Sunday, January 24, 2010

It's Been Awhile: Two Recipes For You


Good news!  Sammy is back to his normal self.

Last night, I made him some chicken and rice and mixed it with his food.  He immediate ate it and then went back a few minutes later to polish off his food and gulped down a bowl of water.

He has been perfectly fine today, so I guess he must have just had a little bug yesterday. See, a good dose of healthy food and rest is all he needed.  I know that if we would have taken him to the vet they would have given him shot after shot of things he didn't need on top of numerous drugs that mommy and daddy would have spent an arm and a leg on.  Last time we took him to the vet because he stopped eating, the vet gave us $150 eye drops and said that he needed a professional dental cleaning for $500.  Seriously?!?!?!

I love my pup more than life itself, but I don't even spend that kind of money on my own cosmetic procedures.

Today was gloomy and rainy and a perfect day to spend in the kitchen.  Something about cooking on days like these is just so alluring to me.

So on that note, I have a few recipes to share with you.  I realize it's been awhile since I've actually posted a recipe, so this is for your eating and viewing pleasure.

Sunday Breakfast:

Cinnamon Vanilla Pear French Toast 



Ingredients (Serves 2

  • 4 slices of Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread 
  • 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Soy Milk 
  •  1/4 Cup Egg Beaters
  • 1 TBL + 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 TBL ground Flax
  • 1 Red Pear, sliced
  • 1 Tsp agave
  • 2 TBL dried cranberries
Sautee the pears in a skillet and sprinkle with 1 tsp of cinnamon.  After the pears are browned and slightly soft (about 10 min) add the agave and let them cook down for another 10 min. 




Next, mix the milk, egg, cinnamon, and flax in a shallow bowl.  Submerge the bread in the liquid and let soak for about 5 min.

Place the bread on a hot griddle or skillet and DON'T TOUCH! This is the key to having a perfectly golden crust on the toast.  Let the bread cook for about 5 min before you flip.




Plate the bread and top with the sauteed pears.  Lastly, sprinkle with dried cranberries and drizzle with almond butter.  I like to put the entire plate in a warm oven so that everything melts.


Delicious!

You can also top with vanilla yogurt and maple syrup, which is exactly what I did.  Trust me, the toppings make the toast!

I ran to the store after breakfast and conducted one of my favorite chores….grocery shopping.  After a few hours of shopping, cleaning and organizing food for the week, I was famished for lunch.



TJ's Vegetable Masla Burger on wilted spinach with Mango Chutney, Sabra hummus, and Cholua





I LOVE these burgers.  I also love roasted acorn squash and have fully decided that squash is the one vegetable that would be the one I would live off of if I had to make a choice.

Dinner tonight was one to go down in the books.

I have been craving a nice homemade stew and after sorting through a few recipes, I came up with one based on some inspirations and my own inclinations.

Sweet Potato White Bean Kale Stew


Ingredients

  • 1 MASSIVE sweet potato (or 2 regular sized), peeled and diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 TBL Minced Garlic
  • An array of spices that I did not measure (chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, caraway seeds, smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper)
  • 1/2 Cup of Veggie Broth
  • 1 cup light Coconut Milk
  • 1 can of Cannoli Beans, undrained
  • 1 jar of Trader Joe's Fired Roasted Salsa (could also use fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained)
  • 1 small Zucchini, diced
  • 3 cups of chopped Kale
Directions: 

Sautee the onion and sweet potato in garlic until onion is translucent and potato is browned (about 8 min).  Add all of your spices and cook down for another 3 min.  Add the beans, zucchini, salsa (or tomatoes), broth, and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, cook on low for 30-45 min. Add the chopped Kale during the last 10 min of cooking.




This stew was sensational!  Thick, hearty, a tad spicy, creamy.  Everything I could ask for in a stew.



I added a dollop of Greek Yogurt which made it even more creamy!





Served with a side salad and a slice of TJ's Whole Wheat Tuscan bread with White Bean Basil Hummus

Love!

Hope you enjoy these recipes!!!

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11 comments:

  1. These recipes look awesome! I really need to figure out a way to make vegan french toast, it's been so long!

    So glad Sammy's doing better. :) xoxo!

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  2. SO glad sammy is OK! the french toast is a thing of beauty. serious~ straight out of a gourmet magazine! and i love adding dollups of GY to stews and chilis. yum, yum! thanks for the recipes, darling! happy monday to you!

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  3. YAY! Glad the puppers is ok :) The husband has always said that if the dog's bills go over $500, we'll have a decision to make... i hate thinking that way, but its true :(

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  4. The toppings TOTALLY make the toast--couldn't have said it better myself!! Both for beautifying and tastifying :)

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  5. wow both the french toast and stew look amazing, I am definitely bookmarking those recipes!

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  6. SO glad to hear the puppers is doing better! Great recipes. I am especially loving the stew! Lots of veggies and beans=awesome! Hope your week goes well

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  7. Mm both of those recipes look great--the stew sounds especially good. I love anything with sweet taters in it :)

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  8. Oh French toast, how I love thee...

    And that stew...yumz! As always, your meals look fabulous!

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  9. these recipes look AMAZING! the french toast looks so droolworthy, the TJ's masala burgers are quite frankly right up my alley and have me wondering how i have not tried them sooner, and that stew looks FANTASTIC! definitely bookmarked.

    glad the puppy is feeling better - lots of love to you lady! i hope you are having a great monday and have a fabulous rest of your week!!!!

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  10. YAY - I'm so happy that Sammy is feeling better! All three of those meals look to die for! I'm going to have to remember that masala burger combination next time I pick those up. Love it!

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  11. Hey girl! So happy to hear Sammy is doing much better! Poor fella, probably just didn't have a great day. It happens to us all! :D Holistic vets tend to listen more before prescribing a whole bunch of stuff. Could be an option if you need something down the road.

    And I'm happy to hear that you were able to talk with someone knowledgeable! I have heard of some people getting yeast build up from being on the pill. I don't know how common it is but know it can happen. Hopefully you'll work it out and get back in the groove! :D

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