Category Archives: Seeds and Nuts

Tri-Color Quinoa


I love quinoa! This Tri-Color Quinoa goes well with just about any dish. I make it in bulk on the weekends and serve it up with most of my lunches or dinners during the week. Add it to beans, salads, place onto of portobello mushrooms, stuff peppers with. Really you can use it just about anywhere you typically use rice. I prefer it over rice because of it’s nutty flavor and fluffy texture. Quinoa provides more protein than traditional grain products. A 1/2 of cup uncooked quinoa provides 8 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry (rinsed through a strainer) Quinoa (I like the tri-colored but you pick your favorite)

2 cups of water

1 tsp of Penzey’s Vegetarian Soup Base

1 tsp of Pasta Sprinkle (or Italian seasoning)

1 tsp Roasted Garlic Powder

Directions:

  1. Place a 2 quart pan on a burner with vegetable base, garlic powder, water & quinoa on high. Allow the quinoa to come to a boil.
  2. Once the quinoa is boiling, decrease the temperature to simmer and place lid over pan.
  3. Allow the quinoa to simmer for 15 minutes with lid on. After 15 minutes have elasped check to see if the grain is fluffy and no water remains.

Pumpkin Oat Bars

We had a special birthday in the office the other day and one of her favorite things to eat is pumpkin flavored treats . Luckily I still have a stock pile of puréed pumpkin in our freezer from our generous neighbors . I love using pumpkin purée in baked goods.

Sometimes I like to add it as a mystery ingredient for moisture and other times I like it to be the star of the show . Puréed pumpkin is a very moist and packed nutrients. It is a perfect substitute to swap out some unnecessary fat with oil or butter in a baked good. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A and bonus only 30 calories per 1 cup cubed. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pure puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal

1 cup raw sugar

1 oz chocolate hazelnut spread

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cups dried craisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl the first 7 ingredients and then fold in the dried cranberries. 
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Maple Granola in the Actifry

Our Mother’s Day Brunch is tomorrow and we are prepping for the festivity. This year we are having a yogurt bar. I cannot think of a better topping for the yogurt other than homemade granola (and fresh berries)!


Since I made this granola in the actifry, I was able to cut way down on the fat. Most granolas have high amounts of unwanted fat, but the actifry allows you to cook with minimal oil and have the same result in texture with the cooking process. 

Next time you go to the store take a peek at the label before you purchase “healthy granola”.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup puffed wheat cereal

1/6 cup dried cranberries 

1/6 cup raisins

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TB canola oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 TB grounded Flaxseed

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the Actifry and set the timer for 10 minutes. Allow the granola to cool prior to eating. Enjoy the granola on its own or on top of yogurt!

Spring Pesto Pasta with Asparagus and Pine Nuts


If you are looking for a dinner that can be ready in 15 minutes than you have found the right recipe. Bonus you can make this entire dish in one pot! Whenever I’m in a hurry or in a pinch pasta is my go to for a quick and fast dinner. 

Asparagus is a spring vegetable packed with a lot of nutrition. Since this vegetable is in season right now you can get a pretty affordable deal at the market! I know our local farmers market has it fresh from the garden. 

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin K and also folate. Asparagus is also a good source of fiber. There are many colors of asparagus; however, the well know green asparagus is the most common variety, but you can also find white, & purple spears as well. 

Yields 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

2 cups dry rotini (I used dreamfields)

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz of pesto ( I used my freezer stock from last season)

1 pound of fresh asparagus ( 2 inch segments)

1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package. During the last minute of boiling add the cut asparagus. Strain the pasta and asparagus. 

2. Add the noodles and asparagus back into the pan and add the pesto, salt and pine nuts. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together and enjoy!

Homemade Oatmeal Packets

  
I love oatmeal in the winter months. I eat it just about everyday. You can add just about anything and everything to it. I generally buy the store bought low sugar packets. I always add additional fixings to them to doctor them up (vanilla extract, almond milk, steiva, unsweetened applesauce, or puréed pumpkin… Plus lots and lots of cinnamon). I have been wanting to make my own for sometime now. 

I tried 8 different varies today but the options are endless.

Ingredients: 

All the packets contain

3/8 cup of rolled oats

1 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 teaspoon of low sugar vanilla protein powder

1 pack of stevia (Optional & not pictured)

Plus one of the following

  • 1 tablespoon of slivered almonds
  • 2 tablespoons of PB 2 powder
  • One dried fig finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon of raisins chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of flaxseed milled
  • 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds

Place them in a Ziploc size snack pack baggie. 

Take to work and keeping your desk. 

Directions:

For Hot Water or Milk Preparation

1. Empty packet into bowl. 
2. Add up to 3/4-1 cup hot fat free milk, unsweetened almond milk or boiling water, stir.

3. Let sit for 60 seconds covered. Enjoy!

For Microwave Preparation 

1. Empty packet into microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add up to 1 cup unheated milk or water; stir.

3. Microwave on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes; stir again.

Enjoy!


Lemon, Almond & Herb Chicken Salad 


I made Ina Garten’s Lemon Baked Chicken the other day for supper. For the leftovers I decided to use some in the lasagna I made last night and the rest for this chicken salad for lunch today.

This recipe is quick and easy! Not to mention prefect for a lunch at home on the weekend or to pack for work.
Ingredients:

1 cup of leftover baked lemon chicken (chopped or diced)

4 tb olive oil mayo or greek plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard with whole grain seeds

2 tb slivered almonds

2 tb dried cranberries

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Direction:

1. Place everything in a 2 cup airtight resealable container. Mix the salad together with small spatula. Enjoy on some whole-grain bread with spinach or on top of a mixed greens.

Pumpkin Oat Cranberry Bars

Pumpkin! Fall! Need I say more with dried cranberries ?! Bonus these bars are vegan too! 


Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients:  
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup puréed pumpkin (roasted)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 tb pumpkin pie spice

2 cups 100% old fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Set aside.

2. Mix together in a large bowl first 6 ingredients and then fold in the cranberries. 

3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread batter evenly into the baking dish. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the Actifry

  

I just finished roasting half a dozen pie pumpkins in the oven. One of the best parts of making the purée is roasting the nutritious pumpkin seeds. Today I used the actifry! 

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried pumpkin seed

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp olive oil 
Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the actifry and turn on the “frier” for 10 minutes. 

2. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Apple Overnight French Toast!

 

One of my favorite dishes to make for breakfast is Overnight French Toast! I think I like it so much because you can put everything together the night before and the next morning you can spend your time enjoying your coffee instead of making a ton of noise in the kitchen and waking up your guests.

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened fat free condensed milk 

1 cup fat Free milk

1/2 cup egg substitute 

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla pure extract

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 ground mace, cloves 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt 

1 whole wheat or french baguette a day old would be good 

Topping ingredients:

3 cups Granny Smith Apples sliced thin (no need to peal the skin)

1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 ground mace, cloves 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

6 TB cold unsalted butter cup up

9 by 13″ baking pan

Directions:

1. Cut baguette into 1.5-2 inch pieces and allow to dry out. Place in 9 by 13 pan in three rows. Set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl place milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, spices, salt,egg and egg substitute. Whisk ingredients together well, pour evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and let soak in  refrigerator over night.

  
3. Bring baking pan out of refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. While waiting for dish to become room tempature prepare the topping. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Mix in a medium bowl flour, brown sugar, spices, and butter. Mix together between your fingers until wet sand like texture. Set aside. 

5. Remove foil from dish. Place sliced apples in layers on top each of the baguette rows. Sprinkle evenly the brown sugar mixture on top the apple slices.  

  
6. Finally add the toasted pecans evenly on the top of the brown sugar mixture. 

7. Bake the dish at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 more minute. 

~If necessary lower the tempature to 200 degrees if you are waiting for guests to arrive or family members to wakeup. 

  
 

Classic Basil Pesto

  

Last year I was so jealous my sister had a beautiful bountiful basil plant. I had started it in a basket hanging basket for her for Mother’s Day but she took it out and planted it in her garden.  While mine remained in my basket hanger and barely grew a few inches. Her plant was beautiful! The first thing I taught her to make with her basil was pesto!! 
I learned my lesson this year I planted our basil plant in an herb garden. Wow this  year our basil plant is large and in charge, like my sister’s plant last year. I have made pesto a couple times this season. My husband loves it! So I thought I’d share the recipe this time. It is super simple. I plan on freezing some for the winter as well that is if it lasts.

It’s recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of fresh pesto

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh basil

1/2 cup of lightly toasted pinenuts

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of freshly grated Romano Locatelli D.O.C. cheese

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly grated Black pepper 

7 small fresh cloves of garlic (ours are small from our garden)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until pureed. 

2. Drizzle of olive oil while the food processor is pulsing.

3. Enjoy on some homemade bread or pasta!