Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for September 2012

Pumpkin Pie Roasted Almonds.

by Filed Under: Nuts, Snacks, Vegetarian 117 Comments

If you follow my blog, you know I’m a pumpkin addict.  I start cooking with it the minute the kids go back to school and fall creeps into my psyche.  I love the warmth of the aroma and the taste is out of this world!  Funny enough, I don’t like pumpkin pie.  I can’t explain it but I whip up so many other great substitutions that I’m cool with it.

Super easy recipe…

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw almonds
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice seasoning
4 tablespoons of organic agave or honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Sea Salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.

Into a bowl place your almonds.  Then add cinnamon, spice, agave or honey and vanilla.  Toss to coat each nut.  Spread the nuts evenly on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Chicken Jambalaya.

by Filed Under: Chicken 2 Comments

Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of seafood but I love jambalaya.  I always have fun with this recipe, adding chicken, sausage or whatever I have on hand veggie-wise.  Tonight I made it with fresh chicken from the Amish farmer.  This is one of those great one pot dishes you make and let simmer on the stove until everyone is home for dinner.  Super easy, so tasty and the leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day.  Great fall weather meal.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1.5 lbs of chicken thighs (skin and bone removed)
1/2 cup of yellow onions, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bell pepper (I used red), chopped
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1-2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce
2 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and ground pepper
1 cup of brown rice

Directions:

To your hot skillet add the butter and olive oil.  Cook the chicken until juices run clean then add the onion, celery and pepper.  Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Add the tomatoes, broth, garlic, spices, Sriracha (hot pepper sauce), bay leaves and rice.  Bring it to a boil and then add the rice.  Cover and reduce the flame to low/simmer.  Cook for about 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Taste, adjust spices, remove the bay leaf and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Sweet Pumpkin Hummus.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Vegetarian 10 Comments

Hummus doesn’t always have to be savory.  I whipped this little dish up last fall, of course, pumpkin inspired, and I had to make it again.  I just love it!  My kids love it too with sliced apples.  In fact, I have it all ready for them when they get home from school.  Great snack and so healthy!  You have to give this one a whirl.

Ingredients:

1 -15oz can of chickpeas, drained and washed
1 heaping cup of pumpkin puree
1/4c nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
2 tbl coconut oil
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Blend it all in your food processor until hummus consistency. Serve with apples, crackers, graham crackers, gingersnaps etc.

— Knead to Cook

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. {healthy}

by Filed Under: Pasta, Vegetarian 9 Comments

Let me preface this blog entry, I am NOT a fan of mac and cheese.  Never have been.  Plus my kids aren’t in love with it either.  So we harvested 3 butternut squashes today and I had to come up with something to do with them.  My girls aren’t in love with butternut squash soup so I wanted to do something different.  I began by roasting them.

First step:

Slice the squash in half and place on a cookie sheet (lined or unlined).  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh Rosemary.  Place in a preheated 425 degree oven for 60-70 minutes or until fork tender.  Remove and let cool completely.

Second step… well what to do with these lovely roasted squashes now?  I thought I would puree them into a sauce.  For what?  I still had no idea.  So I removed the skin and tossed the flesh into my blender.  I added 1/2 cup of non fat, plain Chobani.  Too thick for my blender!  Ha!  I needed liquid.  I added 1/2 cup of chicken broth (veggie broth would work as well).  Still, too thick!  I added 1 cup of white wine.  Yes… I did!  Then I added some additional Rosemary.  4 garlic cloves.  Shaved some asiago cheese (1/2 cup).  Salt and pepper.  It still seemed really thick.  I poured it into a stock pot and heated it up.  I added additional broth and kept stirring.  It was so creamy and delicious.

Okay so now what???  Ha ha.  Sorry but this is my thought process.
Step three!  Pasta!  I cooked up some tri-colored pasta.  Took a ladle full of the pasta water and added it to the sauce.  Drained the pasta and then combined the two.  Seemed to be reminiscent of a mac n cheese but so much better for you and totally fabulous!  I spooned the mixture into a pretty new baking dish and decided it needed a topping!

Step 4:  To a mixing bowl I added 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Give it a good toss to coat and sprinkle on to of the pasta mixture.  Broil, on low, for about 1 minute.  Keep an eye on this because it will burn fast!  Then serve!

This dish was very well-received.  Everyone gobbled it down, having NO idea what it was 🙂  Ha ha.

Sorry for the babbling and the non-typical writing style for a recipe but that’s how I rolled through this one.  You can certainly add, delete by preference.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Apple Pie Whole Wheat Pancakes with Flax Seed.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Hello fall!!!  Finally the humidity in PA is gone and we woke up to a crisp morning.  The doors and windows are all open – letting in the lovely, refreshing outside air in.  Running this morning was a pleasure.  I was whipping up ideas in my head about what type of fun pancake would be tasty on this first crisp day… apple pie came to mind!  I ran with it literally and figuratively.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s)
3/4 cup of all purpose flour (King Arthur’s)
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 tablespoon flax seed meal
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup of almond milk
1/2 stick of butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped

Directions:

In your stand mixer, paddle attached, blend the flours, sugar, powder, flax seed, cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk milk, butter, eggs and vanilla.  Then gradually add the wet mixture to the dry and blend.  By hand, add the apples and mix.

In your skillet over medium flame, add a pat of butter, let melt and then ladle some batter in to the hot pan.  Flip when golden brown on one side (around 2 minutes).  Top with the additional mango.

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Mint Chocolate Chobani Protein Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Smoothies, Vegetarian 6 Comments

After an afternoon lounging by the pool on a raft with my good friend, I needed to whip up a quick after-school snack that was both healthy and tasty!  This turned out to be perfect as my oldest came in drenched as her school’s a/c broke today!

This recipe is easy and you can add or subtract what you have or don’t wish to use.

Into the blender/Vitamixer…

2 bananas (ripe)
1 scoop of protein powder (vanilla)
1 cup of Chobani vanilla yogurt
1 cup of frozen low fat ice cream – Mint Chocolate
8 ice cubes
1 to 1.5 cups of Almond Milk – vanilla (you may need more if the mixture is too thick)
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
2 tablespoon of chopped up fresh mint leaves

Blend and pour into your glasses, place a cute straw in the glass and watch it disappear!

— Knead to Cook

Heirloom Tomato Prosciutto Salad with a Balsamic Reduction.

by Filed Under: Salads, Vinaigrette 2 Comments

We harvested a lot of heirloom tomatoes today from our garden. Nothing beats the flavor of a home-grown tomato.  I thought I would make a lovely salad to go along with my pork that would be a fun take-off of a BLT.  Prosciutto replaces the traditional bacon.  The lettuce has been replaced with fresh basil.  And the tomatoes are the star of the salad.

First, you want to put a sauté pan over a medium flame.  I add about a teaspoon of olive oil and once hot, add about 1/4 lb of prosciutto (thinly sliced).  Watch it closely because it will cook quickly.  Flip and keep rotating to avoid burning.  When nicely cooked and crispy, remove and place on a paper towel/plate to drain.  When cooled, crumble for the salad.

In a small pan, heat 1/2 cup of a good quality balsamic over medium heat.  Stirring occasionally.   This will reduce within 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Slice your tomatoes and place on a large platter.  Top with basil leaves.  Then add the pancetta and drizzle with the balsamic.  Serve at room temperature.  Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

— Knead to Cook

Mock Brownie Bites Enrobed in Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Snacks, Vegetarian 10 Comments

These little mock brownie bites are a chocolatier take-off of my energy bites.  I wanted to make these taste a bit more brownie-like but avoiding the bad fats and calories associated with regular brownies.  Plus, these are bite-sized and perfect for kids after-school snacks or for their lunches.  I topped these with a dash of sea salt and they are in one word… heavenly!  Perfect at room temperature or frozen.

Ingredients:

1 c almonds, toasted
16 pitted Medjool dates, pitted
4 tbl of good quality cocoa
3 tbl of dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 tablespoon of agave or honey
1/8th tsp of salt
8 ounces of dark chocolate to melt
Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.  Add the almonds to your processor and blend until you have fine chunks of almond.  Then add the next ingredients through the 1/8th tsp of salt to your food processor and blend until a large mass forms.  Break it up and process again until it it is well blended.  Form into bite size balls (using a scoop) and place on a platter.

Over a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate.  Once completely melted, drop a bite into the chocolate and coat.  Remove with a fork, allowing the chocolate excess to drain back into the bowl.  Place on the platter and sprinkle with a touch of sea salt.  Repeat.

Freeze for 30 minutes until the chocolate firms.  Serve and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Roasted Tomato Soup.

by Filed Under: Soups, Vegetarian 8 Comments

I love a good bargain.  I was at the farmer’s market yesterday and a vendor/farmer sold me 14 lbs of tomatoes for $5!  I’ve now made two dinners from it already and still have more tomatoes left.  Ha ha.  I love it.  I’m so wishing fall to come, despite my best efforts it was a scorching hot day, I still made soup.  I love soup in the fall.  I could eat it every single day plus my kids devour it.  Great vitamins and empty bowls.  A mom’s dream.

Ingredients:

14 regular sized tomatoes, washed, top removed and quartered
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
2 stalks of celery, washed and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
32 ounces, chicken stock (I used organic)
2 bay leaves
12 basil leaves, fresh & chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place the quartered tomatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.  Roast for 40 minutes.

In your Dutch oven over low/medium heat, drizzle a bit of olive oil and once hot, add the onions and garlic.  Sauté for 4-6 minutes and then add the celery and stock.  Once the tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the Dutch oven along with the pan drippings.  Add the basil leaves and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat.  With a hand immersion blender, puree the soup.  Once completely pureed, turn to a very low setting and let it simmer for at least one hour but up to 4.  Add the cinnamon and adjust any other spices that you prefer.

I topped the soup off with this Jalapeño Chobani Yogurt Dip.

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— Knead to Cook

Cake Batter Chocolate Frozen Bananas.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian 2 Comments

Okay that title is a mouthful and so are these!  I whipped up a batch for my kids and they were gone faster than a speeding bullet!  Ha!  So easy.  So much fun.  The perfect way to welcome your kids home from a long day at school.   Guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face 🙂

Ingredients:

12 ounces of chocolate (you can do white, milk or dark)
2 tablespoons of Funfetti cake batter (powder)
Vegetable oil
2 whole bananas, peeled and halved
4 popsicle sticks
Sprinkles

Directions:

Pull out a platter or large plate and cover with parchment or foil.  Set aside.

Over a double boiler, melt your chocolate of choice.  Slowly start to stir the chocolate until melted.  Add the cake batter powder and mix.  At this point, add a small amount of the oil. This will loosen the chocolate up and make it easier for covering the bananas.  Add tiny amounts until you get to the right consistency.  I probably used about a tablespoon or a bit less.

Take your sticks and insert them cautiously into the larger end of the banana.  Then take a spoon and pour the chocolate over the banana.  Coat with sprinkles and set on a parchment lined plate and freeze.  Serve right out of the freezer, nice and cold.

Then step back!  🙂

 

— Knead to Cook