Hello and hope you are all staying cool! This is one of the hottest summers we’ve had in awhile! I don’t like to bake or cook much when the weather is this hot—instead, I make a lot of salads, sandwiches, and simple side dishes that require little or no cooking. Like this Easy Creamy Coleslaw…it’s definitely easy to make, since it’s made with a pre-shredded coleslaw mix, so you can mix it up in no time!
Continue reading
This is such an easy and healthy recipe for breakfast, a snack, or dessert! it’s from a new book called The SirtFood Diet. Before I received my review copy, I had never heart of “Sirtfoods.” In a nutshell, what I read in this book was that polyphenol nutrients from certain plants are good for us. And plants that have “noteworthy amounts” of sirtuin-activating polyphenols are called “Sirtfoods.” I know this sounds pretty technical, but the book gives a good explanation about all this. It also provides information about the top 20 Sirtfoods, along with other foods that are beneficial. I found that I actually like a lot of these foods, which include Arugula, Garlic, Green Tea, and even Cocoa!
Continue reading
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. Unfortunately, my big outdoor rosemary plant did not make it through the winter, so I have a new small one growing inside right now. I’ll put it outside soon, hoping it will grow into another big plant! I used some of the rosemary from this little plant in this Creamy Navy Bean Soup recipe.
I made this soup several weeks ago on a chilly day. Even though the weather has warmed up, this is still a great recipe for any time of year if you are a soup-lover! Creamy soups usually call for heavy cream as an ingredient, but I used plain Greek yogurt in this soup–I thought the tangy yogurt would give the soup a nice flavor, and it really did! The rosemary gives it a great flavor, too. You’ll want to use fresh rosemary if you have it, but dried rosemary also works.
CREAMY NAVY BEAN SOUP by NancyC
Makes about four servings
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1/2 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- dash of salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans Navy Beans, rinsed and drained
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Additional fresh or dried rosemary for garnish
In a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, add olive oil and heat for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and onions; cook until onions start to get tender and a little translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add in the broth and beans, heat to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let soup cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Place half of the soup mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a large bowl, then blend the remaining soup mixture and add to the large bowl.
Stir the plain Greek yogurt into the pureed soup mixture, blending well (if the yogurt is lumpy, use a hand better or immersion blender to smooth the mixture). Pour the soup mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat for 5 additional minutes.
Pour into 4 serving bowls and top with a garnish of fresh or dried rosemary, if desired, and serve.
In addition to rosemary, I also like to grow basil in a pot every summer–that’s another favorite herb of mine. Do you grow your own herbs, too, and what are your favorites?
Sharing this recipe at Fiesta Friday. Weekend Potluck, Full Plate Thursday, Meal Plan Monday, Inspire Me Monday.
Chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please. Especially when it’s a healthier way to have chocolate. This may not sound very healthy, but don’t let the words “chocolate” or “shake” fool you. There’s lots of good-for-you ingredients in this–banana, peanut butter, honey, unsweetened cocoa powder, Greek yogurt, and low-fat milk (you can sub non-dairy products in this, too). This shake has a super-rich chocolatey taste with a hint of peanut butter and banana and it’s so smooth and creamy!
If you like having chocolate in the morning, make this for breakfast. Or drink it for an afternoon snack…or have it as a dinner dessert–it’s great any time of day! One thing to remember is that you do have to plan ahead a little–you need to cut a banana into chunks and put in the freezer so it’s frozen when you make your shake–I usually do this the night before I’m going to make it.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BREAKFAST SHAKE by NancyC
Makes 1 (10-ounce) serving
- 1 medium banana, cut into chunks and frozen (do this the day before you’re making it, or at least several hours ahead of time)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt or soy yogurt
- 1/4 cup low fat milk, soy milk, or almond milk
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and serve immediately.
This shake is a real treat and while it’s great for breakfast, I really like making it in the afternoon–that’s when I tend to crave chocolate. When would you make this?
Linked to Wow Me Wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Let’s Get Real Friday, Foodie Friday, Inspire Me Monday.
The title read, “A Cake You Can Eat for Breakfast and Dessert.” Well, that got my attention! The Yahoo Food article also said “A cup of coffee will disguise this treat as breakfast, and a scoop of ice cream transforms it into dessert.” Perfect! I always love recipes that give you that kind of flexibility! 🙂
So of course I had to try this coffee cake. I used more dark chocolate, added a little more cinnamon, and used pecans instead of hazelnuts. Yum! This coffee cake has a thick batter that bakes into a dense yet cakey chocolate-cinnamon treat. I found that my baking time was less than what the original recipe recommended, and you do want to be careful not to overbake this, or it will be a little dry.
This coffee cake is great for morning or anytime–especially if you are a fan of dark chocolate!
DARK CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON PECAN COFFEE CAKE by NancyCreative, adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes 9-12 servings in an 8 x 8″ pan
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain whole Greek yogurt
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 8” square baking pan; set aside.
Toss pecans, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and remaining ¾ cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add dry flour mixture ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. You’ll end up with a nice thick batter.
Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan and smooth top; top with half of the chocolate/pecan mixture. Spoon remaining batter over this and smooth top; top with remaining chocolate/pecan mixture. Bake cake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes (be careful not to overbake, or it will be dry! I recommend checking it after it has baked about 35 to 37 minutes). Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan before cutting into squares, and serve (if you want to eat it warm, let it cool about 10 minutes before cutting). I think this coffee cake tastes best warm myself!
It’s been awhile since I’ve made a coffee cake, so this hit the spot! I have a few other coffee cake recipes I’ve been wanting to try. Have you made any good ones lately?
Linked to Thursday Favorite Things, Foodie Friday, I’m Lovin’ It, Tickled Pink.
NancyC 