I'm back!

I know, I know, it's been forever since I blogged [like 2014, yikes]! I guess I could say a lot has happened between now and then, but I am excited for the fresh new look of the blog, to share some recipes, and family stories!
I hope you'll follow along!

November 24th, 2014.

November 24, 2014.

It's just a few days before Thanksgiving. The holiday bustle is starting to pick up, you can feel it in the spirit of those around you. And, I can see it weighing heavily on the hearts and faces of those I take care of.  The faces that just want to enjoy the holiday. Spend time with their family. Be with the ones they love the most- longing not to worry about when the next chemotherapy appointment will be, or when the next scan will be, or what their next set of labs will reveal.

The reality is though, just because it's the week of Thanksgiving doesn't mean any of it stops.  There will still be chemotherapy to be had, labs to be drawn, and scans to be read.  So, in the hustle and the bustle of the season, I think it's important to remember these brave, brave people fighting these ugly, ugly diseases. And, to acknowledge those who will spend their day and night at the hospital caring for these people.

Thank you to all who will spend their holidays caring for these wonderful people.  And, to my brave, brave patients keep fighting your battles well. You are an inspiration to all those around you.

Brownies {A Healthier Version}

I can not believe the last time I posted here was December 25th of last year. I can't say I haven't posted because there has been a lack of things going on, but rather the contrary.  And, now I wish  I would have posted in the past five months so I could have remembered all that we were up to...I digress, and maybe I can get better at regularly blogging? I suppose only time will tell.
Anyways, tonight, I will share with you a brownie recipe.  I made them this afternoon for a poolside bbq we hosted. They contain no flour, and no butter.  I know, how does life go on without those two things? It actually yielded a lighter, delicious tasting brownie with a lot less guilt.

Don't they look delicious? There is a secret ingredient in them: black beans. Yep, and you can't even taste them.  I dare you to make this for your next get together, or just for tonight, whatever suits your fancy, and see if anyone even picks up on this subtlety.
Recipe: Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (or dairy, skim)
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee (I omitted this because I didn't have it on hand).
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies. 

Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.
 Adapted from Skinny Taste

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends, family, and the in-between!
We are celebrating in Houston today with some good friends, food, movies, games, and even better company.
I thought I'd leave you all with this holiday cheesecake I made for today.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling: 4 packages 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1 cup sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Topping: 2 cups (16 oz) sour cream 1/4 cup sugar Red and Green M and Ms Red and Green Sprinkles
Directions: 1. Place an ungreased 9 inch springform pan on double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Securely wrap foil around the pan. 2. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, pecans (I did both in the food processor) and brown sugar, stir in butter.  Press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of prepared pan.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack. 3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, beat on low speed just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into crust.  Place in a larger baking pan; add 1-2 inches of boiled water to larger pan (puts the cheesecake in a water bath to prevent cracking, you can refill as needed). 4.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and twenty minutes, or until center is just set and top appears dull.  In a small bowl, combine sour cream and sugar until smooth; spoon over hot cheesecake and spread to cover.  Bake for 5 minutes longer or until topping is just set. After the cheesecake is done baking, leave it in the oven, turn the oven off, and crack open the oven door with a wooden spoon for one hour (also helps prevent cracking). 5. Remove springform pan from water bath.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.  Refrigerate overnight.  Remove sides of can.  Garnish with candies and sprinkles.
Adapted from: Taste of Home

Minestrone Soup

Since it is December, I figured you all might want some warm-you-up kind of recipes, perhaps a soup? I made this Minestrone, and I don't think it will disappoint.
Dave and I took a cooking class at Sur La Table to celebrate our anniversary. The chef mentioned he likes to prep and prepare all of his ingredients first so all he has to do is throw them in to whatever he's cooking.
I thought it sounded like a good idea, too...

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, peeled, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped 1 russet potato, peeled, cubed (I used a sweet potato) 1 (14 1/2) ounce can diced tomatoes 1 fresh rosemary sprig 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini benas, drained, rinsed 2 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth 1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic.  Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the Swiss chard and potato, saute for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig.  Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth (I skipped this part as I like my beans whole).  Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture.  Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.  Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off the stem).
Adapted from The Food Network
P.S. If you click on the individual link, scroll to the bottom, then you can choose to print the recipe as a PDF. You can also choose to delete the pictures, or whatever else you'd like to keep or discard for your recipe.

French Apple Tart

We are in full swing of the holiday season down here in Texas, and I imagine most of you are as well. I honestly have been so caught up in work lately I haven't baked any Christmas goodies. This shocks you as much as it does me considering the spread I made last year!
Anyways, we have met some new {wonderful} friends down here who we see on at least a weekly basis, and decided to have them over for dinner this past weekend. I made this delicious french apple tart. It was very simple to put together, and I thought it was pretty, too!

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

For the apples:

4 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, small diced

1/2 cup apricot jelly

2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water (I used water)

Directions
For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
Adapted from: Ina Garten The Food Network

Vegetarian Fajitas

I have recently been inspired to get back to a vegetarian lifestyle. The inspiration probably comes from here.  And, the other part probably comes from working at a cancer institute listening to the experts speak on nutrition and how it's related to disease. 

So, anyways, I've challenged myself to go vegetarian for the month of December, and with any luck maybe I can keep it up?

Tonight's meal was veggie fajitas. It actually worked out quite well. I got home from work, prepped the food, and marinated the beans with the seasoning and lime juice. Then we headed to the gym, and by the time we got back, dinner was practically ready to go.

My recipe is from The Fresh 20, a great resource for me as I am trying new recipes.

Recipe (Adapted)
1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed. Juice of 1 Lime 3 Cloves Garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon paprika (I skipped this because I was out) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Dash of Cayenne 1 Tablespoon Grapeseed Oil 1 Yellow Onion, thinly sliced 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced 8 whole wheat tortillas 1/2 cup Monterey Jack shredded cheese Salsa
1. Marinate black beans in lime juice, garlic, Herbes, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne for one hour. 2. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high to high heat and add in 1/2 Tablespoon of oil. 3. When oil is hot add in onions and bell peppers and cook for about 3 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside. 4. Add the other 1/2 Tablesoon of oil and add the black beans.  Cook just until warm, about 2 minutes.  Add vegetables back to the pan and turn off the heat. 5. Serve in warmed tortillas, top with cheese, and salsa.