Mini Zucchini Polenta Pizzas

It’s summer time, and my garden is over-flowing with zucchini.  I’ve been giving them away, and made a zucchini bread recipe, however, wanted to try something new, healthy and simple.  Here is what I came up with: mini zucchini polenta pizzas.  There are only 4 ingredients and it only takes about 15 minutes to make!

Ingredients:
Polenta roll (I used Trader Joes organic polenta)
Zucchini (sliced round)
Shredded cheese (I used cheddar, though you can use mozzarella or another cheese of your choice)
Marinara sauce

Step 1:  Slice polenta into rounds and place on greased cookie sheet (I used pam cooking spray)

 

Step 2:  Spread marinara sauce on each polenta round.

 

Step 3:  Place sliced zucchini rounds.

 

Step 4:  Add shredded cheese.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Step 5:  Serve warm and enjoy!  😀

Edible Art

Penne w/ mushroom meat sauce, shredded cheddar and garden fresh radishes, carrots and green pepper. Edible art! 😀

Christmas Tree Cheese

I love Christmas time and I love sweet treats, but sometimes when December comes around, it feels like I’m swimming in sugary, sweet overload!  Therefore, I made a really easy, savory snack that you can bring to a Christmas party that’s still festive, fun and tasty.  Kids will love these too.

All you need are cheese sticks (I used colby jack, cheddar and string cheese), pepperoni sticks and toothpicks.  Cut and assemble together to make into a Christmas tree (I used two toothpicks per tree).  Place a decorative star or tree topper to complete.

Merry cheesy Christmas!  😀

Saturday Morning Pancakes

“Mickey Mouse” Pancakes

Buttermilk pancake mix
Bananas
Strawberries
Blueberries
Maple Syrup
Peanut butter (optional)

😀

Chicken Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms w/ Peppers, Onions, Spinach

Chicken sausage stuffed portobello mushrooms w/ peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes and spinach on a fresh bed of arugula.

Ingredients:
portobello mushrooms
diced chicken sausage (fully cooked chicken & apple sausage)
sweet peppers (diced)
white onion (diced)
cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
minced garlic
spinach
olive oil
italian seasoning
fresh arugula
sprinkle of shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms.  Dice stems to add to stuffing mixture below.
3. Add olive oil to baking pan.  Place mushrooms cap side down in a baking pan. Brush olive oil on mushrooms.
4. In a saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat.
5. Add onions, peppers, mushroom stems and diced chicken sausage to saucepan.  Heat for several minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Once the onions become translucent, add italian seasoning, minced garlic, cherry tomatoes and spinach.
7. Scoop stuffing mixture inside each portobello mushroom.
8. Lightly sprinkle shredded cheese on top.  Place in oven and heat for approximately 10 minutes.
9. Serve warm on a fresh bed of arugula.  Enjoy!  😀

Toddler Spinach Smoothie

If you are looking for a way to get your toddler to eat spinach, here’s something that works for us! My son loves to eat peas, sweet potatoes, corn, roasted carrots, mini peppers, celery and edamame. However, I haven’t had much luck in the broccoli and spinach department, so I came up with this smoothie recipe and it was a hit!

Ingredients:
Banana
Spinach
Plain Greek yogurt (can omit if you are dairy-free)
Peanut butter (can also sub almond butter)
Almond milk (unsweetened)

Add a banana, handful of spinach, a large spoonful of Greek yogurt, a large spoonful of peanut butter, and unsweetened almond milk. Blend together until smooth and enjoy!  🙂

Mini Apple Pear Pies

I love eating pies, however, once a nice big pie is fresh out of the oven, the wholeness of it becomes destroyed by the slice of a knife. Therefore, sometimes I opt instead to make mini pies. They are super easy to make and you can experiment with various flavors, fillings and top crust designs all in one baking batch!

For this recipe, you will need a food processor, cupcake pan, rolling pin, knife (or pizza cutter), large saucepan, measuring cups and measuring spoons.

Pie crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup almond meal
1 cup unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 tsp. lemon juice (mixed into water)
toasted almonds (optional)

Filling:
One apple (finely diced)
One pear (finely diced)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla bourbon
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 egg

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients (flour, almond meal and salt). Manually pulse about 3-5 times until dry ingredients are blended together.
• Slowly add in ice water, while pulsing an additional 5-7 times. The mixture will look crumbly, however, should stick together when formed into a ball.
• Remove dough from food processor and form into a large ball on a clean surface.
• Use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough.
• Let dough set, while preparing the filling.
• In a large saucepan, heat approximately 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat.
• Add diced apples and pears, stirring constantly, ensuring that the the fruit is being coated in butter.
• Add brown sugar and white sugar.  Continue stirring.  Add more butter, if necessary in order to keep the fruit moist.
• In a large bowl combine butter-coated fruit from saucepan.  Add cinnamon and vanilla bourbon.
• Add cornstarch to create a thickened consistency.

• Focus your attention now back to the dough.
• In a cupcake pan, grease each individual pan with butter. Evenly disperse and place mini balls of dough into each individual pan. Leave 1/4 of the dough behind for the non-lattice top crust.
• Using your thumb and fingers, flatten each mini ball into the shape of a pie crust.

• Add pie filling to each mini pie.
• With leftover dough, create lattice (or in my case, non-lattice) top crusts.  Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut out strips of dough. I accidentally ran out of dough, so I also used toasted almonds as a top crust alternative to a few of the pies.
• Sprinkle some sugar on top of each pie then use an egg wash (aka a whisked egg) to seal each top crust.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until the edges of each pie looks golden brown.

• Remove from heat and serve immediately with whip cream!  Or save and reheat for a later time.  🙂

Summer Smoothie

Ingredients
Strawberries (1/3 part)
Mangoes (1/3 part)
Bananas (1/3 part or 1 banana)
Almond Milk (3 splashes)
Passion Guava Juice (2 splashes)
Chocolate Hemp Protein (1 tbsp.)
Blend and garnish with a Rainer Cherry on top!

Happy Summer!  🙂

Spring Chicken Vegetable Soup (immune strengthening)

It’s one of the worst things to feel “under the weather” on a nice sunny, spring day. However, it’s important to listen to your body when the sniffles start to rise, which usually indicates that an adjustment is needed. Instead of dousing your system with over-the-counter medications that just mask symptoms and push them deeper inside, it’s important to take a look at what’s been happening in your life externally and internally (i.e. stress, non-healthy diet, over-worked, surrounded by others who are contagious, hygiene practices, etc.) that may indicate that restoration is needed. Here’s a simple cleansing recipe that will soothe, strengthen and warm your soul.

Ingredients:
boneless chicken thighs (chopped)
organic vegetable broth (low sodium)
carrots (diced)
celery (chopped)
red potatoes (diced)
shallots (minced)
garlic (minced)
olive oil
oregano
thyme
rosemary
cilantro
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot on medium heat.
2. Saute minced garlic and shallots for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally (do not burn).
3. Add chopped chicken breasts. Stir and coat in oil.
4. Add oregano, thyme, rosemary and black pepper. Stir occasionally. Cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for approximately 7-10 minutes or until the chicken is browned (but not all the way cooked).
5. Add diced potatoes and carrots. Increase heat to medium and stir for approximately 5 minutes.
6. Finally, add chopped celery. Simmer for approximately 3-5 minutes.
7. Add 1 quart of vegetable broth (I used the low sodium Pacific Organic brand).  I know this is not the authentic way to make chicken soup, but sometimes time is of the essence!
8. Increase heat to medium-high/high to allow the soup to boil. Once the soup reaches boiling, reduce heat back down to simmer (medium/medium-low).
9. Add salt to taste.
10. Garnish with cilantro.
11. Serve hot and let your system be cleansed and nourished!

Click here for another immune strengthening soup recipe.

Chicken Enchilasagna

Here’s a fun and tasty recipe that’s guaranteed to be a party-pleaser.  I guess you could call it a Mexican spin on an Italian classic.

Ingredients
boneless chicken breast (1 lb)
corn tortillas
three-cheese blend
roasted corn
black beans (1 can, drained)
red bell pepper (chopped)
tomato sauce (1 can)
white onion (chopped)
garlic (1 bulb)
chili powder
oregano
cumin
garlic powder
olive oil
vegetable oil
flour
brown sugar
salt
tortilla chips (optional for garnish)

The chicken..

• In a large stock pot, heat approximately 1 tbsp. olive oil on medium heat.
• Add garlic cloves and chopped white onions.
• Add approximately 1 tbsp. of chili powder and oregano.
• Slowly saute onions, garlic and spices together (stirring frequently).
• Add boneless chicken, fully coating chicken with oil and spices. Lightly brown, then add 4 cups of water.
• Cover and boil for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.
• Remove chicken from broth and pull apart with two forks. Set aside.

The enchilada sauce..

• Heat approximately 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil on medium heat.
• Add approximately 3 tbsp. of chili powder and 1 tbsp. each of cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.
• Stir together to create the flavor base for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add one can of tomato sauce. Stir on low to medium heat.
• Add 1 tbsp. of brown sugar and salt.
• Add sprinkles of flour to create a smooth consistency.
• You want the sauce to taste sweet with a hint of spice.
• Keep stirring on low to medium heat (you don’t want the sauce to burn).

The casserole…

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a 9 x 14 baking pan or casserole dish, coat bottom of pan with a layer of enchilada sauce.
• Take the remaining sauce, and mix it with the pulled chicken in a large bowl. Make sure the chicken is fully coated with sauce.
• Cut corn tortillas in half. Layer the halves on top of the sauce in pan.
• Add one package of roasted corn, one can of black beans and a layer of chicken.
• Add another layer of tortilla halves, enchilada sauce and chicken.
• Add chopped red bell peppers and a layer of cheese (3 cheese grated blend).
• Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes, slice and serve! Also stores well for leftovers the next day.
• Optional: garnish with tortilla chips around the border and call it good.