Ultimate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I have practically lived on peanut butter and banana smoothies this summer.  No exaggeration whatsoever here, people.  This smoothie has been my lunch more days than I should admit.  So easy to whip up, you should totally make one today.

Ultimate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1/2-cup Almond Milk

1/2-cup Plain Yogurt

1 Frozen Banana

2-Tablespoons BP2 (or creamy peanut butter)

5-ish or so Ice Cubes (optional)

1-Tablespoon Honey (optional)

Blend.  Drink.  Enjoy.

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?  I’m always eager to try new ones!

Happy smoothie whipping, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Sugar Snap Pea Quinoa Salad

Our meals rock a lot of quinoa around here.  It’s healthy, easy to fix, and  adaptable to just about any cuisine that it’s a staple at dinner quite often.  This is one of my favorite quinoa salads.  Just toss the cooked quinoa with the veggies and eat warm as a dinner side dish, or cold by itself for lunch the following day.  The prep to this is so minimal, even all you other non-cooks like me can give this a go.

Sugar Snap Pea Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa

3/4 pound sugar snap peas, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1) Cook the quinoa according to package directions and 2) Toss with all the other stuff.  Then 3) Eat up.

So a couple of things:  We use our rice cooker to cook our quinoa.  Add quinoa and water, push cook, and I never have to think about it again.  Makes perfect quinoa.  And, I never actually measure out the sugar snap peas.  I love snap peas, and some days I feel like eating a million of those sweet little pods so I’ll use up a ton for this recipe.  Some days, however, we only have a handful of the little gems hanging out in the bottom of the crisper so I’ll just toss in what scarce bit I have.  The point is, this recipe is good with either a lot of peas, or with a few peas- adapt it to your liking.

Are you a fan of quinoa?  What are some of your favorite quinoa recipes?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

~julee~

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Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

These blueberry oatmeal breakfast muffins have been a serious lifesaver these first few weeks of back to school mornings.  Bursting with blueberries, they are healthy, hearty, and delicious served warm.  It feels just like eating a cuter version of your favorite bowl of oatmeal.  No joke.

I made a batch in mini muffin size and froze them three in a snack bag.  Perfect sizing for pulling out and warming in the microwave for a few seconds on hectic mornings.  (And I suggest adding a guiltless dollop of butter to increase their yummyness.)

I’m not a baker by any means, which is to say I have no instinct for whipping up kitchen concoctions.  I looked online at many blueberry muffin recipes and pulled from a few different sources based on what I had in my cupboards.  I’ll share with you how I made these, and if you don’t have the exact ingredients, I hope it inspires you to make something similar to help ease morning stress.

Healthy Blueberry and Oatmeal Breakfast Mini Muffins

1 1/2 Cup Oats  (I used Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled Oats)
1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup  Packed Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
2 Egg Whites
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup 50/50 Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries

If your oats are thick, or rolled, or steel cut, pulse them in a blender a bit to thin them out.  Then, soak the oats in the almond milk for 30-minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, honey, applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and oil.  Add in the oats and almond milk (after the soaking time).

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. 
Add the dry mix with the wet mix.  Don’t over mix, only until just combined.

Fold in blueberries.  (Tip:  If you don’t want the  berries to bleed color or get soggy, toss the frozen berries with a light coating of flour before adding to the mix.  I didn’t, because purple soggy muffins are more fun to eat.)

Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill the tins with batter and cook at 400-degrees for 22-minutes.  Makes 24 mini muffins.



If you’re looking for additional freezer mini muffins, check out these chocolate chip mini muffin and healthy autumn muffin recipes.

How do you save time on hectic mornings?  If you’ve tried any easy breakfast recipes lately, I’d love to hear about them!

Happy stress-free mornings, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Spiced Apple Chips Recipe

Last week I shared healthy back to school snack recipes to make ahead and have ready for easy after school snacks.  Our fridge is always stocked with apples, but when my daughter gets bored with them, she starts to reach for unhealthier choices.  She loves apple chips, so I was excited to try this spiced apple chips recipe to use up some of our apples and give her an alternative snack.  I have never made these before, but the recipe was simple:  apples baked with a fragrant combination of four spices.
 


Spiced Apple Chips Recipe (from Whole Foods)

You’ll need:
3 Apples
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 200-degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.  Slice apples crosswise as thin as possible.  Using a mandolin is ideal, but I didn’t have one.  Remove seeds and place the apples on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle the spice mix over the apples and use your fingers to spread the mixture thin and even.  (I didn’t do this part, but in hindsight I wish I had.)  Flip apples and repeat on the other side.  Bake at 200-degrees for one hour, flipping the apples after 30-minutes.  If your apples are cut thicker, you may need to leave in the oven for another 30-mins or longer.  When apples are done baking, leave in oven until cool.  Apples will become crisp upon cooling.



You can easily experiment with the spices for this recipe, using what you have in your pantry. A simple cinnamon and sugar blend will be delicious, too.



I love how these look packaged in a mason jar and think they will make great gifts.  The bonus to making these is that your house will smell scrumptious with a hint of fall in the air!

Have you ever made your own apple chips?  What spices do you add to yours?

Happy healthy snacking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Healthy Back To School Snacks with Whole Foods

We’ve only been back to school for a few weeks, but already our schedules are packed - sports, dance, band,  homework – it’s always busy around here.  I try to keep the after school and before dinner snacks healthy, but that’s hard to do when you need something quick.  Having lots of fresh fruit on hand makes healthy snacking simple, but sometimes that gets a little boring.  Nobody likes a boring snack, so I’m trying to up my game and spend a little time preparing healthy snacks  in advance.

While looking for healthy back to school snack recipes, I came across the following from Whole Foods.  Each of these are healthy and easy to make, but two of them are required to make ahead of time.  I know that’s a deal breaker for a lot of busy moms, but consider using extra weekend time (ha!) to make these for the week ahead.

These apples nachos won’t need any prep time.  I love that my daughter can make them herself with raw apples slices or baked apple chips.  She always loves apples with peanut butter, and I think we’ll experiment with sprinkling on coconut or adding raisins.

You can’t make these spiced apple chips in a hurry since they take at least an hour (or longer) to cook, but you can make a big batch on a weekend to have on hand during the week.  If you don’t have the spice blend for this recipe, cook the apples plain and use them for the “apple nachos” above.

This recipe also requires you to prepare ahead, but the ending result is chocolate covered frozen banana peanut butter sandwiches.  What?  Yum, that’s what!  Consider adding a popsicle or lollipop stick before freezing to up the fun factor.

What are some of your favorite healthy back to school snacks?  I’m still looking for more great recipes and I would love if you shared yours in the comments.

Happy healthy snacking!

~julee~

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Eat It: Homemade Enchilada Sauce

My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and her Mexican dishes are To.Die.For.  I have still never convinced her to make me a batch of homemade tortillas, but she’s always happy to oblige at least one hearty fete when she visits.

On her past visit she taught me how to make my own enchilada sauce.  This family recipe is officially called Aunt Sarah’s Enchilada Sauce.  This isn't your average from-the-can enchilada sauce; It’s more robust and thicker.  Plus, making your own means you can avoid undesirable ingredients such as MSG and other ilk.  Want to give it a go?
 

Aunt Sarah’s

Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup chili powder
3-4 cloves garlic (pressed through garlic press)
4 cups vegetable stock (can be more or less depending on the thickness you want)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste

*Make a roux with the vegetable oil, flour, and chili powder.  Stir in a large pot on low heat, until mixed, continuously for 15 minutes.  Use a whisk.  Avoid lumps.
*Once the roux is done, add garlic, continue to stir.
*Add in 4 cups vegetable stock (more or less depending on consistency you want).
*Continue to stir on low.
(Add more broth if it gets too thick.)
*Add a pinch of salt and cumin.
*Continue to stir until it’s the consistency you want.
*Taste test: Add salt if needed

The trick with this sauce is to never stop stirring.  If sauce is too thick, slowly add vegetable stock to get the consistency you want.  Unused sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.




To make a delicious cheesy enchilada, dip a warm corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce, saturating both sides.  Fill the inside with queso fresco, cheddar cheese shredded, chopped onion, and roll the tortilla closed.  Add cheddar, cojita crumbles, and crema Mexicana on top.  Add fresh salsa and guacamole on the side and eat up.  Yum!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

~julee~

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Eat It: Apple Sandwiches

Apple and peanut butter sandwiches for an easy breakfast.

That’s how I roll on lazy Sunday mornings. 

Have a wonderful week, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Eat It: Roasted Asparagus Linguine

Spring time means one thing to my husband:  Asparagus season.  Since he’s the cook in this house, we’ll be enjoying many meals that include this delicious little stem in the weeks to come.  Yesterday he came home with our first fresh batch of the season, and I found this roasted vegetable linguine recipe in an old Vegetarian Times magazine for us to try.

I am of the opinion that you can’t go wrong with a wine sauce, and the red pepper flakes in this recipe gave it just the right amount of heat. 

We didn’t alter the original recipe at all, except that since I don’t eat mushrooms, my husband roasted half the veggies without including the mushrooms.  He says the mushroom version was delicious, and I say the non-mushroom version was also delicious.  We both agreed that the asparagus was wonderful. 

Roasted Asparagus Linguine

Recipe from Vegetarian Times

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms

1/2 lb fresh asparagus cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tbs)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 pkg whole wheat pasta

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1) preheat oven to 450-degrees.  Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan.  Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2)  Add tomatoes to pan and roast 7-10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften.  Transfer vegetables to bowl.  Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from bottom of pan.  Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2-3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half; or return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes and let wine cook off.

3) Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.

4) Return pasta to pot.  Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium low heat until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.  

 

Are you ready for summer fruits and veggies?  I know we are looking forward to switching from our standard winter fare to some lighter meals.

Enjoy!

~julee~

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Eat It: Vegetarian Lasagna Soup

Lasagna soup.  Sounds weird, tastes good.  This recipe was originally from a copy of Family Fun magazine.  I was intrigued to see if it really did taste just like lasagna, and Lo!  It sure did. 

I adapted the original recipe to make it vegetarian.  The veggie sausage I used had a spicy kick, so you may omit the pepper flakes to scale it back if you use the same brand.  My husband gave this two very manly thumbs up.

Vegetarian Lasagna Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil (plus more if needed)
1 package Italian Style Smart Sausages (by Lightlife)
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
8 oz fusilli pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tablespoon salt
pinch of pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella



In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add diced veggie sausages to the pot, break up/crumble with wooden spoon, and heat thoroughly.  (Because veggie sausages don’t have the same fat as meat, you may need to add more oil so they don’t burn.) Add onions and sauté until softened.  Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.  Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, approx 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, the vegetable broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender.  Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil.  Season with black pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan  salt, and pepper.  After ladling the soup in serving bowls, add a dollop of this mixture to the top of each bowl and sprinkle with mozzarella before serving.  Makes about 13 cups.

Enjoy!

~julee~

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Eat It: Valentine’s Breakfast

What’s more perfect for a Valentine’s morning than a plate of mini pancakes, a dusting of powdered sugar, and heart-shaped strawberries?  A mimosa on the side, no doubt.  Next time.

Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to get perfect strawberry hearts.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~julee~

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Make It: Avocado Quesadilla

This is my grown-up version of the cheese quesadilla.  Doesn’t avocado just make everything better?  Simple to make and perfect for a quick lunch. 

Avocado Quesadilla
Ingredients: 
Tortillas (white, corn, whole wheat, low carb – pick your favorite kind)
Avocado (peeled and diced into cubes)
Asiago Cheese (shredded)
Jalapenos (I’m a wimp, so I purchase the no-heat jarred variety)



I’m sure you don’t need too much instruction on how to make these, but take one tortilla and sprinkle cheese on 1/2, top with a few cubes of avocado and a few jalapenos, then fold the other end over.  Heat in a pan on medium heat for a minute until cheese starts to melt then flip over and squash down with a spatula for another minute or two until everything is nice and hot throughout.  I like my avocado really smashed, but that’s just me.

*Tip:  Asiago is a strong cheese, so it really only takes a little to get a good flavor.



Enjoy!

~julee~

 

Sharing with YOLO Mondays on Lipgloss & Crayons and Townsend House.

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Make It: Vegetarian Taco Bites

I confess, I have fallen in love with all things that can be made in a wonton cup.  These vegetarian taco bites are made similarly to the vegetarian lasagna cups, but you know, with taco-y ingredients.  These taste just like a little burrito, but for some reason are so much more fun to eat.
 


Vegetarian Taco Cups

You’ll need:
Wonton wrappers
1 can vegetarian refried beans (the overzealous among us can make their own)
Shredded cheese (mine is an asiago and cotija blend)
1 packet taco seasoning (I make my own)
Optional toppings:  Black olives, salsa, tomatoes, guacamole, avocado, sour cream
Mini Muffin Pan
Non-stick cooking spray

Spray your mini muffin pan with non-stick spray and place one wonton wrapper in each muffin space.  Mix the taco seasonings in with the beans, and fill each wonton with one spoonful.  Add cheese.  Add black olives.  Cook at 350-degrees for 10-15 minutes until wontons are crispy and beans are heated thoroughly.  Top with toppings of your choice and devour.



Enjoy!

~julee~

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Vegetarian Lasagna Cups

I’ve seen these delicious little lasagna cups floating around the internet so I set about to create a vegetarian version.  These come together nice and quick and I think they’re pretty versatile for filling with whatever veggies you have on hand.  For us, I use two veggies that I know my kid will eat:  spinach and roasted red peppers.

Vegetarian Lasagna Cups Recipe

You’ll need:
1 package fresh spinach (1 package of frozen spinach may also be used; thaw, squeeze out all excess liquid)
1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1 package wonton wrappers
4oz ricotta cheese
2cups mozzarella cheese
1cup grated parmesan
1 cup marinara sauce
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

(Please note:  This is a pretty good measurement guide, but depending on how cheesy, saucy, and full of veggies you prefer, the measurements here may be more or less of what you’ll use.)

Start by blanching your fresh spinach.  Squeeze out all excess liquid.  Combine it in a bowl with the diced roasted red peppers.  This is your veggie mix.  Add extra veggies if you wish.



Spray your muffin tins.  Line the muffin tins with 2 wonton wrappers so that the entire opening is covered, and the edges are sticking out. 



Fill the cups in this order: parmesan cheese, optional basil leaf, mozzarella cheese, veggie mix, ricotta cheese, marinara sauce, parmesan cheese.

Cook at 375-degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool before removing from muffin tin.



I have also successfully made these ahead and frozen in the muffin tins.  Remove from freezer and let thaw in the fridge for 1 hour, cook for 10 minutes at 200-degrees, increase the oven temp to 375-degrees and cook for another 20 minutes.  Your cooking time may vary, however.



Have you tried any muffin tin recipes?  How did they turn out?

Enjoy!

~julee~

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Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

Like everyone else right now, I am obsessed with all things pumpkin spice.  I have seen several do-it-yourself creamer recipes floating around, so I decided to try my hand at making my own.  I pulled from several different recipes to create a dairy-free version that tastes heavenly.  Seriously, so delicious I almost skipped the coffee and drank the creamer straight-up.  Want to try it?

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

1-Can Coconut Milk  (Not the kind that comes in a carton.)
1/2-Cup Pure Pumpkin Puree
1/3-Cup Organic Cane Sugar (Organic cane sugar is not as sweet as refined white sugar, so adjust or alter your sweetener to your tastes.)
2-tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1-tsp Vanilla Extract

Whisk together the coconut milk, pumpkin, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice over low heat.  Remove from heat when the mixture begins to steam.  Add in the vanilla extract.  Strain through strainer or cheesecloth into a glass bottle.  Refrigerate up to 5 days.

I highly recommend not skipping the straining step.  I portioned my batch off into strained and unstrained to see what I liked best, and the unstrained portion was too thick after refrigerating and didn’t do well in my coffee the next day.  Also, this is not going to give you a super creamy creamer if you’re used to using heavy dairy/cream, but it’s a yummy alternative nonetheless.  Use Kim’s method of freezing your remaining pumpkin puree.



Have you ever tried to make your own flavored coffee creamer?  What flavors did you make?  I’d like to try some different flavors as soon as this pumpkin craze dies down.  Which will probably be January when I’m wishing for spring.

~julee~

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Collard and Berry Smoothie

I recently purchased an amazing CSA box from my friends at  Jutsu Aiki Camp Taylor Community Center.  Among the fresh, in-season produce were 4 giant bundles of collard greens.  Admittedly, I had no idea what to do with the collards, since I’ve never really been a big fan of the greens.  So I did what I always do with intimidating vegetables – I sent them over to my culinary adventurous neighbor.  Within minutes, she was back at my door with this yummy and healthy collard and berry smoothie. 

Collard and Berry Smoothie

1-cup Aloe Juice (you may substitute water)

2-cups Frozen, Unsweetened Berries

1 Banana

1 Bunch Raw Collard Greens, stems removed

1-tsp Presoaked Chia Seeds (optional, or try flax seeds instead)

1-tsp Elder Berry Syrup (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

 

Do you have a favorite recipe using collard greens?  I’m definitely interested in finding new ways to cook with this vegetable. 

~julee~

 

If you’re in the Louisville area and would like more information on the CSA boxes from Jutsu Aiki Camp Taylor Community Center, please email me at diylouisville@gmail.com.

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Easy Black Bean Burgers

These really should be called Super Crazy Easy Awesome Black Bean Burgers, ‘cause that’s what they are.

I admit, we eat way too many of the boxed veggie burgers because they are a major convenience.  But I’m trying hard to limit our processed soy consumption, so we have been whipping up these yummy black bean burger bad boys at least once a week.  They come together in minutes, are made with items you probably already have on hand, and cost only a fraction of the prepackaged variety.  That’s a triple win in my book.

The original recipe comes from The Happy Herbivore, which you can find HERE.  She even has a video, in case you’re frightened of the kitchen, like me.  Click on over and check it out (and look for many other great recipes while you’re over there).

What I love about this recipe is that you can adjust the ingredients fairly easily based on what you have in your kitchen.  We have found a variation from the original recipe that suits our tastes better, as we found the original too mustard-y for my picky kid.  Here is the adapted recipe that works for my family’s tastes:

1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed, 3/4 smashed with a fork
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1-2 dashes of hot sauce
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
Fresh diced onions (no measurement, just a pinch, or not too many that my daughter can see them and refuse to eat)
1/3 cup instant oats (I use thick steel cut oats whirled through the food processor a bit)

Mix it all together.  Divide into 4 patties.  Cook at 400-degrees on a greased cookie sheet.  7 minutes on one side, flip, then 7 minutes on the other side.  I like to melt cheese on mine, but eliminate that if you’re vegan, obviously.

Enjoy!

~julee~

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Picnic Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

If you invite me to a potluck or a picnic, chances are 99% that I’m going to bring a pasta salad. Because you can’t really go wrong with a pasta salad, and it requires no actual cooking.  And I don’t actually cook, so there’s that.

This is my copy-cat version of the the delicious Trader Joe’s pasta salad I had a few weeks ago. This pasta is really all about the feta cheese and lemon vinaigrette.  The garbanzo beans gives this enough protein to qualify as a whole meal.  Bonus!

Picnic Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

1-lb box rotini pasta, cooked according to package, drained and rinsed in cold water

1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

1 container feta cheese (4 to 6 oz)

Fresh diced veggies (Use whatever you have on hand and what you love.  I used 2 roma tomatoes, 1 homegrown cucumber, 1/2 red onion, 1 orange bell pepper.)

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Juice from 2 fresh lemons

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp ground sea salt

3/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Add lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper to bowl, and slowly whisk in the olive oil.

You can toss your dressing with your pasta, veggies, beans, and cheese and let it all marinate together.  Or if your family is weird like mine, you can keep it all separate and drizzle on the vinaigrette when you’re ready to eat.

Happy picnicking!

~julee~

 

I’m linking up with Silly Happy Sweet this week.

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Monday Magazine Challenge–Mojo Tofu Kebobs

This recipe is adapted from the July/August 2012 issue of  Everyday Food.  The original recipe calls for pork, but we used firm tofu instead.

Coincidentally, there are also instructions for pressing and firming tofu in the same magazine.  We use a very similar method to what was shown.  We cut our pieces in approximately 1-1/2 inch cubes so they would marinade better.  This is purely preference, however. 

Mojo Tofu Kebobs (adapted from Everyday Food):

Serves 4-6

1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red-pepper flakes
3 tablespoons lime juice (from 3 limes)
1/4 cup orange juice (from 2 oranges), plus 1 orange cut into 16 pieces
1 package firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water
1 large cucumber, cut into 1-inch rounds
Salt & pepper

~In a small pot, combine oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes over medium-low.  Cook until garlic is soft, 15 minutes, swirling occasionally.  Remove from heat, stir in lime and orange juices, and let cool 15 minutes.

~In a zip lock bag, toss tofu with half the marinade and refrigerate at least 30 minutes; refrigerate remaining marinade.

~Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.  Clean and lightly oil hot grill.  Thread tofu, orange, and cucumber onto skewers.  Season with salt and pepper.  Grill kebobs 3-5 minutes per side.  Brush with remaining marinade and serve.



We brought our cucumbers all the way from South Carolina, fresh from my aunt’s garden. The combination of the cucumber with the citrus was amazingly delicious.  I never would have thought to add orange slices to grilled kebobs, but they added a flair of summer delight to this grilled combo.  We will definitely be grilling this again soon.

Did you make any recipes or complete any magazine projects this week? If so, share your link with us! We would love to check out what you’ve made and we’ll also share your project with our Facebook readers.

~julee~

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Monday Magazine Challenge: Mini Loaded Red Potatoes

What we have here is a big ol’ plate of delish – vegetarian loaded potatoes with veggie-bacon and huge dollops of sour cream.  You can also use vegan sour cream and cheese for these if you wish.
This recipe is from May/June 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, and you can find the recipe on their website HERE. 

My husband made these while I was off doing other things, so I’ll just assume they were as easy to make as they seem since I didn’t hear any swear words coming from the kitchen.  The recipe calls for chives which we omitted and I didn’t miss at all.  I was a big fan these.  Big fan.
Did you make any recipes or complete any magazine projects this week?  If so, share your link with us!  We would love to check out what you’ve made and we’ll also share your project with our Facebook readers.

~julee~

Check out this reader submitted Monday Magazine Challenge from Kiki(verde):  Lemon Balm Soda.

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