Key Lime Smoothie....it's supposed to be green!

As most of you know, The D and I are on a green smoothie kick (one that will hopefully last for the rest of our lives). We make green smoothies at least 6 days a week, and sometimes we make them on the 7th day too. "Do you have recipes for said green smoothies?" some may ask. Alas, we do not. We make them up every day. Others wonder how to change their color so they do not resemble baby poo. Now we know what fruit combos we like, and how to change the color to a more appealing hue, but we're still experimenting. Today I created a recipe that I am quite excited to remember, so I am writing it here in our lil recipe blog.

My favorite aspect of this smoothie: it's supposed to be green! Yay!
My second favorite aspect of this smoothie: it kinda tastes like the filling of Key Lime Pie!

KEY LIME SMOOTHIE

2 kiwis (if you're using a Blendtec or VitaMix blender, you don't have to peel them)
1 medium orange
1 green pear
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 quarter of a lime (again, if you're using one of the above blenders, keep the peel on the lime)
1/4-1/3 c. of vanilla yogurt (I used Light n' Fit)
Some ice cubes...depending on what you want your consistency to be
1/2 cup to 1 cup of water, depending on what you want your consistency to be

Blend it all together, making sure that you get the rind of the lime completely liquified. Enjoy!

Mmmm! Steamed Millet

Hi everyone! The other day I decided to try cooking millet as a healthy side dish for a little fish din-din. Here's the super simple recipe I used. I'm definitely going to have to tweak it and fiddle with it a bit more, and I'm going to try to use it to concoct some polenta in the future. I got it from Rebecca Wood's website, and she seems like a smart cookie....a very healthy, whole foods sort of cookie, that is. :)

I've copied the recipe directly from Rebecca's website, including the variations at the end.

STEAMED MILLET

This recipe is as basic as steamed rice, and like rice, its variations are endless. Using it to exemplify the accompanying article, Finding Time to Cook, look at how one pot of millet is the basis of several meals in a row. I say “in a row” because grain is best and most vital when used within 24 hours of cooking. I advise keeping it out on the counter and use it within the next 3 meals. (Refrigeration ruins both the flavor and texture of cooked grains.)

    1 cup millet
    2 ¼ cups water or chicken stock
    1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, butter or ghee
    ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Rinse millet and drain in a strainer. Place in a saucepan, add water, oil and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff millet with a fork and serve. Makes approximately 4 cups.

VARIATIONS
•     When the millet is finished cooking, turn off the heat, crack an egg onto the top, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and chopped scallions, cover the pot and the egg will “steam-poach” in 5 minutes.
•     Spoon hot millet into a shallow pan, smooth the top and allow to cool. Slice into wedges and bake or fry as polenta.
•     As a side dish, serve freshly cooked millet with a condiment, chutney or sauce.
•     Stir-fry millet with turkey or tofu.
•     Shape millet into a croquette with chopped herbs and, if necessary, an egg to bind it and pan fry or bake. Or form into a casserole, top with tomato sauce and bake.
•     Heat leftover millet with milk, sweeten with honey and flavor with cinnamon for a comforting hot breakfast cereal.

Flawless Flour-less Chocolate Cake :)

This is Dan's FAVORITE dessert. I make this for everyone and it's always a hit!  It's decadent AND gluten free, but unfortunately not low in the calories. Depending on my guests, I'll either use semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet.  (Bittersweet chocolate results in a dark chocolately taste, and most kids don't really like that flavor, but kids do like this cake made with semi sweet choc.)

• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces( I usually get the ghiradelli bagged chips)
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 9 large eggs, separated (eggs should be at room temp for good volume when whipping the whites)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon (or 1/2 cup agave nectar but you'll need to use less butter)
• 2 cups heavy cream, cold (for serving with the cake)
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• Berries- optional, but fresh raspberries are soooo good with this cake!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Put the chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl) and heat over (but not touching) about 1 inch of simmering water until melted. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs - this will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate (NECESSARY) - then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture.(Kitchen Aid, baby) Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

While the cake is cooking, whip the cream until it becomes light and fluffy.

Serve at room temperature dusted with confectioners' sugar and topped with whipped cream.

Roman Chicken

• 4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
• 2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 3 ounces prosciutto chopped (YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE BACON AND IT'S YUM TOO)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar, or even red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon thyme 
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons capers(optional, but capers are soooo YUMMY)
• 1/4 cup parsley

Directions:

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

NOTE:  Recipe is better when herbs are fresh- but we all know that's not always an option.

I serve this with white rice or boiled potatoes- either way, it's delish!!!

Quick Whole Wheat Pizza

The D loves pizza, and so do I, which is why it would be so very sad if we had to drop-kick it out the door for the sake of eating healthy. We found this quick whole wheat pizza dough recipe on the Whole Wheat Foods Council website that has served us well so far. Our favorite toppings so far have been Italian style Turkey sausage and pineapple. Yum!

QUICK WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot tap water (120 - 125°F)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (canola or olive oil work well too)
1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon* gluten* Optional ingredient*

Description: Rising and baking times may be extended.
Some people prefer to "pre-bake" the crust for about 3 minutes before adding the toppings. Crust will be "crispier" than if not pre-baked.

*The optional ingredient, gluten, may be added to help the dough rise - resulting in a thicker, chewier crust.
Directions: Preheat oven to 425°F

To prepare pizza dough, stir whole wheat flour; lightly spoon into a measuring cup and level flour.

In large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, yeast and salt. Blend in water, oil and honey or sugar. Stir by hand vigorously until all ingredients are well mixed; about 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to desired size.

Place dough in greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan or 12 to 14-inch pizza pan. Press dough to cover bottom of pan and up sides to form a rim.
Add pizza sauce of your choice and your favorite pizza toppings; bake in oven 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and toppings are done.
Servings: Provides 8 servings
Calories/Serving: 146 calories/slice of crust only
Nutrition: One slice of crust only provides approximately: 146 calories, 5 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 37 mcg folate, 2 mg iron and 219 mg sodium.
Source: Wheat Foods Council

Chicken Fondue.....Mmmm!

We have a new fondue pot that has gotten dusty with lack of use. Last Friday evening, the D and I decided to make fondue for dinner. We found this broth recipe, and it did not fail us, which is why I'm sharing it on this blog. Cooking meats and veggies in a fondue broth takes a while, and we had a great time cooking our chicken, carrots, broccoli and potatoes at the kitchen table while we watched clips from the Royal Wedding on the news. We felt so fancy!

NOTE: I used 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar diluted with water in place of white wine, and the chicken came out bursting with tasty flavors. It was definitely the best part of the meal.

3 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp Garlic (chopped)
2 tsp rosemary (dry or fresh)
2 tsp oregano (dry or fresh)

Begin by sauteing the garlic in a splash of the chicken stock for about a minute, just to bring out the flavor. Add the white wine and deglaze any garlic on the pan, and let evaporate for about two minutes. Finally, add chicken stock and herbs and bring to a slow boil. The broth is ready to cook your meat! Use these time estimates for your raw meat and veggies:

- Beef (steak) 2-3 minutes (Depends how rare you like it).
- Chicken 3-5 minutes (Make sure ALL pink is gone from meat).
- Seafood 1-3 minutes (Go easy on the lobster and salmon!)
- Veggies: Broccoli, zucchini and mushrooms 2-3 minutes, potatoes 5-8 minutes (just dump them in and scoop them out with a slotted spoon).

Light Alfredo Sauce

I heart Spark Recipes like this alfredo sauce. Mmmm. Cheesy! I added an extra tablespoon of flour to the mix.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups skim milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown.

In a small saucepan, stir together milk, chicken broth, flour, salt and pepper over low heat until smooth and thick. Stir into garlic. Continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CIAMOM.

Number of Servings: 8