Tag Archives: healthy

Go-To Granola

Hi guys! How are you? It’s been awhile since we’ve last talked.

Did you have a good weekend? I had such a good weekend.

My mom and dad came to Philly for a visit! We spent Friday evening eating, drinking and enjoying a perfect summer evening.

On Thursday evening, Greg and I picked up our brand new charcoal grill! Can you believe it? It was a generous and perfect gift from Greg’s mom and stepdad. I can barely get over the fact that we now have a grill and we definitely took great advantage of it Friday evening. Burgers for my mom and dad, and sweet potato burgers for Greg and I. We also got a veggie rack and grilled whole cremini mushrooms and onions. We added pasta salad, hummus and guacamole and called it a meal.

Saturday, the four of us went to nearby Peddler’s Village. It was so much fun! Definitely recommended for locals/visitors!

I unfortunately took zero photos over the weekend, although I would have had some very good ones to share with you. The comment/joke of the weekend was everyone saying to me “This would have been a good photo, Jess.” 🙂 Oops!

Anyway, let’s now talk about granola.

You need to look no further. This is your new go-to granola recipe.

Whether you’re looking for a healthy snack, a hearty breakfast or a homemade gift, this recipe has got you covered.

I’ve always loved granola but I don’t eat it that often. That’s mostly because I can’t find a granola that I’m really in love with.

Usually store-bought granola tastes too sweet. Or is too crumbly. Or just tastes plain stale.

But, this recipe changes it all.

I’ve been wanting to make my own for awhile now. I wanted something that is healthy. That has a simple list of ingredients, things I know. I didn’t want it to be oily. Or crumbly. I wanted there to be large chunks of granola. I didn’t want it to be overly sweet or sugary. I wanted to control what went in.

So, I did it. I’m in love with this you guys. I knew what I wanted going in, but I didn’t know I’d come out being addicted. Does what I described above sound good to you? Prepare to be addicted.

Let’s talk about the goodness of this granola.

1) It has a short list of ingredients:

Oats
Pecans
Sunflower seeds
Unsweetened coconut
Cinnamon
Salt
Coconut oil
Egg white
Pure maple syrup

2) You won’t be left still feeling hungry after eating it. Yep, it fills you up!

3) You won’t feel a sugar rush or like you just ate dessert after eating this granola. It is just slightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and perfectly cinnamon-y. The cinnamon just warms me up.

4) This granola is crunchy and sticks together in large clumps.

5) It takes one bowl to prepare. Yep, one bowl, one spoon and one pan. Maybe some measuring cups. It’s simple and easy, you guys.

6) It is customizable. Make it your own. Use this as a base and be creative. Add what you like and leave out what you don’t!

I’m telling you. Once you start on this granola, you won’t be able to stop. But really, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. 🙂

Go-To Granola

2013-09-16 18:12:40

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Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans, lightly chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Scant 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg white

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300*.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup.
Crack the egg white into a bowl and whisk very well, until it becomes a bit foamy.
Add the egg white to the rest of the ingredients.
Stir everything together very well, so that the dry ingredients are completely wet and everything is well mixed.
Place the granola on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the granola is slightly browned and hardened.
Let the granola cool for about 10-20 minutes, or until it is hard and can be broken into pieces.
Enjoy!

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Smoked Salmon Quiche

5 Replies

I’m so excited to share this with you.

This quiche is really good, you guys.

From what I see, you all really like this heirloom tomato + pesto quiche. Yes, that quiche has wonderful flavor. So, I can’t wait for you to try this!

I tried smoked salmon for the first time when I was 17 or 18. My dad and brother are avid fishermen and brought home a smoked salmon from one of their trips. It was definitely love at first bite for me. I love the stuff!

I used to eat smoked salmon on crackers with a spread of mustard. If you haven’t tried that, I think you should. Such a simple, delicious snack. Just talking about it makes me want it now!

Over the years, I got more adventurous with my smoked salmon eating. I’ve ordered smoked salmon quiche in restaurants and I’ve also had it in an omelet. Smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese, lettuce and tomato? Yes, please.

Anyway, as you can see, I love it. And this quiche is my new favorite thing. I took one bite and then the whole piece was gone entirely too fast. I declared that I would be making this all the time now.

And I really could! It’s so easy to prepare. Smoked salmon is ready to go once you buy it, with no preparation. Isn’t that nice?

For this quiche, I used a store-bought whole wheat crust. I still don’t have that crust making down yet.

Some other tips: It’s important to let the cream cheese soften for this. Once softened, it is much easier to mix with the fresh dill and chives. I really do suggest using fresh herbs here. I’m sure you could use dried if you want, but the fresh herbs taste so good in this.

Also, use any tomatoes you would like. I used two small San Marzano tomatoes from Three Springs. From what I hear, they are awesome sauce tomatoes, but they also worked wonderfully in this quiche.

The last thing about this is the capers. Just a small amount adds something really special to this quiche. They are little bits of goodness and go so well with smoked salmon.

The flavor of this quiche is out of this world. It’s the right combination of cheese, fresh herbs, veggies, salmon and eggs. I do hope that you get to try this quiche and I hope that you enjoy every single bite!

Smoked Salmon Quiche

2013-08-27 06:09:25

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Ingredients

1 pie crust (choose your favorite!)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon mix of fresh dill and chives, lightly chopped
Pinch of onion powder
2 small or 1 medium tomato, diced
4 ounces smoked salmon
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
4 eggs
1 cup milk (I used whole)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375*.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, chopped dill and chives and pinch of onion powder.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the bottom and sides of the prepared pie crust. Once spread, there should be a thin layer the entire way around (see photo above).
On top of the cheese layer, add the diced tomatoes.
Add small pieces of the smoked salmon on top of the tomatoes.
Add the capers on top of the salmon.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture into the crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn the heat to 400* and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until the quiche is set.
Enjoy!

Notes

Baking times may vary. Start watching your quiche after 15 minutes in the 400* oven.

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Shredded Veggie Burgers

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This is the fourth little veggie burger I’ve shared with you.

You see, I am obsessed with veggie burgers. I’m talking homemade veggie burgers. Burgers with loads of veggies and beans and spices and flavor. And toppings. Sometimes the toppings make the burger.

But, for the longest time, I was afraid to make veggie burgers! Yes, I was afraid. I thought veggie burger making was reserved for veggie burger gods or something. I don’t know what I was afraid of.

So finally I tried this little veggie burger. Some smashed beans, tons of veggies, and breadcrumbs and egg for binding. Easy and delicious. That is a great basic veggie burger. Then, I got a little more adventurous with this sweet potato burger. I wanted to make a super quick, and also vegan burger. It worked! I love those burgers, with not as many veggies but with tons of delicious sweet potato. And then this corn + pepper burger happened. Because corn and summer and it just seemed right. It is similar to the first one I made, but the corn makes it even more awesome.

This past weekend my parents came to Philly for a little visit (we had so much fun!). We did a little touring of Independence Hall and then we ate at the National Mechanics restaurant. OMG, it was so good. There were so many things on the menu that I wanted to order, I just couldn’t decide. Greg was deciding between the veggie burger and the crab cake sandwich, so I told him that I would order whichever he didn’t and we could try each others. He ordered the veggie burger so I ordered the crab cake sandwich. Our meals came out and I just stared at his burger, in total jealousy.

That thing looked too amazing. Of course, everyone at the table noticed my stare (and shared a laugh) and Greg reassured me that we could really share.

The burger was all veggies and no beans. The veggies were shredded. And it looked messy. It looked messy but tasted delicious. I wanted so badly to recreate it.

So, this was my attempt, and I think it turned out really well. These burgers are awesome! Shredded zucchini and carrots with garlic, broccoli and mushrooms. Some flour and egg and that is it! They are sort of like crispy veggie patties, but I really don’t like the word “patties” so I’ll just stick with burger.

Also, I apologize for the bun-less and topping-less photos, but to be honest, these are so good without buns or toppings! And I know I said above that toppings many times make a burger, but these needed none for me. We ate some of these burgers bun-less and all of them topping-less!

If you love veggie burgers or even if you don’t, I think you will love these. These work great as a burger main dish with sides but would also work great as a side dish. No matter how you have them, I hope that you enjoy!

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini
2 medium carrots
2 cups raw mushrooms
2 cups raw broccoli
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 cup flour
2 eggs

In a food processor, shred the zucchini and carrots. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Chop the mushrooms and broccoli. In a pan over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic, then the mushrooms and broccoli. Stir around, and cook for several minutes, until the veggies just begin to get soft. Add the broccoli/mushroom mixture to a food processor and pulse several times, just to break the veggies up a bit.

Add the broccoli/mushroom mixture to the bowl with the zucchini and carrots. Also add the flour and eggs. Mix well, to combine.

Add olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat and once hot, add veggies that have been formed into patties. I “pattied” the veggies as I was adding them to the pan, rather than before. Cook about 7 minutes on each side, or until not longer mushy and crispy and nicely browned. I cooked these longer than other veggie burgers just to ensure that all the egg was cooked through.

Enjoy!

Rosemary + Goat Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

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I am so excited today.

I’m excited because I finally get to share this recipe with you!

I made these little twice baked potatoes on Friday, but this recipe has been long in the making. Let me start from the beginning.

My mom, dad, brother and I have a Christmas morning brunch tradition. It started years ago when we decided to stop exchanging gifts. In a search for a new December 25 tradition, my mom and I decided on a nice brunch.

It works out for everyone. My mom and I get to cook together and my brother gets to sleep in as late as he wants. Christmas brunch is the best tradition.

I can’t remember exactly the first year we did this, but we have had the same menu every year. It doesn’t need to change. It is so perfect. And I think about it all year long. We make stuffed french toast (maybe I’ll share that recipe with you someday too) and rosemary potatoes.

The rosemary potatoes are undoubtedly my favorite part. They have to be one of my favorite things, ever, actually. The thing is, we never make them, except on Christmas morning.

So, a few weeks ago, I asked my mom for the recipe, wanting to share on here, and also wanting to have the potatoes to eat, thinking I couldn’t possibly wait another five months to have them again.

She sent the recipe and I was so excited. And then I made a mistake. I decided that I would try to “lighten” the recipe up a bit. I use the word lighten loosely, because if you know me, you know I don’t like “light” things. If I’m eating something, I want the real, full version. The real version is always so much better. But, I thought, I will try to summer-ize these potatoes. I will take them from winter-time comfort food to something a bit lighter for summer.

Let’s just say: big mistake.

The potatoes were lighter. They were more summery. But they weren’t as memorable. They didn’t leave me feeling like I had just eaten one of the best things in my life. They were sustenance, and we ate them. But they didn’t touch the original. Sometimes butter, cream and cheese are totally worth it.

So, I set the idea aside for a bit. And then, one day, this idea came to me. What if I added the great taste of the original rosemary potatoes into little twice baked potatoes.

And without even trying, I did end up making the recipe lighter. In these twice baked potatoes, there is no butter or cream and there is only a small amount of cheese per potato.

But they seem to posses the same magic as Christmas brunch potatoes. They aren’t trying to be a lighter version of them. They are their own new delicious form of rosemary potato.

And if you ask me, no flavor goes with potatoes quite like rosemary does. And in these, add caramelized shallots and goat cheese and you’re in complete bliss.

Not enough good words could be said about these. Greg said they they are “one of the best things ever” and he could eat them every single day.

If you use small potatoes, they are perfectly pop-able and would make the perfect appetizer. I had some small potatoes and some larger ones, that needed to be eaten with a fork and a knife, and I definitely preferred the smaller.

While most twice baked potatoes are filled with butter and cheese, these use olive oil instead, and a smaller amount of cheese. They are not difficult, but do take some work. Once the potatoes are done baking, you do need to scoop out the insides, but that is the most time consuming part. Once that is done, just mash some ingredients together, fill the potatoes back up and put them in oven to finish baking. The taste of these makes the small amount of work totally worth it.

I will say that these have to be one of my favorite recipes on this blog. I hope that you get to try them and enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients
6 – 10 small to medium potatoes (I used red potatoes)
8 small to medium shallots
Olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2/3 cup goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dried parsley and additional goat cheese for topping, if desired

Preheat oven to 400*. Wash and dry potatoes. Pierce each with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 45 – 80 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. When done, potatoes should be soft when gently pierced with a fork.

While potatoes are roasting, thinly slice shallots and chop rosemary. In a small saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and slightly browned. Add rosemary and cook an additional 5 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and set aside.

When potatoes are done roasting, let cool for about 5 minutes, if desired. I got to work on them right away because it is best to not let them sit long. Carefully cut each potato in half, and using a small spoon, scoop out the inside bulk of the potato. Add the insides of the potatoes to a bowl. When all potatoes are scooped out, add the goat cheese, shallots, salt and pepper to the bowl with the insides of the potatoes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the mixture together until no large chunks remain and all ingredients are well combined. Scoop the potato mixture into each scooped-out potato skin, filling each to the top.

Bake in a 400* oven for about 15 minutes, or until heated through and slightly golden brown.

To serve, sprinkle with additional goat cheese and dried parsley, if desired.

Enjoy!