Avocado Hummus Dip

As I was staring at a can of chick peas in my pantry, I decided to do something with it.  I remembered I also have several bags of avocado puree in my freezer too.  So I began to look up dip recipes using both ingredients and it sent me to my friend Anne over at Annie Bakes.  I changed up her recipe just a bit to make this delectable dip.  I'm planning to eat it all week long, using it to dip with chips and to spread over grilled squash wraps in a few days.  Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm!  This is a great, healthy summer dip recipe!




Avocado Hummus Dip

(Makes about two cups)
Adapted from my pal Annie Bakes

1 can of chickpeans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of avocado, pureed (or use 1 to 2 freshly sliced avocado)
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1 Tbsp. garlic powder (or use about 4 minced garlic pieces)
1 tsp your choice of seasoning (I used a sun-dried tomato basil blend)
1/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp. olive oil (use more if you like)
1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated


Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until smooth. 

Now add in the olive oil and stir well.  If you like more, then use it.  But I found that just one tablespoon was enough for me, especially since I used pureed, previously frozen avocado.

Garnish with a bit of paprika if you like.  Serve with baked chips, crackers or pita bread.  Delicious and good for you!

Next I will have to use chickpeas to try a flour-less cake recipe that my buddy Lara at Recipe Shoebox told me about.  Doesn't this dessert of hers look yummy?!  :-)

Fact: I never tried guacamole or ate avocados until I was in my mid-twenties.  Now I crave the stuff! 

Did you know you could puree and freeze avocados for later use?  Check out my blog post about doing that - click here!

What's Cookin' This Week (July 11 - 17, 2011)?

I did so much cooking this weekend that I'm (hopefully) taking it easy for this work week!  I shared a lot of what I did in my last post.  I completed the prepwork for three meals on Saturday and Sunday.  Therefore, I don't have to do that much in the coming days. I posted some tips, information and new photos on my Facebook page.  Are you a fan of Learn, Laugh, Cook on Facebook?  If not, you should be!  :-)


Anyway, we're planning to use the outdoor grill a few times this week.  I'm excited and looking forward to it.  We just put up an outdoor party tent/ canopy.  Also, we're in the process of putting up a swimming pool too.  So we'll be spending a lot more time outside in the coming weeks and months!  :-)






Here's what I have lined up for the coming days....


Monday, July 11 - Crockpot Jambalaya with a side salad and bread.  (I made this over the weekend so all I have to do is warm it up when I get home from work!)


Tuesday, July 12 - Grilled stuffed chicken breasts with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, grilled potatoes and side salad.  (This is a recipe in my husband's new grillmaster cookbook.  If it turns out as yummy as it sounds, I'll be sharing that meal here soon!)


Wednesday, July 13 - - Fiesta Style Shepherd's Pie with a side salad.  (I prepared this on Saturday and it's in my fridge so I just need to nuke it for dinner.  This time I added in some salsa to it, giving it an even better Mexican flavor, mmmm, yummy!) 


Thursday, July 14- Grilled roast beef and cheese sandwiches.  Eat with baked chips and salsa.  (Don't underestimate the power of just eating coldcuts one night per week.  Throw it on the grill and it's just so dang tasty, you think you're eating at Quizno's or Firehouse Subs!)


Friday, July 15 - Grilled hot dogs and a side of barbecue baked beans. (My husband is going to try a new way to grill the dawgs! :-)


Saturday, July 16 - For Breakfast - Carrot pancakes which I've already made.  So I'll just have to take it from the freezer and microwave them; serve with turkey-bacon. 
For dinner - I think we'll just eat out, grabbing takeout sushi or Greek style pizza.


 Sunday, July 17 -  For Breakfast - Cheezy Grits and Egg Casserole.   
For a late lunch/early dinner - We'll enjoy an array of Barbecued and Smoked Foods Feast - chicken, sausage, peppers, corn, cauliflower fritters and more!   We'll be trying out recipes from my husband's new grillmaster cookbook!








Here are a few snacks, breads, desserts and/or other things I intend to make this week as well:


1. Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake - My boss loves apples so I want to try out this recipe and bring it to work!


2. Briony's Cantaloupe Bread - Since I found a good deal on melons this weekend, I want to recreate this delicious bread I've had at my friend's house!



3. Healthy and Low Calorie Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - I know the "healthy" word is a turn-off for some but I really want to try these out and see if they're any good.  My husband loves this kind of cookies but most recipes call for two sticks of butter and I just can't bring myself to use that!! 


That's it.  It's going to be a delicious week in my home.  Have a great week everyone!  I hope you'll be cookin' or eatin' up something good!  

Sneaky, (Gluten-Free) Brownies with Mint Frosting

The first person who ever told me about black bean brownies was my mother-in-law Debbie.  She made them following a Weight Watchers recipe a few years ago.  Since then, I've always wanted to try them but have been skeptical.  Finally I did give them a try this weekend and they didn't disappoint me.

I worried about them holding together without flour but was pleasantly surprised at the moist flavor and consistency of this tasty dessert.  I know, a dessert with beans in it?  Who would have thought?  I didn't tell my husband or my daughter what was in them but they still ate a piece.  :-)





Sneaky, Gluten-free (Black bean) Brownies
(Makes 12 or 16)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 eggs
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup of cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
3/4 cup of sugar (I used Stevia in the raw)
pinch of salt
3/4 cup of chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)


For the Mint Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened (I use Smart Balance)
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 to 1 tsp. peppermint extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.  Drain and rinse the black beans well.   In a blender, puree the beans along with the eggs, olive oil and applesauce.  Then add the cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla extract (and almond extract if you use it), sugar and salt.  Puree until well blended and smooth.  It should look like chocolate sauce.  Now add in your chocolate chips.  Gently stir with a spoon.  Then pour into the greased baking pan.   Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.   The brownies will pull away from the pan slightly when done.  Let the brownies cool for about an hour or longer before you frost them.

To make the frosting: In a small bowl, cream the softened butter with the powdered sugar.  (I let my butter sit out on the counter while I baked the brownies and let them cool).  Add in the milk and and peppermint extract.  Whisk until blended and it has the consistency of normal cake fosting. 

Now carefully frost your cooled brownies.  Cut into squares and serve.   You can freeze half of these for later too, like I did. Defrost them at room temperature or in your fridge for several hours.  You'd never know they weren't freshly made!

See if your guests will even taste the beans in them.  I highly doubt they will!  Instead they'll enjoy the healthier benefits without even realizing it!   Have you ever put something crazy like this (beans) in your dessert recipes?  I've made them with spinach before too but I like this bean version much better!

Weekend Cookin' and Prepwork- July 9 and 10, 2011

Hi everyone!  Or hello to the three of you who may still be reading this!  :-)  I know it's been awhile since my last post.  I took a vacation and went completely unplugged.  It was so nice not checking email, looking at my phone or being on facebook or blogger.  I needed that break.

Now that I've had it and I'm back home in the routine again, I feel re-energized about cooking and preparing meals again.  As I was sitting here at my computer desk thinking about what I want to do this weekend in the kitchen, I realized that I haven't really shared my meal plans that I compose for weekend cooking.  I often will do the prepwork for 3 to 5 meals on a Saturday and Sunday.  Then I freeze half or most of the recipes for a later time.  It saves me stress and worry about what to cook later on.  This helps me feel more balanced. 



Therefore, I wanted to gain a jump start on this weekend.  So I just stuck my head in the freezer and cupboards to take inventory of my supplies. I look for what vegetables that I need to use up and any meats I have on hand too.  I look at my ingredients and think.... "What am I in the mood for?"  I try to think of one chicken dish, one meat dish, one vegetarian dish (if I can).  I think of a meal with rice or perhaps one with pasta or both.  I think of a breakfast item that I can make - i.e., muffins, pancakes or make-ahead burritos, etc.  I think of an Italian-style, Mexican-style and Cajun style dish.  I will often think of a dessert or snack item that I can prepare as well, based on what I have on my shelves. 

This is how my mind works anway.  Yours may be different but I'm a regular creative cook when it comes to using up what I have these days.  I have cut back greatly on my weekly grocery trips and just make monthly or even ever other month bulk buying trips to the store (at places like Sam's Club, etc).

So with all that above being said, here's what I am hoping to accomplish, cook or make this weekend.  See my below list. It's ambitious but I think I can do it~!  I've done it before in the past, after all.  :-) 

I have a ton of carrots and potatoes to use up so I let those veggies inspire me for this below prep list.  I thought to myself.... what can I make with potoatoes?  What can I make and do with an abundance of carrots?  Feed Bugs Bunny?  No!  Then it hit me.... I knew just what to do....

Weekend Cookin' and Prepwork for July 9 and 10, 2011:  

1. Better for you Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs - This makes a ton so I portion this out and freeze them in small containers for my daughter's lunches and for us to enjoy at future dinners.

2. Puree three pounds of carrots using my awesome new food processor - Yes, you heard that right!  I'll be pureeing a lot of carrots.  I portion them out into 1/2 cup and 1 cup sizes and place them in plastic storage freezer-safe bags, like in this photo.   The timing is perfect because I will use them in the above spaghetti and meatballs recipe and in the carrot cake pancakes below!  :-)

2. Carrot "cake" pancakes - Thanks Kate for this recipe!  Your post comes at a great time as I intend to puree all those carrots and replenish our breakfast meals in the freezer.  Pancakes are one of the easiest things you can make and freeze for later.  Microwave them for a minute and you've got a quick, delicious and healthy (if made right) meal for busy days or lazy weekends.

3. Fiesta Style Shepherds Pie - My mom's neighbor gave her a bunch of fresh potatoes from his garden.  She gave some to me.  So I couldn't wait to come up with something to use them in.  I remembered this great recipe of mine.  I haven't made it since the falltime so it's time to enjoy this one again!  I'm going to freeze most of it for later. 

4.  Low-fat Potato Salad - To use up the rest of the potatoes I've been given, I'm going to make my famous, delicious and light potato salad to go with a barbecue we'll enjoy on Sunday.  I will cut this recipe in half or maybe even 1/3 since my original one makes a ton! 

5.  Crockpot Jambalaya - I remembered seeing this on Alison's website awhile back.  I have some leftover smoked chicken in my freezer now along with some turkey sausage so I know this is a great way to not waste those wonderful ingredients.  I'm trying to use my slow cooker more often.  The great thing about a machine like this is that it requires minimal work and no supervision normally.  So it's an easy choice to cook something in it while you're busy cooking something else or doing yardwork or whatever else.  That way, you've automatically prepared two meals at once and can save time later on.  I'm going to do this one and freeze most of it for later too! 

6.  No-Bake Granola Bars - I developed a craving for these over the weekend and thankfully I already have the ingredients on hand for them.  I love this lighter, lower in fat version of granola bars compared to others I see out there.  I love using Kashi cereal in these too.  I try to keep one box of it around at all times. 


Well, that's all I have on my meal planning agenda for now!  Now, I must be honest, I don't cook like this every weekend but at least once per month, I make the time to do bulk preparation.  It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of my weekend but it's well worth the trouble when I'm well stocked for weeks to come!   Whenever I do this type of preparation in the future, I'll be sure to share what I'm making and how I do it right here with you....


Happy weekend and Happy Cookin' to you all!  I'll be back on Sunday to share my meal plan for the upcoming week.  I also have a great gluten-free dessert recipe and a yummy dip appetizer that I'll be sharing in a few days too! 

I hope you had a great Fourth of July!  I also hope you're having a fabulous summer.  I know I am! 

What's Cookin' This Week (June 27 - July 3, 2011)?

Well this week is going to be just us girls.  My husband will be on a business trip for most of this week.  Then we will all be traveling to visit family in New Orleans for the Fourth of July weekend.  Therefore with all that going on, I'm keeping things VERY SIMPLE this week - only making sandwiches and items that require little effort or preparation.  I'm going to skip making a dessert this week.  Perhaps Vivian and I will eat ice cream out one night instead!  :-)




Here's what I have lined up for the coming days....


Monday, June 27 - Black bean burgers on whole grain English muffins.  Serve with fruit and baked chips.


Tuesday, June 28 - Grilled Zucchini-Parmesan Sandwich.  Serve with my easy, creamy tomato-basil soup.


Wednesday, June 29 - Easy Thai Chicken wraps.  Serve with fruit and a side salad.


Thursday, June 30 - Hot dogs and baked chips OR Eat out with friends. 


Friday, July 1 - Sloppy Joe pizza (from freezer)


Saturday, July 2 - Eat out dinner with family


Sunday, July 3 - Eat out dinner with family or enjoy family homecooking


Monday, July 4 - Fried Fish or Barbecue at Dad's house (Happy Independence Day!)


Tuesday, July 5 - Dinner out with friends


Wednesday, July 6 - Eat out and travel home

We're hoping to eat light and stay active the first part of the week before traveling to see family and indulging in too much to drink, eat and more!   Do you have any fun Fourth of July plans?

Slow Cooker Banana Bread Pudding

I was skeptical at how a bread pudding would turn out using my slow cooker but then I thought, what the hell.... I could have dessert ready in a matter of hours and focus my attention on other things, like baking bread, watching a movie with my daughter and more.  So I gave this recipe a try over the Father's Day weekend and I'm so glad I did.  My family and my co-workers really enjoyed it.



Slow Cooker Banana Bread Pudding

(Makes a lot!  About 18-20 servings)

8 to 10 slices of bread, cut into small pieces (I used our favorite homemade sandwich bread)
4 extra large eggs, beaten
2 cups of milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp (half stick) of butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup of raisins (optional)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg


For the sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup of water
2 Tbsp butter

Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Cut up your sliced of bread.  I used my yogurt wheat sandwich bread.  Place the bread pieces in the slow coooker.  In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Then add in the eggs, milk, sugar butter and vanilla extract.  Mix well.  Pour over the pieces of bread.  Cook the mixture on high for one hour.  Then switch heat to low and cook for another 2-3 hours.  Check it half-way through for moistness.  Make sure it doesn't dry out the bread or start to stick. 

Just before serving, place the sauce ingredients together in a pan over the stove.  Bring to a boil and heat on medium high.  Stir well.  Serve the sauce over the warm bread. 





Dig in! Good stuff!  This freezes well too.  I personally tested it out and the bread was still moist and fresh.  You may just want to add a bit more sauce to it though.  Yummy! 
Do you have any good desserts that you make in your slow cooker?  I haven't really tried making sweets in mine before but now I want to make more! 

Chicken Parmesan with honey mustard flavor

Who doesn't love chicken parmesan?  It's a wonderful meal!  This recipe below just gives it a little different flavor and is prepared in such an easy manner that you can whip it up quickly, even after a busy workday! 

Even my parents called me to tell me how much they loved this meal after I shared the recipe with them.  Oh yeah, that is how good it is!

Chicken Parmesan with Honey Mustard Flavor

(Serves 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

1 cup Panko bread crumbs (These are Japanese style crumbs and they work best!)

1/2 cup of low fat buttermilk (or 1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp honey mustard

1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Dash of Cajun seasoning

Parmesan sauce topping for chicken:

1 can (8 oz) of tomato sauce

3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup of reduced fat cheese, shredded (your choice: such as mozzarella, cheddar, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 3 qt baking pan with cooking spray.   Combine buttermilk, honey, mustard, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt pepper and seasonings into one shallow bowl or container.  Place the panko bread crumbs in another shallow bowl or container right next to the buttermilk-seasonings mixture.  Dip each chicken breast into the wet mixture, coating both side.  Then dip it into the panko bread crumbs covering both sides of the chicken breast well.  Repeat this with all pieces of chicken.  Place the chicken breasts into baking pan. 

In a small, separate bowl, blend the sauce -  tomato sauce, cheeses, onion and garlic powders and seasonings.  Mix well.  Spoon tomato-cheese sauce over each chicken breast until all topping is used.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Serve hot.  Freeze leftovers in plastic containers.  Chicken will remain good in freezer for up to three months.  Reheat in oven for best results.


This is a dish you can put together when you get home from a busy day and still eat dinner within a decent time.  Enjoy!

What's Cookin' This Week (June 20-26, 2011)?

We've had a wonderful weekend!  How about you? 

Our family enjoyed dinner with good friends on Saturday night - Mexican food, my favorite!  Then today for Father's day, we enjoyed blueberry pancakes, cupcakes and even ice cream later in the day~!   I better exercise extra hard this coming week, let me tell you!  

We took our daughter to the pet store and then to a hard store where she proceeded to have a "treasure hunt" by looking inside washing machines, lifting up toilets and all other sorts of things.  I let my husband decide the fate of the day since it is his special "dad's" day but he just wanted to spend time with us, his two girls.  So it's been a really nice, family and friend-fun kind of weekend around here.  We'll be visiting our own fathers and relatives in about two weeks.  So all in all, what more could I ask for?  How about great food?  I'm glad you asked....


Here's my meal plan for the coming days.  Simple works best for me during the week since I don't get home from work until around 5:30 p.m. most evenings.  However, having a plan and sticking to it (most of the time) sure does make my life easier during the hectic weekdays. 









Monday, June 20, 2011 - Leftover Man's Meat Pie ~ We didn't eat that much of this on Sunday since we stuffed ourselves with dessert all day long.  But hey, we can enjoy the break to start the workweek off right~! 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - Spinach and Cheese Gnocchi with homemade butter bread


Wednesday, June 22, 2011 - Crabmeat Pasta Salad with sesame green beans


Thursday, June 23, 2011 - Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner


Friday, June 24, 2011 - Barbecue Ham and Pineapple Pizza


Saturday, June 25, 2011 - Smoked Apple-BBQ Chicken - using the brand new smoker we purchased on Father's Day over the weekend!  Serve with baked beans and salad


Sunday, June 26, 2011 - Unstuffed Peppers Casserole with a side of corn and homemade butter bread.









This week I will try out this dessert that I meant to make weeks ago but never did.  It's a healthier alternative to traditional brownies and uses black beans in the recipe.  After all the sweets I've indulged in this past week, I need a better suggestion for the coming days.  Hopefully we'll like this one:


(1)  Black bean brownies with mint frosting


(2)  And I think perhaps, I'll make an easy fruit dip too for dipping our watermelon and grapes~ I'm going to use the healthy ricemellow in the place of marshmallow creme though! 


Yummy, I can't wait to eat dinner this week!  What will you be serving?