BANANA PECAN MUFFINS

RECIPE

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of cinnomon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp of salt
4 ripe bananas (peel and mash)
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of pecans (or nut of your choice)

Frosting

8 oz of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
3 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup pecans (You can toast them for a warm, nutty flavor)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Next Mix the dry ingredients into bowl, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the wet ingredients together, sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and add banana and nuts in. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Add the batter to the cupcake liners in the muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Next add the honey. Frost muffins as desired. Top with pecans if desired.

EVERYTHING GREEN! Baby Kale, Spinach, and Avocado Salad

BABY KALE, SPINACH, AND AVOCADO SALAD

We have all heard of the well known green leafy vegetable that is making its reputation around the world as one of the most nutritious vegetables, Kale. Most of us have heard of that kale is good for us, but how do we use it or cook with it? There are many recipes out there floating around the internet on the many uses of kale, however I wanted to show you one recipe that is simple palatable, and easy to make. If you have shopped around for kale you might have noticed the big dark leafy green. Although mature kale is great in many recipes I have found that baby kale is great for salads. Baby kale is much sweeter, tender, and finally making its way into grocery markets across the country. I found a bag of baby kale at Trader Joe's. Baby kale to me, has the mildness of spinach, and a milder version of peppery arugula. It really is a great flavor, nothing like raw, fresh mature kale which can be a bitter and rough unless it is cooked. This baby kale and baby spinach salad is a refreshing and good for you. We have included a video on the benefits of kale below. 

Recipe

Baby Kale
Baby Spinach
Avocado
2 Hard boiled eggs
1/4 Purple onion sliced
1 Orange
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper flakes (As desired)
Garlic powder (a couple shakes)
Oil
Vinegar

Directions

Cut up baby kale, and spinach as desired. Section off orange segments. Slice purple onion. Chop one hard boiled egg. Slice avocado to preference. Assemble salad as desired. Drizzle with oil. I used avocado oil, however any oil of preference will do. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. 

ENJOY!!!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF KALE

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO 

EVERYTHING GREEN! Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

RECIPE

2 Chicken breasts (You can also use canned chicken if you prefer)

2 stalk celery diced

1/2 medium onion diced

1/4 cup of cran-raisins 

1/4 cup cashews chopped

1/2 avocado

2 Tablespoons of mayo

The Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 Teaspoon thyme

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder (You will need about 1/4 for the chicken mixture and the avocado mayo.

1/4 Teaspoon Italian seasoning (Basil, oregano, parsley mixture)

1/4 Teaspoon Parsley

Salt/Pepper

Good bread (I used multi-grain bread)

Baby Kale

Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS    

If you are using canned chicken you can disregard this first step. Boil chicken until cooked. Cut chicken into bite size chunks after boiling. Put chicken in bowl and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Next dice celery and onion and put in bowl with chicken. Chop the cashews into pieces large enough to bite into but not crushed. Add cashews and cranraisins to bowl. Add spices and toss together with all ingredients. 

Avocado Mayo

Some people love avocado while others do not eat it due to its bland taste but they want the health benefits from it. Mixing avocado with something else can provide the taste you are looking for and offering the excellent benefits that avocados offer.  I used about 3/4 of the avocado. You can use as much or as little as you like! Add 2 tablespoons of mayo, salt, pepper, dry parsley, garlic powder, and the juice of one lemon. In a food processor, or by hand, mix ingredients. Add the avocado mixture to the chicken ingredients.

SERVE THE CHICKEN SALAD ON GOOD BREAD. I USED A MULTI-GRAIN BREAD FROM TRADER JOE'S. TO MAKE A HEALTHY SANDWICH ADD BABY KALE AND BABY SPINACH!

 

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO- V

Turkey Meatloaf

INDIVIDUAL TURKEY MEATLOAF

Recipe

1 lb of ground turkey

1 medium onion

2 stalks of celery

1 egg

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper

Thyme

Rosemary

Italian seasoning (Oregano, basil, parsley)

Note: You do not have to use egg or bread crumbs in this recipe. I have tried it both ways, and the texture and flavor are both very good. 

Sauce

Cocktail sauce

Ketchup

Barbecue sauce

You can doctor up your sauce any way you like! Some ideas include adding honey for a sweet flavor, or a pinch of red pepper flakes to heat things up! 

Another very simple recipe that anyone can do. Many of the recipe's that we post are simple and great for the novice cook such as many college students

Directions

Cut and dice one medium onion and 2 stalks of celery. Saute until translucent. Add to turkey. Add salt and pepper, spices, egg, and bread crumbs. Mix together. Form into one loaf or into individual loafs in a muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients while the meat is baking. The meatloaf will be slightly brown but not entirely cooked. Take out the tin and top each loaf with sauce. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until the sauce is baked nicely onto the loaf. 

  To carry out the simple menu buttery garlic noodles are just the thing, with a side salad. 

EVERY THING GREEN! Green Pea Hummus

 GREEN PEA HUMMUS

Keeping the Everything Green theme going! If you haven't read earlier posts, we are celebrating the color green for the month of March. We felt this was fitting since St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in March, and so is the first day of spring!
Today was one of those days that I could not think of a thing to make for dinner. My son was craving steak, and I had some red skin potatoes, so steak and potatoes it was.  Now for a vegetable...hmmm. I had froze peas in the freezer and the standard green peas with butter sounded okay, but I was feeling a bit more creative so I searched my cupboards and refrigerator and came up with the idea of a pea hummus. 

Now what would I use to put this lovely idea of pea hummus onto? I didn't have any good bread in the house however I did have frozen pre-sliced garlic bread that I had gotten on sale for only .88 cents. I bought a few of them and so far we had only eaten it with spaghetti.
The hummus spread on top of the toasted garlic bread would be a perfect match for the steak and potatoes. I also wanted to use my new found treasure, Avocado Oil! So I used it to fry up the steak, and I used it in the Pea Hummus. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe as much as I did. This recipe will go down in the books as one of my favorite family recipes that I can pass down to my kids.

RECIPE

1 Bag of frozen peas

Avocado oil or other oil of your choice

Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup (More or less to your preference)

The juice of 1 lemon

3 medium cloves of garlic

1 handful of fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of dry basil (I would have used fresh basil, but I was out of it)

Salt and Pepper

A few shakes of garlic powder (If needed)

 DIRECTIONS

Another simple recipe. Heat one bag of frozen or thawed peas until they are heated through but not fully cooked or tender. The peas will be warm and they will still have that bright green appearance. Next in a blender or food processor add the juice of one lemon, about three tablespoons of avocado oil, garlic, peas, chopped parsley, basil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and blend. As you blend you will need to add additional oil in order to keep the peas moving. You can also add lemon juice to help thin out the consistency. I liked mine a little thicker. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder as desired. I liked mine a little more garlicy So I added a few shakes of garlic powder, making it just right! 

EVERYTHING GREEN! Asparagus and Eggs

EVERYTHING GREEN! Asparagus and Eggs

The month of March is known for everything green! St. Patrick's Day, spring time and sometimes Easter falls in March. It's a time for new beginnings, sprouting flowers, buds and seeds, and in some cases the peak of certain fruits and vegetables. Asparagus is one of the those vegetables that are "in season" with April being the peak of Asparagus season. To add to our everything green theme, I added an interesting and delicious oil that I found on the west coast, Avocado Oil. I have not seen Avocado Oil in most markets and when I saw this I about flipped! The benefits of avocado are many, and I assure you will love the taste. 

Asparagus and eggs was a dish my father made when we were growing up. It was a treat and something we all devoured when he made them.  Last week I found asparagus for .97 cents a pound and I knew then that I had to stock up and freeze this delicacy and make this favorite childhood dish. 

Recipe 

Asparagus

Purple onion

Salt/Pepper

Garlic or garlic powder

Squeeze of lemon

Avocado oil

eggs

Directions

Since my asparagus was frozen I decided to roast it to prevent it from becoming mushy while sauteing. First I drizzled avocado oil onto a sheet pan, and added the asparagus and purple onion. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder and bake at 375 degrees until tender, when finished add to frying pan. Next whisk 8 eggs and add the eggs to the asparagus and cook until eggs are at desired consistency. 

EVERYTHING GREEN! Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

 ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

This side dish is one of my favorites and I typically make this when asparagus goes on sale. Asparagus is in season and at its peak from February to June with April being its peak season, and you will more than likely find the best sales during this time. Take advantage of the incredible nutritional health benefits that asparagus has to offer in addition to is peak flavor and sale prices during these months. 

The asparagus may be the star of the show in this recipe, however there are other important ingredients in this dish that make this dish a powerhouse of nutrients, such as the tomatoes, lemon and garlic, all equally serving our immune systems and over health and well-being. 

Recipe

Asparagus

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Lemon

Minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Directions

Place asparagus into a baking sheet. Place tomatoes into pan. I like to place them on top of the stems to  keep them moist and to prevent them from burning. Next place minced garlic over vegetables. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of lemon (more or less if you like) and drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. Salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TOMATOES

HEALTH BENEFITS AND ASPARAGUS