Healthy Snacks!

Vanilla Peanut Butter Spread
1 Tbs Peanut Butter
1/2 cup of Vanilla Yogurt (or 1 cup of Vanilla yogurt, depending on how peanutty you would like your spread to be)

Stir both ingredients together until they make a smooth consistency.
This spread is great on apples, bananas, with strawberries, on toast, waffles,  in crepes, or just by itself!

Crunchy Lettuce Wraps
4 romaine lettuce leaves (washed and dried with the crisp white ends cut off)
2 small plum tomatoes (sliced)
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
Dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp parley
pinch of salt and pepper

Lay the lettuce leaves up and place 3 slices tomatoes down the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle about 1 Tbs of almonds on top. For the dressing, combine balsamic, mustard, salt, pepper and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and stir. Pour a little of of the dressing over the tomatoes and almonds. From the top of the lettuce leaf, and roll it tucking in the sides. Use a toothpick to keep them together.

Mother's Day Breakfast

MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST

Mother's Day is one of the most important celebrations; mothers are most people's number one supporters, heroes, fans and they're our best friends. I love this day because I love to spoil my mom with my food and spend all day with her :) 

Below is what I made my mom this year for her special day. Coffee was of course served with the meal! She enjoyed it very much; my dad was very jealous that it wasn't Fathers Day! 

Breakfast Muffins
2 medium potatoes, shredded
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
1 can of sundried tomatoes
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup of kale, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 Tbs dried oregano
a couple of leaves of fresh basil

Makes about 10-12 muffins!

Assembly:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and oil muffin pan.
2.) Place shredded potatoes on a couple of sheets of paper towels and pat down with another paper towel. This is to take some water out of the potatoes, it will help them crisp up in the oven (very important step!)
3.) Place potatoes in a bowl and toss with 1/2 tsp of salt, pepper and dried oregano. Then press mixture onto sides and bottom into muffin cups.
4.) Layer the muffins with a few pieces of kale on top of potatoes, followed by a piece of sundried tomato, a slice of mozzarella cheese.
5.) Break an egg on top of all the layers. Lightly sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes (or until egg on top is cooked the way you like it to be).
6.) Take out of oven and let rest about 5 minutes. Lightly remove each muffin and serve immediately!

Perfect Breakfast Parfaits
1 jar of any flavor jam (I used Polish jam made from Chokeberries...my favorite :) )
1/2 cup of fresh chopped strawberries, blackberries or blueberries (you can also use one or more types of berries and they can also be frozen ones that have been thawed)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 Tbs sour cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs honey
1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal
1/2 sliced banana

Makes 1 big parfait or 2 smaller ones.
I made 1 big one for my mamma :)

Assembly:
1.) Mix yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice and honey together in a bowl. I know sour cream sounds weird in this mixture, but it adds creamy-ness and flavor to the dish! Its also not that much, so don't worry about breaking your diet if you're on one.
2.) In a pretty, tall glass (you want to be able to see the layers of the parfait), begin layering with a tsp of jam, followed by a few berries. Then pour about 1/3 of the yogurt. Follow by another layer of jam and a few berries. Add 1/2 of the oatmeal to this layer. Pour over another 1/3 of yogurt. Add one last layer of jam, berries, the rest of the oatmeal and yogurt. Top with banana slices. You may add a sprig of mint for decoration!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookies--Gluten Free& Vegan

DONT GET SCARED OR FLIP TO THE NEXT PAGE. I SWEAR THESE DARN THINGS ARE AHHHHH-MAZING!!!! 

I've never been the kind of person to eat vegan or gluten free. I do like to eat healthy, and always look for healthier options with less sugar, sodium and more veggies but recent events have forced me to make a change. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease a month ago that really scared me; I had to go on a bunch of medication and change my diet. I am now making the change to being gluten free (but not vegan just yet). Being gluten free as a college student is very difficult-- the cafeterias do have gluten free bread and pasta however, thats all. I can't live off of bread and pasta, especially if those carbs aren't paired with yummy veggies, cheese or protein of some kind! 

I made these cookies at home, a couple days before Easter. This recipe was completely made up, lets just say I "winged it" and boy did I hit a home run. These cookies are the best Ive ever made and I didn't use milk, eggs or sugar! The best part is that if I didn't tell you the change in ingredients, you would have never guessed how healthy they are! 

Give them a try. They satisfy the sweet tooth without making you feel guilty!

Yield: 18 coookies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour

1 cup of oats 

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped pecans 

1/4 cup roasted peanuts 

1/4 cup roasted edamame 

1/2 cup of regular almond milk
1/2 cup of dark chocolate almond milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup of agave nectar
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 Tbs coconut oil

1. Preheat oven for 355 degrees.
2. Make edamame and peanut paste for protein. Put edamame in a bowl and pour hot water over them just to take off the skin if they have skin. In a blender combine edamame and peanuts and puree until it has a powder like consistency. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, edamame paste, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.


4. Keep mixer on low and slowly pour in regular almond milk. Add olive oil, agave nectar and slowly pour in second half of chocolate almond milk. Melt coconut oil if solid and add to mixture. Add chips, and all nuts. Mix until combined.





5. Oil a baking sheet. Take dough and roll into golf sized balls. They won't grow much so you can place them close together on the baking sheet.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy these cookies as a snack, or with coffee/ tea at breakfast! Please share and comment! :) 

XOXO- Babushka 

Greek Style FIsh with Rice Balls

I love fish; my dad has been bringing home fresh catcher fish since I can remember. He would spend all weekend fishing in some forest way off in the nowhere, and come home with up to 40 fish! 

Having so much fish, Ive always been in charge of coming up with creative ways to cook, the fish; smoke it, shallow fry it, deep fry it, bake it. 

Being in love with Greek culture, this is my way of being creative and blending my passions together: various cultures and cooking. Hope you enjoy this one! 

Ingredients:

12-15 filets of fish

Fish Marinade:
1 cup of olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbs Basil pesto
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rice Balls:
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cups of vegetable/chicken broth
1/4 cup of red wine
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

Fish:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Transfer half of the mixture into one plastic bag and half into another.

2. Place half of the fish into one marinade and half in the other. Massage the fish in the plastic bag; this is to make sure that the marinade gets all over the fish. All to marinade for 4-8 hours.

3. Once marinade process is done. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place fish on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Rice Balls:

1. Combine vegetable broth and wine in a medium pot. Bring to boil, add rice. Stir and bring back to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow rice to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Once liquid is absorbed and rice is soft, add olive oil and take off heat. Incorporate egg yolks. When the rice mixture is cooled, roll rice into golf size balls (or larger). Put them on a oiled pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

2. When they're finished, place the rice balls in a warm tomato sauce so that the rice absorbs delicious tomato flavors! 

Serve Greek style fish along side the rice balls covered in tomato sauce! 

The fish I used for this recipe is Perch… DELICIOUS! 

These rice balls aren't in tomato sauce; simply drop them in a saucepan with warm tomato sauce!

ENJOY! 

Rosemary Orange Chicken

My favorite colder, winter time meal is roasted chicken. Its the perfect hardy dinner that one needs after a snowy and bitter afternoon. The smell of apples, oranges and rosemary combined with crispy chicken is almost divine. For me, theres no better meal to cook for my family in December. 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1large potato

1 medium apple

1/4 cup of celery

2 oranges

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 basil leaf

2 Tbs salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parley

3 Tbs olive oil

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Make sure your chicken is thawed if it is frozen. Take the chicken and place on a clean cutting board (make sure you have an apron on and have washed your hands with soap and water). Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken and use your hands to massage it all over the chicken. Wash your hands again.

3. Sprinkle half of the salt, pepper, dried parsley and rosemary over the chicken, and massage it in. Wash your hands again.

4. In a large bowl, place the peeled and diced potato and apple. Cut the orange into fourths and then again each fourth in half. Add the celery and sprinkle in the rest of the salt, pepper, herbs and chopped basil. Take the other orange and squeeze all of the juice out over the mixture.

5. Transfer chicken into a roasting pan. Place half of the potato and apple mixture inside the cavity and half around the chicken.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how large the chicken is. You will know the chicken is done when the skin is brown and crispy and then the meat is fork tender. 

(Unfortunately I didnt take a  picture of this meal) 

You may choose to baste the chicken every 10 minutes or so with the drippings in the pan. This will help the chicken in absorbing the juices from the fruit and veggies, and get the skin crispy. 

STAY WARM! 

ENJOY! 

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Ever since I learned how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree, I never buy the canned stuff! Fresh pumpkin puree, made by yourself tastes so much better in food than canned ever did! 

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin (size of your choice)
2 Tbs olive oil

Assembly:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2.) Thoroughly wash your pumpkin. With a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board, cut the pumpkin in half, and using a spoon, scoop all the seeds out from the inside. (If you want to make pumpkin seeds for a snack, save the seeds in a small bowl and bake them for 25 minutes with salt and pepper at 375 degrees!)

3.) Then depending on how big your pumpkin is, you'll need to cut each half in half or into fourths.

4.) Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and place the pumpkin pieces flesh side up.

5.) Bake the pumpkin for 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Sometimes a pumpkin will need to be baked more, especially if it is larger. If this is the case, just bake it until it is fork tender.

6.) Once pumpkin is cooked and cooled, place the pumpkin in a blender and blend until smooth.

7.) Transfer pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Use for anything from pumpkin soup, bread, smoothies, oatmeal and even pumpkin gnocchi! 

** This pumpkin puree will be a lighter shade of orange than canned pumpkin. This is because this pumpkin puree is fresh and have NO ADDED PRESERVATIVES! 

Have happy and healthy fall fun! 

<3 Babushka

Homemade Potato and Pear Gnocchi

We have a pear tree in my backyard. One morning I walked out and two pears dropped down right as I walked past the tree. It was a sign. So naturally I started thinking how can I make something delicious, but different at the same time with these pears? I've never made gnocchi before, so I decided to give it a try and honestly they turned out a lot better than I ever thought!  

Give this gnocchi with a fruity twist a try! I promise they wont disappoint! 

Ingredients:
4 medium to large potatoes (Russets or Idaho's work best)
1 1/2 cups of white unbleached flour
2 egg yolks
1 Tbs olive oil
about 1 cup of pear puree

Pear Puree:
2 large diced pears (leave one unpeeled and one peeled--the color of the peels looks great in the gnocchi and enhances the pear taste as well!)
1 Tbs of hot water
1/2 zest of a lemon

For the Sauté:
1/2 a shallot (chopped)
1/2 cup of wine
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil and parsley
1 Tbs fresh parsley

Puree: In a blender combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth!

Instructions for Gnocchi:

1.) Start with boiling the potatoes. When they are cooked and cooled, using a fork smash/mash the potatoes until they are as smooth as you can get them. Try to get all the lumps out! This is very important in having a good gnocchi dough.

2.) To the mashed potatoes, incorportate the 2 egg yolks. Then add the pear puree and stir until smooth.

 Then slowly, in thirds, add flour. The dough will be very mushy and lumpy at first; you need to kneed it until it can be formed into a large dough ball.

3.) Flour your work surface. Cut off a portion of the dough (maybe 1/6) and roll it into a log. The log should be about 1 inch wide! Using a sharp knife, cut off inch size pieces. Repeat until you end up with a lot of little gnocchi squares!

4.) Bring a large boiling pot to a boil (make sure to salt the water). Carefully drop in 10-12 gnocchi into boiling water and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the gnocchi float to the top. Keep a close eye on these! They cook quicker than you think! 

5.) Once the gnocchi float to the top, ladle them out into a large boil, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them so they don't stick to each other. Continue this process until all of your gnocchi are cooked!

6.) In a large sauté pan, heat a Tbs of olive oil, stir in 1/2 a shallot (chopped) and cook until light brown. Add in about 10-12 gnocchi and allow them to get lightly brown on both sides (will take about 3-4 minutes per side). Once slightly brown, add red wine, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs. Sauté for another 3 minutes or until wine is nicely reduced.

Serve immediately! They're the best when eaten straight out of the pan they were sautéed in! 

** You can also freeze the gnocchi after they are boiled and sauté them later on!

 My Dad and I ate 3 full plates of these! Can you say yummy! :) 

This one looked like a fish!

Happy Eating!

<3 Babushka