Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder (Vegetarian)

This is a wonderful recipe full of flavor and heat! Wow it’s spicy considering there are no spices in it. The peppers pack a mean punch especially if you don’t remove the ribs. I chose not to do that and lived to regret it. Wow smokin’ hot!

I have purchased poblanos before that were not hot at all …these on the other hand were very hot. We loved this recipe because it was so full of flavor without any cream soup or any type of dairy. It’s an impressive recipe that is easy and delicious! It’s hard to find a poblano chowder recipe without any dairy or meat in it.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large poblano chilies
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped cilantro to garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Place quartered onion and garlic clove on a large sheet of foil. 
3. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bring corners of foil up over onion to make a packet. 
4. Place foil packet on a baking sheet or large cast iron skillet, and place chilies next to foil packet on the baking sheet. 
5. Roast onion packet and chilies for 15 minutes, or until chilies look soft and are starting to char. Using a pair of tongs, flip chilies over, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until they are uniformly softened and charred. Remove chilies from oven, place on a plate, and set aside to cool. 
6. Return onion packet to the oven to continue to roast another 30-40 minutes (about an hour total).  Onion will look slightly golden and very soft when done. 
7. Peel cooled chilies under running tap water. Remove stems and seeds from chilies, and chop into small pieces, about ¼ to ½-inch. Set aside.
8. Once onion and garlic have finished roasting, place onion, garlic, and any juices that have accumulated in the foil in the bowl of a blender. 
9. Add half of the thawed corn, and 1 cup of broth to the blender. Puree until smooth.
10. Pour pureed corn mixture into a medium pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Add remaining corn, 1 cup broth, and chopped poblanos, and simmer until heated through. 
11. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle chowder into bowls, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Original Recipe Source

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Frozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

I love Abuelita’s hot chocolate mix. I don’t need a special occasion to have a major craving for it. As summer starts approaching here in the south the last thing my mind is “hot” chocolate. I want cold and colder if you can get it.

By combing the desire for hot chocolate and the desire for something incredibly cold you come up with frozen hot chocolate! Frozen hot chocolate is always high on my list of delicious beverages. I love the flavor and the creaminess. 

My favorite is certainly Abuelita’s because of the fantastic cinnamon flavor. Mexican hot chocolate is the best!! Now add peanut butter to it. Oh the thrill and the happiness.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Abuelita’s Hot Chocolate Powder Mix (Bagged)
• 1 cups of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of PB2 with chocolate (Powdered Peanut butter)
• 1-2 cups of ice

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend well. 
2. Garnish with cinnamon, whip cream or even sprinkles.

Number of Servings: 1

Nutritional Information:

• 243 calories per serving
• 23 carbs 
• 6 grams of fat 
• 6 protein
• 39 sugar

*Nutritional information found on www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the products you use.*

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

I hope if you celebrate you have a safe and wonderful day!!

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Morning Sunshine Smoothie

I love smoothies and make them on a daily bases sometimes more than one per day. I am always trying to come up with delicious combinations that are healthy and delicious. They are very filling and can be very healthy assuming you don’t put a lot of junk in them. It’s so easy to make a smoothie that ends up being unhealthy and loaded full of calories. 

I like to avoid that like a plague. I like to juice my own fruit and veggies and freeze other’s. I freeze bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and carrot pulp.  I juice oranges, apples, carrots and pretty much any other veggie I can think of.

Here is a really great combination that I really love. Carrot, Orange, Strawberry

Ingredients:

• 6oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
• 4oz. fresh juiced carrots
• 8oz. frozen strawberries
• Water as needed

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and add water as needed.

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Zesty Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

In search for a meatless spaghetti sauce I came across this delicious pot of yumminess. This is a fantastic sauce. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not because I grew up on sauce with ground beef in it. It’s hard to change your ways if you know what I mean. The only time I have ever had any spaghetti sauce without meat came from a jar on the grocery store shelf.

I was really impressed with the ease and simplicity of this recipe. The longer it cooks the better the flavor. It was even better the next day. This would be a really great recipe to double or even triple then freeze for future use.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 12 cups chopped peeled fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (camino)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/4 teaspoons pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions in oil until tender. 
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, salt, oregano, pepper and basil. 
3. Bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 
5. Add tomato paste and brown sugar; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. 
6. Discard bay leaves. 

Original Recipe Source


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Jumbo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

There is a bakery here outside of Houston called Great Harvest Bread Company. They offer some really incredible products. For the most part I love their Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins. They are very good but a little dense for me. Another thing that makes me back off from them is that they are $3 each and they are 660 calories each (supposable they are 2 servings per muffin).

I wanted to see if I could make something similar to the Great Harvest Company’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin. I remembered a Weight Watchers recipe I saw online a few years ago that I thought might work to replicate this recipe.  What’s so great about this recipe is that its egg free and oil free which helps elevate some of the calories.

Three ingredients and that’s it! An entire jumbo muffin is 357 calories! Wow much better! It’s very filling so you can get away with just the muffin for breakfast. If you need a little more you could add a side of fruit to keep your calories down.

These muffins blew me away! They are sooooo good!  I made them jumbo to make them easy to carry to school for breakfast. You could make these any size which would cut down the calories … depending on how many you eat! Good luck with that one.

Ingredients:

• 1 boxed Betty Crocker Spice cake mix
• 1 can 100% Libby’s pumpkin
• ¼ bag Hershey chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place cake mix and pumpkin in a bowl and mix.
2. Once your ingredients are mixed well fold in the chocolate chips
3. Divide into unlined muffin tins. (These muffins tend to stick to muffin liners. You might try silicone liners or even the tin foil looking liners)
4. Bake on 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven
5. Check for it to be done with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Information:

• 357 calories per serving
• 75 carbs 
• 7 grams of fat 
• 6 protein
• 40 sugar

*Nutritional information found on www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the products you use.*

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Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

If you like delicious healthy ice cream this is a recipe for you. It’s not only low in calories but it’s full of fruity goodness. We love making recipes like this around our house because you feel like you are getting something bad for you when you are craving bad, but in truth you are getting nothing but goodness!

I have altered the original recipe a bit, but the original is included down at the bottom. Check out The Primal Home for some fun and healthy recipes.

As I posted below if you are not planning on eating this right away you may end up with a solid block. No it doesn’t freeze like ice cream… it freezes more like ice. In the past I have added 2 tbsp. of  whip cream vodka to the recipe to prevent it from freezing. Although this isn’t a healthy option it’s a way to prevent it from freezing all the way and BTW you won’t taste the vodka. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• 1/2 cup (More or less) unsweetened coconut milk (Depending on the size of your banana) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the frozen bananas and strawberries into a blender. Start blending then add in the vanilla and coconut milk. 
2. Once it is nice and smooth but still very thick scoop it out and enjoy! It needs to be eaten right away as it will not keep very well in the freezer. 
3. If you do not want to eat it right away add 2 tbsp. of vodka this will prevent it from freezing. (I use whip cream vodka when needed)
4. Makes 2 servings. 

Original Recipe Source

Number of Servings: 2 (not including the vodka)

Nutritional Information:

• 95 calories per serving
• 21 carbs 
• 1 grams of fat 
• 1 protein
• 11 sugar

*Nutritional information found on www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the products you use.*

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Party Pizazz Cheesy Garlic Bread Spread

We had some friends over for dinner a few nights ago. I was serving French bread with dinner, but I didn’t really want to serve plain French bread I wanted it to be something that would stand out and something that would be noticed and be delicious.

I found this recipe while searching the web. I had everything I needed on hand and in just a matter of no time it was ready and baking in the oven. Oh it’s so delicious. It got the reaction I wanted that is for sure. My guests were in love with it and begged for the recipe. I thought that was pretty cool I had no idea I would be print my guest recipes before they left that night.

Fair warning this recipe makes A LOT! Listed below is the half recipe and it still made a ton of spread.  I am excited to have extra, but I can easily see halving this recipe again.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 green onion chopped fine
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to the point of being slightly melted
• 1 loaf of French bread

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses and the green onion. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. In a separate small bowl blend the butter and garlic until smooth. Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.
2. Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down. Spread cheese mixture over the bread. Place under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the bread with a bread knife. Serve. 

Original Recipe Source

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Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

I love oatmeal. I love eating it for lunch more than breakfast. It’s a nice hearty meal that easily carries me through until dinner.  One of my favorite oatmeal flavors is maple brown sugar but I don’t like the kind in a box. I like it homemade. I think the boxed oatmeal is too over the top and has a fake maple flavor and I don't like the smell either.

In an effort to remove as much pre-fab food from our diets I haven’t been buying anything much in a box lately anyway. I thought I would try to make my own maple brown sugar oatmeal and I am sure happy I did!

This recipe is delicious! It has just the right amount of oats to sweetness ratio that is full of flavor and leaves you very full. I am excited it turned out so good! With many attempts in the past I wasn’t anticipating much success but this recipe is a winner.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 or 1 cup of water (Depending on how thick you like it)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Add milk, brown sugar, and water to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil.  
2. Once the liquid begins to boil add oats and salt and allow to cook until the oats soften up. 
3. Once the oats are soft turn your burner off and add maple syrup.
4. Allow your oatmeal to set off the burner for about 3-5 minutes or until it’s nice and thick. 

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Very Veggie Vegetarian Chili

I am not a huge fan of chili  but I decide to give vegetarian chili a chance. To say it’s different is an understatement. Different doesn’t mean bad, but when you are accustom to meat it’s an adjustment.

I loved all the veggies in it. To say this chili is healthy is an understatement. I actually made all of the beans myself without using canned ones but canned will prove to be easier. I just had these in the freezer and wanted to use them.

Homemade beans are ridiculously easy to make especially when you are talking about just making them like the ones in the cans. No spices and not much work. Soak a bag of dry beans for 12 hours, drain add to a pot of water and cook until tender. No spices or anything just like what you get in the cans. I can get the equal amount of 3 cans of beans out of 1 bag. Basically it’s 33 cents a can or less for me. I love that. I freeze them in freezer bags adding 15.oz of the beans to eat bag then topping with the extra juice then I freeze them. It’s super simple and healthier than eating them out of a can, and cheaper!!

In the end I actually liked this chili but it reminded me more of a hearty soup or stew verses a chili. Although it tastes like chili in the chili powder sense it doesn’t in the real chili sense.

If you like the flavor of chili and you love veggies this chili is for you!! This would be incredible used as the chili in a Frito Pie, and also great as chili cheese enchiladas.
 

Ingredients:

• 2-28oz cans of diced tomatoes (do not discard juice)
• 10.oz fresh mushrooms diced
• 1 can of beans kidney beans
• 1 can great northern beans
• 2 cup of frozen corn
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of cumin
• 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
• ¼ tsp. or red chili flakes
• 1 tbsp. or more kosher salt

Directions:

1. To a large pot add onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add all of the spices and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
2. Add bell peppers, carrots and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they just start to soften. Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium low. You want the chili to be at a low simmer with the lid off.
3. Continue to cook the chili, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add beans, mushrooms and corn and let the chili return to a simmer. Cook for 5 more minutes or until the corn and beans have heated through.
4. Serve on its own or topped with one (or all!) of the delicious toppings.

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