Aw, so cute!

Baby Pizzas! 

Muffin tin madness!  

Yes, here's ANOTHER recipe using the muffin tin. I am hooked on all the ideas out there; what comes out of them is the perfect size for work lunches, a quick snack, or to have with a salad for dinner. *Use the mini-size for this recipe.* 

 So last week, during a wild thunder/lightning/sideways rain storm, Mum and I were on a cooking spree. We had quinoa and curiosity at hand, so these little treats were our next item on the agenda. 

Here's what you need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

2 large eggs 

1 cup chopped green onions 

1 cup shredded cheese 

2 teaspoons minced garlic 

 2 tablespoons dried basil 

1 full-size pepperoni stick, cut into approx 1/2" pieces 

1 teaspoon paprika 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Prepare your quinoa: 2 cups of water to the one cup of grains, in a covered pot, brought to a boil. Then simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is ready. Preheat your oven to 350. 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Once well combined, evenly distribute your gooey goodness into a greased *use lots to prevent sticking* tin. Fill each cup right to the top (it's pretty close to the amount of one heaping tablespoon in each.)

Press down gently to compact. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. 

Two minutes after we pulled these from the oven we lost power in our neighborhood for almost 2 and a half hours. Thanks for the good timing, Mother Nature! Our "pizzas" were not ruined. 

Serve hot with a side of pizza sauce for dippin'. 

Now, would I make these again? Um....I'd give it a solid...Maybe? I enjoyed them, but I didn't love them. I kinda force myself to eat quinoa anyhow, so that could be the problem. If this was normal, gorgeous, gluten-filled pizza dough? That would be another story. (An I-gained-50-pounds story...) Ha! 

Get cooking, 

Stace. 

Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Gluten-Free-Quinoa-Pizza-Bites-21988461

Oh, sweet crunchiness.

When I need a snack, my brain automatically goes to the salty goodness of popcorn. But sometimes you need a quick shot of protein and maybe some sweetness, so I made a batch of these tonight:

What is that, you ask? Answer: Oven roasted seasoned chickpeas. Yup. 

I know I say "this is so easy" on EVERY recipe, but it really is! I write this blog because I want to help non-cookers/bakers get in the kitchen. So here's a snack you can eat while in your car doing your bajillion errands. Or at your desk. Or even when you *gasp!* take some time for yourself in the evening in front of the telly. 

 All you need is:

~ 1 can of chickpeas (mine are currently drained, rinsed, and sitting on a paper towel to dry when I took this shot. Make sure you do the same!) 

~ 1/2 Tbspn olive oil 

~ 1 Tbspn honey 

~ 1/2 Tspn cinnamon 

~ 1/8 Tspn nutmeg 

~ 1/8 Tspn sea salt*

Set your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Wish I had the latter, but since I have not yet picked one up, the parchment works pefectly well.

Spread out the 'peas on the pan and throw it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Test one and if it's still a bit soft, give it about another 5 or 10 minutes. 

Next, pour them into your mixing bowl while still hot, and add your remaining ingredients. Give them a good stir-about, then pop them back in the oven for 10 more minutes to crisp up the coating.

I know you smiled when you saw Lil' Red. My cooking buddy. He keeps me on my toes. (Ie: That's my timer.)

*As mentioned earlier, my tooth is more savory than sweet, so I sprinkled a little extra salt on them. Let them cool then store in an air tight container. I'm a big fan of "why buy that when I've already got this?", so a jar that used to hold Mott's applesauce now works perfectly for my little edible friends.

High five to effortless, good-for-you recipes! 

Get cooking, 

Stace.

Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Honey-Cinnamon-Chickpeas-27908653

EggsEasyEggsEasy. Eggs.

Twelve hour work days are FUN. Yes! Woo! Alas, amongst the good times one must still find time to eat healthy and happily. 

Thus, the easy-peasy egg cups. 

I made these late last night after another long shift, and brought 2 into work this morning to zap and eat on my coffeebreak. Three colleagues saw them and said...."ohhh....that looks good!" So obviously, that was sign enough that I had to share it on here for them and the rest of y'all. Good thing I took pics. Heh.

Ok! Eggs! Veggies! Oven to 450! So simple! 

 Throw a sampling of bits in each cup of a muffin tin (spray well with Pam or what-have-you first).I diced up green onions, green pepper, black forest ham, a wee bit of irish cheese and some S&P.  

 Scramble your eggs in a separate bowl (aka add some milk, then whip-whip with a fork),

 and pour over each cup until 99% full. Bake for about 22 minutes, pull out of the oven, let cool in the pan, then remove and EAT. 

 Something this simple should be criminal. Get cookin/baking, Stace.

No coy title. Just cookies.

As usual, I came across this recipe on Pinterest and did NOT think this one was legit. No measuring of sugars and flour and baking soda? No cutting in or gentle blending? 

Nope. Check this out: 

Yeah. You are four (five if you count the eggs as individual units,) simple ingredients away from a fabulous, painfully easy, batch of peanut butter cookies. 

All you need to do is combine the cake mix, eggs, 1 cup of PB and 1/2 cup of canola oil. Roll into one inch balls - just use your hands, no fancy tools required - then evenly space on a baking sheet. 

Gently smoosh each with a fork one way, then the opposite to make pretty criss-crossy patterns. You know what's next: Put those babies into a (preheated) 350 degree oven. 10 to 12 minutes is all it takes... Keep your eye on them around 8 or 9 minutes. They can overbake in a hurry! 

* The lighting in this shot is weird but trust me; these are baked.* Set on racks to cool before packaging up. 

Oh, hello cookie. Why yes, I will take a plate of you to the family dinner for all. And I will save a few to have as tomorrow's breakfast, heh. Since I slaved ALL day making these, I deserve a few. Right? 

Get baking,

Stace. 

Source: www.youthlitreviews.com/2012 

 

Did you know?

Short and sweet (pun intended) entry: 

Apparently, if you wash your berries in this easy concoction, they can last days, even a week or two, longer than if left as-is. 

Mix one part apple cider vinegar to ten parts water. Put your fresh fruit in for a quick bath, rinse, and then store in the fridge. 

Have you tried this? If so, did it help? I've just done it for the first time tonight...so I'll let you know if it works! 

*The Web said no vinegar taste should be evident, either. I hope not...*

You know ya wanna quinoa.

Quinoa. The holy grain of the giantly popular paleo lifestyle. *Note: never call it a diet to one who follows it. They WILL correct you to the word "lifestyle." Whatever. Let's all just eat and enjoy the stuff, shall we? 

Today I decided to get off the dinner (read: animal protein) cookery, and bake something that can be eaten as breakfast, a snack, or as a light lunch with something like a side salad. IF my recipe works, that is!

As always, I have to put my own spin on it and in this case I did for three reasons: The original calls for stevia, juice and zest from a fresh lemon, and egg whites. I did not have the first 2 and was feeling a bit anxious about wasting yolks (yeah I know, but if you've read previous posts you know this kills me). So let's see what my ingredient list looked like: 

You'll need: 

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon pure honey

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 whole eggs

1 cup thawed bite size fruit blend

1/4 cup frozen pomegranate seeds

1 /2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt 

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a standard-size muffin pan with cooking spray. Now in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Nom....look at that ooey gooey honey drip off the spoon...

Let your mix hang out in the bowl for awhile so it can thicken up a bit; I let mine sit about ten minutes while I hung laundry. Happy Susie Homemaker, that's me...*cough-not-quite-cough-cough.*

Ahem.

Here is what I found when I returned to the kitchen. Apparently I am now going to bake a batch of Smurfs.

 Alas, do not fret! I carried on with the plan and scooped even amounts into the pan, filling each cup halfway. Then off to the oven they go for 35 minutes.

This photo was after about 15 minutes of baking. I was expecting this to be a flop as they looked very wet and unhappy still. 

Nooooo! These have to come through! And guess what? 

They did! Oh quinoa. I'll never doubt you again. They weren't even blue anymore after they were done, but a toasty brown and perfectly moist in the middle.  Pleasantly surprised, for sure. 

Three tips: These do not rise like muffins or cupcakes; they're rather small and disc-like so be prepared for that. Also, they are tricky buggers to get out of the pan, so go heavy on the pre-greasing before baking. Lastly I think 3 whole eggs may have been a bit much, so next time I'll try with just 2. 

Now to eat with a wee dollop of Greek yogurt! 

Get cooking, or uh, baking,

Stace. 

Source: www.damyhealth.com

Green is Good.

What I'm talking about here? Is the avocado. Full of the "good fat", avocados are a tasty addition to any diet.

Especially when they've got gorgeous toppings and are served right out of the oven. 

Whoa. That’s really the only word that sufficiently describes my first bite of this recipe. Savoury, creamy, with just enough tangy sweetness as well. Talk about a satisfying mouthful! And these were ready in less than ten minutes! (This is minus the time your oven takes to preheat, of course.) 

Here’s the recipe for salsa-topped avocados. I will say "you're welcome" right now because you will make these again and again. Betcha $5. (I would say more than $5, but I need that money for more groceries, to try more recipes, so you can keep eating well too. It's all about you, really.) 

Preheat your oven to 450.

Ingredients: 

1 avocado, sliced in half lengthwise and stone removed 

¼ cup panko bread crumbs 

¼ salsa. *I used the ‘mild’ spice level (because I’m a bit of a wuss). 

1 tablespoon basil

3 teaspoons lemon juice 

1 tablespoon crumbled feta

1 large strawberry, cut into 6 little wedges 

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients except the avocado and strawberry, in a small bowl. Split contents evenly and spread on each avocado half, then top each half with three apiece of the strawberry. Place on baking sheet, throw in the oven for 5 minutes, and they're ready! 

I ate mine with rice crackers; take a fork to the goods and spread on each. I can't stop making these. Healthy fast supper. 

Get cooking,

Stace

NOTE: Sorry my cooking photos aren't on here! I don't know why my computer hates me lately. It would NOT upload photos to this site, no matter how many times I tried. Check out the pics on my recipe source; it honestly looked just like theirs: www.melecotte.com/recipes