Crockpot Refried Beans

Honestly, refried beans aren't the prettiest to photograph on their own, so I'm including a photo of how we usually eat our beans (bean & cheese crisps).  Obviously making homemade refried beans takes more effort than opening a can, but they are SO GOOD and much healthier for you too.  It's worth it to try and make it once in awhile at least!

3 cups pinto beans
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste (I usually add 1-2 tsp)

In a large colander (strainer), measure out 3 cups of beans, picking out any bad ones as you go.  Rinse beans.  Put beans into a large crock pot (mine is a 5qt) and add approximately 5-6 inches of water to cover the beans.  Place lid on and let soak overnight (no heat).

After soaking, drain beans into a colander again.  Put beans back into crock pot and fill with water with at least 4 inches covering the beans.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

When the beans are done, saute the onion and garlic with 1-2 tsp oil in a large frying pan until translucent.  Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the liquid for later use.

With the pan on med high heat, add 2 tsp more oil and beans to the pan.  Mash bean with a potato masher.  Stir in reserved bean liquid for desired thickness.  Stir in remaining seasonings and you're done!

Refrigerate any leftovers.  They freeze well too!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

The girls and I love this oatmeal so much, I've made it twice in the last week!

I even had it for dessert!  It's a delicious clean eating breakfast!  

I love to serve it with vanilla flavored coconut milk.

1 can 14.5oz pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp each pumpkin pie spice, ginger, ground cloves, vanilla

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 ¼ cups water

Toppings: raisins (golden ones are great), slivered almonds, agave nectar or honey to taste.

Stir pumpkin and oats together in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla and all spices together. Stir egg mixture into the oats.  Stir in milk and water.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish.

Preheat oven to 375.  While oven is preheating, the oats will be expanding slightly.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Serve hot with milk and toppings of choice.  Sweeten with agave nectar or honey, if needed.


Or bake it the night before, refrigerate overnight and heat up in the microwave the next morning for a quick breakfast!

Gingerbread Waffles

I found this recipe in recent Family Circle magazine and did a clean eating makeover version of them.  I usually double the recipe too, so that I can feed my family for 2 mornings with it!   

They were good, especially with the apple butter on top.  
Oh my!

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

3 eggs (or use 5 egg whites and 1 whole egg)

1 ¾ cup milk mixed with  2 tsp lemon juice (which will make it into buttermilk)

¼ cup oil
¼ cup honey

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup molasses

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a medium size bowl, beat eggs.  Pour milk, applesauce, oil and honey into eggs; beat until well blended.

Heat waffle iron.  Make a well in flour mixture and stir in egg mixture and molasses; stir until well blended.

Cook in waffle iron until done.  Keep warm in on a baking sheet in oven or serve right away!  Top with apple butter or maple syrup and fruit!  YUM!

Apple Butter

Apple butter is something new to me.  I had never even tried it until a few months ago!  This is a clean eating recipe that is great to use as a topping for so many things or even a mix-in.  We usually use it to top pancakes and waffles, and mix it in oatmeal instead of using syrups and sugar.  I usually freeze the extra in small containers and thaw in the fridge whenever we run out!  It tastes and smells so good.

8 apples (that's what fits in my 4 Qt slow cooker, but you can use more if you have a bigger one)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp vanilla
agave nectar to taste (I use 1/4 cup or less)

You can either peel the apples first and then quarter them, or pick out the skins later when it's cooked.  (I've picked out the skins the last two times I've made it and I think that I'll peel them from now on.)

Place your quartered apples (cores removed) in the crock pot and add the vanilla.  Cover and cook on low overnight (8 hours).

Smash apples with a fork (it will be really soft and easy to do)  Pick out the skins if you didn't previously peel the apples.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook for another 4-6 hours on low and it's done!

If you want even smoother looking butter, then blend the mixture in a food processor/blender (I don't).

Butternut Squash Soup

Picture by me

Recipe by Alton Brown here

This is so good.  I made it for my birthday dinner because I love it so much!

• 6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
• Melted butter, for brushing
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (I like it better with black pepper)
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger (I used powdered ginger once and it was just fine too)
• 4 ounces milk
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Watermelon Lime Popsicles

These are tasty and clean eating friendly!

They're also a great way to using up the rest of the watermelon before it goes bad!

Cubed Seedless Watermelon (I use 1/2 of a watermelon)

1-2 limes squeezed (or a generous squeeze of the bottled kind)

Honey to taste (I use about 1 TBS)

Mix in the blender and freeze in popsicle molds!  Any leftovers makes a delicious chilled drink!

Hummus

This recipe is from the show Zoom.  About 3 years ago, Brynlee used to watch this show on PBS.  She saw the children making this recipe wanted to make it too.  I printed it out, put it in my folder and didn't make it until last month.  Why did I wait so long?!!  It's a weekly staple in my house now as a great and healthy dip for vegetables or pita chips!

Here's what you will need to make it:

• 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tahini (a.k.a. sesame seed butter/paste)
• pita bread, cut veggies, or chips
• blender
• garlic press
• spatula
• bowl

Here's what you have to do:

1. People in Middle Eastern countries, like Lebanon, have been making hummus for thousands of years. There are lots of ways to make hummus, but chickpeas are always the main ingredient. (Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea.)

2. Ask a grown-up for help before you begin. You will be using a blender for this recipe.

3. Wash your hands.

4. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then dump them into the blender.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

6. Peel 1 clove of garlic and crush it in a garlic press. (If you don't have a garlic press, chop it finely with a knife.)

7. Add the crushed garlic to the blender.

8. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of tahini. Tahini is ground sesame seeds (kind of like peanut butter) and can be found near the peanut butter in some grocery stores. Other stores may have it in the international section.

9. Put the lid on the blender and puree at low speed for 5-10 seconds until smooth.

10. Wait for the blender to stop completely. Then mix the hummus with a rubber spatula so that all the ingredients get blended.

11. Put the lid back on and puree for another 10 seconds.

12. Wait for the blender to stop completely. Then pour the hummus into a bowl.

13. You can serve hummus with vegetables, pita bread, tortilla chips or whatever tastes good.

14. Sahtayn! In Arabic it means "Two healths" - your health and my health.

Watermelon & Peach Salsa with Cayenne Chips

What?!! Watermelon and peaches in salsa? Oh believe me, it's really good! Serve with regular tortilla chips, or go the extra mile and make these homemade cayenne chips! The cayenne chips are what make this recipe so good. These chips and salsa are just the perfect pair! This recipe is from The Pampered Chef.

Chips

1 lime

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Salsa

1 jalepeno pepper (or to desired amount of spiceyness)

1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups cubed watermelon

2 peaches

1 lime

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 F for the chips. Juice lime into a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine cayenne pepper and salt. Brush one side of each tortilla with lime juice (don't soak it though). Sprinkle cayenne mixture lightly over the top.

Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges using a pizza cutter. Arrange the tortillas onto a large baking sheet (or stone) in a single layer.

Bake 8-12 minutes, until edges are slightly browned and crisp. Repeat until all the tortillas are baked.

For the salsa, cut jalepeno in half and remove the white stem and seeds. Dice jalepeno and cilantro and place into a large bowl (holds 8 cups). Cut watermelon into small pieces and add to large bowl. Cut the peaches into small pieces, discarding the pits. Add peaches to the bowl. Juice the remaining lime into salsa. Add the salt. Mix well.

Serve with chips and ENJOY!

Yield: 16 servings (or consumed in 1 day for our household)

100% Whole Wheat Bread

This delicous recipe comes from my dear friend Lisa. The crust is soft and you can hardly tell that it's wheat! It is by far my favorite bread recipe now! The first time I made it, Trevor told me this was the best bread I've ever made. I just love that it's 100% whole wheat and filled with wholesome ingredients for my family.

2 1/2 C. warm water (105-115F degrees)
1 1/2 tblsp. yeast (or 1 tblsp and 1 1/2 tsp = the same)
1 tblsp. salt
1/3 C. olive oil (you can use any.... just what I use)
1/3 C. honey (I alternate oil and than honey so the honey won't stick to the cup)
6 cups White wheat flour (Not white flour! I use King Arthur's white wheat brand)

Mix all water and yeast in mixing bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until yeast is mostly dissolved and foamy. Add remaining ingredients and knead for 5-7 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. You can tell when the kneading process is done when your dough passes the "window pane" test. Stretch out a small piece of dough between your hands to create a small window. If the stretch looks shaggy and tears easily, it is not ready. If it is soft and stretchable and you can see light through it when stretched, it is now ready.





Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Gently round your dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Rotate ball to cover with oil, then place it in the center. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm area to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour or so.


According to William Sonoma: "The dough is ready if it looks puffy and feels soft when gently poked with a finger. The indentation should remain, but not deflate the mass of dough. If the finger mark fills back in, the dough is not ready; re-cover and test again in 15 min."

Punch down the dough with the palm of hand to remove the gas and deflate the dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured counter and shape into loaves using just hands (no rolling pin).

For the second rise, cover bread pans loosely with plastic wrap, (or a damp kitchen towel can be used) and place in a warm area to proof (second rise) until the dough has doubled in size again. It will end up being just at the top or slightly over the top of the pan (9x5x3 pan size).

Williams Sonoma: "When the dough is ready, it will be smooth and springy to the touch. To test, poke it with your finger. The indentation should remain, springing back only slightly. If it collapses on itself, it is overproofed. If it does not spring back, it is underproofed. If it is underproofed, cover and let rise for another 15 minutes to retest. If the dough is over proofed you can save it by punching it down, reshaping it and allowing it to proof again. Never try to bake overproofed dough, or you will end up with a flat, leaden loaf."

Second rise time will vary, mine took about 40 minutes. And the dough was as tall as the top of the pan!

Bake for 30 minutes at 350F degrees. This bread will rise only a little bit more in the oven for nice, and tall (for wheat bread) loaves! Remove from pan and using a stick of butter, smear the tops of the loaves. This is the secret to soft crusts!

Let cool completely before slicing. (Okay, sometimes I can't wait because I love the taste of fresh hot bread, but it IS better for the loaf to allow it to cool completely). Enjoy!

Yield: 2 loaves (9x5)

Wendy's Chili

This is a great chili recipe that I've been making for over 4 years. I found it off Top Secret Recipes, back when they would give away a free recipe of the week. It actually tastes better than the restaurants version too!

We love to serve it with fresh cornbread and top it off with cheese, of course! We find that the cornbread helps the chili not be as spicy for the girls, and we give them milk with their dinner to help cut out any remaining burn. It's slightly hotter than a mild chili recipe, but kids just don't have that high of a tolerance as adults do.

Wendy’s Chili

1 lb ground beef (I use ground turkey)
29 oz can tomato sauce
29 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)
29 oz can pinto beans (with liquid)
1 med. onion, diced
½ cup diced green chilies
2-3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (I peel them, but it isn’t necessary to do so unless you hate the skins or you can use 1 can diced tomatoes)
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 tsp chili powder (or to desired spiciness)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2-3 cups water (to desired thickness)

1. Brown the meat with the onion in a skillet. Using a colander, drain fat and rinse with water. (This will remove excess fat).

2. In a large pot (8 quart), combine meat and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. If you are in a rush, then bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour.

*Leftovers can be frozen! Let cool first before freezing or storing in the fridge.

Fresh Salsa

I used to HATE the taste of cilantro. Boy am I glad that my tastes buds changed during my first pregnancy, because now I LOVE cilantro. This salsa will disappear fast! This is just a basic recipe and can be altered very easily according to your preference.

3 large tomatoes (you can use a 29oz can of tomatoes if you must, but isn't as good as fresh)
1/2 onion
3 jalapenos (or more if you want it hotter)*
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Use a food processor or knife to finely dice all ingredients. Combine in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips or with any other Mexican dish!

Yields: 6 cups

*Tip - The heat of the jalapenos is found mostly in the veins (the white inside part) and the seeds. If you don't want it as hot, then strip out and discard the veins and seeds before dicing.

Healthy Grilled Vegetables

We always include these delicious vegetables whenever we grill! Even the girls eat them! The best part is that you can choose any vegetable that suits your palat. Our favorites are:

2 summer squash (or zucchini)
1 bunch of asparagus
1 red bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1-2 glugs of Olive oil
Sea salt to taste

1 ziplock bag, gallon size
Foil

Slice the veggies about equal in thickness (so they'll cook evenly). Place all the veggies into the ziplock bag. Using a garlic press, crush the clove of garlic into the bag (using fresh garlic is a must). Next, add 1-2 glugs of olive oil into the bag. Add just enough to coat the veggies. Seal bag and shake until completely mixed and coated.


Grill the veggies on 2 layers of foil for more stability. Cook until tender.
Season with sea salt and enjoy!
**You can also bake this in the oven. Just arrange veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes at 450F.

Mango Salsa

What is summer without salsa? This fruity salsa is amazing and you just can't have summer without it. You can spice it up as HOT or mild as you like. Really, it is my favorite salsa now. I always think of you Charmaine, when I eat it! Thanks for the recipe!

Mango Salsa

3 ripe mangos, peeled
2 kiwi, peeled
1 red bell pepper
1 large white onion
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 jalepenos minimum (we use 4-5) finely diced
cilantro (about 1/2 bunch)
Sea Salt to taste
Lime juice, either 1 tblsp or one lime squeezed

Mix all together, diced up to your desired chunkiness!

*This salsa is great with chips, or over jerk pork tenderloin with baby spinach! YUM!