Huevos Rancheros over Quinoa

One day I was sitting in my kitchen wondering what to make with a bunch of eggs, black beans, spices, veggies, and frozen yogurt. Needless to say, I got creative and made up my own dish that reminds me of a mish-mash Mexican dinner. Feel free to omit any veggies you don't like, or add some you do!

Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 1 Roma Tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Spinach Leaves
• 1/2 cup Black Olives
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Tbs. Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/2 C. uncooked Quinoa
• 1 C. Water
• 1 Can Black Beans, low sodium
• Sea Salt, Black Pepper, or Hot Sauce to season.

Directions:

1. Place Water and Quinoa in a pot over med/high heat. Cover with lid and cook according to package directions.
2. Pour can of black beans into a small pot and place on med/low heat.
3. While those are cooking, throw Veggies into skillet with Oil and saute on medium heat, about 3 minutes until soft.
4. Add Eggs to skillet and scramble with Veggies until cooked.
5. Place Quinoa on a plate, spoon about 1/2 cup Black Beans onto the Quinoa, and add Egg mixture to the top.
6. Sprinkle your favorite hot sauce, red pepper flakes, salsa, or sea salt and black pepper. Get creative people!

Cinnamon Berry Quinoa

Ok So I came across this recipe and am making it tonight. It looks beyond delicious and seems to be something I can keep in the fridge and eat over a couple days. Quinoa has a plethera of health benefits and is a wonderful grain substitution. (Quinoa is actually a seed.) Looks good enough to eat through the computer screen so I am excited! I altered the recipe a little but the original is from Chef MD's big book of culinary medicine.

Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Skim Milk (Substitution: Coconut Milk)
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup uncooked Quinoa
• 2 cups fresh Blackberries
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped Peans (I use slivered Almonds)
• 4 teaspoons Pure Maple Syrup

Directions:

1. Combine water, milk and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
2. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes.
3. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with almonds.
4. Drizzle 1 teaspoon maple syrup over each serving. (I bet coconut milk drizzled over the top would take this dish to another level.)

Jana-Corn (Popcorn)

I grew up eating homemade popcorn on a weekly basis. My Mom would always try to find healthier substitutions for the 'ol butter and salt toppings. I thought of an easy and healthy way to make delicious popcorn when I was in college. For years my friends nicknamed it "Jana-Corn" and request it on a regular basis. Its great with movies, for girls nights, or as an easy comfort food when a friend is gloomy. (Add a small bag of M&Ms for a sweet 'n salty desert.) Enjoy!

(Makes one large bowl of popcorn)
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 cup Popcorn (I like organic white kernels)
• Sprinkle of Sea Salt
• Olive Oil in a spray

Directions:

1. Place a LARGE pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium.
2. Pour the oil and popcorn kernels into the pot and cover with a lid.
3. Swish the popcorn back and forth in the pot every minute or so. (This ensures every kernel is coated with the hot oil as it heats up.)
4. The popcorn will start to pop in about 5 minutes. To ensure the popcorn doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, I lift it off the stove and give it a shake every 30 seconds or so. This makes the unpopped kernels fall to the bottom and with any luck you will have every kernel popped to perfection!
5. Take the pot off the stove once the pot is full and the popping slows down.
6. Pour into a very large bowl and spray lightly with olive oil. Shake and rotate the popcorn, spraying about 4 times total. Sprinkle a little sea salt over the popcorn and enjoy while its hot!

Red Skin Potato Hash Browns

These are an easy side dish to any breakfast, meat, or egg dish. This recipe makes enough for 10 servings (I'm from a large family).

Ingredients:

• 10 red skin potatoes
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 2 Tbs Seasoning Salt
• Spinkle of Rosemary and Cumin

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Rinse the potatoes and then chop each into small cubes.
3. Place the potatoes in a large ziplock bag and add the oil and seasonings.
4. Shake the bag until all ingredients are fully mixed and pour contents onto a cookie sheet.
5. Place in oven for 45 minutes, rotating potatoes only once at 30 minutes to ensure thorough cooking.

Veggie Omelet

I love Omelets simply because you can put ANY vegetables in them and they taste wonderful! This is my winter favorite, full of protein and healthy fats.

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs, whole
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Tbs unsalted Butter
• 2 heaping handfuls of Spinach Leaves
• 1/4 cup of Green Onion, chopped
• 1 Roma Tomato, seeded and chopped (I hate the slimy seeds)
• Sprinkle of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 an Avocado

Directions:

1. Place the butter in the skillet or pan. Drop the spinach on the butter and stir around on medium heat for about 5 minutes. The spinach needs to only barely be wilted.
2. Add the green onions.
3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and additional egg whites (added protein with lower calorie consumption). Pour the eggs into the pan and cover with a lid. Turn heat to med-low and let cook for about 6 minutes.
4. Place cooked Omelet on a plate, place tomatoes in the center with cheese and fold in half. Serve with half an avocado on the side for additional healthy fat to increase your metabolism.
5. Serve with my favorite Red Skin Potato Hash Browns or cooked Turkey Bacon.

Banana Bread

This low-cal, low-fat, low-sugar banana bread tastes amazing and is sweet enough for desert. Feel free to throw in some dark chocolate chips if you want some extra sweet!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 bananas (I like when they are half brown/ half yellow)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Applesauce
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Skim Milk
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher.
3. Stir ingedients into large bowl with mashed bananas in the order they are listed.
4. Lightly spray 2 bread pans with vegetable oil and pour banana mixture in each.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes (some ovens are faster than others). Bread is done when a knife is stuck in the center and comes out clean.
6. Serve hot with a little unsalted butter or honey. So delicious!!!

Berry Cobbler

My Mother loves her cast-iron dutch oven and would make a fruit cobbler for nearly any occasion she could think of. I love the mixture of sweet fruit with the cakey topping. This recipe calls for coconut milk to be poured over the top; studies are showing the coconut milk is packed with healthy fat and increases your metabolism. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of Fresh Berries (of choice)
• 3 cups Almond Flour
• 2 Egg
• 4 Tbs. Coconut Oil or Vegetable Oil
• A drizzle of Maple Syrup
• Cinnamon to taste
• 1 can Coconut Milk (shake it well before opening)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pour the berries into a pie pan. 
2.  In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond flour, and coconut oil, and cinnamon.  Stir well.  The mixture will be really thick and clumpy. 
3. Drizzle a little maple syrup over your berries. 
4. Crumble the almond flour mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in oven for 35 minutes. 
5. Place in serving bowls, drizzle a little coconut milk over each cobbler, and enjoy.  Everyone I feed this to is pleasantly surprised with how amazing the flavor is!

Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:
4 Egg Whites
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Oatmeal, original uncooked
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Directions:
1) In blender combine and puree all ingredients
2) Pour on hot skillet and cook
3) Serve with maple syrup, fruit puree and light whip cream, or bananas and cinnamon

Waffles

These are actually delicious and beyond filling. The almond flour gives it a slightly different flavor that actually blends perfectly with the vanilla and maple syrup. Great with Turkey Bacon, Egg White scramble, or over-easy eggs. So delicious!

(Makes 2 servings)
Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

a pinch of Sea Salt

4 Eggs

¼ cup Maple Syrup (or Agave Nectar)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

1)   Preheat waffle iron

2)   Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla in separate bowl. Combine wet with dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.

3)   Spray waffle iron with cooking spray. Spoon batter into waffle iron and cook until golden.

4)   Serve with fresh fruit puree, maple syrup, agave nectar, or bananas and cinnamon.

Mexican Protein Dinner

Ok, so quite honestly this just might be the easiest dinner I have ever made. It is FULL OF PROTEIN, vegetables, and will fill up even the most ravenous tummy.

Substitute or add your favorite veggies, add hot sauce, or whatever you like!

 Makes dinner for 2 :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Quinoa
• 4 cups Water
• ½ cup Green Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Corn, cooked
• ¼ cup red or green pepper, finely chopped
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• 6-8 Eggs (over-medium or hard-boiled)

 

Directions:

1)     In pot, combine Quinoa, water, onion, pepper, corn, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. Cook on med/high heat for 10-15 minutes (or until Quinoa is soft).

2)     In separate pot, place black beans on medium heat.

3)     In skillet or pan cook eggs as desired. (Some may like scrambled. I prefer over-easy or over-medium eggs)

4)     Spoon Quinoa mixture on plate. Add Black Beans and Egg(s) on top.

5)     Drizzle with hot sauce, fresh salsa, sea salt, or black pepper.

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients:
¼ cup Almond Flour

¼ tsp Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 Eggs
¼ cup  Butter, melted
¼ cup Maple Syrup
1 Tbs. Vanilla
5 Carrots, peeled and shredded

Directions:

1)      In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients

2)      In large bowl, combine all wet ingredients

3)      Blend ingredients together and fold in shredded carrots

4)      Spoon mixture into cupcake tins and bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I came across this recipe from ElanasPantry.com and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I altered it a little because I found it had better flavor, but they are divine! A little note about almond flour: 1 cup has an average of 30 grams of protein and only a few carbs. Its a great substitution for nearly any recipe. :)

(Makes about 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Almond Flour
• ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
• ¼ cup Maple Syrup
• ¼ cup Butter
• 3 Eggs
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds

Directions:

1)    In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda

2)    In a large bowl, blend together eggs, agave, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest

3)    Blend dry ingredients into wet

4)    Fold in poppy seeds

5)    Spoon batter into each greased muffin cup

6)    Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs round Tomatoes, cut into quarters (do not peel skin off)
5 cups Vegetable Broth (or Water)  
5 Carrots, peeled & chopped
1 medium white Onion, chopped
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Basil
2 Tsp Thyme
4 Tbs skim Milk or Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions:
1) In very large pot heat olive oil and onion. Cook med/high heat until golden (abo 5 minutes)
2) Add tomatoes, carrots, broth, basil, and thyme to pot. Cover and let cook on medium heat for 45 minutes.
3) Pour contents of pot into a blender and puree until completely smooth. Pour back into pot and let simmer on low heat. Add milk, pepper, and salt.
4) Serve with a spinach side salad, cottage cheese and fruit, or almond flour biscuits.