Pumpkin Seed Pesto

I have made lots of different pestos in the past and all have been good. However, this one is really good AND less expensive than the regular version with pine nuts. It's an easy healthy meal that everyone will enjoy. I toss frozen peas and fresh broccoli in the pasta water at the end of cooking the pasta before adding the pesto. Owen loves this for his school lunch as well. The container always comes home empty when I give him this. :)


Pumpkin Seed Pesto (Makes about 1/2 cup)
recipe from www.weelicious.com

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas), hulled
1/4 Cup Parmesan
1 Garlic Clove
1 Cup Cilantro, Parsley or Basil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1. If using raw (green) pumpkin seeds, place them on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until golden. If using toasted/roasted pumpkin seeds you can skip this step.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Serve on pasta, fish, chicken or a spread on sandwiches.

* For a dairy free version use 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup olive oil (instead of 1/3 cup).
* To freeze, place in ice cube trays or baby food cubes and freeze for up to 3 months

Zucchini Bread

I have been looking for a good zucchini bread recipe that was somewhat healthy and still tasted good. So many of them are either too oily, or not very flavorful. This one will be my new go to recipe for zucchini bread. It's moist, sweet and better for you than the conventional recipe. I had it warm out of the oven and later when it was cool. I will admit I liked it better cold. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Zucchini Bread
Recipe by www.food.com "I Like to Eat"
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups zucchini (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans

1 Preheat oven to 350.
2 Mix dry ingredients.
3 Mix wet ingredients.
4 Combine, don't over mix. Fold in walnuts or pecans
5 Add to greased bread pan.
6 Bake for 40-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Enjoy!

Fruit and Seed Bars

Now that Owen is in preschool and I have to pack his lunch, I need to find things that are healthy, easy to pack, easy to make, and most of all delicious! I found this recipe on Weelicious and love it! It's easy to crumble over plain yogurt and add fresh fruit for a nutritious breakfast, lunch or snack. They are good on their own as well. It's a favorite in our house and I wanted to share it. If your child has a nut allergy or goes to a nut free school, these are perfect for them! Enjoy.

Fruit and Seed Bars (Makes 20 Bars)

Recipe from www.weelicious.com

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds (also known as Pepitas)
1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
2 Tbsp Flax Seeds (I also added 1 TB of Chia seeds)
1 Cup Dried Fruit (blueberries, raisins, currants, cranberries and/or cherries)
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1/3 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Sunflower Butter (or any nut butter if there is no allergy)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor, pulse the first 6 ingredients until finely chopped (it’s OK if there are few coarsely chopped pieces).
3. Add the honey and sunflower and pulse until starting to combine.
4. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 9 inch pan, lined with parchment and press down into the pan until completely even.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Let the bars completely cool before cutting with a serrated knife into bars.
6. Serve.

*Cool, place in Ziploc bags, label and freeze. Defrost to room temperature and enjoy!

Baked Eggplant Parmesean

Today ended up being 110 degrees in Santa Barbara!!! It was the wrong day to decide to turn on the oven, but I did anyway, and it was well worth it! This is a quick and healthier version of one of my favorite dishes, eggplant parmesean. It was well received by the family and I will be making this again

Baked Eggplant Parmesean
Recipe from www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about eight)
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (sun-dried tomato or plain...or make it gluten free with g.f. bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce (roasted vegetable or any variety)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Method
Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an 8 x 10-inch oven proof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 minutes.

Corn Chowder

We had so much grilled corn left over from Owen's birthday BBQ that I had to find a yummy way to use it all. Our local produce place, Lane Farms, had 6 ears for $2 so I got a little carried away and bought more than enough corn on the cob. Anyway, I decided to make a low fat version of Corn Chowder and it turned out really good!

Corn Chowder
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, divided
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tb. butter
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 large shallots, chopped
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Blend 2 cups corn and 1 cup of broth in a blender until almost smooth.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat.
Add next 4 ingredients; saute 5 minutes until shallots are clear.
Add 2 cups corn, 1 cup broth, black beans, cumin, thyme and salt and pepper and pureed corn mixture.
Bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Garnish each bowl full with fresh cilantro, or chopped green onions (optional).

Graham Crackers

Every time I am tempted to buy graham crackers I read the ingredients and always put the box back on the shelf. There is so much garbage in those crackers that taste so good. I have looked for recipes for them in the past, but they all seemed a little labor intensive or too long of an ingredient list, until now. Weelicious has done it again! Thanks Catherine : ) These crackers are fun and easy to make, taste good and keep well.

Homemade Graham Crackers
Recipe from www.weelicious.com
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter, chilled & cubed
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor or mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
3. Add cubed and chilled butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.
5. Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
6. Roll dough out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes with cookie cutters.*
7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.
*To Freeze: After step 6, place the cut out cookie shapes on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove, place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to bake, follow steps 7-8.
** If you have no Whole Wheat, you can use 1 Cup Oat Bran to 2 Cups AP Flour instead of what the recipe calls for and it works perfect!

Multigrain Pancakes with Ricotta Sauce

Alright, so I make whole grain pancakes fairly often, and have started quite a range of pancake recipes on this blog already. Well, this is the best multigrain pancake yet! They are thick, hearty, good for you and best of all, yummy! The ricotta sauce really made love them even more! I haven't forgotten you Maple Syrup, just loving your new companions, protein packed yogurt, ricotta and cinnamon!

Multigrain Pancakes with Ricotta Sauce
Recipe from Clean Eating Magazine Sept/Oct 2010

1 1/4 whole wheat flour
1/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground
1 tsp. sucanant (I used rapadura, but any sugar will do)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened rice, almond or soy milk
cooking spray
1 cup berries (I used strawberries)

RICOTTA SAUCE
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2 Tb. pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. cinnamon, ground

1. To prepare pancakes: Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, rice milk and mix until foamy. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until well blended; let sit for 5 minutes so flours have time to absorb liquid (mixture will thicken)

2. *Prepare ricotta sauce: Combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth and creamy.

3. Heat griddle or large skillet over medium high heat (about 350 F) and coat with cooking spray. Pour pancake batter onto griddle until they are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles form around edges, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve by stacking pancakes and drizzle with ricotta sauce and top with fresh berries. Enjoy!

*If you would like a thinner sauce, simply add water, 1 Tb. at a time.