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Sweet & Spicy Salsa with Homemade Whole Wheat Chips

It's Friday! I don't know about you but I am so ready for a break! And, here's to hoping that everything for my new site will be ready to go soon! I've been just waiting for this day to come and slowly but surely we're getting there! Hooray!

So, here's a quick, cheap and healthy snack that everyone is sure to love. Instead of making my usual fresh salsa the other day, I decided to make some restaurant style salsa that would store much longer and take the place of store bought salsa. Truth be told, snack cravings hit me hard and we ran out of our usual salsa we buy! But, after making this kind of salsa at home, I don't know if I even want to buy it from the store anymore! (1) It's cheap to make at home (2) you know what you're putting into it which therefore means no preservatives (3) you can make it how you like it (4) it's mighty tasty (5) because I said so. Don't know if that last one will work for you but works like a charm on Gord! Haha!

All you need is a food processor, some fresh ingredients, electricity and 5 minutes or so. This recipe is suited for my taste and is only slightly spicy and pretty sweet. I like the sweetness paired with the salty chips. I'm a quirky salty sweet kinda girl. But, maybe start with half the amount of sugar and go from there. I was totally prepared to put a whole jalapeno into this salsa too, but I clearly used my better judgement and started with half. Holy momma did I pick a HOT pepper! It was pretty big for a jalapeno, but yikes! I got a nice little kick in the back of the throat--still tasty though! So, beware of those huge hot jalapenos on sterroids at your local grocer! Start with less than you think! You never know when one is mild or when one will set your mouth ablaze.

Do you like things spicy? (This question could be interpreted in a very wrong way) Let me rephrase: Do you like your food spicy? Am I just a sissy and play it safe on the mild side? Let me know in the comments below.

Now for these chips--yup, you guessed it! We ran out of these too! We were coming to the end of a week and we were desperate for tortilla chips! I mean, hello! I JUST made salsa. So, I grabbed some leftover whole wheat tortillas from the fridge, cut them into wedges and baked them until crispy. Very simple to do. You can add some salt or other seasonings if you'd like, but I just did mine plain with a light mist of olive oil. (If you don't have one of those self pump spray bottles, you should get one! They are great!--olive oil sprays from the store are fine too) So there you have it! Chips and salsa from a stingy budget friendly kitchen. Now, please excuse me while I go grocery shopping.

PS- Check out my Guacamole too! It's pretty tasty stuff!

Sweet & Spicy Salsayield:1 1/2 cups of salsa (approx.)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, washed
1/2 large jalapeno pepper, seeded & ribs removed
1-15 oz. can organic diced tomatoes (you aren't cooking this so use good quality ingredients)
2 teaspoons sugar (start with 1 if you're hesitant about the sweet)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
pinch of dried Oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into bowl of food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate in an air tight container until ready to serve. Serve with chips.

Homemade Whole Wheat Chipsyield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
4 whole wheat flour tortillas, cut into wedges (I used trader joes)
olive oil spray
salt and other spices (if desired)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange tortillas onto sheet tray. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle over any desired seasonings. Bake 10-15 minutes or until brown and crunchy. Serve with salsa or guacamole!

Banana Bran Muffins with Oats

What did you eat for breakfast today? Was it healthy? Leave a comment! I had these Banana Bran Muffins with Oats! Here's where this recipe idea came from:

I've been trying to implement healthier things here and there into my diet and bran popped into my brain a few days ago. After thinking of some exotic and untraditional things to do with it, I opted to first try a simple bran muffin with a few healthy additions: bananas and oats. I was fully expecting to bite into a dry tasteless muffin and was planning on a recipe redo. But one bite in, I knew it was a winner. These were moist and sweet muffins with a great texture! I thought the oats and bran together would really make it chewy and cardboard-like, but it was surprisingly smooth and delightful! People seem to associate bran muffins with something dry and gross. I mean, I've had my fair share of bran muffins gone bad, but could it be possible to make a moist and delicious bran muffin?

HECK YES IT'S POSSIBLE because I did it!

Delicious and healthy BRAN muffins! You can feel good eating them because they are high in fiber, low in fat, only 175 calories per muffin. (I calculated it myself!)

The bananas and sour cream keep the muffins moist and the cinnamon and vanilla enhances the flavor. In this recipe, I call for 1/2 cup of wheat germ. Wheat germ is not a common ingredient to have on hand, so you can substitute it out for ground flax or more all purpose flour. Also, the molasses is optional.

These muffins are great to make late one evening for a snack and then serving the rest for breakfast the next morning. They also freeze well as long as they are stored correctly. Just microwave until warm. It's a quick and easy breakfast!

Make these muffins and start your day off right!


Banana Bran Muffins with Oats
yield: 18 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup Bran Cereal (such As All Bran)
1 cup Whole Milk
½ cups Melted Butter
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 whole Large Egg
1-½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Molasses
⅓ cups Light Sour Cream
2 whole Ripe Bananas, Mashed
½ cups Whole Grain Quick Oats
1-½ cup All-purpose, Unbleached Flour
½ cups Wheat Germ
½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
More Whole Grain Quick Oats For the tops

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 18 muffin tin cups with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In small bowl, mix bran cereal with milk. Set aside to soak.

In large bowl, whip melted butter and brown sugar together. Stir in egg, vanilla extract, molasses, sour cream and mashed bananas.

In medium bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients (everything else except the final listing for the 5 dashes of quick oats, which you’ll use for garnish). * Note: You can substitute more all purpose flour for wheat germ if you prefer.

Into the creamed mixture, alternate stirring in some of the dry ingredients with some of the bran cereal/milk mixture until all is incorporated.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 way full. Sprinkle more oats over the top and bake 15-20 minutes, checking after 15. Be sure not to over bake! Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes and remove from tins.

Serve warm with butter and jam.

Stuffed Peppers

A few days ago, my friend, Machel, asked me if I had a stuffed peppers recipe. "Do I ever!" is what I responded with...and then I got to thinking--do I really have a recipe for this? These stuffed peppers fall under the 'make it until it tastes right' family recipe category. Meaning there are no measurements--just ingredients. So for all of you wanting to make my Mom's stuffed peppers in the near future, give this recipe a try. It's just delicious and will stick to your ribs. Good food for the upcoming months.

Side note--after I had my baby, my Mom came into town for a good two weeks to help with the little one and fill my fridge and freezer to the brim with prepared meals. This was one of the things she made and my husband (and my brother in law) went crazy over them! They both were puzzled as to why we (my sister and I) had never made them before. I didn't really have an answer. So now he requests them, and I make them. 

Hope you all are in the mood for some German food tonight! Or maybe it's Hungarian. (My ancestors are from both places, so we eat food from both places and things get confusing!) Either way, these are mighty tasty.

Stuffed Peppers

yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (80/20)

1 lb. ground pork

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup long grain white rice

salt

pepper

6 green bell peppers*

1 large can tomato juice

1/2 cup water

------------------

1/4 cup lard or shortening

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

salt 

pepper

Directions:

Prepare bell peppers by cutting the tops off and removing the seeds and the ribs. Wash and set aside. In large bowl, mix together beef, pork, onion, rice, salt and pepper. Stuff bell peppers with meat mixture. 

*If you do not have enough green peppers, then form meatballs with the remaining stuffing--this is a great way to get your kids to eat this meal, too!*

In a large pot, pour in the entire can of tomato juice. Rinse can out with 1/2 cup water. Place stuffed peppers and any meatballs into the pot. Try to submerge them as best as possible. Cover with lid and heat pot over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer lightly for 1-2 hours. 

In a large skillet, melt shortening over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until smooth. Cook roux until it deepens in color to be a medium brown. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove stuffed peppers and meatballs from pot leaving the hot cooking liquid. Pour browned roux into remaining tomato juice (it will bubble violently for a few seconds at first, so just be aware that it is totally normal). Stir well. After a few minutes, the tomato juice should thicken and become more of a sauce. Stir in sugar and more salt and pepper. It will be sweet--as it should be :) Serve with rye bread--or any other bread you have around, but really, rye is the best.

Recipe TIPS

-You can use all ground beef if you don't have/can't find ground pork.

Announcement!

Hello, friends! Hope you all have had a good weekend! The highlight for me was giving my little one pop rocks! Talk about hilarious! She didn't know what to do with herself! What a sight to see!

Anyways, I wanted to tell you all that I'm switching over to wordpress and I'm switching the url on you too! Sorry! I know I do that a lot. So, in the next few days if you get re-directed over to a new site that looks a little unfamiliar but much prettier and user friendly, then you'll know why. If you manage to get to my usual golokitchen.com, then be sure to click on the link saying where we've all moved!

My new site has been a work in progress and has taken me a lot longer than expected. (Darn html!) I'm still trying to make it more 'me' if that makes any sense. It will still have all of my recipes and a few more fancy features. So, I hope you guys will join me for a walk on the wild side and bear with me while I work out the last few kinks!

Have I mentioned that I appreciate you all? Well, I really do and I love the feedback and the comments I receive. So, thanks a million! 

Hope you all have a GREAT day and look forward to a new recipe on Tuesday!

--Lauren :)

The Ultimate Garlic Cheesy Bread

I take full responsibility for this fabulous recipe....and all the calories you will consume. 

I really don't have a whole lot to say about this bread....except that is it utterly addicting and too good to be true. The last day my sister was in town, we went all out and made a huge spaghetti dinner with salad, this garlic cheesy bread and some double chocolate cookies for dessert. (I'm still working my butt of from from eating so much from this meal!) I totally ate half of this bread but it was soooo worth it and so delicious.

I was feeling over ambitious and made this bread totally from scratch. What a difference it made! Even though you do have to knead it and wait for it to rise, please please oh please do your self a favor, take one for the team and make this. You get a chewy yet fluffy french bread loaf that you slice down the middle and fill with garlic butter and sharp cheddar cheese. Stick it under the broiler and you are set.

I also substituted garlic salt for regular plain salt in the bread dough which added a nice extra garlic jolt. If you wanted to make plain french bread, then keep the regular salt and disregard all the other directions and ingredients.

Again, I urge you to make this, especially if you love carbs and are making spaghetti and/or lasagna for dinner. Go make this right now and report back. Thank you and you're welcome.


Garlic Cheesy Bread
yield: 2 servings if you like carbs, realistically though, 6-8 servings for you normal folk.

Ingredients:
1 packet instant rise yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
4 cups all purpose flour
drizzle of olive oil
-------------
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
parsley flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Proof 5 minutes. Stir in garlic salt and 3 cups of flour. Once dough becomes kneadable, remove from bowl and knead in remaining cup of flour. (You may or may not need the remaining cup of flour, so add it slowly. On the flip side, you may need more, so beware!) You want dough to feel slightly sticky. Grease ball of dough with small drizzle of oil and place into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and let rise 1 - 11/2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

While dough is rising, mix softened butter with minced garlic. Set aside.

Punch dough down and remove onto clean work surface. Punch dough out into a free form rectangle about 12x16 inches (or about the size of your cookie sheet). You can use a rolling pin if you like. Roll dough up lengthwise (jelly roll style) so you have a long skinny log. Place on greased cookie sheet seam side down and tuck the ends under. Cut 4 diagonal slats in the top of the dough about 1/4 inch deep and brush top with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and let rise 30-60 more minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least 15 minutes.

Turn oven on to broil. Slice loaf down the center lengthwise. Spread garlic butter equally on both loaf halves. Top with grated cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with parsley flakes if desired. Cut into pieces and serve hot.

Simple Chili

I cannot tell you how good it feels to be home and back into the daily grind. Don't get me wrong, I love being on vacation but sometimes it's good to be home!

Yesterday for dinner, I decided to make some plain ol' chili--not my usual white chicken chili (which is my husband's favorite). Well, this chili was absolutely delicious and such a nice change from out usual not to mention pretty healthful. You can have this done and ready to go after 30 minutes or so, but the longer you let this cook the better it gets and the deeper the flavors. I let mine cook about 2 hours on low.   Anyways, this recipe is pretty basic and on my 'go to' list for ease. You do have to chop a few veggies, but after that, you just open a few cans and dump them into your pot. Super simple!

So make sure to add a few ingredients to your grocery list and make this soon! You'll be glad you did!


Simple Chili
yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 lb. ground beef (93% lean)
1 cup beef stock
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz.)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed (15 oz.)
1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed (15 oz.)
1 1/4 cup frozen corn
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
-----------
grated cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro
sour cream
diced tomatoes
avocados
lime juice

Directions:
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Drop meat into pot and break apart using a wooden spoon. Cook until meat is cooked thoroughly and browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 20 minutes but up to 3 hours. Serve with desired toppings and cornbread.

Mom's No-Fail Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

So please excuse this lame post! We are tired, all vacationed out and driving back from the coast probably as you are reading this. Our schedule has been completely thrown off and we've had little time at all to cook let alone take pictures of the food! 

But, I'm leaving you with a tried and true family recipe that my Mom, sister and I swear by. Whenever we had people come over to our house for dinner or whenever we had leftover bananas, this is what we would make. It is so simple, really delicious and honestly only takes 10 minutes or less to mix together. Everyone LOVES this cake. 

Happy Labor Day! Enjoy your day off! :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

yield: 18 pieces

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 glass dish and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, vanilla and mashed banana. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Alternate dry ingredients with milk and vinegar. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared dish and bake 35-40 minutes, but check after 30.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies

We are vacationing at the Oregon coast for the long labor day weekend so I'll leave you with a delicious treat for your long weekend!

I was wandering through the bulk foods section the other day and came across all these different kinds of chocolate chips and thought to myself "surely I can make something with these". And so I bought 4 different kinds of chocolate chips. My husband thought I was insane.

A few days later he tried these brownies and quickly changed his mind. These are decadent beyond belief and just so ridiculously good. We had them right out of the oven and oh baby did we die and go to heaven!

The next day, I topped them with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and ate them cold--another delicious application! Gordon didn't like them with the frosting, but my sister and I totally did! They were definitely sweet enough without the frosting, but added a nice little vanilla-y tang. Anyways, hope you all are going to do something fun for the long weekend and make up a batch of these! They will make for a very memorable holiday!


Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies (with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting)
yield: 18 pieces

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
-----------
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In large pot, melt butter completely. With pot of melted butter on medium low heat, add in dark and semi sweet chocolate chips and cocoa until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and eggs, 1 at a time, stirring vigorously before the next addition. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Fold in milk chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top and bake 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, cut and serve. Or, cool completely and frost with white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

For frosting, whip all ingredients together until well combined and smooth. Scrape edges of bowl and whip again 1-2 minutes. Frost top of brownies and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Hello Friends!
Hope you all are having a great week. Over at our place, we have been going head over heels for our charcoal grill! Everything we make has been on this thing--including these individual pizzas. Wow, are they good! My husband and I were skeptical at first because we've never done anything like it before. Well, after we threw the first one on we knew we were witnessing something delicious in the making! The crust puffed up and then once we flipped it over and topped it with the chicken and cheese, we were drooling! We couldn't get them off the grill and into our mouths fast enough! Seriously--amazingly good. So good that we'll be making them again for dinner tomorrow night!

Now, don't think you can't do this because you can. Dare I say it's easy{?!} The hardest part is making the dough and making sure you don't kill the yeast. After that, it's so easy a monkey could do it. Divide your dough into 4, roll them out to be about 1/4 inch thick and place them on the grill. Turn once they get grill marks and start to get all puffy. Onto the cooked side, add your toppings, cover, and let the cheese melt. Remove, cut and serve! THAT'S IT! See! Easy!

Wouldn't this be such a fun dinner party idea? Let everyone grill their own pizza with their own toppings they want! It's easy for the host and fun for the guests!

Before Autumn is completely upon us with those chilly nights, make sure you make these at least once! You won't be sorry!


Individual Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizzas
yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb. pizza dough
1 cup good quality BBQ sauce (such as KC Masterpiece)
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping (if you're into that kind of thing)

Directions:
Preheat BBQ grill to medium high heat. In large bowl, mix half BBQ sauce with shredded chicken until coated. Set aside. Divide pizza dough into 4 equal portions and roll into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheet until ready to cook.
Place pizza dough onto hot, greased grill. Cover and cook about 2 minutes or until grill marks are visible and dough has puffed up slightly. Turn pizzas and top with remaining BBQ sauce, chicken, onions and cheese. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until cheese is melted and bottom crust is cooked, 2-5 minutes. Remove from grill and top with cilantro. Serve with more BBQ sauce, ranch and/or blue cheese dressing.

For homemade Pizza Dough:
My pizza dough recipe is pretty easy! In large bowl, combine 1 cup hot water with 2 1/4 teaspoons quick rising yeast (1 packet) and 1 teaspoon sugar or honey. Proof yeast 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 1/2-3 cups all purpose flour (start with 2 cups and work your way up). Knead dough 5 minutes. It should be slightly sticky and smooth. Coat in olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot in your kitchen and let dough rise 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. Use as desired.