheese before serving!

Egg Chorizo Breakfast Skillet

makes 3-4 servings
ingredients

• 1/2 lb beef chorizo, casting removed
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cups of shredded hash browns
• salt and pepper
• butter/oil (optional)
• shredded cheese (optional)

directions

1. In a medium to large skillet, cook chorizo over medium heat until firmed up and browned. 
2. Stir hash browns and diced onion into the chorizo and drippings. Oil or butter may be needed if your chorizo is lean. Cook the hash brown mixture uncovered for approximately 10 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Turn potato mixture. 
3. Make 3 or 4 evenly spaced wells and break an egg in each. Sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper. 
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until the egg is set. Optionally, sprinkle with cheese and let sit until cheese is melted.