Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

It's that time of year where it's Pumpkin Everything.  I am someone who loves Pumpkin Everything.  I am drawn to the siren song of the Green Mermaid's Pumpkin Spice Latte.  And Pumpkin Scone.  And Pumpkin Bread.  I actually have a post with a recipe for Pumpkin Bread coming soon.  Then I came across a really easy recipe for Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt and I had to give it a try.  I made a couple changes because I thought it would be great to use thick and creamy Greek yogurt and I usually keep only plain on hand, the recipe calls for vanilla yogurt, so I adjusted to sweeten my yogurt.

I used plain Greek yogurt and added 2 tbl of brown sugar and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Whisk the yogurt and pumpkin puree together with the spices

Add to your machine and mix!

Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Frozen Yogurt

Adapted From Family Kitchen

1 cup Greek yogurt (make sure moisture is poured off)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla together until combined.  Then mix in the pumpkin and the spices.  At this point you could take a little taste to see if you like the sweetness.  With these measurements it’s still  a bit tart, add a little more sugar and taste again if you want.
Transfer the mixture into your ice cream maker and proceed to freeze according to your machines directions.
Once it’s done, I recommend transferring it to a container and placing in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
(In the last photo I added a cookie from Trader Joe’s that’s their version of the European Biscoff cookie, which I LOVE and it pairs really well with pumpkin!)

Roasted Vegetables with Polenta

I made this this weekend to go with the marinara sauce and pasta I was making for my daughter's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza.  It was really easy and turned out delicious.  My inspiration was from a recent recipe I read from Cook's Illustrated, Oven Dried Tomatoes.  I didn't dry the vegetables out, but I liked the idea of starting out with no added oil or moisture.  My natural inclination every time I start to roast something in the oven is to drizzle oil and salt over it.  So with this dish, I thought if they cook down and naturally caramelize a little, the flavors will concentrate. Then you can season them and and drizzle some olive oil or take them a step further and turn it into a sauce or just leaving them as is.  I would also suggest going to the farmers market, picking up a large amount of veggies and making a large batch.  It cooks down quite a bit, so it was fine for what I needed it for, but there wasn't any leftover.  I served this on the side where there was a choice of sauce with beef and sausage, a meatless sauce, pasta and polenta.

Oven Roasted Vegetables
I am giving you the amounts that I used when I made this, but as I mentioned, just get a bunch of veggies to make a large batch.

2 zucchini, first cut into round sliced and then the sliced cut in to quarters
4 large mushrooms
4 carrots (mine were fairly thin and short from my organic produce delivery)
4 roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges and the cut each of those in half
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced same as romas
1/2 red onion very thinly sliced
1 rib of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Olive or vegetable oil for drizzling
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 or 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp no-salt seasoning (like Mrs. Dash or 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's)
Salt and pepper to your own taste

Prepare/slice all the vegetables.  Using a large sheet pan with sides (I covered mine with foil to make clean up easier) spread out the vegetables with the crushed garlic, mix them around and season with Italian seasoning and no-salt seasoning.  Place in oven that has been pre-heated at 400 degrees.  Periodically check on them and use a spatula to mix them around some more.
When they are cooked down and the juices from the tomatoes is mostly gone, they are done, about 20 minutes.  You can then serve them as is or do what I did to make it sort of like a thick sauce-
Transfer to a medium pot over medium heat and season them more if you want, drizzle in the oil and mix in the tomato paste and water.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Uncooked veggies, toss them together on the pan with the seasonings and garlic

The finished dish!  I wish I would have plated some up to take a photo but there was no more time or sunlight!

I linked the polenta recipe I use above.  It's from Mark Bittman and it's very easy.  I love it and these veggies served on top of the polenta along with some marinara sauce and a little cheese is excellent.

Polenta Without Fear from Mark Bittman, New York Times

Ingredients

1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
2 cups water
Salt
1 cup coarse cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup or more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste, optional

Method
1. Bring milk to a boil with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and add a large pinch of salt. Adjust heat so liquid simmers. Add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking as you do to prevent lumps. When it has all been added, let mixture return to a boil, then turn heat to low. Polenta should be just barely simmering.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally and being sure to scrape sides and bottom of pan, for 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture is creamy and cornmeal tastes cooked. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in some water, about 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Taste and season polenta as necessary with salt and pepper. Take pan off stove, stir in the butter or oil and the cheese if you are using it, and serve, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

I love soups and next to baking, it's probably my favorite thing to cook.  Sometimes I daydream of having a simple cafe that just serves soups, a couple of choices of sandwiches and tasty cookies and cakes.  I just love how the house smells and feels when I have a pot of soup simmering.  But here's the thing; my darling and loving husband in a very Seinfeld-esque way does not feel that soup is a meal.  He does not dislike eating soup, but anytime I would make soup for dinner his response was- "And what else?" Just soup was not enough.  So I decided one day to make a soup that would be worthy of being a meal all by itself.  I did not go to the store to shop for the specific items for this soup and each time I make it, it's slightly different because I improvise with whatever is in the pantry or freezer.  Sometimes I have tortellini on hand, sometimes I just have some sort of shaped pasta.  The meatballs in the soup are something you could make and keep frozen some to have with pasta and sauce, some for making in a soup.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

For meatballs:
1 lb package ground turkey
2 tbl Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed garlic)
¼ c. bread crumbs (optional)
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
2 pinches of Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:  Add 1 lb of Italian sausage (either pork or turkey)

1.     Mix ground turkey (and sausage if using) with seasonings, bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. 
2.    Roll into 1 inch diameter balls and then place in shallow baking dish to bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (but check for doneness) or fry in batches on stove top if desired. 
3.    Set aside (can be made in one day in advance then refrigerated or make ahead and freeze for later use.)

For soup:
3     tablespoon olive oil
1     clove of garlic crushed or 2 tsp garlic powder
2     large carrots, diced
2     ribs of celery, diced
Small amount of diced sweet onion (about ¼ cup or less)
2     cups water
4     cups chicken broth
1     tablespoon dried vegetable soup mix
1     teaspoon kosher salt
2.5     cups assorted fresh or frozen vegetables- broccoli, baby carrots, cauliflower, cut corn, green beans (use whatever veggies you like)
1     can diced or crushed tomatoes (if diced, you can mash them yourself or leave as is)
1     16 oz package cheese tortellini
    Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions
1.    In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté olive oil, garlic, diced carrots, celery and onion.  Sauté until mixture is soft and starting to caramelize.

2.    Add water, chicken stock and vegetable soup mix.  Stir, then raise heat and bring to boil.

3.    Add assorted vegetables, tomatoes, salt and meatballs, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes but be sure to check on it and stir occasionally.

4.    Raise heat to medium, add tortellini and simmer until they float to top and expand, about 10 minutes.

5.    Serve and provide parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

I'm volunteering at my kids' school once a week teaching a cooking class as a part of their electives offering.  We've had 2 classes and so far, so good.  I've got tons of ideas and recipes, but just one hour each week so I have really had to challenge myself to narrow it down and choose activities that can be completed and cleaned up within that 1 hour.  The first class was all about going over some rules in the kitchen and talking about cooking terms and we made popcorn on the stove top, the "old fashioned" way.   The next class we made breakfast; pancakes, eggs and potatoes.  So this week I wanted to focus on making several no-cook snacks.  I want to share one of the snacks that I found, tested and will use this week.  No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.
 
There are actually quite a few egg-less cookie dough recipes floating around the Internets.  They're designed for cookie dough fiends or for putting in homemade ice cream.  The recipe I came across is vegan and designed to be healthier for you and gives an option for added protein by adding protein powder.  I thought it would be perfect for the students to make; easy, fun and healthy!  I adapted it to use ingredients I had on hand and I think it keeps it simple, but still delivers a tasty, healthy snack.  I think I might pack some for our next soccer tournament; it's a good little sweet treat between games that has some good carbs and protein for keeping your energy up.

Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips, mix together

Add the chocolate chips- I used mini ones, I liked smaller bits of chocolate in these.  See how the consistency of the dough is such that it really doesn't stick to the bowl?

YUM!  Creamy peanut butter, a little crunchy texture from the ground oats and chocolate!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.

Adapted From Loves Veggies and Yoga


Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter or any nut butter of your choice, it can be creamy or chunky (I used creamy)
3 tablespoons oat flour*
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 heaping tablespoons ground flax (optional, this is for some added fiber and Omega 3)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 handful mini chocolate chips (or 2 handfuls of regular sized chocolate chips)

Directions
Combine everything BUT the chocolate chips until well blended and smooth.  If it seems sticky or wet, gradually sprinkle in more flour, if it seems too dry or crumbling, drizzle in more honey.  It should easily pull off the sides of the bowl and the mixing spoon.  After it reaches the right consistency, mix in the chocolate chips.  Then take a small spoon and scoop some dough and form into a ball with your hands.  Place on a plate.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to firm up for about 20 minutes.
Keep stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or you can make several batches and store some in the freezer.  Frozen ones probably need a minute or two to soften when you want to eat one.

*Oat flour is just ground up old fashioned (not instant/quick) rolled oats.  I took about 1/2 a cup and pulsed it in my food processor until it was ground up.  It’s not a fine as flour, it’s got texture still, which is good.  If you don't want to bother, just play around with a combination of the regular oats and flour to make the dough the right consistency.

Chili Taco Casserole

 This is one of those homey, not fancy recipes that is filling and should please the kids too.  Just add a salad for your green veggies and you have a  meal. I came across this recipe that was a lower fat version of the original and I adapted it a little to make it what I think is even healthier. Apparently, the original or traditional version of this has a sour cream topping that you add toward the end of baking.  Super yummy I'm sure but having never had it that way, I don't know what I'm missing.  Besides, I just serve sour cream on the side.  The recipe also called for canned chili with beans and I never keep that on hand, but I always have beans and ground beef or turkey, plus the seasonings for chili, so I find it far easier to just put all that together when cooking the ground meat.  So for me, this is a meal I can pull from my pantry anytime.  It's also incredibly easy to just double this so you have plenty of leftovers if you want.  You can also skip the first part and use store bought chips, use baked ones to keep the fat and calories down.

Just stack a few tortillas together and slice into wedges.  My 12 year old helped me do this.

We had to try hard to not eat these before putting them into the casserole.

I browned the meat in a much larger pan and then just turned off the heat to mix everything together.

Chili Taco Casserole
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine


Recipe Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
12 corn tortillas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 tbl chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 clove crushed garlic
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (1 1/4 cups)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon grated onion (or dried minced onion will work)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Coat 2 baking sheets and a shallow 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Lightly brush each tortilla with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking. Let cool. (Alternative- use purchased baked corn tortilla chips)
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a skillet, brown hamburger and season with chili powder, cumin and crushed garlic.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Stir together hamburger, kidney and pinto beans, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, onions and 3/4 cup of the cheese in a large bowl. Add 4 cups of the tortilla crisps and stir to coat them with sauce. Turn into the prepared baking dish and bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 cups tortilla crisps. Bake for 5 minutes longer.
Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado on the side.

In Pursuit of a Breakfast Cookie

I’m always in pursuit of finding things my family will eat for a quick breakfast on the go.  Muffins and burritos are a standby; but I had it on my brain the other day to find a breakfast cookie that would have some healthy qualities for a good start to the day.  Especially on weekends when we are sometimes out the door very early to get to a soccer game.   I wanted something that will have some carbs for energy and some protein.  Kind of like having a slice of whole wheat toast with a little peanut butter, which is great before a game.  But not that, just for the sake of having variety, does that make sense?

The first thing I did was look at my friend Allison’s blog and her recipe for a breakfast cookie.  She does a great job of packing in all kinds of good stuff.  Problem is, I’ve got picky eaters who have already snubbed homemade granola bars or muffins with too much stuff like nuts or dried fruit.  I looked at oatmeal cookie recipes because I knew they love those and so I thought maybe I would just add a few things to increase the bulk of an oatmeal cookie.  Then I also looked at another breakfast cookie recipe and decided to mainly use that, but consider the base of an oatmeal cookie and the health qualities of Allison’s cookie.

The results are pretty good as far as taste is concerned and there’s room for improvement and making variations to increase nutritional qualities.  And I suppose it's not exactly a cookie, the texture is much more like the top of a muffin.  But that’s the best part of a muffin anyway, right?  I actually started with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda and then I looked at the batter and was nervous it would all run together, so I added more flour and another ½ teaspoon of baking soda.  So I think that gives it a cake-like texture.  If my peanut butter jar wasn't close to empty, I would have added some and if I had people who liked nuts in things I would have added chopped nuts.  I could probably add raisins and they would like them and one of my kids would have loved it with mini chocolate chips.  What I like is the slight banana flavor with the molasses and the oats give it a crunch.  There’s lots of room to be creative and experiment.  The bottom line for me is that although it’s still got quite a bit of sugar (which I think could be reduced), I tried to boost it’s nutritional value with some more protein, fiber and iron.  I can use this as a benchmark to continue to improve it from here.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Adapted from All Recipes
Makes about 24 depending on the size of your scoop

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. sugar
1 very ripe banana
1/4 c. molasses
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 heaping tablespoons ground flax
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, oil and sugar until incorporated.  Then add banana, molasses, eggs and vanilla, mix well and then add the ground flax and almond milk and mix together at medium speed until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the flours, oats, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.  Combine the flours with the sugar mixture in portions, mixing with each addition just until there are no pockets of flour.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet leaving ample space between each as it spreads while baking.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just browned on the edges and not wet in the center.

After they cool, wrap each individual cookie to store in the fridge or freezer.  It takes just 8-10 seconds to heat one in the microwave, maybe a few more seconds if it is frozen.  You could even try warming it in the toaster oven which would make it a little crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.

What I Did this Summer

I had all the intentions of keeping up with the blog all summer. I posted before the July 4th holiday and after that our summer just flew by and I hardly had the chance to sit and write. I thought I would share some photos of things I made this summer and a few links and with kids back at school I'm slowly getting back to it.

Fried Chicken and Waffles





Strawberries!







Filipino Buko (coconut) pie







Made Filipino egg rolls (lumpia) with my oldest







Fabulous Strawberry Pie!







And a sparkling chocolate cake for my birthday girl!







Here's a few links I've come across and wanted to pass along-

A few iPhone apps that are useful for being organized for back to school.

A muffin recipe and back to school lunch and snack ideas from The Meal Makeover Moms

Because my life has become increasingly busy managing 2 kids in school and a new baby, I'm working on some ideas for changing how I cook and manage my kitchen and trying new recipes. I will try to get back to my weekly posts soon. I swear. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone