Simple Thai Spaghetti Squash

Suddenly, it's freezing out. The grass and garden are dying. Leaves are changing colours, I've traded my tank tops for sweaters. Ugh.

The good news is that I have a whole bunch of winter squash to use up! 

Between the pumpkins, butternut squash and spaghetti squash from my garden, I'm set for the winter!

Spaghetti squash is the star of this dish. It gives the illusion of pasta, with a slight crunchier texture and a more earthy taste. I showed you how to cook these bundles of perfection in this post.

The chicken packs the protein. its what will keep you full until your next meal. The green beans add color, flavor, and nutrients. The ones pictured above were actually home grown! Then comes the sauce, contributing a Thai-like flavor that comes from soy sauce, garlic, and of course I couldn't leave out peanut butter!

I also recommend sprinkling crushed red pepper flakes over the top, of you want to give it a little kick!

Simple Thai Spaghetti Squash
1 spaghetti squash
1 cup chopped chicken, cooked
about 20 green beans, cleaned
2 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar (can substitute water)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
crushed red pepper flakes to top (optional)

1. Cook and remove flesh from spaghetti squash with a fork.
2. Steam green beans in a sauce pan with 1 inch of water until soft (about 15 minutes)
3. In a small cup or bowl mix peanut butter with vinegar until smooth. Add in the soy sauce a little at a time, stirring constantly to keep a smooth texture. Finally, stir in the garlic powder.
4. Toss together the chicken, squash, green beans and sauce, and red pepper flakes if using.
5. enjoy your meal!

Hope you al like it!
<3 Danielle

Mango Sorbet

This is summer in a bowl. I mean really this and summer have so much in common:

They are bright and cheery

They make me happy

They are both things I always look forward to

They make you forget your worries and cares

They go by really fast. 

And I mean fast. One bite of this and I started shoveling it in my face as fast as my spoon could travel. It's so silky and sweet, and its only one ingredient. One. Just one. Yeah.

I am always skeptical of recipes advertised as one ingredient, because a lot of the time it's some kind of processed packaged product.
But not this. This is about as fresh as you can get! And even fresher if you have access to mango trees (if this is the case, I'm so jealous)!

Mango Sorbet
1 mango

1. Peel and cube the mango. Find out how to cut a mango like a pro here.
2. Freeze the cubes until solid.
3. Process until smooth in a food processor. Enjoy immediately.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

<3 Danielle

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Oh boy, do I have butternut squash on my hands. As someone who rarely uses squash, I really didn't know what to do with it. The only logical thing I could think of was soup.

Butternut squash has kinda a sweet flavour, so the next step was to decide what to pair it with. Should I play off the sweet and add cinnamon and cloves, or add onions and garlic for contrast?

The latter won. And I'm glad it did. This soup had a flavour profile that blew me away-- curry, garlic, carrots, onions, sriracha, and (wait for it........) peanut butter!

I'm sorry, guys... I just couldn't resist adding a tablespoon. It's totally optional; add it if you like love adore fantasize over peanut butter. And before you add it in, let me warn you: that little bit adds quite a punch!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

3 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp sriracha sauce

1 tbsp peanut butter (optional) 

1 tbsp. Curry powder

1/4 cup basil leavers (fresh)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk (I used dairy milk, 2%)

1. In a large soup pot, steam all ingredients except for the milk in the broth until soft (about 30 minutes). Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Blend in batches with milk. Make sure each batch is blended with milk, for example, it took me 4 batches, divided into 1/2 cups of milk.
4. Return to pot and bring back up to temperature. If it seems too thick for you, add some more broth.

Enjoy it! I know I did!

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Hello everyone! Remember my garden with the GIANT cucumbers? 

Well, I had to figure out a way to use all of those cukes up, not to mention the plethora of tomatoes!  So, I made this super simple salad. This is perfect for a party, because it can be made the day before, or ten minutes before! Can't get better than that!

I wish I could say that I grew those onions as well, but last year, when I tried growing onions, they all got eaten up by worms (blah!!!).  Does anyone have any secrets to growing onions? I could use some advice!

Anyway, you should totally make this because it's basically a taste of summer, and we need to stretch summer as long as we possibly can, no matter what the school districts or lawmakers say.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad
1 Large Cucumber, Chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tomato chopped, or twelve grape tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp. basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, store in fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve or up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Danielle

One Pan Stir Fry

Note: sorry this post came a little later in the day than usual, I am out of town staying in a house of no WiFi, so bear with me for the next week or so... I'll do my best to post regularly!

Some nights, I just don't feel like cooking.

Some nights, I have too empty of a pantry to make anything fancy.

Some nights, I just want to eat something delicious, but don't have much time.

Some nights (read: every night), I crave Asian food. 

That's when I make this stir fry.

This is super adaptable:

Don't have the right veggies? Mushrooms, green beans, sugar snap peas, etc. work well

Don't have chicken? Omit  or  substitute cooked pork, tofu, or beans.

No rice? Use quinoa, spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or your favourite grain.

So, there is no excuses not to make this!

One Pan Stir Fry

2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 cups uncooked rice

3 large carrots

1 head broccoli

2 large stalks celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (I love Little Soya brand)

pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. sriracha sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1. In a large skillet, simmer rice in water for twenty minutes, or until soft.
2. While rice cooks, chop vegetables to a uniform size, or as shown in the picture above.
3. Strain the rice. in the same skillet, steam vegetables until tender, about ten-  fifteen minutes.
4. Once they are soft, remove steaming liquid from pan, and add rice, chicken, soy sauce, pepper, sriracha, ginger, and vinegar to the vegetables. Heat everything through, and keep heated until serving.

Serves about 6-8

Hope you all like it as much as I do!

~Danielle



Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Summer is most definitely my favorite season. No doubt about it. But every year a small part of me aches for cool winter temperatures. Why? One word: soup. I just don't understand why it's less acceptable to eat soup in summer than it is in winter? It tastes delicious year round! Sure, it's hot food, but then again, so are hotdogs, burgers, and baked beans, and those are traditional American summer foods. Hmmm...

Anyway, although I've never been a "rule breaker" when we had a few cooler days last week, I wasted no time. This cauliflower soup is so simple, yet so yum. There are no chunks, if that bothers you, add some extra steamed cauliflower after blending. 

{excuse my chipped nail polish}

So if your like to break rules, if you like soup, or if you get a blast of cooler weather, be sure to put this on your to do list. 

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

6 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 head cauliflower, chopped

2 c. unsweetened milk of choice (I used cows' milk)

1. In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, melt the butter, then add the onions, cooking them until they become translucent. Add rice and 4 cups of the broth and heat them until they boil. After reducing heat, simmer for 20 minutes. Add the salt and pepper before pureeing.
2. Steam the cauliflower in one inch of water until slightly tender. Remove the cauliflower, but leave the water to reduce to less than one cup.
3. Puree the cauliflower and the reduced cauliflower water, adding a little of the already pureed soup base, if necessary.
4. Mix the soup base and the pureed cauliflower in the saucepan. Then add the extra broth and milk. Heat through, adding any extra salt and pepper if needed.

This keeps about a week in the fridge.

optional: Add some larger chunks of  steamed cauliflower to the finished soup if the lack of chunks bothers you. I rarely do this.

Enjoy!

~Danielle



Peaches 'n' Cream Smoothie

Hey there! How have you been? I've been awsome since I recently got two GIANT crates of peaches. Seriously, there are probably about 100 peaches in my house, awaiting their fate. Mwahaha. 

The thing about peaches, though is that they ripen rather speedily, so I had to figure put how to use them up within a week. It wasn't too hard considering how scrumptious they are, whether they're plain or in something.

Whether you are a peach purist, or of you like to put them in pies and cobblers and such, you'll looove this smoothie! The peach and the banana compliment each other well, although the banana's flavor is not really the star of the show. It's more of the supporting role.

Peaches 'n' Cream Smoothie

1 peach, cut into chunks and frozen

1 Banana, cut into rounds and frozen
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 scant tsp cinnamon

Blend in a blender untill smooth. Enjoy immediately.

Comment below your favorite way to use peaches!
~Danielle

Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Remember my last recipe for peanut butter? Well here's another!

Peanut butter is seriously my favorite food. Now over the course of this blog, I am sure I'll frequently state otherwise, saying, "mango is my favorite food", or "chocolate is my favorite food", but the truth is, I have many favorite foods, but it just so happens that peanut butter is at the top of the totem pole. In fact, this blog might have been titled "Chits and Chats and Peanut Butter", if Chocolate didn't sound better.

But, chocolate is another of my favorite foods, and it's just so wonderful that two of my favorite foods happen to be such a brilliant pair.

And now, you too can have your fill of peanutty-chocolatey goodness without the chemicals and sugar in Reese's peanut butter cups, or store-bought chocolate peanut butter!

Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 cups

2 cups peanut butter

1 tbsp. Coconut oil

3-4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 oz. dark chocolate 

1-2 tbsp. agave syrup (more or less depending on desired sweetness)

Grind peanuts and coconut oil in food processor until it forms a coarse paste. Add remaining ingredients and continue to process until completely smooth. The peanuts will go through phases--

1) coarse crumbs, like sand

2) a thick, coarse paste, like play doh mixed with sand (yum, right?)

3) a giant ball, mostly smooth

4) the ball will melt down into a smooth, luscious dream come true

Refridgerate in an air-tight container ~2 weeks. Use your best judgement.

~~{~@ Danielle

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How to: Spaghetti Squash

I'd always heard about how amazing spaghetti squash is, how by just running a fork through the flesh of the gourd, impastas come to be (sorry, bad joke... couldn't resist).

I just had to see it to believe it. So, I bought one. And guess what? It worked! Yes, by just running a fork through the squash, I came upon healthy, flavorful, bountiful "noodles".

Here's a few tips and notes:
~When cutting the squash in half,  use a super sharp knife because the raw gourd is pretty tough, and you'll want to make as straight of a cut as possible so that the squash will steam itself evenly.
~One medium-sized spaghetti squash is about the equivalent of two to two and a half cups of "noodles".
~For maximum efficiency, use a fork to get as much of the flesh out as possible, but then scrape the insides of the skins out with the edge of a large spoon to remove the remaining fruit.

So, Heres the technique

Spaghetti Squash

1 medium spaghetti squash

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit)
2) Cut squash in half length-wise.
3) Line a baking tray with foil, and place the squash cut-side down over foil.
4) Bake for forty minutes, or until the squash has become as tender as you'd like it.

~~{~@ Danielle

Homemade Ketchup

Hello Everyone, and happy Fourth of July!
I have a last minute recipe for all your barbecues today, which works out well because this is the type of recipe perfect for last minute needs!

This homemade ketchup is not only easy, but it's also at least a million times better than store bought. Not only is it more delicious, but also, it's waaaay more healthy. No high fructose corn syrup and no preservatives. Hallelujah!

This condiment also is a bit thicker than the stuff you buy at the store. If the thickness bothers you, maybe add a bit more water about a teaspoon at a time, until it's to your liking.

The contrast between this recipe and Heinz Ketchup is so huge even in appearence. Below is a picture of Heinz.
Notice how it lacks texture and the deepness of color that the homemade retains. Well, if this discussion hasn't convinced you, it's convinced me! I'm never going back!

Of course, I could brag on this ketchup all day because, it's not really my own recipe, I've just veryslightly modified it. To try out the legit recipe and visit the totally awesome blog from which I extracted the formula, visit Edible Sound Bites.

Homemade Ketchup        Makes about 1 cup.
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tiny pinch cloves
1 larger pinch salt
1 can tomato paste

1) In a small saucepan over medium- low heat, dissolve sugar in water.
2) Stir in vinegar, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until they are dispersed throughout the sugar water.
3) Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste.
4) Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!
~Danielle

The Best Creamy Peanut Butter

Okay, I know, I know, I know. Everyone and their uncle has seen a tutorial for one ingredient peanut butter. I don't know about you, but every time I tried the one ingredient variation, it turned out rather grainy.

As a girl who's grown up on Jiff- style peanut butter *hides behind hands* I've become accustomed to the silky smoothness and slight sweetness of highly processed peanut butter. So, I took on the challenge. Shown above is a picture of the peanut butter about 3/4 of the way through processing, as you can see, it still is quite grainy. If any [wackos] out there prefer crunchy or grainy peanut butter, feel free  process for a shorter amount of time, or stir in extra peanuts after processing is complete

The Best Peanut Butter
2 c. Dry Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Process all ingrrdients an a strong food processor until desired consistancy is reached.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
 

~Danielle

Lightened Up Iced Coffee

Ever seen the nutrition information for Starbucks drinks? Not fun. I would not be surprised in the least if I heard the ratio of sugar to coffee is 1:1. So, I decided to attempt a lighter version.

I am a huge fan of iced coffee drinks. The hot ones are never the right temperature; either they burn my young or they are lukewarm. There are about thirty seconds of time in which they are perfect.

It must be some sort of psychological thing; if coffee is supped to be cold (such as iced), then its tasty,  but if its supposed to be hot, but it has cooled until it's cold, then it's nasty. Hmm...

I made this with my awesome cold-brew coffee because it is a bit stronger than regular brewed coffee so the ice didn't water it down as much. Use whatever coffee you have.

Either way, this stuff is of the tasty variety, and may I suggest you try it out with my cold brew recipe?

Lightened Up Iced Coffee              Serves: 1
1 cup brewed coffee
1/2-- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your choice of milk)
1 mL stevia extract, or to taste (The strength of the sweetness depends on the brand of the extract)
ice cubes
optional: Extracts such as caramel, peppermint, or hazelnut

Mix all but ice in a glass and serve over ice.



Enjoy!
~~{~@ Danielle

Caramelized Basil Onions

I'm rather picky about my onions. First of all, when cooked, they must be soft; I find it gross when a dish has partially raw onions. Also, they have to have the right mix of sweet and spicy, in that onion-y way to theirs, of course. And lastly, please don't serve me unseasoned onions!

So, on the quest for perfect onions, I developed the perfect recipe, and it meets every requirement! Best of all (for all you sodium watchers) there's no added salt! However, I rarely add any salt to my recipes, so I've become accustomed to unsalty flavors. If you think this needs salt, by all means, add salt!

With only 4 ingredients, these a super easy. Not to mention they have all my favorite things: onions

Pepper

Basil

Butter (let's just be real here!)

I would have added a sqeeze of lemon, but alas, the fridge was barren of the citrus.

Caramelized Basil Onions

2 medium onions

2 Tbsp. Fresh basil, packed

1 tsp. Butter

Pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet, making sure it coats the bottom. Add onions and saute over medium heat constantly untill they have reduced and turned a soft brown (about 15 minutes). Add basil and pepper and continue to saute until basil has reduced slightly. Remove from heat and serve.

I ate mine with some chicken on a very fancy plate, as you surely noticed above.

~~{~@  Danielle

Avocado Chicken Salad

I've always loved traditional chicken salad, ya know, chopped chicken, salt and pepper, onions and mayonnaise.  But when I changed my eating habits several years ago, I decided the mayo had to go.

But whats chicken salad without mayonnaise? As usual, Pinterest held the answer.  I never actually clicked on a link leading to a avocado chicken salad recipe because I had a better idea.

Remember my awesome guacamole that I shared a while back? Well imagine that married to chicken and a few extra herbs. Yum. Normally, I do not add the feta to the chicken salad, but you can feel free to do so. In fact, don't make a special trip to the store if you're missing a minor ingredient (such as an herb or lime or vinegar)

My cooking philosophy is basically to add everything to taste, and according to whats in the pantry. It has always worked!

 Feel free to use white onions in lieu of red. You also can use extra vinegar instead of lime juice, and vice versa. Have fun with it!

Avocado Chicken Salad
1 cup chopped chicken (I use breast meat)
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 1/4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/4 Tbsp. lime juice
1 large ripe avocado, mashed well
1 Tbsp. oregano, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

1) Combine the last ten ingredients (this includes the salt and pepper as one ingredient)
2) Stir in the chicken and chopped vegetables until they are well coated with the avocado mixture.

* I garnished with cilantro, it adds more freshness to the flavor, I'd highly recommend it!

~~{~@ Danielle

Cold Brew Coffee

Did you know coffee can be made without any fancy machines, electricity or without heat?

Isn't that an interesting picture? I like the contrasting reflection, even if it is the result of a very very low quality camera...

Anyway, back to the coffee..... YES! If the power ever goes out for an extended period of time, not all hope is lost! That is, if cold coffee is acceptable. But diehards would drink it at any temperature, I'm sure.

Cold-Brew Overnight Coffee

1/2 cup ground coffee 

2- 2 1/2 water (depends on how strong the brew is desired to be)

1) Soak the ground coffee in the water overnight (~8 hours)

2) Strain grounds out of the coffee using a fine cloth. (A nut milk bag or cheese cloth may work)

3) Heat up, serve over ice, or drink straight up if desired.

~~{~@ Danielle

Healthy Chocolate Soft Serve

Hey All,
If you're on Pinterest, follow health blogs, or read health magazines, you've surely heard about coconut cream vegan ice cream, cashew cream ice cream, and banana soft serve. Well personally, I'm not a huge fan of cashew cream. (I can never get ot smooth enough!) Coconut cream isn't something in my pantry. Factory-canned food scares me a bit too much.

But bananas? Fresh, healthy, and loaded with vitamins and fiber, these super foods make the best three ingredient chocolate ice cream ever. Smooth and creamy and chocolatey and addictive, this recipe only takes about 5 minutes (plus freezing time) to make. Now, theres no excuse to buy store bought ice cream because:
1) This is made faster than going to the store.
2) Banana soft serve is a million times healthier than store-bought
3) No, this does NOT taste healthy

Chocolate Banana Soft Serve
Makes 1 huge serving

2 ripe medium bananas, cut up, then frozen
2-3 Tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk

Remove bananas from freezer and break up any chunks frozen together. Blend with the milk and cocoa powder until smooth. Eat immediately, or freeze until harder for a less soft-serve-y experience.~~{~@  Danielle

Danielle's Famous Guacamole Dip

I love avocados, but then again, who doesn't?

 But this has not always been the case. I wasn't a fan until last year. But I am Never. Going. Back.

This recipe is loaded with all the flavor and richness and texture that is all too often missing from store-bought guacamole. Ya know, the kind in the plastic tube-- bland and un appetizing?

Danielle's Famous Guacamole Dip
3 Avocadoes, diced
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 TBSP dried oregano
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Mix all ingredients together without completely mashing the avocado. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days. (Not that it will last that long)


Enjoy!
~~{~@ Danielle

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are AMAZINGLY AMAZING. They are incredibly addicting, and superbly delicious. And you don't need to feel too guilty about eating them.

Seriously, I cannot stop eating them. Make sure to invite all your friends over when making them so you don't eat the whole plate in one sitting. Or you can lock all the windows and doors instead, to avoid sharing. It depends on your point of view.

Either way, make a double batch because enough is never enough.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, unpacked

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Thoroughly combine first 5 ingredients. Then add the chocolate chips and mix until they are dispersed throughout the dough evenly. Then, roll into one-inch balls and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and press down on the tops lightly with a fork to flatten a bit. Return to oven for another minute. Allow to cool on the baking sheet fo about five minutes before moving to a cooling rack. I cannot tell how long they keep because I've never seen them past day one. Use your best judgement.

Enjoy!

~~{~@ Danielle