Banana Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal

Sometimes I need a really hearty breakfast to jumpstart a particularly long work day, but I don't like to feel super weighed down at the beginning of the day. This recipe takes note of the nuttiness of the steel cut oats and pairs it with naturally sweet bananas for a delicious and filling breakfast for only 350 calories.

BANANA BREAD STEEL CUT OATMEAL

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup quick cook (or 7 minute) steel cut oats
- 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 overripe medium sized banana
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour 3/4 cup (or whatever amount the instructions on your oats tell you) into a small saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bring to a boil and quickly add your oats. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for approximately 7 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
2. Break the banana up into a bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Spray a small sauté pan with non-stick and place over low heat. Add the banana mixture and cook for just one to two minutes.

4. Add the banana mixture to the oats during the last minute of cooking.
5. Pour into a bowl and feel comfort and deliciousness in your mouth.

Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce for Kids and Adults

I love my sister. She is hilarious and smart and is only sometimes incredibly irritating. She is also 7 years old, which means she is a picky eater. Right now, she really won't eat anything that is remotely healthy for her, not even most proteins. She even stopped eating many types of "red sauce" because she found out they were made from tomatoes from finding tiny portions of tomato skin in the sauce. This recipe was formulated as a way to get her to eat something, anything again.

SUPER SECRET "RED SAUCE" RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

- a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 of a large yellow onion
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 medium sized carrot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- a pinch of sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Chop the veggies into large approximately 1-2 inch pieces while heating the olive oil in a medium to large saucepan at medium-high heat.

2. Place the veg into the pot and let them get a little caramelized and tender. Sprinkle with a little salt to draw out moisture. (**Here you could also add the flesh of a zucchini if you're feeling adventurous, just make sure to peel the green skin so the kids don't question the color)
3. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and then season again with the rest of the salt, pepper, and sugar. Add a little water if you like your sauce a tad thinner (about 1/4-1/2 cup's worth). Clamp on the lid and let simmer on medium-low for 20-30 minutes until the veggies are all tender.

4. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes and then carefully ladle the mixture into the blender.
5. Blend on high for about a minute or two until the sauce becomes smooth. Taste and season to your final liking.
6. Add parmesan cheese if you'd like (and I certainly do)

Sorry there's no final result picture this time, my family devoured it too fast for me to take a presentable photo :)

Lighter(?) Carbonara

I know everyone is supposed to love Carbonara. But I'm going to admit that most of the time it is really just too rich for me. And for some reason here bacon or pancetta is extremely expensive. So this is my bacon-less take.

PASTA "CARBONARA"

INGREDIENTS:

- 8oz thick long noodles (Trader Joe's has a lemon pepper pappardelle I HIGHLY recommend for this)
- Half to a whole bunch of asparagus, depending on your mood
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- approx. 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons light butter spread (I think olive oil is traditional here, but I wanted the flavor from the butter since I nixed the bacon)
- at least 1 egg (per serving)
- fresh chives, chopped for garnish
- freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prep your veg while you get the pasta pot filled with water and brought to a boil
2. Get a smaller pot with water and add a little salt and some white vinegar and put on medium heat to get a heavy simmer (Oh year, we're poaching these eggs)
3. Get a sauté pan and turn on medium low heat. Add the butter and garlic to the pan.
 4. Right before the pasta pot reaches a boil, add in your chopped asparagus (cut on the bias if you are so inclined to be fancy). Let them cook for just a minute or so and then add them to the garlic butter.
5. Add your pasta to the pot, cook to the time allotted from the instructions given to you on the box.
6. Crack your egg carefully into a ramekin or small bowl and drop gently into the SIMMERING water and let them poach for about three minutes.

Multitask your ass off

8. Add the cooked pasta to the sauté pan, toss to coat, then add the cheese and a bunch of black pepper and toss again until satisfied.

9. Place in a bowl and add your egg on top. Finish with more cheese and chives and crack that beautiful yolk to run all the way through your pasta

My yolk got a little excited and jumped ship into the pasta before the photo was taken

Light 'N' Luscious Mashed Potatoes

With the impending holiday season, we fight against being taken over all the delicious, heavy foods available at work parties, family dinners, etc. This recipe is always my go-to for mouth-watering potatoes for Thanksgiving. But I promise they will not make you pop your jeans.
**This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, etc. for larger parties

LIGHT 'N' LUSCIOUS MASHED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 large yukon gold potatoes*
- 4-6 tablespoons light margarine spread
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped chives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel and cube your potatoes. Make sure they are all roughly the same size so they cook for the same amount of time.

2. Place potatoes into a BARE pot (no water)**. Add water until the potatoes are all covered.
3. Salt the water just like when cooking pasta and place the pot over high heat and let it boil until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes.
4. Drain the potatoes and immediately put back into the pot to mash. Mash to your desired consistency.

5. Mix in milk and margarine, adding more depending on the moisture of the potatoes.
6. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper, and chives. Taste and add more garlic/salt if desired.
7. Serve 'em up!

*I use yukon golds instead of russet potatoes because I prefer the texture of yukons for mashed potatoes. They are creamier by nature, so that means I do not need to add as much butter/milk at the end to get the consistency I want.

**Add the potatoes straight to the pot instead of into already boiling water. I have found that the potatoes cook more evenly/are all done at the same time when I do this method.

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

I love pasta. Like an unhealthy amount. But I feel guilty with the amount of carbs I am able to consume through pasta sometimes. So I make this sauce when I need to curb a pasta craving but do not want to worry about the calorie content of the amount of pasta I'm eating as well as the sauce.

FRESH TOMATO BASIL SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

- 2-3 cups chopped roma tomatoes

- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 tablespoons cold butter

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 chicken breasts

- 8oz long strand pasta of choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put the olive oil in a medium sized high-sided frying pan over medium high heat.

2. Season your chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to pan when hot.

3. Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes for two breasts, or 2-3 minutes for tenders.

4. While chicken in cooking, put the pasta in salted boiling water and get the rest of your mise en place.

5. Add the tomatoes into the pan with the chicken. You might want to stand back for this part, because there will back splatter.
6. Add salt and pepper to season. Then add the rest of the ingredients one at a time, except for the cheese.
7. Once the pasta is ready, add straight to the sauce and toss to coat, adding the cheese.
8. Eat immediately because deliciousness.

Sugar & Spice Pecans (A Party Favorite)

I first made this delicious snack for a Christmas party a few years ago just to have near the bar. I did not expect them to be such a hit. Ever since then my friends and family have been asking me to make batches and batches of this satisfying snack all year round.

SUGAR & SPICE PECANS

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 lb shelled halved pecans (walnuts or almonds would work as well)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Mix together the sugars, salt, and spices in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg white and water together until they are fluffy but not stiff

Fluffy, not stiff

3. Gently fold the nuts into the egg mixture. Then add the sugar and spice mixture to the nuts and fold that in.

4. Spread nuts in an even layer on a prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.

5. Let cool, make sure they are all broken apart, and enjoy*

*Or place in a ziptop bag in the pantry for up to a week or in your freezer for over 2 months

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

This is one of my all time favorite taco fillings. Or for putting in gooey quesadillas or rolled up into enchiladas. The secret to making it lean here is to really get all up in the meat and take off every extra piece of fat that you see marbled through the roast. I keep just a little on for moisture and flavor, but truthfully the braising liquid have plenty of moisture and flavor.

CARNITAS (MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 3 1/2-4 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder (may also be labeled as pork butt or boston butt)
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in half
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes, depending on season and ripeness)
- 1 orange
- 1 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I would not recommend substituting other vinegars here)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- approximately 4-5 cups water (enough to just cover the meat)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cube the pork into about 2 inch portions and place into a large lidded dutch oven.
3. Add in the salt, pepper, vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and lime juice.
4. Add the halved onion , the garlic, and the juice of the whole orange. Then drop the orange halves into the pot after juicing.

5. Fill with water until the meat is just covered.
6. Place on the stove and cook over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil, stirring occasionally.
7. Cover and place into the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until pull apart tender.

(before broiler)

8. Place the meat onto a lined baking sheet and let cool before shredding. Also discard the bay leaves, orange, onion, and garlic from the pot.
9. Place the pot back on the stove on high heat and reduce cooking liquid until about 1-1 1/2 cups remain.
10. Turn the broiler to high, douse pork in remaining cooking juices, sprinkle with a little more salt, and park that baby under the broiler for about 8 minutes. Then toss it around and stick it in for another 5-8 minutes, until beautifully crisp on the outside.

(after broiler)

11. Place in a warm corn tortilla with avocado, lime juice, cilantro and any other toppings your heart desires