Warm & Chewy Cranberry Walnut Bread

Makes 8-10 slices

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup whole wheat flour, sifted

2 tbsp. agave syrup + 2 tbsp. sugar (or your favorite combination of sweeteners)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (it was half of the small bag of fresh berries for me)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 egg

3/4 cup orange juice (& orange zest if you have some)

2 tbsp. canola oil

1/2 tsp. ea. of ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Chop the cranberries in a food processor until the berries are at least cut in half or smaller. Stir the chopped cranberries into the dry ingredients and coat. Create a well in the dry mixture and combine the beaten egg, agave syrup, orange juice, oil and chopped walnuts. Mix until everything is moist. 

Spray a 9x5x3" loaf pan with oil and fill with bread batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.

I love to eat this for breakfast in the winter. I warm up a slice and smear with cream cheese! Of course it is great on its own... or with yogurt on top. It makes the house smell great and is a hit with guests.

Ginger & Roasted Chestnut Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

1 medium size butternut squash
3 tsp. grated ginger (I buy it already grated in a tube or jar)
5 roasted & peeled chestnuts (found ready-to-eat at an Asian food market) can sub. 1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cooked & peeled carrots
1 cup stock, vegetable or chicken (add more water if soup is too thick for your liking)
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper and nutmeg
2 tsp. melted butter or walnut oil
splash of heavy cream, or milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half long-ways, scrape out seeds and fibers with a spoon. Find a glass baking dish (I used a pie plate) that can fit the squash halves side-by-side, place cut side up. 

Fill the dish with a 1/4 inch of water. Drape tinfoil loosely over dish and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until fork tender. Remove tinfoil halfway through the cooking process. Be careful not to burn yourself on the steam built up underneath the foil or the hot water in the pan. Let the squash sit until cool enough to touch. Scoop out squash from skin. 

I prefer to steam carrots in a microwave steamer, but you can also boil until tender. Place all cooled off ingredients into your blender and pulse until smooth (adding more water if needed). Heat up portion on the stove top and serve with garnish of ground nutmeg and pepper. Perfect on a cool fall day to warm you up!

Decadent Mini Cheesecake Cups

Makes about 16-18 cupcakes (you may need to double the recipe after you taste these!)

1/2 cup of crushed graham crackers

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar or equivalent in Stevia (or other sweetener)

1 tsp vanilla

6 oz low/fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt

2 eggs

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp all purpose flour

Cooking Spray

Muffin cups

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line muffin pan with liners. Compact crushed graham crackers with a bit of cooking spray at the bottom of each well.

Beat cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla until smooth with a mixer. Mix in yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour just till it's incorporated. Scoop batter into cupcake liners until filled half way.

Bake 22 minutes or until the filling doesn't move when jiggled. Remove from pan and chill in the refrigerator before serving.

These are great for parties. I made these for a birthday party (you could probably tell by the balloons on the muffin papers). Top with sprinkles or fruit for decoration! 

Easy Enchilada Casserole

Makes 4 servings

1 package corn tortillas
Shredded pork or chicken (or you can use the carnitas recipe from this blog)
1 can Hatch green chile sauce
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 package of shredded mexican cheese
1 roasted poblano pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika, chile powder, & ground pepper
cilantro & avocado slices to garnish

When you need a quick dinner and all you have is some dried out corn tortillas, you can easily turn it into a cheesy, saucy, casserole.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
Coat your poblano pepper in oil and broil until the skin blisters and chars (I roast it in my toaster oven). Start by spraying a large round glass or oven safe dish with oil. Mix together the green sauce, sour cream, and spices. Coat the bottom of the dish with the sauce. Add the first tortilla and cover with more sauce. Layer on chunks of shredded meat, diced poblano peppers, and shredded cheese. Add another tortilla, sauce and filling. Repeat until your dish is full. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. Serve hot out of the oven with chopped cilantro and avocado.

Spiced Lamb Wraps

• Makes 2 servings

Meat:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound lamb meat or 2 lamb steaks
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs freshly grated ginger (or in a jar/tube)
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Wrap:

Trader Joe's brand Tabouli

1/4 cucumber thinly slivered

Shredded lettuce

1 tomato, diced

Sour cream or plain yogurt

Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Middle Eastern Flatbread

Hot sauce (optional)

Lamb is known for being tough if cooked incorrectly. That's why I use a pressure cooker; it keeps all the moisture in and creates tender, pull apart the meat for a 'taco.' I know there are a lot of spices in this recipe, but man it makes for a tasty, complex flavor. 

First I mix all the spices and olive oil in a plastic bag with the meat portions, shake, and let sit in the fridge overnight. Simply heat up your pressure cooker base with a splash of olive and brown the lamb on all sides. Add chicken broth/water to almost cover the meat and pressurize.

Cook for 1.5 hours in the pressure cooker. Remove from heat, release steam, and let cool 15 minutes or so before opening.

Shred meat with tongs and a fork then fill warmed flatbread with meat, tabouli, and other toppings of your liking.

Enjoy the tender lamb!

Juicy Italian Sausage & Fennel Meatballs

Makes about 4 servings (16-18 balls)
1/2 pound bulk raw Italian Sausage
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 piece of bread (or any other piece of stale bread you have around or sub. breadcrumbs)
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk (a.k.a. a splash)
1 tsp. freshly ground fennel seeds
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. ea. salt & fresh cracked pepper
3 tbsp. pasta sauce
Sprinkle of grated parmesan to finish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Defrost your ground meats and add to a large mixing bowl. Tear small pieces of bread into your mixing bowl and add milk over it. Grind or smash the fennel seeds to bring out the flavor. Mix in the egg and the other seasonings.
Stir together and form into small 1 in. balls. Spray glass baking dish with oil, then coat bottom with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Assemble meatballs so they are barely touching in the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden on top and the sauce is bubbly.
Pour meatballs and sauce over your favorite pasta dish and enjoy!

Pressure-cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

I love using pressure cookers! It takes meals that usually take all day, achievable when you get home from work. This makes the most tender corned beef ever!

Makes about 8 servings


1 small piece of not-overly-fatty cut of corned beef (otherwise you would eat this for weeks)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut in equal rounds
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into strips
1 can of beef broth (just add water until almost covering the meat)
1 tsp sea salt
ground pepper to taste
Pickling spices, wrapped & tied in cheese cloth (comes in the package plus a bit more if you have some on hand)


Heat a splash of olive oil over medium in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Sweat out the onions until caramelized and move them off to the edge of the pan. Sear both sides of the meat to give some color. 


Season with salt and pepper, you can always add a bit more when it's finished. Throw in the carrots and cabbage. Add the container of beef broth, if you are using a bigger cut of meat, then add a carton of broth. Submerge the seasoning packed under the broth. If the broth doesn't quite cover the meat, add water until the meat is mostly covered in liquid. Remember, the cabbage will wilt quickly down into the broth, so it's not a problem if that is partially above liquid level.


Securely put on the pressure cooker lid on, turn up the heat until the pressure builds, then reduce to low heat (follow the instructions that came with your pressure cooker). Cook for 2 hours. Turn off and let cool enough to remove lid. Uncover the cooker and cook a bit longer to reduce the liquid if desired. Remove the spice packet. 


Serve nice and hot with bread or make a ruben (great for leftovers). Don't forget to share with your friends! :)