I go way back with smoothies. I remember going to the mall with my friends back in high school, and we would always grab a smoothie at the local smoothie store. Strawberry Banana has always been my favorite, and it's not often that I step away from that combination of flavors.
Smoothies are a great way to get fruits into your diet, and they are perfect for a pool-side snack on a hot summer day. I like to put almonds and Greek yogurt in my smoothies to bump up the protein.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
3/4 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
2 Tablespoons unsalted almonds
1/4 cup ice (or more if you use fresh fruit)
Directions:
Place all ingredients into a blender and puree.
Yield: 1 tall glass
Source: Taste & See original
I actually have lots of recipes to share on my blog. I've been MIA for a few weeks since our old computer crashed. Thankfully I was able to get my pictures off before it took it's last breath, but it's always a pain to have to load programs and such onto a new computer.
I made these sloppy joes tonight, and we devoured them. I really think that adding the chopped mushrooms is a genious way to "bulk" things up. I admit that I was skeptical during the cooking process. I was thinking that there were too many mushrooms and that they were going to alter the flavor. Boy, was I wrong! I couldn't even tell there were mushrooms in there. I'm definitely going to use this trick next time I make taco salad.
Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces ground sirloin
2 (8-ounce) packages pre-sliced cremini mushrooms (I used Baby Bella)
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 Tablespoon minced fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, toasted
Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add beef; cook for 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
While beef cooks, place mushrooms in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until finely chopped. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to pan; cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates. Stir in pepper and hot sauce. Spoon about 1 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each bun; top with top halves of buns.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 sandwich)
Nutritional Info (per serving): 439 calories; 14.7g fat; 27.3g protein; 49.2g carbs; 4g fiber; 55mg cholesterol; 6.1mg iron; 160mg calcium
Source: Cooking Light June 2011
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I know this really doesn't count as a Mexican dish, but I had to throw it in since it has the word "taco" in it. I didn't cook tonight since Aubrey and I met some friends at a Mexican restaurant. Sometimes it's nice not having to clean up a kitchen after a long day at work, and it was also nice to catch up with friends.
I've definitely been on a hummus kick lately. I keep pita bread and/or pita chips around most of the time for Aubrey and me to snack on. It's one of my favorite snacks, and it's a good source of fiber from the garbanzo beans and protein from the tahini. This particular recipe has many of the spices that taco seasoning has, which gives it a slight "taco" flavor. I'll definitely make this one again!
Taco Hummus
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas, liquid reserved
1 heaping Tablespoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Juice of one lemon
Directions:
Combine the chickpeas and all the spices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined. With the machine running, add the tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice through the feed tube. Add reserved liquid from the chickpeas as necessary to achieve your desired texture. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as necessary. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with extra paprika.
Source: Savory Spicy Sweet
This salad may sound and look a bit awkward if you've never heard of it before. I turned my nose up to it when I first learned of it from my mom. However, when I tasted it for the first time, I was smitten. If you think about it, it's not all that weird. We make dips for fruit, so why not go ahead and mix the fruit and the dip together. Sometimes I wonder why I don't think of genius ideas such as this.
Even my man loves this salad (although he may not admit it to you). He says it's a "girl food," but that doesn't stop him from eating it. :)
I like to sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of the salad, but that part is optional.
I also used greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream in most all recipes, and it has lots of protein in it. Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely cannot live without my greek yogurt... Chobani brand in particular. There IS a difference in the greek yogurt brands, and I've found that Chobani is my favorite.
Grape Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups red grapes (or any other color and/or combination)
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt (I recommend the Chobani brand)
1/2 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla
8-ounces fat free cream cheese
1 cup chopped pecans
Brown sugar (optional)
Directions:
Wash and dry grapes and set aside.
Mix the next 4 ingredients (through cream cheese) in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the grapes and pecans until all grapes are covered with creamy mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar on top before serving, if desired.
Source: Meg Brooke (my mom)
