Caramelized Beets and Goat Cheese Salad

This is a lovely summer salad, as it's when arugula and beets are in their glory. The solid, sweetness of the caramelized beets are a delicious contrast to the tender leafy greens, and the goat cheese adds just the right amount of subtle tang to each bit. Because the flavors of the toppings are so rich, it hardly needs a dressing. If you do use a dressing, something light is the best options. I prefer a fruity vinegar and extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top of everything. If you can find it, a white peach balsamic is an amazing pairing for this. 

Ingredients:

3 large beets

1 large onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt

2 Oz goat cheese crumbles 
Arugula
Baby spinach 

Directions:

Peel and dice beets into bite-sized cubes. Slice onion into 1/4-1/2 inch wide strips. In a medium bowl, mix together crushed garlic, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt. Add onions and beets, and toss until coated. A plastic bag also works GREAT for this - no bowl necessary! 

Spread vegtables on a roasting pan, and bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until beats are tender and onions are caramelized. 

Meanwhile, mix together arugula and baby spinach. Once beets are cooked cool slightly. Top the greens with goat cheese, sliced prosciutto, and beets. 

Serve with oil and vinegar - preferably a blush wine vinaigrette or a white balsamic. 

Prosciutto, Arugula, and Fig Flatbread Pizza

This is amazing. This is really easy to put together, involves minimal dishes, and can be grilled for all you grill enthusiasts who have the time and compulsion to do so. It makes for a great appetizer or a light meal on it's own. Either way it's easy to make, eat, and clean up.

 It's crispy, salty, sweet, and savory all in one lovely pizza. Honestly, I don't even know if pizza is the right term for it, but it's great either way. The crispy bread and toasted arugula give a lovely crunch, while the warmed cheese and prosciutto give way to a slightly chewy texture that pairs so perfectly with the sweetness of the fig jam.




While I bought most of these items at Trader Joe's, I think you can find them else where. My arugula came from FieldsGood, the produce program I've mentioned before. Look for fig jam or fig butter, and if you can't find either of those ask a grocery store manager or person at the deli what a good alternative would be - they usually have answers. Worst case scenario, make you're own. I'm not to that level of daring yet. Some day.

With the lavash bread, this is a Middle Eastern bread, and I think it works best. However, if you can't find it, any good flatbread will work. Absolute worst case scenario, you could use a tortilla. Nope, never mind, don't do that. I cringed the whole time I was writing that. Don't waste the other ingredients by putting them on a tortilla.

Simply put all these exquisite ingredients together, bake, and enjoy. Your tongue will marvel in glory.

Ingredients:

1 piece lavash bread
3-4 Tablespoons fig jam
1-2 oz prosciutto (about 4-6 slices)
2-3 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 cup loosely packed arugula

Directions:

Heat oven to 350º.

Lay lavash bread on a baking sheet. Spread fig jam evenly over entire surface, and sprinkle half of the arugula over the jam. Next, tear the prosciutto into small pieces and sprinkle over the arugula. Crumble blue cheese over the prosciutto, and top with remaining arugula.

Bake for 4-6 minutes, watching carefully, until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. Slice and serve hot.

ENJOY! 

SUGAR - Why is it hard to quit?!

For anyone browsing my blog, you know by now that I'm not 'anti-sugar' but I am however, pro-health. I just don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

Now, stick with me. During college, I had the wonderful opportunity to study neuroscience. As part of that, I studied the brain chemistry behind addictions and social behaviors, which has always fascinated me. Why do we like other people? What makes us sad? What happens in your brain when you have a spiritual or emotional experience?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" you may be saying. "Isn't this a cooking blog!?!" Yes, it is. And part of cooking is knowing what you're cooking with. Just like I believe in drinking responsibly (even though I don't personally drink), I also believe in eating responsibly.

This super cool TED talk is a quick explanation about how sugar affects your brain, how and why a tolerance can be built, and what you can quit your craving.

Steps to help you quit sugar: 

The following five steps are found on this Psychology Today article, written by Nicole Avena, Ph.D, the same women who does the video.

1. Eat regularly. A meal or a snack every 4 to 6 hours will help keep your blood sugar balanced.
2. Get enough fiber. Aim for 35-45 grams per dayof dietary fiber for women, and 40-50 grams per day for men. In addition to stabilizing blood glucose levels, fiber keeps you feeling full longer. A note of caution: work up to these levels slowly, or you risk experience bloating, gas, or even constipation.
3. Eat real, whole foods. Packaged foods are notorious for including not only added sugars, salt and chemicals, but also high-fructose corn syrup. As much as possible, eat foods that are organic, from the ground, and in their whole form.
4. Spice it up. Several studies have shown that cinnamon has the ability to balance blood sugar levels. Add a pinch to your tea or sprinkle it on oatmeal in the morning.
5. Get enough Zzz’s. Good sleep is like the Holy Grail of total body health, and blood sugar is no exception. Hit the hay before midnight whenever possible.

For additional information, check out this link: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-nicole-avena#digdeeper

Kale Pesto

This was stunning. The picture isn't great, but no picture could capture the true radiance of kale in all it's splendor.

I mean - it not only looked fantastic. But there was some true magic happening.

Not only did I find it beautiful, but as I made it, I watched almost 6 cups of kale dwindle down to about 1 cup of pesto. That's almost as good as you get to a good disappearing act. I just stared blankly at my food processor in wonder. And really, I think that's the best way to describe my thoughts about food in general. Consider me a woman of simple pleasures, but watching all the ingredients come together to form an evening meal is like watching the mice and bird in Cinderella put together her ball gown - it's magical, captivating, and amazing. And even more importantly, I want to get up and 'dance' again each night. Granted, she was dancing with a prince and I'm prancing around my kitchen with kale, but all the same - I love it!!!

So yes, as I watched an entire bunch of kale go to pesto, I was amused and almost beside myself giddy. Then, tossing the pasta and red cherry tomatoes in the speckled green sauce made my heart sing with joy as I watched the pops of red contrast with the green and gently cascade onto the serving dish.

On a more technical note, when making this dish keep in mind that the flavor of the olive oil will really come through, so don't use a low grade brand. If you don't care for olive oil, go for another oil that you like. Also, you can use milk or almond milk instead of oil - just add it slowly so the pesto doesn't get soggy. 

Kale, being a super food of sorts, really makes this crazy good for you especially once you consider how much of it you're eating once it's pulverized down to pesto. Pine nuts, while high in fats/oils, are also good for you, and the basil brings in the classic pesto taste that most people are accustom to. 

Ingredients:

Pesto:

1 bunch of kale, or about 6 cups loosely packed kale leaves, hard ribs removed

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves 

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1 lb pasta

1 cup cherry tomatoes 

Directions: 

Add everything into a food processor and blend on high until kale is reduced (and likely sticking on walls) by about half. Scrape and mix, and blend again. Repeat process until everything is totally combined and uniform size. It should yield about 1cup of pesto. Remove from food processor, taste, and add salt as desired. 

Toss in 1 pound of hot pasta and about 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved. Serve hot. 

Bulk Cooking

This week I taught a class on bulk cooking to a group of women at a local church. Their desire was to know how to better streamline things in the kitchen and capitalize on what they do when cooking. 

This invitation was music to my ears. I was totally tickled when they asked me - not only do I LOVE food, cooking, and good cooking tools, but I LOVE learning to do things better and more efficiently. I'm a huge believer that by teaching something, you come to learn it better. As an aside - I honestly think that thinking of the laziest way to do something is often a great creative exercise. It lets you explore new ways of doing things. 

My learning journey about bulk cooking started with a love of cooking, a desire to do things better, and eat healthier. I found it was better to cook one healthy meal, portion it out, and just grab it in the morning for my lunch, or warm it up for dinner. Do this with a few meals, and you get ease, variety, and healthy eating all in one easy package. Sure, there is up front work, but you can do that on your day off, and coast for the rest of the week. 

Following are the thoughts I shared with the group, and some elaboration on each point. 

How to be a Ninja in the Kitchen

Bulk Cooking - The concept of making a lot of food at once, in the hopes that it makes your life easier later down the road. The most crucial part of this all is to find a method that works best for you, then work it!

This stuff is amazing. Garlic scapes are only available for few weeks during the year, so bulk and freezing are a must.  

What is bulk cooking?

Double-Batch Cooking - this is where you double a single recipe, typically on a night you will eat it anyway. Chili is a great example. Make a double batch of chili, then portion out the rest into individual servings, and freeze. This allow you to pull out a meal when you need one.

Once a Week Cooking - Cooking for the whole week on one day. This requires stamina, dedication, and determination. It also requires a lot of planning. You'll need to plan your meals out for the week, shop for all the ingredients, and then cook everything that needs cooking. Finally, you'll store it in the fridge. Mason jar salads are a good example of this for lunches.

Once a Month Cooking - This is exactly what it sounds like. It requires stamina, dedication, and determination - but all on steroids. This is way out of my leauge. I'm in an apartment, don't have a deep freezer, and can't be that decisive about what I want to eat three to four weeks out. I suggest browsing Pinterest, google, and the various blogs out there that specialize in this. Double-batch cooking is to Once-A-Month-Cooking, as a 'Oh, this coupon is taped to the front of this package, I guess I'll use it' type of person is to this type of person.

How to do bulk cooking? Let's be proper about it. Doing things right will help things turn out successfully - which to me equals happily. Making sure you have all the ingredients you need before starting to cook, double checking you have enough storage containers and place to put them once filled, and making sure you've got enough clean space to work with are all things that make bulk cooking enjoyable, rather than stressful.

Proper tools: Large pots, measuring cups, portioned storage containers

Proper work space: clean your kitchen before you start, collect your tools and ingredients. Yes, put everything on the counter to make sure you have it. If you don't, go buy it.

Proper storage: Make room in your freezer!!! Cool hot items to room temp before portioning and placing in the freezer. Make sure you have enough bags, containers, boxes, etc, to put all your food in once it's cooked.

Make it fun: put on good music/favorite sermon, wear comfortable shoes, and eat a good meal before you start (eating fast food is 100% acceptable if needed).

What to bulk cook?

This depends on what you like to eat. Don't get wrapped up into what someone else is doing. Know what you and yours will eat, then mega size it. You can also cook part of a meal and use it later in the week. For example, cook two pounds of ground beef - one to use tonight, and one to use later in a taco salad or something similar. You can also cook components of dishes and then freeze them for use later - such as freezing pesto and grilled chicken, then making pasta the night of Chicken and Pesto Pasta (recipe coming soon!). Frozen components allow for more flexibility.

A nice double batch of chili ready to be stored and frozen! Great alone or on top of nachos. 

WHY!?!? Why on earth should I bulk cook?

Save money - buying in bulk is usually cheaper, as long as you use what you buy and don't throw stuff away.

Save time (in the long run) - yes, it's a time and energy sink to begin with, but it pays off

Waste less food - cooking in bulk, then freezing, and actually eating what you cook will help you save a lot of left overs (in bulk cooking, left overs are intentional) that would other wise get thrown away.

Eat healthier - By bulk cooking, I've found that I eat significantly less processed foods and incorporate more vegetables into what I eat. Sure, I may be eating 'freezer meals', but they're not pumped full of preservatives and who knows what else.

Freezer Meals

Making entire meals and freezing them is not my specialty at all! However, just like the insane "Once-a-month" cookers, there are people who master this and love it. Go find them! They will teach you their ways. Here is what I know:

Types of Freezer Cooking

Whole meals - the idea behind this is that you simply take it out and heat. Think Casseroles. I'm not sure I've ever done this except for store bought frozen lasagna.

Individual Servings - This is basically great for healthy grab-and-go lunches, and is at the heart of double-batch cooking. You simply need to freeze out individual portions after batch-cooking and heat upon destination for an instant and healthy lunch.

Partial/Pick Up meals - This is where you cook part of a meal, such as a sauce or meat, and then add fresh ingredients to it the night of use. This is also similar batch-cooking. If you've making a Chicken Caesar Salad one night, and Chicken Fajitas another night, make the chicken you need for all of that and cook it all at once. I bulk cook pesto sauce (recipe coming soon), chili, soups, rice, and breads.

Freezer to Crock Pot - I don’t know much about this but the internet does! Again, Go find them! They will teach you their ways!

General Tips and Tricks:

Start Small - Don't batch cook a recipe that you haven't tried yet. I like cooking the original sized recipe twice before I double it. Cooking something you don't love will just lead to waste.

Shop one day, cook the next - Trying to shop AND cook in one day, especially when you're trying to bulk cook can be exhausting.

Plan, plan, plan - especially if you’re monthly/weekly cooking. First, start with a meal plan. Not everything needs to be a freezer meal, or even a home cooked meal, but having a menu plan will save you hundreds of dollars. Use your plan to make your grocery list, and then refer to the plan as needed while you cook.

Also, double and triple check how much you need for recipes - especially if you're doubling things. Make sure to buy accordingly.

Only cook what you eat - just because someone else likes something, doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for your family. Try a recipe before you bulk cook it. This is very similar to starting small, and I said it before, but don't get wrapped up in what other people are doing. Even is someone else thinking making Super Energy No Cook Freezer Bon-Bons is a good idea - it may just be a waste of money for you.

Always keep learning - internet, bloggers, friends, Pinterest. Basically, make it a hobby! The ability to share idea's is one of life's greatest gifts. It can also lead to great friendships, new tastes, and fun experiences. Some information is more important that other, so use your critical thinking when hearing something new and think through the process before you take on something new.

Easy Mixed Berry Syrup

This mixed berry syrup - awesome. My picture skills to show how amazing this is - not so awesome. 

I don't think it was an actual rainy morning when I made these blueberry lemon pancakes, but I was motivated enough to whip up this berry syrup that I've been making since high school rather than just go with regular old maple syrup. The pancakes are nothing special, just a bit of doctored up bisquick with blueberries folded in then hidden under obscene amounts of lush, fresh strawberries.

The syrup however..... Mmmm, let me count the ways in which this is awesome. First - it's bursting with a variety of berry flavors. Second, it's sweetness is not overberrying (get it?) enough that you don't taste the berries. Third, the vanilla adds a delicate aromatic taste and smell that brings the sweetness and berries together. Forth... well I suppose at this point you're just looking for the recipe.

Before I get there, just a tip: if you don't use a frozen berry mix, and you want to use fresh berries, just make sure to not add more than 1/4 cup blueberries as they will overpower the other berry flavors if you do. 

If you want to make a plain blueberry (or strawberry, raspberry, etc) syrup, thats a different story. Just use 1 cup of which every berry you want and you'll end up with a delightfully sweet syrup for you morning meal. Also, if making raspberry syrup, I've found it's best to swap the vanilla for lemon juice. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup frozen or fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are a good mix to start with). 

1 cup water

1 cup powder sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium high heat, add berries, return to boil, then adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 12-15 minutes. If you can run your finger on the back of a spoon thats been dipped in the sauce and it leaves a mark, consider it done.

If desired, strain syrup to remove fruit seeds and pulp. Personally, I love the thickness and dimension it adds, and only strain it if I'm using the syrup for an Italian Soda

Spinach, Feta, and Tomato Pasta

This has come to be a stand-by meal around here, much like it seems to be for the gal who inspired this recipe. Mr. Animator LOVES pasta, but we try to keep that passion (and our waistlines) in check by remembering that a portion of pasta is 2 oz. He could easily down 8oz, so when I make this, I usually make a half batch so there is some type of portion control.

It's also become a 'lazy night' meal because it's while it's savory, salty, and light yet filling all at the same time - it's also SUPER easy. Basically, if I'm planning a weeks menu and I need something for a crazy day or just can't think of something that sounds good - this gets penciled in. It also gets tossed together when I'm too lazy to cook some grand plan I had, but I have left over spinach. Mmmmm. Easy and good - it's a winner.

I usually use baby spinach (pictured) because I buy it for other stuff and typically have it around. However, in a produce delivery program called 'Fields-Good', I received regular spinach and I gave it a whirl on this recipe. To be honest, it was nice not having to deal with the little baby stems that are such a pain to pinch off. So use whichever you prefer.



Inspired by Kate on Our Best Bites.

Ingredients:

1 lb short cut pasta, such as mezzi rigatoni, rotini, or campanelle
2 cans diced tomatoes
6-8 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon EVOO or butter
8 oz feta, crumbled (about 1.5 cups crumbled)

Directions:

Cook pasta, drain, and return to pan. Add olive oil (or butter) and garlic, then stir to lightly coat the pasta. Add tomatoes, stir, and add spinach. Toss gently to work some of the spinach down into the pasta and tomatoes, and cover for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, top with feta, stir if desired, and serve hot! This is great all by itself or with some garlic bread.

Enjoy!

Dill Chicken and Sautéed Greens with a Garlic, Lemon, and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Tongs. Yep, tongs. They are the magic wand in this recipe. They allow you to toss the greens gently, getting them evenly coated in the tangy, salty, and lemony sauce. This recipe is simple, but comes across as ultra posh with how decadent it looks and taste. If you're getting super ambitious, make garlic and parsley mashed potatoes in advance, and plate it all together for an extra scrumptious meal.

The cooked greens still retain their green, earthy flavor which pairs really nicely with the savory sun-dried tomatoes and creamy nut taste from the pine nuts. Add to all of this the aforementioned lemony sauce, and you get a fantastic parade of flavors throughout each bite!

NOTE: I had a friend ask for this, so I'm posting this without the grilled chicken or the plating of the final product. This also goes REALLY well with tuna steaks. Once I get some better pictures, I'll get them up and repost this, but for now, I wanted to get the recipe out there!! Hope you enjoy!



Serves 4

Ingredients:

Chicken:
8 chicken tenders, or two large chicken breasts, halved
1 Tablespoon dried dill (OR 3 Tablespoons fresh dill)
2 Tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste (I don't use any)

Sauce:
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons EVOO

Greens and add-ins:
8-10 cups loosely packed braising greens/baby kale/baby spinach
1/3 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup Pine nuts
3-4 oz Capocollo (or any dried and salted meat, such as Prosciutto or Salame)

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside. Prep greens by washing, shaking/spinning dry, and removing the stems, if desired.

Whisk the olive oil, dill, salt and pepper and toss chicken in it until coated. A plastic bag does this wonderfully.

On medium high heat, brown and cook the chicken until well done.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan and set aside (preferably on a pre-warmed plate or covered to keep it from cooling).

To the still hot pan (on the burner - yes leave it on!) add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to start deglazing the pan. Add the greens and add-ins, pour the dressing on top, toss with tongs quickly, and cover for 1 minute. Toss again and cover until greens reach desired tenderness. Using tongs, plate the greens, top with chicken, and pour the remaining sauce over the greens and chicken.

The picture is blurry due to the steam - it's pretty steamy!

Enchilada Casserole

Mmmmmm. This was made on a warm spring day for a few of the volunteers that I coordinate with at church. We had invited them over to dinner on Mothers Day and as it was a holiday of sorts, I asked them if there was anything in particular they'd like. "MEXICAN!" was the resounding and immediate answer.

In my mind, this is pretty Tex-Mex, and not true Mexican food. But, it's still good, even if it's not authentic. They seemed to love it, so I call it a win.

This is easy for a weeknight or make ahead meal, as it's pretty easy to put together and it freezes really well. The most difficult part of this is cooking the meat, which I usually do in a crockpot anyway. Also, by simply not including the meat, this dish easily turns into a vegetarian meal. 

The key to making Tex-Mex food? Spices. Know thy spices! While I'm going to list some here, play around with them to figure out what you like. Some people love more cumin, others like more chili powder, and some prefer more cilantro (although I think technically that's an herb).

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (Or beef or pork) 

12-18 corn tortillas, halved 

1 16 oz can enchilada sauce 

2 cans refried beans 

1/4-1/3 cup water

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 

1-2 cups corn (optional, not shown) 

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese 

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano 

Scallions, Avocado, and sour cream - used for garnish. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º

In a large bowl, mix together refried beans, spices, and water, until beans reach a 'spreadable' consistency. I find warming them slightly in the microwave helps. Add more water if necessary. 

In a greased 9x13 casserole pan, spoon about a forth of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the pan. Layer on about 6 of the tortilla halves, and spoon over those about 1/3-1/2 of the refried beans. Then sprinkle with 1/2 the chicken, black beans, and corn. Repeat - Sauce, tortillas, refried beans, chicken, corn, and black beans. Pour the remaining sauce over the last layer of corn and black beans, and top with cheese. 

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until warm all the way through. Remove from oven, garnish with diced scallions and avocado, and serve with sour cream. 

Enjoy!!!

Note: The pictures depict a half recipe, as we only needed to serve 4 people. 

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls

It's been almost a year since I've ventured baking something bread-like. For those who don't know, I'm not a huge fan of baking. However, when I made these I was highly motivated for them to turn out well - I was grumpy because the weather should have started to warm up but hadn't, and I'd been eating healthy all week and was simply craving a huge helping of 100% refined, white, and doughy carbs...... So lets just say it was really easy to become a 'baker' for an afternoon.



I found out in the making of these that my Mr. Animator apparently loves cinnamon rolls. He was a big supporter of me making these.

These smell heavenly as they bake. The rich, sweet scent of baking bread gives way to the aromatic wafts of cinnamon with a subtle hint of nutmeg. The scents become tastes as you pour over the soft buttery icing for it's final touches and eat them before they fully cool. Because lets be honest - cinnamon rolls are best when they're warm.



Here is the warning that comes with these - predetermine who you will share them with! They have more than an entire cup of butter in them, are sinfully good, and will impress just about anyone. These are great to take to a brunch, potluck, movie night, or new neighbors, etc, etc, etc.... Whatever you're reason for making them, you've been warned - if you don't have a predetermined reason to share, you are in danger of eating them all by yourself. We almost did.

Ingredients:

Dough:
4-5 cups flour (bread flour is the way to go on this, but not totally necessary)
2 packets OR 4.5 teaspoons dry yeast (I use quick acting)
1/2 cup salted butter - melted
3/4 cup milk (almond milk is OK)
1/2 cup water
1/2 sugar
1 egg

Filling:
1/2 cup butter - melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
2 Tablespoon salted butter - melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons hot water

Directions:
Make the dough, roll the dough, fill the dough, roll the dough, cut, bake, ice (as in icing), eat.

To make the dough - mix the flour, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl, and set aside. Then warm the butter, milk, and water in a small sauce pan until it reaches 120º-130º F, stirring constantly to make sure the butter is melted. Pour the warmed milk mixture into a standing mixer (KitchenAid or the like), add the egg, and beat until combined. Start mixing in the flour 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is doughy, but not overly gooey. It will be sticky, but you don't want it too dry or too wet. Think a texture similar to canned biscuits, but a little more doughy.
Mix/kneed dough for about 1-2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (I turn my oven on to 350º for 3-4 minutes, so it's nice and warm, but not anywhere close to 350º, then I stick the dough in there), and let rise until dough is about double. Maybe 20 minutes if you're using fast-acting yeast.

Meanwhile, prep the filling by mixing the sugar and spices together, and melting the butter in a separate small bowl.

Once doubled, turn down out onto a clean, well floured surface. **If you've never floured a surface before, you basically sift/scatter a bunch of flour on your counter top. Your goal is to not have the dough stick to your hands or your counter.**

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN NOW -  375ºF

Gently kneed the dough into a ball, then roll into a large flat rectangle. The thinner it is, the more spirals you'll have. I roll mine to about 1/4 inch.

Spread the melted butter for the filling evenly over the dough, then the sugar filling. If you need more filling due to added surface area, don't hesitate to make and add more!

Then roll the dough into a giant log, long side to long side. Using dental floss or a large, sharp knife, cut into 2" wide circles. Place circles loosely into a large 9x13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. You don't really want then touching, as they'll expand during cooking. Given them about a 1/4-1/2 inch 'personal space' bubble, and once they cook, they'll have grown into that space. You can also divid the circles among two large cookie sheets so they stay perfectly round and separate as they cook. I personally like them mushed into a pan together.

Bake at 375º F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the parts not covered with caramelized. cinnamon and sugar.

Meanwhile, make the icing by mixing together all the icing ingredients until smooth.



Once the rolls are done, and cooled slightly, top with icing, and serve while warm!



Hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Fruit purees are something that I love about the warmer months. They not only satisfy a sweet tooth, but they cool you down and give you a serving or three of fruits (and sometimes veggies if you can sneak those in).

This strawberry frozen yogurt is tart, sweet, and extremely satisfying. It's also pretty darn easy. Because strawberries are naturally both sweet and tart, you don't need to add much extra sweetener. Also, the greek yogurt adds a nice creamy texture to this tasty frozen treat, without having to pile on the dairy or calories. A huge plus for me.

As shown here, you can mix and match fruits for additional flavors (Strawberry Mango has been my favorite so far!), but the idea is the same - blend the fruit and enjoy it frozen.

Here are some tips to keep in mind before you start:

• Resist the urge to add liquid to help it blend better! Just keep mashing down the frozen mixture until it starts to blend. Then blend until smooth. 

• Before you start, pick out a resealable glass container that you'll put the finished product in. If the frozen yogurt can go into a pre-chilled bowl, it will harden up faster and not melt as fast when you take it out to serve.

• Add sweetener as you go. You can't undo it if you overdo it, but you can always add more until you're happy. Agave Nectar, honey, sugar, even maple syrup are all decent options. 

Ingredients:

6oz Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt
4-5 Cups Frozen Strawberries*
Sweetener to taste (2 Tablespoons Honey and 2 Tablespoons white sugar is what I use)

*Strawberry Mango: 2 cups frozen strawberries, 3 cups frozen mangos

Directions:

Blend frozen strawberries, yogurt, and sweetener in food processor until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Freeze for 30 minutes, and remove at serving time. 

Be quick, this tasty treat melts fast! 

ENJOY!!!!!!

Classic Lemonade

I recently heard someone say that August was like the Sunday of Summer. I feel like lemonade, especially homemade lemonade is something that should be in hand on a lazy Sunday afternoon at the end of summer.

It's fresh, light, tangy, and just sweet enough to quench your craving for something sweet in between lunch and Sunday dinner. If I had a deck, balcony, back or front porch, I would take a full pitcher of this with me and read until the pitcher was empty and my mind was full.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 part lemon juice
1 part sugar
4 parts cold water

Or, if you'd like your measuremtns in cups, use these:

1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 cups cold water

Directions:
Mix everything (in a large pitcher) like a rock star, and drink it like royalty.

Sweet Potato Curry Recipe

As a curried soup, this has a lot in common with other curry dishes. One of the problems with using curry, in my mind, is that it generally over powers most other flavors. To counteract that you need to use another strong flavor - pomegranate, coconut, or pineapple, just to name a few non-meat choices. In this case, it's paired with coconut and, most shockingly, sweet potatoes. 

Not only are sweet potatoes great for you, but it means that you don't need to add ANY sweeteners to this dish to expertly blend the curry and coconut. Also, the coconut is really just a supporting flavor in this dish, as opposed to some other dishes it is debuted in. 

Another nice thing about this is that the flavors come in waves - first the sweet and savory coconut is present, quickly followed up by a more distinct starchy sweetness that only sweet potatoes have, and finished with a peppery kick from the curry. 

As food goes - this is easy, fantastic, and a great conversation starter for dinner. 

Ingredients: 

5 cups packed, cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, diced OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
5 cups chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk (original recipe calls for light coconut milk, but I think you loose some of the needed flavor when you do.)
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon curry powder

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil and sauté onions just until translucent (if using onion powder, skip this step, and add all ingredients after step 2. 

2. Add stock and bring to boil - add remaining ingredients and mix well. (It might be 'stringy' at this point - that's okay!)

3. Cover, reduce to medium low, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until onions are tender. 

4. Blend soup until smooth and creamy. An immersion blender works best, but if you don't have one of those, carefully (it's HOT!) ladle it by batches into a standing blender, and blend until smooth. 

Serve hot, or chill and serve cold (my preference). 

If desired, top with additional coconut milk.

**This freezes really really well too, which is why it's great for batch cooking. 

Clockwise from top left: Nutmeg, ginger, onion powder, curry powder.

Roughly 5 cups of sweet potatoes here - yum yum yum!!! 

There are nine potatoes here - the can gives a good size reference.

Topped with coconut milk for an extra bit of contrast.