Hello my beautiful friends, here are a two recipes that I have tried and loved, along with one that I will be trying in the coming week and uploading a review on. Enjoy!
roasted carrots with parsley and thyme // snack // prep: 10m // cook: 30m // rating: 5/5 // recipe
For those of you in need of a healthy snack to munch on while reading a book, look no farther. Ditch the potato chips and indulge yourself with a sweet and savory snack that will sate your hungry cravings while giving you a boost of vitamin A. Carotenoids are known to help combat free radicals due to their strong antioxidant powers.
I have never enjoyed eating carrots, and you will never see me eating them raw. I have found, that roasting the carrots produces a snack that is sweet and delectable. I tend to hold back on the parsley and thyme, and add honey to this recipe to create a more pleasant flavor. For those of you who like a more bittersweet taste, make sure to load up on the parsley and thyme.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled quartered or cut into sixths lengthwise depending on the size, then into 2-inch lengths
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a sheet pan or a baking dish large enough to fit all of the carrots in a single layer. Place the carrots in a large bowl, and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. (My alteration: add some honey for a more sweet flavor)
- Spread in an even layer in the prepared pan or baking dish. Cover with foil, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, and if the carrots are not yet tender, turn the heat down to 375 degrees and return to the oven for 10 to 15 more minutes until tender. Add the parsley, stir gently, and taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
This delicious snack should be stored in a refrigerator and can be kept for 4 days.
hoisin pork with rice noodles // meal // prep: 15m // cook: 15m / serving: 4 // rating: _/5 // recipe
This is a dish I have yet to try, but am dying to taste. The spicy asian pork and noodle combination has me drooling at the pictures, and surprisingly the dish only totals to about 391 calories per meal!
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 3.5 tablespoons sesame oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons honey + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 dash fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons vinegar + a squeeze of lime if you have it
- 5 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1 piece fresh grated ginger (1-2 tablespoons)
- 1 minced hot pepper (i.e. jalapeno, chili pepper, etc)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
- 1½ lbs. pork cut into thin strips (mine was called “pork stroganoff”)
- 9 oz. rice noodles
- grated carrots, chopped scallions, chopped peanuts, cilantro
Preparations:
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together (soy sauce, water, oil, honey, sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, peppers, hoisin, and peanut butter). You could also puree the sauce in a food processor to get the garlic, peppers, and ginger smooth.
- Marinate the pork in the sauce overnight or for at least a few hours. I did mine overnight and then some, about 15 hours.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and stir-fry the pork until browned on the outside. I found that there wasn’t a whole lot of extra sauce after marinating, but I discarded the little bit that was left.
- Cook your rice noodles according to package directions. Keep a little bit of liquid with the noodles to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Top with pork, carrots, scallions, peanuts, cilantro, and extra sauce of choice (more hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sweet chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, etc). This is definitely a build-your-own kind of thing – just throw whatever you like in there with the noodles.
chocolate panini // dessert // prep: 10m // serving: 4 // rating: 4/5 // recipe
For a nice, warm, toasty dessert, that is easy and fun to make, try the chocolate panini. The first time I made this was at the home of the family I babysit for. I was unable to find their panini press, and ended up making it at the stove with two pans! (I tell you this to show you that it is indeed possible…)
This delectable flavor will have you craving for more, and is best served with some fruit to offset the overwhelming sweetness. Substitute nutella or any other chocolate to your liking, as I have found that using a chocolate bar also works! Also, feel free to deviate from the recipe and use less butter and chocolate, and even add marshmallows. I found this to be extremely sweet, and although loved by the boys, it is intense
Ingredients:
-
8 3/4-inch thick slices challah bread or Hawaiian sweet bread (my alteration: I used regular bread of any sort, whole wheat or white, to reduce calories and sweetness)
-
2 tablespoons butter, melted
-
4 – 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
(my alteration: I also added marshmallows to add a s’more like quality)
-
Powdered sugar
Preparation
- Heat a panini press or a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, brush one side of each bread slice with some of the melted butter. Place half of the bread slices on a work surface, buttered side down; sprinkle with chocolate, covering the bread to within 1/4-inch of the crust. Top with remaining slices, buttered sides up. Place sandwiches, 2 at a time, in grill pan; weigh down top of sandwiches with a large heavy skillet.
- Grill the sandwiches over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the chocolate is melted and bread is golden brown, turning once halfway through grilling time. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. (Or preheat a covered indoor grill. Place sandwiches, two at a time, in preheated grill, cover, and grill 4 minutes or until chocolate melts and bread is golden.)
- To serve, cut each sandwich into quarters. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
peaches of my heart 