Parmesean Coscous w/ Carmelized Onions

~Parmesan Couscous with Caramelized Onions~
This is a Family favorite in my household it's sweet and filling and gives you a chance to add tons of veggies to the side ,quite the healthy dish and it's vegetarian! Great for Meatless Mondays!

1 box of your favorite couscous( Parmesan flavor or garlic and olive oil flavor) prepared
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 Sweet Onion diced
3-5 garlic cloves minced
2 TB Shredded Parmesan cheese
1 TB Italian Parsley Chopped

Prepare couscous according to the package. Set Aside. In a dry skillet over med. heat add pine nuts cook 2 minutes until golden brown. Set Aside. In the same hot skillet turn the heat up and add olive oil let it get hot then add the onions, stir frequently until golden brown and fragrant. Add garlic and remove from heat. Toss pine nuts, onions,Parmesan cheese and parsley into couscous and serve as the main dish with 2 vegetable sides. Enjoy!

Vegan Sloppy Joes

~Vegan Sloppy Joe's~

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Onion Finely chopped
1 Red Pepper chopped
8 oz. soy ground meat alternative
1 Can Organic Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1/2 Cup Organic Ketchup
1/2 Cup Chili Sauce
1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp Distilled white vinegar
1 tsp granulated natural cane sugar
Salt

In large skillet heat oil over medium heat for 1 min. Add onion and red pepper and cook stirring for 6 minutes until both are soft. Add soy ground meat alternative and cook stirring for 3 minutes. Stir in Kidney beans and reduce heat to low. Cook stirring for 3 minutes until heated through all the way. In a small dish mix the ketchup, mustard, chili sauce , vinegar and sugar together. Add some salt to taste and pour over the sloppy Joe mixture , stir and serve open face on a warm whole grain roll. Enjoy!

Spiced Brown Sugar Salmon with Peach-Kiwi Salsa & Mixed Vegtables

~Spiced Brown sugar Salmon with Peach-Kiwi Salsa and mixed Vegetables~

Salmon Salsa
1 cup peaches chopped
1 kiwi peeled and chopped
2 TB Scallions sliced
2 TB chopped parsley
1 TB lime juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salmon Glaze
1 & 1/2 lb Salmon fillet's

1/4 c. butter melted
1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all salsa ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Brush glaze over Salmon and bake for 6 minutes then remove salmon and brush on remaining glaze and bake until salmon flakes with a fork.( about 15 mins)

Mixed Vegetable Saute( side-dish)

2tsp olive oil
1 yellow squash diced
1 green squash diced
1/4 sweet yellow onion cut into chunks
2 cups fresh green beans ends removed and cut in half
1 handful of baby plum tomatoes
1 clove garlic minced
salt & pepper
2 TB Fresh Basil chopped
2 TB Low fat Feta Cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat , add onions and green beans. Cook until softened then add yellow and green squash, garlic and tomatoes cook covered until soft. place in serving dish and top with feta cheese. Enjoy!

Pasta Fusilli with Toasted Pine nuts

~Pasta Fusilli with toasted pine nuts~
This recipe is great for meatless Mondays! It's one of my favorite and it's so incredibly easy. If you have never had sun-dried tomatoes you are really missing out they give this dish a sweet twist and the pine nuts are packed full of protein.




12 oz Organic Fusilli pasta
5 TB Olive Oil divided
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 Jar about 1 Cup ( the more the better!) Oil-Packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
1/8 Cup Fresh Chopped Basil
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper

Heat Large Skillet over Med-High heat, add 3 TB Olive oil , get it nice and hot then pour cooked pasta into it and fry it up pressing pasta down with a spatula. Remove once pasta begins to brown. Pour into serving dish , using the same hot pan add 2 TB of olive oil pour in the pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes cook for 1 min. Pour over pasta, add Basil, Parsley and Parmesan cheese. Toss well season with Salt and Pepper... Enjoy! great for parties!

PMS Special

~PMS Special~

Well this recipe is one of those recipes that you will crave it is amazing! It's very rich but so worth the indulgence! It serves a good amount of people and stores well in the fridge for a few days.

1 Boxed Brownie mix ( Hershey's with Peanut Butter chips)
5 oz Package of Instant vanilla pudding mix
3 Cups low fat Milk
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut butter
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup whipping cream ( already whipped on high speed and thick)
30 regular peanut butter cups

Bake Brownies according to package
Cut the Brownies into 3/4 inch pieces
Chop up 25 Peanut butter cups

Combine pudding, and milk blend at low for 2 mins. Add peanut butter and vanilla beat until smooth. Add half of the whipping cream( whipped and thick) stir gently.Place half of the brownies on the bottom of the trifle dish, layer with half of peanut butter cups and half of pudding mixture. repeat and top off with the rest of the whipping cream and garnish with peanut butter cups. Enjoy!Serves 8-10

Veggie Pizza

~Veggie Pizza~

This pizza is way better then takeout! It is Jammed packed with Vegetables and has an amazing flavor, I mean where else can you order a pizza with sun dried tomatoes on it?

Ingredients
1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes ( not oil packed)
Boiling Water
1 TB Olive Oil
8-10 oz White Mushrooms Sliced
1/4 Medium Red Onion sliced into half-moons
2 Cloves Garlic minced
1 Whole-Wheat store bought 10 -oz Pizza crust
1 Cup Pizza Sauce
1 Cup Shredded Organic Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat Oven to 450 Degrees F.

Soak the sun dried tomatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Pat dry and slice thinly. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions and cook until tender about 7-9 minutes ( to speed up the process cover with lid) Add garlic and remove from heat. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet , spoon on sauce and spread mushroom onion mixture on top. Place sun dried tomatoes evenly all over and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese all over with an even consistency. Bake 13 minutes until crisp and the cheese starts to brown slightly. Cut into 8 Slices and Serve!

Calories: 2 Slices =350

Breakfast Tart

~ Breakfast Tart~
This recipe was given to me by one of my close friends, its great to serve for brunch my guests could not believe how good it was! The one negative is the tart tastes best when it is served immediately out of the oven so if you have alot of guests coming I recommend waiting for all of them to arrive! This Recipe contains Bacon so if you are a vegetarian I would recommend using soy bacon!



Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
1 packet hollandaise sause ( Prepared according to directions)
3-4 oz. shredded Swiss Cheese
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
8 bacon slices, cooked until crisp
4-5 Eggs

10 fresh chives chopped coarsely



Directions:
Thaw the puff pastry dough according to the package instructions.Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.On lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into a 10-by-8-inch rectangle. Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Using a paring knife, score a border 1/2 inch in from the edge of the pastry. Using a fork, prick the center of the pastry. Brush the border with the egg wash and refrigerate for 15 minutes.In a small bowl, stir together the prepared hollandaise sause and cheese, and season with salt and pepper.Spread the hollandaise sause mixture on the pastry, keeping the border clean. Lay the bacon on top, slightly overlapping the slices. Bake the tart for 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a level heatproof surface. Using a fork, prick any large air pockets in the pastry. Crack the eggs onto the tart, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 7 to 10 minutes.Transfer the tart to a platter, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Serves 4

Tropical Cake

~ TROPICAL CAKE ~

This cake is so moist it will melt in your mouth! It's jammed full of carrots, shredded coconut and crushed pineapple and stores well in the freezer. However it needs to be kept cold until about and hour or so before serving. This Cake is great for summer picnics and tropical themed parties! Enjoy!

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups sugar

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1-3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

4 large eggs

2 tbsp vanilla

1-1/2 cups Canola oil

1-1/2 cups shredded peeled carrots

1 Can ( 20 oz.) Crushed Canned pineapple

1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut( Coco Lopez great brand)

Creamy Coconut Frosting

4 (8 oz) packages light cream cheese(at room temperate)

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup heaving whipping cream

1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut

1/2 tsp salt

Making the cake...

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter, and dust with flour or spray with Baking spray. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut in a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil, carrots, pineapple, and cream of coconut. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Set 2 layers on one rack and the third on the other. Or put them all on the same rack if they fit! Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cakes are done when they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on racks for 5 minutes, then invert them onto the racks and cool completely, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Making the Frosting...

Using a mixer beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed about 1 minute. Add the whipping cream, cream of coconut, and salt; beat until combined.Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread a thick layer of frosting on top. Add the second layer, spread thickly with frosting, and top with the third layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with an even layer of frosting. Toast about 1/2 cup Coconut just until it's slightly brown in color and then sprinkle around the edges of the cake. Allow the cake to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before covering it with plastic wrap. It will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freezes well! Serves 14