Mint Brownies

This is one of those recipes I make ALL the time. No, they are not healthy for you. Yes, they contain four sticks of butter. Proceed at your own risk.

But there really isn't a better brownie recipe out there. The recipe is from A Hint of Honey blog, and if the blog every went down one day and never came back up, I'd be so disappointed for not saving this recipe somewhere.

It's become one of my "signature" recipes in our ward, because I make them for everything because everyone loves them so much. They are gone within minutes. Marin requests them all the time too.

I often change up the mint layer for something else. I've tried coconut, peanut butter, maple, chocolate and hazelnut. Coconut and hazelnut have been my favorite alternatives.

Mint Brownies

INGREDIENTS

Brownie Batter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, whisked
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Mint Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

2. To make the brownie batter, in a large bowl, whisk to combine melted butter and cocoa powder. Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix well. Stir in the flour, mixing until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until set in the center. Cool slightly before placing in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. To prepare the mint frosting, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix with electric beaters on medium speed until fluffy. Spread over brownies and return pan to freezer for 20 more minutes.

4. To prepare the chocolate topping, melt butter and chocolate together in a glass bowl (on the stove or in the microwave). Drizzle over brownies and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Place in the freezer or refrigerator until set.

Fills a 9×13 pan.

Springtime Spinach, Kale and Pasta Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing

Don't hate me, but I don't love salads. This one though... I had seconds. And then thirds. And then as I was putting away the leftovers, I ate a little more. 

I improvised with what I had, so my version had some extra bonuses. I added cucumbers, grilled asparagus and chicken. I eliminated raspberries, celery and red onion. It was divine. I think it was probably the dressing and pasta that made it so. 

Springtime Spinach, Kale and Pasta Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb bowtie pasta, cooked al dente , cooled and tossed with Olive oil or a bit of the dressing
• 8 cups kale ( about one bunch of Kale), chopped
• ½ lemon juiced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 large head red leaf lettuce or 16-20 cups of spinach
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint strawberries
• celery, finely chop 2-3 stalks
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped fine
• avocado 1-2, chunked

Creamy Citrus Dressing

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 tablespoons chopped shallot
• ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• ½ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar or cider vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• Salt and pepper

Method:

Cook the pasta, for bowtie, I cook for about 10 minutes ( a minute less than package directions) in about two tablespoons of salt.Set aside to cool, or if making ahead, toss with a bit of the dressing (about ¼ cup) or a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, place in ziplock bag and store in fridge for up to three days before serving. Prepare the dressing by placing all dressing ingredients in a deep bowl or jar and whisking using an immersion blender. You may also use a blender. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use. Wash the berries and let drain. Pat dry if needed. Wash and spin the kale dry. Chop into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Juice the lemon and pour over the kale in the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the kale. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Using hands, massage the kale for a few minutes until you can feel the kale breaking down. When you are finished, the kale should be about half the volume. You may also do this in a sealed ziplock bag, squeeze the air out first! Toss the pasta, kale and the other greens (lettuce or spinach) together and place in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the remaining fruit, chopped celery, green and red onions on top of the greens in a serving bowl or platter. Add the chopped avocado just before serving. Drizzle with dressing. Alternately, toss the greens, pasta and all of the other ingredients in a large bowl with about ½ of the dressing, reserving some of the fresh berries and the avocado. After tossing, place in serving bowl, top with additional fruit and avocado and drizzle with a little of the remaining dressing.

I found this recipe here.

Celery Soup

I had wilted celery in my fridge, which I know I could have stuck in a cup of water and brought some life back to it, but truth me told, I don't really like celery. I eat it occasionally because it's supposed to be good for you, but I don't like it. So, I made soup with it instead, and now I know how I'll be eating celery from here on out.

Ingredients:

-2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
-1 bunch of celery
-1 onion, chopped
-1 white potato, peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth/stock
-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt & pepper

Directions:

Melt ghee/oil in pan over medium heat. Add celery, onion, potato and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat down, cover, and let simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Add broth and veggies to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to pan and stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and top with crumbled bacon. (I used prosciutto and potato crisps)

Stuffed Avocados

Sorry about the instagram picture, I'm too lazy to crop it at the moment

Ingredients:
1 avocados, halved and pitted
1 can of tuna, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
lime juice to taste
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Scoop out some of the avocado from the pitted area to wide the "bowl" area. Place the scooped avocado into a bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the tuna, bell pepper, and cilantro to the mixing bowl. Pour lime juice over it. Stir it all together until everything is mixed well. Scoop the tuna mixture into the avocado bowls and season with salt and pepper.

Cauliflower Soup

I made this the other night and it's delicious. This 60 degree weather we've been having calls for some nice warm soup. I know, we have it rough here.

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower (about 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Optional garnishes:
extra-virgin olive oil, ground nutmeg, minced parsley, chopped walnuts toasted, slivered almonds, ghee, minced dried dates, chopped pecans.

Directions: 
Wash and core cauliflower, then coarsely chop.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil. When the oil is melted, add onions, carrots, and garlic. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped cauliflower and cook 5 minutes.

Add the broth and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes.

Work in batches, or if you have a large enough blender or food processor, carefully pour everything into the blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the puree back into the pot, add salt, pepper, and coconut milk (enough to get the desired thickness you want). Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes.

Recipe from Well Fed 2

Sweet Potato Waffle

A new found love for breakfast. Fast, healthy, delicious. It's really a win win all around. This makes about two waffles, which I could never eat two for breakfast, so I store it in the fridge and have it ready for the next day.

Ingredients:
1 Sweet potato (any kind)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2-1 cup of chopped kale or spinach
1 egg
Garlic salt to taste
Cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Heat waffle iron to your number 4 setting. You want the waffle iron pretty hot here. Grate your sweet potato and add the remaining ingredients into a bowl. Stir to combine. Spray waffle iron, and place as much or as little of the sweet potato mixture into the waffle iron. Cook until ready. Top with a poached egg or two (I usually have two) some salt and pepper, avocado, more tomato, whatever your heart fancies here. I even like to throw some cilantro on top for good measure.

Enjoy!

Chicken Veggie Meatballs with Pesto Zucchini "Noodles"

I made this tasty little dish for dinner last night.  Isaac went back for seconds and Marin actually had a few bites-- which is a major accomplishment these days. Major.

Now, just to get one thing straight... this is a "paleo" recipe. I'm not normally into this kind of thing, but have been trying to make healthy dinners for Isaac and I (mostly so I won't gain a million pounds while pregnant) and this yummy dish popped up in Pinterest. Thank you, Pinterest. It made quite a few meatballs and I thought we'd have enough left over for dinner another night this week, but Isaac ate them all. They were small meatballs, so I guess I'll give him that. They are actually the perfect size for kids, in my opinion. So if your kids won't eat veggies, like my little one, then this is a good way to secretly squeeze some in! 

There were a few things I didn't have on hand and I used some other ingredients instead. For instance, I only had 1 zucchini and opted to use it for the noodles, instead of in the meatballs. All my changes/substitutions are noted below in bold. They were very easy to make, just for the record. 

Ingredients:
Chicken Veggie Meatballs

• 1 cup zucchini, chopped (about 1 zucchini) (I used half a bag of broccoli slaw I bought at the store in place of the zucchini. It included broccoli, carrots and cabbage, so I also omitted the extra carrots below)
• 1 cup carrots, chopped (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cup blanched almond flour (I used oat flour, I'm sure any flour would do) 
• 1 egg
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used ground chicken, made it so much easier) 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoon chili powder (optional... I did NOT use this)

Paleo Spinach Pesto

• 2 cups fresh spinach (I had a bag of spinach/kale blend. Worked great)
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini Noodles

• 1 to 2 large zucchini's (I just used 1, wish I would have had 2 for this)
• 1 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chicken Veggie Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a food processor, pulse together the zucchini, carrots, parsley and garlic.
3. Add almond flour, egg, chicken and pulse.
4. Then add salt, pepper and chili powder and process until thoroughly combined.
5. Drop tablespoon size balls of the chicken mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake 23 to 28 minutes.

Paleo Spinach Pesto

1. In a food processor, add spinach, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Turn food processor on and add olive oil while processing.  Pulse until blended thoroughly.  If you need to add more olive oil add 1 tablespoon at a time.

Zucchini Noodles

1. Cut zucchini with a mandoline into "noodles".
2. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoons coconut oil, saut zucchini with minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste until soft or resembles noodles.  Toss noodles with spinach pesto and heat for about 1 minutes.