Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Vegan/Gluten Free Pasta w Veggies

This is my second Veggie Valentine's post. If any of you have read my recent post about It's time for a change, you'll know I'm some what interested in changing my diet. Right now about the only meat I am eating is chicken. I've been doing my research and reading books about living a healthy life style. I enjoy reading other woman's healthy blogs too. Some people get it, some don't. It's just a choice I've decided I want to make, and yes I know it will take time. I'm the kind of girl that used to eat fast food, junk, chips, and processed crap all the time. Oh, and lots of sugar, with hardly any vegetables or fruits in my diet. I decided I have to put that behind me and start caring about my body. Don't try and steer me to thinking other wise, this is something I am very strongly opinionated on. If you care and have read what I have you'd probably feel the same. It's just nasty what goes into certain foods and how they are grown. It sickens me. This is for me and my future children! :) Anyways, I'm rambling again..it's easy to do when I'm talking about food. So on to my first ever vegan/gluten free recipe. I found this recipe over at Clean Eating Chelsey . If you haven't checked out her blog before, you need to do it now. She's from Chicago like me and most of her recipes are vegan/gluten free, unless other wise noted. She's got some amazing recipes from breakfast to dinner, and snacks in between. She also has an amazing blogroll of all the blogs she loves, which I've also found a lot of blogs I can follow through her. She's part of my inspiration to leading a healthier lifestyle. With all those options and all those recipes! So on to the recipe. I have changed a few things from her. I'll give you my version and make sure to check hers out as well!

Vegan/GF Pasta

1 1/2 C of Brown rice pasta (I use a brand called Tinkyada, I can't even tell it's gf!, I have found this at whole foods)
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 batch of cream sauce this is over at Chelsey's site..check it out it's yummy!
1/2 Zucchini, sliced
1/2 Green pepper
1/2 Red pepper
Broccoli (use as much as you'd like!)
1 Carrot
Basil
S+P to taste
1 Tsp Oregano
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Boil your salt water. I always put a small handful of kosher or sea salt in my pasta for flavor. Cook your pasta according to directions. When cooking gluten free pasta, be sure not to over cook or it gets soggy quick. I've also noticed that these Tinkyada noodles stick easily, so make sure you stir them right away and quite a bit. I really have found that these Tinkyada brand noodles are the best gluten free noodles out there. You can find them at whole foods..I haven't purchased them anywhere else yet so I'm not sure who carries them and who doesn't. I've had gluten free noodles before and some can be very unappetizing. Tinkyada is good. While your pasta is cooking saute veggies until soft in a heated saute pan with 1tblsp olive oil. I just sauteed mine for about 5-10 minutes. My peppers still had a bit of a crunch, but I didn't want to saute them to death. Set veggies aside and prepare cream sauce. I'm not a huge fan of dijon mustard, so instead I used ground mustard. I also never measure my seasonings, I just add them to taste! Nutritional Yeast can be found at Whole Foods as well, I've also only bought this at Whole Foods. It comes in a pretty big container, and it also has some vitamins in it. You can look it up online if you are confused about anything. It's just a powder vegans use to add a cheesy/nutty flavor. After you're pasta is done cooking, drain and add to veggies, add your cream sauce and throw together. Heat it up before serving. Add fresh cut basil to the top and enjoy! I really enjoyed my first vegan gluten free dish!






Town and Country Living
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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Malted Milk Ball Cupcakes

It's been awhile since I've made cupcakes. I guess I've been more into brownies and cookie lately! I decided to switch it up and go cupcake style. I have plenty of cupcakes I want to try, well I have plenty of sweets I want to try! These cupcakes were really moist and flavorful.

Malted Milk Ball Cupcakes
1 Stick Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
1/2 C Buttermilk
1 1/2 C Cake flour
3/4 C Cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1/2 Tsp Baking soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Malted milk powder (you can find this at your local grocery store)

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with liners. Cream butter and sugar with hand mixer, or in stand mixer. Add eggs, slowly one at a time mixing after each one. Sift dry ingredients together. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients. Add half of buttermilk. Add another 1/3 of dry ingredients, and add rest of buttermilk, finally finishing with the last of the dry ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Taste the batter and if you feel it needs more malted milk powder, add more. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes puff back when you touch them with your finger, or a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Malted Buttercream
1 Stick Butter
8oz Cream Cheese
3/4 C Cocoa powder
2 1/2 C Powdered sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
1 C Malted milk powder

Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar slowly. This will most likely make a mess! ;) Add vanilla and malted milk powder and mix until incorporated! Once your cupcakes are done baking and cool, pipe frosting onto cupcakes. I added malted milk balls, Valentine's sprinkles, and a cute little straw! I still felt the cupcakes were more chocolatey then malty, but everyone still seemed to love them and they were cute! You can add more malted milk powder and see if that helps! Enjoy!!


 I must say I'm pretty proud of my pictures! I finally got a close up and the background is blurred!
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Friday, February 10, 2012

Another Award?!

Another award? Why thank you! Susan over at The Weekly Sweet Experiment awarded me with the Versatile Blogger award. How nice of her! She is such a sweet heart and her blog is amazing and cute! Cupcake background? Yes, please! If you haven't already checked her out please do!!! She will not disappoint. :) She has been one of my lovely bloggers who is great on commenting on pretty much all of my posts and I can remember her from the beginning. I love all her sweet comments. I love all my bloggy friends!!! So thanks Susan! So now it's my turn to share this award with seven friends and tell seven facts about myself!


1. I love animals, but not insects :)
2. I love to cook and bake
3. I love working out
4. I'm usually in bed before 10pm M-F and please don't bother me after that!!!
5. I'm a nanny of 3 great kids
6. I've been married 4 months to my best friend :)
7. I have an older sister, younger brother..and 5 step brothers (not all from the same family)


Now I'm passing this award on to:
Jennifer@Town and Country Living, Yes she's my Mom, but she has an amazing blog and amazing followers. She blogs about food, crafts, photography, country living..you name it she does it. She's an amazing Momma! 
Whit@Black Little Button she's amazing, she's cute and she's a newlywed like me. I had an instant connection the moment I checked her blog..she was a newlywed like me, and she has a burlap header which is awesome..okay her whole blog is awesome!!
Whitney@Keeping Up with the Cyperts  Whitney is great! She's come to love my blog and I love her for that. She always has great stories of her and her new hubby, I know another newlywed :) I guess newlyweds enjoy each other. She also is a great crafter and cook!
Faith@Life, Love and Marriage She's great, I feel like we have a lot in common, and for some reason, I've never told her this before, but she reminds me of this sweet woman I met on my honeymoon! She's also funny has great posts, and is a newlywed!
Leah@My Skinny Tale she is one of my newest followers, and I really enjoy her blog because she has some great work out info, and like I said before the gym is very important to me, she's also got great
Veronica@Adventures of D and V she also is a newlywed, it's strange I've found a lot of my recent followers to be newlyweds through Faith over at Life, Love and Marriage and Brittany over at Fun with the Fullwoods! I love Veronica's blog because she has some great looking gluten free recipes, and if you're an avid follower you'll know I'm wanting to start eating gluten free when possible! :)
Jen@All Things Homemade My dearest friend Jen, she graduated from the Art Institute, and she is truly talented, I always tell her you have to put your crafts out there for other people to see, even make some extra cash. She's just starting out but I feel she deserves this award. I urge all of you to check out her blog, and even though she's new and doesn't have many posts, stick with her and you'll be in awe of what this lady can craft and create..I've now turned her on to the bloggy world so ladies please give her a warm welcome :) 


Please check out all these lovely ladies blogs and show them some love just like Susan showed me, and I showed you! Pass this award along to seven other great bloggers! I can't believe my blog would have ever brought me this much joy. I love all my followers and I can't wait to share the rest of my life w/ all of you awesome woman! I started this blog to share my recipes and didn't realize I'd make so many amazing friends!!
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I've had plenty of cajun chicken pasta in my life, and not only that but I've tried plenty of recipes. You'll notice besides eating a lot of chicken I eat a lot of pasta.This is another recipe from the lovely Pioneer Woman. Did I mention I love her step by step pics? Yes, I know I eat a lot of her food but hey it's darn good! She now has a show on Food Network, which is about the only cooking show I'll watch on their. I watch other shows on Food Network, just not many where they are in their Food Network kitchen, I find it boring. :) The more the hubby and I cook and produce yummy meals, the more I fall in love with it. I'm already wondering what we're going to have for dinner next week! It's fun and exciting to me and I look forward to dinner almost every night! Most of our meals we've been enjoying lately are new recipes, if we don't like them I simply don't post them! All our recipes are tested and approved! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1/2 whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup White Wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
S+P to taste



*Hubby cut the recipe in half to feed the two of us and I had a little leftovers for lunch the next day. 
I will also make homemade noodles next time! I was just too tired and lazy, to do it this time around!
Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not over cook unless you like soggy pasta :). Set aside for later use. Season chicken with cajun spice. You can make your own cajun spice or buy the store bought stuff, hubby and I always try and make our own when it comes to mixed spices. It's so much easier and spices are not cheap!  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken, and do not stir, I'm not sure why this is just what the Pioneer Woman says, and I like to listen to her. Brown the chicken on one side, and when it's done browning, flip over and brown the other side.  Remove the chicken and transfer to a separate plate. Finish the rest of the chicken the same way you just did. Add the rest of your olive oil and butter. When heated add your onions and peppers and sprinkle on the remaining cajun spice and salt to taste. Cook until you get the vegetables as dark as possible, and then add your tomatoes and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove veggies from pan. With the pan on high heat add wine, hopefully you haven't drank it all yet ;) and chicken broth, and cook on high for about 5-10 minutes while deglazing the pan. Reduce heat to low, and whisk in cream, cook over low heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, this will be spicy! Add in your chicken and vegetables from before and toss with the pasta. Enjoy!
See how yummy that looks? I wish I had some for lunch!

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Time for a Change!

I've been doing a lot of research lately on what I put into my body and what nasty things are in foods, and processed foods, and basically how the FDA is a whole joke. I recently read a book called The Beginners Guide To Natural Living, by Larry Cook. Okay, so this book was written awhile ago, but I still find all of it to be useful and mostly true. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who cares about what food is out there and what you put into your body. Right now I'm trying to get the hubby to read it. I know he doesn't care as much as I do, but I think if he read it he'd be disgusted just as much as I was. It talks about food, supplements, water, exercise, the list goes on. I think I finished this book in a week. :) Now some of you might think it's a little intense, or don't agree with it, well then don't read it, it's not for you. I've been finding myself so grossed out with all the information out there and how much pesticides and basically the poison they put into our food. Larry says try to eat organic where ever you can. Yes, it's way more expensive, but I'd like to know that I'm putting good food into my body, and of course I'm sure not all organic is perfectly clear of pesticides and other things but it's definitely better than non-organic. I could go on and on and on about how messed up the FDA is, and how Monsanto is a horrible company, and how meats and processed foods are packed with stuff that's not good for your body, and stripped of vitamins and minerals..there is literally so much information out there. I'd suggest if you're interested in any of this to read his book and do as much research as you can. There's many books out there. We all know sources can come from anywhere but I believe in what I believe! (And I'm not saying I believe in everything I read!) All of this research and info is really leading me to want to lead a healthy vegan/gluten free lifestyle. Yeah, yeah some people say it's hard and don't do it...well of course it's hard..life is hard, but at least I'll know I'm putting good things into my body instead of processed junk that doesn't do anything for my body. Gluten isn't good for anyone, so why not eat gluten free where ever I can? There are so many blogs out there right now that are vegan or gluten free, so I have confidence in my fellow bloggers to find me some great food to eat. Now, I'm not saying I won't ever eat dairy, or gluten ever again, or that it won't be a process to get to that point..I'm just saying if I can sub dairy, and gluten, and have it taste great, what do I have to lose? I've thought about changing my diet for a long time..a diet is something that's a lifestyle change, not a plan to lose 10lbs in one month and then go back to eating normally, let's face it ladies this doesn't work! If you want to lose weight and feel better you really have to try, you have to change your diet, and work out a lot! I actually love working out, I look forward to it every week, so maybe I don't every day but it relieves stress, and I get to see my bff and chat! It's also good to eat everything raw, and whole if you can. My newest thing lately is green smoothies for breakfast. It's a great way to get in fruits and veggies. There are endless options to choose from when it comes to smoothies. I also am eating a salad every night with dinner..the healthy kind of course! The iceburg lettuce doesn't do much. You gotta go with the greens, the spinach mix, kale, and spring mix. I throw in some blueberries, or walnuts or cucumbers, avocados..stuff like that...and then I drizzle my salads with oil and balsamic vinegar. I also try to eat vegetables and fruits through out the day with lunch and for a snack. Now, ladies if I can do this..YOU can do it too. I'm a pretty picky eater, getting better...but I went from eating chicken all the time and junk..processed food, pop, barely any veggies or fruits. It really isn't that hard once you get it down. You just have to care enough and it has to be a choice you'd like to make. I also used to eat chocolate or refined sugar 3x a day..gross! Now, I'm not eating it that much, obviously I still do in moderation, just not as much..hey I did graduate school as a pastry chef ;)  I'm also wanting to eat better so that I look and feel better, and for my future kids..I don't want them eating a lot of that.."garbage" I'm hoping my kids will eat what mommy eats. I feel if that's how I'm eating while I'm pregnant and I don't start them off with processed, sugar loaded foods, and fries that they won't want it, but maybe I'm wrong..I'd like to think I'm right :) I definitely think this will be a process and I'm starting slow so I don't get too overwhelmed.  Call me crazy, I'm sure many people do, but guess what? I don't care! I'm happy about my change and I'm very strongly opinionated about it..if any of you have any comments or questions or anything please feel free to add. I love hearing from all of you and I hope this post wasn't too boring! :) As part of this post, don't forget about heart healthy February and Veggie Valentine's! My Mom and I will be posting veggie recipes through out the month so please check them out!!! Grab my button if you'd like to join in on the fun and spread the word!!! Visit my Mom's blog over at: Town and Country Living..she makes some great meals, she's also a vegetarian, and she's very crafty!!



Town and Country Living
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Monday, February 6, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

My first post for Veggie Valentines, and it's delicious. I found this recipe over at Clean Eating Chelsea..you should check out her blog it's pretty awesome. She's a vegetarian, well lot's of her recipes are vegan/gluten free, which I totally dig. Have I expressed my thoughts of having a vegan/gluten free diet? Well, I'll save that for a later post! Anyways, I've never had spaghetti squash before and I've seen it popping up a lot lately and when I saw this recipe I knew I had to give it a go for part of my Veggie Valentine's. What is Veggie Valentine's? It's just something my Mom and I came up with for the month of February being heart healthy. We decided we would post some veggie recipes through out the month of February. I was all in as I'm trying to change my diet and eat more veggies. Anyone can par take and I'll have a button at the end of the post, you can grab it and post it on your page and have fun with Veggie Valentine's as well! Be sure to check out my Mom's blog and look for her Veggie Valentine's as well! She makes some great stuff and is a vegetarian too, Town and Country Living is the name of her blog. This dish was really easy to make and very delicious!

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
1 spaghetti squash, halved and deseeded
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
1/2 pepper (I used orange), cut into large chunks
1/2 zucchini, cut into large chunks
2 carrots, roughly diced
handful of spinach
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. hummus (I used roasted red pepper)
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
3 basil leaves, chopped
sprinkle of oregano
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Half your squash and take all the seeds out, kind of like you would treat a pumpkin! Don't be intimidated :), place it on a baking sheet with the middle side down, so it lays flat! I placed mine on a parchment lined pan, and bake for 30 minutes.Don't over bake or it will be jiggly Chelsey says..I was a little worried at first because I had just made this for the first time. I baked mine for 40 minutes and it was perfect. You can always pull it out and take a fork and basically scrape the squash, then you'll know whether it's done or not! While the squash is baking, heat a saute pan with your oil and saute veggies until soft, add in spinach at end just to wilt. Feel free to add any other veggies or substitute them if you'd like. When your squash is done baking and cool if you can be patient enough, scrape the insides with a fork, and it looks like spaghetti! How cool?! Toss with the yeast, (which isn't yeast at all see note below) and the hummus, spices and rest of your veggies. Enjoy! I thought this was pretty tasty :)

What the heck is nutritional yeast you might ask? It's a powder that is used for flavoring, it has a nutty, cheese flavor that vegans favor. Some nutritional yeast is fortified with B vitamins. If you'd like more info on nutritional yeast click here: Wikipedia-Nutritional Yeast. I didn't use this, although I wish I had, it was still good with out it, but I'm interested in how it would have turned out.
















Town and Country Living
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Cake Mix Cookies

These are by far the easiest cookies I have ever made. I found them via pinterest via Sweet Sugar Belle Now normally I don't make cookies or cake, with cake mix..I like everything home made! When I saw these I wanted to try them because they were easy, and so adorable..and perfect for Valentine's Day. They were pretty tasty too! If you like simple, tasty, cookies..I urge you to make these! They are very soft, and stay soft and fresh longer than your normal cookie recipe.

Easy Cake Mix Cookies
1 boxed cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
1/2 cup {1 stick} unsalted butter at room temp
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. flour
1-2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring (optional)

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until incorporated...it's that easy! Scoop dough onto parchment lined baking pans and bake 10-12 minutes. I used a silpat..just because! Well, it was a knock off silpat I got for my bridal shower..I hope to have a real silpat one day! Let cool on the sheet, and enjoy!

 The before..up above, I decided to roll my cookies in tiny heart sprinkles!
 The after! See how pretty they are?
 I love the cute little sprinkles..they are perfect!
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