Flat Bread Middle Eastern Salad

Sorry guys once again i forgot to take a picture of this but it is so easy and so delicious i thought id share!

1 med. cucumber, diced
1 med. tomato, diced
handful of spring mix lettuce, or spinach whichever you prefer
1 piece of flat bread sliced into bit size pieces, (i cut mind into 12ths )
handful of green olives sliced in half
1/3 of  green medeteriannian pepper diced
some feta crumbled

mix it all together pour a little but of olive oil sprinkle with fresh dill and add a drop of white vinegar, add salt and pepper and enjoy!

Cauliflower & White Cheddar Soup

Sry i havent been posting lately.  I keep forgetting to take pictures and to write down my recipes so it makes it difficult to share them with you that way.  Fortunately i remembered last night while i was making this soup.  It was so good, i hope you like it too!!

Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

·         1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into pieces

·         2 carrots, shredded or sliced thin

·         1 medium red potato, cut into pieces

·         1 medium yellow onion, sliced

·         Bunch of scallions, chopped

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         4-6 oz white Vermont cheddar cheese, shredded

·         1 spoon of Better than Bouillon® Veggie Base

·         2 cups fat free milk

·         2 tbs olive oil

·         Optional: ¼ tsp white truffle oil, 1 tsp horse radish

Instructions

Fill a large stock pot with water about ¾ full add salt, cauliflower and potato. Allow it to come to a boil and cook veggies for about 10-15 mins until they are soft.  Before draining take 2 cups of the boiling veggie water and mix it with the better than bouillon, set aside.  Drain veggies discard remaining water.  Return pot to stove over medium high heat, and add olive oil and allow oil to heat for a few minutes.  Then add in the onion and carrot.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and I added a drop, (no more than ¼ tsp!!) white truffle oil.  And if you like your soup a little spicy you can also add in the horse radish here.  This is completely optional. 

Once tender add in cauliflower and potato.  Mix well to season all veggies.  Then add in the 2 cups of bouillon and bring it to a simmer.  Add in the milk and turn off heat.  Once cooled slightly blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth.  (if you do not have one you can add the soup into a regular blender or food processor but be careful and work in small batches so you do not burn yourself!  Once you have achieved the consistency you want (I prefer mine super smooth), turn the heat on to medium low and slowly add in the cheese.  You can make it cheesier and thicker by adding more cheese; I added about 5 oz. to mine. Add in chopped scallions and mix in.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Leave uncovered over low heat for about 15-20 mins stirring occasionally, to allow flavors to set.  Serve with either croutons or cheese flake. 

Cheese flakes:

Preheat oven to 375.  On a silicon baking mat sprinkle mozzarella into flake like shape.  Drop a pinch of parmesan on top, and sprinkle with pepper and add 3-5 scallions in the center, depending on how big you make them.  Bake until melted.  I like mine a little crispy so I leave them in for about 7 mins, but make sure they don’t burn!

Kale Asparagus Tart with Herb Crust

Kale Asparagus Tart with Herb Crust

I know for some people it can be intimidating to make their own crust, but tart crust is really the easiest thing to make once you get it down.  I hope my instructions are easy to follow!  Now for the next few days ill be posting a lot of egg recipes because there was a little mix up with the grocery list and my boyfriend and i both went shopping and we ended up with about 30 eggs in our fridge.  So i hope you all like eggs!!  This is a very tasty dish, i love Quiche and think it is even better with the tart crust!  i have a few pic, i know im getting better at the picture thing!  

For the Crust:

1 Bunch Basil

1 Stock Rosemary

3-6 leaves Sage

1 Clove Garlic

2 Cups Flour

¼ stick cold butter cut into cubes

1/8 – ¼ Cup Cold Water

For the Filling:

1 Cup Greek Yogurt

3 Eggs

1 Cup Shredded Swiss cheese

1 Yellow Onion

1 Stock Green Onion Chopped

1-2 leaves Kale, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a food processor add in the herbs and Garlic pulse a few times.  Add in flour and pulse more to combine.  Turn processor on and slowly add in butter one cube at a time, stop and feel to see if it holds together when pinched.  If not add a little more butter, if it does, while running, add slowly in the water.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a nonstick tart pan with a removable bottom.  Poke holes in the bottom of the crust to create vent holes and bake for about 10-15 mins.  Remove and cool on wire rack until ready to fill. 

Cut the Asparagus into about 1 inch strips and place in a bowl with a chopped yellow onion.  Heat a table spoon of olive oil in a pan and cook vegetables until soft.  Remove from pan and place kale in pan and cook until it wilts.  Place wilted kale on bottom of tart crust. Meanwhile chop up the green onion and place it in a medium bowl. 
Add three eggs and whisk them with the onion.  Add in the asparagus and onion and add Greek yogurt.  Add salt and pepper to taste and add in ½ cup Swiss cheese.  Mix to combine.  Pour into tart crust and spread around evenly.

  (I added some cherry tomatoes on the top of mine here) and top with remaining Swiss cheese.  Bake covered for about 20 mins.  Remove cover and bake another 20 mins.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers

I Love Fall!! Esp for the food and the flavors, my favorite are all the things you can do with squash!  I apologize i forgot to take a picture until i was eating the last one for lunch the next day so if my pic doesnt look that great i apologize, but i promise they taste amazing!

Butternut Squash Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

3 Red Peppers

1 Cup Wild Rice

½ Cup Crumbled Feta

1 Cup Cooked Spinach

2 Cup Butternut Squash, chopped into small ½ inch cubes

1 Summer Squash chopped

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Bunch Basil

1/3 Tsp Minced Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Note:

It is best to use left over rice for this but if you do not have any you can make it fresh before starting anything else!

Place squash on baking sheet spaced out and spray with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake only to make slightly tender about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cut peppers in half, length wise and de-seed.  Place sitting upright in baking dish. 

In a medium bowl, add the rice and squash.  Over a small bowl squeeze the spinach to get out any extra water, especially if you are using thawed frozen spinach.  Place spinach in medium bowl with rice and squash.  Then open can of tomatoes and pour the tomato juice into the small bowl with the spinach water, add the tomatoes to the medium bowl.  Add half the feta and add the butternut squash and mix well to combine.  Add salt and Pepper to taste.

Stuff the peppers with the filling mixture and top with the extra feta.  Pour the tomato and spinach juice into the bottom of the pan to help steam and keep the peppers from drying out. 

Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake for about 40 mins.  Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how melted you like the cheese and how hot your oven gets.   Enjoy!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

Last night I was in the mood for something kind of tropical and exotic.  I read a few recipes for Teriyaki Turkey Burgers and I picked out the best ideas from each one.   I made this for 8, so for simplicity sake ill try to cut everything in half to make for 4, but i apologize if the proportions done come out quite right.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Yeilds: 4

1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
4-5 Scallions, chopped
1-2 tsp Cilantro (to taste)
Teriyaki Marinade (low sodium)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Pineapple, sliced
4 Whole Wheat Buns

In a bowl, put ground meat, egg scallions cilantro and Teriyaki sauce.  Mix well.  Divide evenly into 4 patties.  Grill the patties and pineapple and serve with pineapple slice on top of the patty.  If desired can serve with other condiments, but i found this had so much flavor nothing more was needed.
I served mine with Spicy Sweet potato Fries.  :-)

Buttermilk Flax Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I was experimenting around with an old pancake recipe and decided to switch it up a bit.  The result was delicious!  So I’m sharing it with you all. :-)

Elyse’s Buttermilk Pancakes

1 C Flour

¼ C Ground Flax Seeds

1 Tbs Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 C Light Buttermilk

1 Egg

1 tbs Oil

1Tbs Agave Nectar

½ C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, add in everything except the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.  Then add in chocolate chips and stir a few more times.  Pour desired amount onto a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Enjoy!