Green Smoothie

photo from lindawagner.net

Never thought I would be a morning smoothie girl but this is my new favorite go-to breakfast.  I like to add about a teaspoon or orange juice concentrate...

Green Smoothie 

From lindawagner.net

This recipe is super simple. All you need is a blender and the following ingredients:

§  1-2 bananas

§  1/2 cup frozen peaches

§  1/2 cup frozen mango

§  a couple handfuls of spinach

§  water

§  ice (if desired)

Add enough water to blend and enjoy, that’s it! Forget the dehydrating morning latte and get the glow with a Green Smoothie instead.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

We had a dessert recipe exchange for  young women's the other night and we all brought the dessert for everyone to try. Another leader brought these chocolate chip cookies which are the copy cat recipe from the Levain bakery in NY. I don't remember the last time I bit into a cookie and thought.. "this is the best cookie i've ever had" but i sure did with this one. They are amazing! I made them last night and they were again..amazing! i know there are a lot of chocolate chip recipes on here but this one is worth a shot.

i didn't want to make giant cookies like it calls for so i made them smaller and adjusted the time. but i also learned that you can't do them too small either. they don't spread out very much so be generous in their size. also they taste better when they're a little bigger rather then little bite size cookies.

Ingredients

·         2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ good quality unsalted butter

·         3/4 cup granulated sugar

·         3/4 cup brown sugar – not packed too hard. Just spoon it in the cup(s) and press down lightly when full, sweeping off any extra that runs over.

·         2 eggs (room temperature)

·         3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups All Purpose flour – Spoon and Sweep method. (feel the dough, it should be moist, kind of like cold cookie dough in a tube . . . but not super sticky, so you can portion the cookies with your hands)

·         3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

·         3/4-1 teaspoon baking powder ( I don’t fill the tsp fully, hence the 3/4 tsp)

·         1/4 tsp baking soda

·         1 T cornstarch

·         1 cup Guittard brand milk chocolate chips

·         1 cup Guittard brand semisweet chocolate chips

·         1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired and/or use any kind of nut you like.)- i usually don't like nuts in my desserts but they add an amazing flavor and there are already enough chunks that it doesn't ruin the texture either. add them!!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.        In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy.

2.        Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well incorporated.

3.        In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch. Add slowly to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

4.        Gently fold in chocolate chips and nuts

5.        Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each.

6.        Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 16-23 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middle. Bake until lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

photo from danellemphotography.com

Hold up. Let me wipe the drool from my chin.  Yeah, these were good.  I mean really good.  I mean, let's have these leftovers the next night and they even taste better good.  I liked them.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

From letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com

Ingredients

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the chicken mixture into each tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased, 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in the sour cream and green chiles. Pour sauce over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

The Ultimate Marinade

photo from howsweeteats.com

I don't know if it's because of the amazing Costco steak, or the amazing marinade-but HOT DOG! this stuff was good.  Seriously, I don't need to go out to eat if Jake can grill me up an amazing slice of beef like this!





The Ultimate Marinade

Recipe from howsweeteats.com



1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup sherry wine

1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder



Combine all ingredients together and mix in a large bowl or baking dish. Whisk until sugar has disolved and pour over meat, seafood or veggies.

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Before you scream and run in the other direction, give me a moment to tell you that this meal was very delicious, extremely satisfying, and I felt like such a good mom after I made it.  We all need a little bit of that every now and then, right?  :)  Did I mention that its healthy? (as if I needed to..."Quinoa" is in the title).  There are eight, EIGHT different kinds of veggies in this meal.   You know they say you consume less calories when you have less to choose from at the dinner table, aside from the main course.  No need for fancy sides, this one has it all built in.  If you're nervous to try quinoa, this is the perfect meal to take a baby step in the right direction.

courtesy

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Two Peas and Their Pod

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2-3 tablespoons chili powder, depending on your taste (we used 3)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Optional toppings: green onions, avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt, chips, crackers, etc.

In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water.  Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Set aside.  In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, jalapeño, carrot, celery, peppers, and zucchini. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Stir in the cooked quinoa and all of your seasonings.  Simmer chili on low for about 30 minutes.  Serve warm with desired toppings.

Oreo Truffles

photo from yourhomebasedmom.com

I know these have been a 100 times or more but here's why I like this recipe: no dipping involved!  I am averse to dipping things.  It never works for me and it never looks pretty.  These were awesome because they were so quick.  I just rolled them in crushed oreos after.  Oh, and they are so good, and yet so bad!


Oreo Truffles
allrecipes.com


1 16 oz. package of Oreos, divided.  Total of 45 oreos

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

Crush 9 Oreos in blender and set aside.  Crush remaining 36 Oreos.  Beat cream cheese until smooth and add 36 crushed Oreos.  Beat until well mixed.  Form into 1 inch balls and then roll in remaining crushed Oreos.  Refrigerate until firm.  Enjoy!

Ham and Potato Soup

We've been having unusually cold weather this week, so I wanted to make some soup to warm us up a bit.  This one was the highest rated soup on Allrecipes.com and for good reason.  It was easy and delicious.  If you have leftover ham, this would work perfectly.  You could also sub the celery for sweet peas- or just use both.

courtesy allrecipes.com

Ham and Potato Soup

Adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

4 cups diced red potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery (add more veggies of your choosing, if desired- corn, carrots, etc.)

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced, cooked ham

3 1/2 cups water (or enough to just cover all of the vegetables)

2 1/2 Tbs. chicken bouillon

1 tsp. salt, or to taste

1 tsp. ground white pepper (or black pepper)

5 Tbs. butter

5 Tbs. all purpose flour

2 cups milk 

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large stockpot.  Make sure the water is just covering everything.  Bring to a boil, and then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and then add flour.  Whisk together until thick, about one minute.  Slowly stir in milk and whisk until thick- about 4-5 minutes.  Stir this mixture into the stockpot and cook soup until heated through.  Serve immediately.