Healthy Flax Brownies, by Diane

I made these treats during the epic Jonas Snowstorm of 2016 because I was stuck in the house for 4 days and didn't want to be cooped up with anything I would regret eating an entire pan of later! They were healthy and I didn't feel too bad eating them, and very chocolatey. I switched the recipe, which called for them to be baked in small bowl (I didn't have this- there will be VERY little batter here) into a muffin tin which was a good move for portion control (key in a 4 day blizzard!). I didn't like the consistency of the ground flax meal though, and next time I would just use eggs (flax is often a sub for eggs in vegan recipes).


Ingredients:

1/4 cup oil of choice (I used coconut oil)

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used maca cacao powder for extra health benefits)

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a small 6-inch cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and greasing or spraying oil on the sides of the pan. Set pan aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, non-dairy milk, vanilla, sugar, and ground flaxseed. Whisk in cocoa powder and salt.
4. Stir in the brown rice flour until well mixed. This will form a very thick and sticky batter.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread out the batter.
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or so. (If using a muffin tin like I did decrease baking time to 20 minutes).
8. If you prefer your brownies less gooey inside, then bake these a few minutes longer and let them cool completely before eating.

Deconstructed Burrito Bowl, by Diane

I was looking for a warm and filling recipe to make for lunches that did not involve a soup, stew or chili since those have been on heavy rotation lately. This recipe caught my eye as it looked fresh and healthy, and I love sweet potatoes! I added some greens to this to make it a true burrito bowl and because I love greens. This dish was delicious and a great lunch or dinner. The only exception to the recipe below was that due to our epic blizzard this weekend, my grocery store was out of ground beef so I subbed in the only two meats they had left which was 1 lb. ground turkey and 1 pack of chorizo. It actually wound up being a great sub with a lot of flavor!! Also, in cooking the meat the recipe states to add the tomatoes in without draining them and not to drain the fat from the meat, but there was way too much liquid in the meat after this. I have changed the directions below to reflect this.

Ingredients:

For the salsa

2 Roma tomatoes, diced and seeded
1 medium cucumber, diced
3 green onions, chopped
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt, to taste

For the beef

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt

For the potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Pinch of ground coriander
Salt and pepper
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, for serving

Directions:

1. Mix together the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl. Adjust salt to taste. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. To make the beef mixture, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until browned, stirring regularly and then drain and remove from pan. Add the EVOO and onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Once browned, stir in the paprika, cumin, ground coriander, and salt. Add the diced tomatoes and reduce the heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. As the beef is simmering, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and spices in a bowl. Place onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until soft, turning once.
4. To assemble, place the sweet potatoes in the bottom of the bowl. Top with the ground beef, salsa, and then the avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

Spicy California Shrimp Stack, by Cheryl

Like my picture and presentation?

This recipe was circulating Facebook from Skinny Taste and it looked so good that I just had to try it! It basically tastes like one big sushi roll, and is incredibly healthy. It made 4 stacks and while it was a delicious dinner, I think that it's better suited for lunch or for dinner when you've had a heavy lunch. This shouldn't take away from the deliciousness of this dish though... it was so so good! And doesn't it look pretty? This might be my most beautiful dish yet! The original recipe has gorgeous pictures of each step as you put it into a one cup measuring cup to stack. You won't find that here, but you can click on the link to see for yourself. So good and super easy to make. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups cooked short grain brown rice (I love Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice... great texture for this and quick to make)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
8 ounces cooked shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 cup diced cucumber (about 1 small)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium)
4 teaspoons Furikake (I used sesame seeds)
4 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sriricha sauce

Directions:

1) Cook rice. When rice is done add the rice vinegar and stir.

2) Cut shrimp into one inch cubes. In a bowl combine the chives and cucumber. In another small bowl combine the mayonnaise and sriracha.

3) Using a 1 cup measuring cup, layer 1/4 cup cucumber, then 2 tablespoons avocado, then 1/4 of the shrimp, and 1/3 cup rice (I just layered them all until the previous layer was covered).

4) Carefully turn the cup upside down to turn the stack out onto a plate. Sprinkle with Furikake and drizzle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and sriricha mayonnaise. Repeat 3 more times.

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs, by Cheryl

This was really really good! The meatballs in this recipe were so tender - I wish I had made more of them. I paired it with some nicely roasted spaghetti squash instead of pasta and it came out beautifully. I changed the recipe slightly from the original. I didn't bake the meatballs first and instead just cooked them in the sauce for longer, which made them super tender. I also added another carrot because 1 carrot divided among 8 meatballs doesn't really add much. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
olive oil
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
28 ounce tomato puree (I like Pomi)
2 sprigs basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush both halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast cut side up for 40 minutes.

2) In a food processor pulse the carrots, celery, onion, parsley, and garlic until minced. Transfer half of the mixture to a bowl and add the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix together. Form into meatballs (mine made 8).

3) Add the remaining vegetable mix into a pan with olive oil and cook until softened. Add the tomato puree, then fill the container with water and add that. Stir in the basil, oregano, and some salt. Bring to a simmer, then add the meatballs and simmer slowly until the meatballs cook through and the sauce thickens (I kept mine in there for about 40 minutes).

4) Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash flesh into strands. Divide the squash among bowls and top with meatballs, sauce, and cheese if desired.

Chicken and Orzo with Butternut Squash Sauce, by Cheryl

It was a nice and cozy night for some warm butternut squash. The sauce that I made was amazingly delicious! When deciding how to make this I thought of what I did for a soup I made last year and modified that to make the sauce. The addition of a roasted apple really added a nice sweetness to the butternut squash and onion. It really went well with the chicken and orzo. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I was lazy and bought it pre-cut)
1 Fuji apple, cubed
1 onion, sliced
chicken broth
olive oil
sage
salt
orzo
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400.

2) In a bowl combine the butternut squash, apple, and onion and lightly cover with olive oil, salt, and sage. Spread out onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes.

3) Cook the orzo according to the directions on the box.

4) In a pan cook cook the chicken with some olive oil, sage, and salt.

5) When the veggies and apple are done roasting, put them into a pot and add some chicken broth. Heat for about 5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to blend together. Add about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix it into the sauce. The sauce will still be good without it if you don't want the cheese.

6) Combine everything together and top with cheese.