One Pot Peanut Thai - 21 Day Fix Approved!

This is so easy.  Prep first by cutting up veggies and smashing garlic.  Slice up some fresh ginger and get some tofu cubes baking in the oven or use some diced up chicken from leftovers!  This makes 3 servings.  One Green One Yellow One Red and 2 Tsp

3 Green containers of veggies

4 Garlic cloves smashed

1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2" piece of ginger, sliced up

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Yellows of rice noodles (eyeball this)
3-4 Cups water or veggie broth

3 Reds of tofu or chicken or a combo of both 

Juice of 1 lime

Cilantro

Throw everything listed above (except the last three items) and let simmer until the noodles and veg are soft.  Toss with the bottom three ingredients and you're done!

I simply typed this recipe out so I could find it easily.  It was originally posted on this wonderful blog found here:  http://www.hendersonfitness.com/julies-blog

Thanks Julie!!

Best Cornbread Ever

You'll bookmark this one...

1 Cup cornmeal
3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Teaspoon salt

2/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/3 Cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons honey (tip: put a smear of vegetable oil in the tablespoon first so the honey all comes out)
4 eggs beaten
2 1/2 Cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Use your largest mixing bowl and mix the dry (top half) of the ingredients.  Then pour in the wet (bottom half) of the ingredients.  Pour it all in your baking dish and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  It should be golden brown on top and just starting to crack a bit.

All I can say is you're welcome.

We found the original recipe here.

Red Curry Lentils and Veg

I love lentils.  I love curry.  I love veggies.  I love cheap dinners.

When I saw the recipe that inspired us to make the following recipe, I thought, "I love ginger, I love garlic, I love coconut milk, I love rice, I love lentils, I love that I can add anything I want to this recipe - Let's make it!"

We made it as follows, but you can do whatever you like to it to make it something special.
The recipe that inspired us can be found by clicking here.

Photo from the original recipe found on apinchofyum.com.

1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
1/2 large onion diced (we used vidalia)
1 yellow zucchini cut into bite size pieces
bamboo shoots (this was something we added and LOVED - used just 1/2 can of them)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar (I would have liked a teeny bit more of this)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (we used one clove)
1 tablespoon of minced ginger (Whenever we buy ginger, we shave the peel off and cut into inch size chunks and freeze them in a freezer bag.  It keeps well and is much easier to grate when frozen!)
1 14 oz can tomato puree
1/4 cup coconut milk or cream (we used coconut milk and I would definitely not be scared to use more than 1/4 cup next time)
Cilantro for garnishing
rice for serving

So you will want to prepare your lentils first and drain them and set to the side.
Get all of the rest of the ingredients lined up and begin to melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat.
Add the onions and allow them to saute for a while until they just start to turn golden.
Add all the spices.  (red curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, sugar, garlic, minced ginger)  Stir fry this together for a few minutes and then add tomato puree and coconut milk or cream.  Stir and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or more if you'd like.  I stuck to 15 minutes because I like it a little soupy so it will soak into my rice a little.
Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

A few other veggies that would be great in this would be peas or roasted red peppers. Even sauteed carrots!  Fun to experiment.  I will continue to update this entry as we make the recipe again and again.

Avocado Sorbet

A wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

Thank you Jennifer Dixon!

You will need a blender, and either a microplane or a tiny grater for zesting a lemon.

Ingredients:

1 ripe large avocado (I used 2 small ones)

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup almond milk or soy milk (original recipe called for 1/2 and 1/2 - but it's too fatty)

2 tsp lemon zest 

1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice (which is roughly two lemons)

Throw it all in a blender and mix until smooth consistency.  You can either pour into an ice cube tray, a plastic tupperware or even popsicle molds!  

Great served with fresh raspberries, strawberries or any fruit of your choice!

This also makes a great smoothie as you can use yogurt instead of milk and drink without freezing.

Love it!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a GREAT soup that makes a large portion that can be warmed up for a few days.  It's even better on day #2!  You can make your own egg noodles or simply buy them at the store.

*Gluten Free Option:  Use rice noodles and use gluten free soy sauce.

 Do you have both of these?

If you DO - then you can make the egg noodles for the soup yourself!  I love making my noodles fresh. I think it makes a big difference.  If you're looking for a great pasta roller that easily attaches to your counter-top when you need it CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ONE.

Follow the recipe for making your egg noodles by CLICKING HERE.

If you DO NOT, you could also purchase your favorite egg noodles from your local grocery store and use them in the following recipe: (original recipe was found in the White Grass Flavor Cookbook)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion diced (about 2 cups)

1/2 medium cabbage, sliced very thin

2 stalks celery, diced  (or more because it's yummy)

3 carrots, diced (we used more than 3 because we love carrots)

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin (we used the whole thing)

1 tsp salt

2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless) rinsed

8 cups water (we did 10-12 cups for more broth)

1/2 lb fresh greens:  Kale, swiss chard, spinach or collards, cut into strips (we use spinach - so great!)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp sesame oil

8 oz. egg noodles (we used about 1 lb)

hot chili sauce, optional (Sriracha is the best)

Chop all vegetables and keep separate.

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add oil.

Cook onions 2 minutes then add cabbage.  Cook additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add celery, carrots, garlic and peppers, cook 5 minutes.

Add water, salt and chicken thighs.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer 30 minutes on low. 

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.  Separate fatty parts of the chicken so you don't get any icky bites while eating your soup.  Break meat into bite size pieces and return to the soup.

Add greens to broth.  Then season soup with soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil.  

If you're using store-bought noodles, add them now and simmer until they are cooked, about ten minutes.

If you're using homemade noodles, boil them separately and strain.  Put noodles in your bowl and top with soup.

This is where you add the sriracha - to your bowl.  I also add a little salt to my bowl too.  

Basic Egg Pasta Dough - KitchenAid Mixer style

This recipe is from The Complete KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cookbook and makes about a pound of pasta.

You will need a KitchenAid Mixer for the following instructions:

3 eggs
2 Tablespoons Water
1 Tablespoon EVOO
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour

Attach flat beater to stand mixer; beat eggs, water and oil in mixer bowl at low speed to combine.  In three separate additions, add flour to make dough that clumps together.  Stop mixer and press a few tablespoons of dough into small ball; dough should feel tacky, moist and pliable.  If too wet, beat in flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.  If too dry, beat in water, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Gather dough into a ball.

Replace beater with dough hook.  Knead on low 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Shape dough into ball and wrap in plastic wrap; let rest at room temperature 20 minutes or refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut dough into quarters.  Flatten one piece of dough; dust with flour.  Re-wrap remaining pieces to prevent drying out while you flatten the dough.

Using your pasta roller flatten out the dough to desired thickness and then roll through desired dough cutter to create your noodles!

If you don't have a pasta roller you can roll the dough our very thinly and cut desired strips.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

This literally takes about 15 minutes to put together and less than 30 minutes to "set". 

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 bag large marshmallows (10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons, divided
• 6 cups crisped rice cereal
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or if you're like me, you'll just use the whole bag)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter

Lightly grease (I just rub butter all over the inside) a 9-inch x 13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until melted. Remove from the heat, add the peanut butter and stir well. Add the cereal and stir until well combined. Carefully press into the pan with wax paper or buttered fingers.

Mix together the chocolate chips and 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter and melt (easiest in one of those glass measuring cups in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted). Pour the chocolate over the crisped rice treats and spread evenly. Let sit until the chocolate is set (I place the dish in the refrigerator - it's faster!). Cut and serve.

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

Must be prepared the night before serving!!!

5 pounds boiled and mashed potatoes
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Cup 1/2 & 1/2
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of black pepper
1/3 Cup butter, softened

Grease crock pot or spray with cooking spray.
Add all ingredients together in a separate bow and mash up well.
Put into crock pot.
Refrigerate overnight.
Cook on low for 2 hours.

Mama Dolly's Chicken and Rice Soup

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

This one is great any time of year - but if you're feeling under the weather it will really make you feel better!

Chicken:  6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs with fat trimmed OR 4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tblsp EVOO
1 stalk celery chopped 1/2 inch or more if desired (I use about 3 stalks - I like my soup with a lot of veggies)
2 cups baby carrots or 2 cups chopped 1/2 inch or more if desired (I use about 3+ large carrots)
1 medium onion chopped
Tarragon (I put in a lot of this - I feel it really adds a lot of flavor and depth to the soup)  Suggestion: 2 tsp.
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Sriracha (to taste)  OPTIONAL
minute rice uncooked OPTIONAL
homemade dumplings (for recipe click here)  OPTIONAL
Salt and Pepper

In dutch oven or medium to large soup pot with cover, combine EVOO, celery, carrots, and onion; saute until beginning to get soft.
Add chicken, tarragon, salt and pepper.  Cover with water. 
Cook on medium heat for 1 hour or 1 and 1/2 hours or until chicken is done and veggies are semi-soft. Remove from heat and add either homemade dumplings or 2 cups of minute rice (uncooked). If you add the rice here - cover until rice is done and add salt and pepper again to taste and move to the final step.  If you add the dumplings here - you're ready for the final step.

FINAL STEP:
Add juice from the two lemons.

I like to add Sriracha to my soup - but do what you like!

Michelle's Homemade Dumplings

These are great to add to soup or have as a side dish.

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

1 1/3 C flour
1/2 C milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Your choice of bouillon or stock

Boil water in large saucepan with your choice of flavor (you can use chicken bouillon, beef bouillon or, veggie stock.)
Mix together dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Then add milk and egg.  When mixing together, slowly add a little more flour until the dough isn't sticking to the bowl.  Break apart pieces from your big ball of dumpling dough and drop them into your boiling bouillon water.  It's best to roll each piece into a ball so you have nice bite size dumplings.  Michelle's grandmother liked them big.  I found that they about double in size once they are boiled in the water. 

Boil uncovered for 10 minutes and covered for 5 minutes.  

Wendy's Beef Stroganoff

This came from my mother, Wendy Hayden Sellers.  It's a recipe from the 70's; probably not the healthiest.  For a Healthier Beef Straganoff Recipe click here.

You'll need a casserole dish.  Any will do - I use one that looks like this:

Ingredients:

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of celery soup

1/2 packet of Lipton Onion Soup

1 package of stew meat (sometimes needs to be cut into smaller pieces)

1 package of egg noodles or grandma's noodles (found in freezer section)

(or make your own noodles)

Mix together all three soups and stew meat into a casserole dish.  Cover the casserole dish with its cover or tin foil.  Bake for 2 hours on 350 degrees.

Following package directions, cook noodles.  Serve stew meat over noodles. 

(Roasted Green Chile) Corn Chowder

This is a recipe that I have come up with from several influences.  Sally Nelson started it all with the recipe card that called for "um onion".  I just guessed and put an onion in the soup.  I finally asked her about it and it was to say 1 m onion (1 medium onion).  I also took some direction on this recipe from Tyler Florence.  You can find his original recipe HERE.  Living in Colorado has brought me a love of green chilies in the fall and to add some spice to everything!  We watch them roast the green chilies on Federal Blvd, we bring them home, freeze portions of them and throw them in a meal at least once a week until we run out.  I hope you enjoy your corn chowder whether you choose to use green chilies or not.

1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium red onion roughly chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups water
3 bouillon cubes
(or you could use 6 cups of chicken stock)
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
3 or 4 medium size potatoes diced to bite size pieces
4 carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced up (including the leaves)
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn

The following is optional:
6 green chilies roughly chopped
1 Serrano pepper

Optional toppings:
shredded cheese
cilantro

Heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the onions are soft (about 7-8 min).  Sprinkle the flour over top and mix well. Pour in the water and add bouillon cubes (or add your chicken stock).  Bring to a boil.  Add milk, potatoes, carrots, celery, green chilies, and serrano pepper.  Bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes until the potatoes break down.  (This helps to thicken the soup and give it good texture.)
Add all three cans of corn.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer 10-12 minutes.  I drizzle a little olive oil at this point as well.  Ladle into your bowl and top with shredded cheese and cilantro if you're into it.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time.  A go-to in this house.
You can use any ingredient you normally enjoy on pizza.

3 Cups of grated or raw zucchini
OR
3 Cups cooked spaghetti squash *this is what we always use
2 eggs beaten
2 1/2 Cups mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 Cups tomato sauce *we just use can of diced tomatoes sometimes -don't drain the juice!
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced black olives (we use whole black olives!)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried  (or fresh!) basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
OPTIONAL:  1 lb browned Italian Sausage or other meat you enjoy on your pizza

1.  Cook spaghetti squash:  we cut it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds etc, place meat faced up in a glass 9 x 13 pan that has 1 inch of water in the bottom.  Microwave for 6 minutes. With a hot pad, turn them over to be face down for another 5 minutes.  Scrape the spaghetti squash strands out into a bowl and let cool.

 2.  Squeeze the excess moisture out of the grated zucchini or cooked spaghetti squash with cheese cloth or paper towels.  Mix the squash, eggs, and 1 1/2 Cups mozzarella together in a large bowl and press into the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
3.  Remove the pan from the oven and spread the tomato sauce (or canned tomatoes), vegetables or other pizza toppings and the remaining cheeses over the crust.  Sprinkle with oregano and basil and drizzle the olive oil over the top.  Bake for 25 minutes (also at 350 degrees) or until cheese is lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes.

Original recipe that we found:  Click Here

Massaged Kale Salad

Lemon Avocado Massaged Kale Salad

This is dairy, soy, gluten free, vegan, and raw... if you're interested.

I had one bite of a salad while spending the afternoon with my friend, Aly in Boulder.  One bite.  I was hooked on this "massaged kale salad".  I don't know their recipe and haven't spent any time analyzing it myself, so I just googled it.  I found one that sounded simple enough to make so I did.  It was SOOO YUMMY!  Do it... if you like the list of ingredients!  While we enjoyed it at the dinner table we talked about all the other options we could do to twist the recipe.  I can't wait to have this again.

2 Avocados - peeled, pitted, divided
juice of 2 Lemons
2 Large bunches of Kale, stems and ribs removed

Slice avocados in half lengthwise, set one half of one avocado aside.  Remove the remaining three avocado halves from their peels, place in blender (we just used immersion blender).  Juice two lemons into blender, process until creamy smooth.
Remove stems/ribs from each kale leaf, roll tightly and chiffonade.
Place in large bowl and pour lemon avocado sauce over top, use hands to massage, coating thoroughly.  Serve with reserved avocado (sliced) and tomato.  Add sea salt to taste.

Lucky Stew in the slow-cooker

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes.

This recipe is from our friend, Michelle. She notes in the cookbook that they stole this recipe from Rick Bayless. You can find the original recipe here. They say that it's their go-to recipe when they want to throw something in the crock pot. They usually double it since it is always better the next day.

I re-named this recipe Lucky Stew because I was offered a job the day I made it and now I get to work with Michelle who contributed this recipe! 

I can't believe how simple this was to prepare.  I cut up the onion, tomatillos, and potatoes the night before and threw it together in the morning before work.  It was so nice to have such a savory meal to come home to. Thanks Michelle and Jeff!

Morning photo:

1 Medium yellow or white onion, sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thick

4 Medium (about 1 lb) of potatoes (we used red) sliced about 1/4 inch thick

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1.5 lbs or 2 lb if bone-in)

1 cup cilantro leaves (yes, 1 cup - but it doesn't end up tasting too "cilantro-y" at all) we used a whole "bunch"

8 - 12 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos 

2 tablespoons pickling juice from the jalapenos

Spread layers of the ingredients in the slow cooker as follows, sprinkling generously with salt after each layer:  onion, potatoes, chicken thighs, cilantro, tomatillos.  Rick notes that this is the only salt in the dish, so be sure to add enough.  I sprinkled each layer as though I were just eating that.

Scatter the jalapenos over everything, then drizzle on the pickling juice.

Cover the slow cooker on high for 6 hours.  If your slow cooker is awesome like Michelle's and automatically turns to low after the timer goes off, know that it can sit on warm for another 4 hours or so before the chicken starts to overcook. 

Also: When serving, make sure to get a bunch of the awesome juice/sauce that accumulates on the bottom of the slow cooker.  If you want, you can boil this down a bit to make it even richer and thicken it a bit.  Serve as is, or on top of rice, tortilla chips, or with tortilla shells.

Evening photo:

Fresh From the Farm Dill Spread

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes.

This recipe came from my pal Katie Olson!  We both grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where you can find Dill Spread almost anywhere - even at Subway!  One night after enjoying a few adult beverages we convinced ourselves that we would one day have our own dill farm and grow enough dill to make LOTS of dill spread that we could sell to Delis in the Denver area.  There are so many of us Iowans out here that you would think that could actually work - we need to get to farming!

I just made a batch tonight but cut it down to a quarter of this recipe since I know I can't consume that much before it goes bad.  I can't wait to have it on a sandwich this week!  Enjoy!

2 Cups mayonnaise (I used light mayo)
2 Cups sour cream
4 Tablespoons parsley
4 Tablespoons of minced onion
4 teaspoons celery salt
4 teaspoons dill weed

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, minced onion, celery salt and dill weed.  Chill.

Presentation option:
1 loaf sour dough bread
1 large oval or round dill bread

Presentation option:
Cut off the top of the round bread, reserve for lid.  Scoop our inside of oval or round bread, leaving 1 inch of bread.  Leave bread out overnight to dry.  Cut sour dough loaf into 1 inch cubes.  When ready to serve, pile dip into bread shell.  Surround with bread cubes to dip.

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes.

My cousin, Audrey Fay submitted this recipe.  You will need to have a cast-iron skillet for this one.  Two things that would be helpful to have on hand are tongs and one of those juicer things - not the machine, but the one you can use by hand.

It sounds simple when you read the title, but when you make it and then sit down and bite into it - you will be amazed and probably add it to your favorite dinner recipes. Enjoy!

3/4 lb small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large (I used three medium sized ones and quartered them)

Kosher salt

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons leaves

2 cloves garlic, smashed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed - but reserve the halves!)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 skin-on, bone-in, chicken thighs (6 to 8 oz. each) (we accidentally bought skinless, boneless and it was delicious all the same)

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved

Preheat the oven to 450.  Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife.  Transfer the paste to a bowl.  Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil.  Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet, place chicken over mushrooms and potatoes and drizzle with any marinade remaining in the bowl and the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Grey Poupon Classic Chicken Dijon

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes.

My cousins and I used to love saying "Please pass the Grey Poupon" in British accents when we were little in the 80's.  This recipe was submitted by my cousin Johnny's wife, Brittney.  Thank you Brittney!

This is a SUPER simple recipe and pretty healthy too.  It is now one of our go-to recipes if we have chicken breasts on hand. The second time we made this, we threw whatever veggies we had in our veggie drawer in the refrigerator on top of the chicken to bake along with it.  It included yellow peppers, broccoli, and onions.  I recommend it!

2 Tbsp. Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp.garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix mustard, water, and seasonings.  Place chicken in shallow pan; brush with mustard mixture.  Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is done. (165 degrees)

Quinoa & Black Beans

Primarily Vegan - this is my new addiction.  It's great hot or cold.  It's great with a fried egg on top.  It's great with some chopped tomatoes and mixed greens.  It's just great... and hearty!

I got this recipe by doing a google search for quinoa side dishes and then added and subtracted ingredients until I made it my own.

Before beginning to cook this dish prepare the following:
chop the garlic and onion
roast red peppers and dice (really easy in a toaster oven- For instructions click here.)
rinse 2 cans of black beans
wash and chop kale

What you will need:
3 Cloves of garlic; minced
1 Onion chopped - I used a Vidalia onion
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Cup Quinoa
3 1/2 Cup vegetable or chicken broth (I used water since I didn't have this - and it is still great!)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper
a bunch of kale chopped and cleaned
1-2 red peppers roasted and diced (sauteed is fine too - but the peppers seem sweeter when roasted)
2 15 oz cans of black beans rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup of chopped up cilantro

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook until they are slightly browned.  While they are cooking, rinse the quinoa.  Add quinoa to the pan and stir together with garlic and onions.  Cover with vegetable broth and add cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.  Bring this to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  Top with kale and put a lid on in order for the kale to wilt down.  Add rinsed black beans and diced roasted red peppers.  Stir and allow to heat up for a few minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Toss with cilantro!

I made this for dinner as a side dish to our Roasted Red Pepper Soup that you can find below as the last recipe added to the blog.  We served both of these with shrimp we grilled on skewers with a Jamaican spice blend.  A great summer dinner!  In the morning I warmed some up and served it with a fried egg on top and a dash of Chalula.  So much you can do with this.  I hope you enjoy.

Elway's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Red Peppers were on sale at the store, so I grabbed four of them and headed home to find a good red pepper soup recipe.  This is the one I found.  We tried it just last night and I learned that it had to have been born in yum-town.  Thank you Elway's for sharing your recipe - you can find the original link HERE!

-You'll need a good stock pot and immersion blender or a stand up blender works as well - you just have to blend it in rounds. (if you don't have an immersion blender - I recommend getting one - they're great for making soups!)

Elway’s Roasted Red Pepper Soup

4 red bell peppers

5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 onions

3 large carrots, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

6 cups water

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or as desired *(I didn't have that so I used Sherry cooking wine [2 Tablespoons] and White Wine Vinegar [1 Tablespoon].

1. Heat the broiler. Core the bell peppers and place them, skin-side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Broil the peppers until they are well-charred but not burnt, 3 to 5 minutes depending on the heat of the broiler.

2. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Meanwhile, peel the onions and halve them lengthwise. Coat the onions with 1 tablespoon canola oil and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Grill the onions on all sides until well-charred. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then trim off the root end and coarsely chop the onions.

3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and stir around the pot for a minute to soften, then add the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt and one-half teaspoon of pepper, along with the garlic. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are softened slightly and the garlic is aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Add the water and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, loosely cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes.

5. Blend the soup using an immersion blender, or in batches using a stand blender, and strain. Add the sherry vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. This makes a generous 2 quarts soup.