Qunioa Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I made this recipe up. It is original to me so if you share, please include my information.

This recipe can be vegan-friendly or meat-friendly. Adapt to your liking.

They are delicious and so healthy you can eat two without feeling guilty.

 

 Quinoa Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

5 Portabella Mushrooms
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth (I used Wildtree's vegetable bouillon soup base mixed with water.)
2 medium Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1/2 cup raw spinach, torn or chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cubed or chopped
Optional - 1 Tablespoon Wildtree's Zesty Lemon Grapeseed oil

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa in vegetable broth. (I used Wildtree's vegetable soup bouillon base with water.) While quinoa is cooking, remove stems from mushrooms. Chop the stems and place in food prep bowl. Wipe mushroom caps clean with damp paper towel or cloth. De-seed and shop tomatoes into small chunks and put in bowl with chopped mushroom stems. Tear or chop raw spinach into small pieces and add to bowl. Cut cheese into small cubes or pieces and add to bowl with vegetables. I added about a tablespoon of Wildtree's Zesty Lemon Grapeseed oil to the vegetable mixture. You could really use any variation of vegetables you like. When quinoa is fully cooked, add to vegetables in food prep bowl. Place mushrooms, cap side down, in greased pan. (9X13). Divide filling evenly among the five mushroom caps. I sprinkled the top of the filling with Wildtree's California Style Garlic and Pepper Blend. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve fresh from the oven.

Calories per serving: 163, Calories from fat: 53, Protein, 9 grams. 

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/recipe/2748940/2#ixzz2HfyzKvDm

Quick Easy Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of my favorite foods fast. When you make them at home, you can "healthify" them to your liking. I always start with the basic whole wheat tortilla and cheese and "build" from there. Use your imagination and your family's favorite ingredients to make your own.

To make one quesadilla, I take two whole wheat tortillas.

I pour a teaspoon or so of any flavor of Wildtree Grapeseed Oil in a cold skillet. (You can use butter instead and just butter one side of each tortilla.)

I rub one side of each tortilla in the Grapeseed oil, leaving one in the pan.

Turn skillet on to medium heat.

I add cheese and whatever other ingredients I have on hand. (Our son prefers cheese only.)

In this one, I took leftover pork loin and tore it into small pieces.

I sauteed green onions and mushrooms and placed them into the tortilla in the skillet.

Sauteed green onions, mushrooms and leftover pork loin ready for the tortilla

 
I sprinkle lightly with Wildtree's California Style Garlic and Pepper Blend.

I then added shredded cheddar cheese and placed the second tortilla on top, turning it once the one on the bottom had browned nicely.

Transfer from skillet onto plate or cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice into wedges.

I served these with sour cream mixed with Wildtree's Garlic and Herb Blend. You can use your favorite dip or they are great as is.

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

Quick to assemble, cheap ingredients and so easy to make! It does require a good bit of baking time so prepare for that in advance. We are not vegetarians, but we absolutely love this casserole. I took it to a family Christmas meal where it received rave reviews. I got the original recipe here. 

This time, I used red lentils because that's all I had on hand. I recommend using brown because they seem to hold up better for the casserole and seemed to absorb the liquid a little better. I also used white cheddar and I generally use yellow cheddar, but it was equally delish!

Casserole served with green peas. The casserole was a little juicy with the red lentils

 
One reviewer on the recipe where I found it said she combines the dry ingredients and puts it in baggies and gives it out as gifts to all her vegetarian friends. I loved that idea. All they have to do then is add water, bake and add the cheese.

Enjoy. 

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

3 Cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use Wildtree's vegetable bullion base)
3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup chopped onion (I use 1/4 cup Wildtree's Absolutely Onion Blend)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I use Wildtree's Perfect Pizza Sauce Blend)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I use Wildtree's California Style Garlic and Pepper Blend and instead of incorporating it into the casserole I sprinkle it on top after I have added the cheese.)
1 Cup grated cheese (cheddar or a blend is preferable)

 Method: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a baking dish except the cheese. (An 11X7 pan work great.) 

Baked and ready for cheese and 20 more minutes in the oven

Topped with white cheddar and ready for a few more minutes in the oven

Cover with foil and bake for one (1) hour and ten (10) minutes. Remove foil. Top casserole with cheese and sprinkle with Wildtree California Style Garlic and Pepper Blend if using.

Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes.   
 


Served sautéed onions, mushrooms, minced garlic, chopped kale and halved cherry tomatoes with this dish this evening. Oh so yum!!!

Cheesy Egg Bake

This is one of 3 recipes I used out of EveryDay with Rachel Ray for our make-ahead Christmas breakfast. The other two recipes were Mixed Citrus Salad and Brown Sugar Coffee Cake. I halved this recipe since it was just for my husband and I and our two small children. It was delicious!

From EveryDay with Rachel Ray December 2012 issue. 

Cheesy Egg Bake
Serves 8-10 Prep 30 Min Bake 45 Min

2 TBSP butter (I used Wildtree's Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil)
1 and 1/2 lbs mini sweet peppers or red bell peppers, seeded and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick. (I had roasted a few red bell pepper last week and had them in the fridge so I just used those.)
Salt and Pepper (I used 1/4 tsp Wildtree's Rancher Steak Rub)
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
6 TBSP snipped fresh chives
10 large eggs
4 cups whole milk
12 slices (1/2 inch thick) white bread
2 and 1/2 cups coarsely shredded gruyere (Since I have no clue what gruyere is, I used shredded white cheddar cheese. It worked great =)

Grease a 9X13 baking dish. In large skillet, heat butter (or grapeseed oil if using.) Add the peppers and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring until peppers are softened. Stir in parsley and 3 TBSP chives.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper (or steak rub). Whisk in the milk.

In prepared dish, arrange 6 bread slices in single layer, cutting to fit, if needed. Top with the pepper mixture and 1 cup cheese, the with the remaining bread. Pour the egg mixture over the second layer of bread and top with remaining cheese. (This can be made the night before and ready for the oven Christmas morning.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until puffed and brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3 TBSP chives.

Cheesy Egg Bake - without extra chives on top

Our pretty plates on Christmas morning! Thanks Rachel Ray!

Mixed Citrus Salad

Rachel Ray had a great-looking recipe for a mixed citrus salad included in her make ahead Christmas brunch menu. I ran out of time and because the kids were sick, I made it really simple.

I simply separated "Cutie" or clementine wedges and tossed in some pomegranate seeds and that was it. The dish looked really pretty and the combination of those fruits were tasty, but I do want to try her salad recipe some time.

Note*** The photo here is of the two fruits I tossed together. Rachel's photo in the magazine looked different and very pretty as well.

Mixed Citrus Salad
Serves 8-10 Prep 45 Min

6 tangelos
4 small ruby red grapefruits
4 naval oranges
2 blood oranges
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
Pinch salt
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
plus 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup pomegranate seeds

Peel tangelos, grapefruits and oranges, removing all white pith. Cut the fruit crosswise, 1/2 inch thick then cut each slice in half. Discard all seeds. (To serve Christmas morning, transfer to resealable bag and refrigerate overnight.)

In small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup of water, the brown sugar and salt to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add lemon zest and fennel seeds. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer set over a small bowl, pressing the solids to the sides to extract the liquid. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then stir in lemon juice. (This can also be covered and refrigerated overnight.)

About 30 minutes before serving, pour off the liquid from the fruit (you can drink that) and tranfer the fruit to a large bowl. Gently stir in sugar syrup and pomegranate seeds.

Again - this photo was just clementines and pomegranate seed - not this whole recipe

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

This recipe was part of Rachel Ray's make ahead Christmas brunch. We loved it! There were a lot of steps involved and it made quite a few dirty dishes, but it was so yummy that after tasting it, I didn't mind.

From EveryDay with Rachel Ray Dec 2012 issue

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake
Serves 10-12 Prep 35 Min Bake 1 Hr 10 Min

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (I used whole milk Greek yogurt)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 eggs at room temperature
powdered sugar for dusting (I never made it to this step)

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch (10 cup) bundt pan. Using a food processor, finely grind almonds and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in the ground almond mixture. In a small bowl, combine sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla.

Using a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. (About 2 minutes.) Turn to medium high and add remaining 1 and 3/4 cup brown sugar, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream (or yogurt) mixture in 2 batches. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat just until combined.

Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan. Smooth the top. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (About an hour and 10 minutes.) Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.

To serve Christmas morning, wrap cake in foil and store at room temperature overnight. Before serving, transfer cake to a platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Our complete Christmas brunch loosely based on Rachel Ray's menu

How Big's Your Want To? My Weight Loss Journey

How Big’s Your “Want To?”

My Weight-Loss Journey

By Regina Cyzick Harlow

            Three stressful difficult pregnancies bore us the most beautiful and precious children in the world, but it also added more than 40 pounds to my body that hung around long after the babies were out instead of in. If you want an awakening, figure out what you weigh and what you should weigh then place the difference in a bucket or wagon or container and try carrying it around. Forty plus pounds is not just something I could carry on my hip all day, but I was lugging that extra weight around all the time.