Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Zucchini blueberry oat cake



 Nice way to use up zucchini 😆.Delicious. Here is the link https://thenaturalnurturer.com/zucchini-blueberry-baked-oatmeal/

I put 1/2 teaspoon less of the cinnamon as I don’t tolerate a lot, unfortunately. Here are the ingredients given:

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (me 1)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • cup milk of choice
  •  cup maple syrup or honey
  • 2 eggs, room temperature can sub flax eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cup blueberries
  • 1 cup grated zucchini (squeeze some of liquid out)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons oil divided.


Monday, August 29, 2022

Girl Scout casserole (mom’s)


 Fast for camping. My Mom used to make this 60 years ago 🤪

Ingredients 

1 pound of ground beef ( or vegan crumbles) I use less

1 Can vegetable soup (can use family size if making more— I used a regular sized gf by Amy’s)

I medium onion

Mashed potatoes (can use instant for camping)- amounts to your liking 

Optional: I added some fresh zucchini squash, some extra frozen peas and corn. I also sprinkled some dry beef bullion for flavor.


Directions 

In iron skillet sauté onion, chopped zucchini squash, meat or meat substitute. Sprinkle with dry beef bullion if using. When done to your liking— (squash tender crisp for me) add vegetable soup and any additional frozen veggies you might want. Heat until just warmed.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Friday, August 26, 2022

Zucchini spinach breakfast muffins



 I found this here https://katsdeliciouskitchen.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/zucchini-spinach-feta-muffins/

These are kind of between a quiche and a muffin.!The recipe calls for feta cheese but I will try cheddar next time as the feta is a bit too salty.  But we like them.


They only made 9 muffins for me in my regular muffin tin. The recipe said 14, but must be a different size than mine?

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup of grated zucchini
  • 1 cup of chopped spinach
  • 1 1/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 1/2  tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1/2 cup of milk 
  • 100 gr feta (me- next time try cheddar or a combo)
  • 1/4 tsp of pink salt For salting the zucchini to let it sweat for 30 min. 
Go to link for directions 


Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Salsa ,quick


 I needed some quick mild salsa for myself and wanted to remind myself—

2 plum tomatoes chopped (same as Roma)

Spices to taste: garlic powder, onion powder, coriander powder, cumin, salt

Refried pinto beans


 I used the recipe for canned pinto beans. I did add some water to make it more creamy and some onion powder and garlic powder in addition to the seasonings in the recipe which can be found here

https://www.loveandlemons.com/refried-beans/

Go to link for directions

  • Go to link for directions 

    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil (me olive oil)
    • 1/2 white onionchopped
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder( me- cannot have)
    • 2 cans pinto beansincluding liquid
    • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt (me- to taste)
    • Freshly ground black pepper (me cannot have)
    • 1 tablespoon lime juicemore to taste (me can’t always have)
    • Onion powder and garlic powder to taste (my addition)
    • Water ( my add


Sunday, August 14, 2022

Fig salad


 Really nice salad especially with maple roasted pecans- recipe and directions found here:  https://www.feastingathome.com/fig-arugula-salad/print/37322/


Ingredients for 4-8 servings

  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans (or make these maple glazed pecans)
  • 5 ounces baby arugula (about 67 cups)
  • 68 figs, stems removed, quartered
  • 1015 basil leaves, torn
  • 1/2 cup firm goat cheese, crumbled (use the kind in a log, or  try gorgonzola) I used feta

Fig Salad Dressing: 

  1. 3 tablespoons  olive oil
  2. 2 1/2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar -I used white rice vinegar 
  3. 12 teaspoons maple syrup
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 1/2 teaspoon pepper -I omit
  6. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional) love it

Note: when I used chopped pecan pieces it only took 5 minutes in the 350

Go to link for directions 


Egg salad


 A lower fat version which uses low-fat cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise.

Mix :

2 mashed boiled eggs

1/3 cup cottage cheese 

I teaspoon mustard of your choice

Salt and dried dill to taste


Depending on the size of your eggs you can of course change up the amounts.

Chocolate peanut butter oat cookies



 Yummy— takes oat banana cookies to a new level

Ingredients 

2-3 ripe bananas depending on size

2 or more cups oats- I used rolled oats- add as much to get to  right consistency 

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Optional: raisins or chocolate chips— coconut flakes!!


directions 

Heat oven to 350F. Mash bananas and then add the rest of ingredients. I place mine on a baking sheet with silicone. Cook 10-12 minutes or until desired doneness. The size of your cookies will affect cooking times.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Cottage cheese cheesecake

Not bad at all as a little alternative 😀 I really like this— and it is healthy enough to have for breakfast 😅


3/4 cup cottage cheese
2/3 cup low fat plain yogurt ( I used Greek yogurt)
1 tbsp cornstarch 
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla ( you can sub juice from 1/2 a lemon for a different taste)

1 1/2 – 2 cups blueberries  (or other fruit


Directions


 line a 7″ or 8” round cake pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix cottage cheese in food processor with
 the yogurt, flour, sugar, vanilla  ,salt and eggs until well combined. Mix in the blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared tin and bake 30-40 minutes, until just set.
Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve hot or chilled.

 Note: I used frozen berries and the 8” pan which took 40 minutes. It could take shorter if berries are not frozen. It would be nicer in a 7 inch round pan , but who owns one that size 🤓.

Chocolate syrup


Easy for when you need chocolate syrup 🤪


Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1/4teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon  pure vanilla extract (or to taste)

  • a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder and sugar until blended. Add the water and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and whisk over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
  • Continue boiling until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. The mixture will still be fairly thin (it thickens to a syrup-like consistency once cool). Taste and stir in additional salt until dissolved, up to 1/4 teaspoon, if desired.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool. Taste again. If it's not sweet enough for you, add a bit more sugar and stir in the warm syrup until dissolved.
  • Store syrup in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator. The syrup should keep, refrigerated, for at least a month.

    Found recipe here , but altered it a tad 
 https://www.kitchentreaty.com/homemade-chocolate-syrup/

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Cottage cheese Alfredo


 Easy, tasty, and lower in fat than some recipes. Found the recipe here:  https://40aprons.com/cottage-cheese-alfredo/

Ingredients


For sauce:
  • 1 cup milk use skim for low-fat -I used drinkable coconut milk
  • ½ cup cottage cheese use low-fat cottage cheese to make this recipe low-fat
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (I omitted)
  •  teaspoon pepper( I omitted)
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or more to taste
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
  • dried basil to taste
  • dried oregano to taste
  • ————————
  • Pasta of choice 
  • Chicken strips cooked if desired

Go to the link for all the details. Basically you blend the ingredients apart from the meat and pasta—then heat the sauce in a pan. You can place the cooked pasta in the sauce and let it absorb the sauce for a few minutes and then serve with chicken or whatever.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Almond joy cottage cheese


 Nice quick snack 


Mix the following 

Cottage cheese 

Chocolate chips

Coconut flakes 

Slivered almonds

Chocolate syrup 

Monday, August 8, 2022

Fig jam




 Very easy and will keep 2 months in frig. Might be good on pancakes too. Found the recipe here: https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/easy-fig-jam/

The ingredients called for 1/4 cup of water BUT  it was not necessary with my figs— I had a lot of juice from them and had to cook it down!

Ingredients 


  • 2 pounds fresh figscut in quarters and stems removed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup water ( me- omit next time)
Go to the link for all the details. I ended up cooking it a lot longer to thicken it up. I probably had closer to 3 pounds and the cup of sugar was plenty. Some recipes call for 3/4 cup sugar for 2 pounds. Some recipes tell you to put the figs in a food processor first. I just used my potato masher as it was cooking.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Zucchini penne


 Nice easy dish to use up some zucchini 😆. Found the recipe here: https://www.createdby-diane.com/easyrecipe-print/15859-0/     I used less zucchini, but was still delicious. I chopped mine small also.

Ingredients
  • 1 lb ziti noodles ( me - gf brown rice penne)
  • 4 zucchini sliced
  • 2 bell peppers, I used one yellow and one orange sliced and cut in half
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 2-3 cups tomato sauce (marinara sauce is great for this)
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Go to above link for directions 

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Zucchini pizza casserole



Delicious! Great way to use up zucchini— uses 4 cups. 

The full recipe and all details can be found here https://hoorahtohealth.com/zucchini-pizza-casserole-low-carb-gluten-free/amp/


Note: The recipe calls for regular ground beef, but I substituted the plant based crumbles above. I Delicious! Great way to use up zucchini— uses 4 cups. 

The full recipe and all details can be found here https://hoorahtohealth.com/zucchini-pizza-casserole-low-carb-gluten-free/amp/


Note: The recipe calls for regular ground beef, but I substituted the plant based crumbles above. I also added about a tablespoon of cornstarch to the zucchini mixture. I did add black olives on the top.

Below are the ingredients, but go to link for directions.


Ingredients

  • 4 medium Zucchini ( or 4 cups pressed in measuring cup)
  • 1 Bell Pepper chopped
  • 1 Yellow Onion chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 lb. Turkey ground (I used the beyond beef crumbles)
  • cups Marinara Sauce
  • 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning divided
  • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper (I omit)
  • ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
  • Me— one tablespoon cornstarch added to the zucchini mixture
  • Me— some sliced black olives for the top

 

 added about a tablespoon of cornstarch to the zucchini mixture. I did add black olives on the top.

Below are the ingredients, but go to link for directions.


Ingredients

  • 4 medium Zucchini ( or 4 cups pressed in measuring cup)
  • 1 Bell Pepper chopped
  • 1 Yellow Onion chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 lb. Turkey ground (I used the beyond beef crumbles)
  • cups Marinara Sauce
  • 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning divided
  • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper (I omit)
  • ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
  • Me— one tablespoon cornstarch added to the zucchini mixture
  • Me— some sliced black olives for the top