Greek Pasta Salad

This is my "go to" pasta salad that I love to make often for lunches at home, or take to family/friend get-togethers. It has such a delicious and light flavor! The fresh basil is really what gives the dressing such a fresh taste! It makes a large batch so you can cut the recipe in half if you like.

 Greek Pasta Salad

2 boxes of tricolor spiral pasta
1 large tomato, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
6 ounce container crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup sliced black olives

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup FRESH basil
4 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 of a medium size onion, cut in chunks (or more depending how much you like onion)
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

 Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and drain. Place in a large serving or mixing bowl. Add the tomato, peppers, feta cheese, and olives. Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender, cover, and process until smooth. Pour over salad and toss well to coat. Add more salt if needed. Cover and chill in refrigerator. Toss before serving.

Double Chocolate Orange Torte

Mama Mia this is soooo good! This is a gluten free, no white sugar, no white flour dessert, and it is awesome! You must try it!

Double Chocolate Orange Torte

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup almond flour/meal, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 3 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup agave syrup, 1/2 cup grapeseed oil, 1 Tablespoon orange zest, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips,

Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a mini food processor and grind till it's the texture of small gravel. Place in a medium size bowl, and add the almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. With a spoon mix in the beaten eggs, then whisk in the agave, grapeseed oil, and orange zest until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. Transfer to a well oiled 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Falafel with Creamy Avacado Sauce

This is one of our favorite vegetarian dishes. The flavor is awesome! And it's loaded with nutrition!


Falafel with Creamy Avocado Sauce

For the Avocado Sauce:
1 large whole ripe avocado, mashed
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 to 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of half a lime

For the Falafel:
1 (15ounce can) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg white
2 teaspoons olive oil
pita bread, cut in halves
chopped lettuce

To make the avocado sauce, combine the avocado, sour cream, red onion, cumin, salt, and lime and stir to completely combine. Keep in the refrigerator while making the falafel. Next add the beans to a bowl and mash. Add cheese, tortilla chips, cilantro, onion, cumin, salt, and egg to the beans and stir to incorporate well. Shape the mixture into four or five even round patties about 1 inch thick. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for about five minutes on each side or until they are a dark golden brown and cooked through. When they are finished, place a patty in each pita half and top with avocado sauce and lettuce. So delicious!

Tomato Sandwich with Basil Mayonaise

This sandwich is a delicious and is like tasting summer itself! I am always looking for different things to make for lunch instead of the same old boring thing every day. And so I fell in love with this one! Between the tomato, basil, lemon, and garlic the flavor is absolutely delicious! And as a girl who grew up in New Jersey surrounded by delicious fresh jersey tomatoes every summer this was a winner with me! Hope you try it and enjoy it too!

Tomato Sandwich with Basil Mayonaise

1 Cup mayonaise
10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves chopped
loaf of fresh baked bread, french or Italian or whatever you like, sliced
freshly sliced tomatoes

Mix together the mayonaise, basil, salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil, and garlic.
Spread over two slices of bread, and top with slices of tomato. You can put the two slices together and eat as a sandwich or eat individually. Now bite into a taste of deliciousness!
























































1 cup mayonaise (you can use light if you want or miracle whip, but nothing beats real mayonaise)
10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Well after taking a bit of a break from food blogging I am back at it again. We are very excited that number four is on the way, but with that comes the first trimester of constant yucky nausea! So as you can guess during that time I did not cook anything worth blogging about! But thankfully I am coming out of it and am starting to feel much better. So to celebrate tonight I cooked one of my favorites, cheesy chicken enchiladas. It's the best recipe I have come across for enchiladas with a white sauce, and anytime I serve them to friends or family they are a hit! They take a little bit of effort, but are definitely worth it!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

1 chopped onion
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
8 ounces sour cream
3 cups of chicken that has been cooked and shredded
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
10 flour tortillas

In a saucepan saute onion in the butter until tender. Stir in the flour for about 1 minute and then slowly add in the chicken broth and the bouillon. Cook and stir until bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. In a large bowl combine the chicken, 1 1/4 cup of the cooked sauce, 1 cup of cheese, chilies, chili powder, and a dash of salt. Mix well. Fill each tortilla with equal portions of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place in a greased 9x13 dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Brownies!

Ok, these are awesome! These brownies are gluten free, no white sugar, no white flour, and all the ingredients are healthy! The first time I baked these I forgot to tell my husband they had healthy ingredients until about his third one and he couldn't believe it! One of the main ingredients is almond butter, which is good for you, but definitely high in fat, so I don't recommend eating five in one sitting, although you will definitely be tempted too! :)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) jar salted almond butter, smooth roasted
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups agave nectar syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth.
2. Blend in eggs.
3. Blend in the agave, and vanilla.
4. Blend in cocoa, salt, and baking soda, and then fold in chocolate chips.
5. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with oil. Pour batter into dish, and bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Quinoa and Black Beans

We thought this was a delicious vegan meal! Quinoa is such a delicious grain and is a great source of complete protein. Also any recipe involving black beans, cumin, and cilantro we LOVE! One of the sweet simple pleasures for me in this life is the aroma that comes from chopping up a big bunch of cilantro! Oh so heavenly! :)

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir frozen corn and black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 more minutes until heated through. Mix in the cilantro and serve.