Zuzana's Power Balls

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I've always been a believer of holistic approaches as a first attempt to treating illness and battling disease. It only makes sense that what you put into your body will affect how you feel and how your body functions. Ever since I saw the documentary Food Inc. I have changed the way our family eats. Though we don't cut out processed foods completely, we have made a dramatic change in our lifestyle. It's a gradual process and I feel we are ready to move to the next level of wholesome nutrition by becoming even more discerning with our food choices. I have decided to cut white and even wheat flour out and just use almond flour (for now and will experiment with other types later on). I really want to take on the challenge of  a truly healthy (and maybe eventually Primal) diet.

My first experience with almond flour was today when I made Zuzana's Powerballs. Zuzana is a badass chick from bodyrock.tv. I can say that her FREE workouts are hardcore and will produce results. She is a true health nut. Anyway, on to the recipe! What I really love about these powerballs is how insanely healthy they are and the fact they taste so good you wouldn't really know. The coconut oil adds just a hint of the coconut flavor and because carrots are naturally sweet, the flavors really come together so well.

Every single ingredient in these powerballs has a health benefit:

Honey is a natural sweetner that is high in antioxidants.

Almond flour is low carb and gluten free.

Carrots are also high in antioxidants as well as vitamin A and recent research has found that the phytonutrients in carrots can inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.

Spinach ( I added this, it wasn't an original ingredient) is of course another well known antioxidant super food. According to the WH Foods (World's Healthiest Foods), spinach was ranked number one for nutrient richness. WH Foods also mentions how in a recent study "spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer."(2011)

Coconut oil Plays an important role in the prevention of diabetes and kidney and gall bladder disease. Mark from Mark's Daily Apple wrote up a great explanation of the health benefits of coconut oil here.

Almonds have so many health benefits to list that it's better to just link the source. Read about all the many reasons these nuts are so good for your body.

Now on to the recipe!  I changed a few things about how I put all the ingredients together and I also added spinach because it has such a mild flavor, yet is so good for you. I honestly couldn't taste the spinach at all. I used our Vitamix blender for making these, but a food processor would work fine too.

First, grind up one cup of oats to form an oat flour.

Then add 2 cups of almond flour to the oat mix and 3 tablespoons of baking powder.

Here is where I did it just a little different. I combined the 4 tablespoons of honey and the 4 tablespoon of coconut oil in a bowl together and mixed them up a little. I then stuck the bowl in the microwave on medium setting for 30 seconds.

Heating up the honey and coconut oil makes the mixture much easier to stir into the flour mix. After taking the bowl out of the microwave I found it was easier to use a fork to mash up the bigger pieces of coconut oil.

Dip your pinkie finger in and have a  taste. mmmmmm.

Add the coconut/honey mix to the flour and stir up. It will be clumpy.

Next add about a cup of carrots to the Vitamix blender and puree until mostly smooth. Then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of spinach to the carrot puree.

If you don't have a vitamix, you can do as Zuzana suggested and cook the carrots until soft and then mash them up with a potato masher and add chopped spinach to the mix.

Add the carrot mix to the bowl and stir well. I kind of mushed it all together with a spoon.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Then roll the dough into balls (I made 20, but it depends on the size you roll). Then take some crushed almonds,  and roll the balls in the almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Then let cool for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Btw, my kids loved these! I had to take the plate away :)

Easy Cheesy Tostadas

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This picture and meal was actually made last summer, so don't think I'm cheating on my health kick!  Since New Years I have been doing yoga and eating much healthier and I'm FINALLY at my pre pregnancy shape. Finally.  Now it's time to tone, tone, tone or these legs will never see the day of light again.   I do feel much lighter and slimmer than I have in a long, long time.  The Body by Bethenny yoga DVD is my favorite yoga DVD ever.  I love it and want to do it all the time.  I highly recommend it.

So this snack or meal, whatever you want to be, probably isn't low carb.  However I wouldn't rule it out as unhealthy either.  It has fiber from the beans and you get your veggies from the lettuce, tomatoes  and avocado is a healthy fat.  The cheese part is the most unhealthy, however in moderation dairy is good for you and a source of calcium.  Am I rationalizing a bit much?  :)

On a cheat day I'd be more than happy to indulge in these delicious (and incredibly easy) tostadas.  Or extra large nachos if you will.

here's what you'll need:
Corn tortillas (or store bought tostada shells)
Vegetable oil
1 can of refried beans
Freshly shredded cheese (can use a mix of cheddar, pepper jack or monetery jack.  Whatever you like)
Toppings of your choice such as lettuce, diced red onion, avocado (guac even!), pico, tomatoes or whatever makes ya happy

If you're using store bought shells, then just heat the beans, spread em' on the shells and add toppings.

OR.  If you want them to taste super good, make your own shells.

Just add some oil to a small pan over med high heat.  Let the oil get hot for a few minutes, but not bubbly.  Using tongs dip the corn tortilla in the oil.  Cook it about 15-30 seconds per side.  Place them on a plate lined with paper towels (to soak up the excess oil) and sprinkle with a b it of salt.

Then added the beans, cheese and remaining ingredients.  I especially loved siracha sauce on these. 

Hope everyone is stickin' to their heath resolutions and sorry if this screws you up at all :)

Becca

Vin chaud for when it's cold

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In Germany they have glühwein. In France they have vin chaud (warm wine). I'm sure there may be technical differences between the two, but when I was in France I loved the vin chaud much, much better than glühwein. It reminds me of a winterized sangria. It's quite delicious and is sure to warm you from your head to your toes. And make you feel really happy too!

Ahhhhh. C'est la vie!

I just eyeballed the amounts, but here is what I used:
bottle of dry red wine (cheap works great!)
brown sugar
clementines very thinly sliced
apple chopped into small pieces
dash of cinammon
cinammon stick for garnish (optional)

Place all in a pot and bring to a simmmer.  Add a little bit of each ingredient at a time, taste and adjust.  Serve warm and enjoy life as the french do.  Enjoy!

xoxo

B

Salmon Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

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Dear Ina Garten,

I love you.

Every Ina Garten recipe I have ever made has turned out delicious.  Her choice of ingredients and equisite taste makes her recipes just simply divine.  I've had a bag of frozen salmon filets in my freezer for a month or so and was trying to figure out what to do with them.  My good friend, Mama with Flavor (who is an amazing cook btw) suggested I make salmon cakes.  It sounded interesting and I've always wanted to make crab cakes, but just never had the confidence to do so.

Since I've been cooking seriously for over a year now, I thought I could handle this challenge.

And I am so glad I did.  These were delicious!

My changes to the recipe were as follows: I used 1lb versus 1/2 lb salmon. I sauteed half a white onion instead of a red onion (didn't have a red onion on hand).  I only had a red pepper (no yellow) and I used store bought bread crumbs and panko crumbs instead of homemade bread crumbs. I didn't use capers because I'm not a fan of them. I also used dried parsely instead of fresh because I didn't have fresh on hand. When it came time to mixing all the ingredients together I mixed in 1/2 cup of green onions.   Even despite all these modifications they were amazing!

The red pepper aioli comes courtesy of Giada de Laurentis and I followed that recipe exactly.  The aioli was sooo wonderful and was a great compliment to the salmon cakes.  I'd use it again for many things, included garlic toast as Giada suggests.

This is a wonderful appetizer and can be made ahead of time and frozen.  If you want to freeze these, do everything except fry in the pan.  Form into balls and slightly flatten and then place them in a freezer bag.  Use within one month.

Ina Garten's original recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh salmon


• Good olive oil


• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)


• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)


• 1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)


• 1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)


• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley


• 1 tablespoon capers, drained


• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)


• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


• 1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)


• 3 slices stale bread, crusts removed


• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise


• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard


• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

Aioli:

• 2 garlic cloves


• 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained, patted dry


• 1/3 cup mayonnaise


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the aioli: Finely chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the peppers and blend until almost smooth. Blend in the mayonnaise. With the machine running, blend in the oil. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl. (The aioli can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Enjoy!

xoxo

B

Chocolate dipped pretzels

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I made these for my Halloween Party. These are easy.  They are cheap.  They are quick.  And they are yummy.  Perfection.  Such a great idea for gifts, parties, fundraisers, giveaways...

Here's what you'll need:

1 (11 1/2 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate chips
Pretzel Rods (as many as you would like to make)
Mini pretzels (optional)

1) Use a double broiler to melt chocolate chips until smooth.  Remove from heat but keep chocolate over hot water. Dip half the pretzel rod into chocolate and coat evenly.

2) If using sprinkles, spread sprinkles out on parchment paper.  Roll the chocolate dipped rods in the sprinkles and coat.

3) Place pretzels on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Chill in refrigerator until coating sets (15 minutes). Gently loosen from wax paper. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator.

4) optional: If you have a lot of chocolate left over (because you didn't make many rods, like me) then dump a bag of mini pretzels into the remaining chocolate.  Stir very gently.  Then lay the chocolate pretzels on parchment paper and repeat step 3.

tip from Bon Appetite cookbook: If you don't have a double boiler, place a metal mixing bowl atop a saucepan of simmering water—but do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. You want indirect heat, not direct.

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeno Bites

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These are great because they are finger food.  And bite size. And  jalapenos, filled with cheddar and wrapped with bacon! MMMMMMMMM.  You will need 1 package of bacon (approx. 12 ounces).  It really depends on how many you plan on making.  For this recipe I made 20 jalapeno things.  You will also needs jalapenos, no more than 2-3″ in size.  I used 10, which made 20 (they get sliced in half).  And a block of sharp cheddar cheese or whatever cheese you prefer.



I forgot to take a picture of this step, so pretend there is a baking tray of 10 pieces of bacon on it    Preheat oven to 400 degree F.  Cook bacon for about 10min.  You don’t want to cook it all the way.  It should still be bendable.
While the bacon is cooking, slice up your cheese.



Then, slice your jalapeno’s in half.  Remove the stems, inner membrane and seeds.  Unless you like super spicey, then keep some seeds in!



Aren’t they pretty?  Mr. Wright thinks I’m weird for calling food pretty.  But he doesn’t love cooking so he wouldn’t understand.  The bacon should be done at some point during your slicing of jalapenos.  Let them cool for a moment while you fill the jalapenos with 2-3 little slices of cheese.  You want them to be cheesy enough because some of the cheese falls out during cooking.




Cut the cheese slices if you need to so they can fit in the jalapenos.  My picture only shows 1 cheese slice, but again I recommend laying 2-3 slice.

Cut the bacon pieces in half. Wrap the bacon around the jalapeno snugly and secure with a toothpick.  Or if you’re like me and don’t have toothpicks on hand, break off the ends of bamboo sticks    Also, be sure they are facing up and not on their sides or else the cheese will drip onto the pan.



And voila!
Ingredients:
10-12 jalapenos (or more if desired)
12 ounce package of bacon (enough for approx.  30 jalapeno slices)
8 ounce block sharp cheddar cheese, sliced into 2-3 inch slices
toothpicks for securing
Directions
Begin by partially cooking the bacon. Place bacon strips close together on a baking pan.  I was able to fit 10 slices on my pan. Cook 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.Bacon should still be bendable and not crispy or all the way done. Cut bacon strips in half and set aside.  Drain off excess bacon fat/grease.
Cut cheddar cheese into half-inch slices and cut each slice in half lengthwise and halve again. Set aside.
 Remove tops from jalapenos and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes (keep seeds in if you want more spice)
In each jalapeno, put in one or two pieces of cheese, cutting cheese to fit.  Wrap with one piece of bacon, tucking end of bacon under jalapeno and secure with a toothpick. Place stuffed and wrapped jalapeno on baking pan. Continue with remaining jalapenos, cheese, and bacon, placing stuffed jalapenos close together.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until bacon is browned. Cool slightly before removing, serve and enjoy

Honey & Hoisen Glazed Wings

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Earliar this week I made this exact recipe, but with chicken thighs instead of wings.  They were so delicious I just knew that as wings they would be just as incredible.  And in spirit of the superbowl I decided to give em' another go.  I found the recipe from Carmen Cooks.  I definitly recommend these.  Although with a few changes as suggested by Mr. Wright these wings are even better and taste like restaurant quality.

3 lbs chicken wings, separated

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/3 cup honey

5 T soy sauce (I use reduced-sodium)

2 tsp sriracha (or to taste, depends how spicy you would like it)

2 t toasted sesame oil

1 t black pepper

1 T toasted sesame seeds

Oil for frying

1. In a deep fryer or (deep skillet with oil) fry all wings until done.  Set aside on plate to cool.  Turn on oven to 400 F so it can preheat.

2.  In a medium saucepan combine all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, until it is slightly reduced. Put aside 1/3 cup of the sauce in a small bowl.

3.  Transfer the wings to the saucepan. Make sure each wing is coated in sauce.

4. Line a roasting pan with foil.  Place glazed wings on a roasting rack and pour the rest of the glaze from the saucepan over the wings. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until the glaze on the wings is thick and sticky.

5.  Transfer the wings to a serving dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over them and serve with the reserved glaze on the side.

Superbowl Appetizer Ideas

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Good food.  Good beer.  Good friends.  Good commercials.  Oh yeah...and football, which this year should be a good game.  Honestly I don't care who wins.  It's more fun to watch when you really want one team to win over another, but I just don't care.  At first I was going to go for the Saints because I like Kim Kardashian and Reggie plays for the Saints.  But then I realized Hank Baskett plays for the Colts and I like Kendra too.  Stupid.  I know, I know.  But what other criteria to I have to off?  I guess perhaps the team colors could motivate me.  I won't be watching the superbowl this year anyway.  For one we are in Germany and the game will be on at God only knows what time here.  But secondly a VIP will be in town and we have much more important things to do than watch football.  Last year was lots of fun because we also celebrated our good friend's birthday.  I remember eating so much I couldn't move.  There are definitely staples that in my opinion EVERY superbowl party must have.  Seven layer dip, veggie/cheese tray, hot wings and beer.  They just all go together.  But it's also nice to have different things too.  So this year try something different and new.

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeno Bites
Honey & Hoisen Glazed Wings
Chili Con Queso Revved Up

Chili Con Queso Revved Up

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I first made this a few months ago for a game night we hosted. The recipe comes from her greatness, The Pioneer Woman. It's meaty, cheesy and just slightly spicey (or more if you want). What more could you want in a dip? This really is a great appetizer for UFC fight nights, a Super Bowl party or any group get together. This served 8 people just perfect with no leftovers. So if you have more than 8, or want some to freeze for later than double the recipe. BTW, this is so easy to freeze leftovers in a ziplock back. It tastes just as good reheated. Perfect for if you need a make ahead app.

Serving Tip: Keep heated in a fondue pot or crock pot. Provide plastic bowls for guests to serve their own. Also, you can have a little bowl of diced jalapenos on the side for people to add themselves. That way the dish isn't too spicey for some, but spicey enough for those who like.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12

Ingredients
32 ounces, weight Velveeta Cheese Loaf
10 ounces, weight Rotel
1 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Premium Pork Sausage
7 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies
1 whole Yellow Onion
1 whole Jalapeno, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions
Dice the onion. Using a nonstick sprayed skillet, cook sausage and onions until brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned, drain some of the fat from the skillet.
Cube Velveeta loaf. Add cubes to browned sausage and onion mixture. Add can of Rotel (juice and all), can of green chilies (juice and all), and stir over low heat.
Cut the top and bottom off the jalapeño, slice into matchsticks, then rotate and slice to create a fine dice. (For a spicy version, leave seeds and white membranes. For a milder option, remove them.) Add to queso and stir

Bruschetta with Feta

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Bruschetta, pronounced brus'ketta, is traditionally  a very simple recipe of just grilled bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil.  Most bruschetta as we Americans know it includes a tomato/garlic/basil topping or some variation thereof.  Here is my version of the yummy appetizer.

Ingredients

7 or 8 plum tomatoes or 3-4 large hot house tomatoes, sliced into quarter pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mediterranean flavored feta cheese

Loaf of french, ciabatta or italian bread

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Mix in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture onto toasted bread slices.


2. Sprinkle with feta cheese.