Yummy fruit dip

This is so easy, and you get protein, calcium, and lots vitamins from the fresh fruit!

Mix 1 part creamy peanut butter and 1 part low fat vanilla yogurt until smooth. Serve with apples and bananas. Yum!

PS, I'm on hiatus from vegetarianism. It's REALLY, really hard to get enough protein when you're on the go as much as I am. Hopefully I'll get back to it next year!

better for you chick {pea} salad sandwiches

Compared to chicken salad sandwiches, this is better for your health, better for your budget (chickpeas are 50 cents a can), and of course better for chickens. I served it with naan, but you can put it in a wrap, on plain bread, in a pita... whatever. I made a double batch and plan on eating the leftovers for lunch during the week.

This recipe courtesy allrecipes.com

• 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Pour chickpeas into a medium size mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Mix in celery, onion, mayonnaise (to taste), lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper to taste.

farmers market chowder

i'm making sure to take advantage of the last month or so of fresh, local veggies... yum!!

2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 ears corn (cut the kernels off)
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
3 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups cheddar cheese (i used pepper jack because thats what i had in my fridge and it turned
out excellent)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 vegetable bullion cubes
2 tbs butter
salt, pepper, sugar

in a large soup pot, melt 2 tbs butter. sautee zucchini and onion until tender.

mix in flour, basil, and parsley. add dash salt, dash pepper. gradually add water and bullion cubes. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook and stir 2-5 minutes.

add evaporated milk, corn, and tomatoes. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until corn is tender.

add cheese, stir until just melted. add a pinch of sugar to taste.


ps- my soup came out a little watery because i used regular milk instead of evaporated...

summer luvin' brushetta

summer=fresh tomatoes=love

6 or 7 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 baguette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

parboil the tomatoes for 2 1/2 minutes, drain and then rinse with cold water. use your fingers to remove skins. quarter and remove seeds/juices, then chop. mix with the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and basil leaves.

cut thin slices of the bread and brush one side with olive oil. toast on the top rack of your oven, oil side up, for 5 minutes at 450*.

i prefer to NOT top the bread with the brushetta before serving because the bread gets soggy. rather, i serve the bread on a plate and the brushetta in a small bowl. it's also nice to serve this with a little feta cheese to sprinkle on top. if you're feeling really fancy, you can drizzle some balsamic vinegar on the bread plate. enjoy!

makes about 8 side dish servings... or if you are lazy like me and don't feel like cooking anything else, 4 main dish servings.

tamale pie

Sorry my blog is boring.

Here's one of my favorite recipes.

TAMALE PIE

2 cans of beans (black bean, pinto bean, kidney bean) try to pick 2 different varieties
1 pepper, chopped (I prefer red but green works too if you're on a budget) You can also do 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper if you want, this adds some color
1/2 or 1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of diced grean chile peppers, undrained
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or some garlic powder)
6 oz vegetable juice (1 small can of V8 or Wal-Mart brand)
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you happen to have in your fridge)
dash cumin
dash chili powder
dash cilantro

Preheat oven to 400* and grease a glass pie pan (or other glass dish that's about the same size, about 2 quarts)

Sautee the pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 tbs oil until tender. Stir in beans, vegetalble juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin. Heat through. Spoon into prepared dish.

Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions, add cheese and cilantro. Stir until just combined. Spoon cornbread evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake uncovered at 400* for 20-25 minutes until golden.


I based this recipe from one I found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I love it because you can mix and match what items you have (like different varieties of beans, peppers, cheese, and clean dishes) and it comes out great. I'm always changing up what I use and probably have never made it the same way twice. Plus you get a whole pie/casserole dish worth of dinner for only a couple bucks worth of ingredients. The best part? It tastes AMAZING when you heat it up later in the week for leftovers!