BUTTERNUT SQUASH + SWEET POTATO GINGER SOUP WITH HERB PARMESAN CROUTONS

All good things in that title! This is a great soup that looks and tastes really luxurious. The richness is deceptively healthy because of pureed squash and sweet potatoes. I add a tiny drizzle of cream on top but other than that, the richness is already very sufficient on its own. The herbed croutons are the other best part of this soup. The flavors and textures together really create a glorious concoction that is the perfect way to warm up any day!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO + GINGER SOUP WITH BACON AND HERB PARMESAN CROUTONS
3 strips of bacon, chopped in 1/2" pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1(2 - 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
2 large garnet yams / sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
7 cups chicken stock
Heavy cream, for drizzling garnish
Herb Parmesan Croutons, for garnish (recipe below)

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until rendered and you have a good amount of bacon grease. Remove bacon from pot and place on paper towels. Keep grease in the pot and add the chopped onion. Saute the onion for 6-7 minutes until translucent. Add fresh ginger and saute another minute. Stir in fresh thyme and saute another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in butternut squash, all the potatoes and the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and season with salt. Let cook over a medium simmer (roughly 30 minutes) until the squash and potatoes are soft.

Using an immersion blender (alternatively, very carefully, transfer to a blender) and blend until very smooth. Return to pot (if you transferred to a blender) and stir to remove any lumps and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve with a group of croutons (recipe below), a drizzle of heavy cream, and the reserved chopped bacon.

CROUTONS:
1 loaf of french bread, baguette or rolls (any stale rustic bread will work), cut into 1" cubes
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan
Salt + Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until fully coated (you may need a little more olive oil if you feel the croutons aren't evenly coated). Pour onto a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before topping on soup.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH, BLACK BEAN, KALE + CARAMELIZED ONION TACOS WITH SRIRACHA LIME MAYO

Look. I love tacos... sooooooo much. It's not like I'm this really unique specimen of the taco obsession variety because, let's get real, every human likes tacos. I like carnita tacos, al pastor tacos, carne / pollo asada, salmon tacos, fried tacos, bean tacos, shrimp tacos, egg tacos... you could put anything in a taco and I would eat it. One of our family's favorite books is Dragons Love Tacos, so it's genetic.

I made these vegetarian tacos for dinner the other night and they were delightful! I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen's wonderful cookbook but adapted it by layering in caramelized onions on the bottom and sauteed kale to amp up the veggies. I also drizzled it with a sriracha lime mayo sauce that I keep in a squeeze bottle and use A LOT (like, embarrassingly a lot). It goes great on all kinds of tacos, baked taquitos, grilled chicken with grilled veggies, etc. It's also a great way to get your kids (and adults) to eat lots of healthy things, while also making it taste amazing. The kale is kind of an adaptation of adding lettuce to a taco, but with triple the nutrients. It's also lightly sauteed so it still has a subtle crunch while also adding great flavor.

Try these, I don't think you'll be disappointed! If you're vegan, you can substitute things in the sauce recipe for vegan mayo, cashew / coconut cream and I'm sure it would still be delightful! Or, you could omit the sauce and amp up the guacamole a bit more. Whatever floats your vegan boat!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH, BLACK BEAN, KALE + CARAMELIZED ONION TACOS
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeds scooped out
Olive oil
2 Tablespoons lime juice (from 1-2 limes)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 Tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 bunch Lacitano or Tuscan kale, washed well, dried and chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Guacamole, for serving
Sriracha Lime Mayo, for serving

SRIRACHA LIME MAYO
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Mexican style crema (regular sour cream can be used)
1-2 teaspoons sriracha
1-2 limes, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roast the halves (faceside down) on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

While the squash is cooking, preheat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon butter and a couple of swirls of olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon). Once the butter has melted, add the onions and saute over medium heat until soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Do not clean pan. Immediately add another couple swirls of olive oil and add minced garlic. Stir for 30 seconds and then immediately add cleaned, chopped kale. Saute for 5-6 minutes until the kale has wilted and is tender. Remove from pan and set aside in a clean bowl.

To make sauce: mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour into a squeeze bottle using a funnel. You can also serve from the bowl, but it's worth it to move to a squeeze bottle for easy serving and storing.

ding dong cake

A couple of years ago we went to a Valentine's Day dinner with some friends and I brought this cake but realized I never shared the recipe. With all this talk lately of Hostess going out of business, it reminded me of this cake which my sister aptly named the "Ding Dong Cake" because of the cream layer inside. If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of chocolate and this cake is rich but a fun thing to make for a special occasion like Valentine's Day. I also garnished the cake with fresh raspberries because hey - they look like hearts and also because chocolate + raspberries = true love.

Cake
1 box Devil's Food Cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients (except chocolate chips) together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips until combined. Pour the batter into 3 round cake pans, sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 325 degrees until done in the center (about 30 minutes but check the cake mix box directions). Remove cakes from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans. Let cool completely on wire racks until ready to assemble.

Ganache Icing
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened at room temperature

Place chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream just until it starts to come to a boil. Remove from heat and pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted and shiny. Let cool completely until it is at room temperature. Once cooled, add the butter to the chocolate and cream mixture and whisk at medium speed until well combined and smooth. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons milk

Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder into the mixing bowl. Turn mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients to blow up everywhere) until it is absorbed and mixed well into the butter. Increase mixer to medium speed and add vanilla, salt and cream and beat for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add a little more powdered sugar if it needs to be a little more stiff and add a little milk (a tablespoon at a time!) for a thinner consistency. Note: if you want one less thing to make, you can just buy a jar of chocolate frosting since you're really not using much for the recipe. If you choose to make the chocolate buttercream, you will likely have some leftover.

Whipped Cream Layer

1 cup whipping cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a cold mixing bowl, whip the cream until slightly thickened. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside until ready to assemble (this should be done last so it doesn't sit for very long before putting the cake together).

To Assemble:
Take a small sandwich bag and fill with 1 cup of chocolate frosting. Cut the tip off the bag and place a small dot of frosting on a cake stand and place one of the cake rounds on top. Pipe a 1/2" wall around the top edge of the cake to create a "barricade". Pour about 1/4 cup ganache icing in the center of the layer and smooth it to the edges of the piped frosting in an even layer. Place the second cake on top and make another 1/2" wall around the top edge of the second cake layer. Drop about 1 cup of whipped cream in the center and lightly spread out (not all the way to the edges). Place the final cake on top.

Carefully frost the top and sides of the cake with the ganache icing in a thin layer (called a "crumb coat" - which fills in any cracks and smooths out the cake). Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and ganache has solidified a bit. Frost cake a final time with the ganache icing, trying to get it as smooth as possible. Return to the refrigerator and let chill overnight (it's really best after it's been chilled for 24 hours).

salted caramel chocolate toffee trifle

A few weeks ago, David's work had a Christmas potluck and he asked me to make him a trifle to contribute. I already have a delicious chocolate peppermint trifle that I like but David's not big on peppermint so he requested something different. I had seen this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it and David texted me the afternoon of the potluck to say that all his co-workers flipped over it. Of course, I hadn't been able to try any of it before I sent it off with him so I was a little worried about how it was going to turn out.

I decided to make the trifle again for our New Year's Eve party and finally tasted a bit of it (my first sugar in almost 4 months!) and it was delicious (and rich)! Woo-ee! The best part is that, even though you have to assemble it, this trifle is incredibly easy to make. The caramel sauce MAKES the dish so don't sell yourself short by buying caramel sauce. It's easy to make and really worth the extra time!

1 box Devil's Food Cake
2 boxes (the small one - 3.9 each) instant chocolate pudding - I use the chocolate fudge
1 carton Cool Whip, thawed
8 Heath candy bars, chopped
Caramel Sauce (recipe below)

Prepare and bake the cake mix according to package directions and bake in a 8 x 11" pan. Cool completely on a wire rack and then cut into 1.5 - 2 inch cubes. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Make caramel sauce (and set aside to cool - it's best if you can refrigerate it a bit too to thicken up).

Place half of the cake cubes on the bottom of a 3 quart trifle bowl, lightly pressing down to fill in the gaps. Top with half of the Cool Whip and then half of the chocolate pudding. Drizzle caramel sauce on top of the pudding then sprinkle half of the chopped Heath bars on top. Repeat layers (cake - Cool Whip - pudding - caramel - Heath bars) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until ready to serve.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a sprinkle of sea salt

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until a candy thermometer reaches 260 - 270 degrees F. Take off heat and slowly stir in cream. Put back on burner over medium heat just until mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for one minute and remove from heat. Let cool for 2 minutes before stirring in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool and add a sprinkle of sea salt. Refrigerate until ready to use (I ended up having about 1/2 cup extra after what I used for the trifle - which is fine because it's great for putting on ice cream, dipping apple slices, etc.)

Adapted from here

healthy tikka masala with greens + sweet potatoes

I love when I make something up for dinner that turns out AMAZING! Amazing and healthy, is even better! I feel like doing a little dance about it and if I could, it would look a little something like this (this is my most favorite video ever right now). Anyway, about this heavenly meal . . . I love me some Indian food but dang! - it is not healthy at all. Butter and cream abound in Indian food and while it's very tasty, it doesn't work with my health goals. So, the other day I decided to "healthify" one of my favorite meals - tikka masala. Now, I've posted a recipe before on this blog about tikka masala (and it's good) but I doubt I will ever make that recipe again now that I have this one! It's amazing! Greek yogurt makes it creamy, it has lots of flavor from the spices and it has extra veggies that kick it up a knock. I will be making this one over and over again.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups roughly chopped greens, such as Swiss chard, mustard greens or kale (I used red + rainbow Swiss chard)
1/2 onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (I only buy Fage, cause it's the best)
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
steamed brown rice, for serving
chopped cilantro, for serving (I didn't have any for the picture)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Stir to coat evenly. Roast in oven for 20 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and set aside (this can be done while making the rest of the meal).

Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add sliced onions and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic and saute another 3 minutes. Add cumin, garam masala, turmeric and chili powder, stirring for 2 minutes until you can really start to smell the heavenly aroma. Stir in diced tomatoes (with juices), Greek yogurt and chicken. Let simmer, stirring often, over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in greens until wilted and the chicken is cooked through (about another 5 minutes). Add sweet potatoes and stir all together. Season with kosher salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over brown rice and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: you could easily making this vegetarian by omitting the chicken and replacing it with extra sweet potatoes, tofu, portabella mushrooms or even artichoke hearts.

Adapted from here.

peppermint "joe-joe" truffles

Have you had Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joes? Surely, you've at least heard of their amazingness. They are truly perfection and since they're seasonal, it's pretty hard not to grab a box or two when you're shopping at TJ's. I'm still not eating sugar but I knew I had to buy a box before they were out of stock (I saved myself a couple for when I'm eating sweets again someday - I don't mind them when they're a little stale!) I wanted to make a fun treat for our Polar Express party this weekend and decided that it would be fun to make Oreo truffles out of the Candy Cane Joe-Joes! They were a hit! And really easy too! This recipe makes a lot (about 36) so be sure you have somewhere to take these or else you'll be stuck with a whole bunch of rich truffles that you probably shouldn't eat all by yourself. The "old me" would've done that . . .

36 Candy Cane Joe-Joes (or regular Oreos if you can't get these - and then I feel sorry for you)
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
16 ounces white chocolate chips (or white chocolate bark)
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies

Place cookies in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. In a medium bowl, whip cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cookie crumbs and peppermint extract and mix well until combined and evenly moistened.

Scoop out 1 teaspoon spoonfuls of the cookie mixture and roll gently until it forms a compact ball. Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and repeat until all cookie mixture has been used. Place truffles in freezer for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, set over a barely simmering saucepan of water, melt chocolate chips or bark until smooth. Remove bowl from on top of the saucepan and set aside. Remove truffles from freezer and gently dip into the melted chocolate to coat (I use a fork to hold it and then let it drip off. Place truffles on wax paper and immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Allow chocolate to set and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

lemon garlic shrimp, wilted spinach + cauliflower mash

On our dearly beloved Pinterest I saw this recipe, and while it looked delicious, it just wasn't healthy enough for me with the bacon, butter and cream. I knew I could omit those things and have it still be tasty. I also added the spinach to bring in the greens that we all need and I am really happy with the way it turned out! I am obsessed with these ingredients right now. Shrimp is delicious and super low in calories. Paired with healthy spinach and low-carb, vitamin-packed cauliflower - this is a really healthy meal that has a lot of flavor.

Cauliflower Mash:
1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets and garlic on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and mix well. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove foil and stir and roast another 15 minutes until tender. Transfer cauliflower/garlic mixture to a food processor and blend, adding chicken broth as necessary to get it to a smooth, "grits"-like texture. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Shrimp:

1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled
zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and let marinade for 15 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and stir in shrimp. Saute for 5 - 8 minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Put shrimp in a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Do not clean the pan (you'll use the leftover "juices" to cook the spinach in).

Wilted Spinach:
4 cups baby spinach, washed and chopped coarsely (just a few quick swipes with a knife)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil (if needed)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lemon, juiced

Add olive oil to the skillet that you cooked the shrimp in and stir in sliced onions. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until starting to soften. Stir in spinach and cook until it is wilted (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and add crushed red pepper and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: I put the cauliflower mash on the bottom of the bowl, some wilted spinach on top of that and then the shrimp.

fast + easy white chicken chili

The other day David sent me a text requesting soup for dinner. I have several soup recipes that we enjoy but I didn't have a lot of time and I wanted to use what I already had in my cupboard. When I saw this recipe, I figured I'd try it and it was a big hit! Plus, it was one of the easiest soup recipes I've ever made. It has TONS of flavor and was a great way to warm up on a wintery night. I made a few changes to the original recipe, including scaling it down to serve about 4 medium bowls. Also, it's called "White Chicken Chili" but because it has some salsa in it, it should be called "Pinkish Chicken Chili". Salmon color? Orange? I don't know but it's good. Maybe next time I'll add green tomatillo salsa to it and it will stay "white". I bet that would be tasty!

2 chicken breasts*
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern beans
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (small) can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup salsa (I used regular ol' Pace)
1 cup chicken stock
for serving: grated monterey jack cheese, sliced green onions, avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, lime wedges, etc.

In a medium pot, cover chicken breasts with water (about an inch over) and . Bring to a boil and poach for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Place chicken in a bowl and let cool. Once cool, shred and set aside.

Pour out the poaching water and heat the olive oil in the pot over medium high heat. Saute onions for 2 -3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, green chilies, cumin, chili powder and paprika and let saute another couple of minutes.

Blend half the beans (don't drain or rinse - I used my Magic Bullet for this) a minute or so until semi-smooth. Stir blended beans into the onion mixture along with the rest of the can of beans, salsa and chicken stock. Let simmer at least 10 minutes and season with the kosher salt and pepper. Serve with whatever toppings you like.

*You could also use a rotisserie chicken and make this even easier and faster! I love to buy one of those chickens about once a week and I get a few meals out of it.

Adapted from here.

easy stovetop lasagna

This is maybe the easiest dinner recipe ever and it's delicious and filling. I served it with a side salad and dinner was served in 30 minutes. I love my regular lasagna recipe but this is perfect for those nights when you want some warm, rich lasagna but don't want to spend a long time in the kitchen.

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (24 - 26 ounce) jar pasta sauce*

2 1/2 - 3 cups water (see note)

8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley (or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)

8 ounces cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese, if you want)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat large skillet over medium heat and cook sausage and garlic until done. Add sauce and water and bring to a boil. Gently break noodles in a kitchen towel into large pieces and add to pot. Cover and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender. 

Mix cheeses, parsley and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon cheese mixture on top of lasagna noodles and sauce. Cover and simmer about 3 - 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese (it's best if you let it sit about 10 minutes before serving).

*I use Dave's Gourmet because it's the BEST!

green chili chicken enchiladas

These are my favorite kind of enchiladas to make. I made them a few years ago on the fly for a family party and everyone raved and raved about them. They're really delicious and easy to make. Pardon the ugly picture. Enchiladas are hardly the prettiest dished out food. But that's OK. It's what's on the inside that counts, right?

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen sweet white corn 
1 small (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
2-3 chicken breasts 
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
10 - 12 corn tortillas
1 can (26 ounce) Las Palmas green enchilada sauce (don't substitute for another brand!)
shredded Jack cheese

Set a pot of water on to boil. Add chicken breasts and boil until done (about 8 minutes if not frozen). Once cooked through, remove from water and let cool. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion and saute until starting to soften. Stir in diced bell pepper and cook until starting to soften. Add the frozen corn, green chilies, cumin, salt and pepper and saute 3 - 4 more minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and set mixture aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Take a glass casserole dish (9x13) and pour about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Swirl to coat the pan. Wrap the corn tortillas in a wet (and rung dry) paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds just to soften the tortillas (if your tortillas are fresh and easily bendable without breaking, you can skip this step).

One at a time, put about 1-2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture inside the tortilla and wrap up tightly (being sure not to break the tortilla). Place in the casserole dish and repeat until you have used all the tortillas and the filling. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and layer a good amount of cheese on top as well. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until the top is bubbly and browned (I like my top really crispy so I often put it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end).

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro and tomatillo salsa.

pumpkin cookies with brown butter icing

I made these cookies the other day for when we had the missionaries over for dinner. They had an appointment to get to and were in a hurry after we ate our meal so I served a few of them before I had put on the icing and they were a big hit - everyone proclaimed that they didn't need the icing. While they chatted with David a few minutes I whipped together the icing and frosted a few of them and then had them try the cookies again. "That icing put them over the top!" they cried! So, yes. I think they were good. I wouldn't know personally since I'm still not eating sugar yet but they looked divine. The pictures are lame and I ran out of powdered sugar so the icing was a bit runny but follow the directions and you'll be fine.

recipe from Martha
2 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and blend at medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.

Transfer 1/4 of the batter into a large Ziploc bag (or if you are fancy and want to use a pastry bag with a large tip, do that) and cut off about 1/4 inch off one of the corners to squeeze out the batter onto parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets. Make the cookies about 1 1/2 inches and space them an inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating half way through. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes and then cool completely on wire racks.

Brown Butter Icing:
4 cups powdered sugar
10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk (I used regular milk cause I threw away the rest of my can like a dum-dum and it was fine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally, for about 3 minutes until the butter turns a golden brown and starts to smell a bit nutty. Immediately add butter to the powdered sugar and add milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth (you can add a little more milk if it's too stiff). Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie.

(healthier) chocolate fudge pie

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was this "healthier" chocolate fudge pie from my sister, Alice. It has a secret ingredient that you wouldn't think would work but it does! No one believes that it has tofu in it. It's silky and smooth and delicious. You don't have to make it in a pie crust if you want it to be even healthier. Alice served hers sans crust and her kids gobbled it up! I served mine in a pie crust though and topped it with Lite Truwhip for the special occasion.

1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 ounces medium-firm tofu*
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (dutch-process preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons almond milk (or regular milk if you want to use that)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 - 3 Tablespoons agave or honey
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Pie crust, optional

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl (stirring every 30 seconds) for about 1 1/2 minutes. Put all ingredients into a food processor (except pecans) and blend until really smooth. Pour into pie pan (over crust or without) and chill until firm - about 3 hours.

*You can use soft or firm tofu but I preferred the texture of the medium. It's just right.

cranberry cilantro cream cheese dip

Cranberries are a funny thing. They're really beautiful and festive and they taste delicious in juice with lots of sugar and preferably served with ginger ale . . . but plain? Yuck! In this cranberry cilantro cream cheese dip, though, they are delightful. Last Christmas we had some yummy jalapeno jam cream cheese dip at David's sister's house and he's been talking about it ever since. When I saw this recipe for a cranberry cilantro cream cheese dip, I had to try it. Everyone loved it! It was gone so fast and it looked really pretty with the bits of cilantro mixed with the cranberries. This is something I will definitely be making again for our family Christmas party!

from Jamie Cooks It Up
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
Crackers, for serving (I used Ritz and Kashi crackers - Wheat Thins or chips would be good too)

Place the cranberries in the  bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are finely chopped. Place in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients (except cream cheese). Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to let the sugar soak into the cranberries.

When ready to serve place the cream cheese on a large plate (I did this in two batches to make it go farther, using one package of cream cheese and half of the cranberry mixture) and spread it evenly with a knife. Spoon the cranberry mixture over the cream cheese. It might be a little juicy so I suggest draining it a bit if you want. Serve with crackers or chips.

the easiest peanut butter cookies

You guys, these cookies are dangerously easy to make! I only had a few minutes to whip together a treat for a church event the other night and these took seriously 30 minutes total (including washing the dishes). Make these. Just do it.

1 cup peanut butter*
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (optional, see note)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg with the vanilla lightly with a fork. Stir in peanut butter, sugar and flour (if using) until combined. Add chocolate chips and lightly stir until evenly distributed.

Scoop small spoonfuls (about the size of a ping-pong ball) into your hand and roll softly. Place on a greased cookie sheet and press down lightly with a fork dipped in sugar. You can criss-cross it, if you like. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen small cookies.

Note: I only buy Trader Joe's creamy salted peanut butter, cause it's real peanut butter and it's the BEST (and that's a fact). If you buy Jif or Skippy or something like that, I would consider not adding the flour. It's up to you but I think it will likely change the texture of the dough.

steamed cod with mustard garlic sauce

If you have ever said, "It's too hard to cook healthy" then I am here to prove you wrong! This meal is incredibly healthy, inexpensive, delicious and only takes 20 minutes to make. I would seriously eat this every day. It is that good! Plus it has no butter or cream and only a little bit of oil but still a really great, flavorful sauce that's low in calories.

You can use any kind of white fish that you can find on sale. I have tried this using mahi mahi and it was delicious. Then I made it last night again with cod (because that's what was on super sale at Sprouts this week) and the entire meal probably cost about $8 for me and David. So, do me a solid and make this.

1- 2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup chicken broth
2 (4 - 5 ounce) portions of white fish, such as mahi mahi, cod or halibut
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
2 Tablespoons brown grain mustard

Heat oil in a large lidded saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in zucchini, mushrooms, green beans and broth and season with salt and pepper. Place fish on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Cover pan with a lid and steam over medium high heat for 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.

Remove the fish and vegetables with a slotted spoon to two plates and cover to keep warm, trying to reserve as much liquid as possible. Stir in garlic and mustard to the juices/chicken broth. Turn heat to high and let reduce for 3 - 5 minutes, scraping pan often with a spatula.

Spoon sauce over fish and vegetables and serve.

Serves 2
(adapted from here)

peppermint white chocolate chip cookies

These are perfect for Christmas time. They're a delicious buttery cookie with white chocolate and a hint of peppermint. I saw these Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips at the store the other day and thought they'd be fun in some cookies. The next time I make them I'm going to add some crushed peppermint candies to the dough to make them extra pepperminty (note: I've added that to the recipe below because I think it will be perfect!)

adapted from here
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
1/2 - 1 cup crushed peppermint candies
Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and cream until fluffy (about 3 minutes).

Add dry ingredients (except chips and candies) and stir on low speed until thoroughly mixed. Stir in both white chocolate chips and the peppermint candies until evenly distributed through dough.

Spoon onto a greased baking sheet and press some of the peppermint baking chips on top, flattening each cookie a little bit as you do. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly golden around edges. Remove from oven and let cool on a baking rack before digging in!

Makes 4 dozen.

pumpkin chocolate chip bread

So even though I'm not eating sweets right now, I just had to make some pumpkin bread this fall. Surprisingly just mixing it up, smelling it baking, wrapping it in pretty baker's twine and taking it to my neighbors was just as satisfying as if I had eaten it myself. No, seriously. And I never thought I'd say something like that, but more on that later . . .

Now, I have a good pumpkin bread recipe but when I saw this one that only has 1 cup of sugar in it, instead of 3 cups of sugar I decided to give it a shot (with a few small adaptations). Even though I can't vouch for it personally, I was told it was delicious! So, here's to less sugar!

adapted from this recipe here
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I've used olive oil before and it was still good)
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup + 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
powdered sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 small loaf pans with cooking spray (my loaf pans are the mini-loaf ones that are about 7x4 - they make the best loaves for gifts!)

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet pumpkin mixture. Whisk together gently until smooth (but don't over-whisk or it will be dense). Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Divide batter between the 3 loaf pans and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before letting cool completely on a wire rack. Dust top with powdered sugar. Let cool completely before wrapping!

spicy lime shrimp + green beans with cilantro lime rice

At this time of year I'm craving pumpkin bread, warm stews and chicken and dumplings (best recipe for that here) that so many of us are, but those things are hardly easy on the waistline and I have a deadline (20 more pounds to lose by Christmas!) so I whipped this up for dinner last night and it was warm and satisfying. I ate it without the rice, sprinkled with some cilantro, and it was delicious! It seriously took 15 minutes from start to finish. A quick and healthy dinner that's not too spicy but full of flavor.

adapted from here
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp*
1 1/2 pounds green beans*
1/2 cup sliced bell peppers (I used a combination of red, orange and yellow)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup long-grain white rice
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook rice (I used my rice cooker but do whatever you normally do/what the package recommends).

While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and bell peppers and saute for 1 - 2 minutes. Stir in green beans and saute for 3 minutes. Add shrimp, chili powder and season with salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Let saute, stirring often, for 5 minutes until shrimp is pink and opaque. Turn off heat and stir in 3/4 of the lime juice.

After the rice has cooked, fluff with a fork and add cilantro, the rest of the lime juice and salt and pepper (you can also add a bit of butter if you're so inclined). Serve shrimp and green beans over rice.

* This is one of those meals that I was able to make super fast because I had frozen shrimp and frozen petite green beans. I prefer fresh ingredients just as much as the next person, but sometimes it's really handy to have frozen stuff on hand. Tip: I did semi-defrost the shrimp before cooking.

homemade whole wheat bread

I grew up with homemade whole wheat bread in my house. Always. I remember the first time I realized that bread came in white form. My friend's mom bought white bread and she also bought Buddig deli meat. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I had a sandwich at their house with white bread, mayo and Buddig beef. Haha! My mom's wheat bread is delicious and she has made it so many times she could probably make it blindfolded. When she was a teenager she would make several loaves every Saturday morning and her little brothers would go door to door in their neighborhood and sell the loaves. With the money she made from the bread she would go buy some fabric in the afternoon and make a dress or skirt for that night's dance. And yes, if you were wondering, my mom is PPIEW.

There's something amazingly comforting about the smell of fresh baked bread to me. Maybe it's because our house often smelled that way and our home was a wonderful place to be when I was a child. I'm so grateful for that. I want my children to grow up with those feelings too. Of course, homemade bread is healthier and cheaper and trust me, it's incredibly easy. No, it's not as easy as picking up a loaf at the grocery store but most* of it is garbage.

My lovely sister, Alice, has shared some of the best recipes with me and her bread recipe is a winner. I would like to make my mom's bread but every time I ask her for the recipe she can't remember and she doesn't have it written down. It's OK though because Alice's recipe is pretty perfect and really easy too (if you don't have a Bosch then I don't know what to tell you but you can try it with a stand mixer and see how it works).

(makes four loaves)
5 cups warm water (microwave for 2 - 3 minutes to reach 110 degrees)
3 Tablespoons dry active yeast
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup honey
12 cups white whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons kosher salt

In a Bosch mixer (or a stand mixer) dissolve yeast in water. Add oil and honey and combine. Add 4 cups and flour and salt. Turn mixer to speed 1 (or low-medium speed). Continue mixing at that speed while adding the remaining flour one cup at a time (about 8 additional cups) until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing at speed 1 (or low-medium speed) for 10 minutes (set the timer). Shape loaves (see note) and place in 4 medium greased bread pans. Let rise for 20 minutes in a warm place then turn on oven to 350 degrees while the loaves rise for another 10 minutes (while the oven preheats). Dough should be doubled by the end of 30 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a couple of minutes before shaking loaves out of pan.

Notes: Obviously our small family doesn't go through four loaves of bread very quickly. Sometimes I give a loaf or two to neighbors but I usually just freeze them in Ziploc storage bags and pull one out as needed. To do this, make sure you don't bag the bread until it is completely cool. Also, do NOT pre-cut the bread. It makes it dry out. Even if you're not freezing the loaves, it's a good idea to not cut it until right before using the slices.

Also, If you've never shaped bread loaves before then take a look at this great video. It's pretty similar to the way I was taught to do it.

*If I do buy wheat bread, I usually go for Alpine Valley sprouted wheat (which I can buy at my local Costco) or Ezekiel bread. Unless, of course, I'm in Mesa and then I go to Whole Grain Natural Bread Co (and get a spelt cookie).

the BEST pizza

I'm going to brag here for a second. I make incredible pizza people! And here's the best part: it's CRAZY easy. Here's how you do it. The dough recipe is from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and it's fantastic (the authors are kind of bread geniuses - get their really great book here).

1 1/2 Tablespoons dry-active yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups warm water
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large (about 8 quarts - I use this one) bucket or bowl (preferably with a lid, but not airtight) put the yeast, salt, water and then flour (in that order) and stir with a large spoon just until the flour is incorporated and there are no dry lumps of flour (only takes about 15 seconds, seriously).  It will be very sticky.  DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR!  Put the lid on loosely (or cover with plastic wrap).  Let it sit on the counter for 2 hours.  You can then either use it right away or refrigerate up to 2 weeks (it takes on sour dough properties after a day). If you use the dough after refrigerating, let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes before using it (you can do this while your oven preheats).

Heat your oven to 500 (or as hot as your oven goes) degrees with a baking stone for at least 20 minutes. Cut off a chunk (about 1/4 of the dough, but I like thinner crust so I usually get 5 pizzas out of this recipe) and gently dip it in flour.  Do not incorporate the flour. Roll it into a large circle, as thin as you can get it. Remove hot pizza stone from oven and cover generously with whole wheat flour. Carefully lay dough on the hot stone and add sauce (see recipe below), cheese and toppings. Bake about 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.  Remove from oven to a wire cooling rack for about 5 minutes and then slice.

Pizza Sauce:
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 ounces hot water
3 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons honey (I use a bit less)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
pinch of kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth (don't blend). Let sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors before spreading on pizza dough. Makes enough for 2 large pizzas.