Since our society has become all about convenience and fast food many of us have strayed from making our own goods. Needless to say a good portion of time goes into making and manufacturing our own foods and food items. However, something can be said for homemade without all the added chemicals, preservatives and sugar. One of our favorite appliances to use is our Blendtec blender; fabulous for smoothies, salsas, and I even made a cake in this little machine. So I wanted to make something a bit extra special this year in my blender, I fancied making my own peanut butter with my Blendtec. Continue reading “Make Your Own Peanut Butter with Blendtec”
Al Fresco Gourmet #ChickenAndTheEgg
Some decisions are truly hard to decipher. For example, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Luckily we have super geniuses like Neil DeGrasse Tyson to answer our questions of the cosmos. So for the more down to Earth questions concerning food choices and better for you foods, what do you look to put on your table? My family is all about organic, some gluten free (I like to expose my kids to a wide variety of flour and food options), and whole foods that are minimally processed without chemical additives or preservatives. We have found that many meat products have the most amount of processing and additives, but we found a real gem: al fresco all natural.
al fresco all natural has over two-dozen gourmet, healthy chicken products, ranging from Wild Blueberry breakfast sausage to fully cooked Sweet Italian chicken sausage to Tomato & Basil chicken meatballs. Each of the chicken sausage varieties has 70% less fat and 35% less sodium than pork products, and they’re all gluten free.
My family received a package of the frozen, fully cooked, breakfast chicken sausage links in Country Style and Apple Maple. Needless to say the maple was a real hit with The Chad and the twins. Big G was a fan of the country style and preferred this for sure in his brinner.
Oh yes, did I mention we made brinner with these? Brinner = Breakfast +Dinner
A family favorite for dinner, breakfast. Why slave away making an extravagant dinner when you can have all the excellent food groups in dinner. We made a breakfast scramble of which the pictures I tried to obtain were limited because dinner was such a hit in my house. We warmed these frozen links in the frying pan (just a preference over heating in the microwave) and cut them into bite size pieces.
Here is our full recipe:
1 package al fresco Country Style frozen chicken sausage
4 whole eggs + 1 c egg whites, all scrambled together
Diced red and green bell peppers
Diced red onions
Spinach (optional, but I love me some raw spinach!)
Heat links in pan until warmed thoroughly, remove from pan and dice into bit size chunks. Pour egg mixture with diced vegetables in the pan, just before eggs are completely finished cooking add in the chunks of sausage to rewarm. Toss around in pan until all egg is completely cooked and serve atop a bed of spinach. VOILA! Enjoy.
Upon further inspection of the ingredients here is the low down to really solidify the minimally processed, all natural, whole foods aspect:
SKINLESS CHICKEN MEAT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF WATER, SALT, SUGAR, SPICES, SAGE, THYME, NATURAL FLAVORINGS.
That’s it! Those are all the ingredients which I can get behind when feeding my family. I know exactly what they are eating and I am not having to try to decipher some scientifically assigned word for the creation of my food. If you need a PhD in chemical engineering to read your food label we might have a problem.
While I said that’s it, we really aren’t done yet! You see, al fresco launched a recipe sweepstakes called #ChickenAndTheEgg that runs until December 31 of this year. All you need to do is submit your all star recipe to be entered to win on January 5, 2015 a free breakfast for four ($200 value) AND a year’s supply of al fresco chicken sausage (16 packages). Here’s how you can enter to win:
-  Share a photo on Instagram of your best al fresco chicken sausage and egg breakfast recipe with #ChickenANDtheEgg.
- Tag the @alfrescogourmet Instagram account.
- Follow the @alfrescogourmet Instagram account.
Want to know where you can find al fresco products? Just do a quick search of retailers in your area. Take advantage of the #ChickenAndTheEgg recipe sweeps we would love to see your recipes and photos all over Instagram. I know a lot of you visit us for recipe ideas, let’s see your hidden gems for recipe ideas. al fresco keeps laying on the awesomeness (ha ha get it…laying…laying eggs…I digress) to have you share your recipes. Until the end of January, if you buy two packages of al fresco breakfast chicken sausages at any store, you will receive a FREE carton of eggs. Chicken sausage + free eggs allows you to make breakfast (or dinner) better.
Swiss Miss Roll Recipe
Enjoy some of our favorite holiday recipes! Pumpkin is always a favorite for fall and winter dishes as the gourd is always in season during the cooler months. Here is our organic pumpkin pie recipe with a fresh Fairytale style pumpkin from our CSA. Another Holiday favorite is the Swiss roll. This delicious cake treat is remiss of the Little Betty Swiss Miss rolls with a creamy whipped filling, topped with a chocolate ganache coating. The cake may be a bit bitter as it is a Turkish chocolate delight, but still sweet and delish!
Pumpkin Pie
1 pumpkin
6 c. water for boiling
2 c. flour (for crust, obviously)
1/2 c. water (for crust)
1 c. shortening
Heat oven to 425*
1 3/4 c. mashed pumpkin
1 3/4 c. milk
2 large eggs
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 T. sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves (be sure to ONLY use a 1/4 tsp or your pie will be very SPICY and the cloves will be overbearing)
Gut the pumpkin and all seeds. Cut into two inch cubes leaving skin on the meat during boiling. The boil time for an average size to a small pumpkin is roughly 25-35 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool somewhat before removing skin to avoid burning. Once all skin is removed, mash or puree until desired consistency. Allow the mashed pumpkin to be completely cool before adding to pie mixture.
While pumpkin is cooling, mix flour, water, shortening together until dough forms. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Add to pie pan and flute edges. Fluting can be done with fingers, fork, or a spoon.
Mix together sugar and eggs until a creamed consistency, adding in mashed pumpkin. Mix thoroughly slowly adding milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and the cloves. By following these steps your pie will have a smooth consistency allowing all the ingredients to blend well together. Cook for 45-55 minutes using a toothpick to determine if the center is done. The pie will have a rich golden hue as will the crust.
Swiss Cake Roll
Preheat oven to 400*
2 eggs (separate yolks from whites)
3 T. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 T. warm water (I used day old warm coffee, adds a bitterness and a wonderful rich sweet taste)
1 oz cube of melted Bakers Semi-Sweet baking chocolate (or 2T melted chocolate chips)
Filling:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 T. confectioners sugar (or 1/4 c. sugar)
May add fresh fruit or flavor or your choice, almond, etc.
I also apologize for the poor picture quality….the cake was being eaten so fast to take when it was at it’s “prettiest.”
Beat together egg yolks and sugar until creamy, slowly adding the chocolate (be sure not too hot or will cook the eggs) and warm water. Then beat until foamy the egg whites, slowly adding in the flour, baking powder mix. Once the eggs and flour, baking powder are completely combined, slowly begin to add in the chocolate mixture. Once completely blended pour into waxed lined baking pan (13X9, buttered or greased then lined with wax paper or freezer paper for best results and lightly greased again). Bake for 12 minutes, remove immediately and place face down on freezer paper (or wax paper) dusted with powdered sugar. Place damp cloth on top to ease cooling time and allow cake to be easily rolled while warm, removing hard or rough edges, unroll after completely cooled and add cream filling.
Beat together sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream until a creamy, comes to a bit of a peak consistency. Do not over beat…filling will be ruined. Slowly spread along inside of cake, roll again and serve dusted with confectioners sugar or topped with drizzled chocolate or fresh fruit.
Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Cake Recipe
At Thanksgiving we will all be stuffing ourselves silly. Just before the gorge I will be preparing desserts galore, which happen to be my favorite part of the holiday, the sweets. This year I want to embrace a dinner favorite, yet give it a new spin of life. Pies are timeless, expected. What about a an old favorite like cake, married with an old favorite like sweet potatoes? Intrigued? Continue reading “Sweet Potato Cake Recipe”
Apple Pie in a Cake – Caramel Apple Cake
The timeless smell and tangy taste of apple pie. You know fall has arrived when apple treats begin to spawn all around; candied apples, caramel apples, apple pie, apple turnover and of course apple cider. An apple treat that I stumbled across in my cookbooks over the summer resulted in a crowd pleasing favorite. Imagine apple pie made into a cake. Whimsy prompted me to choose this recipe for which I had never tried prior to the Fourth of July holiday and has since become the most requested meal of a dessert.
Not only was this apple pie in a cake, but this beauty is also gluten and dairy free. One of the many recipes I have modified for my best friend if we are to partake in gluttonous activities together.
If you are a fan of crumb cake, coffee cake, apple pie and or all of the above then this recipe is for you and surely to become a hit for whatever event you plan to cater. Most recently I was called upon by my husband and son to subject a gaggle of six and seven year old boy scouts (and their dads) to my creation. Wanting to exceed their wildest expectations I modified the recipe even further.
While the recipe calls for 3 peeled and cored apples I went a step further, as I did in my original rendering, and used 4-5 medium-large apples. The more sour the more sweet the cake is as well, so I chose some of the finest organic granny smith’s this go around. Doing so results in a mouth orgasm of epic proportions as the moisture of the apples wicks into the batter for a moderately viscous, tender cake treat. Pretty much the cake melts in your mouth for anyone lacking imagination.
Choosing not to peel my apples as well because I think the skin adds a natural beauty, crunch if exposed just right at the crust while baking, plus I would rather not waste some of the best parts of the apple. I also did not core my apples but opted to chop and then clean up the flesh housing the seeds, again not wanting to waste precious apple.
Prep your pans by misting with non-stick spray and dusting lightly with flour. Again, I modified this from the original recipe as I was catering to a citizenry of boy scouts and their fathers (my husband and son included) so we opted for cupcakes. The original will call for a tube pan.
During my chopping session which yields a great amount of pleasure and stress relief, our oven is becoming moderately warm (325*F). Prepping two bowls, one for mixing and one for the apples I start to combine some of our ingredients.
Entertaining two bowls in the baking process is helpful if you will be looking to sift flour, as you are combining and allowing certain ingredients to mix; the sifting can be performed during this time to maximize aeration of your dry ingredients. In my first bowl I have three (3) eggs that have been resting at room temperature, I can achieve a great amount of whip and volume in our cake using this logic. At this point I have only added half of the called for granulated sugar, three quarters of one cup (total recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sugar), to our eggs. The other half has been sprinkled and tossed about in our apples. Why? You ask. The sugar will coat our apples and wick out the juices creating a wonderful glaze and aqueous rendering.
Continuing to beat our eggs…at a medium pace…add in 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil, I opt for 1 cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup of olive oil for the moisture. You may do as you wish and choose the full amount of either. Still mixing, fold in a half cup of packed, light brown sugar. When the mixture is smooth and creamy pour in the vanilla extract one teaspoon at a time for a total of two. Your wet ingredients should resemble a caramel color and be ready for the apple infusion; slowly add the apples to your partially completed batter, the chunks will cause bumps in the blending process however they will begin to coalesce.
Lastly our dry components to our apple masterpiece. I mentioned gluten free so hold onto your shorts before they get into a bunch. Gluten free doesn’t always have to taste like cardboard and in fact you could use standard flour, again, I like to not eat alone just as alcoholics like to drink with a crowd. Using your finest sieve filter together two (2) teaspoons of cinnamon, one half (1/2) teaspoon of nutmeg, one (1) teaspoon of baking soda and three (3) cups of flour. I modified mine, using 1c coconut flour and 2c Pamela’s Artisan flour.
Slowly fold in these final elements until well blended. Your mixture should be a bit sticky, partially lumpy with your apples, yet exuding an awesomeness in aroma before even hitting the oven.
Using cupcake pans cut my cook time in almost half, bake these beauties until the top springs back when lightly pressed with your finger. Please do so with caution…I would rather not be held liable for your burns and shortcomings. If using a tube pan, prepare for 75-80 minutes if you would like to use a traditional timer, if going for cupcakes, allow at least 30-35 minutes. Cool for 25 minutes (for tube pan) and 5-10 minutes for cupcakes and transfer to a wire rack.
Finishing touches should be a caramel glaze:
3 T: butter, granulated (or turbinado) sugar, brown sugar, heavy (whipping) cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Boil for a minute and remove from heat and spoon over the cake.
My finishing touch, again…modified was a cream cheese caramel glaze. Using the caramel glaze above, substituting milk for the cream and blending while still hot with two (2) ounces of cream cheese and one cup of powdered sugar.
Most excellent with coffee. ENJOY!
Chicken Chorizo Recipe
Many of you may have read my post about Sweet Potato Hash and Scrambled Eggs. Inside that post I boasted about some amazing chicken chorizo I have picked up from my local butcher at Sprouts market. I love chicken chorizo. Heck I tend to favor all chorizo. As a native to Arizona and the southwest if I did not have an affection for spicy culinary dishes I might begin to question my authenticity. For those of you who love the taste of the southwest like I do, but may not have the resources at your local butcher to obtain these goods I am going to assist you in your culinary quest to obtain the needed ingredients to make your very own chicken chorizo recipe, a deliciously authentic version of a famed spicy, southwest sausage.
What you will need to start with is chicken. As little as one pound of chicken should do it and you can have it as a mixture of ground chicken breast and chicken thighs. Call me sexist but I love some really good thighs; tender, juicy, and full of amazing flavor. Your local butcher can also assist you in this as he might be doing the majority of the work for you. However, if you happen to have a meat grinder at home, voila, you can accomplish this at home on your own. The butcher will be more than happy to grind this for you upon your request, they are one of the least utilized experts in stores. If you can wrangle a butcher they will share with you a great deal of secrets, if you befriend one, well then you have additional added benefits.
One you have your ground chicken this is where the fun begins, we will begin to season said chicken with the chorizo mixture. You see chorizo is just the smorgasbord of spices used to season the meat, think adobo. Here are the warm spices that will really kick up your chorizo and provide an amazing flavor. I prefer organic, but the list is all the same:
Chorizo Seasoning Recipe Ingredients List
1 tsp Ancho chili
3/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp coriander or cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt (you can use Sea Salt, I love pink salt for all the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals and the taste is very mild and adds a sumthin-sumthin to your cooking)
1 tsp garlic (you can opt for fresh diced 3 cloves if you like, this really deepens the flavor)
Now that you have all these fabulous ingredients you will need to mix them altogether. Again, I am a bit old fashioned and I buy some of my seasons whole, a mortar and pestle will be your greatest ally to grind these amazing flavors together. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, reach for your food processor to grind away. Be sure not to heat these up or you will lose integrity with the flavor. Once all of your seasonings are fully blended together we will add to the meat. Again if you are grinding at home with a meat grinder lets go ahead and grind, while the rest of us who have opted for the butcher to do our dirty work, we will be elbow deep in meat. If you have an aversion to touching raw meat please grab some marigolds.
Lightly sprinkle the seasonings across the top of the meat, leave some aside as you will begin to turn the meat and sprinkle alternately so that all of your chicken is evenly coated. Continue to do this until all of your meat is thoroughly covered and mixed together. Feel free to continue to mix if need be to ensure all of your chicken is clad in these warm spices. Once you have encased all of the meat in the chorizo seasoning mix, place in a separate container to be refrigerated overnight. Your seasonings will begin to soak in and enhance the chicken for that authentic chorizo taste. You can roll into a ball and wrap with saran wrap, butcher paper, freezer paper, or place in Tupperware. After sitting at least overnight, we prefer a solid 24 hours, your chicken chorizo is ready to serve up.
Cook the chicken as you would any other normal ground meat product. Be sure to apply traditional food safety so that the chicken is cooked thoroughly or at least 165 degrees.
Sweet Potato Hash and Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast is by far my most favorite meal of the day. I wake up starving. Sounds completely foreign to most, but honestly I have trained my body to eat within the first hour of waking. For you fitness guru’s – fist and chest bump. Carbs are also a devilish delight, but when you are eating clean certain carbohydrates are totally off limits and not friendly to your food regimen. I personally love me some beak filling carbohydrates. Toast…bane of my breakfast existence. Roasted potatoes and eggs…a close second for some fabulous food to nosh on with my coffee. Best of both worlds is sweet potato hash and scrambled egg whites, coupled with chicken chorizo.
So last night while contemplating what to whip up for dinner I opted for brinner (breakfast+dinner). I knew I had a tough crowd to serve, The Chad and my four footers. Each of the four foot people provided little feedback as to my culinary adventure for menu options of the evening. Being the head of household, or I’m delusional enough to believe so, I opted for brinner. Luckily I had all my ingredients ready. A trip to my local Sprouts just a few days prior proved fruitful as I picked up a fresh batch of chicken chorizo. If you have yet to try some, please do so. Rivaling the traditional pork and beef chorizo the chicken has amazing flavor and leaner. Great for those calorie counters and clean eaters like myself, no added sugars or fats.
Frying up my chorizo and scrambling some egg whites I wanted a carb. Knowing full well I was headed tot he gym for some weights and cardio I wanted to prep my body for the nutrients needed to sustain 90 minutes of intense exercise. I opted for some sweet potatoes. None like the sweet potatoes we have all been accustomed to at Thanksgiving dinners. You see those are called a yam, we however, interchangeably use the term sweet potatoes because they taste sweet. Sweet potatoes can have a hannah white, pale flesh and are loaded in vitamin A, biotin, vitamin C, they help regulate your blood sugar and are a healthy carbohydrate because of the amount of fiber and your body will thank you for all the anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal properties. I digress on the health aspect. The sweet potatoes and chorizo might be a meal to scoff, but please leave the guffaws until after you whet your palette with this sweet and spicy fall dish. Better yet, have it any time of the year if you happen to have a local butcher who would be kind enough to whip up a batch of chicken chorizo for you.
Taking these blond beauties I merely shredded them on a cheese grater. Some of you may opt for a food processor, I like the extra workout you get in shredding these bad boys by hand as I am reminded of cooking in the kitchen with my mother. Feeding a crowd like mine for brinner, breakfast or to make some tasty latkes I would suggest at least 5-6 medium sized potatoes. My kids love sweet potatoes so I had to use more, you be the judge based on your families appetite.
After shredding I tossed them into a large frying pan that had been coated with coconut oil. Another super food I absolutely adore that you can use for anything and everything. Smoothies, baking, frying, or if you are like me a shot all by itself, but I am a fan of coconut so I don’t mind the taste or the smell I have found it to really accentuate my cooking on all levels when used properly.
Moving past the wonders of coconut oil as I can digress again, we have shredded the potatoes, they are in the pan that is coated with coconut oil, just make sure that your potatoes are evenly spread out across the pan for even cooking. This will ensure every inch of your potatoes become a hash as they brown and crisp. I cooked mine over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes to guarantee they were nice and crispy all the way around but still had enough sweet, soft, fleshy bites in the middle. Toss those into a serving dish or right onto your plates, sided with scrambled egg whites and chicken chorizo and you have yourself a sweet and spicy meal that is out of this world. Enjoy!
Utensils Needed:
2, 10-12 inch skillets (one for potatoes, other for chorizo and eggs)
cheese grater or food processor
whisk for beating eggs and egg whites
Ingredient List:
1 pound ground chicken chorizo ( or make your own chicken chorizo recipe)
5-6 hannah, or white, sweet potatoes
1 TBSP coconut oil
3 eggs and 1 + 2/3 c. egg whites
Lots of love and patience.
Easy Gluten Free Pizza
If one phrase could sum up 2013 and 2014 I think it would be gluten free. Whilst seems to be the latest fad and trend among the clean, healthy, organic living movement, a small population of folks actually suffer from a condition known as Celiacs disease that reeks havoc on ones GI tract. With that being said, I have a dear friend who is borderline. Quite frankly, if she has any gluten foods, she could clear a radius like Hiroshima and that is being mild. Continue reading “Easy Gluten Free Pizza”
Cupcake Taco Recipe
Crunching for time and on the look out for some tasty bites that I know my kids will enjoy, one of my bosses shared this recipe with me, of which I altered to enjoy in my home that, 1) Saves us money and 2) Saves us time. We love Mexican food and my kids love tacos, then add the love of sweets like cupcakes. Fuse the two and you have cupcake tacos. What is better than the love of cupcakes and the love of tacos to get CUPCAKE TACOS!
These tasty beauty bites are fun and great for the whole family. They require so little time and so little efforts. Made with wonton wrappers that you can find in the produce section or the refrigerated section. All you need is a cupcake pan and the following ingredients to make your cupcake tacos:
- Ground Turkey (we use free range organic, but you can use ground chicken or beef)
- 1 package of Won Ton wrappers or Egg Roll wrappers
- 1 can refried beans (We used 365 Organic refried beans)
- Chopped cabbage (or lettuce)
- Diced tomatoes
- 1 cup of shredded cheese (mexican mix or Colby Jack and Monterey)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat, add your favorite seasoning for spice and flair. We like chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin, onion powder, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and cilantro. Set the meat aside.
Take your Won Ton wrappers or eggroll wrappers and mold into cupcake dish. If using the Won Ton wrappers use two and alternate the layers. Layer in the meat and your refried beans until full then top with cheese.
Slide into the oven and bake until the wrappers are golden brown and appear crunchy. Serve warm topped with your favorite veggies.
Using the recipe calculator these yield about 200 calories per cupcake and pack quite the punch with 19 grams or protein. Taco cupcakes can be pre-made and stored in the fridge, make a large batch and stash in the freezer. They are a great addition and cost so little to make. For those picky eaters, they are also fun and taste great.
Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
Fall is most definitely one of my favorite seasons of the year. The weather is fantastic. The mornings are rich with a cool bite of the season, the smell is unmistakable from summer into fall. You can almost compare the scent of fall to that first bite into an apple; crisp, juicy from the dew of the morning, bitter and then sweet with a smoothing you can feel all over your body. Continue reading “Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe”