A LA GRAHAM

2.07.2013

B.L.A.T. CUPS (BACON, LETTUCE, AVOCADO AND TOMATO)- CLEAN EATING

Last night, I walked into my dad's house and smelled the most wonderful smell EVER...toast! It is amazing how much you want something when you are trying not to eat it! I was craving it all night when I got home...then I remembered back to when I was little, on occasion my mom would get home from work and make BLT's for dinner. I loved it! Mostly the toast and bacon, of course!

I made this for lunch and thought I would share it with you. It would be an easy party appetizer too.

B.L.A.T. CUPS (BACON, LETTUCE, AVOCADO AND TOMATO)- CLEAN EATING
Serves 4

8 slices bacon- uncured
1 head of bibb lettuce
1 tomato
guacamole (recipe follows):
2 avocados
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds removed if you don't like heat)
1/2 cilantro, chopped
juice from 1/2 lime
salt to taste

Make the guacamole:
Mash the avocados, garlic cloves, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice together with a fork. Add salt to taste.

Carefully pull the clean bibb leaves apart.

Chop your tomato...

Make the bacon:
I usually make my bacon with the microwave because I like it crisp and the microwave seems like the easiest and best method for crisp bacon but use whatever works best for you.
Chop the bacon.

Assemble the B.L.A.T. Cups:

Load each bibb lettuce cup with guacamole, bacon and tomato.

PRINTABLE RECIPE:

2.05.2013

SHRIMP WITH ZUCCHINI "NOODLES" AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE- CLEAN EATING

Shrimp with Zucchini "Noodles" and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce- Clean Eating
Serves 4

4 zucchini
3 red bell peppers
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
raw shrimp
salt
pepper
Spinach leaves (optional)

Roast the Peppers:
Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Place clean peppers in baking pan. Roast, turning occasionally until the skins are charred and the peppers collapse.

Once the skins are blackened place them in a Ziploc bag or cover the pan tightly with foil and allow the peppers to sweat, for about 10-30 minutes. Peel the charred skins from the peppers...

and then remove seeds and set aside.

Make the Sauce:
In a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft, season with salt and pepper. Pour sauteed onions, garlic and the roasted peppers into a food processor and puree until desired consistency. Taste for flavor and add more salt or pepper if desired. Set aside.

Make the Noodles:
You can do this the night before and keep the noodles covered in the fridge. I prefer using a lemon zester but you can use a julienne peeler or a mandolin or even a knife if you have a lot of time a patience! Start at one end of the zucchini and use your zester to peel to the other end. Rotate around the zucchini and stop when you hit the seeds.

You will end up with a pile of zucchini noodles. Add a little oil to a medium-hot pan and saute for about 2 minutes or more if they are thicker. But don't over cook or they will be soggy. Set aside.

Saute the Shrimp:
Peel and devein the shrimp, Add a little oil a medium-hot pan and saute for about 1-2 minutes per side or until the shrimp are pink. Do not over cook or they will be rubbery.

Assemble:
Put the red pepper sauce on the plate. Add some spinach leaves on top (optional) or basil leaves may be nice for color. Toss the zucchini noodles with the red pepper sauce. Set a round mold (I use a biscuit cutter) on top of the spinach and fill with the noodles. Add the the shrimp on top and carefully slide the mold off.

Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

2.04.2013

SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS IN CABBAGE CUPS- CLEAN EATING

The other day I pulled out the slow cooker to make shredded chicken. It took a little longer than I was planning on and by the time the chicken was ready to be shredded it was unfortunately time for the kids to go to bed, luckily I had leftover Chicken Fried Cauliflower "Rice". So in a hurry, I took the chicken out of the slow cooker and set it on a plate on the counter just waiting to be shredded. I put the kids to bed and when I got back into the kitchen my plate was still perfectly sitting there on the counter but there wasn't one piece of chicken left on it...in walks Buddy, with a not-so-innocent swagger.

I hope you enjoyed your ridiculously expensive organic chicken breasts!

Onto tonight...I tried again, this time I had less time so I skipped the slow cooker and went right to simmering on the stove top. It worked great and tasted even better.

SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS IN CABBAGE CUPS- CLEAN EATING

3 Chicken Breasts

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Small Red Cabbage

Toppings:
red pepper
shredded spinach
onions
you name it...use whatever you like best

Note: if you don't like the taste of cabbage go with lettuce cups. I personally love cabbage and I like how cabbage is thicker than lettuce so it doesn't fall apart or wilt from the heat of the chicken. And I love the color! Also you can easily skip the spices and add a taco seasoning packet instead...just make sure you check the ingredients and make sure it isn't filled with additives and preservatives.

In a pot, mix together one cup of water and spices. Add the chicken breasts and bring to a boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and add water if needed. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 40 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and checking for when it is ready to shred...approximately 40 minutes.
Shred with two forks and keep the shredded chicken in the pot.

Carefully pull the clean cabbage leaves apart.

Put the chicken in the cabbage cups and add whatever toppings you prefer.

Life is good!

Printable Recipe

2.02.2013

CHICKEN FRIED CAULIFLOWER "RICE"- CLEAN EATING

CHICKEN FRIED CAULIFLOWER "RICE"- CLEAN EATING
1 medium to large sized head of cauliflower
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil or preferred cooking oil
1 medium sized onion, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chicken breast, cut into pieces
2 large eggs, cracked & lightly beaten (set aside)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
Ginger powder, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Coarse sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos (A soy sauce substitute at local health store), to taste

Note: I cook my eggs and chicken separately from everything else, sometimes I cook like I am a preschooler (I don't want anything touching in the pan) but you can easily cook the chicken with the onions and scramble the eggs in with the cauliflower.

Grate the cauliflower using a food processor with the grater attachment or use a hand grater until it is at rice consistency.

Preheat two woks/pans over medium-high heat. Two pans are useful because if you overfill a pan you will cause the ingredients to steam instead of brown and fry. It is important to have room to spread out the ingredients while cooking.

Add about two tablespoons of oil and the onions to one of the hot pans. Cook the onions until soft and translucent.

In the other pan, cook the chicken pieces in a little oil until they are no longer pink in the middle. Set aside. Add the egg to the pan and scramble. Set aside.

Now add the cauliflower to the same pan, (add a little oil if needed) spread it out and cook the cauliflower, allowing it to brown a little. Stir frequently. Repeat this until evenly browned. It should take about 5 minutes. (Don’t forget to keep an eye on the pan with the onions).

Add the scrambled eggs with the cauliflower. Remove from heat when ready.

Now back to the pan with the onions: Add the mushrooms, garlic powder and ginger powder to the onions. Continue to cook, spreading out, stirring & tossing the ingredients often. Remember to spread ingredients out evenly in the pan between ‘tossing’ so that they can ‘brown’ not steam. Add the cooked chicken.

When both of the mixtures are ready (the cauliflower will be done first), combine them into one pan and toss until evenly mixed. Garnish with green onions, salt and pepper and coconut aminos (or soy sauce) to taste.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

12.21.2012

FAVORITE COOKIES

My favorite cookie list for the holidays...just click on the title of the cookie recipe you like to link to the recipe. Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES

SNICKERDOODLES

MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES WITH DARK RUM GLAZE

JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES

CHOCOLATE CHUNK OATMEAL COOKIES WITH PECANS AND DRIED CHERRIES

STRAWBERRY AND ROSEMARY SCONES

LEMON, COCONUT & WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY ESPRESSO COOKIES

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

THICK AND CHEWY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

THE BEST THICK AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

HOMEMADE SOFT OREOS

BLUEBERRY BOY BAIT

I am obsessed with blueberries...can't get enough. Fresh or frozen I will take them anyway I can get them! I especially love to bake with them. This is one of my favorite coffee cakes; loaded with blueberries and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
Mr. Kimball, from ATK writes, "This is my all-time favorite recipe name. It comes from Renny Powell, a teenager from Chicago, who submitted this recipe in 1954 to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (now known as the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest) and won second prize in the junior division. This is a very light one-layer cake with blueberries and a simple crumble topping. Ms. Powell evidently found it useful in attracting members of the opposite sex and, based on my testing, I would have to agree that it's pretty good bait."

Blueberry Boy Bait
The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008

Cake:
16 T unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, tossed with 1 t flour

Topping:
3/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
Whisk flour, powder, and salt in medium bowl.
With a mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 min., scraping the sides when needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
Reduce speed to medium and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture until incorporated; beat in 1/2 of the milk.
Beat in 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk, finally the rest of the flour.
Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula.
For the topping, scatter the berries over the top of the batter.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake about 45 min.
Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

12.20.2012

POPCORN BALLS

Normally, I wouldn't post a recipe like this but I have had two friends recently talk about popcorn balls...which is a throwback for me. My mom use to make them when I was little...we would add different colors of food coloring into the marshmallow mixture and add different candies...like M&M's, Nibs and sprinkles (not the healthiest treat, I know but fun for the kids). Also instead of balls we would use a bundt cake pan to make a popcorn cake.

POPCORN BALLS
10 balls

4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag (10 ounce) miniature marshmallows
12-14 cups popped popcorn
M&Ms (optional)

Note: Add more popcorn if you don't want them to be so sticky.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Add salt and 1 bag (10 ounces) mini marshmallows, microwave until melted (about 90 seconds), stirring every 30 seconds. In a large bowl, combine popped popcorn (from about 2/3 cup kernels), be careful not to mix in any un-popped kernels.

Pour melted marshmallows over popcorn mixture, and fold to combine. You will need to work quickly since the sugar in the marshmallows hardens as it cools. Rub a little butter into your hands to prevent sticking, and gently form 12 balls, each about 2 1/2 inches across; place on waxed paper. Let set until cool and firm, about 10 minutes. If you are using the bundt pan make sure you grease it well before putting the popcorn in so it doesn't stick.