Italian "Spring" Bean Salad

Nothing screams Spring like Lemon and Basil-these are a just a few flavors in this fantastical fresh Italian Bean Salad... Perfect for your next barbeque or potluck dinner. YUMM!! 
 
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, rinsed & drained 
 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained- *You could use any variety of white beans you like*
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved or quartered depending on size of tomatoes.
 1/2 of a small red onion, minced
 3 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese 
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed- (cube it just a little larger than the size of the beans)
3 tbsp fresh chopped basil- add more if you love basil 
1 tsp lemon zest 
salt & pepper to taste
Lemon Vinagrette- 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
 1 clove garlic, minced very fine 
1 tsp sugar 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Combine all the Salad ingredients in a medium serving bowl and toss to combine. In a small bowl or mason jar combine lemon vinagrette ingredients & whisk or shake to emulsify. Pour dressing over the beans & taste to adjust seasonings. The flavors get better over time so dress salad about 2-3 hours before serving. Can also be made a day in advance, just keep covered in fridge. Such bright & fresh spring flavors!!

All Natural- No sugar- Almond Joy Bars!

Seriously... a dessert that is actually GOOD for you?? YES!! You will never know this is sugar free with it's amazing chocolate/coconut combo... too good to be true!! My last post- Zero Sugar-Chocolate-Coconut-Nut Butter Bites is the chocolate part of this recipe & it works like a sweet charm! But if you're not too concerned about the sugar you could just melt some chocolate chips and spread that over top.

1 cup organic Coconutreat brand coconut oil- you can use any brand but I recommend this, it's the BEST!

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 batch of the Zero Sugar-Chocolate-Coconut-Nut Butter- or 1 bag chocolate chips melted down in microwave. 

Melt coconut oil in saucepan over med-low heat and stir in shredded coconut, agave (or honey) & vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour in a 8x8 glass baking dish and spread evenly. Place in freezer about 20 minutes or till coconut has hardened. Make chocolate topping while coconut is setting up in freezer. Pour & spread over coconut & freeze till chocolate has set up. 
 
Chocolate-Coconut-Nut Butter
1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup almond butter or any nut butter

1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and melt together until smooth (can also be done in microwave) Just heat and stir till nice and creamy. Pour over hardened coconut.

Zero sugar-Chocolate-Coconut-Nut Butter Bites

When I found this recipe I never imagined they would be so DE-licious!! They are heaven sent with their silky truffle like texture... YUMM-O! 

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup almond butter or any nut butter

1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and melt together until smooth (can also be done in microwave) Just heat and stir till nice and creamy. Pour about 1 tbsp size dollups in paper lined mini muffin tins. Set in freezer about 10 minutes till hardened. Store in a airtight container in fridge. This made 24 mini bites but could also be made in a regular sized muffin tin. Just add a little more to each tin (you wont get as many though.) Here's to healthy SWEET eating!!

Homemade Beef Jerky

This is the perfect on the go snack that is packed with protein, low in carbs, & with no preservatives!! You can switch up the seasonings too... You'll never want store bought again! 

4 lbs london broil beef or 4 lbs flank steaks
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke 

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Frank's red hot sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

First place london broil in freezer for about 45 minutes- meat is much easier to slice thinly when cold. 

While it's chilling mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Once meat is chilled slice as thin as you can get it- about 1/4 inch thick. Place all the sliced meat in a gallon size ziplock bag and pour marinade over meat. Seal the bag & squish to evenly coat all the meat slices. Refrigerate 4-6 hours. Place tin foil on two cookie sheets and lay the strips of beef all over cookie sheet, but DO NOT overlap. Dry in oven set at lowest setting 150-160 for 3 hours. Flip the meat and dry for another 3 hours. Meat is done when it's dry. I cut my meat really thin so it only took about 2 hrs per side. (4 hrs total) ENJOY!!!

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

If you like hot artichoke & spinach dip you are going to LOVE this one!! The best part is you can make the filling ahead of time and store it covered in the fridge until you are ready to make dinner...WINNER WINNER Grilled Cheese Dinner!!

Fresh spinach - about 3 cups

1 can artichoke hearts; drained really well & rough chopped(not marinated)

2 cloves garlic; minced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup cream cheese softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

 Salt & pepper to taste

  

In a medium saucepan saute garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, add spinach  and saute until spinach  is wilted. Season with a little salt & pepper. Remove from heat & set aside. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, mayo, mozzarella, parmesan, & chopped artichokes. Taste filling for seasoning. Add in your wilted spinach & garlic, stir to combine. Using your favorite kind of bread, fill with about 2-3 tbsp of the filling, butter the outer pieces of your bread and toast over a skillet till nice and golden brown & cheese is melted to an ooey gooey goodness!

 

Apple Crumb Pie

I have REALLY been slacking on posting since the holidays but today I've got a special treat that will hopefully make up for it...WARM APPLE PIE. YUMM!!! It's super easy too with only a single bottom crust and a buttery crumbly goodness for the topping... Oh me oh my!!

Pastry for a single crust pie; 9 in- recipe at the bottom for the best pie crust! 

6 cups tart apples diced- you can slice them thinly if you prefer, I like mine diced small

2 tbsp. butter; melted

2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
 1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sgar
1/4 cup cold butter

In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients & toss gently to coat the apples. Pour into a prepared pie crust; set aside while you prepare topping.
In a small mixing bowl, combine cold butter, flour, & sugar. Cut the cold butter into flour/sugar until you get a pea like consistency. Pour crumb topping over apple filling. Bake @ 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes or until light golden & bubbly. Cool for about and hour or longer. I prefer it at room temperature. ENJOY!!!

  Pie Crust Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chilled butter cut up in cubes (1/2 cup butter flavored shortening works well too)

 1/4 tsp salt

 1/4-1/3 cup tepid water

 2 tsp white vinegar

Quinoa Stuffing

 

With the holidays amongst us I am looking for some healthy alternatives for Thanksgiving side dishes... I'm pretty excited about this one!!! Stuffing that's actually GOOD for you & DELICIOUS to the taste!! All the savory flavors of stuffing without the heavy carb loaded bread!! It's a keeper for sure! 

1 cup dry quinoa (rinsed)

2 cups chicken broth- or water

2-3 fresh sage leaves, sliced into strips (ground sage will work too)

1 small onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced small

2 stalks celery, diced small

fresh button mushrooms (about 1/4 cup diced small)

2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

olive oil & or butter for sauteing

Other stuffing options- dried cranberries, water chestnuts, pine nuts...make it your own!! 

First cook quinoa in chicken broth covered  for about 18 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. -Just like cooking rice (I also add one of the sage leaves to the broth that the quinoa is cooking in) While quinoa is cooking, in a medium skillet, saute onion, garlic, celery, & carrots in olive oil about 8 minutes or until it starts to soften, add chopped mushrooms & saute another 5 minutes. Add fresh thyme and sage. Salt and pepper vegetables to taste. Once quinoa is cooked add to vegetables and combine. This is where I taste to see if it needs more sage? (this is what really gives it that stuffing flavor!) More salt or pepper? I promise you will never miss your old Thanksgiving stuffing!! YuMmY!!