Flourless Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies, by Diane

We found this recipe on facebook from Cleanfoodcrush and decided to make them as our dessert for family dinner night this Sunday. They sounded fantastic, and smelled really great too, but unfortunately they were so disgusting we each took one bite and threw the whole pan out. Who knows what went wrong here, but we have to post the good's and the bad's- and this one is BAD. :(


Ingredients:

1/3 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp, all natural peanut, or almond butter
1/4 cup raw honey, or pure maple syrup grade 'b'
1/2 cup unsweetened all-natural applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup finely shredded zucchini (skin left on)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:

 Blend everything together and bake for 23-25 minutes at 350 in a greased 8x8 pan.

Koobideh, by Diane

A while back, I made an amazing Afghani dish on the blog called Qabuli. It was a big hit and I think about recreating it often. This week, I decided I wanted to make it again but wasn't sure how many koobideh kabobs I would need to buy. Thinking that it might get expensive, I decided to look it up and see how to make them instead. As it turns out, they are shockingly simple to make and way cheaper than getting them at the restaurant! And, they don't have any carbs of any kind in them- my favorite way to cook!

*Note: The onion step (Step 1) will literally make you cry your face off, so especially be careful when removing the lid of the food processor not to get your face too close. :)

Ingredients:


1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
1 small head of parsley, stems removed
1 tsp each turmeric, salt and pepper
1 egg
2 lb. ground lamb


Directions:

1. Using a food processor, mince the onion down to tiny pieces. Strain out all the liquid and return to the processor.

2. Add in the garlic, parsley, spices, and egg and blend well until everything is broken down.

3. Add the lamb in chunks and then process until just mixed through.

4. Remove mixture and refridgerate for a minimum of 3 hours to overnight (I did it overnight).

5. Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet and form the mixture into 8 logs. Using a knife, cut bite-sized notches into the logs.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

Easy Morning Fritatas, by Diane

I made these this week as a switch from my usual soaked oats and they were so great to grab and eat on the go! They are obviously customizable, but I really liked this combo! I'll definitely be making these again.


Ingredients:

1 small head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
30 grape tomatoes (I used a sweet variety here)

9 Eggs
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, toss the veggies with some olive oil and spread evenly onto the tray. Bake for 20 minutes until the broccoli starts to char and the tomatoes almost burst.

2. About 5 minutes before the veggies are done, spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. When the veggies are done, distribute them evenly into the bottom of each muffin tin. Pour the eggs in until the cups are about 3/4 of the way full.

4. Bake in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the fritatas are completely cooked through and you can remove a clean toothpick from the center.

Sore Throat/Cold Tonic, by Diane

I have had some kind of allergy/cold mix for 9 weeks now, and my throat has had it!! I created this drink as a knock off of two of my fave cold remedies, and it is SO good! Basically, you make a slurry ahead of time and store it in the fridge, and then you add hot liquid and go!



Ingredients:

1 small red apple, sliced into small bite sized pieces
3 tbsp wildflower honey (regular works too)
1 tbsp each cinnamon, turmeric, ginger

1/2 lemon, squeezed
Hot water
Optional: 1 cup gynostemma tea (good immune and mood booster!), apple cider vinegar


Directions:

Make the slurry of apple, honey, and spices. Add some water until the apples are covered and store in an airtight container in the fridge. The mixture should sit for at least a few hours to marinate, it gets better each day! When you're ready for the drink, put some of the slurry into the bottom of a mug with hot water and lemon (and the optional ingredients too if you want).

Lamb Giouvetsi, by Cheryl and Diane

We made this as our main course for the menu meal, and we thought it was just pretty good! This dish was inspired by a recent meal Cheryl and I had at a new Mediterranean restaurant, and we knew we wanted to recreate it! We found this recipe and converted the pork to lamb. It would have been greatly improved if we had tasted it before putting it into the oven, and had cooked it for less time because ours got a bit dried out (however, we were dealing with two other dishes and two small children and thus forgot to cover it with foil in the oven, so maybe that's why!!). It made the house smell delicious though!


Ingredients:

Olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 big onion
1 lb lamb (stew meat works best here, cut into bite sized pieces)
Salt and pepper
½ bottle red wine
2 bay leaves
1 clove (or one pinch ground cloves)
1 ½ oz canned chopped tomatoes
1 lb Greek pasta (orzo)
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup warm chicken stock

Directions:

1. Over medium high heat, add the olive oil to a pan. Add in the garlic and onion, cook for 4-5 minutes.

2. Add in the lamb, salt and pepper and sear each side about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add in 1/2 of the red wine (1/4 of the bottle), bay leaves, and cloves. Cook for 1 minute.

4. Add in the chopped tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for one hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 (we think 350 might have been better here). Check the mixture for taste, and adjust seasonings. The pasta will absorb a lot of flavor so make sure to add in some extra!

6. Add in the cinnamon, chicken stock, and orzo and stir well. Transfer into a baking dish and bake for another hour, covered with foil. You want the end result to be a thick tomato sauce so watch it in the oven!

Ligurian Stuffed Mussels, by Cheryl and Diane

Cheryl and I got together for our last menu meal yesterday, and this was our appetizer. It was fairly easy to make, but the recipe was horrible to follow so I'm posting a more clear version. We liked these a lot!


Ingredients:

1 lb mussels, cleaned
1/4 cup minced mortadella or hard salami
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 tsp each dried thyme and marjoram (we subbed oregano here)
Salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup white wine
3 large peeled tomatoes, chopped 


Directions:

1. Steam the mussels with hot water in a pot until just opened.

2. While the mussels are steaming, prepare the filling by combining the mortadella, cheese, 2 garlic cloves, eggs, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk for a few minutes, strain any leftover milk, and add to the filling mixture.

3. Create the sauce by simmering olive oil, parsley, and remaining garlic clove over medium heat. Add in the wine and tomatoes until softened.

4. Preheat the oven to 200.

5. Stuff the mussels with the filling, pushing the shells together, and layer in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over top and bake for 30 minutes.

Green Matcha Soaked Oats, by Diane

Given my latest obsession with green mylk, I wanted to try a new variation on my superfood soaked oats. This version is really good, and I promise you can't taste all the health benefits packed in here!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2- 1 cup green mylk (depending on how soaked you like the oats, see recipe link on blog)
2 tbsp. matcha powder (I love Sencha's matcha latte mix!)
2 tbsp. dried cranberries
1/4 tsp of cinnamon, turmeric, maca, and ginger
2 tbsp. cacao nibs
Toppings of almonds, unsweetened shredded coconut, and hemp seeds


Directions:

Mix all ingredients except toppings together and let soak from 1/2 hour-overnight. Add in toppings when you are ready to eat so they are still crunchy!

Green Mylk, by Diane

Lately, I haven't been drinking smoothies or juicing because it's been so cold, and I haven't been eating as many leafy greens. I was brainstorming a way to solve this problem when I came across an article for green mylk, and I knew this was perfect for me to try (note: I now cannot find this article...). Basically, you can use any type of milk and any greens, and you can sweeten it or keep it plain. I typically whiz up a batch and keep it in a mason jar for a few days in the fridge. If I'm feeling lazy I will use store bought milk/mylk and add greens from there. Either way, if you're using a mild green like spinach you'll barely taste this, but still get a great boost! Win!

Note: I usually use the recipe for my homemade oat milk, but lately I've been subbing the oats for coconut with awesome results! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
3 cups filtered water
3 soaked dates or 2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp pink sea salt
2 cups spinach


Directions:

Blend until completely smooth and store in an airtight container.

Mexican Avocado Chocolate Mouse, by Cheryl

I don't even know what to write here. This is one of the worst things I've made. Don't make it. Not yum.

Ingredients (from here):

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chili

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

2) Taste and adjust seasonings.

3) Spoon into serving dishes and chill to set.