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27
May
2013
 Memorial Day & Memorable Eats



Memorial Day can just be a time for memories of any kind if you like. So, today, I have a re-make of my Grandma and Grandpa’s famous artichoke recipe.

Cooking artichokes was a day-long affair for them. My Grandfather would spend hours just stuffing each individual leaf of the artichoke with a breadcrumb mixture. Then, they would simmer all day in the pot until the leaves would just fall apart. As kids, it was a treat if we got to eat a few of the artichoke leaves. Now I understand why–it was hard work cooking them!

Anyway, I whipped up a much simpler and easier artichoke recipe. But, it is still just as delicious and full of antioxidants and loads of fiber ;-)

artichokes in crock pot

Crock Pot Artichokes

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 medium/small artichokes with the stems cut out, and about 1/4 of the tops cut off
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2-1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup water
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Turn on your slow cooker/crock pot on high to pre-heat.
  2. Prepare your artichokes and garlic.
  3. Pour a small amount of stock and water in the bottom of the crock pot (about 1 cup). Put the artichokes into the crock pot.
  4. Top the artichokes with garlic and press into the crevices of the leaves. At this point, you may add in a little more liquid if you think it will need more to simmer in the crock pot.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
  6. Cook on high for about 1-2 hours. Then, on low for about 1-2 more hours. Total cook time will be anywhere from 3-5 hours.


Artichokes are very tough and will hold up in the crock pot if you need them to cook all day.

I enjoyed these so much that I went out the next day and got more artichokes to make!

The next time, we made them boiled, then baked.

baked artichokes

artichokes and greens

I would not recommend this recipe baked recipe because you lose the necessary cooking moisture and the artichokes turn out much dried and are a little more difficult to eat. But, crock pot cooking and stove-top simmering is perfect!

19
Jan
2013
 Salmon Dinner Night: Danny Turns 17



My little brother, who is not little anymore at all (he is 6’3″ tall), turned 17. This makes me feel old. I know that is silly. I still decorated a cookie cake kid style just to make myself feel even younger.

dinosaur cookie cake

Dinosaurs vs. toy soldiers. Haha. Everyone got a kick out of it. Not healthy, but at least Psycho Holiday Baker made it from scratch.

For dinner, Dad made some awesome salmon “burgers” made from fresh salmon. They were delicious! And much more nutritious.

salmon burger

Since I ate leftover turkey lettuce wraps at 3 pm, and we snacked on brown rice crackers and cheese before dinner, I just ate a small salmon burger with a bed of lettuce.

Of course, Danny would not be eating salmon on his birthday. This is the unhealthy version of the birthday dinner night:

unhealthy onion rings and burger

Danny's Birthday

Anyway, tomorrow I will probably go out for a run to burn off the buttery sugary cookie cake. Going to be beautiful weather here in Atlanta. A nice break from the nasty, cold and wet weather we had all this week.

Tomorrow I will have my guacamole quinoa recipe posted!

27
Dec
2012
 All Done with Holiday Feasting!



This particular Christmas, I went to three different dinners over the course of 3 days. Lots of calories were eaten, and there were plentiful white carbohydrates and some unhealthy fats and sugars. Yikes!

It only happens a few times per year, so I don’t worry and neither should you ;-)

Day 1: Southern cooking for lunch (I had roast turkey with gravy, beans/peas, and turnip greens. A quick Starbuck’s stop for some jet fuel black coffee with a dash of cream. For dinner was a creamy seafood soup, half a turkey sandwich, and cranberry cookie pie.
Day 2: Christmas Eve with my family: Fruit, followed by a workout in the morning, then some spicy black beans for a mid-morning snack/early lunch. Snacked on nuts and baked goodies (cookies, biscotti) at my family’s house. I had to hurry up and make an apple pie for the next day. More jet fuel black coffee. Dinner was a delicious lasagna, small salad, and a meatball! More cookies for dessert.
lasagna and meatballDay 3: Woke up and had some black coffee, a banana that I shared with Nala (the dog), and a biscotti. Opened presents, then ate some of the delicious and healthier egg and vegetable casserole that my Dad made.
vegetable egg casseroleCan you see that apple cake in the background? Psycho Holiday Baker made it of course, and it is a traditional apple cake my Italian grandmother used to make. 2 pieces of that were eaten later…

Also had some fresh fruit, and then we were on the way to North Georgia for another feast!

Dinner: Roast turkey, spoonful of mac ‘n cheese, spoonful of dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, steamed vegetables, deviled egg, and wine. Dessert was the apple pie I made, and some more cookies.

Later on we got hungry again and had some snacks: Pimento cheese and wheat thins and some raw veggies with a spinach dip. Probably got so hungry because of our expert Taboo game we had going on. Brain fuel. Final score was 73 to 80.
high taboo score

Day 4: In the morning I had a small cinnamon roll and some All Bran. More jet fuel. For lunch, I shared a small portion of Mr Cyclist’s turkey sandwich, ate a few bites of veggies, and 2 deviled eggs. For a snack, I had some homemade Chex Mix which is super tasty. Sometime later on I had another cookie.

For dinner that night, I made a detoxifying kale dish to get in some veggies for the day. Munched on a few nuts a little later.

kale and artichoke bake

In general, my normal diet is much higher in fruits and vegetables, so I noticed the lack of them in my diet for the past 3-4 days. Less energy overall. And it is mostly just the added sugars that I am not used to in high quantities.

I did my best to eat as well as I could and still enjoy the foods and eat the foods I don’t usually get a chance to eat! That is what it is all about–portion control, eat slowly, enjoy your food, think about the taste of your food, and remember to eat your 5-9 fruits and vegetables on the non-Holiday occasions. :)

baked kale with onion and feta

This kale recipe was made from frozen kale, sauteed onions, spinach, spoonful of cream cheese, garlic, small amount of feta, marinated artichokes, and some spices.

19
Dec
2012
 Healthier Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies



A favorite Christmas cookie in my family are the peanut butter kisses. They are gone before you know it!

holiday cookies

So, I decided it was time to cut the sugar a little, and keep it a little healthier! (less healthy version above, healthier version below)

healthy peanut butter kisses

Only 54 calories per cookie!

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz white sugar (I weighed these out on a food scale)
  • 1.5 oz Stevia
  • 4 oz packed light brown sugar
  • 1.5 Tbsp. real maple syrup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup reconstituted powdered peanut butter (used PB2, and added water back in to make it creamy)
  • 4.25 oz whole wheat flour
  • 2 oz white flour
  • About 36-40 dark chocolate kisses.

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Mix your wet ingredients. Then, add your dry ingredients. Stir to combine. You can use a mixer if you like.
  3. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or use parchment paper. The dough will not be as thick as regular cookie dough, so just spoon out heaping teaspoons onto the baking sheet. It is OK if they are no perfectly round.
  4. Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap your kisses so you can press them into the center of the cookie as soon as they come out of the oven.

light peanut butter cookies

Perfect! They definitely have a different texture–more moist, almost cake-like. Mr. Cyclist walked in the door, and took one look and said they “look healthy”. Whatever that means… Haha. I don’t care. They are satisfying to me! Enjoy.

17
Dec
2012
 Psycho Holiday Baking: Take 2!



The annual psycho holiday baking has begun! Once a year around Christmastime, my Mom aka the Psycho Holiday Baker whips up about a dozen different kinds of cookies in about 1 or 2 days time.

chocolate dipped snowmen cookies

 

And they are fancy cookies, too! Not just chocolate chip, or simple sugar cookies, but baked goods that take a little more skill ;)

holiday baking

This was just the start of our baking…

I cringed at using so much sugar, white flour, and butter. Not my style. However, I plan to whip up some healthy treats this coming weekend! These are the sinful treats. And just remember, that is what they are–treats!

chocolate melted snowmen cookies

On Sunday, we made:

Italian cookiesEarlier that day, it seemed like my cat ate all the sugar because she was climbing all over the Christmas tree!

cat climbing Christmas tree

Luckily, the tree is still standing because she only weighs about 5 pounds!

cat climb Christmas tree

Haha!

Well, today I am off to do some Christmas shopping, and then get a workout in. I will be back this week to post some healthier Christmas treats!

3
Dec
2012
 Light Baked French Toast



I rarely make french toast since it takes a while if you are baking it in the oven. But, when I do make it, get ready for some deliciousness!

I took a bite of my piece already!

You can use any type of bread as long as it is crusty. I put in a slice of Ezekiel bread for myself. But, this was mostly white Italian style bread. You could do the entire dish with Ezekiel bread if you wanted! And the great part is that you can put the bread in the casserole still partially frozen.

Half Ezekiel, half white bread here.

Light Baked French Toast

Serves 3–You can easily double this and make in a 9×13 pan instead.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups skim milk (or any milk you prefer)
  • 4 egg (could use some egg whites if you want even lighter)
  • 1 Tbsp. good vanilla
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and then some for dusting on top
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. butter or Earth Balance to grease the bottom and sides of pan, PLUS 2 tsp. butter for the top of the casserole
  • Half a loaf of crusty bread (whatever you prefer)–preferably, a natural bread
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small square baking dish, grease the bottom and sides with your butter or Earth Balance.
  3. Slice your bread in 1-1.5 inch slices. If the bread slices are already sliced, then layer in double slices. Add the bread to the baking dish and make sure it is compactly arranged. You can cut up a few cube slices and stick in the empty spots of the casserole to keep everything in place.
  4. Whisk your eggs, vanilla, milk, and cinnamon. Pour over top of your bread in the baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a tiny pinch of salt.
  5. With 1 tsp. sugar, dust over top of the french toast. Cut tiny slices of butter/Earth Balance and place on top of the french toast.
  6. Bake 45-60 minutes until all the liquid is cooked or absorbed and the top has become lightly golden.

Serve with real maple syrup, fruit, fruit compote, agave, or honey! You can easily make variations on this with bananas, or other fruits, or pecans, etc.

Yum yum yum. The reason this recipe is lighter is because I cut out the heavy cream, reduced the butter significantly, and reduced the sugar to only 5 grams of sugar for the entire recipe.

26
Nov
2012
 Mashed Cauliflower instead of Mashed Potatoes



I have mentioned my mashed cauliflower many times before, but have never posted the recipe for you guys. Well, it seems to be perfected, so here you go!

Everyone seems to love it, even my brother, Danny, who doesn’t like too many vegetables. And, it is a great healthy and light alternative to mashed potatoes. Especially, for those who want to eat more vegetables and a few less carbohydrates.

Mashed Cauliflower

Makes 4 large servings or 6 medium servings.

Ingredients:

  • 3, 12 oz. (36 oz. total) packages of frozen cauliflower (the frozen kind seems to get a little softer for mashing), thawed
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2-3 tsp. minced garlic (or about 4 fresh cloves, minced)
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley (or fresh)
  • 1 tsp. ground rosemary
  • 4 Tbsp. light cream cheese or reduced fat
  • 1 Tbsp. real butter or Earth Balance
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (sometimes I taste it, and end up adding more)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, steam your thawed cauliflower for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cook your onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low until caramelized a golden brown.
  3. Add your herbs and seasonings to the onion mixture.
  4. When the cauliflower seems soft enough to mash, empty the water from the pot, and put the cauliflower back in that pot over the warm stove-top. Add your onion mixture, cream cheese, parmesan, and butter to the warm cauliflower. Mash with a potato masher (works best) or large serving utensil until it becomes smoother. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Taste and see how you like it. At this point, I may add additional herbs or spices, or another pinch of parmesan. You can check your consistency as well. I don’t mind mine chunkier, but others may like it smoother.

You can see that my recipe comes out more yellow in color because I use caramelized onions. You could omit them, and try using some dried onion flakes instead or more onion powder to get a whiter color like a potato. But, I love onions!

I also tried to snazz-up my dining table with some holiday decor.

Picture didn’t come out so great this time, but you get the idea. Used white lights behind the drapes, and used leftover Christmas tree branches in the centerpiece.

25
Nov
2012
 Holiday Festivities and The $4 Turkey



Yes, I got a turkey for $4! Craziness. All you have to do is buy the turkey 1 to 2 days after Thanksgiving. The turkey was supposed to be about $14 for 10 pounds, but it had a discount of about $10!

I should run back and get another!

We started this tradition of making a turkey after Thanksgiving because I never do Thanksgiving at my home, so I miss all the leftovers.

By the way, my bourbon vegan truffles came out fantastic. Recipe here.

I put these cute little leaf sprinkles on them for fall ;)

We got our Christmas tree safely home yesterday. I could have sworn it was going to fall off the car.

The kitties have been running everywhere around the tree. This morning, one even tried to climb it!

I underestimated their ability to jump, and had to move ornaments higher. They look sweet, but they are trouble makers! Haha.

Time to get ready to cook that turkey! Going to eat it with some mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. I have this amazing recipe that I will post later.

22
Nov
2012
 Happy Thanksgiving!



I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you have a relaxing day full of good food and good company :)

Yesterday was full of food prep for today. Psycho Holiday Baker was at it again this year!

Haha. Cute. She made her famous turkey cookies again this year.

I helped with the artistic direction ;) Meanwhile, I made some vegan sweet potato biscuits and then baked my famous apple pie with the help of Betty Crocker.

I used this recipe from My Vegan Cookbook, and it came out fantastic. No yeast required! Pretty easy ingredients. The only thing I would mention is to make sure you use copious amounts of flour when rolling out because the dough is very sticky.

I also prepped my bourbon spiked vegan truffles (recipe from NY Times Well Blog). This is just the filling with pecans, graham crackers, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon. Then, you dip them in vegan chocolate.

We’ll see what they are like today!

Mister Matthew was making some fancy gourmet sandwiches that day.

And Dad cooked a healthy pre-turkey salmon dinner using a spicy Thai chile sauce with basil. It was delicious and nutritous!

You can find a similar recipe here. Just add a fresh basil garnish.

While he cooked us dinner, Psycho Baker and I went to step class to get our pre-turkey workout in.

Watching the Thanksgiving Parade now, then off to Thanksgiving dinner!

13
Nov
2012
 Recipe Round-Up: A Vegan Thanksgiving



I am going to make some vegan recipes this year for Thanksgiving, and it has got my family raising their eyebrows. They don’t seem to understand.

When you say vegan, a lot of people think, “eww… gross”. But, this is not the case. Just because something doesn’t have milk or butter or eggs… or meat doesn’t mean it is nasty.

I am not vegan, but I also want to show them that they can enjoy all types of food, and want them to expand their taste horizons!

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up from around The Blogosphere:

Appetizers:

Main/Sides:

Desserts:

You can find more ideas on my Pinterest board here!

Do you have any great Thanksgiving recipes?

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