Turning Four And Looking Forward To Another New Year!!

Another year has passed by and I am celebrating my FOURTH year of blogging and still going strong! I am continuing to increase my readership and improve my photos (many have been accepted on food sites like Tastespotting, Foodgawker, and Healthy Aperture!)  I also joined the Recipe ReDux group and have been enjoying creating recipes for their monthly challenge! This has been a great year of developing lots of yummy and healthy recipes too, especially my protein bars!  Thanks so much for all your support and I look forward to another fun year of cooking and blogging!  Here’s to a awesome new year- but first, here are some of my favorite recipes of 2012!  

Oat Raisin Cookie Dough Protein Bars

 Vegan Pumpkin Almond Oat Cookies or Bars 

Lentil Taco Filling

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Summer Squash Noodles

Single Serve Banana Pecan Baked Oats

Greek Chicken Pizza

Sausage And Brussels Skillet

Almond Cranberry White Chocolate Oat Squares

Zucchini Spaghetti Primavera- Recipe ReDux Post # 8

I cannot believe that Christmas is almost here and I am knee deep in the holiday season already!  Luckily most of my shopping is done and I have picked out a lot of fun gifts too.  Speaking of gifts....this month's Recipe ReDux challenge is focused on that very subject- picking a favorite cooking "Gadget Gift"  and sharing a recipe that uses it.  Well my choice would have to be the julienne peeler, specifically the one made by Kuhn Rikon. I have previously featured this lovely tool in August in both my Summer Squash Noodle Tutorial and Zucchini Caprese Salad posts and today I will highlight it a bit more.  It is easy to use and clean and I find it works great to make thin shreds of veggies for salads or to use them cooked as faux noodles. It costs about $15.00 and I bought mine on Amazon.com.  Some features the manufacturer points out about it are that it "cuts food in one motion, has a stainless steel blade, has an easy to grip two-toned handle and it is dishwasher safe." A recent recipe that I have created using it is Zucchini Spaghetti Primavera- it's chocked full of veggies, low in calories and its red and green hues are perfect for the season.  Enjoy and happy holidays!!  Also check below to see some additional great Gadget Gifts and recipes that use them from the talented bloggers and members of the Recipe ReDux group.

Ingredients:

4 cups raw zucchini “noodles” SEE how to make these HERE

3 cups sliced mushrooms

½ cup chopped white onion

2 cups chopped sweet bell pepper (red, yellow recommended)

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼-½  teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup of your favorite basic marinara sauce (if you like it “saucier” you can add a bit more!)

chopped basil (optional for serving)

parmesan cheese (optional for serving)

Directions:

Coat a large pan with the olive oil, add the mushrooms, peppers and onion and sauté on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and softened.  Add the zucchini noodles, marinara sauce, garlic and mix well and then continue to heat for about 5-7 minutes covered, stirring occasionally, until softened and cooked through.  Top with basil and parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes a little over 4 cups, 4 servings

Serving size: A little over 1 cup (not including cheese)Calories  90 Protein 4 g Carb 13 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 7 g Fat 3 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium  300 mg 

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Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad With Cranberries and Almonds

 

Brussels sprout salads are all the rage right now and I just HAD to jump on the bandwagon and create one J This recipe is a nice blend of sweet and savory and it makes a great holiday side dish with its red and green hues!

Ingredients:

8 cups Brussels sprouts, stems trims and halved 

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

salt and pepper

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and trim stems of Brussels sprouts and cut into halves. Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray and roast for 20-30 minutes, (turn/toss them half way through) until lightly browned and tender but firm when pierced with a fork.  Let cool and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the olive oil, mustard, maple syrup.  Chop up the cooled Brussels sprouts and add them along with the cranberries and almonds to the bowl and mix well until evenly coated with dressing.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge if not serving immediately.

Makes 8 cups 8 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 110 Protein 3 g Carb 12 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 5 g Fat 6 g Saturated fat 1 g Sodium 65 mg

 

Simple But Delicious Homemade Applesauce

 

Once you make this, you may never want store bought applesauce again!!

Ingredients:

7 cups of peeled, cored and cut apples (chop into about 1 inch chunks), best to use sweet, softer varieties- I used Gala

1.5 cups water

optional add ins: maple sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil on high heat in a large pot, add the apples and reduce to medium low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until apples are very tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water out in a colander and transfer the cooked apples into a medium bowl.  Mash with a fork until the desired consistency is reached.  If you would like to add a little sweetness, stir in 1-2 teaspoons maple sugar (or brown sugar) and you can also add a dash or two of cinnamon and a splash vanilla for some flair. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 cups, 6 servings

Serving size: 1 /2 cup Calories 80 Protein 0 g Carb 20 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 15 g Fat 0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 0 mg