Butternut Squash Ravioli With Brown Butter Sage

This IS HEAVEN. Just ask France.

12 oz of pureed butternut squash
1/2 cup walnuts
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
24 wonton wrappers (found in the Asian aisle or the refrigerator section)
1 tbs butter
2 tbs of EVOO
1 tbs fresh sage (I only had dried and it worked lovely)
1 tbs lemon juice

Prepare butternut squash to a warm and pureed state*.

Place walnuts in medium skillet and cook over medium high heat, shaking the pan often for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then finely chop. Transfer the nuts to the bowl with the pureed butternut squash and stir in the egg yolk, 1/4 c of cheese, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of pepper and the nutmeg, mix well (I did this in a food processor).

Arrange 12 wonton wrappers on a work surface and drop 2 slightly rounded tsp of filling into the the center of each. Wet the edge of the wrapper with a finger dipped in water. Fold 1 corner of the wrapper diagonally over the filling to form a triangle. gently press out any air and squeeze the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. This part may seem frustrating and you may just want to use 2 wrappers per ravioli.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Cook shaking the pan occasionally until the butter begins to brown and smell nutty. Add the olive oil and sage and cook for about a minute. Turn the heat low and add the lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the ravioli a few at a time and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl and immediately pour in the butter mixture. Toss well to coat and sprinkle remaining cheese and serve.

DI-VINE and SO WORTH A TRY!

*If you are new to butternut squash, this is what I do. I buy one. I peel it like a potatoe. I scrap out the seeds. I chop it up. I boil it for about 20 min. Then I blend it till smooth. You can also skip the boiling and put in it a plastic bag, cut off the corner and cook on high for 5 minutes then blend. Butternut squash is my favorite. The end.

+Adapted from the Flat Belly Diet

Crunchy Crust Mac and Cheese

I really like the Fat Belly Diet recipes mostly because Diet really doesn't ring true here. It's REAL food and you have to follow portion sizes or the calories ADD up! That being said...I HATE mac n cheese....but this is an exception...it was awesome and the MUFA is Olive Oil. PS France LOVED it and I actually ate the leftovers the next day :).

For the Mac'n'Cheese:
4 oz of multigrain elbow macaroni (I used Quinoa Elbows)
3 Tbs of Panko bread crumbs
4 Tbs of olive oil
2 Tbs of of all-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp of pepper
2 cups of fat-free milk
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Coat and 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2.Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package to directions.
3. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 tsps of the oil and stir with a fork evenly to coat.
4. Add the remaining 3 tbs + 1 tsp oil to a large saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, paprika, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook, whisking for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until it melts. Stir in the macaroni. Pour in the baking dish. Top evenly with the crumb mixture.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!

It's BEEN Awhile!

So since my last post we have moved from VA to CA. Played in Utah for about 3 weeks. Hung out in Spokane while France was at COT for 5 LOooooong Weeks and
then settled in to our new life here in CA.

SOoo. The reason I have this blog is when I am away from home I can find the recipes I like quickly (with my own notes...). It's also to keep track of brands and other randomness. It's open to whoever. So enjoy :).

Here are some random things about well...me.
Feel free to not read...I just felt like posting! :)

France and I have decided that if you take about 30 more seconds when preparing salad to chop the spinach (0r other greens) before you eat,
then it's MUCH EASIER to eat, and a LOT less messy. :)

Ok so I have had random people ask me what vitamins I take. I know it may seem like a lot, but considering modern diets, we are missing out on some essentials.

1. A Multivitamin. (Not pictured, I take different ones almost every time the jar runs out).
2. Probiotics. This specific brand (PB8) is Dr. approved and provides 14billion per dose.
3. Vitamin D3. I take this EVERY DAY. We don't get the sun we need. I have read that we need about 15 min of sunscreen-less sun EVERY DAY. But, most people don't get enough and that my friends is one reason why we all can get especially sick in the winter. I will give anyone who wants a testimonial of how well this works for fighting off colds and infections. No joke. One a day people. PS it helps you absorb wayyy more calcium if you take it with a calcium supplement or gulp it down with milk, no kidding!

4. Omega 3. Ok so I HATE fish. And no one can really afford to eat salmon etc. 3 days a week. This stuff tastes like Lemon Starbursts! You can get it at Costco for about $19. PLease look up the benefits of Omega 3, it's too much to list here.

*I would make sure that whatever multivitamin you take has B6 and B12 as well as folic acid. The B's really are the Bee's knees! Hehe.

And there you are. :)

Ok. SO Stevia is approved as a natural sweetener that doesn't have the same horrible affects as aspartame and it's many twins. Yes, put that Diet SOda down. It's giving you osteoporosis, stains on your teeth and too many other things to list. Okay, off my soap box (I know that Diet Dr. P's are good ok? I have them once in a while at Bajio.) :)

At last! Coconut milk! I am lactose intolerant, and so are all of YOU to a point (I am totally serious, look it up). I do drink Lactaid, which I highly recommended for cereal, but for everything else, this stuff is pure heaven and sooo good for you.

Healthy Stir Fry

This is SIMPLE the flavors are in the veggies and a bit of salt.

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive oil
Frozen stir fry mix (There's a BIG bag of this at Costco!)
Buckwheat Soba noodles

Directions

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Pour just a small glug of EVOO in a pan (or wok) and cook frozen veggies until tender. Throw noodles and veggies together and add a bit of sea salt. Yum!

Curry Chicken Soup

I love coconut and curry so this was delicious. That's all. :)

Ingredients

1 10-ounce package frozen pureed winter squash (I found some in the frozen 'organic' section)
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup water
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced (I used just a roasted chicken...Mmm)
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat squash, coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash defrosts, about 10 minutes. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, lime juice, sugar, curry paste to taste and salt and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

*Adapted from Eat Well

Banana Cake with Honey Cinnamon Frosting

This is our GO-To dessert! DIVINE and pretty easy :) Start saving those old bananas!For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Pour into pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread top with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting.

For the Honey Cinnamon Frosting:

• 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

Adapted from MarthaStewert.com

Asparagus Soup-Yummiest EVER

This is Fresh Asparagus Soup-Yummiest Ever

It has a creamy lemony taste to it, I bet broccoli could be easily substituted.
-Even France had 2nd's and 3rd's-

For The Soup

• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken, its all I had)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (again with chicken)
  
• 1 cup soy milk (I use Lactaid)
  
• 1/2 cup yogurt (Fage! You can get cheaper tubs of it at Costco)
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese *Optional-we didn't
  

Directions

1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
3. Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 134 | Total Fat: 5.7g | Cholesterol: 15mg

*PS That's half and half drizzled on top-makes it prettier.