Category Archives: recipe

recipe, treats

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Bourbon Plum Sauce

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I received free samples of California Dried Plums mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Dried Plum Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Texture can make or break a food. When it comes to dessert, I’ll take a tres leches cake or bread pudding over almost anything else. I love tender, moist treats! A lot of people I talk to aren’t fond of the “sogginess” of these baked goods. The great thing about bread pudding, though, is that you can adjust the “juiciness” of it by using a little less liquid. That way you get lots of flavor without the mush. Unless you like mushy… then go ahead and soak it in custard!

Today’s bread pudding recipe is inspired by (1) the sourdough French toast I made for my sister a few weeks ago (AMAZING!), (2) the massive bottle of bourbon in our pantry (I want to use it in everything right now), and (3) California Dried Plums! Growing up, I only ever had dried plums baked into pork. And as much as I love my mom, the dish was always overcooked and dry. It made me believe I don’t like pork or dried plums. Now I know better.

Plums are very nutritious! The California Plum Board Website Reports: “Dried plums contain potassium, soluble and insoluble fiber, phytochemicals that function as antioxidants as well as some iron and Vitamin A.” And they’re great for bone health!  Dried plums improve bone mineral density by altering the differentiation of osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are responsible for re-absorbing bone minerals, which weakens the bone matrix. It’s still not entirely clear how this happens, but the effect appears to be a result of the polyphenols contained in dried plums.  This effect is particularly of interest for older, osteopenic postmenopausal women, but also a great consideration for keeping bones healthy at any age. (Read more about it here)

The viscosity and rich flavor of dried plums make the sauce for this lightened up bread pudding taste decadent.

Sourdough Bread Pudding

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Bourbon Plum Sauce (serves 8)

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 8 ounces; I used 6 or 7 slices)
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 and 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk (use less for a drier bread pudding)
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs

For the Plum Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup California Dried Plums
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk (or more for a thinner sauce)

Garnish:

  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread pudding, arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted.

3. In a mixing bowl whisk together sweetened condensed milk, 1% milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs. Add bread cubes. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to soak up milk.

4. For a thick bread pudding, spoon the bread mixture into a 9 x 5  inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. For a shallow bread pudding, spoon into a 9 x 9 inch cake pan.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. To prepare sauce, combine dried plums, 3 tablespoons bourbon, and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and 3/4 cup low-fat milk. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

6. Transfer the sauce and plums to a blender and pulse until smooth. Add additional milk until desired consistency is achieved. Serve warm sauce with bread pudding and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Bourbon Plum Sauce

The dried plums work wonders in this recipe! You can get away with using a lot less sugar and fat in the sauce because of their natural sweetness and creamy consistency when blended. The smoky sweet flavor of prunes pairs well with bourbon and is offset by the subtle tanginess of the sourdough bread. Just a few bites will be enough to satisfy your sweet tooth! I hope you’ll make this for Mother’s Day or another special occasion.

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Bourbon Plum Sauce

I’m off to the Gilcrease Orchard with friends tomorrow morning to harvest some seasonal veggies. You read that right; vegetables grown in the desert! They should have asparagus, beets, carrots, kale, zucchini, and summer squash tomorrow. After the “field trip,” we’re going to workout in matching black and yellow outfits. My friends are so awesome. CAN’T WAIT! It should be a fun weekend!

Become a California dried plum lover! Check out the other contest entries:

protein, recipe, Soups and Stews

Easy Crockpot Chili

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Hello! I hope your week is going as awesome as mine is! I slept for 12 hours Saturday night and Sunday night, so all week I’ve been bursting with energy. I’m running more now that the temperature is perfect in the mornings… Hopefully it’ll stay this way for awhile! With running before work I’ve had less time for food prep. This crockpot chili has been the perfect solution! I make it once and it lasts all week. It’s so hearty and the acidity is well balanced with a bit of sour cream and cheddar cheese. This and other lower carb lunches I’ve been packing for work have my stomach feeling flatter, which is great since it’s almost pool season. I even folded laundry in a bikini yesterday! I’ll bet that if you eat this chili your tummy will be just as happy :)

  
Easy Crockpot Chili Recipe found here. The only changes I made to the chow.com recipe were to use a combination of red kidney beans and pinto beans and lean ground turkey instead of ground beef.

  
Oh, I also usedextra sharp cheddar on this one. You get the most flavor with the fewest calories that way… Which reminds me, I’ve been experimenting with Weight Watchers for the past few months to learn more about the program and see if it’s a good diet plan for my clients. I’ve noticed that fat “costs” you a lot of Points Plus, so using low fat or fat free products seems to be a good strategy for keeping to your Points Plus limit for the day. It’s a trade off, though. When you choose fat free cheese or sour cream, you get fewer calories but a more processed product. So what’s better for weight loss? What do you think?? Would you use full fat sour cream and cheddar on this chili or go for fat free cheddar and fat free Greek yogurt/ sour cream? BTW, if you’re interested in a full review of the Weight Watchers personal coaching program, please let me know! I’m thinking about doing a post about it.

One more chili pic.. Yum!

  

Entrees, protein, recipe, vegetables

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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This month’s Recipe Redux theme is “Spring Cleaning!” Clearly, my pantry is still in need of it:

Never mind. I was going to include a picture of the mess in there, but it’s too embarrassing! 

As I was going through my pantry to find an ingredient for this month’s challenge, I found an entire Costco sized package of canned tomato sauce. Well, if you’ve ever accidentally bought too much tomato sauce like I did, I have a great recipe you can put in your lunch or dinner rotation now!

  
Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

  

Ingredients (makes 6):

6 bell peppers: red, orange, and/or yellow

15 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups chicken broth or water

16 oz lean ground turkey

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 small can diced green chilis

3 garlic cloves, chopped

Taco seasoning, to taste

6-12 oz shredded cheese (I used 2% fat Mozzarella)

Preparation:

1. Remove the tops and seeds from each bell pepper. Heat a large pot with enough boiling water to just cover the bottom below a steamer basket. Place bell peppers in the steamer basket and steam, covered, for about 5-10 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. You can boil the peppers submerged in water to soften them instead. Remove the peppers, pat dry with a paper towel, and allow to cool on an aluminum lined baking sheet.

2. As the peppers cool, toast the dry quinoa in a saucepan, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups boiling water or broth and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the onions And garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once softened and golden, set aside. Brown ground turkey in the pan until there is no pink visible and the meat is in small crumbles. 

4. Stir taco seasoning, tomato sauce, cooked onions, cooked quinoa, and diced green chilis into the turkey. 

5. Distribute the meat and quinoa mixture evenly among the bell peppers, top each one with 1-2 oz shredded cheese, and broil until golden and bubbly.

  
These reheat well in the microwave and pack easily for lunch at work! Enjoy with a side of salad. 

  
Check out other Recipe Redux creations below:

Entrees, protein, recipe, vegetables

Favorite Workday Salad

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I love finding a portable meal that’s flavorful, protein rich, and easy to prepare multiples of for the week! This salad has been my go-to for two weeks now and I’m still not tired of it.

Ingredients:

2 eggs or 3 egg whites, hard boiled & chopped

1/2 can of tuna

1 medium tomato, diced (or 1/2 cup grape tomatoes sliced lengthwise)

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Large handful of spinach or mixed greens

1 tablespoon olive oil

Squeeze of lemon

Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil. Cover, remove pot from heat, and set a timer for 12-15 minutes. Run the eggs under cold water to stop the cooking process and make them easier to peel.

2. Layer all ingredients except for greens in a bowl or travel container. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Top with mixed greens or spinach.

4. When ready to serve, stir or shake to combine all ingredients.

And done! I like to make 2-4 of these at a time to keep in the fridge for lunch on weekdays. They hold up well as long as the spinach/greens are on top!

Enjoy!

recipe, snacks, vegetables

Easter Party Recipes

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Colby and I just got back from a trip to Sacramento and the Bay Area. We were there for his grandpa’s funeral, but also enjoyed some hiking and restaurants. Grandpa Jim died at the age of 93 after living a full life and shaping a large family of Christ followers. He has 6 children, 16 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren! Isn’t that amazing? 

Next weekend is Easter and I will be catering a party for work on Saturday! The menu will consist mainly of healthy, bite-sized appetizers and desserts. Here’s a roundup of fresh springtime recipes to make at your Easter party:

First up, a great tutorial for making professional looking chocolate dipped strawberries from Doll House Bakeshoppe here.

  

Next up, some easy and gorgeous caprese tortellini bites from Southern Living here.

  

I’ve been yearning to make something like these adorable phyllo cup Brie bites from A Spicy Perspective for months! Check out the recipe here.

  

These beet dyed deviled eggs are so pretty and dyed naturally! The recipe is provided at Create by Diane here.

  

Colorful Peeps and fruit kabobs are beautifully laid out on The Frugal Girls site here.

  

I like the way Catch My Party styles this simple appetizer of fresh veggies in ranch! Link to it here.

  

Finally, this fresh farro salad with lightly roasted vegetables looks delightful! The Proud Italian Cook teaches you how to make it here.

  

Do you have any other favorite Easter party recipes or traditions? Next Sunday we’ll be headed out to Valley of Fire for sunrise service in the desert. I’ll be sure to take pictures! After an Easter nap, I’ll be cooking lamb for the first time. Wish me luck! If it turns out well, I’ll share the recipe with you!

Oh yeah, one more thing. The image for this blog post comes from Martha Stewart’s lace dyed eggs tutorial here. I’ll be making these for our annual egg fight. 

  

breakfast, recipe

Baked Oatmeal Recipe

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I love brunch! How could I not? We have beautiful weather and great friends joining us for bible study this fine day! This recipe is simple, filling, and nutritious. I hope you’ll try it and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

2 cups rolled oats (or 1.5 cups rolled oats + 1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate)

2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2″ disks

1.5 cups fresh or frozen berries (I used fresh blueberries)

2 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

Dash of sea salt

5 packets stevia (or 1/3 cup maple syrup)

1/2 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease the bottom of an 8×8 square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Line the bottom of the dish with a single layer of banana slices and sprinkle half the berries on top.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, half the butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup (if using).

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry oats, half the chopped nuts, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, protein powder (if using), and stevia (if using).

5. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together and pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle remaining berries and nuts on top.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and golden brown on top. Allow to cool for several minutes.

7. Top with remaining melted butter (optional) and a sprinkling of brown sugar (optional). Serve with Greek yogurt, sliced almonds, maple syrup, and/or fresh berries!

Dig in!

I topped mine with greek yogurt mixed with vanilla extract and stevia.

And there are still leftovers for tomorrow! Yesss!

breakfast, protein, recipe, treats

Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

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How can something so healthy taste so decadent? I don’t understand it, but I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! I’m always looking for tasty ways to use up the leftover pulp from my juicer. This recipe is perfect for using up carrot or carrot/apple pulp! You can even freeze the pulp in a sandwich bag if you want to make this pancake recipe another time. 



For 5-6 pancakes (serves 2)

 Ingredients:
1 cup grated carrot (or 1 cup carrot pulp from a juicer)
1 cup skim or almond milk
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar Splenda blend
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg Dash  ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Icing:
2 ounces Greek yogurt cream cheese
1-2 tablespoons milk
2-3 packets stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients from grated carrot down to vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together and allow to sit for 5 minutes to absorb liquid.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining dry ingredients (protein powder through salt).
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together to incorporate.
4. Cook the pancakes on a lightly greased pan or griddle, flipping carefully when bubbles begin to form around the edges.
5. To make the icing, combine icing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well using a fork or whisk until smooth.
6. Serve pancakes topped with icing and chopped nuts.



Yes, they’re as tasty as they look! I hope you’ll try them out!



Half the recipe= 280 calories, 5 g fat, 24 g protein, 34 g carbs

breakfast, protein, recipe, snacks, treats

High Protein Chocolate Coconut Granola

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I love Greek yogurt, but after eating it for a snack five days a week for at least a year, I decided it needed some sprucing up. Nothing brings life to a cup of yogurt like granola! This version can be made crispy or chewy and you can make 12 servings in under an hour. Granola you buy at the store is typically high in sugar and fat, but this granola has a higher protein content thanks to the addition of whey protein isolate and lower in fat and sugar. The combination of chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and roasted almonds make it taste like a candy bar! Irresistible!

High Protein Granola Recipe

Ingredients:
(12 servings)

3 cups whole grain rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/4 cup sliced almonds1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbs coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
2/3 cup vanilla whey protein isolate
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine the oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds in a mixing bowl.3. Whisk together apple juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, whey protein, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, whisking occasionally, until thickened and beginning to bubble. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Pour the hot liquid over the oats and stir together with a spatula to coat evenly. Pour the sticky oat mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet and use the spatula to spread it out evenly.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring or flipping the oats once or twice with a spatula partway through.
6. The granola is done when it is dry (or mostly dry if you prefer a chewy granola). Allow to cool completely before adding chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container.
high protein granola recipe

For a different variation, try adding a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves to the oats instead of coconut and dark chocolate. Enjoy a handful on its own, as a yogurt topper, or with your favorite cereal!

High Protein Granola recipe

recipe, Soups and Stews

Kielbasa and Bean Soup with Kale

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It’s still winter, right? Maybe in the rest of the United States! Temperatures got to nearly 80 degrees here in Vegas today.  I’m glad I got to spend part of the day taking a walk with my mom and watching her feed hummingbirds and quail in her backyard. Today was hardly a soup day, but if it gets chilly again, this dish will be making a repeat appearance!

Bean and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
(serves 6)

1 pound turkey kielbasa, sliced
Vegetable oil, as needed
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound red kidney beans, soaked at least 4 hours and up to overnight
2 quarts chicken broth
1 pound red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 bundle fresh kale, torn into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside.

2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.

4. Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 6 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

This soup is known as “Christmas Soup” according to Alton Brown. The original recipe is located here. The man is a culinary genius… I have yet to try a recipe of his that isn’t incredibly delicious! I bet this soup would be delicious with cornbread.
Kielbasa Soup
This soup is so well balanced! The red wine vinegar works wonders with the kale, garlic, and kielbasa. I’m pretty sure any recipe with kielbasa is a winner, actually. Enjoy!