Bon Appetite Friends

Hey guys! 

So I stumbled across the most amazing dessert book at Barnes and noble the other day. I decided to channel a little Julie and Julia and cook my way through the Bon appetite cookbook. Wish me luck! 

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed New Year!

Let us celebrate some things coming our way this 2014!

1. The return of high waisted pants! FINALLY

2. Paper straws! Now available in stores, not just on etsy

3. Black and white

4. Tight lining 

5.  Tinted lip balms and stains 

Cheers! -Kellie

Meatless Monday Pasta Edition

One of the easiest ways to reduce the fat content in your diet is to have one meatless day a week. The problem with most vegetarian options is they are not filling and you may end up eating more. This dish is both filling and satisfying. 

Eggplant And Mushroom Pasta 

What you need: 

1/2 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta

1tbsp chopped garlic

1 can diced tomatoes 

1 small can organic tomato sauce 

1 sweet onion chopped 

2 cups mushrooms chopped (I used baby Bella's) 

1 egg plant peeled and chopped 

1 tsp crushed red pepper 

1 tsp organic sugar cane 

1 cup torn basil leaves 

Salt & pepper 

Optional * 1/2 cup freshly grated parm 

How to: 

Heat a little olive oil and sautée onions and garlic. Add eggplant and mushrooms. Mix in seasonings and sugar. Add tomatoes and sauce and turn up the heat. When sauce begins to boil turn down to low and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Before serving add basil leaves, salt and pepper. 

Pour over prepared pasta and finish with parm. Enjoy !

Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for a holiday spin on traditional chocolate chip cookies? This is my favorite chocolate chip recipe. The fillings are easily interchangeable. 

What you need: 

1 bag of milk chocolate chips 

1/2 cup craisins I used sugar free 

1 cup chopped pecans 

2 eggs 

2 1/2 sticks butter

1 2/3 cup white sugar 

1 2/3 cup brown sugar 

2 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp sea salt 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 2/3 tsp baking soda 

1 2/3 cup bread flour 

2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour 

I know it's a lot of ingredients but I prooooomise you it is worth it! 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Do not over stir! Adding too much air will make your cookies cakey. Use your hands if you need to. Add chocolate, craisins and nuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. I use a small icecream scoop with lever to make it easy to get portions right.   Bake for 10 minutes. You want to take them out as soon as the edges start browning. It's ok if the center looks undone. If you wait until the top is brown or even starts to brown then you will have hard cookies. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes to finish cooking then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

*tip if you freeze your chocolate before baking the chips will hold shape and not turn the batter brown. 

Pinsperation

This year my Pinterest is overloaded with fun Christmas foods. 

These are a few of my favorites that I definitely want to try! 

Eggnog cinnamon rolls, peppermint crunch, gingerbread donuts :) yum! 

I also may have purchased this sweater....

Only $30 on boohoo.com! 

Stay tuned for Christmas tutorials all month long! 

Easy vegetarian thanksgiving dish

Wild Rice with Sautéed Kale, Onions and Mushrooms 

What you need-

1 cup wild rice 

3 cups chopped kale

2 cups various mushrooms

1 small onion chopped 

2 cloves chopped garlic 

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda 

1/2 tsp brown sugar 

1 cup vegetable stock

Salt pepper and olive oil 

Directions- 

Cook wild rice according to directions. Remember these whole grains take at least 45 minutes. In a sautée pan heat oil over medium heat add mushrooms and onions cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and brown sugar. Add in kale 1 cup at a time. Pour a little stock in to wilt leaves with each cup. Add in fluffed rice. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with Gouda. Enjoy!

Stuffed Green Pepper... Soup

Hey guys! 

 I don't know about y'all, but it has been crazy chilly here. I crave soup almost every day now. And peppermint mochas yum! 

One of my favorite low fat dishes is stuffed green peppers, but I wanted the same taste in soup form. To the crockpot!

What you need : 

2 green peppers

1 cup brown rice 

3 cups beef stock

1 can crushed tomato 

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 pound lean ground beef 

1 onion 

1/4 cup fresh garlic 

1/2 Parmesan cheese

2 tsp fennel seeds

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Salt 

Pepper

Directions:

Brown the beef and chop onion. Add onion and garlic to browned beef. Cook until onions are translucent. I used a crockpot at this point. You can definitely use a soup pot and cook on low for 1 hour. Add all ingredients to crockpot minus cheese. Cook on high for 2 hours then on low for 1 hour. Add cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!