Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

It's officially winter, and we are certainly feeling the season with colder than normal temperatures, rain, and little sunshine. Although, I am so thankful the solstice has come, and the days are slowly but surely beginning to lengthen. Spring seed catalogs arrived in the mail this week, so I have been flipping through and marking page after page of seeds to order, listening to music, and spending time with my family in this lazy week between Christmas and the new year. Christmas gathering foods were so good, and we indulged happily! But this week, we have been in the kitchen preparing veggie and protein filled meals and fruit smoothies for simple snacks. I have been making this blueberry pomegranate smoothie for the last several days, and it has become a favorite! It's packed with lots of antioxidants and vitamin C and is anti-inflammatory for those of you whose bellies don't love holiday food as much as you do. I hope it makes you feel good. And cheers to the end of another year, friends. See you in the next.

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

1 Meyer lemon quartered and peeled

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 teaspoons agave syrup 

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. 

Add a handful of ice and blend until consistency desired is reached. 

Enjoy!

Note: My favorite way to deseed a pomegranate is using the wooden spoon trick. 

Roasted Peaches with Coconut Cream

It's peach season ya'll. and I can't get enough. I actually prefer unripe peaches to the softer ripe peaches. My husband tells me I eat them wrong, ha! But, for roasting I prefer the ripest I can find. I have been using a coconut creamer for my tea and coffee from The Sprouted Kitchen that takes the cake when it comes to dairy free creamers. It's a bit thick, which makes it perfect for a cream topping. I decided to pair it some roasted peaches for a light quick dessert and the outcome was SO good. I hope you enjoy. 

Ingredients

A few spoonfuls of The Sprouted Kitchen's Coconut Creamer (Optional: make in advanced and store in the fridge. Remaining creamer can be used in your tea or coffee.)

1 ripe peach peeled and sliced

1/2 tablespoon of butter

1/2 tablespoon of light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt the butter and mix in the peach slices. Add the brown sugar and toss to evenly coat the peach slices. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and plate with a spoonful or two of coconut cream. 

Summer Tea Cocktail for TLBC

Working with other creatives is such a treat to me, since my day job consists of so much technical talk and thinking. So when Hope from The Little Blue Chair reached out to collaborate on a summer drink recipe, I happily obliged. Hope owns and runs the most beautiful letterpress company from her quaint home studio in the town I grew up in. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting her in my youth, but I am so happy we were able to connect as adults. Head on over to Hope's site for the recipe and some breathtaking paper goods. Have a happy weekend friends!

Green Tomato Salsa

I love a good salsa verde. So fresh and scrumptious. Over the weekend, I found myself making a batch using some tart green tomatoes I had on hand in lieu of tomatillos. I adapted this recipe for a smaller batch of salsa, and the result was delicious. I may have snacked on it all weekend long as hot sticky thunderstorms passed through. If you happen to find yourself with a few handfuls of green tomatoes, you should give this version of salsa verde a try. It's relatively easy to throw together for a party or just for a snack when you're stuck at home in the rain.

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped green tomatoes (about 4 medium green tomatoes)
1 white onion peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic peeled
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and quartered
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
sea salt to taste

In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Pulse until all veggies are finely chopped. Add the veggies from the food processor to a pot with the chopped tomatoes. Add the lime juice and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes. While the salsa is simmering, place the cilantro in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Remove the salsa from the heat and add in the cilantro and salt to taste.

Whipped Feta and Pecan Squash Blossoms

A delicacy found only in the early growing seasons of spring and fall, squash blossoms are the quiet humble parents of zucchini. The beautiful vein leafed yellow flowers are the first signs of a good vegetable harvest and easily overlooked as a harvest themselves. Because there are usually more male flowers than female flowers, the males (no squash attached) can be harvested and enjoyed in salads, pastas, quiches, or anything your taste buds can imagine. I think that there is something inherently magical about flowers, whether giving life to a home or love to a dear friend, or yes, even filling our bellies. There is definitely something special about nourishing ourselves with flowers! I was happily surprised to find a bagful of these blossoms in our weekly CSA from Indieplate, which just so happened to be dropped off a few days before my birthday. I didn't have a specific plan or recipe in mind, but my growling stomach and a few other fresh ingredients I had on hand made for a perfect afternoon birthday treat. So here is my southern take on this beautiful magical food, because my taste buds think the best way to enjoy them is deep fried with sunshine, bare feet, and most certainly fresh strawberry beer. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup feta

1 ounce cream cheese

1 handful of pecans

5 squash blossoms

3/4 cup flour

Pinch of sea salt

6 ounces Parish Brewing Co. Strawberry Canebrake (can substitute beer of choice or club soda)

Canola or vegetable oil

Recipe:

Gently wash the blossoms and pat dry. Add about an inch of oil to a medium pot and heat on medium-high.

In a small food processor, combine the feta and cream cheese and process until you get a nice whipped creamy consistency (about 30 seconds). Add in the pecans and blend until the nuts have been coarsely chopped and blended into the feta. 

Add the flour to a mixing bowl with the pinch of salt. Lightly whisk in the beer. Gently tease open each blossom and use a small spoon and your fingers to add 1-2 teaspoons of your feta filling. Gently close the blossom and twist the ends of the petals together. Drench each into the prepared batter and let any excess drip away. Fry each blossom in the oil separately for about a minute, using a slotted spoon to flip the blossom halfway through. Remove the blossoms from the oil and lay on a plate lined with a towel to absorb any excess oil while the blossoms cool.  

A Gift in a Jar: Butterscotch Brownies

 

I hope you all are having a nice slow and cozy Advent and holiday season so far. I know these short days can be so hectic and not so cheery to many, and please know that I am thinking of you. I have learned over the past few years, this season, although filled with pretty lights, sweet gifts, and yummy treats, is most importantly a season of preparation and stillness. Remembering our sweet Savior's first coming into the world as a baby in a manger and preparing our souls for when He comes again. Thinking of Jesus' Earthly life is so comforting to me because it reminds me that he gets me. He fully understands the trials we are going through, and He is right by our sides, through every painful and every joyous moment.  I hope that thought comforts you too, and allows us all to be grateful for Him first, send extra love to others second, and soak in all the wonderful magical things this season brings third. 

In the spirit of Christmas and gift giving, I wanted to share a homemade project with you this year that you can cozy up indoors and make for your loved one.  It's a simple brownie mix that you could gift on it's own or pair it with an oven mitt for a little gift set that is sure to warm the heart and the belly. I paired my brownie mix with the oven mitt I designed for my crochet class on Skillshare. If you may be interested in making this little mitt, you can head over to my class to see how it's done. If you are already a crocheter, feel free to just download the pattern or skip over to the project videos.

I love using natural and simple materials when I create things whether it's gifts or just a little something for myself. I think it offers a peaceful and warm feel made with intention. I chose to use simple ingredients for the brownie mix that you most likely have on hand, and my oven mitt was made with pure American wool. For the wrapping, I used a natural linen fabric, a bit of twine, and a tree clipping. I very much hope you enjoy making this gift and gifting it! 

Brownie Mix:

1 1/4 cup flour

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

pinch of salt

butterscotch morsels

Mix all brownie ingredients in a bowl with a handful of the butterscotch morsels. Slowly add the mix into a 1 quart mason jar pressing down the mix firmly into the jar as you go. I used the bottom of a small glass for this. Add another handful of morsels to top the jar off and close. Print out this label and add to the top of the jar. Place the oven mitt on top of the fabric, then the jar in the center of the oven mitt standing up. Gather the four corners of the fabric at the top of the jar and securing with the twine. Decorate with your tree clipping. 

Rosemary Satsuma Fizz

This time of year in Louisiana, it is quite easy to spot an overfilled satsuma tree with its fruit weighing down its branches on a quiet street corner or neighborhood yard. When we moved into our house last year, we were so happy to find our very own baby satsuma tree growing in the backyard. Our satsumas are still ripening, but luckily there are plenty of this delicious little fall citrus to go around down here, so I get them in bag fulls from friends and family. I love a good gin fizz, so I thought I would substitute the lemon juice for satsuma juice and add in a hint of rosemary, which I also have growing wildly. It turned out so refreshing, but still tasted like fall. I hope you enjoy!

 Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Simmer sugar and water together in a sauce pan and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the rosemary and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes before removing the rosemary.

Rosemary Satsuma Fizz

1 oz gin
2 oz fresh satsuma juice
2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup
sparkling water or club soda

Combine the gin, satsuma juice, and rosemary simple syrup into a cocktail shaker or mason jar with some ice and shake well. Pour the liquid into a cocktail glass and top with sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with a slice of fresh satsuma and rosemary.

Garden Tomato Galette

"Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the 

back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the

tree house; summer was everything good to eat; it was 

a thousand colors in a parched landscape..."

-Harper Lee

Growing up, the only part of my diet consisting of tomatoes were of liquid form. Ketchup and spaghetti sauce sums up my interaction with tomatoes as a child. Slowly over the years, I've come to appreciate them. They are so forgiving of new gardeners, growing so easily and making you feel accomplished. The smell and beauty of a fresh tomato with it's little specks of brown dirt and plump fleshy skin is unlike any other. And the wonderful feel-good taste you can only truly appreciate right in the heat of summer, with rosy cheeks and tanned skin. Our little tomato plants have been good to us this year. After spending the evening in the yard, this little galette is a simple and delicious summer supper. 

Ingredients

3 creole tomatoes

1 sheet of puff pastry

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Fresh thyme

1-2 TBSP olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper

1. Roll out the puff pastry sheet and place on a greased baking pan.

2. Slice your tomatoes and arrange them in a single layer in the center of the puff pastry leaving about an inch on all sides.

3. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper them.

4. Remove leaves from a few sprigs of thyme and sprinkle over tomatoes, and add a few sprigs of thyme in tact to the top as well.

5. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and then fold in the edges.

6. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes.

Goat Cheese Omelettes with Sun-dried Tomato Spread

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day Weekend! I am so grateful for all who serve and especially those who have lost their lives or loved ones. My heart aches for the families who are separated, and I pray all of your loved ones make it home safely to you. I spent the weekend with family and friends, mostly over meals. A lot of BBQ and SO much watermelon. On Saturday morning we had a few friends over for brunch at our house, and I served some simple goat cheese omelettes with sun-dried tomato spread alongside fresh zucchini bread. Perfect for summer weekend mornings.

Ingredients:

Eggs
Goat Cheese
Salt + Pepper
Jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes

To Make:

1. Whisk 2 eggs together in a small bowl, and add 2 tablespoons of water and salt and pepper.
2. Pour into a medium sized skillet and cook until just about done, lifting the edges and draining the liquid egg to the bottom of the omelette as it cooks.
3. When the omelette is almost done, add about a handful of goat cheese to one half of the omelette and fold the other half on top. Cook for about 30 seconds, flip and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve.
4. For the tomato spread, simply add the jar of sun-dried tomatoes with the oil to a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are very fine. Top your omelettes and enjoy!

If you are making multiple omelettes, and need to keep them warmed, heat oven to 200°F and place cooked omelettes in an oven safe dish with a damp paper towel on top.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

These cupcakes. They take forever to make, and your kitchen will look like sugar and icing and flour exploded everywhere when you are finished (maybe that's just me). But I promise, they are so so worth it. So much sugary goodness in these little pastries they are a surefire crowd-pleaser. These cupcakes also happen to be Trent's most favorite dessert I make. I hope they'll be your favorite too.

Base cupcake slightly adapted from this recipe, and filling and icing were inspired by this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vinegar
white chocolate chips

For the Raspberry Filling
8 ounces fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces cream cheese softened

For the Icing
1 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon raspberry extract
3 cups powdered sugar
6 ounces white chocolate
1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1.To make the cupcakes, line and spray a cupcake pan and preheat oven to 350°. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a stand mixer and gently mix. In a medium bowl combine the water, oil, vanilla, and vinegar and whisk together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium for about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the cupcake pan and add a small handful of white chocolate chips to each cupcake. Use the back of a spoon to sink the chips into the batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a knife inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

2. To make the filling, add raspberries, water, and sugar to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add raspberry mixture to a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add raspberry mixture to stand mixer with the softened cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated.

3. For the icing, Add butter and raspberry extract to a stand mixer and beat until combined and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a top until fully incorporated. Melt the bakers chocolate and add to the icing with 1-2 tablespoons of milk and mix together.

4. To assemble, once the cupcakes have cooled, use a butter knife to cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake. Use a piping bag to pipe a small amount of raspberry filling into each of the holes. Use a piping bag to pipe on the icing and top with a fresh raspberry.

Fennel Slaw

A few weeks back, I shared on Instagram a few of my go-to cookbooks for my weekly meal plans. I like to plan my meals for the week ahead of time, because I am a very indecisive person. If I wait until a weeknight after work to decide what we are going to have for supper, we either won't eat at all or end up eating something absolutely terrible for us. For weeknight suppers, I like recipes with short whole food ingredient lists, short prep times, and short cooking times (if any). After a long day of work, I need simplicity. A meal I can cook and relax with, and that I can whip up fairly quickly leaving enough time for binge watching Netflix and cuddling with the dogs and husband. SO here we have a quick, fresh, and healthy side from one of my favorite cookbooks The Sprouted Kitchen. You can also visit their website for other easy and delicious whole food recipes. 

 Ingredients

2 medium-large fennel bulbs, with a few chopped fronds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Slice the fennel bulbs horizontally as thinly as you can. Remove any large core parts, then add the slices to a large mixing bowl with the fronds.

Add the olive oil, lemon zest, and juice to the bowl and toss together. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften the fennel. You could do this up to two days in advanced.

Before serving add the parsley, a pinch or two of salt, and a generous grind of pepper. Toss everything together and serve immediately.

My favorite way to serve this is with pork chops cooked on a cast iron skillet with a little butter.

Note: The original recipe calls for Parmesan cheese to be added in with the parsley, salt, and pepper. I prefer it without, but feel free to add some in!

Simple Roux Over Eggs and Toast

Oh Monday. You are supposed to bring freshness and a feeling of rest, and I am supposed to feel ready for another week. I just want to hit the snooze and stay cuddled in my little nest of covers (#TBH).  Some mornings are hard, and if you feel the same, know you are not alone friend. Some mornings you can't help but rushing around like a mad person, only having time for toast and a coffee to go.  But on one of those special mornings, when you find yourself waking hazily on your own with no place to go and a grumbling stomach, try this. My grandma used to make me this breakfast, and to this day it is one of the most homely and comforting meals to me. It's a quick meal made with the simplest of ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It's a lazy weekend morning staple, and I hope you'll give it a try.

Ingredients 

4 hard boiled eggs

3 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flower

2 slices of toast

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Place eggs in a pot and cover with 1" of water and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Remove from water to cool.

2. Melt butter in saucepan and whisk in flour slowly. Once butter and flour are combined, stir in small increments of water until the sauce is the consistency you like. I usually add about 1 cup total for a medium consistency. 

3. Peel eggs, remove yolk, and slice lengthwise. Lay the slices of egg on top of the toast and pour the roux over the eggs and toast. Top with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serves 2

Shrimp & Zucchini Alfredo

I recently bought this spiralizer from amazon for turning my veggies into faux pasta. Good trick, huh? It's obviously not the delicious carb filled pasta you treat yourself to on date nights, but it is the delicious pasta that brings no heartburn and fewer calories, so you don't feel as bad for skipping your workout.

Shrimp and Zucchini Alfredo: Serves 2


Ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil
4 small zucchini
1 lb. medium shrimp
2 cu. lowfat milk
1 cu. chicken broth
3/4 cu. all purpose flour
3/4 cu. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash your zucchini and cut off the ends. Run all four zucchini through your spiralizer or use a pairing knife to spiralize your zucchini.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in large skillet and add your zucchini with a little salt and pepper. Cook on medium/high heat for about 15 minutes flipping occasionally with a spatula.

3. While your zucchini is cooking you can start on the alfredo sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, broth, and garlic powder on low heat until warm. Add flour and stir until the flour had been fully incorporated into the sauce. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the parmesan until fully incorporated into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer on the lowest heat setting until ready to serve, stirring every so often. If your sauce is not thick enough, add 1 tbsp. of flour at a time over low heat until you've reached your desired thickness.

4. Once the zucchini has finished cooking, remove it from the skillet and place into a bowl with aluminum foil on top to keep it warm. Rinse your shrimp and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and return to medium/high heat. Add your shrimp to the skillet with salt and pepper and cook until bright pink (about 10 minutes).

5. To Serve: Place zucchini "pasta" on your plates and cover with shrimp and alfredo sauce. Add a little extra parm on top if you please.