{Homemade Hummus}

I decided to make homemade hummus. Not only b/c it's a lot cheaper to make your own than buy it, but also b/c it's healthy for you AND because i needed a better alternative other than ranch dressing. We always dip our veggies in ranch. Well, not anymore. Hummus is now our choice of dip. This stuff is good! :) You must try making your own! You can dip veggies in it, you can use it as a spread on your sandwich instead of using mayo OR you can dip pita bread in it(toast your pita bread to make pita chips).

Ingredients:

water

1 lb. garbanzo beans(chickpeas)

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

1/2 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. kosher salt

*You will need a food processor or blender

Directions:

I used dried chickpeas, which takes awhile b/c they have to soak for hours and then cook for awhile. But i get more chickpeas for a better price than i do buying canned chickpeas. You can buy canned if you want. You just mix all the ingredients together in the blender or food processor. If using a blender, put all the liquid in first so that it can mix up. You add water depending on how thick or not so thick you would like your hummus. I like mine with a bit of a thicker texture. It will be kind of slow, and you might have to turn it off and stir it up a bit in the blender and then turn it on again(a few times). I had to do it in two separate batches in order for it to work. Then i just combined it all in a bowl and mixed it up.

*Also, if you would like to add a certain spice to give it a taste of your choice, then do it. I like cumin so i added probably 1/2 tsp. of cumin. It tastes good!

Source: cilantropist.blogspot.com

{Quick and Easy Lasagna}

My husband loves lasagna. We haven't eaten it in quite awhile. He requested it for this week so i thought i better make him something to hit the spot after his hard working days. Good thing i made it for him yesterday. He had a 14 hour work day and was a happy man when he came home and saw lasagna waiting for him. :) I haven't tried too many lasagna's, but i haven't felt the need to explore more varieties of lasagna b/c we enjoy the recipe we have. And it's so easy to make! In this picture, you can see i used two different cheeses. I didn't have mozarella b/c i forgot to buy some, so i used what i had...monterrey jack cheese and cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

9 Whole grain lasagna noodles

1 lb. hamburger meat (we buy 93% lean)

1 TBSP. Italian Seasoning

1-2 tsp. Garlic

Ragu garden combination spaghetti sauce(regular size)

1 cup low- fat cottage cheese

1 cup non-fat sour cream

Cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese

Directions:

In a large sauce pan cook your hamburger. While it's still raw in the pan, poor in about 1 TBSP. of italian seasoning. Then put in about 1-2 tsp. of garlic. In the meantime, you need to be boiling your noodles. After the meat is done then add the spaghetti sauce. In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and sour cream. In a cake pan, put a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then put down 3 lasagna noodles. Put 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture over alll three noodles. Then layer some sauce on top of that. Then add 3 more noodles. Then the cottage cheese mixture, then the sauce. Then 3 more noodles, then the last of the cottage cheese mixture, then the last of the sauce. Then put LOTS of cheese on top! We don't go lightly on the cheese when it comes to lasagna and enchiladas! :)

Cook at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese it melted and a little golden brown. So yummy! Enjoy!

Source: In the BYU-I newspaper

{Fresh Salsa}

This is a great salsa recipe. I have been wanting to try a different one for awhile. So, when i try a salsa that is better than this one, then i will be sure to post it for you! Meanwhile, enjoy!

Sorry, no pictures!

Ingredients:

28 oz. can of canned tomatoes(crushed or stewed)

1/2 tsp. sugar

2-4 fresh tomatoes(i would use plum tomatoes)

Onion, to your liking

2 cloves of garlic

Can of green chilies

1/2 green pepper

1/2 jalapeno to taste

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

Fresh Cilantro to taste

Fresh Parsley to taste

Directions:

Chop the onion and pepper and tomatoes to the size you want them. I cut mine tiny. You can also food process it if that's the way you would like it. The longer you let this sit in the fridge, the MORE tasty it becomes! So, i would at least fix it a few hours before you are ready to eat it. Remember that you can add as much or as little as you would like of any of these ingredients. It just depends on your taste!

Source: A college roommate, jessica paris

{Grilled Pineapple Guacamole}

Sorry, no picture!

Ingredients:

3 1/2-inch crosswise slices fresh pineapple

3 medium ripe avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons pineapple juice or orange juice

1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

For a charcoal grill, grill pineapple slices on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned, turning once halfway through grilling time. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place pineapple on greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) Core and chop pineapple. *Side note: I just used my george foreman grill.

Place avocados in a medium bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to mash avocados. Stir in chopped pineapple, red onion, pineapple juice, cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper.

This is a fantastic guacamole! SOOOOO good. Enjoy!

Source: Better homes and gardens

{Grilled Chicken Fajitas}

I really like these fajitas b/c they have a more lighter fresh taste than the usual fajita seasoning. They are really good. I still have yet to try them on the grill b/c it's not warm enough outside, but you can guarantee i will be grilling these when it's hot outside! :) These are a wonderful new change from the usual fajita taste, so try them out!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup squeezed lime juice

6 tbsp. canola oil or olive oil, divided

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 jalapeno seeded, ribbed, diced (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. pepper

About 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breasts, sliced

1 large red onion, sliced

2 large bell peppers, sliced

Whole wheat flour tortillas

avocado(optional)

cotija cheese(optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl wisk together 4 tbsp. oil, lime, garlic, sauce, b. sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for later. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. (Do not marinade it for hours like i did the last time i made them. It will taste too strong and not as good.)

You can either cook all of this on the grill, or do what i have done so far and cook it over the stove on medium-high heat. Of course, discard the marinade before cooking your chicken. When the chicken is done, take it out and put the chicken in a medium sized bowl. Turn the heat up to high and throw in your veggies. When they look tender, but not too tender, take them out and throw them in the bowl with the cooked sliced chicken.

Poor the reserved marinade in the bowl with the chicken and veggies and mix all together.

*Warm up your tortillas to soften them up.

For this meal, i like to add fresh everything, since that's the feeling i get from eating this meal. I chop up avocado into small bite size pieces and put it on top of the chicken mixture in my tortillas. You can also add some mexican cotija cheese, which is what i did. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkle a little bit of fresh cilantro over the top. You can add sour cream if you like, but i didn't with these. And of course, use whole wheat flour tortillas! Enjoy!

Source: annies-eats.com

{Steel-cut Oats}

I must admit, my dad makes the best steel-cut oat concoction. He has been making it for at least five years now. I LOVE when he visits or when we go to visit them b/c he makes this for us a few times. Not only this, but he makes a wonderful egg concoction too! I swear, he was a chef in another life. My oats just don't compare to my dad's. Part of it is b/c he puts a lot of TLC into making it. You think i put TLC into my cooking? Well, you should meet my dad. :) Anyway, i learned how to put this together from him. :) There are many things he puts in his oats that i don't have in mine. We have been eating steel-cut oats around here for a few years. We love em! Also, just so you know, steel-cut oats are so much better for you than regular oatmeal. They contain double the fiber and protein of that of regular oats. Yup. AND they taste BETTER! :) It does take more time, but it's worth it.

Directions:

About half way through the process of letting your steel-cut oats simmer, when you notice it's starting to thicken, i throw in raisins, chopped apples, and walnuts. By doing this, It allows the raisins to get juicy and plump and it also lets the apples get a little soft. When i notice my oats are just about done i throw in about a tablespoon of flaxseed, which is also AWESOME for you and i also put some honey in it. Use honey for a sweetener instead of sugar. You don't need any sugar as long as you get a raisin in each bite. The raisins are so sweet allowing you to feel like there is sugar already in it. So yummy! One tip: Cook your steel-cut oats until the water disappears and it's kind of creamy, not too thick or dry. You can eat your steel-cut oats however thick or creamy you want. This is just the way i like mine. :)

ENJOY! This is a great kick-start breakfast for your day! Breakfast is the most important meal of your day and by eating a breakfast full of fiber and protein it will curb your cravings for sweets later in the day. Not only that, but protein and fiber keep you full longer. So by avoiding simple carbs and sugars for breakfast your are avoiding being hungry nearly 1 1/2 hours later! Your body will love you for this!

{Great food Combinations for your body}

Certain food combinations give you a great nutritious powerful PUNCH! One food combination that is great for you and gives you ENERGY is....

Chickpeas and Red Peppers

When these two are eaten together it's great for you. Chickpeas contain a lot of Iron and Red Peppers contain a good source of Calcium. Iron is hard for your body to absorb, so when you eat red peppers with chickpeas, the red peppers help to absorb the iron, giving you ENERGY!

Chickpeas(also called garbanzo beans) are great for you! They contain a lot of fiber as well giving you 50% of your daily fiber intake. They are tasty! And they are very versatile! I love em! You can use them in soups, salads, as hummus, as a meat substitute for tacos(i have a post on here about how to do that).

Red Peppers are also great for you and like i said, they are a good source of calcium. You can also use red peppers in anything...tacos, salads, soups, snack, etc.

One more GREAT food combination that will help you slim your waistline....

Pasta and Balsamic Vinegar! Weird, huh?! Pasta alone wouldn't seem like a good choice alone, but when combined with balsamic vinegar it is a good choice. The acid in the vinegar helps to control the blood sugar, slashing the sugar load by 20%!! So, whenever you eat pasta, add 2 tsp. of vinegar and it will help those starchy pastas get digested slower so that you won't get a quick rise and drop in your blood sugar, and get hungry again an hour and a half later! Great, huh?!

AND if you don't understand blood sugar, let me fill you in. When you blood sugar drops to a low level you start getting hungry. Your body needs sugar for energy, but too much is bad. So, when you eat simple sugars and carbs and fat laden and unhealthy foods, they get digested quickly. They get digested quickly b/c there is nothing of any worth in those foods for you. When you eat, the pancreas releases insulin. The insulin funnels the sugars to the different tissues that need it. But b/c the food digests so quickly it confuses the pancreas and the pancreas releases too much insulin and the insulin snatches up all those sugars VERY quickly, leaving you with a low blood sugar level again about an hour and a half to two hours later. Wonder why you get hungry about an hour and a half to two hours after eating breakfast? It is probably b/c of what you are eating. Most cereals contain lots of simple sugars and carbs. If you want to feel full for longer you need to eat fiber and protein for breakfast. Breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day. Eating a good healthy breakfast full of fiber and protein can help you curb your sugar cravings later in the day! People, sugar is good, but it's bad for you if you are eating too much. I will post more about that another day. :)

{Poblanos stuffed with Black Beans}

These were really tasty. I am LOVING mexican food the more that i eat it. I have always eaten it, but i must say it is probably my favorite food...Mexican food. It's so BUENO! :) These stuffed Poblano peppers were a different and good change. The last time i made stuffed green peppers my husband didn't like them much. So when he heard i was making stuffed peppers again he was hesitant. But he ended up liking these and my boys, especially Gavin, loved them. We just ate these with rice. I ended up eating 2 halves and that filled me up. Gavin ate 2 halves too. It is a little spicy up toward the top of the pepper where the seeds were, but it wasn't bad. I don't like a lot of heat so if i could handle it then it wasn't bad. :) TRY THESE! They were fun to make and they were really good!

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup chopped onion

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut up

3 cloves of garlic, minced or quartered

1/2 tsp. salt

2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

6 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup water

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3 medium fresh poblano peppers, stemmed, halved, and seeded(i used 5)

Snipped fresh cilantro or green onion(optional)

Directions:

1)Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For sauce, in a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the chopped onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Pour sauce into a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

2)In a large bowl, combine black beans, 1 cup of the cheese, the water, cornmeal, the remaining 1/2 cup chopped onion, cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and black pepper(mixture may appear wet but will firm up during baking).

3)Stuff each poblano half with about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture. Place filled poblanos on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Spoon any remaining bean mixture over the poblanos. Cover dish tightly with foil.

4) Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of the cheese over all. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with cilantro or green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Source: Better homes and gardens

Caldo De Pollo(Chicken Soup)

I bought the Better Homes and Garden magazine a few weeks ago. Every single page is full of authentic Mexican Recipes. I am in the process of trying all of them. So far, it's so dang good and i have not been disappointed. I made a pineapple guacamole a few weeks ago. YUMMY! is all i can say. That is the best guacamole i have ever had. This time i made a chicken soup. All the flavors aren't strong flavors, but with all of those flavors combined it makes for a very very fresh flavorful soup. This is now one of my favorite soups ever! I really loved it, especially since my throat was hurting. I could eat this everyday. You must try it out. :) And it tastes better the second day.

Ingredients:

1 TBS. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 32-ounce boxes 33% less-sodium chicken broth

1 pound bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned(i just used regular chicken breast)

1 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans(chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 TBS. lime juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced or coarsely chopped

8 medium radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Shredded Cotija cheese(it just crumbles)

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1 canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce finely chopped(i didn't put this in my soup and loved it without it) I can do without the heat.

Directions:

1.Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic: cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes more or until tomatoes are softened and mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to boiling.

2.Add chicken. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from pot. When cool enough to handle, shred meat.

3.Add shredded chicken, garbanzo beans, lime juice, chile pepper(i omitted this. Instead i just added a little cayenne pepper. Like 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.), cumin, and salt to pot. Heat through.

4. This part is important. Top each serving with avocado, radishes, Cotija Cheese and cilantro. Adding all of this on top is what makes the soup really shine. You want enough of these on top so that you can have a little of each in every bite! The flavors all combined just tastes so fresh and flavorful. This is like the PHO of mexican food, IMO.

*Just a side note: Garbanzo beans are also called chickpeas. They are good for you. They are rich in calcium, and protein and iron. I really like them b/c they are soooo flavorful! You can use them for many things. In salads, in soups, you can make hummus with them, you can use them as a substitute for meat in tacos. The list goes on. Also, you can find Cotija cheese at wal-mart. It isn't hard to find.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Better homes and gardens

{White Chili}

I got this recipe from my friend Stacey in cleveland. It was such a yummy soup and i thought of it often for a whole year until finally i asked her for the recipe. I have made it a few times since. We love this soup and everyone else that tries it loves it! TRUST ME. This is my kind of soup!

White Chili

Ingredients:

3 cans of Great Northern White beans with the juice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1 cup white onion, chopped

1 cup salsa

6 cups chicken stock, 4 cups for thicker soup

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed.

Directions:

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Very important that you serve this with sour cream, monterrey jack cheese, and tortilla chips(crushed and mix into your bowl of soup). When you fix it with all the garnishes it tastes soooo YUMMY!

Source: Stacey Heaton

{Ranch Chicken}

SORRY, i am such a slacker and i have NO picture of this one. But just trust me on this one. This chicken is always a hit. Shane's friend made it for us one time and we make it ever since. I have other recipes i have made that i need to post on here! I will do it soon! For now, try this one! It's a keeper!

Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken

RITZ crackers(i get roasted vegetable flavor)

Ranch

Directions:

It's VERY simple. Buy a box of RITZ crackers. Crush them up, but not to where they are powder. You want itty bitty pieces of cracker in there. Cut your raw chicken breast in half. Dip it in ranch so both sides are covered in it. Then dip it in your crackers! Wahlah! Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes, uncovered on 350 degrees. Check on it half way through and if the crackers are getting brown then lay some foil over it to prevent the crackers from burning. This chicken is delish! Trust me! You will like it! Make as much as you want! :)