Tag Archives: cheese

What’s Cookin’

26 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in beans, breakfast, DIY, quinoa, salad, seasonal, Side dish, vegan

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Love:

You know what I love about blogging? Other blogs! Do you ever wish you could live in someone elses kitchen? Well, I do. That’s what I get from other blogs, they do the work and I look fabulous. My hope is that I do that for all of you.

So have fun seeing what I have been busy in the kitchen whipping up, and thanks for the other blogs I follow for inspiring me to get in the kitchen keep cookin’.

Food:

Lentil Meatballs

 I found this fun recipe on Pinterest, which lead me to this great new blog Sprouted Kitchen. These Lentil Meatballs were easy to whip up, and there was also a recipe for a Lemon Pesto to go with them (I switched parsley for basil and walnuts for pine nuts). Billy loved these. They were what was for lunch last week.

Quinoa Spinach Bake

 I thought I had a pic of the finished project, sorry. I found this great recipe on Whole Living. I love all things quinoa, it is so versatile. I thought this Quinoa Spinach Bake would be great with the Lentil Meatballs and I was right. I chopped up some fresh spinach, tossed in the Lentil Meatballs, topped it with the Quinoa Bake and finished it off with the Lemon Pesto. Voila! Lunch was fantastic.

Banana Walnut Pancakes (I call them love pancakes)

 Raw Slaw w/Tahani Dressing

Homemade Goat Milk Ricotta

Raw Cashew Dreamcake

All four of these recipes came from the same blog, My New Roots! I know, I know a little obsessed, but I don’t care. The creator of this blog is into Holistic eating, living, being, cooking just like me! I have to say that I hope my food is as awesome to y’all as hers is to me.

The Pancakes are vegan, gluten-free and are made with walnut flour. We have made them two weeks in row-yum! New favorite.

The Raw Slaw is great for this time of year, all the ingredients are seasonal (bonus). We had it last Monday for Soup and Salad Night. I strive to have a balance between raw and cooked foods in my diet and this salad is perfect for that. Not to mention that it is fabulous to look at!

Homemade Goat Milk Ricotta was too easy to make and went perfect with my Roasted Bell Pepper Tempanade for Oscar night on the couch. This recipe will definitely make another appearance in my kitchen, so good. I made my own cheese!!! Bonus: I got to use local Drake Family Farms Goat Milk.

Raw Cashew Dreamcake, you had me at hello. A raw dessert that taste like cheesecake? Sorry people this one is a no brainer, and the bonus is that I got to use honey from my buddy Dean’s bees and local raspberries that I had in the freezer.

Thanks for the blog love. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust?!

12 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in DIY

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Food:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1c. cauliflower, pulsed into tiny looking grain (I’ll explain)

1c. shredded provolone cheese

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. dried basil or oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 450 degrees. Take a head of cauliflower and break up the florets into the food processor and pulse down until you get something that resembles course grain. Be sure not to over process.

2. Place 1c. cauliflower grain in bowl that is safe for the microwave and cook for 4 minutes. While the cauliflower cooks place the beaten egg, chopped garlic, dried herbs, garlic salt and pepper in a bowl, mix to combine. Next add the shredded cheese and mix again.

3. When the cauliflower is done cooking let cool for just a minute and then add it to the cheese mixture. Mix to combine all the ingredients. Scoop the mixture onto a lined w/parchment paper or oiled cookie sheet. (I have a silpat that I placed on my baking sheet, it worked great) Form the mixture into a good size circle.

4. Place the cauliflower crust in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn oven off and leave the crust in for another 5 minutes. Take crust out of the oven and top with whatever you want (you want to make sure that all of your toppings are cooked accordingly beacuase you are just going to place the whole pizza under the broiler for just a minute to warm through or melt any extra chesse you might add).

-Cosmo Hippie Chef Toppings-

DIY Pizza Sauce

Sauteed mushrooms

Fresh arugula

Sprinkle of pecorino cheese

Truffle oil (drizzled on after the pizza was under a low broiler for 5 minutes)

Nutrition:

Cauliflower- One cup of raw cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C and is a very good source of fiber, potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins. Caulifower and other cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and kale contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. They increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens.

Cheese- Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients, in a particular high-quality protein and calcium, as well as other nutrients sush as phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin and vitamin B12.

Love:

So this idea for a cauliflower pizza crust has been floating around facebook and pinterest so I just had to try it. Bill-y loves pizza but we differ on the frequency on how often we should eat pizza, it’s not that I don’t like pizza but I’m trying to keep my sexy! So this idea for crust made out of vegetables was right up my alley and who knows Bill-y just might like it to. Well neeed less to say he was a total skeptic, he says ‘this is the weirdest idea I have ever heard of!’. Guess what? Master William loved it and thought it tatsed so gourmet. Maybe, just maybe we have solved the pizza dillema in our house. Enjoy!

Taco Soup- Cosmo Hippie Style

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in beans, soup

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Food:

Taco Soup- Cosmo Hippie Style

1 lb. grass-fed beef (I used Canyon Meadow Ranch available at Tony Caputo’s on 15th&15)

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (look for BPA free cans)

1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (look for BPA free cans)

1 15oz can aduki beans, drained and rinsed (look for BPA free cans) * I usually cook my own beans but when in a pinch I let the store help me out. I used Eden canned goods.

1 8oz can tomato sauce (again, BPA free can)

1 jar home canned tomatoes w/their juice (if you don’t have this, use a large can of your favorite tomatoes)

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 T. mexican spice mixture (recipe to follow)

1 package dry Ranch Seasoning (I got this tip from my cute friend Trish)

2c. water

Mexican Spice Mixture:

6 tsp. cumin

3 tsp. chile powder

1 tsp. chipotle powder (I used cayenne pepper)

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. garlic powder

-mix these all together and keep in an airtight jar to use for your recipes, I got this recipe from Vogue Vegetarian.

Directions:

1. Place a large saute pan over medium heat drizzle in 2 tsp. canola oil. When its hot add the onions and garlic, start to saute. Season with salt and pepper. After about 5 minutes add the grass-fed beef. I use a potato masher to break the meat up. Continue to saute until the meat is almost cooked through.

2. While the meat mixture is sautéing place the rinsed and drained beans, tomato sauce, jarred tomatoes, 1c water and chilies in your crock pot or a big soup pot-set aside.

3. Next add the spice mixture and dry ranch packet to the meat mixture, stir to combine. When this has cooked for about 2-3 minutes add 1c. water and let the mixture simmer until the water has evaporated. (This will concentrate the flavors and will be amazing.) When the water is gone, turn off the heat and add the meat mixture to the bean mixture. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

4. Turn your crock pot on low and let the it go for a few hours. If using a soup pot turn to low and let simmer away until ready to eat. Taco Soup is like chili, it gets better with time!

Toppings-

Sliced avocado

Sour Cream or yogurt, shredded cheese

Hot Sauce

Quinoa Cornbread (we crumbled this on top and it was FABULOUS!)

Nutrition:

Grass-fed beef- Is lower in total fat, 3x omega-3 (diet high in omega-3 reduce Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, ADD, Cancer, Depression), 3x conjugated linoleic acid (anti-cancer agent, reduces risk of diabetes), 4x vitamin E (reduces risk of cancer, heart disease, anti-aging properties), 2x vitamin A (important for vision and bone growth, maintains integrity of skin, regulates immune function). COWS EAT GRASS NOT CORN!

Beans- Check out this earlier post Benefits of Beans

Love:

Everyone grew up with a version of this classic. I used to make it for Bill-y all the time in the beginning of our relationship, but I got burned out on it and the fact that we don’t eat a lot of meat at our house, this recipe hasn’t been made for quite some time. Well, I wanted to make Bill-y something yummy for Super Bowl so VOILA! I took some old ideas and mixed them with some new ideas and the result was probably the best Taco Soup I have ever made. We have had it for two dinners already and still have leftovers, I was thinking about using the leftovers on a baked potato YUMMY! Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Cottage Cheese Dip w/Crispy Pancetta

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in dips, Snack

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Food:

Spinach Artichoke Cottage Cheese Dip w/Crispy Pancetta

1 16oz container low-fat cottage cheese (I like Nancy’s Organic low-fat because it’s cultured like yogurt)

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and excess water squeezed out (frozen spinach is the best bang for your buck when using in dips)

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped

1 leek, sliced and sautéed just until soft

1/4c. pecorino cheese, grated (you could also use parmesan)

1/2 lb. pancetta, diced and sautéed until crispy (this ends up being about 1/2c. of crispy bits)

1 lemon, zest and juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Start by scooping the cottage cheese into the food processor, next add the grated cheese, zest and juice of lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse just a few times to smooth out.

2. Next add the spinach, artichokes, and leek. Process again until mixed well. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.

3. Scoop the dip into a bowl and fold in the crispy pancetta. If you make this dip ahead of time add the crispy pancetta just before serving. I served mine with fresh carrot sticks. YUM!!!

Nutrition:

Low fat Cottage Cheese- Low fat cottage cheese is a great alternative when making dips. It is low in fat, and good great source of calcium as well as HIGH in protein. There are cultured kinds as well which is an added benefit.

Spinach: Spinach tops the list along with other green leafy vegetables as a food most eaten by people who don’t get cancer. Great source of antioxidants and cancer antagonists, containing about four times more beta-carotene and three times more lutein than broccoli. Rich in fiber, helps lower blood cholesterol.

Artichokes: High in fiber, calcium and iron. Excellent for the digestive tract, the heart, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. They are good to eat for reduction of weight.

Lemon: This fruit ranks high in its medicinal value. It is a good blood and body purifier and a mild diuretic. The juice also aids in the removal of old drug poisons from the body.

Crispy Pancetta: Just because it tastes good and is fun from time to time.

Love:

I made this scrumpcious dip for the Super Bowl, the thing that I love about this dip is that its healthy enough for the ladies with the low-fat cottage cheese, spinach and artichokes but makes the men happy due do the crispy pancetta. Everyone is happy! If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, top a baked potato or sweet potato for a quick dinner. Enjoy!

Cauliflower- Mac and Cheese Style

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in seasonal, Side dish

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Cauliflower ready for cheese sauce!

Food:

Cauliflower- Mac and Cheese Style

1 lrg. head of cauliflower, stem and leaves removed cut in half and then slice both sides in 1/2 slices

1c. milk (I used unflavored coconut milk not canned, Use whatever kind of milk you have)

1/2 fresno chile, chopped (fresno chiles are like jalapeno’s but red and have a sweet heat)

1/2 lrg. purple onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 T. butter

2 T. whole wheat flour (if gluten intolerant sub w/gluten free flour such as buckwheat flour)

1c. reserved water from steaming

1c. sharp white cheddar, shredded (I used Beehive Cheese, local, Full Moon)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

a few fresh grates of nutmeg

Olive oil (for topping)

-topping-

1 1/2c. bread crumbs (I used high-five fiber bread crumbs, if you have a gluten intolerance sub w/ almond meal- I haven’t tried it but I can’t see why it wouldn’t be great)

1/4c. grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

1/4c. chopped parsley

-mix altogether and set aside

1. Start by steaming the cauliflower for 5 minutes. I place a steamer basket in a medium pot, I fill the bottom of the pot with about 1 1/2c. water. Turn the stove to medium, when the water begins to boil place the lid on the pot and steam for 5 min.

2. When the cauliflower is done steaming, remove the lid and let cool to the touch before you place the steamed cauliflower in a baking dish. (Choose one that will fit the cauliflower comfortably.) Arrange the cauliflower in the baking dish and set aside.

3. Let’s make the sauce! Start by placing a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter, saute the onion, fresno chile and garlic for just a few minutes. Next sprinkle in the flour and whisk for 1 min. Then whisk in the milk, and preserved water from steaming, whisk until smooth. Add the seasonings to the smooth mixture and let simmer until just thickened. Take the sauce off the heat and add the cheese, stir to melt. Taste to check salt and pepper and add more if needed.

4. Pour the lovely cheese sauce over the prepared steamed cauliflower. Sprinkle on the topping and drizzle with olive oil. Bake @350 for 30 mins. Serve hot! Enjoy!

Cauliflower is ready for the oven!

Nutrition:

Cauliflower- One cup of raw cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C and is a very good source of fiber, potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins. Caulifower and other cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and kale contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. They increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens.

Cheese- Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients, in a particular high-quality protein and calcium, as well as other nutrients sush as phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin and vitamin B12.(Courtesy of ‘The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods’)

Love:

The only way I can keep my sweet husband Bill-y on an eating for health plan is to treat him to dishes like this from time to time. It was the perfect dish in the middle of the week when he needs a dinner that feels like a splurge. I served it along side a huge spinach/arugula salad that I topped with pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds. It was a fun dish and my sweetie was happy to eat his veggies even if they were covered in cheese! Remember cauliflower is a great winter veg.

Ricotta Cupcakes

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in dessert

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http://orangette.blogspot.com/2005/10/going-steady.html

These cupcakes are so good! They came to be because I had leftover ricotta from making homemade ravioli and I didn’t want the ricotta to go to waste. So I did what I usually do, I started looking through some of my cookbooks looking for a special recipe to use my ricotta in, nothing came up. Next thought was to search some of the blogs I like to follow and just then I remembered that I was introduced to a new blog from a book we read in Slow Food Utah book club called ‘A Homemade Life’ by Molly Wiezenberg (I recently read this book in TWO days on a little getaway to Sundance with my sweetie). She has a blog called Orangette, so I did a search through her recipes and found this little gem of a recipe. I have made them twice in the last month- their that good. I posted the link above, I hope you’ll try them. They are simple to make but big on gourmet flavor. Enjoy!

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup on the Food Network- Soup and Salad Night

29 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by in salad, soup

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Broccoli-Cheddar Soup on the Food Network

I posted the link above for the soup, there is only two things that I did different and here they are…
1. I used 4 c. veggie broth (in their recipe they use 2 c. chicken stock and 2 c. of half and half)
2. I sauteed some bacon in the soup pot before I started making the soup. I scooped out the cooked bacon and about 2 T. of the bacon oil for my salad dressing. I left the rest of the bacon oil to saute the vegetables for the soup.

-Bacon Avocado Salad- Makes 2 servings

1 head of butter lettuce, torn into pieces and rinsed and spun in a salad spinner
1 avocado, diced
4 strips of sauteed crispy bacon, chopped
2 T. reserved bacon oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. veganaise or regular mayo
salt and pepper

1. Start with the dressing, whisk red wine vinegar into the reserved bacon oil, next add the veganaise and whisk again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Place the torn clean lettuce into a large mixing bowl, pour over half of the dressing and toss lightly.
3. Plate your greens and top with diced avocado and chopped crispy bacon, drizzle the rest of the dressing over the two salads.

Pizza on the Grill- A Summer Favorite!

27 Monday Jun 2011

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I can’t believe it has taken me a week to updates last weeks meals. Blame it on summer, it’s just so busy!

 I got my charcoal grill nice and hot! Onions were up first, then I brought them in the house and chopped them up and tossed them in a bowl in anticipation of the other veggies.
 Next: grill the asparagus! (fresh from the farmer’s market)
 Next: grill the oyster mushrooms and the baby shitake’s. (fresh from the farmer’s market)
 All the grilled veggies chopped up with a Wyomatoes tomato and some fresh basil.
 Grill the prepared pizza dough (I picked it up from Whole Foods), just 1-2 minutes each side. Keep an eye on it!
 Top the grilled pizza dough w/ DIY Pizza Sauce (recipe is on the blog), then the grilled veggie mix.
 Next: Beehive ‘Fresh’ Cheese, then I slide the whole pizza w/ the foil underneath back on the grill. Put the lid to the grill on the grill just long enough for the cheese to melt. I usually have Billy help me pull the pizza of the grill and back on the cookie sheet.
 Take the pizza back in the house and slice it up. Doesn’t this look amazing?!
Here’s Master William enjoying one of his favorite summer meals. He’s my biggest food fan.

Twice Baked Potatoes- Easter Dinner

01 Sunday May 2011

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 All the ingredients
 Potatoes scooped out and prepared filling, cheese for topping
 Completed prepared potatoes
Dinner!
-Twice Baked Potatoes-
6 organic russet potatoes
1 heaping c. Creminelli Prosciutto Cotto, cubed and fat trimmed off (about 1/2 lb)
1 heaping c. Beehive Full Moon Cheese, cubed- save 1/3 for the topping (I would have liked to use Beehive’s Promontory Cheddar but my store was out)
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/4 c. organic sour cream
1/4 c. prepared horseradish
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
1. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper, bake the potatoes whole rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with real salt. Bake @ 400 degrees for 50 minutes turning once during the cooking time.
2. When potatoes are cooked take out of the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out flesh of potatoes, be careful during this step not to break the outside shell. Leave 1/4 inch of flesh around the sides of the  shell.
3. Scoop the flesh into a big bowl, add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. (Taste to check seasoning)
4. Next add ham, 2/3 of the cheese, onions- mix to combine. Next add sour cream and horseradish and mix all together.
5. Scoop a large spoonful of the mixture into each half of the potato until they are all filled. Top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake @ 400 for 20 minutes. Serve hot! Enjoy!

Eat Local First- Good Ol’ Ham Sandwich

16 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by in Snack

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Last weekend I was very sick, thank goodness I had done the grocery shopping before I was down and out. Billy was a little lost on what to eat! But lucky for him I had picked up some great local products such as Criminelli Prosciutto Cotto Ham, they are a new local purveyor of pork products and you can find them at Tony Caputo’s. This sandwich is also highlighting Beehive Full Moon Cheese, you can find  them at the Farmers Market during the summer and the rest of the year you can find them at Tony Caputo’s, Liberty Heights Fresh, Harmon’s, and Whole Foods. The whole sandwich is held together with Great Harvest Sourdough Multigrain Bread. I have never seen Billy eat a sandwich so slow, he savored every little bite and said this is the best sandwich he has ever had! Yeah for our local hard working food artisan’s they took my place and saved my sweetie from starvation.