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Apple Walnut Spice Muffins

My husband loves all food.

You know when you order food at a restaurant and they bring it out on lettuce or with a lettuce garnish? Yeah, he eats the lettuce.

I love that he loves all food. He always tells me how great any dish I make tastes and will eat up every bite. There is hardly ever any leftovers because he will eat anything.

…Or so I thought.

I make him lunch almost every day. I don’t mind. I like that he can think of me while he’s eating lunch. And I think it’s awesome that he has no idea what’s in his lunch box everyday!

But recently I discovered something. Every time I put a Granny Smith apple in his lunch box, he brings it home and puts it back into the fruit bowl.

At first, I thought maybe I had just packed too much food or he had snacked at work… But then it started happening every day… So one day I asked him why he always bring the green apples home. His answer?

He hates green apples.

How weird is that? I guess I get it. They are a bit sour… But that is the reason I love them!

Now I have this whole fruit bowl full of green apples. There are simply too many apples for one person to eat!

*Enter a bunch of apple recipes*

This recipe is for a delicious Apple Walnut Spice Muffin! It is semi-healthy and perfect for breakfast. In this case, I did not peel the apples. I was a little worried that the skin would be a little tough after baking, but it isn’t. If you don’t enjoy the skin, go ahead and peel your apples. But you don’t need to.

My friend, Chrissie, introduced me to this recipe and you can find her variation and many others here. Or you can see the original recipe here. I have tweaked it quite a bit to make it easier and also, I don’t have a mixer of any kind, so everything can be mixed with hand and it still comes out yummy!

Oh! Here’s a little delicious muffin trick my mom taught me: (once cooked) cut the muffin open, put a slice of butter between the pieces and microwave for 10-20 seconds. AH-mazing!

Apple Walnut Spice Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:
½ c butter
½ c white sugar
¼ c brown sugar
1 egg
1 c plain yogurt
2 c flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
2 c diced apples (peeled or unpeeled, the choice is yours!)
1 c chopped walnuts

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix softened butter with white and brown sugars.
  3. Mix in egg and yogurt.
  4. Add all dry ingredients and spices. Stir until mixed well.
  5. Add apples and walnuts, stir until mixed evenly.
  6. Fill cupcake papers to top. (They do not rise like cupcakes)
  7. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar.
  8. Bake 20-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Cool and enjoy!
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Easy and Healthy Enchilada Soup

Winter is finally here in Michigan. Sad face.

I have really enjoyed the mild, 40 degree, no jacket days. I didn’t miss the snow or the car doors freezing shut or not being able to breath when you walk outside.

But I knew it couldn’t last forever. Now we are at highs of 15 degrees and snow every day.

The good news? It’s soup weather!

I love making soup because it is so easy. I love when you can throw a bunch of stuff into a pot (or Crock Pot) and walk away. It is also very healthy and filling!

I had some beans and some tomatoes, so I figured I would throw together this delicious soup! One issue that I did have is that this recipe calls for a can of enchilada sauce. I usually always buy mild sauce, but for some reason, I bought hot enchilada sauce! So my soup came out extra spicy! If you like spice, get it hot, if not, stick with mild.

Adding yogurt/sour cream and avocado really help chill out the heat though.

And that is one thing I really love about this soup… There are so many ways to dress it up! You can add cheese, yogurt/sour cream, tortilla strips or avocado! Personally, I do them all! It makes for a really hearty, delicious meal. Sometimes I will serve a side salad, but this soup is filling enough to stand alone.

Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbl olive oil

1 med onion

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 14.5 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 14.5 oz  can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce

6 oz frozen corn

2-3 c vegetable broth

1 tbl cumin

1 tsp red pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Optional for topping:

Plain yogurt/sour cream

Cheese

Tortilla strips

Avocado

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until soft/translucent. About 5 minutes.
  2. Add rest of ingredients to pot. Start with 2 cups of vegetable broth. If soup is too thick, add additional broth. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes.
  3. Serve hot and garnish with your choice of toppings. I prefer all of them. 🙂
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Red Velvet Peanut Butter Blossoms

My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. We have too many other anniversaries to celebrate. We will usually spend the day together, maybe throw a quick “Happy V-day around.” But nothing out of the ordinary.

However, I wanted to make a special Valentine’s Day treat because… well, I’m pregnant and I need cookies. So really they were for myself and not for my husband! 

I have always loved Peanut Butter Blossom cookies, but they are often hard to eat because of the giant Hershey Kiss in the middle. Do you try and bite into the Kiss or do you just eat the whole thing at once? Either way you are going have issues. You either get chocolate all over your teeth, so this becomes a cookie you only eat in the privacy of your own home or you are stuck eating most of the cookie without any chocolate. Not cool.

So I was ecstatic when I wandered down the baking aisle and found MINI Hershey Kisses!  

My husband dislikes Peanut Butter Blossoms for the exact reasons I pointed out earlier, so he wasn’t too excited when he discovered what I was making. But do not fear my friend! I have a surprise up my sleeve! Actually, three surprises! Three mini Kisses!

It made the cookies so much for enjoyable and I will never make a Peanut Butter Blossom with regular Kisses again!

Now this recipe is extra special. It is made for Valentine’s Day. It is a Red Velvet Peanut Butter Blossom and it is beautiful!

You can find the original recipe from I Am Baker. I have changed it slightly, in that, I am not a fancy baker so I have adjusted the recipe to make it a little easier. Also, I don’t have a stand mixer or even a hand mixer (I have no idea where the arms went…) so I mixed everything by hand and it came out perfect!

I did run out of red decorating sugar for the last few cookies, so I used regular white sugar. They don’t have the same kind of dazzle, more like a muted pink, but they looked pretty mixed in with the red cookies.

Red Velvet Peanut Butter Blossoms

Yields about 40 cookies

Ingredients:

1 bag Hershey’s Kisses (or mini Kisses)

½ c (1 stick) butter, room temperature or softened

¾ c peanut butter

1 ⅓ c sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk (I use almond cashew milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp red food coloring

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ c all purpose flour

pinch of salt

¼ c red decorating sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Mix softened butter, peanut butter and sugar until blended
  3. Add egg, milk, vanilla and red food coloring, mix until light and fluffy
  4. Add cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt, slowly mix until combined
  5. Pour red decorating sugar onto small plate or bowl
  6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll ball in sugar until covered
  7. Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to crack
  9. Once cookies are removed from oven place one Hershey’s Kiss (or 3 mini Kisses) into the center of each cookie
  10. Allow cookies to cool and try not eat them all!!
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Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

I have thing for rice. Or noodles. Whichever. I love them.

Or bread. Or potatoes. Maybe I actually just  have thing for carbs?

My husband thinks I am such a weirdo, but I could literally sit down and eat a whole bowl of rice/noodles and butter. Super unhealthy, but super delicious!

So anytime I can add rice to a meal, I’m all for it! A yummy, easy Spanish rice recipe is perfect for Mexican dishes! This dish is so easy and I almost always have all of the ingredients just sitting in my pantry!

This could probably be made into a complete dish with some beans… hmmm… Maybe that recipe will be coming soon!

Anyway, this dish can be made in about 30 minutes. The most difficult part of this recipe is adding the rice straight to the skillet. I had never done that to rice before and the first time I made this I was really nervous!

But don’t be nervous! It will be okay! Just let the rice cook in the skillet until it is becoming translucent or a little brown, but not burned. It is better to add the vegetable broth early than burn the rice.

You can also choose to make this rice as spicy or mild as you want! I usually prefer on the more mild side, so I usually have mild salsa. But if you like it spicy, add some hot salsa to kick up the flavor!

Quick Cheesy Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp chopped onion

1 ½ c uncooked white rice

2 c vegetable broth

1 c chunky salsa

½ c shredded cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cooked until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often.
  3. When rice begins to brown/become translucent (but not burned), stir in vegetable broth and salsa.
  4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until liquid has been absorbed and rice is fluffy.
  5. Turn off heat and add cheese. Cover until cheese is melted.
  6. Serve!

 

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Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

I’m just going to say it. I hate cauliflower. I don’t like the smell or the taste or the texture. I don’t even really like the color. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had an aversion to cauliflower.

But my husband loves it. He is a really good vegetarian because he loves all vegetables. Me? I’m like a child… I have to hide vegetables in the food I make so I will eat them. Fruit I could eat all day, but vegetables… I’m pretty picky.

So to ensure I am getting enough veggies and to please my husband, I make recipes that I love and replace unhealthy items with veggies. Like this lovely Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!

Truthfully, when I first started making this recipe, I thought I was going to hate it… Because, I mean, how could you replace cauliflower with delicious macaroni and it taste good?

I will tell you that I honestly can’t even tell that the cauliflower is there. This dish is so good that it has really opened my eyes (and mouth) to other cauliflower dishes like cauliflower mashed potatoes and cauliflower alfredo sauce.

I have made this as a side for regular dinners as well as Thanksgiving dinner.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

cauliflower mac and cheese in dish

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 c milk (can use cow milk, but I use almond or cashew milk)

1/4 c cream cheese

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c plain Greek yogurt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp melted butter

2/3 c Panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Cut cauliflower into small pieces (florets and stems) and place in a casserole dish.
  3. Roast cauliflower 15-20 minutes, until the edges are turning brown and it is easily pierced with a fork.
  4. While cauliflower is roasting, put the milk, cream cheese and shredded cheddar into a saucepan on medium high.
  5. Slowly whisk cheese as it melts until well mixed. Add yogurt to thicken.
  6. Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  7. Remove roasted cauliflower from oven and pour cheese sauce over cauliflower.
  8. Combine melted butter, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Spread on top of the cauliflower.
  9. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes until crumbs and golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
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Ranch Roasted Potatoes

I love potatoes and I love ranch. So this recipe is one of my favorites. Maybe even THE favorite.

You take some delicious red skin potatoes and throw a little Ranch seasoning on them and boom! Party in your mouth!

My husband and I lived with his mom for a few years before we got married and bought our own house. I would make dinner quite often because she worked until late at night. I’ve never been a fancy cook. I’ve always been about dishes that are quick, simple and easy to throw together.

So I was always a little nervous cooking dinner for my mother-in-law because she is Persian. When she (or any other Persian) makes dinner, it is an elaborate feast. There will be 10 plates and bowls spread out across the table to choose from. Rice, meat, sides, salad. Tons and tons food that takes a long time to prepare.

However, she went crazy when I made these potatoes (and a lot of other quick and easy dishes too)! I was so excited that I could make something that impressed her. Now, okay, these aren’t THAT impressive. They don’t require much skill or prep, but they are SO good!

Even though we haven’t lived with her for years, she still asks that I make these and bring them over… In addition to her full Persian dinner!

P.S. They are really good as leftovers too! Make sure you reheat them in the oven or toaster oven to maintain the crispiness!

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and seasoning mix

2 lbs of small red skin potatoes

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. Cut potatoes into small cubes (I like to do bite size)
  3. Put potatoes in a container with lid or large baggie
  4. Add oil and Ranch powder
  5. Toss until coated
  6. Spread potatoes evenly onto a foil lined baking sheet (You do not have to foil line the pan, but I hate scrubbing the pan after making these potatoes)
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes (We like for the potatoes to be a little burned on the edges, so I will them in until about 40-45 minutes)
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Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Happy World Nutella Day!

For today’s recipe, I decided to take my favorite peanut butter banana bread recipe (since my freezer is overflowing with bananas) and add a little punch of Nutella for World Nutella Day!

I will start by saying that one of the reasons I love this banana bread recipe is because it is mostly healthy and packed with protein.

As a vegetarian, anywhere I can pick up extra protein is a plus to me! There is no oil or butter which is awesome. It uses peanut butter and yogurt to get a nice, rich texture. It’s so yummy! I also really love that you can add delicious walnuts as well! I also have added chocolate chips and a combination of nuts and chocolate in the past.

However, adding Nutella really takes all the healthiness out. BUT it is so fantastic! I love when you use Nutella in recipes, it makes them even softer and delicious!

I always make this in a 13×9 pan because I seem to always have trouble getting the middle cooked in 1 lb bread pan. I also like that it becomes more “cake” like, it is much easier to eat than a large piece of banana bread, and it cooks much faster! You are welcome to make it either way and I have left cooking directions for both below.

Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 ½ c bananas (about 4)
2 eggs
⅓ c plain yogurt
⅔ c peanut butter
1 ⅔ c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c Nutella

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash.
  3. Add eggs, yogurt and peanut butter. Mix until blended.
  4. Add remaining dry ingredients, mix well.
  5. Spread batter evenly into a greased 13×9 pan.*
  6. Heat Nutella in microwave for 20 seconds.
  7. Drip or spoon Nutella on batter.
  8. Use a knife to pull the Nutella evenly through the batter.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
  10. Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

 

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Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Usually I make refried beans in my Crock Pot using black beans and pinto beans, but it requires a lot of planning and time. Sometimes I just don’t have that! 

So this quick and easy refried beans recipe is awesome if you are in a pinch and need some refried beans! You can easily make yummy refried beans using a couple cans of beans! 

Why not just use a can of refried beans? Sometimes I don’t have that either! Also, my refried beans in the Crock Pot are SO much better than the canned version, that I hardly ever buy cans of refried beans any more. Plus, this easy recipe is probably healthier than the canned version. It certainly tastes fresher! 

However, I always have cans of beans in my pantry just waiting to be used! This recipe is so quick and so easy and really tasty!

This is really good served as a side for Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas for extra protein!

Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (do not rinse)
½ an onion, diced small (if you prefer your beans smooth, leave this out)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat
  2. Add garlic and cook until soft, just a couple of minutes
  3. Add pintos with liquid and all spices to pan and cook until beans are heated thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally
  4. Take off heat and mash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture

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Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Every month my husband’s office assigns someone to bring bi-weekly lunches. Lunch is every other Monday during an office meeting. That person can make lunch, have lunch catered, assign a potluck or ask everyone to bring their own lunch.

January just happened to be my husband’s month. It always fun (and a little nerve wracking) to provide a meal for around 10 people when I’m used to cooking for two. Yes, I always make enough food for leftovers, but feeding 10 people is much different. So we have to be creative!

In the past we have done chili, soup and salad, and tacos. For one of the weeks in January, we decided to make Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas. It’s easy (although there are a lot of ingredients for serving) and people can choose what they like or don’t like to put on their own meals. We try to provide enough food for people to eat all week if they would like. This makes it super easy for me since I don’t have to make lunch all week for my husband. 

Since we were making this for a large group of people to eat several times, I tripled the recipe below. That’s 3 onions and 9 peppers! I wasn’t even sure it would all fit into my Crock Pot, but after an hour or so of cooking, the peppers start to cook down and fit comfortably in the pot. 

I also used a prepackaged fajita seasoning that I have from Costco. I will list how you can make your own fajita seasoning and replace my prepackaged seasoning below.

This was a huge hit by the way! Many people in the office are apprehensive about eating a lunch completely meat free, but they did it and enjoyed it! 🙂 We also served it with easy refried beans and Spanish rice. 

Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 Onion, halved and sliced
3 Peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ tbsp fajita seasoning*
½ tsp garlic powder (my fajita seasoning does have garlic, but I like to add a tad more)
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

6 Small flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Sour Cream or yogurt
Salsa
Avocado
Easy Refried Beans
Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

Directions:

  1. Spray Crock Pot with nonstick spray.
  2. Place all ingredients into Crock Pot and mix until veggies are coated with oil and spices.
  3. Cook 4 – 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas and additional/optional ingredients.

*Fajita Seasoning:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

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Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

I’ve been a vegetarian for a few years now and one of the things that I really miss is Sloppy Joe.

I know, I know… You’d think I would miss steak or bacon or something really meaty. And I did, at the beginning. But now that it has been so long, I only want those comfort foods that I adored as a child. Like the messy, tomatoey goodness of a Sloppy Joe!

I have tried to make Sloppy Joe in the past with a can or jar of Sloppy Joe mix and fake meat crumbles, but I don’t like to eat a lot of soy or preservatives, so I don’t make them very often. Plus, it just not quite as good as the real deal.

Until I discovered lentil Sloppy Joes! Throw it all in a crock pot and this just makes my day! Oh, and did I mention it’s super easy?!

It’s healthy, hearty and so versatile. My husband concluded that it would be good as a pizza sauce, so we will be trying that with some of the leftovers from this batch.

When I made this, I planned on freezing half right away because recipes usually make way too much food for two people before we are sick of eating it. But it didn’t even make it to the freezer! We ate it all (minus a small amount for pizza) in just two days!

I like to serve on a toasted bun with melted cheese and pickles! YUM!

 

Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

Ingredients:

1 cup dried brown or green lentils

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

1 green pepper, chopped

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tcp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

dash of black pepper

 

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  • Enjoy!
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