5 Years Down and Ready For 2014!!

eNourishent turns five this week! I can't believe that FIVE whole years have passed and what an awesome journey it has been so far! Over the years I have enjoyed developing recipes, cooking away, learning how to snap decent food shots, networking with other bloggers/food companies/nutrition/ news organizations and most of all watching my blog readership and following grow. I want to thank all of you who read and support my blog, I soooo appreciate you all and hope you stay with me for many more years to come!! Always feel free to reach out to me with questions/comments at any time.

2013 has been a fun one… I featured guest recipes from the California Dried Plum Board, created a Copy Cat Recipe segment, linked up with Udi's to feature some gluten-free products and recipes, continued to participate in the monthly Recipe ReDux challenge, and created a bunch more yummy and healthy recipes that I hope you all enjoyed. Here is a look at some of my favorite recipes from this past year. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2014 :)

Cauliflower Faux-sotto

Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

Mini Oatmeal Raisin Bar Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches

Quadruple Berry Spinach Salad

Fiesta Turkey Burgers

Maple Brown Sugar Protein Bars

Eggplant Grilled Cheese

Fall Brussels Sprouts Salad

Cinnamon Crunch Protein Bars

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Recipe ReDux Post # 18 Super Easy Three Bean Salad With Black Eyed Peas and Tomatoes

The holidays are in full swing and December is flying by!! Recipe ReDux for this month is even looking further ahead toward January with a theme of “Good Luck Foods”.  We were asked to share a festive and healthy dish that can be served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck. I typically serve black eyed peas on New Years as they are historically thought to bring great fortune! (Check the interesting background info on this HERE. One of my favorite dishes that I have created with black eyed peas is a Jambalaya, but this time I wanted to use them in a salad.  My family likes to have ham on New Years day with a few simple side dishes and I thought a three bean salad incorporating black eyed peas would be delish….and it was! Adding the black eyed peas to the traditional three bean salad worked nicely, as did the tomato garnish.  This dish is super easy to whip up. It can be made ahead of time as well, making it a great choice to make at the end of the holiday season when you may be pretty tired of involved and intense cooking.  Plus it has got plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein too!  So make a batch to enjoy this New Years (or anytime) and check out all the other “good luck recipes” created by the talented Recipe ReDux bloggers!!

Ingredients:

1 can kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can black eyed peas

2 cups cut green beans, fresh or frozen thawed

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup reduced fat Italian or balsamic vinaigrette dressing (*use a gluten-free brand such as Marzetti® if you are on a gluten-free diet, I used Trader Joes Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup halved grape tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

Rinse the canned kidney and garbanzo beans and black eyed peas well and place in a large bowl. Wash and chop the green beans into 1 inch long pieces and cook by either boiling them in a pot of water or steaming in a pyrex dish in an half inch of water until tender still slightly firm (about 3-4 minutes) Run the green beans under cold water in a strainer to cool, drain and put in the bowl with the rest of the beans. In a small bowl whisk the dressing, oregano and olive oil together and pour over the beans.  Mix well until evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste and place in the fridge to chill and marinate at least 30-60 minutes before serving.  Garnish with the chopped tomatoes

Variations:

If you’re watching sodium use low sodium canned beans.

Makes 6 cups, 12 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup Calories 130 Protein 5 g Carb 22 g Fiber 6 g Sugars 5 g Fat 2.5 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium  290 mg

* nutritional analysis will vary depending on type of dressing used and if salt is added

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Single Serve Pumpkin Apple Baked Oats

A nice warm and comforting treat for breakfast! If you want to make a similar recipe that yields more servings, you can also try my Crockpot Pumpkin Apple Oats!

1/3 cup rolled oats (if you are on a gluten-free diet use a gluten-free brand such as Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joes GF)

1 egg white (2 Tablespoons liquid egg whites)

2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

a dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Spoon into a small ramiken or small oven safe baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake for about 30 minutes, until top is firm and inside is slightly soft.

Makes one serving

Serving size 1 baked oat dish  Calories 200 Protein 7g Carb 42g Fiber 4g Sugars 21 g Fat 2 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 55 mg  

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