Simple Red Sangria

This sangria recipe is super simple and super delicious. I'm not a huge fan of sweet drinks, but I love this sangria.



It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart, with deep red wine and vanilla notes. You can choose to add club soda or sparkling water if you prefer a fizzy drink, I personally do not.

I promise that this sangria will please any crowd.




Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine, I used a Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 cup brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oranges
2 limes
1 apple
1-3 tablespoons agave, depending on how sweet you like it

In a pitcher combine wine, brandy, vanilla and agave (1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired sweetness) and stir until the agave is dissolved.

Cut the orange in half and squeeze all the juice into the pitcher. Do the same with one of the limes.

Cut the remaining orange and lime into thin slices and add to pitcher. Chop up the apple into chunks and add to pitcher as well. Allow mixture to sit in the fridge at least 8 hours and up to 36. Serve chilled, with or without ice, and with or without club soda.

Vanilla Bean Donut Muffins with Peanut Butter Glaze

Sometimes you just crave things that are really bad for you. For instance, donuts. I've tried to make baked donuts at home, they're just not that great. I mean, compared to fluffy, fried donuts.




There are just some things that aren't okay baked.



Which brings me to this post. I wanted donuts. My husband needed breakfast for the week. So I made donut muffins.

When these muffins came out of the oven, I decided I needed a glaze for them. I quickly threw together some powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk...but it just wasn't great, so I threw it out. I opened the fridge and looked around, trying to decide what I could put on top of these muffins. Maple syrup? Meh. Butter and honey? Maybe, but no.




Then it hit me; peanut butter and honey. I mixed together a small bowl, drizzled it on top of a warm muffin and took a bite.

HOLY CRAP. These were good.

They're best straight out of the oven, though my husband ate them all week.

They're borderline cupcakes, that's how delicious and sweet they are. That's why I consider them a mix between a donut and a muffin.




Slightly crisp on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside, like an old fashioned donut. They really have little to no nutritional value, but nothing wrong with that! I did use spelt flour and coconut sugar instead of white flour and white sugar, so that helps.

I sprinkled them with extra coconut sugar before baking, to enhance the crispy, sweet outer layer.

Ingredients: Makes 6-8 muffins

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
6 tablespoons butter, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup soy or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Peanut Butter Glaze:

1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together and set aside. In a standard mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg and cream for another 30 seconds or so. Add in yogurt, milk, and vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated.

Gradually fold in the flour mixture, about a half cup at a time. Divide the batter into six paper lined muffin tins and bake 12-15 minutes, making sure not to over bake.

Remove muffins from sheet and allow to cool for 5 minutes. While muffins are cooling, mix together glaze ingredients. With a spoon, carefully scoop a small spoonful of glaze on top of each muffin, spreading it around the tops so the entire muffin is covered. Serve warm!

Creamy Cauliflower and Veggie Soup (GF)

So I know it's the middle of the summer...



But the other day, I was in the mood for creamy soup.



I didn't want anything with cream in it. So I came up with this recipe.

I might be the only person in Los Angeles that's okay with eating hot soup while it's 90 degrees outside.



I could honestly eat soup every day, it doesn't matter how hot it is.

But back to the soup...

I pretty much just threw in whatever veggies I had in the fridge. Luckily, I had zucchini and asparagus, and they worked perfectly.



We also had some spicy chicken sausage in the fridge, so I grilled it, chopped it up and threw it into the soup too.

The result was a hearty, healthy, deliciously creamy soup without all the guilt. Honestly, I was full for hours.



Ingredients: Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower
1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch strips
1 large or two small zucchini's, chopped
2 links of sausage (optional)

Cut the cauliflower head up and steam in it in a pot of simmering water, drain and set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté veggies in medium heat with salt and pepper, until they are al dente. Make sure avoid over cooking. Set veggies aside.

When the cauliflower has cooled, add it to a blender or food processor along with the 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and parmesan cheese. Process until the mixture has a smooth, soup-like texture, adding more chicken broth if needed.

In a pot on medium-low heat, sauté the garlic with the olive oil and carefully add cauliflower puree. Stir in veggies, and chicken sausage, if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as more broth if the soup is too thick. Stir soup until just hot, you do not want to cook the veggies too much more.

Serve with grate parmesan cheese and basil on top.

Heathy Italian Chopped Salad

One of the easiest ways to save money and eat healthy meals at home is to buy a rotisserie chicken. If you work long hours, but you're tired of eating out all the time, you could easily pick up a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store and use it all week. You could make your own roast chicken at home, of course, but for time sake, rotisserie is the way to go.



One of my favorite salads of all time is an italian chopped salad. Salami has held a special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. Some people are grossed out by it, but I love it.



So I decided to make one at home and try and spruce it up a bit--make it healthier. I used organic baby romaine lettuce and organic spinach, and chopped the greens up. In addition, I made my own vinaigrette with fresh basil, lemon juice, olive oil and red wine vinegar. I used part-skim mozzarella and good quality salami, free of nitrates and chemicals.



The thing with italian chopped salad is that you can pretty much throw in whatever you want, that's what makes it so great. You can obviously omit any of these ingredients and change the salad to your liking. I had to throw in some cheesy garlic bread with mine (Brett's request). But with these simple ingredients, I assure you, this will be one of the best salads you've ever had.




Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 cups chopped organic spinach
3 cups chopped organic baby romaine
1 cup chickpeas (drained)
1/2 cup julienne cut salami
1 cup chopped chicken
5-7 leaves of basil, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded light mozzarella

For the Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl mix the greens together. Top with chickpeas, salami, chopped chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil. In a small bowl (I prefer mason jar) whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, basil, and parmesan cheese until it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dress salad with vinaigrette right before serving.

Zucchini Bread Donut Waffles

Zucchini Bread Donut Waffles. That's a mouthful.



But that's exactly what they are. The flavors of zucchini bread, but with a dense, donut-cake texture, cooked in a waffle iron instead of fried. It's the best of all worlds! Actually, if I'm being honest, they would be even better fried...but I'm trying to be healthier.

Nonetheless, these little breakfast treats were delicious. I served them with powdered sugar on top, and a side of maple-vanilla bean-cinnamon glaze.



They're best straight out of the waffle iron, they lost their crispiness and texture the next day. I also allowed the batter to sit in the fridge for 12 hours (after making a first batch immediately). Both batches were delicious, however the batch that rested for 12 hours was more dense, so it's up to you!

These treats are a great way to sneak in some veggies without sacrificing flavor. I mean, who doesn't like zucchini bread??? They're also filling and gluten-free!



Ingredients: (makes 10-12 small 'waffles')

1 cup all-purpose gf flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup finely grated zucchini, with juices squeezed out
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or just vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup greek yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons melted butter

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

In a bowl mix together flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk zucchini, egg, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, greek yogurt, and melted butter.

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, whisking until there are no more lumps. If you like a more dense, cake-like donut, allow batter to sit in fridge for several hours. If not, prepare waffle iron on medium-high setting. Spray with non-stick spray and add batter 1 hefty tablespoon at a time.

Serve with powdered sugar or maple-cinnamon glaze.

White Bean, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

I came up with this recipe on a whim when I was making lunch in a hurry. We had leftover beans from dinner that I wanted to incorporate into a salad, and also the most beautifully green avocado and some ripe cherry tomatoes. So I threw them all in a bowl, added chopped cilantro, chopped jalapeño, lime juice, and cotija cheese...This salad was seriously delicious.



The wonderful thing about this salad is that it can also double as a salsa/appetizer for a party. Put it next to a bowl of tortilla chips and I guarantee it won't last long.



It's like chunky guacamole and chunky salsa had a delicious bean baby. No, that doesn't work at all.

But seriously, this salad/salsa is filling, healthy, and super delicious. And gluten free if you eat it with gluten free tortilla chips!

Ingredients: (makes two salads or one bowl of party salsa)

1 can of canned great northern beans, drained
1 avocado, chopped
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/4 cup diced red onion 1/2 a chopped jalapeño, seeded (or more if you like it spicy!)
bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of a lime
cotija cheese for topping (or you can use feta)
salt and pepper to taste


Toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or on it's own.

Chewy Granola Bars with Peanut Butter, Nuts, and Cranberries

Last week (as soon as we had a working stove and proper ingredients) I made home made granola bars. I was inspired by the some that my boss had made before we moved from San Diego. They were delicious, and chewy, yet just a bit crunchy; the best combination.



My boss had told me she followed the Smitten Kitchen recipe and I decided I wanted to try it out.

However, when I looked at the ingredients, I decided I wanted to tweak it a bit - go figure. It seems that I never want to follow a recipe completely.

These granola bars are a bit healthier than the Smitten Kitchen Granola Bars. I used gluten free oats, and didn't use any flour. I also opted out of the corn syrup and added coconut sugar, which I find has a very caramelized flavor. I used egg whites to bind the ingredients together and it turned out great.



You can really add which ever ingredients you want to make these your own; chocolate chips, raisins, hazelnuts.




These granola bars are a great snack to have on the go. I even had one for breakfast this morning, topped off with extra peanut butter and I was full for hours.




Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons flax seeds
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 egg whites
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
3 tablespoons grape seed oil

Preheat oven to 325 and line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly grease parchment paper however you wish.

In a bowl, mix together oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, mix egg whites, vanilla, honey, and oil until blended. Mix dry ingredients into wet until everything is evenly coated.

Transfer mixture to 8 x 8 baking dish and flatten out as evenly in the pan as possible, pushing down a bit to make sure it all sticks together while baking. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bars have browned around the edges. Allow to completely cool before cutting.