Breaded Eggplant Parmesan

Back in September I found this great recipe in Whole Living Magazine . I have been wanting to try it out for several months and finally got around to it this weekend. Husband gave it a rating of a 10 so it is for sure a winner for our kitchen! It has so much great flavor and if you are looking for a great meal for your "meatless monday" this is for sure one to try out.

The original recipe is called: Breaded Eggplant with Arugula and Parmesan

Here of course is my version:

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant - cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
coarse salt
1/4 cup flour
1 large egg, whisked with 1 TBSP water
1 cup breadcrumbs - I made homemade garlic ones
1 cup EVOO
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (can find vegan subs)

Directions:

Arrange slices of eggplant in a colander and coat both sides with salt. Let set for 30 minutes then rinse and pat dry (this step takes away some of the bitterness of the eggplant).
Divide flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs mixed with parm cheese into three separate bowls.
Dip each slice of eggplant into flour, then egg, then bread/parm mix until both sides are nicely coated.
Heat oil in large skillet and fry eggplant until crisp and golden on both sides.
Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain grease and serve warm.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving spending Thursday with Small Group friends and Friday at home together. I was determined to cook us a big meal so that we could enjoy leftovers and stock a couple more things in the freezer before our baby girl arrives. These recipes are SO simple and a great way to use up your leftovers.

Shepherds Pie 

Ingredients:
mashed potatoes
peas or green beans (really any leftover veggie)
ham or turkey

Directions:
In the bottom of a casserole dish place veggies and meat mixing with a little bit of broth or water so they don't dry out. Add seasoning as you desire, onions and garlic are a go to for our house.
Top w/ mashed potatoes and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Split Pea Soup 

Ingredients:
2 cups peas (dried, canned, frozen)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced ham
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
I just throw all the ingredients in my slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. This freezes great and of course goes good with those leftover dinner rolls.

AND a Tastefully Simple recipe using that leftover Turkey - from TS Recipes.

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (we try to stay away from this but once in a while it won't kill you!)
1/2 cup water
1 TBS Wahoo! Chili Seasoning Blend
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Garlic
1 cup Corn and Black Bean Salsa
2 cups cubed turkey
4 flour or 6 corn tortillas - cut into strips
1/2 cup cheese (can sub Daiya)

Directions:
Stir the ingredients minus cheese in a large bowl to mix. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top w/ cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbling.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving!

Peanut Butter Goodness!

Being almost 37 weeks pregnant means I want dessert every night. Having the doctor tell me at EVERY appointment that I need to work on gaining weight means I get dessert every night. :)

The husband LOVES peanut butter, to the point I can't really keep it in the house. His meal of choice when we need something quick is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. He can eat an entire bag of Reeses in one sitting and if you have seen him you would never know he eats like that!

On the other hand I am not really a peanut butter person. I really don't even like sweets but I guess Lucy does because being pregnant makes me want to eat not just sweet things but peanut butter. Weird.

I needed a good recipe and one I had all the ingredients on hand for last night so I called my sister to help me search our Pinterest Boards for something good! We found these:

Special K Cookies

I renamed them Peanut Butter Goodness because I didn't have Special K cereal but I did have some off brand honey nut cheerios that needed to be used up. Here is what I ended up doing and by the way it turned out amazing! There is NOTHING healthy about these and I can't even really promote them as I am normally really against white corn syrup but ...

Peanut Butter Goodness

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups cheerios

Directions:
1. Combine syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt in a microwave-safe dish. Cook on high 3-4 minutes or until mixture boils and sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir in peanut butter then add cereal.
3. Drop on waxed paper in the size and shape you want. Let cool in fridge before serving.

Prep for Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving food - although I am not a fan of turkey. Seems a little odd but turkey just hasn't been my favorite for many years. Such a shame as there is so much you can do with the leftovers but I prefer to spurge on a ham and have the husband grill it! 

Our Thanksgiving menu otherwise is pretty traditional. 

Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Green Beans
Rolls
Pecan Pie

This year we will be of course grilling ham. I always use some kind of Tastefully Simple glaze - not sure which one this year but leaning towards our Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce or just  a simple coat of Burger and Brat Mustard leftover from our Spring/Summer line that we both love on everything. 

The mashed potatoes are the easiest part. I use my slow cooker to help cut down on so much in and out of the oven (ham on the grill helps this too!). I dice my potatoes into 1 inch pieces and throw them in with enough water to cover them and a little salt. When they are soft I just mash them with a potato masher, you could use a hand held beater if you are worried they will be too chunky. Then I add a ton of Garlic Garlic (ts), butter (earth balance vegan), and sour cream (green valley lactose free). When it is blended together they are ready to serve. 

The stuffing I am going to try this year is from a recipe my aunt made last year for Thanksgiving. It was amazing so I asked her to pass it on so we could enjoy it again this year. 

Bread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples

10 cups of bread cubes (½ inch)  (combination whole wheat and other breads) **

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 medium celery ribs with leaves, chopped with leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 lb. pork sausage 

3 – 4 raw apples finely chopped, with peelings on (or 3 oz. chopped dried apples)

2 – 3 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth 

Thyme and sage (or 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning)

Salt

Pepper

To dry bread cubes, let them stand at room temperature over night.  Or bake them in a 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally until dry, 20 – 30 minutes. Do not toast. The bread will crisp as it cools.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and parsley.  Cook, stirring often until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes.

Scrape the vegetables and butter into a bowl with the bread cubes.

In the same skillet over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked through, about 10 minutes.. Use a spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add cooked sausage and apples to bread mixture. Toss so bread is coated evenly. At this point stuffing can be covered and refrigerated  for 24 hours.

Add thyme, sage (or poultry seasoning) to stuffing.

Place stuffing in a buttered baking dish and drizzle with additional broth if need more moisture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Or place in slow cooker on low temperature for about 5 hours.

Servings: 10 cups

** Note: One (15-ounce) bag cubed seasoned stuffing can be used as a substitute.

The green beans are a tradition at our house. They are Kevin's favorite veggie so I always stock up when they are in season and freeze several batches for the winter months. I mix them with a little bit of Meyer's Lemon Oil (TS), garlic and sliced almonds. Great alternative to the midwest green bean casserole I grew up on since we are doing our best to stay away from cream based soups in our cooking. These just need warming in the oven and are ready to serve. 

In past years for the rolls I have made a loaf of Bountiful Beer Bread. This year I haven't decided on what I might do. I am thinking about a package of crescent rolls using Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning with butter (TS). 

Now on to dessert - Kevin's favorite pie is Pecan. Last year I searched forever for a good recipe that I could make homemade. This is the best one I have found - Pecan Pie -  and will go with it again this year. It makes two so I will be able to freeze one for when my family is in town for Christmas. Pecan Pie is my dad's favorite too! 

Time to get shopping - then on to cooking - then on to the leftover menu! YUM

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Beer Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes (not dairy free)

Since it is towards the end of the month we are trying to use up lots of items from our pantry and sometimes that means getting creative. I actually look forward to this time each month because often our best dinners and new recipes come out of random things in the kitchen. This morning I realized I had 6 potatoes, 1/2 lb ground sausage, 1/2 onion and some soy milk to use up. I knew I wanted to use up those potatoes before they started to sprout even though I knew I could freeze the sausage and onions for another month.

My next thought was to look in the pantry and see what I had Tastefully Simple wise - one of the best parts of the business is experimenting with the products and coming up with new recipes. It keeps me excited about the business and the opportunity that I can provide people. I found a sample pack of Bountiful Beer Cheese Soup - a product that I am still playing around with. I have found that when I want soup I can thin it out with a little extra beer or milk or leave it thick to pour over our Bountiful Beer Bread. The only ingredients it needs is beer and milk or you can always omit the beer and add the extra milk. I often don't suggest it to clients as just a soup but offer all the other ways you can use it. I was so happy to find another fun way to use the product today and can't wait to share it with my November hosts!

From the ingredients I had I did a 1/2 recipe, but listed below is for a full recipe since as a client you can only order it that way.


Beer Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 package Bountiful Beer Cheese Soup
1/2 cup beer
4 cups milk (I used soy)
1 lb ground sausage
1 onion, diced
10-12 potatoes, sliced thin

Directions:
* Thinly slice potatoes and place 1/2 of them in slow cooker.
* Cook ground sausage and onions - when browned add beer cheese soup mix with beer and milk. Whisk to mix and heat until it starts to thicken.
* Pour 1/2 of the mixture over potatoes and add rest of potatoes, then finish off by adding the rest of the soup sausage mix.
* Cook in your slow cooker on low for 5 hours or until potatoes are soft.

*** Please note this recipe is NOT dairy free - the Bountiful Beer Cheese Soup does contain a powdered cheese. I did the best I could by using soy milk instead of regular as I really wanted to experiment with a product my clients really love!

Egg Drop Soup

We eat a lot of Chinese food at our house. It is such an easy and affordable way to go dairy free plus we love experimenting with different recipes. I had been craving a really simple Egg Drop Soup and happened to have some edamame and frozen egg rolls to use up.

I found the original recipe on Mommypotamus. A great blog for parenting and fun recipes. I of course adapted it for us - for example my recipe doesn't have celery in it only because I didn't have it on hand. However, this turned out amazing and reheats great as well.

photo credit 

Egg Drop Soup - original recipe 

Ingredients:
1 diced onion
1 TBS coconut butter
1 teaspoon soy sauce
8 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons sesame oil
8 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onion for garnish

Directions:
* Add coconut butter to medium-sized pot and warm adding onions until soft.
* Add chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil and bring to a boil
* Stir in egg gently
* Use salt and pepper to taste and add green onion before serving

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Here is another fantastic squash recipe - this time using Acorn Squash!



Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash - original recipe

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash - halved and seeded
1 TBS EVOO
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 lb ground sausage - hot
1/4 cup diced onion
1 diced apple - granny smith
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
1 egg - beaten

Directions:
* After you have halved and seeded the squash drizzle with EVOO and garlic salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. (fill pan w/ a small amount of water to cook the squash in, helps prevent burning)
* Make stuffing: fry sausage and remove from pan, in drippings from pan fry onion and apple until lightly browned.
* Combine onion and apple mixture to sausage and add breadcrumbs. Season to taste.
* Stir in beaten egg.
* Fill squash halves with stuffing mixture - they should be slightly mounded.
* Return to oven and bake, covered with foil for 20 more minutes.

Homemade Applesauce

I love shopping at Sprouts Market. Even though there really isn't one in our neighborhood I find it worthwhile with their great deals on meat and produce to drive the 15-20 minutes one way every other week to catch their double add Wednesdays.

This past week they had four types of apples on sale for 0.49 a pound - such a GREAT deal. I went in and bought about 15 lbs of apples - so about 45 apples total. I was on a mission to cook them down and make applesauce. It freezes so great and tastes way better than any kind of store bought. I ended up buying 1/2 and 1/2 of red gala and green golden delicious. A mix of variety is often the key to a great tasting applesauce.

Homemade Applesauce

8-12 apples - peeled and cored, diced into 1 inch pieces
1 cinnamon stick
2 slices lemon peel
5 TBS brown sugar
small amount of water to cover bottom of pot

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low until apples are soft. Use potato masher and mash to desired consistency. This freezes great and also lasts in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

------
I also wanted to cook a large batch down without any seasoning/spices in it for Lucy. Since it freezes so great I can cook the apples down and mash/puree them and freeze for when she is ready to start on that type of food. My goal since I have the luxury of working from home with my business is to make most to all of her food. It is a great way to save money being really affordable - plus I know what is entering my child's body.

Apple Puree for Lucy

8-12 apples - peeled and cored, diced into 1 inch pieces

Cover apples in a large pot with water. Let simmer on low until soft. Mash or puree - freeze or serve fresh.

Here is a great website I have been scooping out for when we are ready to start making Lucy's food. Also where I got the helpful info on making her apples.
Homemade Apple Baby Food
Wholesome Baby Food

Squash... Fall Medley

I love Fall! I could have Fall weather and foods year round and be so happy with life. I especially can't wait for when squash goes on sale. There are so many different things you can do with squash making it both a savory or a sweet dish. I often prefer my squash to be on the savory side but every once in a while I can top a butternut with butter and brown sugar and that is amazing too. 

I was searching on Pinterest this week for a new recipe using a beautiful butternut squash I picked up at Sprouts. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe and I added onions and garlic to the original recipe and so glad that I did! It doesn't really have a name but it tastes amazing. 

Fall Medley - original recipe
Ingredients

• 1 medium/large zucchini
• 3 cups packed chopped fresh spinach
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4-5 slices double smoked bacon 
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 TBS garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 tsp cumin
• Zest & juice of 1/2 medium lemon
• Small handful of chopped almonds (other nuts or seeds would likely work also)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Peel the butternut squash, remove seeds and cut into stripes
3. Toss butternut squash cubes in EVOO
4. Roast squash at 375 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown at the bottom
5. While the squash is in the oven, prepare the rest of the dish
6. Cook the bacon, drain and set aside
7. Using the same pan, saute the spinach and onions on low heat with the cumin, garlic, salt and pepper for ~5 minutes, or until wilted
8. Chop the bacon, add to the spinach and set aside
9. Make zucchini noodles using a spirooli (if you don't have one, cut ribbons using a vegetable peeler)
10. Toss zucchini noodles with lemon juice, lemon zest
11. Cut the squash into bite size cubes
12. Add squash, bacon and spinach to the zucchini
13. Top with chopped almonds

Kitchen Notes:

The original recipe makes the dish sound more like a salad to be eaten cold. I much preferred it heated up and with the addition of the garlic and onions going for a more savory dish. Make sure to go light on the lemon flavor, it can become over powering quickly - unless you like it that way! 

I am also thinking about reheating the leftovers in the oven topped with parm cheese! 

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies - Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread

Today was a cookie making day! I had bought Chocolate Mint Chips a couple weeks ago when I was really wanting something sweet for dessert. I brought them home and stuck them in the freezer and had pretty much forgotten about them. :)

When I found them last week on my big freezer clean out I thought they would be great for cookies and I could make some to freeze for Christmas. I'm assuming even with my parents and sister here for the holiday that I personally won't be doing a ton of baking with either a newborn or almost baby here.

I also had a great coupon that went with a sale at Sprouts a couple weeks ago for Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread. It is a great butter sub and with a $2 off coupon and their Buy One Get One Free sale it was too good to pass up. We weren't sure what we would think of it but had it on our list to try as we are always looking for good Vegan Butter subs.

The overall verdict of the Coconut Spread is that it for sure has a coconut flavor and one that doesn't really go good with garlic bread and savory dishes but is great on the morning with toast and jelly, great with peanut butter and perfect for baking yummy desserts.

Here is my chocolate chip recipe and below is my new creation with the coconut spread and chocolate mint chips!

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread 

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 (12 oz) pkg. chocolate mint chips 

Directions:

* Cream coconut spread and sugars until smooth

* Beat in eggs and vanilla

* Add dry ingredients; mix well.

* Stir in chocolate mint chips.

* Bake on greased cookies sheet at 375 for 5-7 minutes.

Makes 6 dozen cookies

Normally I would NOT make 6 dozen cookies and I half this recipe but the wonderful husband happened to call right as I was mixing these up and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing because I was of course given him my FULL attention :) and ended up with ingredients mixed up for 6 dozen! He had no complaints of course and now I can for sure freeze some for the holiday. As long as I get them hidden in the freezer before he arrives home! He takes the myth of eating for two seriously these days - for himself!

Mama Mia Baked Penne Pasta

We are LOVING the new Mama Mia Marinara Sauce from the Fall/Winter line at Tastefully Simple. It is one of our dehydrated seasonings that you add 1-2 TBS to a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. I love the spice that it has and compliments any kind of pasta or pizza perfectly!

Last night we enjoyed Mama Mia Baked Penne Pasta and I made a double batch so we could freeze one for when Lucy comes! Here is the recipe:

Mama Mia Baked Penne Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef
4 oz penne pasta
1 TBS Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded parm cheese (vegan if you choose)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degree. Brown ground beef and drain. Prepare pasta while beef is browning. Add Mama Mia seasoning to tomato sauce and ground beef, bring to a simmer. Drain pasta and add sauce mixture. Spread in a greased 2 quart baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes. Top w/ cheese!

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is my favorite slow cooker soup for Fall. It is the first soup I always make when 60 degree weather hits and no matter how big of a batch I make we never seem to have enough leftovers!

My old recipe is listed here: French Onion Soup 

However, searching through Pinterest the other day I found another great recipe - although they are basically the same I think this one is the best one we have tried yet! Of course I changed it around a bit so feel free to look at the original recipe link.

French Onion Soup: original recipe 

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup EVOO

3 large onions (sliced) w/ a pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dry sherry
8 cups beef broth
2 cloves garlic (chopped or use Garlic Garlic)
croutons and swiss cheese slices for topping  

Directions:
1. Heat EVOO  in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and salt and cook slowly at low with the lid on until golden brown and caramelized, about 45 min, stirring every 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions, stir to combine and let cook until it starts to caramelize.
4. Add the dry sherry and deglaze the pan.
5. Add the broth and garlic to slow cooker - then add onion mixture.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours

7. Serve with croutons and cheese!  

Pinterest: Monterey Chicken and Pumpkin Poppers

I love all that Pinterest has to offer! There are so many creative ideas and recipes out there and having a place to categorize them together is helpful and fun. It can be addictive but I have also learned so much and use it not just for personal but for my Tastefully Simple Business as well.

Now that I am 28 weeks I am stocking our freezer with great meals for after Lucy is born. I have started to pull lots of recipes from Pinterest to broaden our menu a little bit. We had been craving pumpkin desserts and soups lately so as I find great recipes I "pin" them to our "Add to Menu" board. Make sure to check it out!

Please note that I will post a link to the original recipe but in my kitchen I can't just stick to a recipe so the ones you see here are my own variations!

Monterey Chicken: original recipe

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I used Honey Apple Grill Sauce from the Tastefully Simple line)
1/4 cup bacon pieces (cooked)
1 cup shredded cheese (Daiya)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilis, drained
sliced green onions

Optional Marinade for Chicken:
soy sauce, EVOO, garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound chicken breasts to flatten, or cut larger ones in half length wise. Grill chicken until no longer pink (marinaded or not) then place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet. Top each chicken breast w/ the remaining ingredients. Please cheese on last to hold all ingredients together. Bake in oven for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

*** Kitchen Notes: these turned out amazing and were really filling. I just served with a side salad but potatoes, rice or pasta would also go well with it.


Pumpkin Poppers: original recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup milk (used almond milk)

For Coating:
1 cup butter (earth balance, melted)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
(I used Carmel Cinnamon Sprinkles, from Tastefully Simple)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray min muffin tins w/ non-stick cooking spray. Combine all main ingredients and combine. Fill muffin tins and bake for 10-12 minutes. Melt butter in small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl. Let poppers cool for a few minutes then dip in butter and roll in sugar mixture. Enjoy!

*** Kitchen Notes: these didn't have as much of a pumpkin flavor to them as I wanted because we used fresh pureed pumpkin and left out some of the spices. They were still amazing though!!!

The Joys of Nesting!

Nesting has for sure set in at our house as we have 13ish weeks until Lucy's arrival. I feel her move constantly all day long - I am not even sure she really sleeps much. Moose lays on my stomach any chance he can get as I think sometimes he feels like he has to keep her warm and hatch her like an egg. She often kicks him, hard. He use to jump up and growl at her but now he just looks at me and rolls his eyes. I can only pray they become best friends sooner than later!

Lucy's room is starting to come together. We still need to pick up a few things like a crib mattress, pack n play, storage bins w/ lids for her closet and storage under her crib and of course some more clothes and diapers! Our neighbors are hosting a baby shower this weekend. I can't wait to spend the afternoon with them on Sunday. We are blessed by such wonderful neighbors and the #1 reason we decided to resign our townhome lease for another 12 months. I couldn't bare to think of leaving this community of dear friends as I work from home during Lucy's first year of life.

I deep cleaned our entire house room to room back in August before we had our garage sale. These days I am just maintaining and keeping the rooms clean. We thankfully aren't nick-nack or clutter people but it also means that I often find that I want something to organize and clean and can't find something! So I had to find something else to start keeping me busy along with wrapping up my Tastefully Simple business for maternity leave.

Cooking! 

I have cleaned out both freezers and made lists of what each one holds that are posted on the door. I am more than thankful for the large freezer we have in our basement that Kevin's mom gave to us several years ago. I keep it stocked with veggies, bread, fruits, and meat that has gone on sale. It has saved us so much time and money in the long run.

Now that I have cleaned out the freezers it is time to start stocking them with our favorite meals for when Lucy comes. I know we will have other priorities once she is born and I want to make sure we are still eating healthy and dairy free as much as possible.

I already have it stocked with Vegan Lasagna - Pizza Beer Bread Loaves (2) - Chili - Beef Stew - Millet Muffins - Banana Bread. Today I am adding to the stash with Pumpkin Enchiladas - Chicken Enchiladas - Potato Soup. (click on the item to be taken to the recipe)

Here are today's recipes:

Pumpkin Enchiladas 

Chicken Enchiladas

8 oz of cream cheese (dairy free - found at whole foods) 

½ cup of Sweet Jalapeno Dip Starter - Tastefully Simple Spring/Summer product 

2 – cups of chicken (cooked and shredded)

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (Daiya Brand) 

4-6 tortilla shells (fajita size or larger) 

Mix cream cheese and sweet jalapeno dip starter, set ¼ of mixture aside (will use on top of enchiladas).  Add chicken and 2 cups of shredded cheese to cream cheese mix.  Fill tortilla shells with desired amount of chicken and cream cheese mixture.  Place in greased glass casserole dish.  Top with the cream cheese and sweet jalapeno dip starter that was set aside.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with remaining shredded cheese.  Put back in oven until cheese is melted.  Top with tomatoes, lettuce, onions and salsa (optional). 

Potato Soup - from Pinterest! 

3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 chopped onion

4 cups chicken broth

garlic - salt - black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream (I used Green Valley Organics Lactose Free) 

1 cup shredded cheese (Daiya Brand)

green onions and bacon crumbles

Place potatoes, onion, broth and seasonings in slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5 hours. When potatoes are soft mash and mix in sour cream. Garnish with cheese, onions and bacon. 

(photo credit) 

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Mango Peach Almond Pound Cake Trifle

Today after my vendor event with the Forest Service I had some left over Absolutely Almond Pound Cake. My husband loves this dessert and since it was already cubed I decided to whip him up something special!

Mango Peach Almond Pound Cake Trifle

Ingredients:
1 Mango - diced
2 Peaches - diced
Absolutely Almond Pound Cake - bake as directed on box and cube
Cool Whip - omit this for dairy free (mine was just as good!)

Directions:
Layer ingredients and serve chilled. Any fruit will work! I used fresh but frozen or canned can also be subbed.

Perfectly Potato Cheddar Quiche

Sorry about my lack of posting recipes lately. Truth is nothing new has been happening in my kitchen with being pregnant and all. Now that I am finally well into the second trimester, currently at 18 weeks I am finally starting to cook again for my family. My husband couldn't be happier! If you would like to hear more about our baby adventure make sure to check out our family update blog at: Life As A Gunn.


Here was tonight's dinner - This recipe is of course from Tastefully Simple using our Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix. It is a standard item and the only soup you can purchase year round in our catalog.

Perfectly Potato Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients

1 cup dry Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix (note this is NOT a dairy free product)

1 1/4 cups hot water

3 slightly beaten eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3 - 4 strips cooked, crumbled bacon

9-inch prepared pie crust

(can sub the cheese out with Daiya or just omit to help the dairy factor)

Directions

Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Let stand 5 minutes. Place cheese and bacon in pie crust. Pour egg mixture over bacon mixture. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 servings.

Cranberry Orange Almond Pound Cake

I love the first Tuesday of every month. I get to have dinner and a meeting with other Tastefully Simple Consultants. Meeting with other team members is the best way to learn the business and bounce ideas off of each other. Since we are in the food business we of course get to try some amazing products and then experiment with some as well. We all come with recipes and try them out.

I had been looking for a great Easter recipe and wasn't really coming up with anything I loved. Instead I went to my fridge to see if I had anything about to expire. Orange Juice! That doesn't happen often in our house but we have been out of town a lot lately so this was about to go bad. I went to www.tastefullysimple.com/web/hgunn and clicked on "Try Our Recipes." I typed in "orange juice" and was able to pull up over 25 recipes. We love this easy to use system at our house! Make sure to click the link above and try it out.

Cranberry Orange Almond Pound Cake

Submitted by Joy Rodas (MN) HQ Team Member

Ingredients

Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. orange juice, divided

1 tsp. grated orange zest, optional

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Combine Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix, butter, 1 cup orange juice, zest and cranberries; stir to blend. Pour batter into greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool bread completely. Combine powdered sugar and remaining 3 Tbsp. orange juice; whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over baked pound cake. Makes 8-10 servings.

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

A friend found this on Pinterest and passed it along. It was one of the most fantastic vegan dishes I have ever made. I changed mine up a little bit so the original recipe can be found on a blog called From A to Vegan. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegan butter (e.g. Earth Balance)
1 medium onion, minced
2 tsp garlic garlic (tastefully simple)
1 tbsp yellow mustard
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ cup water
1 1/2 lbs button mushrooms
1 cup almond milk
Pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large sauce pan, saute onions and garlic in the vegan butter until they start to get translucent.

2. Add mushrooms, water, soy sauce, mustard and pepper. Let simmer on medium low heat until the mushrooms soften and the liquids dry.

3. Reduce heat and add almond milk. Cook until mixture is a creamy constancy.

4. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes

Lemon Cookies

I crave Lemon stuff all spring and summer. Today I decided to experiment with Lemon Cookies. YUM! This recipe is from LDS Living Magazine - original recipe.

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened (used Earth Balance)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.