Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

I was going to start out by saying that sweet potatoes might be one of my favorite foods, but then that would not do justice to watermelon (which is my #1 fav food), popcorn, avocados, or really anything else that I say is one of my favorite foods.  I really think I like most foods...not too picky, I really just love it all, especially when it is on sale at the grocery store...I think that is really determines my new favorite food....hence this time it is sweet potatoes.  While this is an odd combo of food, it is actually very delicious and oh so simple to prepare, so versatile and great for you with a wonderful and well, sweet taste!

Serves 2

Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

1 C. Broccoli chopped to the size you desire...I made mine bite size
1 medium Sweet Potato
1/4 t. Lemon Pepper
1/4 C. Slivered Almonds
Butter to grease pan

Melt butter in a pan on medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, place the broccoli in the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is tender but still retains a crunch.

While the broccoli is cooking, prepare your sweet potato.  Wash, make small slices through the sweet potato and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper.  Microwave for 5-7 minutes or until tender depending on the size of the potato and the power of your microwave.  (If you have more time to cook your sweet potato, you can of course boil your sweet potato in a pot on your stove, but it will take more than the 5-7 minutes in the microwave.)

Once the sweet potato is cooked, remove, peel, and slice into 1/2 inch cubes.

Once the broccoli is crispy/tender, add the lemon pepper.  Stir to coat thoroughly.

Add the slivered almonds and cubed sweet potatoes.  Stir, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes to combine flavors.

Serve and enjoy!

Easy and Quick Mac n Cheese with Broccoli and White Beans

As always, I am looking for ways to eat more vegetables.  However, if you have not noticed, I do love by breads and carbs, including a good does of the wonderful mac n cheese.  But as you can see, slight problem with that dish...no good for you fiber or veggies (especially if you use boxed mac n cheese that do not come with the whole grain pasta).  So, I slightly fixed that problem with this delicious and very easy recipe.

This idea sprang up when I had gotten home from rock climbing and was super hungry and knew I needed something healthy as well as a healthy lunch for work the next day.  This was the perfect mix to replace the nutrients and food that I had lost while climbing.  It also made enough for multiple servings and is even delicious cold out of the refrigerator or heated up later.

Easy and Quick Mac n Cheese with Broccoli and White Beans

1 box of your favorite Mac n Cheese (I used Aunt Annie's White Shells and Cheddar)
1 Can of White Beans
1 C. Fresh Broccoli cut into pieces
1/4 C. Water
1/4 t. Lemon Pepper

Prepare your Mac n Cheese according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, add the Fresh Broccoli, can of White Beans, Lemon Pepper and Water.
Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally.

Once the Mac n Cheese is prepared according to package directions, add the Broccoli/Bean mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into a bowl or your favorite dish and enjoy!

P.S. Next time I make this, I will ditch the Mac n Cheese box and just used some whole wheat pasta.  The mixture of beans, broccoli and spices made enough flavor where you do not need the cheesy flavor of the processed Mac n Cheese.  When the beans break down slightly when you cook them with the broccoli, they create a slightly creamy mixture that suffices for the cheesy part of the Mac n Cheese.  If you do want the added benefits of the cheese with the calcium and protein, you could add a bit of Parmesan cheese after the pasta broccoli mix has been put into the bowl.

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers were on sale the other day, so what did I do, buy far too many to eat by themselves, in sushi, or in a traditional salad, so I was of course forced to find another way to enjoy so many cucumbers.  What better way that with some spices and seasonings!

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

1 Cucumber Sliced

1/2 C. Seasoned Rice Vinegar

2 T. Water

1/2 T. Sugar

1/2 T. Soy Sauce

1 t. sesame oil (I used regular cooking oil that I had laying around the kitchen)

1 T. sesame seeds (I did not have any, so obviously I did not use them)

2 Fresh Chili peppers or anything else spicy that you would like to add to the mixture (optional)

In a pie pan, combine Rice Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil.  Mix thoroughly.

In the pie pan, add sliced cucumbers and toss until the cucumbers are thoroughly coated with the mixture.  Add the fresh chili peppers.  Refridgerate for 1 hour to let the spices soak into the cucumbers.  Remove from the refridgerator.  Add the Sesame Seeds and toss to evenly coat.

Enjoy!

Inspiration courtesy of:  http://www.cookingwithk.net/2011/06/spicy-asian-cucumbers-salad.html

Chai Tea Cookies

I love chai tea, so what could be better than adding it to cookies...well, not much, considering these were super delicious and super healthy...especially by a cookie standard!  (My dog even agreed that they were delicious...he might have stolen one!)  Any ways, these were baked on a night of deliciousness and craftiness (chai cookies, beer bread and button bracelets).

Chai Tea Cookies

2 3/4 C. Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
3/4 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Applesauce
1 Egg
1/2 t. Vanilla extract
4 T. Chai Concentrate (I used the Tazo Chai tea concentrate that you can get at Starbucks seeing as I work there)
1/4 t. Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Drop about 1 1/2 T. of cookie batter on pre-greased cookie sheet about 1-2 inches apart.

Cook for 7-10 minutes or until cookies are lightly brown.

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.  Enjoy!

P.S. Your cookie will come out slightly crunchier and most likely browner than mine because I used all applesauce instead of the applesauce/butter mixture that is recommended.  If you use all applesauce they will come out more like round pieces of bread (though still very delicious, but not as cookie like).

Quick and Easy Granola Bars

It is such a lovely day outside, I almost feel guilty sitting here at noon typing on my computer, but I did just get finished with the Incline in Colorado Springs (check out this site if you have no idea what I am talking about... http://www.manitouincline.com/).  

Afterwards, I managed to eat my last homemade granola bar, so I figured what better way to relax than to cook up some more to use for the next few weeks on the incline...my goal is once per week.  I am not sure what my time was today (my watch is broken as is my cell phone), but last week it was 48 minutes, and this week I 'ran' some of the sections.  Needless to say, I was a bit hungry and now attempting to rest a bit.  So, here goes on the granola bars...the batter tasted amazingly delicious, and the bars tasted even better! (Yes, I had a granola bar after the incline, and one while cooking...you can't expect me to post something without actually trying it can you?!?!

And while I am at it, my dog is in a sleeping dog photo contest that goes until the end of March, 2012...please vote for him!  You know he is absolutely adorable!
http://gazette.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=51777&s=18313640

Quick and Easy Granola Bars

3 C. Rolled Oats
1/4 C. Flax Seeds
1/2 C. Honey (bit more if you like things sweeter)
1/2 C. Protein Powder of your choice
1 1/2 C. Powdered Milk (or soy powder if you are going dairy free)
1 T. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 t. Ground Ginger
1 Egg
1 T. Lemon Juice in a half cup measuring cup filled the rest of the way with water (or 1/2 C. of your favorite juice)
1 C. mix of Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Raisins and Craisins (or any mix you desire)
1/2 C. Applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly.  If the mixture is too runny, add more oats until almost the texture of cookie dough.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan and pour in batter.  Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before enjoying!

After the bars have completely cooled, you can cut them up in squares freeze them.  Just separate the squares with wax paper, aluminum foil and then place in a freezable container to later be removed and enjoyed in the future!  Even if you don't plan on freezing them, I would probably store them in the fridge just to be on the safe side...food poisoning kinda ruins playing outside...just sayin'

Inspiration courtesy of: http://www.ehow.com/how_4470045_energy-barseasy-healthy-homemade.html

Baked Glazed Carrots

It has been a few cold and snowy days, but that has not curbed my enthusiasm for eating more veggies every day.  The cold weather does mean that I want most of my food hot so I don't freeze myself more that I already do, so I am discovering more ways to prepare my veggies to make them more appetizing in the winter.  Roasting just about any vegetable in a little oven has become one of my new favorite ways to cook vegetables.  It is so easy and quick.  All you do is cut the vegetable, season it with a bit of oil and spices and then toast in the oven until desired crispiness has been achieved.  Through this experimentation with the little oven, I have found some of my new favorite ways to cook carrots (and get rid my usual overabundance of carrots besides feeding them to my dear basset hound who thinks all carrots are for him)...by putting spices on them and then roasting them in my little oven!  What better way to describe them other than mmmmm, delicious!  And one of the best things, there are so many spices you can flavor them with, you could go on for days with the many spices available.

Baked Glazed Carrots

1/4 pound Carrots (baby or the big ones)

1/8 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1/8 C. Honey

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cut up your carrots in your favorite way...sliced, cubed, roll cut...you decide.  I roll cut mine to get a lot of surface area while still having a chunky carrot.

Cook carrots for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

While carrots are cooking in the oven, prepare the honey vinegar glaze.  Combine the honey and vinegar and stir until thoroughly mixed.  If you need to, microwave the mixture for 10 seconds to soften the honey.  Set aside.

Once the carrots have cooked, remove from the oven.  Brush the honey vinegar glaze over the carrots ensuring a complete covering of the carrots with the glaze.

Return the carrots to the oven for 3-5 minutes for the glaze to soak into the carrots.

Remove the glazed carrots from the oven, let cool slightly (they are partially covered in sugar) and enjoy!

Inspiration courtesy of: http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2010/09/grilled-glazed-carrots.html

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic Aioli Sauce

Sorry I have not written anything delicious in a while.  It is just that the weather in Colorado has been so nice lately I have been trying to spend all of my free time outside.  And, seeing as I have now had 3 winters in a row (that happens when you go to South America on the last day of winter in North America and return around the last day of winter in South America...you completely miss spring and summer in both hemispheres, and then tend to get fall, winter, fall, winter and then finally spring).  Though I don't regret a bit of it and I had a blast in South America for the 6 months that I was there, I can now fully appreciate warm weather and the flowers starting to bloom!

So, to match the fantastic weather and St. Patrick's day soon approaching, I decided to buy fresh brussel sprouts and try cooking them.  Let me just say, they were fabulous and I wish I had the opportunity to eat them like this as a child because then I would not have tried sneaking them to my dog every time I was force to eat the frozen and then thawed brussel sprouts that came out of the freezer.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic Aioli Sauce

10-20 fresh Brussel Sprouts cut into wedges (don't buy the frozen ones)
Canola Oil to drizzle on the Sprouts
Salt
Pepper

Sauce
2 Tbsp Light Miracle Whip or Light Mayo
Splash of Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp. Garlic minced (or more if you like a strong garlic flavor)
1 tsp. chopped or dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Chop up the Brussel Spouts into wedges...4 wedges per Sprout

Lightly coat the Sprouts with the Canola oil.  Then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the Brussel Sprouts for 10-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

While the Sprouts are cooking in the oven prepare the Aioli.

Combine all the ingredients listed for the Aioli (Miracle Whip, Lemon Juice, Garlic and Parsley).  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  Set aside until the Brussel Sprouts are done and ready to be eaten.

The Roasted Brussel Sprouts can be eaten fresh out of the oven or whenever you get the time eat them...I ate them straight out of the oven...they did not even have time to make it off the tray...they were that delicious.  I cannot wait to try them again!

Inspiration courtesy of: http://annacostafood.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/crispy-brussel-sprouts-with-a-garlic-aioli/