The recent 4th of July weekend inspired me to come up with my own version of strawberry shortcake. With the amazing berries available at our local fruit stand, I just had to make something special with them. Our family doesn't consume refined carbs, so this isn't your ordinary shortcake ... but it's delicious, and I promise you won't miss the whit flour and granulated sugar! I hope you have a fun summer bbq approaching and can try this new dessert out.
Cheers, from my kitchen to yours!
Triple Berry Shortcake
Serves 12
Shortcake:
2 cups almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 325.
In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk wet ingredients together until well incorporated.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly until mixture is moist.
Place mixture into lined or well greased muffin pans.
Place in oven and bake on 325 for 20-22 minutes until slightly golden brown
Remove from oven and let cool
Triple Berries:
In a medium sized bowl, slice 2 cups of strawberries, 1 cup of blueberries, and 1 cup of raspberries. Mix well.
Homemade Whipped Cream:
1 pint of whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp sugar
Place above ingredients in a chilled bowl and mix until the whipping cream is stiff and forms peaks. Chill until ready to serve. Best if prepared within 2 hours of consumption.
Triple Berry Shortcake:
Slice muffins in half opened up in a bowl, top with triple berry mix and whipped cream.
Tuesday, July 5
Tuesday, June 21
Greek Quinoa Salad
I am loving the hot weather, but who wants to eat a heavy meal when it's this hot outside? I thought a nice refreshing salad that is high in protien would be a fun post for today. You could easily make a meal off my Greek Quinoa Salad, or you could throw some burgers or sausage on the grill, and serve it as a yummy side to any summer meal!
Greek Quinoa Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked quinoa
1 bunch of roasted asparagus, diced
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1- 12oz jar of kalamata olives, chopped
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp. Fresh oregano, chopped
1- 6oz container of crumbled feta cheese
Dressing (whisk together):
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Method:
Roast Asparagus on a cookie sheet on 350 for 12 minutes with olive
oil, salt, and pepper.
Put cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix well.
Add the remaining ingredients to quinoa and stir well.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste
Chill for 3-24 hrs before serving
Friday, June 17
Crustless Asparagus & Green Chili Quiche
Our family does not eat refined carbohydrates, so I needed to create a quiche without the crust. We love asparagus and green chilies, so that's where my inspiration came from for this recipe. It's super easy to throw together, and I guarantee it will be a hit at any brunch you host. Based on the request of my best friend, here is today's recipe. Cheers!
Crustless Asparagus & Green Chili Quiche
Serves 8
Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups Half n Half
1 cup of diced asparagus
1 small red onion (diced)
1 sm can of diced green chilis (hot or mild)
2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional- add 1 cup of diced ham
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place 1tbsp of olive oil in a glass pie plate and rub on the dish until the dish is well coated.
In a large bowl, Blend eggs and half n half until fluffly
Add asparagus, onion, green chili, and cheese; stir with spoon until well blended
Place diced ham in the bottom of the pie plate.
Pour egg mixture into pie plate.
Place pie plate on a cookie sheet, and place in oven.
Bake on 350 for 55-65 minutes.
Try it out with spinach and mushrooms too!
Follow the recipe above, but switch out your ingredients for onion, spinach (2 cups uncooked), mushrooms (1 cup), and Swiss cheese. Roughly chop the fresh spinach, and saute onion, spinach, and mushrooms in a little olive oil for 5-10 minutes until all ingredients are soft. Drain, set aside, and let cool before adding it to the egg mixture.
Crustless Asparagus & Green Chili Quiche
Serves 8
Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups Half n Half
1 cup of diced asparagus
1 small red onion (diced)
1 sm can of diced green chilis (hot or mild)
2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional- add 1 cup of diced ham
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place 1tbsp of olive oil in a glass pie plate and rub on the dish until the dish is well coated.
In a large bowl, Blend eggs and half n half until fluffly
Add asparagus, onion, green chili, and cheese; stir with spoon until well blended
Place diced ham in the bottom of the pie plate.
Pour egg mixture into pie plate.
Place pie plate on a cookie sheet, and place in oven.
Bake on 350 for 55-65 minutes.
Try it out with spinach and mushrooms too!
Follow the recipe above, but switch out your ingredients for onion, spinach (2 cups uncooked), mushrooms (1 cup), and Swiss cheese. Roughly chop the fresh spinach, and saute onion, spinach, and mushrooms in a little olive oil for 5-10 minutes until all ingredients are soft. Drain, set aside, and let cool before adding it to the egg mixture.
Thursday, June 16
Chicken and Sausage Stew with Polenta
My Biz Noni was the first person who inspired me to cook. I remember standing on a chair in her kitchen adding ingredients she had chopped up for me to put in a pot of soup (which was really just a pot). She hosted Sunday family dinners at her house for many years, polenta and chicken stew was one of her favorite dishes to prepare. Being she was my inspiration for cooking, I've chosen the following recipe as my official first recipe blog entry.
Please enjoy this Italian classic, from my kitchen to yours!
Chicken and Sausage Stew with Polenta
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic (chopped)
½ medium red onion (chopped)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried basil
1 pound of chicken (diced)
3 Italian sausage links (cut into round slices)
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
2 large handfuls of spinach
1 zucchini (diced)
Optional: 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat
Add Garlic, cook 1 minute
Add Onion, parsley, and basil
Add Chicken and Sausage and continuously turn until browned (about 7-10 minutes)
Add canned tomatoes
Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes
10 minutes before serving: Add Spinach and Zucchini
Homemade Cheesy Polenta:
If you’ve never made polenta before, make sure you have a good wooden spoon and about 20 minutes to continuously stir. The creamiest polenta is constantly stirred while cooking.
I prefer the Bobs Red Mill Polenta, I follow the recipe on the package, with a slight tweak.
-- When the polenta starts to thicken (based on the packaging instructions), add about 1 cup of parmesean cheese and stir until thick and sticky.
-- Once your polenta is thickened, place it into a glass pyrex, and cover. Let set for 20 minutes before serving. This will give you nice squares of polenta that you can serve your stew over the top of.
Semi-Homemade Option:
For those of you not interested in making your own polenta, Trader Joe’s has a great one that’s prepackaged in the pasta section -- You can cut up the little round disks, place them on a plate and put the sauce right on top.
When serving, we love adding a nice soft piece of fontina cheese between the polenta and hot stew, it melts and becomes velvety and delicious.
Please enjoy this Italian classic, from my kitchen to yours!
Chicken and Sausage Stew with Polenta
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic (chopped)
½ medium red onion (chopped)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried basil
1 pound of chicken (diced)
3 Italian sausage links (cut into round slices)
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
2 large handfuls of spinach
1 zucchini (diced)
Optional: 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat
Add Garlic, cook 1 minute
Add Onion, parsley, and basil
Add Chicken and Sausage and continuously turn until browned (about 7-10 minutes)
Add canned tomatoes
Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes
10 minutes before serving: Add Spinach and Zucchini
Homemade Cheesy Polenta:
If you’ve never made polenta before, make sure you have a good wooden spoon and about 20 minutes to continuously stir. The creamiest polenta is constantly stirred while cooking.
I prefer the Bobs Red Mill Polenta, I follow the recipe on the package, with a slight tweak.
-- When the polenta starts to thicken (based on the packaging instructions), add about 1 cup of parmesean cheese and stir until thick and sticky.
-- Once your polenta is thickened, place it into a glass pyrex, and cover. Let set for 20 minutes before serving. This will give you nice squares of polenta that you can serve your stew over the top of.
Semi-Homemade Option:
For those of you not interested in making your own polenta, Trader Joe’s has a great one that’s prepackaged in the pasta section -- You can cut up the little round disks, place them on a plate and put the sauce right on top.
When serving, we love adding a nice soft piece of fontina cheese between the polenta and hot stew, it melts and becomes velvety and delicious.
Wednesday, June 8
Cinnamon Nut Granola
This granola is yummy with milk, yogurt, and even sprinkled on homemade vanilla ice cream. It will make your home smell amazing, but I have to warn you it's slightly addicting.
(If you are a Gluten-Free household, simply use Gluten-Free oats.)
Ingredients:
1 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of vanilla
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground dried ginger
1 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds
1 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1 cup dried dates, cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Spread 2 tbsp of olive oil on a cookie sheet until well coated. You can also use a 9x12 baking dish instead of a cookie sheet.
Mix together maple syrup, vanilla and the olive oil.
Toss the dry ingredients, minus the dates/raisins/cranberries, together in a mixing bowl.
Add the maple syrup mixture to the oats mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the raw granola is uniformly sticky.
Spread the oats mixture loosely on the cookie sheet in as thin of a layer as possible.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Check the oats after 30 minutes to see if they are done--a golden brown and strong aroma indicates it's ready.
If you are using the deeper baking dish, toss the mixture after15 minutes and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes, if needed.
Add the dried raisins or other fruit.
Cool the granola before serving.
(If you are a Gluten-Free household, simply use Gluten-Free oats.)
Ingredients:
1 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of vanilla
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground dried ginger
1 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds
1 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1 cup dried dates, cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Spread 2 tbsp of olive oil on a cookie sheet until well coated. You can also use a 9x12 baking dish instead of a cookie sheet.
Mix together maple syrup, vanilla and the olive oil.
Toss the dry ingredients, minus the dates/raisins/cranberries, together in a mixing bowl.
Add the maple syrup mixture to the oats mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the raw granola is uniformly sticky.
Spread the oats mixture loosely on the cookie sheet in as thin of a layer as possible.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Check the oats after 30 minutes to see if they are done--a golden brown and strong aroma indicates it's ready.
If you are using the deeper baking dish, toss the mixture after15 minutes and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes, if needed.
Add the dried raisins or other fruit.
Cool the granola before serving.
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