Passion Fruit Lemonade

I love a good, cool, refreshing cool drink in the summer and fruity variation hit the spot on this hot day!!

Passion Fruit Lemonade

Brew 2 Passion Fruit Herbal tea bags and a few stems of mint leaves in 4 c. of boiling water. (I used the Tazo Passion Herbal Tea.) Cool the tea in the fridge. Once cool, mix the tea with a pitcher of lemonade. Serve garnished with sliced lemons and fresh mint leaves.

Must Go Popsicles

"Must Go" items are commonplace at our house. The basic concept of a must go item is that it is something you can toss in any produce that needs to be used up asap. Pastas, smashed potato toppings, quesadillas and green salads are all great options. Last week, I had a random assortment of fruit that had to go, so I tossed it all in the processor making myself a good smoothie and using the leftovers for this popsicle. If memory serves me correctly, it included a tangerine, some strawberries, a banana, and some yogurt. You really can't go wrong here and by freezer the results (in popsicle form) you can preserve the produce even longer. Get creative and enjoy!

{More} Homemade Granola Bars

My family and I CANNOT get enough of these... Thought I would post a few of the variations I have been making to inspire you all. If you've got combos of your own, please post so I can try them out too!

Homemade Granola Bars - The Recipe

"Extra" Add In Combinations:

1. Nuts & Berries - Blueberry, almond, chocolate chip
2. Apple Cinnamon - Dried apples, almonds, almond butter
3. Nutty Bar - Peanut butter and chocolate chips
4. Trail Mix - Mixed dried berries, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, white chocolate chips
5. 'Smores - Broken graham crackers, chocolate chips, marshmallows

Spinach & Arugula Pesto

My basil isn't up in the garden yet, but I had a bag each of spinach and arugula to use from the CSA, so this pesto variation was right up my alley this week. I made a larger batch, used half of it for tonight's dinner and froze the other half for future use.

Spinach & Arugula Petso

Put into the food processor:
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
1 bunch fresh arugula, washed and trimmed
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1/2 cup grated Italian cheese
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pulse to desired consistency. Serve mixed with pasta, over toast with tomatoes, or on a pizza!

"Naked" Tacos

We're big on "Taco Tuesdays" around here and this week it's tacos with lettuce as shells instead of corn chips or soft shells. (Yes, I know it's Monday, but we have company coming tomorrow so opted for the tacos tonight.) Eating them this way I didn't feel quite so guilty indulging in a few extra chips and salsa :) Of course you can take this concept and fill it with your own favorite taco filling; the one I used is listed below.

Naked Tacos

Brown/Simmer in a large pan:
-1 lb. ground beef (we prefer the organic, grass-fed variety at our house)
-onion, chopped
-2 Tbs. chili powder
-1 tsp. cumin

Once meat is brown, add:
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained (I picked up the Mexican variety to add a little extra flavor)

Let the mixture simmer 4-5 minutes. Serve in lettuce shells, topped with cheese, salsa, and whatever else you like!

**LEFTOVERS make a great taco salad for lunch the next day!

Sweet Potato Salad

I know, I know. Another salad. What can I say? Summer is here. I can't get enough!! Also, I love packing extra nutrients into a summer classic; replacing the classic white potato with the sweet potato does that job here.


Sweet Potato Salad

Salad Ingredients:
-4 orange-fleshed yams or sweet potatoes
-1 kohlrabi, chopped (can substitute celery)
-1 c. diced pineapple
-2 scallions, chopped
-1/2 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

Dressing:
-1/4 c. mayo
-1 Tbs mustard
-salt and pepper to taste

Wrap the potatoes individually in foil and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 1 hour until tender. Cool until easy to handle. Peel (the skins should fall right off once cooled), then cut into cubes.

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, combine completely, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve chilled.

Popsicles, Peaches & Cream

Let the fun begin. Here is the first of what I'm sure will be many popsicle posts this summer!

Peaches & Cream Popsicles

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 c. peaches, chopped and pureed*
-6 Tbs. milk
-1 c. vanilla yogurt (Greek yogurt is especially good in these!)
-2 tsp agave nectar (or honey)

Mix all ingredients in the food processor.
Fill your popsicle molds.
Freeze for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!


*I like my popsicles without "chunks" in them, but if you are the opposite, keep 1/2 c. of your peaches just chopped to mix in.

Lettuce and Pasta Salad

I declare summer officially here as the last two nights' dinner have been a salad of some form. YAY! This recipe is adapted from this week's CSA newsletter. YUM!

Lettuce and Pasta Salad

Mix together:
-small cut pasta (i.e. macaroni, rotelle, penne), cooked and cooled
-green onion, chopped
-2 radishes, chopped (they are super mild right now!)
-head of lettuce, chopped
-1 white turnip bulb or kohlrabi, small diced
-3-4 chicken sausages, sliced, sauted and cooled*

In a separate bowl, mix:
-1/2 c. mayo
-1 tsp. mustard (I prefer dijon, but any variety will do)
-1 Tbs. brown sugar
-1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar**

Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta mixture and combine completely. If you make this ahead of time and can let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving, that really gives the flavors a chance to seep in and mix together. Serve up top a bed of greens.

*The original recipe did not call for this, but I added in because I was serving this as our entree. The results would have been equally good without the meat. The variety of chicken sausage I used was apple/gouda so that added some great flavor layers overall as well!
**The original recipe called for red wine vinegar, which would be good as well. I didn't have any on hand, so I subbed in the balsamic and it too was delicious!

Chicken Salad

I used to think there was one way to make chicken salad (mayo, celery, etc.) but then I started playing around with what I put in it and it's one of my favorites.
Sorry, folks, no measurements here. I just dump and taste as I go.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Cut up/shredded chicken
mayo
grapes, halved
walnuts, crushed
scallions, chopped
salt and pepper

Mix to your desired taste. Serve up on top some greens tossed with a vinaigrette and crackers on the side.

Homemade Granola Bars

My diet today has consisted almost entirely of homemade granola bars. First, a friend showed up with a batch she made for our playdate this morning. Then, after tasting her's I couldn't resist the temptation to make a batch of my own. I've eaten plenty of both :)

This is something I've been wanting to try for a long time, but haven't for fear of them being difficult to put together, requiring unique ingredients, or turning out just plain awful. How wrong I was. I borrowed a great recipe from a friend, added in some of my family's favorite "extras" and was super impressed with how easy these were to put together and get just right. Added bonus: When making your own granola bars you also control the things that go into them. Not to mention that the price per bar is much better when going the homemade route! I don't know about your family, but mine can polish off quite a few granola bars in a given week.

Stop buying boxes of prepackaged granola bars today!! Check these out...

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. flax seed (or 1/2 c. wheat germ)*
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
"Extras"** (i.e. dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. Mix oats, brown sugar, flax seed/wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, and salt.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; fill it with the honey, egg, oil, and vanilla.
4. Mix well, pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. (I used a spatula to spread the mixture as it is pretty sticky; you can even grease the spatula, if needed.)
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes.***
6. Cool for 5 min, and then cut into bars while still warm. (If allowed to cool they will be too hard to cut.)


*For more information on wheat germ vs. flax seed, check out this article. Generally, flax seed will give the bars a chewier texture, so a little goes a long way.

**This is the fun part! You get to mix and match "extras" to your liking. For my inaugural batch I went with dried blueberries, almonds, and chocolate chips. Only wishing I had thought to include some almond butter that I had on hand!! (You'll want to add about 1/2c. of each of your "extras".)

***A note on baking times: The recipe calls for 30-35 minutes, but a friend warned me her's only take 27 minutes and mine were right on that mark as well. The first time you make them you want to watch them closely after 25 minutes, pull them out when the edges are just starting to brown, and note the time so you know for the next go 'round.

What have I been eating?

Our family was blessed enough to spend the last week on vacation in Scottsdale AZ and thus, I haven't been cooking and posting. However, I have been eating like a queen and wanted to share a few things we enjoyed here...

1. Fresh salad for lunch by the pool (greens, feta, berries, sunflower seeds, and my new favorite dressing from Trader Joe's - Pear Champagne).

2. Crab legs on the grill. Dad's tip: if you buy them fresh, toss a few ice cubes in the foil pack before putting on the grill to help keep them from drying out. It worked, they were delectable!

3. My favorite anytime snack: apples and gouda!

4. Nick and I had a date night at Cowboy Ciao in downtown Scottsdale one night and sampled a few items from their menu including the mini mushroom plate, crusted mac n cheese, and ribs. However, the best surprise was the spulmoni (sp??); it was amazing. I love discovering new desserts!!

5. Love this pic of Sam; she definitely ate her way through the produce section this week! Gotta luv my little fruit lover!