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RECIPES/ Sides

Healthy & Delicious 2 Ingredient Creamy Salsa Dip

This is my new favorite, go-to creamy taco dip. It couldn’t be easier or tastier. You just use equal parts hummus and salsa and mix. It keeps really well in the refrigerator and can be used as a dip, sauce or dressing.

I love the combination of Trader Joes Hummus Dip and Trader Joes Organic Tomatillo Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa, but you could use any brand hummus and salsa.

Here I used it on tacos in place of cheese. I filled the tacos with my Crockpot Refried Beans Without The Refry. I added corn to the beans, topped with the hummus/salsa dip, then topped that with Trader Joes broccoli slaw and carrot mix. This dinner was delicious and full of flavor and texture. The cheese was not missed at all!

Here I used it as a dressing to top a simple lunch salad I made for myself. Greens topped with beans, broken tortilla chips in place of croutons for some crunch, and topped with Creamy Salsa Dip as a dressing. So good!

I also use it as a dip for cut veggies and crackers.

This dip is a great way to get some protein due to the chickpeas in the hummus. It is also much better for you than the typical creamy dips that use sour cream, milk or cheese, and has much less fat than the typical salad dressing.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored

Grape Jelly Meat-Less Balls + Heinz Happy

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Heinz Ketchup for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know I like to say “Makes Me Happy!”

You know what Makes Me Happy? Heinz Ketchup.

Why? Because they offer organic ketchup with no high-fructose corn syrup!

I make a lot of things homemade to avoid unhealthy ingredients, but I draw the line at having to make my own ketchup, and thanks to Heinz, I don’t have to!

Heinz ketchup put together a Heinz Super Bowl spot for this year’s game that is sure to make YOU happy. I got to preview it and it made me chuckle. It made me very happy to have a commercial that the whole family can enjoy. You can Watch the Heinz Super Bowl spot below, then tell me if it made you happy.

Heinz is also running a photo promotion where you can share a photo of you and your family showing off your love for Heinz. It is called Show Us Your Heinz. When I first read about this, I was reading too fast and thought it said “show us your hiney.” That, too, made me chuckle. Leave it to Heinz to make me happy that people are not showing us their bums.

On to this awesome recipe.

The happiness theme continues. I was super happy to see a sauce made from just 3 ingredients. Ketchup (Heinz of course!) lemon juice, and grape jelly.

You can make this simple sauce and toss your favorite meatballs in it. To make it even more simple for those Super Bowl Games & parties, you can buy frozen meatballs and just whip up the sauce. Throw it all in a slow cooker and keep a jar of toothpicks nearby for guests to serve themselves.

I used the sauce with this great Lentil Meat-less Balls recipe. They were delicious. We didn’t miss the meat one bit! A great little snack with a nice punch of plant protein–now THAT makes me happy!

Lentil Meat-Less Balls
2 Cups Cooked Lentils
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Ricotta (I used pureed cashews, add water until ricotta-like consistency)
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used nutritional yeast)
1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed, crushed
2 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Hefty pinch of Dried or Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Each Sea Salt and Pepper
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs (fresh or panko, preferably)

Sauce:
1 cup Heinz Organic ketchup
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup grape jelly ( look for jelly with no high-fructose corn syrup in it!)

Meat-less Balls:
In a food processor or high speed blender, pulverize the lentils into mush.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Mix well.
Add the breadcrumbs. Mix and let sit for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Check the lentil mix by rolling a 1″ round ball between your palms, it should hold together fairly well. If it seems pretty wet and is falling apart, stir in another Tbsp. or two of breadcrumbs until the ball will stay together. (I had to add quite a bit more breadcrumbs)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease well. Roll the mix into balls and line them up on a baking sheet (they don’t need lots of space between, they won’t spread). If you like a bit more of a crust, brush them with oil.

Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, gently turning the balls over halfway through baking. Remove to cool slightly.

Sauce:
Melt sauce ingredients in a pan, stirring constantly. Pour over meatballs. Can keep it all warm in a slow cooker with toothpicks nearby for serving at parties!

FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ HOME/ Organizing/ RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored/ Sweets

A Sweet Snack Mix & A Salty Snack Mix– Perfect For Your SuperBowl Party

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign withPollinate Media Group™ and Rubbermaid and Sharpie but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RubbermaidSharpie http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

If I’m going to take the time to make a savory or sugary treat (or both!) that does not offer much nutrition, I’m going to have a few ultimatums.

1. It has to be for a fun reason–a get together with friends, a birthday or a party–like THE SUPER BOWL!

2. It has to make a lot of treat for a little time in the kitchen.

3. It has to be low cost.

4. It has to be easy.

5. It has to taste awesome!

Bonus points: It has to be easy to store.

These two snack mixes do all of those things…times 2!

My favorite thing about both mixes is that they have at least 4 ingredients in common–peanuts, cheerios, pretzels and bugles. It is so great to buy one bag of each of them and divide it between the 2 recipes! I love efficiency.

These mixes are perfect for feeding a crowd and munching on during a football game.

Let me tell you how I made them the perfect snack for the Super Bowl game.

I headed out to Target to pick up my supplies. I got 2 glass Rubbermaid bowls for holding the mix, a package of Sharpie Pens, and some plastic cups. I made sure I got enough cups for holding both drinks and snack mix. Again, I’m all about efficiency!

While you are at Target, make sure you use the mobile coupon service and text COUPONS to TARGET (type TARGET into the phone number section of your phone) and grab the $1 off food storage Rubbermaid coupon and the $1 off Sharpie 4 pack or larger coupon. This option will be available January 25- February 8.

I love my Sharpies! If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know I am a huge fan of Sharpie markers. I use them all the time. I love them for crafting and I use them almost daily in the kitchen to label my leftovers or write little surprise messages for girls’ lunchbox.

You probably also know I am a big fan of using glass for storage…usually I re purpose jars. I have been wanting some bigger bowls to store larger portions of soup leftovers and snack mixes. Rubbermaid glass line is the perfect solution. They completely seal with one easy touch, they lids nestle into each other for easy storage, or if you want to stack the bowls they do that perfectly, too!

I used the bright green insert from the Rubbermaid bowls — which was actually a picture of green beans– to use as a fun border for my snack tags. I thought it looked like grass which is perfect for a Super Bowl party.

I cut a piece of white card stock into a square, backed it in the green, then used Sharpie markers to embellish with a simple black and white border on top and the numbers of a football field on the bottom. You don’t have to be an artist to get crafty with Sharpie!

I used a container I found in the dollar section of Target to put my Sharpie markers in. It looks pretty to set the Sharpie markers out and let the guests mark their own cups.

Isn’t Juiper the cutest name ever? My daughter has a friend named Juniper and they call her ‘Junie’ for short. Ahh..so cute!

Some guests will use the Sharpie Markers to write the team name on their cups– in team colors of course–letting everyone know who they are rooting for.

Doesn’t that look yummy? Bugles, pretzels, cheerios, peanuts and M&M’s! Like I said, a great thing about making these two recipes at the same time is that they use common ingredients, but no one would even notice because they are such different tasting recipes.

It had been awhile since we had a fun sugar treat in the house. This is how my daughter felt about that!

Every party should have a little bit of sweet…

…and a little bit of salty!

Make sure you pick some of these cute football brownies up while you are at Target. They come in a long, thin box with a little girls face on it. Yea…that one! They make a fun, football touch to the table without having to spend hours in the kitchen, AND they are inexpensive!

If you are traveling for the party, you can just put the tags on top of the lids and use the lids as snack markers. If your party is at home, grab a couple little jars, tape a paper clip to the back of the jar, fill it with mix to cover the tape, and display your snack tag. Easy! If you love how this looks but are taking the mix to a party, take the jar and and stick the mix in and the tag on when you get there.

I bet you are wondering how these snack mixes taste?

Well, the sweet one speaks for itself. It is very sweet with just a touch of salty, crunchy with chocolate and peanuts, all covered in white almond bark. It makes a ton and both kids and adults love it.

The savory, salty mix is a unique one, and you will get asked for the recipe often. It is salty with a bit of sweet, has chili powder and curry in the seasoning which makes it stand out from your typical snack mix. It uses some fun colored potato and vegetable chips which also makes it stand out from the crowd. It is very addicting and also makes a very good amount.

What are your super bowl plans?

————–

Super Bowl Sweet Mix

1/2 jar (8oz) peanuts (16 oz jar)
1/2 bag(8oz) pretzels (16 oz bag)
1/2 bag (6oz) bugles (12 oz bag)
1/2 box Cheerios (8.9 oz box)
1/2 bag M&M’s (12 oz bag–use extra to make table pretty, or just eat them :))
1 lb vanilla almond bark

Mix all ingredients except for almond bark in a large bowl. Melt almond bark as package directs. Pour over mixture, mixing to coat well. Spread out onto waxed paper to dry. Break into chunks and store in airtight container. Saves well for several weeks.

Super Bowl Savory Mix

1/2 jar (8oz) peanuts (16 oz jar)
1/2 bag (8oz) pretzels (16 oz bag)
1/2 bag (6oz) bugles (12 oz bag)
1/2 box cheerios (8.9 oz box)
6 oz chips (I used Terra Chips- Exotic Harvest)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix peanuts, pretzels, bugles, cheerios & chips in a large bowl.

Mix brown sugar, butter, worcestershire sauce, chili powder, curry powder and garlic powder in a small saucepan. Heat on med until sugar is dissolved.

Pour seasoning mixture over dry mix. Toss until well coated. Pour onto 2 large cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring after 20.

HOME/ Meals/ RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored

Cleansing Chicken Soup, Portable Puzzles & Lots of Kleenex

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign withPollinate Media Group™ and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KleenexTarget http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO”

My little Avery has been blowing her nose and coughing for the past week now. I can’t tell if it is allergies or a cold, but it sure is messing with her asthma! She is our soccer player so she would say it is messing with her game! Usually her allergies are in the spring and fall, and once we have a freeze she gets better. Well, we have had our freeze and she still has an asthma cough and runny nose. I sure hope this doesn’t mean she now has indoor winter allergies. That would mean I have to dust. {grin}

I’m over her constant cough, especially when I hear her coughing during the night in her sleep. My poor girl!

I decided to dig out my super healthy and Cleansing Chicken Soup recipe. I made this often when I was going through cancer treatment, and it was always comforting to know I was filling my body with nutrients. It makes a huge amount and freezes beautifully!

——————–

**I used a very large crock pot, and it barely all fit! I started it at 10:00 pm and it was ready the next day for lunch. I also pureed mine after removing the chicken and bones, I was not too into all the chunky vegetables, so I used my hand blender, then added the shredded chicken, peas, and parsley in at the end for texture.

Cleansing Chicken Soup

1 Whole Chicken (free-range, pastured or organic)
1 Tbsp, raw apple cider Vinegar
3-4 qts of filtered water
4 medium size onions coarsely chopped (I will only use 2 next time)
8 carrots peeled, coarsely chopped
2-4 zucchinis coarsely chopped (I used 2)
4 Tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil
½ c frozen green peas (I added these at the end after pureeing)
4 inches grated ginger
¼- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
6 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 lb green beans
1 bunch parsley
5 garlic cloves
2-4 Tbsp Celtic-Sea Salt (I added 2 tsp pepper)

Directions:

If using whole chicken: make sure to remove gizzards, and fat glands from cavity.
Place chicken or chicken pieces in large stainless steel pot (I used a large crock pot) with water, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, extra virgin coconut oil, and all vegetables (except parsley). Let stand for 10 minutes before heating. Bring to a boil, remove the scum that rises to the top. Cover and cook for 8-12 hours. The longer you cook the Stock the more cleansing it will be. **See my notes above about pureeing. 15 mins before finishing the stock, add parsley.(this imparts additional mineral ions to the broth)

Remove from heat, take out chicken. After it cools, remove chicken meat from carcass, discarding bones. Drop meat back into the soup.

In addition to comforting soup, I brought out our Portable Holiday Puzzle. I wanted to give little one something fun but low- key to do. Every November at the start of the holiday season we bring out a puzzle and keep it portable on a large bulletin board. The cork of the board helps keep pieces from sliding off to the floor. We love being able to move the puzzle from one room to another, but most of the time it stays at our dining room table. When it is time for dinner, we simply move the board. When company comes, we slide it under the couch out of site.

Another way we are helping my poor girl feel better is by keeping stocked up on super soft Kleenex tissues. I use boxed Kleenex tissues for home, but I especially love their little pocket packs. We keep them in my purse, in the car, in lil’ ones soccer bag…they are just so cute and handy. Avery loves the fun prints on the packages, and I am grateful for something soft to use on that cute little nose of hers!

Right now Target has a coupon for $1 of 4 packs or larger of Kleenex. Stock up and be prepared for the season!

HOME/ Organizing/ RECIPES/ Sides

How To Bake Acorn Squash

I just love when I start to see squash at our local farmers market. Squash is an easy and inexpensive way to get nutrients into the body. They are a great source of iron, riboflavin, and vitamins A & C. Choose a squash feels heavy for its size and has a hard, deep colored rind.

Rinse the squash, then cut in half with a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff.

Take a minute to delight in the beauty of acorn squash. I love the scalloped edge and the beautiful orange color. So pretty!

Find a baking pan and fill it with water to about 1/4″ deep

Lay the acorn squash cut side down in the pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until soft.

At this point, you can dress the squash with whatever your heart desires. I like to fill the cavity with butter, brown sugar (or maple syrup) a sprinkle of cinnamon and salt.

I then put it back into the oven for a few minutes until the butter melts. I just love eating squash like this. It almost feels like I’m eating dessert! The sweet maple syrup or brown sugar along with the salty butter and sprinkle of salt is so, SO good.

Simple Baked Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash

2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup

2 tbsp butter

dash of cinnamon

pinch of salt

Cut acorn squash in half. Scoop out seeds and stringy stuff. Fill a baking pan with water to about 1/4″ depth. Place acorn squash cut side down into pan. Bake 350 degrees for about an hour or until soft.

Fill each cavity with 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup, 1 tbsp butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and salt. Place back into the oven until butter is melted.

How do you like to eat your acorn squash?

RECIPES/ Sides

The Best Ever Zucchini Blender Bread

This really IS THE Best Zucchini Bread Ever, and using a blender makes it a breeze to make.

I have a new high powered blender, my precious Vitamix, and any chance I get to use it makes me a happy lady. Using a blender makes this recipe a breeze to make.

It is also a simple recipe, no grating zucchini, no half teaspoons or tablespoons, and it turns out great every time. I’ve made it twice in the past week, which made my family very, very happy.

Add one cup oil to the blender. I use coconut oil. Add enough chopped zucchini to blend to 3 cups.

Blend until your mixture is green and the zucchini peel is chopped up into little bits.

Add salt, soda and baking powder.

Just one teaspoon of each.

Add egg. Blend.

Add cinnamon & vanilla — a tablespoon each.

Blend. The cinnamon will make it a nice brown speckled color.

Add 3 1/2 cups of flour to a bowl. I use whole wheat pastry flour. Add 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Yeah…that’s a lot of sugar, but the original recipe called for 2 cups, so could be worse. The fiber in the whole wheat flour and in the zucchini will help keep blood sugar from spiking from all that sugar!

Use a whisk and blend flour & sugar.

If you have a powerful, large blender, add the flour mixture right into the blender, about a cup at a time. If you do not have a high-speed blender, then pour mixture into the flour/sugar mixture bowl and mix.

Pour into greased pan. Can use a bundt cake pan, 2 bread pans, 4 mini pans +1 regular size pan, or pour into muffin cups and make zucchini muffins. You choose!

I did 4 mini’s and one regular size loaf pans.

This recipe smells SO good, is SO moist, and makes everyone happy. My kids and their friends loved it as an after-school snack.

I will not use another recipe. This is THE one. It is so, so good! Enjoy!

The Best Ever Zucchini Blender Bread

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

55 mins

Recipe Type: sides

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil I use coconut oil
enough chopped zucchini to blend to 3 cups
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white flour
Optional add-ins: mini-chocolate chips chopped nuts, raisins, craisins.

Instructions

Add oil to blender.
Add enough chopped zucchini to equal 3 cups when blended. Use the measure lines on your blender.
Add salt, baking powder & baking soda. Add egg. Blend.
Add vanilla and cinnamon. Blend.
In a bowl, whisk the flour and sugar until blended. Add the blender mix and mix well, OR if your blender is large and high powered, just add the flour/sugar mixture into the blender a cup at a time and blend until well combined.
Bake at 350 degrees, 45-50 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

The second time I made it I didn't have quite enough zucchini to make it to 3 cups, so I threw a few peeled carrots into the blender, enough to make it to the 3 cup line. It was really good, and added even more sweetness!

GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sides

Kale Slaw With Curried Almond Dressing

kale slaw with carrots, almonds, dried apricots and sliced apples

I’m always looking for ways to get my greens in, especially kale. Kale is an amazing, nutrient rich food. On Dr. Furhman’s Nutrient Density Score, Kale gets a whopping 100%. This means Kale is an incredible “nutrients per calorie” food.

This Kale Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing was such a refreshing way to eat kale. I usually put kale in my green smoothies or make kale chips, but I wanted delicious way to eat it raw. I certainly found it!

What makes this slaw so special is the dressing. It really brings this slaw to life–DON’T SKIP IT!

The dressing recipe caught my eye because it does not use oil. Love that! It uses the natural oils in the nuts as an emulsifier. I’m getting more and more into homemade salad dressings that use nuts in place of oil, especially now that I have a Vitamix blender that can pulverize those nuts into the smoothest of dressings.

The dressing is a snap to whip up. It takes just minutes. So creamy!

Almond curried salad dressing and kale salad

I had quite a bit of dressing left over, and used it as an awesome vegetable dip.

Isn’t that that salad so pretty? I used my favorite mandolin slicer for the apples and carrots. It is one of my most used kitchen utensils because it is so fast!

I changed the original recipe up a bit, using the fruits I had on hand. The apples & dried apricots make this a nice, hearty fall salad. It would be a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving menu.

homemade dressing poured over kale salad

The dressing is luxurious. No one would ever know that the only fats are healthy ones from the nuts. It does not a strong curry taste, so even those who are not big curry fans just might like this dressing.

Something I love so much about kale is how it holds up to dressing. You can store this for days and the leaves will not get soggy. It makes a big batch, and after we had it with a pasta dinner, I ate the leftovers for lunch for several days.

Kale Slaw With Curried Almond Dressing
via Let Them Eat Vegan

Kale Slaw

1 apple sliced & tossed in 1 tsp of lemon juice
2 1/2-3 cups julienned kale (leaves cut/torn from stems and stems discarded)
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups sliced or grated carrot
1 apple sliced & tossed in 1 tsp of lemon juice (could use clementines instead)
1/3 cup dried apricots, cut into bite-sized pieces (could use dried cranberries instead)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Extra salt & pepper

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Toss to combine. Add Curried Almond Dressing. Toss to coat well, then let sit for 5 minutes or more to allow the kale leaves to soften slightly in the dressing. Serve, garnishing with a light sprinkling of almonds and extra salt and pepper, if desired.

Curried Almond Dressing

1/2 cup raw almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2/3 cup water (or more to thin as needed…see note.)
1 very small clove garlic
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1/8 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste (see note)

Using a standing blender or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients (starting with 1/2 cup of the water) until very smooth. (A high-powered blender such as a Vitamix works best to smooth out the dressing; using an immersion blender or regular blender will leave a little more texture and take a little longer. ) Add additional curry to taste, and additional water to thin as desired.

Note: 1/8 rounded teaspoon of curry powder in this dressing makes for a very muted flavor, but if you love curry, use more.

Note: Adjust water according to you tastes. If making this as a vegetable dip, use less water.

kale salad with almond curry dressing picture collage for Pinterest

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