Colorado Mama's Food Blog

Awesome Easy Super Yummy Energy Bars

2011-11-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was looking for an easy, yummy and of course healthy energy bar recipe. The energy bars or cereal bars or granola bars you buy at the grocery store are always loaded with sugar, chemicals, preservatives, and junk that I hate buying them and feeding them to my family.

I found this awesome recipe and I wish it was mine but it was not. This recipe is courtesy of Nuturing Naturally. You can better believe that I will check out their website for other ideas. Here is the best energy bar recipe every! Just try and not eat the whole batch at once.

Energy Bars
1 C all natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt - nothing else)
1 C raw honey
1 C old-fashioned oats
1 C chopped dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, apricots, raisins, etc) (I used cranberries.)
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C chopped almonds

Combine peanut butter and honey in a pot and heat until runny. Mix in oats, fruit and nuts. Stir until well coated. Line 9×9 inch pan with waxed paper. Press into pan and let cool. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Best Brownies EVER

2011-05-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

The other night Joe wanted dessert so I went online and I found this brownie recipe from Kelly the Kitchen Kop. I also made her homemade hot fudge sauce to go with the brownies. These brownies were so wonderful I cannot tell you how good they were and NOTHING came from a box! Check out her recipes and her blog. She is also offering an online Real Food For Rookies Class if you are interested in eating more real food and less processed food.

Farmer's Cheese and Yogurt and Spelt Crackers

2011-04-28T10:38:00.000-06:00

Joe and I have started making lots of things from scratch. No more rice mixes, pasta mixes, store bought yogurt or even bread. We have also started purchasing raw milk from a local farm. The raw milk has so many more nutrients that pasturiezed milk no longer has because it has been heated to high temperatures. We have been thinking about buying raw milk for a while but after viewing this blogpost, by the Cheeseslave, we decided that we had to start buying raw milk.

My friend, Jen, is the creator of Nourished Kitchen. Her food philosphy and the Cheeseslaves' is based off of Weston Price Foundation. By Jen following this food philosphy she has helped her herself and her husband cure mental illness, chronic pain, Celiac Disease, PCOS, and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease. Take a minute to read their stories - they are amazing. Jen's story is here and her husband Kevin is here.

I have been helping Jen with her website and let me tell you - she has a TON of amazing recipes on there. She also has been hosting online cooking classes. Her current series is Get Cultured: Learn How to Ferment Anything. By fermenting your foods you make it easier on your body to get all of the nutrients out of your food.

I have been making yogurt from scratch for quite a while now. Here is my original recipe for yogurt. After taking Jen's class I made homemade raw milk yogurt. With that yogurt I made spelt crackers. Those are the crackers you see posted above. This weekend I also made raw milk Farmer's Cheese with fresh herbs. That is the cheese in the picture above. Here are the two recipes.

Yogurt and Spelt Crackers

serves: 6

time: 5 mins (active), 12 - 24 hrs (soaking), 10 mins (baking for each batch)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole grain spelt flour

• 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

• 1 cup yogurt

• Fresh Rosemary, fresh thyme, and fresh chives

• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Method:

1. Stir three cups whole grain spelt flour and one teaspoon unrefined sea salt, one cup full fat yogurt and fresh herbs in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Continue to process until the dough forms a

smooth ball.

2. Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover it with a tea cloth. Leave the dough to rest at room temperature overnight and up to twenty four hours.

3. Once the dough has rested overnight or up to a full day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Knead one-half cup softened butter into the dough, then divide the it into four separate

balls to make rolling it more manageable.

5. Flour your working surface and your rolling pin, place one ball of dough into the center of your work surface and roll it to 1/8-inch. Cut the dough into rounds with a biscuit cutter, or into triangles or squares with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.

6. Prick with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing and bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit until brown and crispy, about six or seven minutes. I don't know why but mine took about 11 minutes to bake.

Farmer's Cheese with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients:

• 2 qts milk

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, and chives)

• salt

Method:

1. Bring milk to a gently boil over a moderate flame and add white vinegar gradually as you stir continuously.

2. The curd will separate from the whey, and you can turn off the heat.

3. Once the milk solids have separated from the liquid whey, drain the cheese in through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.

4. Wrap the cheese well and rinse it under cold running water.

5. Squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can and press the cheese beneath two heavy

plates.

6. Add the fresh herbs and a dash of salt to the cheese.

7. Serve as you normally would any cheese and reserve the whey for soaking beans, legumes,

nuts and seeds.

If you sigh up for Jen's class, here, you can see a video of this process. It makes it a lot easier to understand.

Curtis Stone 100 Calorie Cupcakes

2010-10-15T08:14:00.003-06:00

Don't those cupcakes look yummy. Last week on the Biggest Loser Curtis Stone showed the contestants how to make 100 calories cupcakes and everyone raved about them so I decided to give them a try.

Here is the link to the recipe I used. The only thing I did different was add about 1 tablespoon of honey to the frosting. I was serving the cupcakes to kids and I was not sure how the cream cheese frosting would go over.

For something low-cal I guess they were okay but I was expecting more of a cupcake. Maybe if I had left the frosting off they would have been better. I say this because they are similar to an angle food cake. Even though I did not love them everyone else sure did and the kids devoured them.

Would I make them again - I don't think so or if I did I would do something else for the frosting.

Super Easy Homemade Applesauce

2010-09-27T09:31:00.006-06:00

Here is a super easy homemade applesauce receipe. Perfect for fall.

1 - Peel the apples and slice them up.
2 - Place the apples in a crock pot.
3 - Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples - as much or as little as you want - or none at all.
4 - Put the lid on the crock pot and turn it on low.
5 - Let them cook for the next 6 to 8 hours. Stir them every hour or so.
6 - The apples are ready when you can mash them with a fork.

At this point I like to leave them whole but you can mash them up. My family loves to enjoy these apples warm over vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Yummy Yummy Veggie and Bean Soup

2010-06-27T18:32:00.003-06:00

Today I took a bunch of "stuff" we had in the house and made a yummy, veggie and bean soup. The best thing about the soup was that I did not buy anything for it. Here is a list of everything I put in the crockpot.

Chicken stock
white beans - already cooked and sitting in a bag in the freezer
black beans - already cooked and sitting in a bag in the freezer
onions
carrots
celery
broccoli
sweet potatoes
brown rice
bulgar wheat

I put everything in a crock pot and covered it with water. Then I added the seasoning. Chicken bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, minced onions, thyme and rosemary. I cooked this on high for about 7 hours and here are a couple of pictures of Lily enjoying a snack before dinner. We are going to enjoy this for lunch a few days this week.

Healthy Chili Recipe

2010-04-01T10:10:00.001-06:00

Here is a super healthy chili recipe.

Celery - 2 cups chopped
One onion chopped
as much garlic as you want - chopped
1 package of extra lean ground turkey (when you are cooking the turkey you might need to add one TBS of olive oil)
saute everything together

Add 1 can of tomato sauce, 1/2 can of water and 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes (I crush these by hand as I add them in) (If you want to make a bigger batch and 2 cans of the sauce, 1 can or so of water and 2 cans of the whole peeled tomatoes)
3 cans of red kidney beans - no salt added

Let all of the cook for a bit and then add the season. Start with 1 tsp of each
chili powder
cayanne pepper (1/2 tsp) - depends on how hot you want it
italian seasoning (I use this in lots of stuff)
garlic powder
onion power
salt and pepper

Mix everything up and let it sit for a bit (15 minutes or so)

Taste it because you will need to add more of the seasoning above.

Serve up when it tastes great.

Two Grain Salad with White Beans, Tomatoes and Parmesan

2010-03-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

In my Fitness Magazine I came across a recipe called Three Grain Salad With White Beans, Tomatoes and Parmesan. Since it had lots of fiber I decided to give it a try.

I did modify the recipe because I could not find bulgur and I would prefer balsamic vinegar over red white vinegar.

Here is my version:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hulled barley

salt to taste

1/2 cup bulgur

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 cup white cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tomatoes

fresh basil

3 tbs olive oil

pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese to taste (I shredded just a bit over each portion)

I served this over 1 cup of spinach.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the barley and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; boil for 50 to 55 minutes, until barley is just tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, bring 6 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the bulgur. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let sit for 25 minutes, until the water is absorbed.

In a large bowl, toss together the vinegar, onion, garlic and remaining salt.

Add the grains to the vinegar mixture while still warm; toss well. Remove the garlic and stir in the beans, tomatoes, basil and olive oil; season with black pepper to taste. Fold in the Parmesan and serve.

Serving size - 1.5 cups

4 servings

For my recipe here is the nutritional break down:

Total Calories - 260 calories, 12 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, 7.5 grams of fiber, 7.5 protein

I was getting lazy and tired while cooking this and forget or skipped the onion and garlic and that might have made a difference because my version needed some more flavor big time.

Peanut Butter and Jelly - The Healthy Way

2010-02-28T16:28:00.011-07:00

My husband and I both work full times jobs. Therefore our two girls, ages 2 and 4 1/2 are both in daycare 5 days a week. I struggle to put together healthy lunches that they will both enjoy. Both girls loves peanut butter and jelly. Here is a much healthier take on this old classic.

Let's first start with the bread. A typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich is put on white bread. Let's use the nutrition info for Wonder White Bread. If you use white bread you automatically start off with 140 calories, 2 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs, 1 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein. Also don't forget that sugar is the second or third ingredient. I would love to give you the full ingredient list of Wonder White Bread but it is not on their website.

Now let's take a look at a much healthier option. Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread.

In two slices Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread has 180 calories, 1 gram of fat, 30 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar and 10 grams of protein. You need on average 30 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein on a daily basis. Protein and fiber help you feel fuller longer. Also in this particular brand of brand honey is the first type of sugar and it is fourth on the list.

Now, let's talk about the peanut butter. To me peanut butter should only have peanuts in it. Let's first look at Jiff, the "brand moms love" right. Not this mom. In 1 tbs Jiff has 90 calories,

7 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. For the ingredient list first is "made from peanut butter" which is made from roasted peanuts and sugar, then comes, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, some stuff I do not know how to say and finally more sugar. Why do you need so much sugar?

Ok, now let's look at a much healthier option. Adams Natural Peanut Butter. In 1 tbs there is 100 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 carbs, 1 gram of fiber, ZERO sugar, and 3.5 grams of protein.

1tbs. The ingredient list - peanuts. That is it folks, peanuts.

In regard to Jelly. They are all about the same, fruit and sugar.

Here is the nutritional info for a typical PB&J:

Calories: 280

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 46g

Sugar: 20g

Fiber: 2g

Protein: 7g

The healthier version:

Calories: 330

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 46g

Sugar: - 17g

Fiber: 5g

Protein: 13.5g

As you can see the typical PB&J has less calories, less fiber, less protein and more sugar than the healthier version. The healthier version does have more calories but this sandwich will keep you feeling full much longer than the original version.

The healthy stuff does take awhile to get use to but you will get use to it. Start by switching to wheat bread, then after a few weeks switch to the hearty kinds. My kids only get white bread on a rare occasion or at a friends house and this is also what I serve my kids friends when they are over. So far, no one has said no they won't eat it. The may not love it but they will eat in. In regards to the peanut butter, try the salted kind before you go straight to peanuts only.

To turn this peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a meal for your kids lunch, or your lunch add some yogurt, carrots and some fruit and you are all set.

Roast Chicken Recipe

2010-02-21T16:01:00.004-07:00

I love cooking a chicken. It is super easy and it tastes and if you have been working hard all day when the oven did most of the work! Another thing I love about this is the price. The chicken is only $3 to $4 then you add veggies and rice. You also get many meals out of one bird (unless you have a big family).

Recipe:
1 Chicken
3 big ones or a one to two handfuls of the baby carrots
1 onion (chopped into large pieces)
1 small lemon (chopped into 8 slices or so)
5 cloves of garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Rosemary and Thyme (fresh works best but you can use the stuff from the spice aisle as well.
Thyme
Water

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Wash the chicken and remove the "guts" (heart, liver, etc...). Dry the chicken off. In a large pan place the washed celery, carrots and chopped onions on the bottom of the pan.

Put a little bit of water in the bottom on the pan (about 1/2 inch deep). Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven for about 2 hours. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach around 180.

Remember to baste the chicken every 15 to 30 minutes.
When you take the chicken out make sure to remove the garlic and lemons from inside the bird.

Gravy:Strain off all of the extra veggies pieces, fat, spices, etc... Place the remanding liquid into a sauce pan and add about 1 to 2 TBS of flour. Whisk this constantly until the mixture thickens and now you have a wonderful, yummy gravy. Serve brown rice or mashed potatoes along with your favorite veggie and now you have a wonderful meal.

Penne With Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage and Pancetta

2009-11-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

I get so many healthy and yummy recipes from Kristen at Green Style Mom. I hope some of you have taken time to visit her site. It is a great blog.

Penne With Roasted Butternut Squash with Pancetta and Sage

This recipe is from Martha Stewart. You can either click the link above or here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups) - I used one butternut squash and one misc. squash - I don't know what it was but it tasted good.
1/4 cup olive oil - I used 2 slices of bacon instead of pancetta since it is cheaper and I sauted the bacon first and then all of the other vegetables in the left over bacon grease. Olive oil probably would have been healthier.
Coarse salt
3/4 pound penne pasta
3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise - I did not use
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving - I used Parmesan cheese instead.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
I also added 1 chopped tomato, 1 red pepper and spinach.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.I actually did this a few days ahead of time and put it in the fridge and then put it in the pan with everything else to heat it up and it worked just fine.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.
Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

This recipe was very good and easy to make and with all of the vegetables healthy for you to.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

2009-11-10T20:47:00.002-07:00

Here is a easy vegan pumpkin bread recipe. The bread comes out so moist and you will not believe how healthy it is.

1/4 margarine (I normally use less than this).
1 cup of brown sugar (or white sugar plus 1 TBS molasses
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups of pureed pumpkin or 1 can
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice, ground cloves and nutmeg
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tsp of baking soda

Mix all of the ingredients together, pour into a greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Enjoy!!

Lemonicious Zucchini Cupcakes

2009-11-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

I got this receipe from Kristen at Green Style Mommy. The kids have no idea they are eating vegetables, they just know that the "cupcakes" are super easy. Click here to view the receipe and Green Style Mommy's blog.

Lemonicious Zucchini Cupcakes

Sourdough Wheat Bread

2009-11-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun making bread lately. I have so much in my freezer and I have no idea when I will get around to eating it! Maybe I need to host a giveaway were the winner will receive a loaf of bread!! (Sorry the pictures are so small - I had trouble uploading them.)

Ok here is the recipe. In order to make a sourdough bread you first have to create a starter. There are recipes all over the Internet but here is what I need. About 11 days before I made my first loaf I started the starter. First take about 1 cup of flour (I used whole wheat) and 3/4 cup of water. Make sure the water is bottled or does not have chorline in it - this will mess everything up. Mix the two items together in a non-metallic bowl, cover the bowl (I used a plate) and let it sit on the counter. The next day add more flour and water. It does not need to be another cup just a few huge spoonfuls. (You can look online to get a more exact recipe but this is what I did). After about a week it is time to cook.

Here is a picture of the starter.

I found this recipe here, Jan's Dough. She has a starter recipe if you want more direction than I gave above. Yeast Mix I have found that what kind of yeast you use is one of the most important ingredients. I use to buy the cheapest stuff (yellow package) but a few weeks ago at the store the more expensive yeast was on sale and I bought that instead. It more expensive yeast was awesome. I have made four huge loaves out of one package . It is the Red Star, Quick Rise Yeast in the silver package. Okay - back to the recipe. First - get the yeast going, mix 1/2 cup of warm (not hot) water, 1 TBS of sugar and 1 package of yeast. Mix so the yeast dissolves and let sit. If the yeast does not start rising and activating within 5 minutes, start over. While the yeast is activating, add 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of salt (I have forgotten this and it is not too big of a deal), 1 cups of flour and start the mixer. Then add the yeast, 1 to 1.5 cups of the sourdough starter and 1 cup of water. At this point I really don't follow the recipe - I keep adding flour until it is the correct consistently. Doughy but not sticky. I also let the kitchen aid to the kneading.

After the dough is ready to go put it in a greased bowl and let it rise. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a towel. Let it rise until it doubles in size (about 2 hours) and then punch the bread down, knead for a couple of minutes and let is rise again for another 2 hours. Then punch the bread down again and knead for a couple of minutes. Shape the bread into the size you want and let the bread rise on a cooking sheet or a loaf pan for another 1 to 2 hours.

Here is a picture of the bread after it has risen.

Mikayla's job is to punch the bread down and she loves it.

Baking the bread - pre-heat the over to 350, once the oven is fully heated cook the bread for about 30 minutes, let cool and enjoy. Any questions - please see email me or see Jan's Dough website.

Home Made Yogurt

2009-06-09T05:59:00.000-06:00

In order to make my own yogurt my mother-in-law bought us the Euro-Cuisine Yogurt Maker from Williams Sonoma (she works there!). You could make it without the yogurt maker but the yogurt makes is so easy for a busy working mom.

First bring about 32 oz. of milk to a boil over medium to low heat. (whole, skim whatever you want - I am sure you could also try substituting soy milk as well - I need to try that!).

The milk needs to heat up to 185F and stay there for a couple of minutes. Make sure you are stirring so it does not stick.

Next cool the milk down to room temperature. If you are in a hurry place the sauce pan in a bowl (or the kitchen sink) in a cold water bath.

After the milk has cooled down stir in 7 oz of yogurt (according to the directions you can use homemade yogurt but once do this one time then use store bought the next time - it has something to do with the cultures).

Once the milk and yogurt is all mixed up pour into the jars that come with the yogurt maker, turn the yogurt maker on and let it work for the next 12 to 15 hours (I use the 15 hour button).

Once the machine is done chill the yogurt in the fridge for 3 hours, and then enjoy. You can add fresh fruit, honey, granola, whatever you want!

Django's

2009-06-08T17:56:00.000-06:00

I recently went out to a new restaurant called Django's (the D is silent) in Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado.

They do an appetizer menu so you can sample a lot of their dishes. Most people order 3 to 5 dishes per person. The food was wonderful and affordable (for Crested Butte).

We spent just over $100 (without tip) for 6 dishes total, 2 Quartinos of Wine, desert and one after dinner drink. My favorite dish was "Date with Pig" - dates wrapped in prosciutto. They tasted like candy. My second favorite was the Butternut Squash and Mascrapone Ravioli - heaven! Everything we had was wonderful and the service was great as well.

We knew the bartender and he has been serving me drinks for the last 11 years - everything he recommended was excellent - even the Brussels Spouts, which I have never had before. Something else they do is offer wine in the Quartino, which is about 1 1/2 glasses. My husband and I were able to try 2 different types of wine. We could have tried another type but I wanted an after dinner drink. The waitress recommended both wines based on what we where having and they were excellent. I even asked to take a wine menu home so I know what I should buy next time I am at the liquor store.

This restaurant is locally owned and this is their first year in business. I know how hard it is for new restaurants but this restaurant has what it needs to make it, GREAT food, GREAT service, and GREAT atmosphere. Next time you are in Crested Butte - please check it out.

Watermelon

2009-06-07T05:55:00.000-06:00

I love watermelon. It is so yummy, refreshing and filling. One cup of watermelon is only 50 calories but it feels like a lot more. This is the one food I could eat everyday. The funny thing is is that Joe hates it so I end up not buying it as much as I use to.

What is your favorite fruit?

Cream Broccoli Soup and Chive and Cheddar Toast

2009-06-06T05:46:00.000-06:00

Doesn't that look yummy!!!

I would love to say that I came up with this meal but it is from Rachael Ray’s 365: No Repeats Cookbook. One thing I love about Rachel Ray’s recipes is that they are easy to make substitutions and also easy to make. One thing I have noticed is that I cannot make a Rachael Ray meal in 30 minutes. Maybe if made this recipe many times I could get quicker at it but this time it took between 45 minute to an hour.

Recipe:

2 tbls extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

4 slices of bacon, chopped (We hardly ever cook with bacon so I used more!)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbls fresh thyme (I did not have any fresh time so I used rubbed thyme)

salt and pepper

Hot Sauce (I did not put this in.)

2 10 ounce boxes of frozen chopped broccoli (I used fresh broccoli - about 3 to 4 cups)

1 quart of chicken stock (I forgot about this until the last minute so I used water and about 1 cup of chicken stock

½ cup of heavy cream or half and half (I never use heavy cream due to calories and fat so I used 1/4 cup of whole milk and 1/4 cup of whole milk)

8 slices of baguette (I used whole wheat sandwich bread)

1/4 cup cup parsley

Zest and juice of one lemon (I used the juice only - I was lazy)

1 cup of shredded sharp Cheddar

3 tbls chopped fresh chives

Heat a large soup pan over medium heat and add the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the crispy bacon and let it drain on a paper towel. (I added bacon to the soup as well as the bread.) Add the onions, garlic and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are tender. Add the broccoli and heat thoroughly. Transfer the onions and broccoli to the food processor with ½ cup of chicken stock and puree until smooth. (I wanted a hearty soup with chucks so after everything was cooked I took a hand mixer and pureed it lightly.) Add the pureed mixture back to the pan and then add the remaining chicken stock and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. While the soap is simmering, toast the bread slices until brown, sprinkle the cheese, bacon and parsley over each slice and return to the boiler or toaster oven until the cheese is melted. To finish the soap add the lemon zest and juice and stir to combine.

Dish up and Serve. I have no idea what the calorie content is on this but if you used extra lean turkey bacon and substituted skim milk for the heavy cream this would be a very healthy recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-06-05T20:14:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Recipe:
Cheesecake:
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

Crust:
(I used a store bought graham cracker crust)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cups finely ground ginger cookies, homemade or store bought
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
4 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup granulated white sugar

Directions:
When making cheesecakes make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature so they blend together to create a smooth texture. Cold cheese is harder to beat and you can end up with graininess. Judging when a cheesecake is fully baked always presents a challenge. They are very deceptive as they do need to be removed from the oven when the center is still wobbly and wet looking. Cracking can also be a problem. As a cheesecake bakes its moisture evaporates. If too much moisture is lost (when overcooked), or if it evaporates too quickly (oven temperature too hot) cracking will occur. So be sure to follow your recipe's instructions. Also, to prevent cracking, shortly after you remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the cheesecake. Once the cheesecake has completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This allows the cake to set, flavors to meld, and produces a creamier texture. You can use canned pure pumpkin in this recipe or make your own pumpkin puree. Fortunately there are excellent brands of canned pumpkin on the market which match the quality of homemade. But if you want to make your own puree, use the smaller pumpkin varieties like Sugar Pie, Baby Bear or Cheese Pumpkin (approximately 5-7 lbs., 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 kg.).
To make the puree, cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stringy fibers, and place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours (depending on size) or until easily pierced with a knife. Scoop out the pulp and puree in a food processor until smooth. Can strain through cheesecloth to extract all the liquid. Cool before using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick spray) an 8 inch spring form pan.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, finely ground ginger snap cookies, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.

For Cheesecake: In a separate bowl, stir to combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), on low speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until creamy and smooth (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Pour the filling over the chilled ginger crust and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Place a cake pan, filled halfway with hot water, on the bottom shelf of your oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to bake the cheesecake for another 10 - 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles when you gently shake the pan. Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the baked cheesecake and rotate the pan slightly to evenly distribute the topping. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake about 8 minutes to set the topping. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Then place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan so the cheesecake will cool slowly. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, preferably overnight, before serving. Serves 10-12 people.

I wish I had a picture of this but I made this recipe away ago. It is defiantly worth making and was a huge hit.

Pumpkin Muffins

2009-06-04T18:11:00.000-06:00

I love pumpkin anytime of the year. Over the next couple of days I am going to post some yummy pumkpin receipes. Note - they are not that heathy.

This past weekend I made these yuumy and super moist pumpkin muffins, I didn't even realize that they were vegan until I got to the end I was wondering about the eggs. I went back to the receipe and then realized it was vegan.

Pumpkin Muffins:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar (or white sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups pureed pumpkin or squash (I used 2 cans of pumpkin instead of measuring out 2 cups)
1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg (I also added cloves and all spice)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tin. (This recipe makes 12 muffins.) Cream together margarine and vegan sugar. Add applesauce, pumpkin, and spice. Mix well and add flour and soda. Fill muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

The muffins don't rise much, so don't be shy about piling the batter in. These muffins are great warm, but keep for days. Most people don't believe me when I tell them these muffins are vegan, because they cook up so light and fluffy. Also, people are shocked to find they are made with 100% whole wheat flour.