Apple-Pear Crisp

I have a small obsession with the food network,  and this recipe I saw on Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa show.  It sounds so easy to make, and so delicious, I had to try it.  I had to make some tweaks to it though, I made it lactose free, and made a larger batch.  So, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 pears
4 apples
1 teaspoon orange zest (I didn't measure, just guesstimated)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

*When using spices, I personally don't measure. I LOVE cinnamon and nutmeg, so I just sprinkle in a lot.  Also, a tip when juicing a lemon with your hands: Have the inside facing up, so no seeds sneak out!

Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oatmeal
8 tablespoons COLD, cubed butter

 It is very important that the butter is very COLD, and cubed, if using a stick.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any sticks of vegan butter, so I had to use spreadable.  Cube it, and keep it in the fridge or freezer while prepping everything else.  Take it out at the last second.
If using spreadable, you may need a bit more.  I just checked my Crisp halfway through cooking, and put more butter in spots I could tell needed it.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core and cut the pears and apples into large chunks.  Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix with a spoon until fruit is covered with all ingredients.  Pour into pie dish.

For the topping:

First, I wanted to share the type of oats I use. I LOVE them, they're small. And for this container, it's only a $1 at Walmart!

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles (yes, it will be a bit loose).  Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly.

Serve warm.

Taco Bake

Saw this recipe on a website, and thought it sounded yummy, so I gave it a try.  It was delicious!  Next time, I may try cooking the beef with taco sauce though, I think it needs a bit more moisture.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Galaxy Veggie Cheese)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450F.  Spray a baking pan (I used a 9x9 pan).


2. Brown beef with taco seasoning. (I also threw in 1 clove of fresh, crushed garlic!)

3. Stir Bisquick and water together until dough forms.

4. Spread in pan.

5. Spread beef mixture over dough.

6. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until edges become brown.

7. Immediately sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 1-2 minutes to let cheese melt.

{PS: I used Veggie Cheese, which doesn't really melt. I even tried sticking it in the warm oven for a few minutes, but nothing really happened. I didn't want to dry out the bake, so next time I may put my cheese on for the last 5 minutes or so of baking.  I used regular cheese on my fiance's pieces, and it melted beautifully!}


8. Serve with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, or whatever you'd like!

Lactose Free/Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I LOVE chocolate pudding, so I figured it was about time to make some from scratch for myself.
This recipe is versatile, because it can just be lactose-free, vegan or regular pudding!  Just switch out the milk to your desired preference   Easy, peasy!
Now, I'm not 100% certain this is Vegan, since I know some sugars aren't.  You can substitute the correct sugar and it will definitely be Vegan.

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:
2 ounces of baking chocolate
1 cup chocolate milk (I used Silk, soy chocolate milk)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in a small saucepan.

2. In a separate pan, mix cornstarch and sugar together.  Add a small amount of the milk to the mixture, and stir until cornstarch dissolves.  Add the rest of the milk.

3. Cook the cornstarch mixture over medium heat until warm.

4.  Stir in the melted chocolate, until mix is thick.

5. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring regularly.

6. Blend in vanilla, and pour into serving dish.

7. Cool completely in fridge.  About 2 hours.

Healthy Sandwich!

I don't know about you, but I love me a good sandwich for lunch sometimes.  I was getting bored with my plain ones, so I decided to  play around and create something new.  Well, it was delicious, so I figured I'd share it with you!

Ingredients:
Sliced Turkey
Veggie Cheese (I used the Galaxy sliced Cheddar Cheese)
Fresh Sliced Tomatoes
Fresh Italian Bread
1 teaspoon of mayo
1 teaspoon honey mustard

Build sandwich, and grill on a grill for a little crunch!  Enjoy!

Pancake Bites (lactose free)

I came across this recipe when a friend pinned it on Pinterest.  I viewed it, and thought it mostly sounded delicious, and super easy to make.  Some of the ingredients she used, I didn't have, and weren't lactose intolerant friendly.  So, I decided to try it out, but changing some things out to make them my own.  Definitely a great idea!

Yields: 12 Pancake Bites

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Pancake Mix (Bisquick)
1 cup Lactaid Milk (or your milk of choice)
1 cup Maple Syrup*
Toppings (blueberries, cooked sausage, cooked bacon, apples, chocolate chips etc!)

*View ingredients before purchasing, it's best to stick to pure maple syrup.  Some commercial brands make it with butter, which of course some of us can't handle.

Directions:

Preheat over to 350° F.  Spray a nonstick 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Mix Pancake Mix, milk and syrup together until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter into greased muffin pan, fill cups 3/4 way up.

Top with your chosen toppings.  I used frozen blueberries, and I chopped and cooked up some turkey bacon.  Be careful not to put in too many frozen berries, it can make the muffin a bit soggy.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serve with warm syrup.  Delicious!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Found this recipe on Pinterest!  By far, the easiest meal I've ever made.  Delicious.

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds of Pork Tenderloin (Butt or Shoulder work well too)
12 ounce can of your favorite Root Beer
18 ounces of your favorite BBQ sauce (or more if you feel it needs it)

Directions:
Place Pork in Slow Cooker full, no need to cut or anything.
Pour the root beer over the pork, and cook on low for 5 hours.
Drain root beer, and shred pork.  Return to Slow Cooker.
Pour in BBQ Sauce and let cook on low for 1 more hour.
Serve on Hamburger buns.  My fiance also likes pickles and onions on his sandwich.

Enjoy!

Raw "Green Monster" Juices

Okay, while looking around for some healthy foods and their benefits, I keep seeing articles for Green Juices or Smoothies.  They sound and look very odd, but apparently have a ton of health benefits.  So what exactly is a Green Monster Juice, and why is it good for you? 

Basically, you take a bunch of fruit and vegetables and blend them into juice form.  The key is using greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, green apple, parsley, celery, lemon, ginger and cucumber, along with other fruits and veggies.   Most people don't get enough fruits and veggies in their diets, especially greens, which are packed with vitamins and nutrients. 

So, why juice? Since your body doesn't have to break down the fruits and vegetables in order to absorb the nutrition, it allows the body to focus on repair, healing, detoxification, and renewal. And as long as you use organic produce, the nutrition you introduce to your body via green juice has very few, if any, of the chemicals and toxins.  It's proven to improve your skin, energy and overall health. 

Taken from an organic health site: "Green juice helps your body return itself to a state of healthy alkalinity. Many foods in the typical diet (like a grande caramel macchiato with an extra shot, a double bacon cheeseburger, and pasta with cheese sauce) are acidic (the opposite of alkaline) foods, meaning that means that the body has to work hard to neutralize the affects of these foods on your blood. If the body is working like mad to keep your blood pH stable, it has less energy to fight assaults like cancer, chronic disease, and other infections.An alkaline body is more immune to disease."

I have a juice everyday for breakfast, and have noticed myself feeling better.  I even crave this drinks, rather than junk food!  I'm happy to say, I'm eating a lot healthier.  Here are a few recipes that I've tried personally.

Tips:
When using water, I pour a little in at a time.  I like my drinks looser and more juice like, so I tend to use about a cup of water per serving.  If you like them more thick and smoothie like, use less water and fruits like bananas for a thickener

If using a blender (recommended) blend ingredients one at a time to prevent jamming.

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  If using a regular blender, make sure to blend for at least 5 minutes to be sure everything is chopped.  Even if it looks smooth, you could get large pieces of spinach in your drink. 

Recipes: (Yields 1-2 servings each recipe)

Creamy Lime Smoothie

1 lime, peeled
1 banana
1 pear
1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)
2 cups fresh baby spinach (or other leafy green)
1/2 – 1 cup water


Green Blueberry Juice
1 banana
4 ice cubes
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 cup spinach      

Raw Juice 1
1 cup water
1 cup spinach
1 cup red grapes
1 cup blackberries.

Raw Juice 2
1 cup spinach
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
2 cups water

Raw Juice 3 (This one is pink!)
4 large strawberries (or 7 small frozen)
1 chunk pineapple
1 bunch of red grapes
Water

Raw Juice 4
1 cup Spinach
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup water

Raw Juice 5 (Wicked Green, see photo below!)
1 apple, cored and finely chopped (I used granny smith)
1 3 inch piece of cucumber, finely chopped
1 cup packed spinach
3/4 cup brewed green tea, cooled
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons honey

Raw Juice 6
1 cup spinach
1 bunch of red grapes
8 strawberries (I used frozen)
10 blackberries
water

Raw Juice 7
1 cup Spinach & Arugula mix
1 cup raspberries
10 dark cherries