Not Your Grandma's Potato Salad

4 small baked **red potatoes, skin on, cut into cubes

2 cups cooked cauliflower florets (you can use an entire head of cauliflower in this recipe.  I have.   It still tastes like potato salad.)

Boil, bake or microwave (I nuke for speediness) the potatoes and cauliflower until done, whichever you prefer.  Keep a window open or a fan on in the kitchen since cooking  cauliflower  has its own special aroma.  This salad tastes great WARM.

Instead of the traditional mayonnaise (nope, not even veganaise)--- I add only spicy brown mustard, a few shakes of white wine vinegar, fresh ground pepper, parsley flakes and a pinch of garlic powder to the warm potato mixture.  Toss well!

Add chopped onion (1/2 cup) red (or green or both) bell pepper (one whole, chopped), dill pickles (just one large or two small, chopped), grated carrots (1/2 cup),  black olives (about 10, chopped), and 1-2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced thin (this is not pictured in the collage above).  *Optional addition:  sprouted lentils (steamed for a minute or two before adding) or alfalfa sprouts.

Blend in all ingredients. Taste and add more mustard or vinegar if you need more ‘zest.’  Salad tastes great warm…and very good for leftovers.  I’m guessing there will not be much ‘leftover.’

YUMMERS!


**I have used all kinds of potatoes for this recipe.  I like the small red but the Yukon Gold and Idaho spuds are also delish.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Now I remember why I didn't post this recipe immediately.  For awhile there, I seemed to be loving every new recipe I was trying from the "Forks Over Knives Cookbook," and not coming up with anything original. Fast forward many months, and at least a dozen 'bakings' of this recipe. I have tried and tested enough times to recommend this deliciousness to anyone and everyone, despite their dietary leanings.

I've tweaked this to suit me and mine.  I use a combination of dry Stevia and Erythritol for the sweetener.  The original recipe calls for maple syrup, like this is a healthier alternative to regular sugar.  Really?  Use whatever sweetener you like where it calls for it (too many 'scientific opinions' on this topic.  I am not trying to convince anyone of which one is right or better or healthier).  I also use the lowest calorie bread where it calls for whole-wheat bread.  Why add extra calories where you won't even taste the difference?  Sara Lee has a nice lower calorie-per-slice variety and so does Nature's Own, multi-grain or whole wheat.  Everything else in the recipe is pretty straight forward from the cookbook's recipe.

Gather together your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees:

In a large bowl, whisk together ...

1 1/4 c. pumpkin pure  (save the leftovers from your 15-oz. can, freeze in ice cube tray and pull out individual servings to make a pumpkin spice latte).
1 c. almond milk (30 cal. per cup)
1/2 c. sweetener (I use 1/4 c. dry Stevia in the Raw and 1/4 c. Erythritol)
2 t. vanilla extract

Add ...

2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt (can omit; I use about 1/4 t.)
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves

...and whisk well.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding topped with banana/peach
sorbet and bits of dried dates

Cube 8 slices stale whole-wheat bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups) a fold into pudding batter until well coated.

Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins and stir just until mixed.

Pour pudding into 8" x 8" non stick or silicone baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.  If additional baking is needed, check every five minutes for doneness.  Served warm is TASTY!

I refrigerate leftovers and then pop a slice into the microwave for about 10-15 seconds before serving.

In a hurry in the morning?  Cut a slice of this for a quick 'on the go' breakfast!

Yummers!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Even in Tulsa, Oklahoma, fall is in the air.  While working on a note card design, using a brand new rubber stamp, I had some fun coloring in a 'coffee mug' artwork.  Hit the "orange spectrum" and sighed deeply at the lovely shade of pumpkin I landed upon with my coloring tools.  This made me think of hot beverages and what I might create in my own kitchen.  Found this gem of a recipe, orginally from Pillsbury and tweaked it for my taste buds. Give it a try and tell me what you think!  I think it is simply Yummers.

1. Here's what you'll need to make my version:

1 1/2 cups Almond Milk (unsweetened or vanilla, the 30-calories-per-cup variety)

2 T. pure packed pumpkin

1 t. *instant coffee crystals

1 t. vanilla

1-2 tsp. your favorite sweetener (I've used rice syrup and Erythritol and stevia ---not at the same time :-) and liked them all.  Prefer my Erythritol when I have it on hand.)

**Pinch of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Whisk together all ingredients except the pumpkin pie spice.  Heat in microwave safe bowl or on the stovetop until hot and bubbly but short of boiling.

I add a splash of almond milk to my mug, cooling it off just a tad before drinking.  Sprinkle with small amount of pumpkin pie spice and 'bottoms up.'  Delish on any Autumn or wintry day.

*For you tea drinkers out there, substitute the instant coffee with 1/2 cup to 1 cup freshly brewed hot tea.  Just as delicious.  I recommend an unflavored strong green or black tea so the pumpkin has a chance to 'shine.'

** Don't have pumpkin pie spice on the shelf?  Try making your own:  1 T. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger and 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg.  Have some cinnamon sticks crying to be used?  This would be the drink to use them!  YUMMERS!  Next up?  Going to try adding 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder for some scrumptious hot chocolate pumpkin yumminess!  Should be a perfect fit!

Fajita Night!

This recipe was inspired after a visit to a local eatery in downtown Tulsa.  The best part of this dining experience was spending some time with my daughter on an open air rooftop, sipping an iced water and looking out over the city.  The fajita salad I ordered was very tasty but shy on vegetables (really?) and I thought I could make it amazing in my own kitchen.  It's my new 'best dinner for guests' recipe.

There is a lot of wiggle room in the preparation of this salad.  Go with your staple favorites and I'll share with you the produce I use most often.  The salad is a bed of your favorite greens and topped with your favorite sauted veggies.  If you allow yourself some whole grains,  add a side of freshly seared corn tortillas and my infamous 'guacamole' made with a bit of avocado and alotta fresh green peas.  

Recipe in a nutshell:

Fresh salad layer:

Prepare your bed of salad and lots of it!  I used a variety of greens (artisan, Romaine, baby spinach) and toss in a full can of chopped tomatoes (no sodium added) with juice, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, chopped zucchini and a handful of cherry tomatoes.  Sprinkle with your favorite balsamic vinegar and no-salt seasonings, toss, and keep chilled!

Sauted Veggies (water and steam method):

**If you are going to enjoy some corn tortillas, you can warm these in another pan while you are sauteing your veggies.

My favorites for the sauted topping are Baby Portobello mushrooms,  lots of sweet onion, red bell pepper (use whichever color I have the most of!) and a small amount of black beans (cooked up in my crock pot and kept in the freezer until needed).  I like to add a small can of mild green chilies, too.  Sprinkle with healthy amount of 'make-it-yourself taco seasoning,' a little water or veggie broth and let cook for several minutes, until onions are slightly clear.  Put a lid on it and turn to very low heat until ready to serve.

Sauteing my veggies

Homemade salsa (recipe not included here) or your favorite  'go to salsa' in a jar

Kim's infamous guacamole (recipe not included here)

Time to put it all together:

Get out your BIG plates and serve up a healthy amount of salad.  Fillerup!  Heap it High!

Now spoon on a good cup full of sauted veggies.

For toppings, add a few slices of avocado, a few sliced black olives, some nutritional yeast or sliced almonds.

Add a heated corn tortilla, several tablespoons of guacamole and salsa...and dinner is served!

Yummers!

Ice Cream

Dessert was never so simple or tasty.  I have spotted a number of recipes for this delicious, frosty treat lately.  Here's mine.  Simple to make and only need slice and freeze ripe bananas.  One banana per serving. I said it was simple.

Other ingredients, a splash of milk (I use almond), up to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, a bit of sweetener if your banana wasn't  ripe enough before you froze them (I reach for Erythritol) and a smattering of mini carob chips (optional, of course, but oh so tasty).

After they're frozen, you can put them into a smaller zip lock freezer bag.
But I can  never keep enough of them on hand and am always freezing more.

Put your frozen banana slices into your blendera and add your splash of milk, sweetener and vanilla;
blend until smooth.  If you add too much milk, you'll end up with a smoothie.
Still delicious but I like to eat my ice cream with a spoon.
Your ice cream will want to stick to the sides, so scrape down the sides until your banana chunks are all smooth.

Serve and sprinkle with carob chips.  Eat and enjoy the Yummersness!

Whole Wheat/Flaxseed Bread

Man cannot live by bread alone but I'd sure like to try.  Torn from a magazine ad boasting 'cholesterol lowering properties,' I kept this recipe and stuck it in a folder that rarely sees the light of day.  Then, I cleaned out my recipes, threw away all the oldies calling for cheese and meat and oils.  This recipe made the cut.  

Here's the exact quote at the top of the recipe's page:  "The Amazing Bread That Works Exactly Like Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs But Without the Side Effects" Don't hold your breath.   But the bread is tasty and at least when I make it, I know the ingredients that go into it.  No preservatives, so after a couple of days, I toss it in the fridge.  And if you are making just for yourself...I'd cut the finished baked loaf in half and wrap it well and put it in the freezer for another time.  Perhaps when you have a neighbor over for tea or coffee and a fruit plate.  Just sayin'.

Let's get to it... here is the list of ingredients as copied from the original recipe (mostly) and I've added my notes showing the adjustments I've made after several tries with the recipe.  

1 2/3 cups warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

3 T. honey or 1/8 cup sugar (I use Erythritol dry sweetener)

1 T. oil (safflower or olive) -- * I use grapeseed oil because I have it on hand

1/2 t. salt ( may be omitted) but I use it...so as not to mess with the leavening properties

1 cup ground flaxseed meal (use 2/3 cup whole seeds if you are grinding yourself)

3 cups fresh whole wheat flour + additional cup of flour for kneading--I used whole wheat pastry flour for this and don't always use the entire extra cup...just depends on the stickiness of your load while kneading.

** I use an additional ingredient:  2-4 t. of Wheat Gluten added in with the wheat flour.  I have it on hand, don't have any issues with gluten and I like my bread to get that height that is sometimes missing when you use whole wheat flour.  This is just the way I do my bread but will make a perfectly tasty loaf without the added gluten.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until bubbly (5-10 minutes)

Mix in sugar...

salt...

oil...

flaxseed...

and half of the wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well.
Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour until it makes a soft,
kneadable dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.

Begin kneading, adding just enough flour to keep dough from being sticky.

Knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  Preferably done while listening
and singing along to your favorite tunes.  I think the bread knows and rises better if you do this ;-)

Optional method of forming loaf, learned from my friend, Melissa White-Dunn, many years ago.
Roll it out into long rectangle.  Helps eliminate air bubbles.  Really makes a
difference when you are using white flour.  With this whole wheat, not so much.
I still like rolling it out and thinking of Melissa!

Roll up bread into a loaf and tuck neatly into your bread pan.

I like to score the top of the loaf into 1/2"segments (use a very sharp knife, going only 1/4" deep).
Makes it easier to slice the bread after baking.

Cover loosely and let rise in warm place for one-two hours, until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes in center of your oven; Your bread is finished when the loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped.  (My oven is a bit off so I have to let my loaf bake a bit longer and it never gets very brown on top.  I probably take it out of the oven too soon but since I always toast my bread before eating, I prefer it a little underbaked that overbaked.)

Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

Yummers!

Virgin Cosmopolitan

4 oz. cranberry juice** (I use unsweetened juice and add a couple teaspoons of Erythritol dry sweetener)
6-8 oz. club soda, low sodium
1/4-1/3 cup lime juice (can use store bought or fresh squeezed or a combo of the two)
Juice from one orange

Mix all ingredients together and pour over crushed ice.

**When cranberries are in season, I buy a number of small bags and toss them in the freezer.  Adding a few frozen cranberries to this drink makes it even prettier.

Wish this were an adult beverage?   Add 1 to 2 oz. of Vodka and mix well before pouring over ice.

Bottoms up!