Garlic Butter Sauce & White Pizza

PIZZA! I could eat pizza every day! This is the one food, that although I know isn't great for me, I continue to eat. :) I allow myself one treat meal a week, and it is most often pizza! I've made healthier versions of pizza before, BUT this new recipe I made over the weekend is by far the best of them all! Mmm! Now I enjoy traditional pizza, BUT white pizza with that garlic sauce has been a favorite of mine as well. This was a nice Lent option for Friday, which I ended up eating Saturday as well. :)

INGREDIENTS:

*Alladin's whole wheat pita ( I have located them at Giant Eagle and Marc's)

*shredded cheese of choice

*toppings of choice

*1/3 cup of butter

* 1 clove minced garlic

*1/4 tablespoon of dried basil

*2 teaspoons of dried oregano

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take the butter and melt in a saucepan.

2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or 2. 

3. Add the basil and oregano. 

4. Take pita and rub sauce on it.

5. Put in pan and put on medium heat.

6. Add cheese and other toppings. (I used onion and green peppers)

7. Cook until cheese is melted. You will have a nice, crisp pita.

I ate it with a salad. It was SO good! The recipe for the sauce lasted me 3 pizzas. When you put it in the refrigerator, it will harden. I microwaved it for about 15 seconds. The first use it was very runny, but the cook time in the microwave allows you to vary the consistency. I liked keeping it a little thicker and then it melted as it cooked. 

FIXERS: 1 yellow (pita), 1 orange (sauce), 1/2 blue (cheese), and little green (toppings)

Happy Eating! 

XoXo 

Kynslee

Mmm...Minestrone Soup

The 3rd Sunday of Lent has passed, and I am glad I found another Friday recipe that I enjoyed! The first Friday of Lent, we were battling a stomach bug, so cheese pizza was what we went with. I was back on my feet for week 2, so I enjoyed making some potato pancakes. Now those were amazing! This past Friday, my friend and her daughter came over, and I was happy they enjoyed my newest experiment-Minestrone soup. They even gladly took some leftovers. That's one of the great things about a soup recipe; there is often leftovers. I LOVE leftovers. The ability to simply just heat up a healthy option, makes me so happy.

INGREDIENTS:

*2 tbsp of olive oil

*1 large onion, diced

*1 large carrot, diced ( I had baby carrots and used about 8-9).

*2 stalks of celery, diced

*4 cloves of minced garlic

*1 tsp of oregano

*1 tsp of basil

*sea salt (to taste)

*black pepper (to taste)

* 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

*14 oz can of crushed tomatoes

* 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth

*15 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

*1 cup of whole wheat elbow macaroni (or any other whole wheat noodle option)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Dice all of your veggies. I LOVE our food chopper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot at medium-high.

3. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

5. Add the celery & carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

6. Add your spices, including some salt & pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes.

7. Add the diced & crushed tomatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil.

8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

9. Stir in the beans & pasta and cook for another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.

FIXERS: One serving (2 cups according to recipe I used) would be 2 yellows (beans & pasta) & a green (veggies). If using cheese, factor in a blue. 

1 cup is plenty!!!

You can add a little shredded parmesan cheese as a garnish if you would like. Ladle about 2 cups(which is a serving) into your bowl and enjoy! I paired mine with a small dinner salad. My 

guests enjoyed it with a half of a grilled cheese sandwich. 

Happy Eating!

XoXo

Kynslee

LENT recipe: Potato Pancakes

 Lent is a time where I prepare for Easter by making sacrifices. One of the food items I abstain from during all Fridays of Lent is meat. To me, this is the least I could do. It certainly poses some food challenges for me as I strive to eat enough protein and figure out ways to have my balance nutrition. I DISLIKE fish!! I can handle maybe a few raw shrimp drenched in my mom's homemade cocktail sauce. Thinking back to my childhood, our freezer was always stocked with potato pancakes. It was a go-to meal at our house along with grilled cheese, mac n' cheese, and cheese pizza.

Over the past year and a half or so, I have come to realize that I can enjoy the foods I always have, BUT it is important to KNOW what is in my food; therefore, I've had to bite the bullet and get over my fear of cooking.  I can't believe how I've been missing out on the TRUE taste of good food as opposed to processed and prepared foods. These potato pancakes tasted so fresh unlike their frozen counterparts.

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb. of Yukon potatoes- I used 3, medium sized potatoes

*1 medium sized onion

*1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

*1 large egg

*1 tsp of sea salt

* 1/4 tsp of pepper

*olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. 

2. Grate your potatoes. I used the blender grate option. If doing this, fill it with 2 cups of water and add 6 pieces at a time. Grate for 5 seconds and check consistency. I had to do it for about 10 seconds.

3. Drain potatoes in a strainer and use paper towels to extract the excess water.

4. Place the potatoes in a bowl.

5. Follow the same procedure for the onion as described above with potatoes.

6. Place the onions in the bowl once water has been drained completely. 

7. Lightly beat your egg before placing it in the bowl with the potatoes and onion and mix together with spoon.

8. Add the flour, pepper, and salt to the bowl and mix unit ingredients are fully incorporated.

9. Heat your skillet and add olive oil to cover the bottom of it. (Don't over heat skillet so that olive oil smokes)

10. Take about a Tbsp. of the mixture and place in your skillet. I cooked 3 at a time. Wet the back side of your mixing spoon to help flatten the potato pancakes.

11. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

12. Transfer them to a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

These paired well with my salad and my mustard for dipping! My girls had theirs with the traditional side of applesauce. Greek yogurt or guacamole would be other delicious dipping sauces. 

This recipe made 16 potato pancakes the size shown above. 

FIXERS: 3 of these would be 1 yellow!!

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee