Author Archives: ebchr

Stuffed Mushrooms

It’s mushroom season! White or Crimini Mushrooms work great for this recipe. This is a great paleo snack. Make them with or without cheese!

Ingredients

6 oz white or crimini mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
3 tsps. fresh Italian parsley, minced (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
Salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

Oven to 350*
Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems
Finely chop just the stems
Place cleaned mushrooms, caps down on baking sheet and set aside
Heat butter and saute onion for 4-5 minutes or until golden
Add sausage to skillet and cook until browned
Add celery, red bell pepper, and finely chopped mushroom stems and cook for another 5-7 minutes
Add oregano and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes
Place meat mixture in food processor with egg and parsley and pulse until mixture is finely chopped
Spoon meat mixture into each mushroom cap, top with cheese (optional and bake for ~20-30 minutes until mushrooms are tender and filling is starting to brown
Enjoy! 🙂

Eggplant Mini Pizzas

4 Replies

These delicious mini pizzas are made with a base of eggplant and topped with sauce, veggies, cheese and fresh basil. I added some fresh pesto as well and these were delicious! 🙂 Gluten free and grain free and almost paleo (omit cheese for paleo) these are a great alternative to traditional pizza! 🙂

Ingredients

1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long and sliced into 3/4″ slices
Salt for sprinkling on eggplant slices to draw water out
1-2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting

Toppings

1 can (14.5 oz) Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning or a combination of basil, oregano and thyme
1-2 mushrooms, finely diced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend
Fresh Basil Pesto – 1 tsp for each slice of eggplant (optional)
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)

Instructions

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness)
Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C.)
After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with a knife or paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.) Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning. Roast the eggplant about 20-25 minutes.
Remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil.
Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with chopped veggies, cheese and some of the fresh basil.
Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Serve hot, with a dollop of fresh basil pesto and some more fresh basil if using.

Inspired by, modified and simplified from the original – thanks KalynsKitchen!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Cheese

Leave a reply

Root veggies are in season with an abundance to select from already. You can use sweet potatoes, yams or garnet yams for this recipe. You are dairy free? No problem. Bake them the same way as described below and omit cheese. They are super delicious either way! 🙂

Ingredients

4 small sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
3 oz Fontina cheese, grated (3/4 cup) – I could not find this in my local grocery store and used Comte cheese instead.. you can’t really go wrong with any cheese though, so use your favorite cheese or just Parmesan works great!
1 1/2 oz. Parmesan, grated (1/3 cup)

Directions

Heat oven to 425*
Rub potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper
Bake, cut side down, on a baking sheet or glass pan until golden brown and tender, ~20 minutes (fork inserts very easily)
Turn over to broil
Combine cheeses and sprinkle on potatoes cut-side up
Broil until cheese is melted and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes
Serve warm

Eggs and Bacon Tart

Leave a reply

No gluten, no grains, no dairy.. just a pure protein power breakfast tart. Served with some sautéed veggies and fresh fruit and you’ll have a great meal!

Ingredients

1 lb organic bacon
1 cup thinly diced scallions, leaks or onion
8 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives for garnish

Directions

Oven to 350*
Cook bacon in skillet until browned, ~5 minutes
Remove and cool and then mince or finely chop
Pour off and discard fat from skillet
Return bacon with onions or scallions and saute for a few minutes
Beat eggs, pepper and salt
Put bacon/onion mixture in a round glass pan (8″ or 9″ works well) and pour egg mixture on it
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm
Let cool a bit and garnish with fresh chives

Creamy Feta Dip and Veggies

2 Replies

The thing that makes this Feta Dip unique is the cumin spice. It is creamy and fresh and delicious and wonderful paired with fresh veggies!

Mom tip of the day: I left some stems and leaves on the carrots and asked my kids if they wanted “bunny carrots”? They were so intrigued they ate the carrots up (don’t eat the leaves or stems!). Funny how something slightly out of the ordinary is so interesting! 🙂

Ingredients

3/4 cup buttermilk or Greek Yogurt
6 oz Feta, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cup)
3/4 tsp cumin (optionally for richer flavor – heated in a small skillet until just fragrant)
2 tsps. fresh lime juice
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Radicchio leaves, carrots, cucumber or other favorite veggies

Directions

Combine buttermilk, 1/2 cup of the Feta, cumin and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth
Add remaining feta and pule a few times to combine
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days
Before serving, stir in lime juice and serve the dip drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper
Serve with fresh cut veggies

Figs

4 Replies

It’s fig season! My little fig tree has been working hard all summer and I didn’t think the thirty or so little green ‘figlets’ would ripen until a few days ago when they started getting purple and were ready to pick! Yum, they are delicious! The kids enjoyed picking these from the tree just as much as eating them!

You may know figs from the dried fruit category, usually available in abundance during winter season. The fresh version are equally delicious, but not as sweet. Figs are a nutrient dense food and are rich in vitamins, potassium and are also a great source of fiber. Enjoy diced with yogurt, oatmeal, chia seed pudding, or simply as a piece of juicy and sweet fresh fruit.

If they don’t all get harvested and consumed, I will dip some in dark chocolate and post to the blog in a few weeks! 🙂

Want to learn more about figs? I found some interesting reading here and some fun recipes here.

The Berry Ricky

Leave a reply

With end of summer lingering (I’m optimistic) and the transition to fall upon us, this is a great time to enjoy late summer seasonal berries. This drink uses raspberries, blackberries, lime and mint, add some Cointreau, soda water and voila! No fancy cocktail tools, no shaking, just a little stirring of ingredients and served with ice!

Ingredients

2 oz Cointreau
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 Blackberries
2 Raspberries
5 Mint Leaves
3-4 oz Club Soda (I used a sparkling water like Perrier)

Directions

Muddle the berries and mint in the bottom of a glass.
Add Cointreau and fresh lime juice with ice, and top with sparkling water.
Stir briefly. Garnish with a berry and mint sprig.

Source: I found this at Cointreau.us

Tricolor Autumn Salad

Leave a reply

This is made with purple cabbage, romaine lettuce and carrots.. full of nutrients, all raw ingredients, crunchy and delicious! Toss with Tahini Dressing and enjoy.

Ingredients

1 small head purple cabbage (grated)
1 small head romaine lettuce (finely chopped)
1 cup grated carrots
1 batch Tahini dressing

Tahini Dressing (makes 1.5 cups or so)

1/2 cup roasted tahini
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Directions

In a large bowl, toss veggies
For dressing, puree ingredients until smooth
Toss salad with 1/2 cup or up to all dressing and serve

Source: Thanks Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry

Pink Tulle for End of Summer

6 Replies

“Bear Hunts”, puddle jumping and running through the woods.. that’s what end of summer is all about! 🙂

So I’m working on a photo book that follows the theme of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt“. This is the kids’ favorite book right now, so much so that I know every word by heart. Even after the lights are out and I’m getting the kids settled, I will sometimes sing or narrate the story. Despite the somewhat wild dash at the end of the book, it settles them right down..

Anyway, we’ve been out and about enjoying the last days of summer doing our photoshoot and of course what better to wear than pink tulle for a Bear Hunt!?

Thanks to my very patient husband who took the pictures!

Time for a snack!

Love the early fall colors in the background!

Trying not to fall off the log!

Good thing we brought a change of clothes!

My obsession with tulle actually started a few years ago when I saw this beautiful pink tulle skirt on Pinterest. It was paired with a black knit turtle neck and I thought “Oh that looks totally gorgeous, totally easy, and I can totally make that..” It was NOT easy, but it IS doable! Tulle is actually somewhat forgiving when you’re working with it. I found this DIY Tulle Skirt pattern which is a great guide. Don’t want to make one? No problem.. do a search on Amazon or other online retailer – there are plenty of cheap options out there!

For some reason my tulle skirt turned out super poofy (at first) and I had to adjust the slip underneath to lay flatter by removing some fabric instead of doing a full circle.. I’ll call it a success though because even if I did not achieve the original look I was going for; it was fun, we had a lot of laughs and Ava was happy that we could have matching skirts. Plus, who doesn’t like a little pink tulle now and then.. perfect with rain boots and for a “bear hunt”! 🙂

On me

DIY tulle skirt DIY Tulle Skirt pattern
Dalmatian Boots from JCrew (5+ years old)
Gray shirt from Banana Republic (3+ years old)

On Ava

White knit sweater with fake pearl buttons (saved from my wardrobe, 30 years old)
T-shirt with lavender print flowers
Mini tulle skirt from Carter’s
Pink rubber boots

On Anders

Blue button down shirt
Cargo shorts
Rain boots

Jalapeno Poppers

4 Replies

These are delicious! I mean how could they not be? Cheese filled jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon and baked to crispy perfection! These must be a total crowd pleaser – an awesome app for any season! Enjoy. 🙂

Ingredients

12 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeds removed (keep a few seeds if you like spicy – as the seeds hold the heat!). And a note of caution – don’t touch your eyes while chopping. The oil from the seeds is very hot!
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
6 strips of bacon, halved

Directions

Mix cream and cheddar cheeses
Fill jalapeno pepper half with cheese mixture and put on the other half
Wrap in bacon
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy (use broiler for a few minutes at end for extra crispiness if needed!)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: