Beef and Zucchini Stew

Beef and Zucchini Stew
1 lb. beef, cut into strips
1 T. oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground pepper
1/2 c. water
Heat oil in pan and fry beef until browned on all sides.  Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper; cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Check from time to time to ensure mixture has not become too dry.  Add more water if needed.  Stir in zucchini and bell pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Recently having chilly weather in CO in June, I felt it necessary to make stew for dinner.  It was a tasty, warm treat that evening.  :)

Pineapple/Apple Souffle

I have been working on desserts made of good, clean food with no added sugar.  I made a good one tonight!  My whole family devoured it - yes, even my little gals.  This will definitely be a repeat dessert in our home. 


Pineapple/Apple Souffle
1 c. apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1 c. pineapple, peeled, chopped
4 egg whites
1/2 c. almond flour
ground cinnamon to taste
Preheat oven to 350º.  Puree pineapple and apple in food processor until it is thick and has a light creamy texture.  Transfer puree to a bowl and fold in almond flour.  In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold egg whites gently into fruit mixture.  Place 2 medium or 4 small individual ovenproof dishes in a 9x13 baking dish.  Fill 9x13 baking dish with water up to halfway on the individual dishes.  Divide the fruit/egg mixture evenly between the 2 or 4 dishes.  Bake 30 minutes.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top.  Serve immediately.  

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

We had a BBQ at EmerFit for Memorial Day and I decided to bring these tasty little treats.  I had been looking for a group of people to try them out on and knew my fellow gym friends wouldn't mind.  :)  These were gone before the rest of the food was even ready.  They are delicious!!!  


Bacon-Wrapped Dates
16 oz. pitted dates
raw, unsalted whole almonds
2 lb. bacon, sliced in half
toothpicks
Preheat broiler.  Place 1 almond inside date.  Wrap 1/2 piece bacon around date.  Secure with toothpick.  Broil about 10 minutes, until evenly browned and crisp.  Watch them closely so they don't burn (believe me - I've done it).   :)

Peach Chicken and Apple Salad

I am so excited for all of the delicious, fresh, sweet fruit coming our way - now that warmer weather is upon us.  I had some peaches and apples in my Door to Door Organics box and decided to use them for dinner.  And it was a delicious dinner!  So simple, but so good.  Both recipes came from Elana's Pantry and I changed them just a bit based on what I had on hand.  

So, I forgot to get a picture of the chicken before I cut into it.  Guess I was too hungry.  :)

Peach Chicken

(1) 3 pound chicken
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
6 peaches, quartered
4 shallots, halved
ground thyme

Rinse chicken, pat dry, place in 9x13 baking dish.  Rub with oil, season with salt.  Sprinkle thyme over chicken.  Scatter peaches, shallots around chicken.  Roast at 400º for 60-90 minutes.  Serve with peaches and pan sauce.  

Apple Salad
5 cups greens
1 apple, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, place greens, apple, dried cranberries, walnuts.  Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over salad.  Toss and serve.

"Potato" Salad

It is finally warm here in Colorado.  Let the BBQ season begin!  Woo hoo!  We made grilled bison burgers, grilled asparagus and "Potato" Salad last weekend.  The whole meal made me so happy for 2 reasons.  1.  It was DELICIOUS!  2. It reminded me summer is coming.  Yay!  So, I am not a big fan of plain cauliflower, but I can't even tell it is the substitute for potato in this dish!  It is the best trick!  I will be making my "potato" salad this way from now on.  Think I can trick anyone else?  hee hee  :)

"Potato" Salad
1 head cauliflower
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 T parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
1 small pickle, diced
3 T. olive oil mayo
1/2 T. yellow mustard
1/4 t. celtic sea salt
dash celery salt
pepper to taste
Chop cauliflower into small florets.  Put cauliflower through food processor with shredding blade attached.  Put shredded cauliflower into covered bowl and microwave for 4 minutes (or until cauliflower is tender).  Allow cauliflower to cool.  Add onion, eggs, pickle, parsley.  Stir in mayo, mustard, sea salt, celery salt, pepper.  Serve. 


This is my modified version of Elana's Pantry's original recipe for "No Potato Salad."

Pizza and Salad

I was given the idea for this pizza by a fellow gym member, Jason.  I finally tried making up a recipe of my own with his idea and it turned out amazing!  We paired it up with a refreshing salad from Elana's Pantry and had ourselves a tasty dinner.  What is fun about the pizza is that you can top it with any ingredients you wish. 

Pizza Crust
3 zucchini, washed and shredded
1 egg
1/4 c. almond flour
1/2 t. garlic powder
Mix all ingredients in bowl.  Spread out on pizza pan to make crust.  Bake at 300º for 20 minutes.  Broil on high for an additional 10 minutes to brown.  Take out of oven.
Pizza Toppings
1 lb. sausage, browned
1/2 red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
handful pepperoni
pizza sauce of choice
While crust is baking, heat oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion, pepper, garlic and saute until onion is transparent and soft.  Place sauce on crust.  Then add veggies, sausage, pepperoni.  Bake at 300º for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Cherry Orange Salad
2 1/2 cups greens
2 oranges, sliced into bite-size chunks
3/4 c. cherries, pitted/cut in half
1 T. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Place greens, oranges and cherries in salad bowl.  Drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Toss and serve.