Ja cię kocham…

I wish I could relive this moment over and over….

Despite the fact that our wedding day has passed, Jason and I continue to create and enjoy memories that are tender, loving, and sweet.

 

One fond memory is this weekend’s feast in celebration of our upcoming anniversary – made from scratch and made from love.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, we wanted a fun and exciting meal, but we didn’t want to gorge ourselves into utter guilt and discomfort.  Our meal was made from just about all clean ingredients (we did have some wine spritzers!).  Eating clean simply means that you are staying away from processed foods.   Slightly processed items such as spices and extra virgin olive oil are perfectly fine, but the key is staying away from packaged goods with chemicals and scary toxins.

I will be the first to admit that I am not always good at eating clean.  Cake and ice cream just tempt me beyond belief (you know, the kind with all that high fructose corn syrup and “natural flavors”, which are nothing more than chemicals), but just know that it is okay to eat that kind of stuff as a treat every once in a while.  Just don’t make it a daily ritual.

I am reminded of an episode of Oprah I watched last year; a girl in her twenties was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was basically handed a death sentence.  She decided that it was not her time, bought a juicer and began consuming loads of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Her clean diet saved her life.  She is now in remission.  REMISSION!!!  Healthy food has power, people!  It saves lives!

Now that I have said my piece, I will step off of my soap box and focus on our anniversary meal ;o) …

Jason and I thoroughly enjoyed our clean meal.  We ate until we were full and an hour later, we felt great!  (Even ready to eat a little more!)   The next day, my little pudgy belly was flatter, and I felt incredible!   Need I say more?!

 

Here is our wonderful pre-anniversary dinner menu with recipes:

Roasted Eggplant Dip with Herb Rubbed Pita

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living, July 2009

Serves: a hungry crowd

 

Ingredients for Dip:

3 medium eggplants
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (the recipe calls for full-fat, but I used non-fat and it turned out well)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from two lemons)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop up eggplant into small chunks.  Place on baking sheet, toss in 2 Tbs. olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and tender.

Using a knife, press the flat side of the blade back and forth across the garlic with 1.5 tsp. salt to create a garlic paste.

Add eggplant and garlic into food processor.  Gradually add the remaining olive oil while processing.   Once done with processing, place mixture into a bowl.  Gently stir in yogurt and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Ingredients for pitas:

1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Coarse salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 pitas, sliced horizontally if thick

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.  Stir herbs together in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Rub over pitas, and slice into triangles.

Place on baking sheets and bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Pumpkin & Pear Soup

Source: Oxygen Magazine, June 2009

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh ginger, minced
3 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 small cans pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups chicken broth

 

Directions:

Put first four ingredients in a large soup pot and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree in batches in a blender or use a stick blender to blend until soup is smooth.

 

 

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 150

Serves: 12 (we made 4 servings for our meal)

 

Ingredients:

8 cups water
3 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 lb dried lentils, rinsed drained and picked over

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. ground cumin, divided
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chili powder
2 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

 

Directions:

Combine water and 1 tbs. salt in stock pot over high heat.  Add lentils.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to medium heat.  Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain well.  Rinse under cold water and drain well.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup oil, vinegar, 2 Tbs. cumin, 2 Tbs. chili powder, garlic and 1 tsp. salt.  Pour all but 2 Tbs. of this dressing over lentils.  Toss gently and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. oil.  Add onion and saute until well cooked, about 5 minutes.  Onion should appear dark brown and soft.  Add chicken or turkey and saute 2 minutes more.  Add 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbs. cumin, 2 tsp. chili powder and cinnamon.  Saute until chicken/turkey is cooked through.

Arrange lentils on a large serving platter.  Place sliced chicken on top of lentils.  Use any remaining dressing to pour on top.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve at room temperature.

 

 

Marinated Zucchini with Mint

Source: Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 Tbs. olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh mint

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  On two large rimmed baking sheets toss zucchini with 2 Tbs. oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender and brown underneath, about 10-15 minutes.

On a serving platter, sprinkle zucchini with garlic and 2 Tbs. oil and vinegar.  Let stand for an hour.  (If you don’t have time to let it stand, don’t worry about it.  It tastes great served immediately!)

Sprinkle with fresh mint.

If my husband had to survive on anything for the rest of his life (other than Yuengling Lager), it would be chips and salsa.  I buy jars and jars of it per week, and they are gone in a few hours.  We have all types – chipotle, tequila and lime, southwestern – and they are all big hits.  This time I wanted to make something a little different.

We’ve always been big fans of the mango salsa at Costco so I took the fruit salsa to the next level – completely tropical.  It’s bright, it’s colorful, and it’s versatile.  Next time I think I’m going to be even more daring and throw a papaya in this mix.  This salsa was a crowd pleaser, and the recipe yielded PLENTY for a huge group.  If you’re a chips and salsa lover like my man, try this one out.  It’s sure to please.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

Source: Party Food, p. 36

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
2 mangoes or papayas (or one of each), seeded, peeled, and diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 fresh red chili, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 Tbs. sugar
juice of 2 limes
6 Tbs. fresh mint
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a nonmetallic bowl.  Cover and let chill until served.

I tend to run into the same problem all the time.  I find an awesome recipe that requires me to buy maybe one or two things.  Quick trip to the store right?  WRONG.  I end up going to several stores trying to find one thing and end up never finding it.  Grrrr… that’s annoying.  Chutney tends to be one of those things that I can NEVER find in the grocery store.

So you know what I do?  I make it myself.  Take THAT grocery store!

I found a really easy recipe for homemade pineapple chutney using simple pantry ingredients.  Rather than using canned crushed pineapple, I decided to use fresh pineapple and crush it myself.  It turned out quite well.  I was a little nervous because the apple cider vinegar was all I could smell in my house, but when I tasted the chutney, the cider vinegar was not too powerful.  This is a great item to put on chicken or fish – and it took me far less time to cook it than to go on a county-wide hunt for the stuff.

Homemade Pineapple Chutney

Yields: 3 – 12 oz. jars.

Source: Recipezaar

4 cups fresh pineapple, crushed and well drained
2 cups brown sugar, packed tightly
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup bell pepper (any color), seeded and chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine pineapple, sugar, vinegar and salt in a large saucepan.

Heat to boil; simmer gently, stirring frequently for 25 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Cook slowly, stirring often, until mixture thickens.

Ladle into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal; process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.

I didn’t worry about the jars since I used the chutney right away…

Mmmmmmmm… my all-time FAVORITE fruit in the whole wide world is the avocado.  Appropriately, “avocado” means buttery pear, and I can eat one after another until I am full and the happiest girl in town.  It’s buttery, velvety, and just melts in your mouth.  YUMMMM!

I made this awesomely delicious avocado salsa that I placed on top of my black bean tacos, and let me tell you – HEAVEN!!!  I used fresh key limes to cover the avocados so they didn’t brown.  It took a little work, but it was very good.  This salsa took minutes to make, and I will most certainly be using this recipe again.

Avocado Salsa

Source: Cooking Light, June 2002

Yields 2 cups (1/4 per serving)

Ingredients:

1  cup  finely chopped tomato
1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
1/2  cup  chopped peeled avocado
2  tablespoons  finely chopped red onion
3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
1/4  teaspoon  sea salt
1  garlic clove, minced
1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.

A few months ago, I went to a bridal shower and on the hostess’s coffee table was this beautifully displayed dip with pita chips and crudites.  Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was delicious, too!  Everyone raved about this dip.  When the hostess explained what was in it she merely said, “I just put white beans and roasted red peppers in the food processor and whirled it around a bit.”

Well, that’s easy.  Why didn’t I think of that??

Over the past few months, I have overdone the hummus thing.  I have eaten so much hummus (which I adore, by the way) that now I’m sick of it. The problem is that I love dipping my veggies in stuff.   Yes, I’m one of those people that can’t just eat a carrot as is without wanting something to dip it in, sorry.  )

But what will I dip my veggies in now?

Ranch dip is too typical and though I love a creamy ranch on my salads, I need something with depth to it.  I need to be FULL when I’m done munching on my veggies and dip.  Now that hummus is temporarily not doable, I need to come up with something new.

Then I remembered the bridal shower…

I found a really good recipe for the dip at Smitten Kitchen, and it was a done deal.  The hummus has been replaced.  Don’t get me wrong, I will go back to hummus one day, but the white bean and roasted red/yellow pepper dip is right up my alley.  It took 5 minutes to make and is healthy.  Sweet deal.

My dip turned out more orange than it normally would because I used roasted red and yellow peppers.  So don’t be alarmed if your dip is brighter than mine.  It is a great appetizer and pairs well with pita chips and veggies.

White Bean & Roasted Red (& Yellow) Pepper Dip

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can of white cannelini or navy beans
1 small jar roasted red peppers, or about 1 cup, drained
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Puree everything in a food processor until smooth.

Tough, huh? ;o)

Hey, if I made Homemade Peanut Butter, why not make Homemade Jam!?  I decided to halve the recipe since there are only two of us at home.

Again, I am amazed by how simple this is!  Since I made it myself, the taste is fresh, light, and sooooo good.  Fresh fruit tastes so much better than a jar of gloppy, sugary, full of preservatives jam.  There really is a difference.  I say the same thing when I make my own salsa – it’s so much fresher than the stuff in the jar.

Most jam recipes call for pectin, which is a gelling agent.  I just wanted to stick to my fresh, fruity ingredients so I omitted it.  Jam also calls for a TON of sugar.  You can’t avoid it because it helps create the jam’s consistency.

Or can you avoid it? )

You guessed it.  I used Splenda.  I couldn’t bear to use so much sugar.  Eek!  My teeth hurt just thinking about it.  Yay to Splenda!  (Sorry Splenda haters!)  Although, because I used Splenda my jam turned out quite sweet.  So if you plan to use Splenda, cut it back a cup.

This recipe literally took 15 minutes start to finish.  Don’t you love that?  You can look all Betty Crockerish with your homemade jam on the table, and it took minutes.  Fantastic.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Source: All Recipes

(Yields 40 servings)

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.

Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.

Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).

Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process any unsealed jars in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don’t bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

I ate mine right away!  Mmmmmmmm…..

Yes.  It’s peanut butter with chocolate and coconut in it!  I can hardly believe it myself.  This right here is the solution to the inevitable problem of – do I want salty or sweet?  IT’S BOTH!   There are days when I grab a potato chip, eat it, and regret my snacking choice.  I go back into my snack cabinet, get something chocolaty, eat it and then change my mind and want something salty again.  I end up eating a whole boat load of chips and chocolate for my snack.  Don’t you hate that? ;o)

During my daily perusing of recipes, I came across homemade peanut butter by Joy the Baker.  Since the US has been having its share of peanut butter drama, I haven’t really been thinking about the condiment so much.  Then when I realized how incredibly easy it is to make my own, I just HAD to have it.  I was reading the comments that other foodies have made about Joy the Baker’s peanut butter, and it gave me a few ideas.  It doesn’t just have to be peanut butter!  I can add melted chocolate to it!  Better yet I can add chocolate AND coconut!  It’s a woman’s dream.

You may choose any type of peanut that you wish.  Whatever you like to snack on.  Just be mindful that if your peanuts are already salted that you probably will not want to add salt to the recipe.  I chose cocktail peanuts.  (It’s all that they had at Target.)  I also added 1 tsp. of vegetable oil to make my PB nice and creamy.  Depending on the type of peanut you use, you may not have to do this.  Rumor has it that adding peanut oil to the peanuts is too overpowering.  Try to choose a neutral oil that doesn’t alter the flavor.

You also have to decide to what extent your want your PB to be sweet.  If you want a mildly sweet condiment, take it easy on the chocolate.  If you are a chocoholic (I know a few of those), then go crazy with the chocolate.  I chose a very balanced combination.

I added my salty-sweet PB to a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel, and let me tell you – it was AMAZING.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  It’s too good for words.

Homemade Chocolate-Coconut Peanut Butter

(yields 1/4 – 1/2 cup of PB)

Ingredients:

1 cup peanuts
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. melted chocolate – (I used Hershey’s mini chocolate chips.  Just zap in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring in between until melted.)
1/2 Tbs. shredded coconut

Directions:

Place peanuts in the bowl of a food processor with blade.  Make sure the lid is on tight and turn on the food processor.  Nuts will move from course to finely ground then begin to form a paste.  Feel free to stop the food processor once the paste begins to form to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Take a good look at your peanut butter’s consistency.  If you want it to be creamier then now is the time to add your oil.  If you like it as is, omit the oil.

Whirl in processor for 30 more seconds.

Add melted chocolate and coconut.

Turn on food processor again until the peanuts resemble a thick, but mostly smooth, and shiny peanut butter.  This took me about another 30-45 seconds of food processing.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  Place in a warm water bath or in a low microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften and spread.

ENJOY!