My Favorite Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1 1/2c water
4 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup (depending on how acidic your sauce is)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined. Heat through and serve warm. Add additional water if you want a thinner sauce.
Makes about 3 cups sauce.

DELICIOUS! Found this on Pinterest. Makes a ton, so you can freeze the leftovers.

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed

I definitely made some adjustments to this (using more whole wheat flour and wheat germ than I did white, less sugar, and using some carrot/sweet potato puree I had instead of grating carrots all day!) but they are even healthier and good!

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Butter

Ingredients:
1 pound small, firm, bright green Brussels sprouts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Check each head, peel off any loose or discolored leaves. Using a paring knife, cut an X through the core end of each head.
Bring sprouts, water and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower heat, cover and simmer. Shake pan once or twice during braising to redistribute sprouts.
Cook until just tender 8 to 10 minutes. Test by piercing with a knife tip. Drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet of medium heat. Whisk in mustard until smooth. Cook , stirring constantly until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Add sprouts to skillet, coating well with the butter mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

I know, I know. You are thinking, "Brussels sprouts??!" But we really like them and I wanted to try making fresh ones. Had no idea what to do with a bag of fresh ones, as opposed to the frozen, steam-in-the-bag variety, so I googled and found this recipe. Delightful :) I'm really just posting this to save it for myself since I'm not sure that anyone is reading my food blog anymore anyway! *crickets chirping*

Oatmeal Waffles

Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Milk

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Add oats and mix well. Stir in molasses and oil. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir into the egg mixture. If batter becomes too thick, thin with a little milk. Pour about 3/4 cup batter onto a greased preheated waffle maker. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. To make pancakes: Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when bubbles begin to form on top of pancake.

I made these this morning in my new waffle iron and they were excellent! And, relatively healthy and filling. The cinnamon and vanilla were additions to the original recipe, as suggested by other reviewers.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

With all this record-breaking heat, I have been trying to do my part to avoid rolling blackouts by cooking everything I possibly can outside on the gas grill. (It was 112 in Austin on Sunday!) This was one of those super easy, very tasty weeknight dinners. Served with grilled asparagus, squash, zucchini, and purple onion. Yum!

I just used whole breasts rather than mess with cutting up the chicken. I cut the oil in half and added some extra ranch (made my own from a packet of Hidden Valley seasoning, plus milk and replaced the mayo with plain yogurt, worked fine.) I mostly tried this recipe because I was thrilled to have a use for all that rosemary I'm growing. Marinated for an hour and cooked the veggies in the leftover marinade. Throw it all on the grill for around 15 minutes, and you're done!

I really need to invest in a grill basket or pan of some sort. And maybe a bandana to catch the sweat. Happy Tuesday!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

I needed to make a gluten-free meal today for a friend with a new baby, so I asked Megan Eidson for some recipes. She gave me this one from the Pink Parsley blog.

Adapted from Tide and Thyme, orginally from America's Test Kitchen
•1 medium onion, chopped fine
•2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
•1 teaspoon canola oil
•3 medim cloves garlic, minced
•3 Tablespoons chili powder
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•3 teaspoons sugar
•1 15-oz can tomato sauce
•1 cup water
•1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
•1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
•1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
•1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
•1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
•12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
•cooking spray
•salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onin mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).

Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.

Other than not knowing what a beefsteak tomato is, this turned out great. A little less jalapeno next time for me, but I'm sure Jeremy will love them when he gets home. :)

Quinoa Avocado Salad

This was absolutely amazing. Make this; you won't be sorry! Thank you, Megan Eidson!

Prepare 1 cup quinoa according to package directions. Place in bowl in refriegerator to cool. While it's chilling, cut up your veggies:

2 avocados
2-3 roma tomatoes (or other variety)
1 - 1 1/2 cups of corn (thawed frozen corn works fine)
1/2 large red onion, (I like mine chopped really fine!)

All ingredients for the vinaigrette are to taste, this is kind of a base recipe. but to round out the flavors, all ingredients are somewhat necessary. If you don't like cumin, add only a 1/2 tsp.. etc. taste as you go, and add in ingredients in smaller portions until it appeals to your taste buds!

Add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.

1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
Juice from one lime
1 tsp each: cumin and oregano (I used powdered, dry of each of these)
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tbsp of water
red pepper to taste
cilantro to taste
salt to taste

When the quinoa is chilled, add in the veggies. Add in the dressing according to your taste. Warning: if you use as many spices as I did in as little liquid, it's a really potent dressing.. you may not need very much! Stir well.

This recipe is vegan, GF, Casein free, soy free, and can be made corn free too if you leave out the corn.

Totally awesome! Next time, I will add black beans or edamame and call it a meal! I used a tsp of salt in the dressing and a little extra sugar. You know I like it sweet. :)