Healthier Bananas Foster

Sometimes you just need something warm and sweet and it is nice if it is also pretty healthy.

Banana or two

Smart Balance

Cinnamon

Agave nectar

Pecans

Slice the bananas in half and then slice length wise. Heat a skillet to med-high and melt a little Smart Balance spread - just enough to oil the skillet and give the bananas a slightly buttery flavor. Place bananas on the skillet and heat on each side until they are heated throughout. Drizzle with agave nectar and heat a bit until it is bubbly. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pecans and enjoy.

Grilled Vegetables

I love grilled vegetables. They look great, they taste great, they are great! I don't remember who, but somebody has asked about vegetable sides for BBQs and it is easy to throw different combinations together. I usually just drizzle them with olive oil, mix it around, and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and ground pepper. This recipe and picture come from Kalyn's Kitchen. She uses salad dressing rather than olive oil, which I've done before but Jacob prefers them with plain olive oil.

World's Easiest Grilled Vegetables
(The amount shown in the photos is 2-3 servings of grilled vegetables)

1 medium zucchini
1 large sweet onion (Kalyn uses Vidalia onion - I most often just use red onion)
1 large red bell pepper

(I like to add quartered mushrooms)
(See below for other vegetable combinations. You need about 4 cups of cut-up vegetables.)
1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing (I likeNewman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing for this, be sure to use a dressing with oil as the first ingredient.)
pinch of dried herbs like thyme, oregano, or fennel (optional)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to season vegetables after grilling

Cut ends off the zucchini, then cut in half lengthwise and cut into slices not quite 2 inches thick. Peel onion, cut off ends, cut in half, then break apart into individual layers and cut each one into same-size pieces. Cut red bell pepper in half, cut out seeds and stem, and cut into pieces the same size as the onion and zucchini.

Put the vegetables into Ziploc bag or plastic container with tight-fitting lid, choosing the smallest size you can to fit all the vegetables so they get well coated with the marinade. Pour in enough dressing to coat the vegetables, about 1/2 cup. Add dried herbs if desired, then close the bag or container and marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours (or all day is fine if you're at work.)

When you're ready to cook vegetables, put the grill pan on the grill grate and preheat grill (and pan) to medium-high heat. (You can only hold your hand there for a few seconds at that heat.) Drain vegetables into a colander placed in the sink and let dressing drain off while you preheat the grill. (This is very important to prevent flare-ups when you add the vegetables to the grill pan.)

When grill and pan are hot, pour in the vegetables and spread them around so as many as possible are touching the surface of the pan. Cook with grill lid closed, stirring the vegetables every 5 minutes or so to insure that they get lightly browned on all sides. Cook about 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked but still slightly crisp and starting to char on the edges. (I don't mind if mine get a bit charred, but keep an eye on them if you'd like them less browned.) Serve hot, with salt and fresh ground pepper to season. (If you have some good balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of that is good on these too.)

The types of pans which are good for this:

We have often grilled green beans, which are one of Jake's favorites, and we like asparagus grilled too.

Other Vegetable Combinations Kalyn Recommends for Grilling:

--Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Sweet Onions

--Sugar Snap Peas, Red Bell Pepper, Sweet Onions

--Sugar Snap Peas, Par-boiled Carrots, Sweet Onion (boil the carrots for 2-3 minutes and drain before you marinate)

--Sweet Potato, Zucchini, Sweet Onion (marinate sweet potato separately and cook it about 5 minutes before adding other vegetables to the pan)

--Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, Sweet Onion (cut asparagus into fairly short pieces, cut on the diagonal)

--Eggplant, Zucchini, Red Bell Pepper

--Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, Sweet Onion

Zuppa Toscana

This is a soup someone brought me after Shea was born. It mimics the Olive Garden soup, but in my opinion it is better. It is not the least bit healthy, but it is delicious.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Spicy Italian sausage
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 qt. water
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 TBSP. chicken base
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 cups Kale leaves, cut in halves, then sliced
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook sausage in pan, breaking up into chunks. Meanwhile, cook bacon in large pot. Remove bacon. Add onions and garlic to bacon drippings. Cook for one minute. Add water, chicken base, and potatoes. Simmer until tender, about 15 min. Add sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer until soup is hot, about 4 min. Stir in bacon. Top with Parmesan cheese.

This is really good served with beer bread (recipe is posted on this blog). I'm sure many other breads would go nicely as well.

Tortellini Soup

Love this soup!


TORTELLINI SOUP

1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
1/2 C Onion
3 Cloves crushed Garlic
1 Zucchini - chopped (I do semicircles)
1/2 C mushrooms - chopped
2 yellow squash - chopped (semicircles again)
2 cans Chicken broth
2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
1 C Water (I just kind of eyeball the amount of water that the soup seems to need)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
8 oz. cheese tortellini

Brown sausage, drain and set aside. In a pot add garlic, onion, and veggies with oil. Saute it for 5 minutes then add rest of ingredients except sausage and tortellini. Bring to boil, add sausage, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add tortellini, simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until tortellini are done. Serve
topped with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe can be healthified by using turkey sausage and whole grain tortellini. I usually just buy the refrigerated tortellini and they have those in whole grain as well.

Amy Koch's Chicken and Rice Soup

This is my best soup for sick kids. Amy Koch gave me the recipe after she brought it to a Koch family function. It is healthy and my picky kids eat it when they are feeling well or sick!

CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP

10 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
½ cup sliced celery
1 ½ cup sliced carrots
¼ cup snipped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked chicken
3 cups cooked rice
2 Tablespoons lime juice
Optional: lime slices for garnish

Combine vegetables and seasonings (except parsley) with olive oil in a pot over the stove. Simmer and slowly add broth until vegetables are tender. Boil over high heat, stirring regularly. Reduce heat and add chicken, rice, parsley, and lime juice. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!

By the way, in recipes that call for cooked chicken, I have found that I prefer to stick frozen chicken in the crock pot in the morning. It cooks with a delicious flavor and is still moist and shreds or chops easily. Plus it is no trouble at all. This recipe is good with chicken breasts or dark meat or a mix.

Andy Husbands Hot Blackberries and Cream

I LOVE this recipe.  Found it on Food.com.  You can make it as specified for a delicious dessert, or I actually made it with a lot less sugar and topped German pancakes with it for breakfast.  One of the best breakfasts of my life. :)

Ingredients

o 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (I used light sour cream and it was delicious)
o 1 finely grated limes, zest of
o 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
o 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 1 pint fresh blackberries, washed and well drained
o 1/2 cup brown sugar (I have used less than this both times I've made it, one of the times much less and it was still great!)

Directions

1. Move broiler rack to lowest possible position, at least 6 inches from the top element, and turn on oven broiler.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, lime zest, sugar, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blackberries, and transfer to small gratin dish. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Broil until the brown sugar melts and darkens, 1 to 3 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through so it browns evenly but does not burn. Serve hot.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Got this recipe from my friend Britt, it is spicy and yummy. Especially good with fresh bread or rolls.

3 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half and insides removed

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 pinches dried thyme
4 cups chicken stock

1. preheat oven to 400F. toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet covered in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes
2. in a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown. add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

3. use an immersion blender (or food processor) to puree the soup. serve with garlic knots below.