Carrot, Coconut and Walnut Muffins

Okay, so I am on a muffin kick lately. I must say, this is my VERY favorite muffin so far. They were moist, fluffy, sweet and crunchy. I always try to make a treat for our friends when they babysit our kids. I know they love carrot cake so I decided to make carrot muffins for them. I found a great recipe from the Joy of Cooking that I adapted. I loved the spicy flavor of the cinnamon and the toasted coconut on top made the muffins not only pretty but extra tasty. My kids and our friends loved them. I saved a couple for my husband and I and we really loved them too. They are extra delicious fresh from the oven slathered with butter and an ice cold glass of milk.

• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups grated raw carrot (about 2-3 peeled carrots)
• 1 large apple, peeled and grated
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup coconut (divided)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Coat the muffin tray in cooking spray. Toast the walnuts for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

Peel and finely grate the carrots and apple. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the nuts and half of the coconut. Set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients, along with the grated carrot and apple, into the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Pour evenly into prepared muffin tray and top with remaining coconut.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve with butter and enjoy.

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Greek Steak Pita with Tzatziki Sauce and Marinated Red Onion

I've been enjoying Greek flavors lately and was craving an easy and healthy yet tasty dinner. I marinated some flank steak, made a cucumber tzatziki sauce and made marinated red onion. I threw it all together in a pita with some lettuce, tomatoes and feta cheese. I served it with hummus and fresh vegetables for a very delicious dinner that we all really enjoyed.

Steak Marinade:

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Lemon zest from half a lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large zip lock bag and mix thoroughly. Add the flank steak and make sure it gets evenly coated in the marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Tzatziki Sauce :

• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 8 oz of Greek plain yogurt (I used non fat)
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove all the seeds from both halves. Dice into small pieces then place in a strainer. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt over the cucumber and set the strainer in a bowl for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out the moisture in the cucumber. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour to let flavors mingle.

Note: If you want really thick sauce, strain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. Place two coffee filters in a strainer, which is placed in a bowl. Add the yogurt and let sit for two hours letting the liquid drain.

Marinated Red Onions:

• 1/2 large red onion, sliced very thin
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp white sugar
• Dash of red pepper flakes (more if you want them spicy)
• Sea salt, to taste

Slice onion into very thin slices. Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, red pepper flakes and sea salt in a bowl then mix thoroughly. Add the sliced onion, cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally for at least 45 minutes.

Other Ingredients:

• Whole wheat pita
• Romaine lettuce
• Grape tomatoes, sliced
• Feta cheese

Let the flank steak sit at room temperature for 15 minutes prior to cooking. Heat a large grill pan on medium heat until hot. Add the steak and cook until the desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan and set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes. Cut thin slices against the grain.

Warm the pita bread in the oven or microwave. Fill with the pita with lettuce, steak slices, tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, red onions and feta cheese. Enjoy.

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Roasted Carrots in a Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love carrots but usually eat them raw. I decided to try roasting them and I am so glad I did. I roasted them with salt and olive oil first, then toss them in a simple balsamic vinaigrette. The organic carrots are really sweet as well as the balsamic vinegar so I didn't add any honey or sugar to the recipe. We all loved these carrots. They were perfectly roasted and the sauce was excellent. I am looking forward to trying other recipes using roasted carrots.

• 4-5 large carrots, cleaned and peeled, cut into small sticks
• 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp of olive oil (divided)
• 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut carrots into sticks. Toss the carrot sticks in 1 teaspoon of olive oil then season with sea salt to taste. Place on a glass dish coated with olive oil cooking spray. Roast in the oven until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

While the carrots are cooking, combine the balsamic vinegar, remainder of the olive oil, Dijon and garlic in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. Once you remove the carrots from the oven, pour the vinaigrette directly in the roasting pan and stir, making sure to coat all carrots evenly. Enjoy.

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Chicken Noodle Soup With Homemade Noodles

There is something so comforting about chicken noodle soup when you don't feel well. My daughter was home sick today so I decided to make her this soup. She loved it, like usual, and had two full bowls. Making homemade noodles is really easy to do and it makes a really good soup even better. I always add extra noodles to the soup because my kids love them. Make sure to dry them out for at least an hour before adding them to the soup. I served this with hot crusty bread and butter.

Soup:

• 8 cups homemade chicken stock (or store bought)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1-2 cloves of garlic diced finely
• 1 1/2 cups of carrots diced
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 2 tsp good chicken bouillon (I use Herb Ox)
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme or basil
• 1 1/2 cup cooked chicken diced (I use meat from leftover roasted chicken)
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & cook for 30 seconds. Add broth & the remainder of ingredients. Cook over medium low heat for 1-2 hours.

Noodles:

• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk

In mixing bowl combine flour, salt, egg and milk. Mix until you produce a slightly sticky ball of dough. Flour the counter and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. You want them very thin because they thicken when cooked. Cut noodles (I use a pizza cutter) to desired size and place on wax paper. Let the noodles dry out on the counter for at least 1 hour before adding them to the soup.

About 30 minutes before serving soup, drop noodles in and cook. Add some fresh chopped parsley right before serving. Enjoy.

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Cinnamon Crumb Cake

A good friend of mine was coming for dinner and I wanted to make her a special dessert. I know she loves cinnamon so I was excited when I found a cinnamon crumb cake in my Cooking Light cookbook. I adapted the recipe by adding more cinnamon and using yogurt instead of buttermilk. My kids and I gathered all the ingredients together and made this tasty cake. It was easy to make...the kids had a great time and so did I. The cake was moist, light and full of cinnamon flavor. I normally like a lot more crumb topping but I wanted to keep it light. It was a wonderful dessert that we all enjoyed.

• 1 1/4 cups of flour
• 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (recipe called for 3/4)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chilled stick of butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup of low fat vanilla yogurt (recipe called for buttermilk)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve 1/2 cup of flour mixture for topping; set aside.

Combine remaining flour mixture, baking powder and baking soda; add the vanilla yogurt (or buttermilk), vanilla and egg to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well blended.

Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan. Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture over batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy.

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Awards:

I was given the proximidade award from Selba at Selby's Food Corner. Thank you Selba!

I was given the Sisterhood Award by The Blonde Duck at A Duck in Her Pond and Cheryl from Cooking Dunkin Style. Thank you ladies!!

A big thanks to Gloria from Cookbook Cuisine for the Foodie Friends Award. Thank you very much Gloria.

Chile Verde

I grabbed some tomatillos the last time I went grocery shopping because I wanted to try cooking with them. I love Mexican food and really enjoy salsa verde so I decided to give them a try. I found a recipe on Simply Recipes for Chile Verde and instantly knew I had to make it. It was a fun and simple recipe to make and the house smelled amazing. I served it in tortillas with cotija cheese and extra verde sauce on top for my husband and I - we both really liked it a lot. The pork was tender and the sauce was a bit spicy and full of amazing flavor. I served this delicious dinner with warm tortillas and homemade refried beans.

• 10-12 tomatillos
• 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 Pasilla chile, cored, seeded and flattened
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of pork loin (or shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into to 2-inch cubes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Olive oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Position the oven rack close to the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil (for easier clean up). Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves and the cored, seeded and flattened chile pepper, skin side up on a baking sheet.

Broil in the oven until the tomatillos, garlic and chile are blackened - about 5-7 minutes.

Transfer the chile pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 7-10 minutes. Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the blackened skin.

Place tomatillos, skins included, into food processor or blender. Remove the now roasted garlic cloves from their skins then add them to the processor. Add the chopped jalapeno pepper, the chile, any extra juice from the roasting tray and cilantro then pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

Season the pork cubes generously with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and oregano, to taste. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat then brown pork chunks on all sides. Remove pork from Dutch oven and set aside. I had just a little grease in the pan so I didn't add olive oil but if you have no grease, add a bit of olive oil. Place the onions in the Dutch oven and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Add the pork to the onion mixture then pour your chile verde sauce on top. Add enough chicken stock to cover the meat. Taste and re-season with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Be careful not to add too much because the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit. Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.

Other ingredients:

• Flour or corn tortillas
• Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream (recipe below)
• Cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro, chopped finely (garnish)

Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup of sour cream (I use fat free)
• 1/2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lime
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place the meat and sauce inside a warmed flour or corn tortilla then add a bit of cotija cheese. Roll into a burrito or taco, cover with more verde sauce. Enjoy.

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Refried Beans

I love Mexican food but I had never tried making my own refried beans before. I know I cheated by using canned beans but I just didn't have time to soak dried pinto beans. They were very quick and easy to make and they tasted delicious. I really loved the addition of the onion, garlic and jalapeno. The flavors were incredible. I also liked having some whole beans along with the mashed beans. My husband and I really loved them but our kids preferred the regular refried beans from the can. Oh well - more for us.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely
• 1/4 jalapeno, diced finely
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 cans of pinto beans
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste,
• Pinch of dried cumin
• Cotija cheese, finely grated

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and jalapeno. Sauté until tender and golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add one can of beans with liquid and mash with a potato masher or fork until thoroughly mushed. Drain the second can of beans and add to the mushed beans. Mix and mush to your desired consistency. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Serve topped with cotija cheese. Enjoy.

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Roast Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Artichokes and Lemon

My mother sent me a box filled with magazines and cookbooks and I find something tasty to make every time I go through it. This is a recipe I adapted from one I found in a Fine Cooking magazine. I knew I had to try it as soon as I saw it. This is my kind of food. Tender chicken, roasted potatoes and artichokes with lemon. It turned out to be an excellent dish. The potatoes were crisp on the outside and tender inside. The chicken was flavorful and very tender while the artichokes gave a nice texture and flavor. We all really enjoyed the dish, especially me.

• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Dried basil, to taste
• 15 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 15 fingerling potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced into thin slivers
• Zest of one lemon and the juice
• 1 lemon sliced into thin slices
• 2 tbsp chicken broth (not pictured)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (garnish)

Heat a pot of water over high heat until it's boiling. Slice the fingerling potatoes down the center lengthwise then add them to the boiling water to par cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water. Add the garlic slivers, lemon zest, lemon slices, artichoke hearts and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the potatoes. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the trimmed chicken thighs with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and dried basil to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an OVEN PROOF SKILLET over medium high heat. Once VERY HOT add the chicken thighs and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and remove from heat. Add the potato and artichoke heart mixture to the pan. Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil, juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth in a bowl. Season with dried basil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Remove skillet from the oven and pour the lemon juice mixture over the top of everthing. Let the chicken rest for 3-4 minutes before cutting. Enjoy.

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Banana, Blueberry, Coconut and Toasted Walnut Bread

I saw this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Noble Pig, and knew I had to make it. The recipe was originally posted by Leslie, The Hungry Housewife. I had extra ripe bananas that needed to be used and a handful of fresh blueberries left in the refrigerator. I also had just a bit of vanilla yogurt that I didn't want to go to waste, so this was the PERFECT recipe for me. The original recipe called for buttermilk but I replaced it with vanilla yogurt. I also halved the recipe because I only had 2 bananas. My kids baked this loaf with me and we had such a fun time together. My daughter even cracked her first egg (actually two eggs, the first one landed on the floor). It was an easy and kid friendly recipe to make.

I love anything with coconut so I knew this would be tasty but it was better than that - it was EXCELLENT! We all loved it and devoured over half of it when it was fresh from the oven. My kids had some with their breakfast and asked for more at snack time. I love the sweet coconut, juicy berries and crunchy toasted walnuts. This is my new favorite banana bread - perfect with a glass of ice cold milk. Thanks for the great recipe Cathy and Leslie.

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 5 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla yogurt (I used non fat)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup blueberries (divided)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the egg mixing thoroughly. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and the baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the yogurt - make sure to start with flour and end with flour.

Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook for a 3-4 minutes, tossing frequently. Set aside and cool. Mash the bananas very well with a fork. Gently add the smashed bananas, vanilla, toasted nuts and coconut into the batter then carefully stir until combined. Fold in blueberries, reserving a few for the top of the loaf. Pour the batter into the bread pan then sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester comes out of the center of the loaf clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy.

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Taco Salad

I was in the mood for Mexican food (what's new) but I didn't feel like making a huge dinner. I grabbed some ground beef at the store and decided to make a taco salad. I used a bunch of different spices to flavor the beef. I threw in whatever vegetable I had in the refrigerator along with black beans and sweet yellow corn. I chopped up some tortillas and baked them for a nice crunchy texture in the salad. I topped with salsa and sour cream but it's also really good with the cilantro lime vinaigrette (recipe below). This was an easy dinner that tasted great. We all loved this meal, even the kids.

Taco Meat:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped finely
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef (96/4)
• Dried oregano
• Onion powder
• Paprika
• Chile powder
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt

Note: I didn't measure spices. I sprinkled to taste.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the onion and stir frequently for 3-4 minutes; add the garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add the ground beef to the onion and garlic mixture and break up the meat really well with the spatula. Add the spices and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the beef is thoroughly cooked. Taste, re-season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Salad Ingredients:

• Head of Romaine, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup of black olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup of red, yellow or orange baby bell peppers, sliced
• 1/2 cup of green onions, diced
• 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, diced finely (more if you desire)
• 2 avocados, diced
• 6 corn tortillas, chopped into bite size pieces
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Chop the corn tortillas into bite sized pieces then place on the baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and add sea salt to taste. Place in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes; remove from oven and flip the chips over, return to the oven and bake for an addition 3-4 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Dressing Ideas:

• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Use am immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing. Combine all ingredients, toss and serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Vegetable Tian

This is a recipe I adapted from one I found in "Barefoot in Paris". We had friends over for dinner so I served this Vegetable Tian and it was a HUGE hit. The veggies were perfectly roasted, the potatoes were nice and tender and the caramelized onions were sweet and salty. The whole dish was delicious and it looked really pretty too. All of my friends loved these roasted vegetables and so did most of the kids. I am looking forward to making this again and again. I served this dish alongside the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic and they paired nicely together.

• 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 large sweet yellow onion cut in half and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 russet potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 3 large Roma tomatoes
• Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Dried thyme, to taste
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned. Enjoy.

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