new orleans red beans and rice

tradition is, you serve these on monday.

recipe adapted from emeril lagasse

serves 6-8; appx 4 hours cooking time after beans soak overnight.

16 oz dry red beans (camila)
2tbsp olive oil
1 c chopped onions
1/2 c bell pepper
1/2 c celery
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
2 links savoy sausage, sliced
1.5 tsp chopped minced garlic
32 oz chicken broth
water
rice (i love zatarans)

cover beans with water and allow to soak overnight. drain and rinse.

heat oil in large stock pot over med-high. saute onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, peppers, and thyme 5 minutes. add the bay leaves and sausage. saute 5-6 minutes. add beans, garlic, chicken broth, and enough water to cover the contents well. bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 2 hours. add more water if it becomes too dry or thick. use wooden spoon to mush 1/3 of beans to side of pot and cook 1.5 hours more until creamy and beans are soft.

serve over white rice and with cornbread on the side!

jamba juice pomegranate paradise

i found this online, but i'm not sure where...oops.

1 cup pomegranate juice blend (i used v8 fushion pomegranate-blueberry juice)
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1/c cup mangos, frozen
1/2 cup peaches, frozen
1/2 cup ice

mix all together in your blender and enjoy!

notes: this is EXACTLY like the one at the store. and it doesn't cost $4 for a serving. no added sugar, just pure tastiness!

pesto chicken florentine

recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com (adapted a bit)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 jar alfredo sauce (i used bertoli's light version)
2 tablespoons pesto
1 (8 ounce) package dry penne pasta (i used some veggie rice pasta i had on hand)
1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. season chicken (salt, pepper, a little tony's) and cook in 1-2 tbsp heated oil for 7 to 8 minutes on each side.
2. remove chicken from skillet once cooked and place in foil, covered.
3. in same skillet, heat 1 more tbsp oil over medium. add garlic, saute for 1 min. add spinach and saute all together for 3 or so minutes.
4. add alfredo and 2 tablespoons pesto; set aside.
5. in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain.
Add chicken to sauce and then toss in pasta. top with cheese and serve.

notes; very easy and delicious! a variation i read on this said to top with diced tomatoes before serving. yum! oh, the possiblities...sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts...

also, it reheats beautifully. i even froze some. we'll see how that comes out when i use it on a busy night!

sugar-free pumpkin muffins

courtesy of http://ladonnamobile.wordpress.com/


1 and 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup water
optional:
3/4 cup raisins or miniature semisweet chocolate chips–NOT milk chocolate which is too sugary–but this does add sugar to the recipe, though just a bit.

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix together until combined. Bake in muffin cups at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

notes: super easy, quick and wholesome recipe. the kids loved these, and i loved that they were so good for them. of course, i like some sugar in my muffins but these are great for the kids. packed them up and froze some of them for a rainy day.

bug's chocolate sheet cake

for the cake:
1 c butter
2/3 c water
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp salt
2 c sugar
2 c flour
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

for the frosting, add the following together:
1/2c butter, melted
3 tbsp cocoa
2 c sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk
1 c finely chopped pecans (optional)

1. melt butter; whisk in water and cocoa.
2. add salt, sugar and flour.
3. in separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and baking soda
4. combine mixture and pour into a greased jellyroll pan (9x13).
5. bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes
6. ice while warm for glazy-type frosting (as shown) or cool completely for more traditional buttercreme texture.

this is super-moist and light. so, so, so tasty. don't expect it to rise much. i particularly love the texture with the pecans mixed in, but it's great either way. also makes a very pretty (very light) cupcake.

egg-less chocolate chip cookies

recipe adapted from bakerella.com (milk and cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour (substituted for total 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp water (substituted for 2 eggs)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. With a mixer, beat butter and both sugars until well blended.
4. Beat in egg substitute (or eggs) and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture in two additions until combined.
6. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
7. Use a mini ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough on a parchment covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Tip from bakerella: About half way through baking, sprinkle reserved chips on top of cookies. This is just to make them prettier so, some of the chips are seen on top.

bonus to using the egg substitute: this is a cookie dough you can safely sample! ;) cookies are definitely denser with the addition of the whole wheat flour, but consensus in our house is the chocolate chips more than make up for it! super-tasty!
the dough freezes perfectly...nice to have for rainy days.

edit: i've now made these with eggs and somehow, even though it's how the recipe was created, we didn't find them near as tasty. hum? fluke maybe?

lunchbox muffins

recipe adapted very liberally from sneakychef.com

SCORE! mama felt like super-mama with this one!!!

1/3 c. wheat germ
1/3 c. oat bran
1/3 c. white whole wheat flour (i use king arthur's)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda
2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water to form thick consistency (substitution for 2 large eggs)
1.5 tbsp light agave nectar (substiuted for 2 tablespoons sugar)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 single serve container mott's (no sugar added) applesauce (i used cranberry-apple flavor) or 1/2 c. if using the big jar.
1/4 c. pureed carrots (i used baby food)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the wheat germ, oat bran,flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flax mixture (or eggs), agave nectar (or sugar), oil, applesauce, and carrots. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until the flour is just moistened.

3. Fill each muffin cup almost to the top, spooning about 1/4 cup of batter into each and bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm out of the oven or wrap and store in refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or freezer (for up to 3 months).

notes: these aren't your average indulgent muffin...but surprisingly, they aren't bad. they aren't very pretty and they don't rise. texture is different...very much like an oatmeal cookie. just a hint of sweetness (i would, of course, like more...but i'm addicted to sugar). amazingly, the kids were in love with these and thought it was super-special to have a muffin for lunch! and as mentioned, i felt like super-mama thinking of all the wholesome goodness they were putting in their bodies!