WEEKLY RECIPES: BLUEBERRY PEACH COBBLER

I finally was able to get to a Farmer's Market this summer- my work schedule makes it tough! I picked up some delicious looking peaches and fresh blueberries and decided to make a nice summer cobbler. 

Ingredients:

Filling:

3 large peaches

1 pint blueberries 

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp flour

1.5 tbsp brown sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

4 tbsp. melted butter

3 tbsp. brown sugar

Directions:

Combine filling ingredients in circular oven safe crock until evenly distributed. Mix topping ingredients in separate bowl until well combined. Distribute topping evenly over fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

CANDLES AND CUPCAKES!

As summer winds down, I find myself day dreaming about fall. I love when the temperature is cool and I have a pumpkin spice candle burning on the coffee table. My friend told me about an awesome candle place and of course we had to grab some cupcakes along the way!

First stop was A Cupcake a Day. An adorable little bakery with a delicious selection of cupcakes. We ate a cupcake there and got a little selection to go! 

1. Vanilla Chai.

2. Blackberry Sage. 

 3. Nutella.

 4. Lemon Coconut

Next stop was a cute store named Root Candle. This company started over a hundred years ago as a honey manufacturer. They soon found themselves with more beeswax than they knew what to do with- a candle business was born. The store is in the old factory and is huge with a ton of great items to look at!

The store had a viewing window to watch the bees making honey. It was pretty neat. I definitely prefer to be on the other side of the glass!

The grounds had a variety of flowers and plants known to be bee friendly. Buying local honey is a holistic way to fight whatever allergens are lurking outside the window!

MARKET DISTRICT GRAND OPENING

Giant Eagle just opened up a Market District in Solon that is about 20 minutes from my house. I was excited to go, and not quite sure what it would be like. It was a mix between Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and a large chain grocery store. It had a huge bulk food section and gourmet health foods. There was a ton of stuff to look at and buy. I definitely will be back!

One of my favorite things was the olive oil stand which had various types of olive oil infused with different flavors. I purchased the lemon infused extra virgin olive oil. You can bottle your own which is kind of fun! 

I could not pass up these adorable mini red velvet cupcakes...

These salad kits were on sale and are a great way to get your daily dose of veggies with all the fixings included!

WEEKLY RECIPES: COCONUT ENCRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS AND GREEKED OUT BLACK EYED PEA SALAD

 I was cleaning out my kitchen and found about four bags of shredded coconut- evidence of an unsuccessful week of attempting to adhere to the Paleo diet. Even though I failed on the diet, I still have a ton of shredded coconut that needs to be used! Ironically, this recipe for Coconut Encrusted Chicken tenders would be considered Paleo and smells delicious when preparing! 

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup powdered parmesan cheese

1 lb. chicken tenders- rinsed and dried

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lime

Directions:

Mix together coconut, bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese into bowel, set aside. Pour olive oil into separate bowl and squeeze in juice from fresh lime. Dip chicken tenders into oil mixture, transfer to coating bowl, and evenly coat all sides of tenders with coconut mixture. Cook coated tenders in frying pan over medium heat until done. Serve warm with fresh honey.  

I love black eyed peas and they offer a great source of fiber, potassium, and zinc. This salad is delicious and really sticks with you! 

Ingredients:

2 cans black eyed peas- drained and rinsed

1 fresh red pepper finely chopped

1 fresh yellow pepper finely chopped

1/2 yellow onion chopped

small container organic baby spinach finely chopped

10 slices nitrite free turkey bacon- fried and chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large salad mixing bowl and toss until ingredients evenly mixed. Place dry mixed salad in smaller serving dishes and serve with a vinaigrette or make your own dressing with olive oil, salad vinegar, and seasoning to taste. 

WEEKLY RECIPES: EGGS EN COCOTTE AND HONEY PUMPKIN BREAD

Several years ago, I was at a cooking class and stumbled on this book of mini-cocotte recipes and Le Creuset mini-cocotte dishes. At $24 each, the mini round dishes from Le Creuset are a tad over my budget- so I opted for an equally cute substitute from World Market. You could also use basic ramekin dishes and have the same result. The dishes can be used for sweet or savory dishes and are great for making a meal that looks fancy but is super easy!

I decided to make an egg dish- who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? I chopped up small portion of onion, spinach, fresh tomato, cooked bacon, feta cheese, and fresh dill. I sprayed the small dishes with olive oil and layered the vegetables and cheese evenly in each dish. I cracked in two eggs per serving and sprinkled with fresh ground pepper. Fill 13X9 glass pan with boiling water and gently set in dishes. Cook on 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until eggs cooked as desired.

I found this great blog with awesome recipes. I am always looking for ways to use up ingredients. With a surplus of honey and canned pumpkin, I figured why not combine the two? The results were amazing and I will definitely be adding this to my fall repertoire. It was a great compliment to the Eggs en Cocotte!

WEEKLY RECIPES: SKINNY CHAI TEA LATE

My love of fall seems to get more premature with every passing year. Few drinks excite me more than chai tea lattes and pumpkin spice lates. I purchased an aeorolatte frother awhile back and figured with the temperature in the 70's why not? Best of all, they are easy to make and way cheaper than daily trips to Starbucks.  

Directions:

1. Boil water and brew half mug of chai tea and add pack of truvia- set aside. 

2. Heat half mug of warm milk (dairy or dairy-free) and froth for 30 seconds from bottom of the mug. 

3. Pour hot chai tea through milk froth.

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg and enjoy!

WEEKLY RECIPES: TOMATO BASIL MOZZARELLA SALAD WITH LIGHT TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

I have been waiting to make a recipe with the basil from my garden. My favorite salad in the summertime contains tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. The name is basically what it contains. I usually use about 8 small tomatos, 1 chopped onion, fresh mozzarella in water, salt, pepper, garlic and basil to taste. Toss with olive oil + balsamic vinegar and serve cool.

Tuna Noodle Casserole is one of those comfort foods that makes you feel like all is right in the world- especially if it is lower fat! This tuna noodle casserole contains half a bag of yolk free noodles, 2 cans of low fat cream of celery soup, chopped onion and stalk of celery, handful of fresh parsley, and 3 packs of tuna fish. Mix all ingredients with 1/2 cup skim milk, place in a greased 13X9 inch pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

ORGANIZE THIS: KITCHEN EDITION

I am always more inspired to cook when things are organized. We have limited space in the condo, so every square inch counts! We purchased this kitchen rack about a year ago and it has really been a life saver in terms of organizing pots, pans, and dry goods. Its openness forces us to keep things tidy as well.

My mom and I have done several online whole food/vegan workshops through the Beauty that Moves website. The author of the site offers many suggestions for organizing a whole foods kitchen. I liked the idea of buying in bulk and storing in glass containers. It saves money and helps you keep track of ingredients you may be running low on. 

Like almost everything else in our house, we purchased this baker's rack on Amazon. It was easy for my husband to assemble and it is very sturdy for heavy objects. It does not protrude too far from the wall and it really is a great space saver. The price was decent as well.

My dad redid an old mahogany desk from a law office as a gift. It works great as a place to spread out my recipes and get organized. I can't bear to get rid of my first Mac computer from college. It stills works well and I use it for simple recipe searches online. It is cool and retro in its own way!

WEEKLY RECIPES: CHOPPED SPINACH SALAD, BLUEBERRY MAPLE MUFFINS, AND LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

 I have been busy this week in the kitchen after getting an extra day off of work. The first recipe I made was a chopped spinach salad. On a recent trip to NYC, I ate my first chopped salad. New Yorkers are always on the go, so it makes sense they offer this option for healthy and quicker eating. They used a rounded blade to make tiny easy to eat pieces- of course I had to have one! Spinach can be kind of overwhelming in big chunks- chopping it made it more lettuce like and more appetizing. I added in some nitrite free bacon, boiled eggs, feta cheese, and tossed with a Greek Vinaigrette. 

The second meal was Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Maple Blueberry Muffins. Even though it is not winter, I feel like a lemony soup is appropriate for these cooler days we have been having. Blueberries are at their prime right now and truly made the muffins delicious. Best of all, we will have leftovers for days!