Apple Chicken Sausage over Greens

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Have you ever tried chicken sausage? They now have a wide variety of different flavors and seasonings. Today I was working with apple chicken sausage. It’s has a savory and sweet taste to it. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to make with it, so I got creative from what I had on hand.

 

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Apple Chicken Sausage over Greens
Makes 3 servings

 

Ingredients:
4 apple chicken sausage links (or any type of sausage)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
1 small apple
3 cups any type of dark leafy green (spinach, kale, escarole, etc)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cashews (or any other kind of nut)
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:

1. In a small skillet sear off the sausage links until cooked through. Let rest.
2. Thinly slice the onion. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and let cook slowly, until caramelized.
3. Peel the apple and slice thinly. Add to the pan with the greens. Let the greens wilt. Add the apple cider vinegar and toss together.
4. Slice the sausage and toss in the greens with the cashews. Season with salt and pepper as needed.


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(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!

Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis

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So I went to Trader Joe’s today and picked up a few things. My friend Kim told me about these mini raviolis they had there. I just had to get them. They are just so little and cute! I also picked up 2 small eggplants that I wanted to use for dinner tonight. The rest of the ingredients were inspired from just rummaging through my kitchen and used what I had on hand.

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Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis
Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of mini raviolis (can be substituted with any type of pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small (or 1 large) eggplant, peeled and diced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (make sure it’s in it’s own juices – no salt added)
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:

1. Cook mini raviolis (or other pasta) according to package directions
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the eggplant to the skillet with 1 tsp of the salt. Eggplant is very porous and adding a little salt will help release the moisture and allow it to absorb the flavors in the dish.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, spinach, and oregano. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, to taste.
5. If you want the mixture to have a little more liquid, add a ladle of water from your pasta pot.
6. Drain the pasta, and top with the tomato, eggplant, spinach mixture. Top with parmesan cheese (optional).


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(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I know it’s not Fall yet .. but I am anticipating the PUMPKIN extravaganza that’s coming soon! I am obsessed with anything pumpkin. If you are too, definitely try these muffins!!
 

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

 

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree*
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top (optional)
* Make sure to get pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin puree is purely pumpkin, whereas pumpkin puree has lots of sugar added.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, and sugar until blended and smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture in batches, until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Spoon in the batter in the muffin tin, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins.


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(per muffin)

 

Enjoy!

All About: Avocados

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I recently posted a few recipes using avocado. You may hear that avocados are healthy and they contain healthy fats, but that’s not all. There is so much more to learn about avocados.

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Did you know?

  • There are more than 80 varieties of avocados. The most common is the Hass avocado. The original mother tree of avocados still stands in California.
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  • Acocados are actually a member of the berry family.
  • The avocado is also known as an alligator pear, due to its shape, green skin, and rough texture. And apparently you can get a t-shirt that says it too!
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  • Half a medium sized avocado has 160 calories and provides 15 grams of heart healthy unsaturated fat, with only 2 grams of saturated fat.
  • Along with providing healthy fats, avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and vitamin B6.
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  • Avocados can be a part of many restricted diets. They are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, and cholesterol-free.
  • On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans consume about 8 million pounds of guacamole. For Cinco de Mayo, it’s 14 million pounds.
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  • Avocados can be used as a face mask for beautiful skin. Avocados have biotin which helps prevent dry skin. Combine 1/2 avocado (mashed), 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp of greek yogurt.
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  • How to easily slice an avocado:
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Strawberry Nutella Wontons

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I had leftover wonton wrappers from this recipe, so I decided to use them for dessert!

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Strawberry Nutella Wontons
Makes 12 wontons

 

Ingredients:
12 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup nutella
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put 1 tsp of nutella and 1 tsp of strawberries in the center of the wonton wrapper.
3. Whisk the egg for an egg wash mixture. Brush the edges of the wontons with the egg wash and fold over two points across from each other of the wonton wrappers to close forming a triangle.
4. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Brush the egg wash on the top on the wontons and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.
5. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown.


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(per wonton)

 

Enjoy!

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 portobello mushrooms
1 pound crab meat (can use imitation crab)
1 cup panko (can substitute with breadcrumbs)
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 egg whites
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Remove stems and scrape out the gills with a spoon. Brush both sides of the cap with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 7 minutes.
3. Saute the celery, onions, yellow pepper, and garlic in olive oil until onions become translucent.
4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and evenly stuff the mushrooms.
5. Put back in the oven for 25 minutes.

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Enjoy!

Lemon Rosemary Orzo

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Lemon Rosemary Orzo
 Makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 cup orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
2 tbsp rosemary, chopped
Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions.
2. Stir in the olive oil, squeeze lemon juice, and rosemary.

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Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

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I know it isn’t fall or “pumpkin” season right now, but I can eat anything pumpkin all year round.
Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamin A, fiber, and naturally low in fat. So let’s add pumpkin to our muffins. These muffins are great for a grab and go breakfast with a piece of fruit and it will keep you full all morning.
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Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 9 muffins

Ingredients:

1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup  pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp  ground cinnamon
1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup agave nectar (can substitute with honey or sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.

2. Combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, and agave. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. (Do not over mix – it will create a tough muffin with tunnels)

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

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Enjoy!!

Sweet Potato + Almond Butter + Chia Seeds

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Need a fast, easy and filling meal? The little bit of saltiness from the almond butter, the natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes, and a little crunch from the chia seeds is a perfect combo!
 
 
 
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Sweet Potatoes: packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron, provides about 15% of dietary fiber intake, and a low glycemic index
Almond Butter: healthy fat, heart healthy, lowers blood sugar, 7 grams of protein in 2 tbsp
Chia Seeds: rich in omega-3 fatty acids, 10 grams of fiber in only 2 tbsp, can reduce insulin resistance, full of anitoxidants

Sweet Potato Chips

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Looking for a crunchy snack? Trying to sneak in more vegetables? Trying to eat healthier, but love chips? You’ve come to the right place!

Sweet Potato Chips

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The key to making perfectly thin chips, is a mandoline. You can find them in pretty much any store that has a kitchen section. If you do not have one, just try and evenly thinly slice your sweet potatoes.

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Once you slice your sweet potato, there are two ways you can make your chips. At this point you can decide if you want to flavor your chips. For these I just used a little salt, but you can add anything like garlic powder, paprika, etc.
First option: Use a dehydrator. (Steph if you are reading this, I still have yours!) Just place the slices evenly on the dehydrator racks and dehydrate at 145 degrees and let dehydrate for about 4-6 hours.
—-> Pros: Can’t burn the chips using this method.
—-> Cons: Requires patience!
Second option: Preheat your oven to 400F. Arrange the potato slices, in a single layer, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the edges should start to crisp. Flip each chip over, and return to the oven for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy.
—-> Pros: Quick cook time
—-> Cons: Can burn easily if you don’t watch them closely.
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I love this recipe, because you don’t use any oil, they are fat free, and a healthy way to eat chips!
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Enjoy!