Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp

Nothing makes you feel better on a cold and crummy day than a bowl of piping hot soup. O.K. maybe a hug helps too, but soup is the best. Take this hot and sour soup for instance, tons of good for you veggies and a sweet and tangy broth you'll want to slurp up every last drop of. 

Sorry about the crummy pic's guys. I've been feeling icky and all I had in me was a handful of half hearted shots. I'll tell you though I'm SO glad I saw this thing coming and made this soup yesterday so I could have some today in between naps. O.K., my mommy made it for me. You're never too old for your mom to make you a bowl of home made soup right?

I almost always make home made chicken and veggies soup with tons of fresh herbs when I'm feeling  sick but something about this sweet and sour one I saw on Eats Well With Others really caught my eye. The broth is spot on with fresh ginger, a bit of tamari and a splash of rice vinegar and I love all of the healthy veggies in here. If this doesn't snap me out of my head cold, nothing will. 

For an extra kick in the head, sprinkle in a few drops of Sirachi Hot Sauce! That'll clear ya up!

recipe adapted from Eats Well With Others

TIME        20 MINUTES           SERVES       6

Ingredients

3 tbsp sesame or peanut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced very thinly
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup diced carrots
½ savoy cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 lb medium size shrimp, peeled, deveined
2½ quarts water or vegetable broth
½ cup tamari sauce
⅓ cup Organic rice vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
½ cup cold water
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thinly
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 cups bok choy, chopped
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Hot Pepper Flakes to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onions, ginger, and chiles and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add in the sweet potato, carrots and cabbage and bok choy. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, or until cabbage starts to wilt. Add in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, cold water, and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Add the mushrooms and bell peppers to the pot. Simmer until the veggies are tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the soy sauce mixture and stir until the soup thickens, about 8 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and bring the soup back to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil.

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Spinach and Turkey Salad with Cranberry-Orange Dressing

Sugar free, Guilt free, Delicious-ness  ;)

I realize I'm a bit late in posting leftover T-Day turkey recipes. I'm sure most people have either ate up all of their turkey or are sick of the thought of turkey all together. Next year I will make a turkey early so as to get these delicious, healthy 'left over' turkey recipes out to you all sooner.

* disclaimer of the day ;-)

I'm still new to this whole blogging thing and how to be helpful and actually get people to try healthy foods. Also, I made my turkey a few days after T-Day since we ate the official meal at our parents homes this year. The only reason I made our turkey was for a few spectacular recipes I want to share.

 This salad was actually yet another last minute, 'What the heck are we going to have for dinner' recipe. Salad is a simple, healthy and perfect dinner especially following the Big T-Day stuffing of ones-self. 

The Cranberry-Orange dressing was spectacular! For those of you who still buy canned cranberry 'sauce' shame on you! Fresh cranberries are cheap, better for you and take less than 10 whole minutes to cook up! As I like to say, 'So simple even I can do it!' I was out shopping and running errands all day today and came home exhausted and was able to throw this together, cooking the cranberries and all, in 10 minutes flat. Fresh cranberries are so tart and delicious I buy several bags and freeze them for throughout the year.

I was so disappointed when browsing the Internet and blogs recently and saw that every cranberry sauce recipe ( that I came across) was literally loaded with sugar. I'm talking 1 1/2 - 2 CUPS of sugar per 12 oz. bag of cranberries!  Yikes!  That's more sugar than cranberries people! The upsetting part for me was that people were actually commenting things like " Wow, looks great!" and "Yum, wonderful recipe!"  I don't get it. Either people are totally addicted to sugar or don't actually read or care about the recipes and only want to put their face on popular sites or both. What's so wonderful about turning something so good for you into something so bad for you? Cranberries are supposed to be tart, their special that way. They get their feelings hurt when you smother them with sugar! I used a bit of Agave Nectar to balance them out along with fresh orange juice and zest. Perfect!
My kids ate them all up..... and without all of the added sugar!   * applause, cheer!!

For the salad: 

6 cups fresh baby spinach

2 cups cooked turkey, diced

1-12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries

1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1 juicy orange, juiced ;)

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon orange zest

3/4 cup Agave Nectar

Raw Almonds, slivered or sliced

 In a sauce pot place cranberries, water, juice and zest. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool in refrigerator for a few minutes.
Place all other ingredients into a large salad bowl. Drizzle some of the cranberry dressing over salad and toss to coat. Top with more of the in tact cranberries.

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Zuppa Toscana

This is one of our favorite meals, and it happens to be soup. That's right soup. What's not to love about soup? Nothing! There's just something about it that is so comforting and wonderful. It's healthy, easy to make and a frugal mom's best friend. Soup warms your soul and brings friends and families together around the dinner table. You serve it to a sick person to heal them. Bring it to a friend to comfort them and serve it to children to put a smile on their faces and good things in their tummies.

My mom and I used to go to Olive Garden to have soup and salad for lunch. Pretty much the only thing I've ever had at Olive Garden was their Zuppa Toscana and house salad. Of course over the years their soup has consisted of more broth and less filling and flavour.

So, of course I started making my own. It's more flavourful and healthier and my whole family can enjoy Zuppa Toscana in the comfort of our home for much less than it costs to eat out. Who takes 4 kids out to a restaurant anyway?

Add chopped kale in large handfuls, it will cook down!

Told ya so.

TIME   20 MINUTES    SERVES   6-8You Will Need:
1 bunch Kale, rinsed and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can, Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
3 Russet potatoes, washed and sliced thinly ( leave the peels on, they're full of vitamins!!!)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6-8 cups Organic Chicken Broth (not in a can)
Italian Sausage


Putting it all together:

First, smash and chop garlic. Place a large ceramic dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. When hot, add onion, saute 3-4 minutes till soft and browned. Add garlic, cook just 30 more seconds. Add sausage breaking up to small pieces. Cook till browned, about 4 minutes. Pour in broth while scraping bottom of pot with a plastic spatula to remove browned bits (deglaze). Add potatoes, kale and beans. Bring to soft boil, turn down heat to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes to combine flavours. Add salt if needed. Serve with crusty Rosemary Olive Oil bread...... I just so happen to have the worlds best recipe for crusty artisian bread, Rosemary Filone   right here on my humble little blog!

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Cauliflower-Yam Bisque

It's still in the high 90's here in Phoenix, but I can't wait any longer for my favorite Fall foods. Sometimes I really think I live in the wrong climate zone for my personality and wants. I have a closet full of cute boots and thick sweaters and jackets that I only get to wear once or twice a year. My attempts at gardening have been futile for the most part due to the heat and horrible rocky "soil". And I love soups, chili's and bisques. It's not quite as enjoyable eating chili when it's 98 degrees outside in October. Oh well, I'll get over my "grass is greener on the other side of the hill" attitude and move on.

Yesterday, it was ever so slightly cloudy out and so I jumped at the chance to make this Cauliflower-Yam bisque for lunch. The kids actually love this dish and so it makes it a bit more enjoyable to make. It's so super easy too, that's the name of the game here at Simply Healthy Family. I use my pressure cooker and simply tear the cauliflower into thirds along with the yam. I chop the yam in big chunks so they cook evenly. That's the beauty of a pressure cooker, I've never messed up anything! It locks in moisture which means no lost vitamins and minerals through the steam, that also means more flavorful tasting foods! It took 3 minutes to cook  a big head of cauliflower and 2 yams.




Thank you Deb at  kahakai kitchen and Tina at Mom's Crazy Kitchen for hosting such a fun idea. Every sunday is souper sundays and bloggers from all over the world get the chance to share their favorite soups, stews, chili's and anything else you can slurp with a spoon. My bisque is linked up on her website this week. Hop on over for plenty of warm, feel good recipes to get you through the Fall and Winter months.


                            

Place a trivet in bottom of pressure cooker. Add 1 cup Organic chicken broth or water. I like the flavor and vitamins from broth. Add 1 head cauliflower and 2 yams. Turn stove on to high heat. Secure lid onto pressure cooker. Bring to 1st red ring, lower heat to lowest setting set timer for 3 minutes.

Bring pressure down naturally or by running water over lid.

Using an immersion blender on high, blend to combine cauliflower and yams.

In goes ze buttah.

 Add 1 cup almond milk OR half and half or heavy cream. Blend untill very smooth.

I add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper medley 

and garnish with chives.

Bon Apetite!

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Winter Fruit, Yogurt and Marmalade Pasta Salad

Today for lunch I had this sweet and super tangy fruit salad along with a few pieces of white cheese. I have to say I feel like I splurged a bit but in reality it took all of 10 minutes to make and was a very simple and healthy treat  lunch. 

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the National Pasta Association and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Did you know that cous cous is actually a pasta? Similar to orzo, another small pasta that resembles rice, it is in fact pasta. Traditional cous cous is very small and delicate and cooks up in just a few minutes. Israeli cous cous is a bit bigger and resembles small pearls and also cooks up in just a few minutes.  I like to to use Israeli cous cous, which is a bit sturdier as a base for grilled salmon and as a side dish tossed with chopped veggies and olive oil or fruits, nuts and yogurt. 

Apples and pears are plentiful right now and made a wonderful pasta salad tossed with pecans and raisins. A simple dressing of fat free yogurt and Seville Marmalade really made all of the flavors POP 

I used a couscous, orzo and lentil medley for this fruity pasta salad so it was hearty and filling enough or a light lunch. 

This was a big hit with the kids who love rice pudding. When cooked, Israeli cous cous has a similar texture as rice but is not void of nutrients as white rice is. Plenty of natural sweetness going on in this fruit salad and the Seville Orange Marmalade added a definite bitter zing.

Just a few simple ingredients to chop up while the couscous simmers for 8 minutes. 

Pair with your favorite cheese for a perfect light lunch.

You Will Need 

1 apple
1 pear
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup dried Israeli couscous medley
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup plain, fat free yogurt
1 cup Seville Orange Marmalade


Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Immediately add couscous, stir and cover. Turn heat down to low.  Simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you chop fruits.

Chop apple and pear, discard seeds. In a small bowl combine yogurt and marmalade.

In a medium size bowl combine all ingredients, toss to coat. 

You Might Also Like

Whole Grain Dijon Mustard Salmon on a Cous Cous

Moroccan Cous Cous with Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

Cous Cous with Cinnamon, Curry and Currants

An InLinkz Link-up

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Sopa de Almejas {Clam Soup}

Traditionally, a good Mexican meal starts with a nice bowl of soup as a first course, just after the appetizers. It can be a simple broth, accompanied with lemon or lime to be squeezed into it, some radish, onion, chili peppers and cilantro leaves for flavour. Or a more elaborated recipe, using seafood, meat, pasta, legumes and vegetables.




I made this soup because I had a bunch of clams left over from my gigantic can of clams I bought from Costco to make this Clam Pasta with White Sauce.  I didn't want to make a heavy clam chowder but I was craving a nice, hot soup. So I looked around in my pantry to see what I could come up with and found some Pomi diced tomatoes, potatoes, onion, celery and cilantro. We love Mexican food around here so I thought, why not a Mexican Clam Soup? Who says clams are only in thick chowders or Italian style dishes like Paella or Clams in Tomato and Wine broth..... oh, now I'm wanting those too.

Thanks to the addition of the potatoes, this was filling enough to be a main course for a light meal. Serve with some crusty bread for soaking up the wonderful juices if you would like.



recipe slightly adapted from Camino Florido


TIME  30 MINUTES     SERVES  6

Ingredients:

2 lbs. canned clams save the liquid since it will add more flavor to your soup
3 cups of potatoes cut in small cubes
2 cups of chopped celery
¾ of cup of chopped onion
4 Anchovy fillets (for more flavor and Omega-3's)
6 cups of seafood broth  (I just used the juice from the clams and then about 2 cups of *home made chicken broth I had frozen)
1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili flakes
Salt and pepper at taste
1 lemon, juiced

Preparation:

Heat a large pot and add the olive oil, fry the onion and celery, when the onion is transparent, add the garlic and anchovies. Integrate the potatoes and fry for a couple of minutes stirring continuously. Pour in the broth and clam juice. Add the clams and let it simmer covered with the lid on for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are done yet still firm. Add cayenne, salt and pepper at taste, Add the parsley and the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

* home made chicken broth is not only tastier and healthier than the canned and boxed varieties, but it is a bit milder so it won't overwhelm your seafood dishes with chicken flavour.

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Easy Lunch Boxes

Have you nocticed how many great blogs there are out there with cool giveaways? I've put my name in for a handful of them and never heard anything. Maybe I should have checked back more often, I don't know. My attention span isn't what it used to be. Recently I came across a great blog called Barefoot by the Sea. This mommy has a great blog featuring fun giveaways, mostly for mommy's and kiddos. I put my name in for these cool divided lunch containers and a nice size lunch cooler from sponser,  Easy Lunchboxes and guess what? I WON! I recieved my set of 4 divided lunch containers and cooler in just a week and have been sending them to school with Jack and taking them to work with me. I love that these are heavy duty and reusable so they will save all the money and waste from sandwhich baggies. Each container fits a big sandwhich and two good size sides/snacks.  The portioned containers are generously sized and 3 of them fit into the cooler, perfect for a picnic or trip to the zoo! Excellent! I encourage you to visit Easy Lunchbox website and see all of the products which were the inspiration from a mom who knows. Also, if you're into winning great stuff, check out Barefoot by the Sea blog.

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Black Bean, Jicama and Shrimp Tostadas with Avocado Creme and a Highlight on Jicama

Loving Mexican food is a no brainer. Especially if you grow up in Southern Arizona like I have and have lived and known what really authentic Mexican food truly is. I haven't found a Mexican restaurant yet that I can even tolerate. Growing up with friends who's mother's and grandmother's make home made tortillas, tamales and carnitas on a nightly routine led me to become some what of a snob regarding the complex flavors of the spices, salsas and condiments that accompany my favorite cuisine.

 So when I ask most people what their favorite thing about Mexican food is, most people will say 'Cheese of course!'.  I'm not arguing, but I have to say that IMHO most 'American' type cheeses smother the many flavors of good Mexican food and leave me with nothing but a heavy tummy and a greasy after taste. Not so appetizing.




Now, when I tell people that my favorite part of Mexican food, other than the spices of course, are the condiments such as cilantro, radish and jicama, I usually get a raised, questioning eyebrow at the least or a very distrusting smirk.

We've all had tacos in some varying form, right? The next time you make tacos, enchiladas or tostados try adding some chopped jicama or sliced radishes. I promise you that they add a whole new level to the dish. I recently stormed out  pouted like a toddler when we stopped at a small Mexican restaurant to grab some Posole' and they informed me that they were out of radish!  The nerve!

Spot Light on Jicama  [hee-kuh-muh, hik-uh-muh]

What is Jicama?

Actually part of the legume family, jicama contains a high amount of vitamin C, is low in sodium, and has no fat. It’s sweet to taste and has a crunchy, juicy texture. When purchasing jicama, make sure it’s firm, unblemished and not bruised. You can store jicama for up to 2-3 weeks in in a cool, dry place.

"Bigger is not always better"

Jicama has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. The roots can sometimes grow to be quite large, although when they exceed the size of two fists, they begin to convert the sugars that give jicama its sweet flavor into starches, making the root somewhat woody to the taste.




How to prepare Jicama:

Carefully peel off the tough outer skin with a paring knife. Use the soft, sweet, juicy flesh of jicama in salads, salsas, sandwiches or along with your other favorite veggies as a healthy snack.

My kids love it!

Jicama 'fries'






Recipe for Shrimp Tostadas

TIME    20 MIN        SERVES   6

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups baby shrimp

1/2 of a red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup jicama, peeled and diced

1/2 jalapeno, minced

juice of 1 lime

salt, cumin and chili powder to taste

Tostado shells

2 California avocados

1 heaping spoonful light sour cream

dash of salt

squeeze of lime juice

To Prepare:

In a large bowl combine shrimp, beans, jicama, red bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and

cilantro. Squeeze in lime juice, add spices. Toss to combine. Make avocado creme 

by mashing avocado with sour cream, salt and a squeeze of lime juice.

Serve on crispy tostado shells.

This post is linked to Cookin Canuck ~ Wake up with California Avocado

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Chinese Chicken Salad with Honey-Peanut Dressing

This absolutely falls into the "What to make when you don't feel like making dinner" category. 

I even used a store bought rotisserie chicken (gasp!) because, well, I really didn't feel like doing a damn thing involving the oven yesterday. I blame the crazy, unrelenting heat here in Phoenix. You're probably tired of my using that excuse and quite frankly I'm tired too. All of us Zonies deal with the triple scorching digits in our own way May through August but I gotta tell you, come mid September, I personally am spent. Done and down right cranky.

We didn't even get an honest to goodness Monsoon this year! This may not sound like a bad thing if you live in the mid-west or maybe in Japan.  Complaining about  not  getting 80+ mph winds and feet upon feet of rushing waters because the bone dry, compacted desert ground can't absorb it fast enough might sound crazy if you in fact did not live in the South Western deserts of Arizona. You must keep in mind that even the tall and mighty saguaro start looking parched and pathetic by the end of a summer were temperatures have been consistently averaging around 115F.  Every. Single. Day. 

This salad was a welcomed treat for a weeknight dinner. The kiddos thought it "looked pretty" with all of the colors and loved the honey-peanut sauce which made the veggies "taste yummier". 

This could very easily be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken. You would still have a lot of protein from the peanut sauce and the bean sprouts which are a wonderful source of protein. Also, you could use tahini (a sesame paste with a milder flavor than peanut) if you prefer.

The Crunch Factor in this salad makes it very filling. I used baby clementines instead of canned mandarin oranges this time because I had a big gab of them on the counter. I much preferred the fresh taste but the little seeds in them were annoying to pick out in each bite especially with all of the other crunchiness going on.



 juice from the mandarin oranges
tablespoon at a time of warm water to thin to desired consistency

PREP TIME  15 MINUTES        SERVES   6


INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 head Napa cabbage, chopped
1 large handful fresh bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper cut in strips
1 bunch green onions, chopped
handful of packaged julienned carrots
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
small handful of chopped peanuts
1 can mandarin oranges, reserve juice

1 tablespoon (no added sugar) peanut butter (or tahini)
1tablespoon local, Organic honey
1tablespoon tamari


Putting it all together

In a large bowl combine all veggies and toss together.
Add chopped chicken and toss.
In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, honey, soy sauce juice and water.
Drizzle the sauce over the salad and sprinkle with nuts.

Tamari Soy Sauce, Wheat Free, Organic

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Thai Garden Veggie Wraps with Peanut Sauce

This is my new favorite lunch! I ate a big whole grain wrap stuffed with fresh veggies and herbs and was satisfied but didn't feel heavy and stuffed . I love what living in the Arizona heat does to inspire me to come up with these quick, light meals. I suppose there's not much else to do other than sit around indoors and think about food since it's to stinking hot to go outside!

At first I was simply going to toss the veggies with lime juice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and hot chile flakes for some kick, but then I started craving a peanuty sauce. It was so perfect and was my favorite part. It helped the little guys gobble them up too!

*Flavor with fresh herbs and citrus instead of mayo, salt or jarred marinades.

What you will need: 

2 carrots, julienned
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and juliened
1 red bell pepper, seeded and juliened
broccoli slaw
big handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced
whole grain wraps/tortillas
toasted sesame seeds
hot chile flakes ( optional) 

* mint or cilantro would be good too, I just used what I had on hand.

For the peanut sauce: 

2 big spoonfuls of All Natural peanut butter or Tahini paste
2 tablespoons Tamari (similar to soy sauce, minus the additives and less sodium)
2 limes, juiced
dried onion flakes

Whisk all ingredients together in large measuring cup. Fill the wraps with veggies and herbs and drizzle sauce over the top.

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Baked 3 Cheese Mac with Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Sometimes you need comfort food, but in a grown up sort of fashion. Maybe it's because I have 4 kids and  my food choices are all I really have control over most of the time when it comes to gourmet or fancy but every so often, I like to indulge in comfort food gone swanky. 

Don't hate me, but I   hate   boxed Mac and Cheese.  Yes, there have been more times than I would like to admit that in a pinch I have made a pot of the boxed stuff but only when I added a can of tuna and a  lot  of hot sauce (is that strange?) to make it a bit more palatable. Maybe I'm an alien... 'Roswell' ........ Get it?..  Hot sauce. Yeah, o.k.  I watch lame t.v. series 10 years after they were (or weren't) in.  Again, 4 kids people.

So, how do you turn mac n' cheese into gourmet? Well, I'll tell you. You turn to your ridiculously large stack of Cooking Light magazines! Plant yourself on your favorite comfy arm chair on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee, expertly tuning out the kids, or better yet commission your loving husband to take them swimming for an hour so you can flip through old issues of your trusty menu planner and  Voila!   Mac and Cheese Gourmet!

 Update! Two of my favorite food bloggers are hosting a Mac and Cheese party! They've asked for all of our favorite M&C recipes new and old to put together a fabulous list of Oooey Gooey Goodness.

“Come join Mac and Cheese Mania at Rachel Cooks andNutmeg Nanny sponsored by Door to Door Organics and OXO – Win prizes!” i

I actually found this recipe for Baked 3 Cheese Macaroni in a Cooking Light magazine several years ago and have made it several times. Most recently for my 3 year old daughter, Mona Claire's birthday.  I love the fontina, white cheddar and Parmesan Cheeses  in here and the  slow roasted tomatoes are just the tangy, sweet punch of flavor  that I need to make me drool and feel a teensy bit gourmet if only for a moment.

Slow roasting your tomatoes are a perfect way to celebrate the end of tomato season. If you don't have the time, or extra tomatoes on hand, use a package of sun dried tomatoes instead. But trust me, slow roasting them brings out a flavor that you just can't replicate in a package.

adapted from a Cooking Light Magazine issue many many years ago.....

Will Need:

8 plum tomatoes (cut into 1/4" thick slices - ~ 2 lb)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

3/4 t salt  (divided)

4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)

1 lb uncooked multi grain whole grain elbow macaroni (such as Barilla Plus) (or non-gluten macaroni, such as spelt or quinoa)

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 c flour

5 c milk

1-1/2 c  (6 oz) shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese

1 c   (4 oz) shredded fontina cheese

1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesean cheese

1/2 t butter

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

fresh cracked  pepper

1/2 t paprika

Putting it All Together: 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet w/cooking spray (or spread oil on). Arrange tomato slices in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle oil over tomatoes. Sprinkle w/thyme, 1/4 t salt and garlic. Bake 35 min or til tomatoes start to dry out. 

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. 

Place butter in large Dutch oven. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until combined and just golden brown. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 8 min or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add cheddar, fontina and remaining 1/2 t salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts.

Remove from heat. Stir in roasted tomatoes and pasta. Spoon into a 13x9" baking dish coated w/oil. Combine grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and paprika; sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake 400°F., 25 min. or until bubbly.

Have a wonderful and Gourmet sort of day!!

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday's

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Sweet and Smokey Slow Cooked Garbanzo Beans on Flax Seed Crepes and a Set of Spices and Flavored Salt from Gourmet Nut Give Away!

Nothing beats a slow cooked dish that makes your mouth water from the sweet and smokey flavors wafting through your home all day. And when the flavors have soaked into your slowly cooked chicken and garbanzo beans and you can finally spoon the contents from your slow cooker and place them in a super healthy, simple home made wrap, you are basically giddy with joy. Pure bliss I tell you.

Sure you could throw the onion into the slow cooker and cook it all day with the rest of the stuff, but I have a strange affection for searing my onions until they are beautifully browned.  I could eat them by the spoonful that way.

The fine people from Gourmet Nut sent me a nice goodie box filled with their trail mixes, power snacks  and some pink and smoked sea salts to try. They also sent me some of their different spices/rubs to hang out with. We were more than eager to try out the Coffee Steak Rub on our T-Bones and I massaged my fillet Mignon with the Sweet and Smokey Steak Rub.


Mouth watering, sweet Heaven coming from our grill.



I was quickly addicted to the Sweet and Smokey rub and had to come up with a weekday dish other than steak which we only eat on rare occasion. So when I saw these tacos using smoked paprika over at Family Style Food I immediately knew what I had to do.

Crazy simple and insanely delicious, even picky eaters 2 and 4 loved these!  You can easily make these vegetarian/vegan by omitting the chicken but I knew my little guys would be more willing to eat them with just a bit of chicken in them.

Gourmet Nut is going to give away a Set of their spices and flavored salts to not one but THREE lucky Simply Healthy Family readers!

Please visit Gourmet Nut and tell me which spices or salts are your fav and what you would make with them! This isn't mandatory but I am interested at all of the possibilities with their range of 

salts and spices!

serves    6          Time |   prep  15   cook  8 hours    

ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped white onion

½-1 of a jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed, minced

1 1/2 cups dry garbanzo beans 

2 chicken thighs, bone in

4 cups chicken broth, veggie broth or water

1 tablespoon Gourmet Nut Sweet and Smokey steak rub

1 teaspoon salt

Optional Garnishes:

cilantro

avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 ripe tomato, sliced

Arugula greens

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

instructions

1. rinse and drain dried garbanzo beans. soak garbanzo beans overnight in plenty of water, this step is important.
2. in the morning drain the garbanzo beans and add to your slow cooker along with broth or water, salt and sweet and smokey spice. add bone in chicken thighs. cook on low setting for 8-10 hours till beans are soft. do not lift lid during this time.
3. make tortillas, recipe below.
4. when beans are done, sauté onion in olive oil over high heat till browned, add jalapeno and cook 2 more minutes.
5. Using a fork, shred the chicken off the bone and stir into beans, discard bones and skin.
6. spoon mixture onto tortillas, top with onion and garnishes.

notes: This is easily converted to a vegetarian meal by omitting the chicken. Also, in a pinch you can use canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)

Recipe adapted from  Wheat Belly Cookbook

MAKES   4 wraps       time   15 minutes

Flax seed Wraps

1/3 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs

1. In a small bowl, mix together the flax meal, baking powder, onion powder, paprika and salt. Stir in coconut oil. Beat in the water and eggs until blended.
2. Heat a small, non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Add a bit of oil to lightly coat the pan. Pour in a small amount of the batter to just thinly coat the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles form on the top and you can easily get a rubber spatula under the wrap. 
3. Carefully, flip the wrap over using a rubber spatula. Cook and additional minute. Remove from heat, repeat. 

notes: I suggest making a big batch of these and refrigerating or freezing them. They will keep in the fridge for several days and can be used in place of tortillas or as a sandwich wrap. 

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