{ Veggie } Taco Tuesday

Tacos are my go-to birthday meal. Every year as a child (and still today) my mom makes me tacos for my birthday. Thanks Mum!  

Even though I still love tacos, I've developed a weird complex about eating ground beef. I am not a vegetarian, but I feel so much better eating these veggie tacos over their traditional beef filled partner. 

Plus the days of not having to think about what I am eating are well behind me. Especially after child #2. Now those greesy beef tacos just stick around my midsection a little too long. 

Not these babies though. You get the spice minus the guilt. 

So go ahead, eat your veggie tacos! The cows and your midsection will thank you. 

ingredients 

1 cup lentils 

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake 

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

taco shells 

taco fixin's 

Rinse and drain lentils. Bring two cups of water to a boil. Once water is boiling add lentils and cover. Lower heat and simmer until lentils are soft and all the water is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Mix together all the seasonings and set aside. Once lentils are cooked remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add in seasonings and stir. If they seem a little dry you can add a little dash of water or oil.

Assemble tacos. Serve. 

You can also use this recipe as a taco salad by adding lentils to a bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, fat-free Greek yogurt, salsa, and broken pieces of taco shell. 

Enjoy! 

Craft Time

When it comes to DIY I have the attention span of a three year old boy. I always start a new craft project only to get halfway and decide I want to start a whole new project.

Even my 'remind me to make this later' pin board is full of awesome ideas just waiting to be started and hopefully finished. 

That is why I love this project, you get your craft fix before it looses your attention. Plus you don't have to commit your entire pay check and weekend to this project. 

You can use this confetti for anything; parties, holiday dinners, glue it on wrapping paper, include it in a small gift, hide it in those plastic Easter eggs, secretly scatter it around the bedroom of the birthday boy or girl etc etc. 

Don't like hearts? No problem, there is sure to be a craft punch to suit your fancy. 

You need

White card stock

Dot paints in a variety of colors

Craft punch

Here's how

On a piece of card stock dot paints while leaving some white space. 

Once they are dry (about 30 seconds) punch out with craft puncher. 

Scatter on table. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Cups

So I have to tell you something, this recipe, was actually supposed to be a video. You don't even know the preparation that went into the taping. Everything from rearranging the kitchen to perfecting my hair & makeup. 

What didn't go into the preparation for the video was making sure we have all the necessary parts to upload it onto the computer. 

Long story short we spent all morning shooting, only to realize the finalizer for the video camera is no where to be found. So now that precious (albeit very armature cooking demonstration) will be shared only with those in this house. 

Luckily I did take a few quick pictures so I could still share with you. 

These little orzo filled lemon cups are great for entertaining. Bridal shower anyone? They are light, refreshing, and a little unexpected. 

Don't feel like eating from a lemon? No problem, the orzo salad is good enough to eat in any bowl. In fact I just about polished off the whole salad straight from the mixing bowl. 

ingredients

lemons (1 for every two cups) plus 1 for juicing

3 tablespoons (more or less) extra virgin olive oil 

bag of baby spinach, julienned  

1 cup orzo, cooked and cooled

1cup (more or less) good quality feta cheese, crumbled 

Cook orzo and let cool in a separate mixing bowl. If it starts to stick together loosen by mixing in a little olive oil. Once orzo is cooled toss in baby spinach. Add in feta and gently combined. 

In a small bowl mix together olive oil and lemon juice. Adjust ingredients to taste. Mix dressing into the salad. Set aside. 

Cut lemon down the center and each end off to enable the lemon cup to sit upright. 

With a sharp paring knife score around the perimeter of the lemon. Scoop out the inside of the lemon with a spoon. You will want to do this over the sink or a bowl, it is a little messy. 

Spoon in salad and top with a sprinkle of lemon zest. 

Serve. 

Enjoy!

Sunday Sauce for Meatless Monday

I come from a very Italian family. Growing up we had Sunday dinner every Sunday with the whole extended family.

There was always so much food. What you ate on Sundays could fill you up for the whole week. I mean literally I would have to prepare myself by fasting for a good (lets be honest) few hours.

But now that I am older and my metabolism is just a wee bit slower I like to try and keep it healthy.

So this Sunday approved version of meat sauce is 100% vegetarian friendly; perfect for Sunday dinner or Meatless Monday.

ingredients

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium carrot, minced

1 eggplant

1 cup (or so) of baby portobello mushrooms 

1 (28) can of tomato sauce 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

freshly grated mozzarella cheese

grated Parmesan 

1 lb whole wheat pasta 

Remove skin from eggplant. Cut off ends and cut in half. Chop into small pieces. With a damp paper towel remove any dirt from mushrooms. Remove stems and chop into small pieces. Chop all other veggies. Set aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add chopped onion, garlic, carrot, eggplant, and mushrooms. Stir. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Continue to cook until veggies are soft stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. 

Add in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Fill half of the empty tomato sauce can with water and add water to sauce. Stir and add about 1/2 teaspoon of more salt. Feel free to add in any other herbs (basil, oregano, bay leaf, parsley etc). I like my sauce with just a bay leave and a sprinkle of dried basil. 

Once sauce is boiling turn down heat to low and let simmer. 

Meanwhile boil water. Once water is boiled add a good amount of salt to water and stir in pasta. Cook until just about done. Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Serve with grated mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. 

For more veggie friendly meals click here, here, and here. 

Enjoy!

A Scone Throwback

These scones bring me back. Back to my childhood summers spent at our New England beach house. Those warm summer nights walking downtown to get an ice cream from the local creamery after a long hot day at the beach. Heaven.

My favorite flavor was, and I think always will be, coconut almond fudge chip. So when I saw this scone recipe from Joy the Baker I just had to try it.

So here I sit 15 years later sipping coffee and enjoying a freshly baked scone, reminiscing on one of my favorite childhood memories.

Thank you Joy ; )

ingredients 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 large egg

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/3 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

buttermilk and sugar for topping

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350. Place shredded coconut and almonds on baking sheet. Toast in oven for about 8 to 10 minutes (be careful coconut does not burn). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

Heat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Toss the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture. Using your hands, quickly work in the butter mixture breaking it up with your fingers. Butter should break into bits the size of small pebbles. Set in the fridge for a few minutes. 

Whisk together buttermilk and egg. 

Remove the flour and butter mixture from fridge and add coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips. Whisk together. Create a well in the center of the mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once into the well. Use a fork to bring the wet and dry ingredients together. Mixture will be shaggy and seem a little dry. 

Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough mixture onto the counter. With your hands bring dough together forming a 1 1/2 inch thick disk. Use a 2 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Flour the biscuit cutter if it starts to stick to the dough. 

Place biscuits on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush with a bit of buttermilk and a few pinches of sugar. Bake biscuits for 14-18 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve warm with jam. 

{Recipe from Joy the Baker} 

Enjoy!

Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas

I'm a sucker for anything buffalo sauced.

Those buffalo pretzels... oh man, it takes everything out of me not to eat the whole bag.

I think I'd rather take a shot of buffalo sauce then a shot of Jagermeister.
Well, I don't know... but you get the point.

I've been dying to try roasting chickpeas and figured what a great way to get my buffalo fix without hogging down on a bag of pretzels or wings. (By wings I mean the boneless ones, I actually don't care for the regular wings).

ingredients

2 cups chickpeas

2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450. 

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat dry with a paper towel and put them in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sauce and spices. Pour over chickpeas. 

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread the chickpeas into a single layer. 

Roast until crispy, about 35-40 minutes. Occasionally mix chickpeas around and make sure they are not burning. Let cool and serve. 

{Recipe adapted from the wonderful Cassie @ Bake Your Day}

Enjoy!

Super Bowl Sliders

Something bad has happened. 

It's called a bacon slider with pickled onions. We aren't talking about a burger with bacon on top. Oh no, here the bacon is mixed inside with the hamburg. 

After having one of these, I don't think I can ever go back to the same old burgers. 

And with the pickled onions? Forgetaboutit! 

No longer will any burger, anywhere, do. 

In case I wasn't clear, these burgers are 50% sirloin and 50% bacon all mixed together. 

Ya, your guests are gonna forget all about the Super Bowl. 

This was also my first time trying pickled onions. Have you ever tried them? They're good... good enough to eat straight from the jar, so just make sure you have some mints nearby! 

ingredients 

1 lb ground sirloin 

1 lb bacon 

12 or so slider rolls

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 red onion

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

baby spinach 

12 or so pieces of cheese (I used Swiss)

s&p

Bacon sliders:

Freeze bacon for about 15 minutes. Once the bacon is almost frozen chop into a very small dice. Put in large mixing bowl. Add ground sirloin to mixing bowl with salt and pepper. Mix until everything is well dispersed. Form patties with about 1 tablespoon of meat into a round ball. Gently press patties onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

In a large heavy saute pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add sliders 3 at a time. Cook about 7 minutes on each side. Try not to flatten or keep flipping burgers. Just give a little lift to make sure they are not burning. Repeat with remaining burgers. 

Once burgers are just about done add cheese and let melt. 

Move onto a plate and assemble.

{Burger recipe adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon}

Pickled onions:

Slice onion into thin strings. Place onions in one cup of boiling water for about a minute to blanch. Strain onions from water. Return to pan and add cider vinegar, salt, and just enough water to barley cover onions. Return to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Add all contents to a glass jar and let brine for about 2 hours to 3 weeks. 

Keep in fridge. 

Enjoy!