Black eyed Pea Dip

Ring in the New Year with this quick and easy black-eyed pea dip!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

South Western Soft Tacos with Roasted Butternut Squash {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

These vegetarian soft tacos are stuffed with the flavors of the South West and are just the thing to warm up your tummies on cold winter nights. They are full of good for you veggies and beans to get you back on track after all of the Holiday feasts and treats.

Winding down from all of the Christmas craziness festivities and celebrations means that me and my honey get to chill in the evenings for a few days and enjoy watching the kids play with their gifts. Relaxing for me means simple dinners that will warm and comfort us through the Winter Break so we can and hang out afterwards and play with our new games and snuggle up to watch our new movies.






 I'm a little glad that Christmas is over so we can just relax and spend time together for a couple of weeks before we get on with our normal routines. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but all of the running around and the sweets overload had to stop! Everyone was strung out on chocolate and candy canes and hopped up on egg nog for a solid month it seemed. With 4 kids there was a party every single day for a week and a half and family parties and get togethers every night.

Blessed. We are truly blessed. That's truly how I feel…… when I wasn't not exhausted from running from school to school with specified goodies, from store to store with requested side dishes to share and from city to city for gathering after gathering of our ginormous extended family.

Blessed.




Boring tacos just won't do during the winter Holiday season. Winter squash is in abundance after all and I fully intend on getting the most out of it until mid February when we are all sick of it and looking forward to the early spring harvest here in the Sonoran desert.

Of all the winter squashes out there, butternut squash is probably my fav. It's the most creamy, sweet and flavorful of the squashes IMHO and requires little to no added ingredients to be just perfect. Simple, natural, delicious. It's name says it all, butternut. That's pretty much what it tastes like a la mode, buttery and nutty. It is also very versatile. Roast it with some apple cider and cinnamon and you have a sweet side dish to your pork. Add chili powder, paprika and caramelized onions and you have a spicy side for your roast chicken. Blend it up with a bit of cream, spices and garlic, BAM my favorite hot and creamy comfort soup.

Last but not least, it makes a perfect vegetarian 'filler' for burritos or tacos. I'm not a big meat eater at all and much prefer hearty, healthy veggies instead.  Not only is it healthier and cheaper to sub veggies for meat as much as possible but very convenient. I pick up a few squash, sweet potatoes and sturdy greens at the store and when I'm looking for a last minute weeknight dinner I go to my  pantry and grab a squash, some beans, an onion and have a casserole, burritos or these tacos on the table in no time.

SERVES     6          TIME    30 MINUTES

Ingredients 

6-8 whole grain soft taco size tortillas 

1 cup (or 1 can) black beans, rinsed and cooked 

1 teaspoon cumin 

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon olive oil 

1 small butternut squash 

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips 

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese 

Arugula (or baby spinach) 

Avocado, sliced 

Roasted or Chipotle Salsa (my fav's, use your fav)

1 small handful cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400F 

Peel and cube the squash, lightly toss with oil, sprinkle with salt, paprika and chili powder and roast at 400F on a stone baking sheet for 20 minutes till done but firm.  Read my post with step by step photos and tips for cutting and preparing squash here.

In a small sauce pot over medium-low heat cook beans with cumin and salt for 15-20 minutes till warmed through. 

Place tortilla on plate, layer with cheese, squash, beans, arugula, cilantro and avocado. Spoon on roasted salsa.

This is my post for week numero 9 of #12 Weeks of Winter Squash hosted by my peeps Heather and Joanna. Got some yummy winter squash recipes to share? It's not too late to join!

HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE TOGETHER AND YOUR LIFE IS FILLED WITH BLESSINGS!

Top 25 Most Popular Skinny Recipes 2013

 
Hope everyone's Holidays were filled with warmth, good food and great company. I spent my Holidays surrounded by family and friends and feel very blessed.

Santa was also really good to me and got me a Fitbit One which I'm now totally obsessed with, as well as some new workout clothes from Lululemon (I think you see where I'm going with this). I was cooking up a storm in 2013 testing recipes for both my upcoming cookbook while continuing to post new recipes on my blog each week. There were days I didn't think I would meet my deadline, but I did! The Skinnytaste Cookbook will be out in the Fall of 2014, in the weeks ahead I'll be involved with some of the more creative aspects of the cookbook – the photography, book design and cover designs which I'm so excited about.

As a Christmas gift to myself I also signed up for 10 weeks of personal training which I started last month to keep me in check during the Holidays. I love every minute of them and will probably continue doing it once my 10 sessions are up.

I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being such faithful followers and allowing me to do what I love on a daily basis. Your feedback, emails, comments, the food photos you share with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook all make my day and I couldn't imagine doing anything else so thank you!

And now, for the Top 25 Most Popular Skinnytaste Recipes from 2013:

1. Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese
2. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
3. Cheeseburger Casserole
4. Spicy Cauliflower Buffalo Bites
5. Crock Pot Picadillo
6. Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
7. Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
8. Cauliflower Tots
9. Skinny Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
10. Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash Boats with Grilled Chicken
11. Healthy Cookies
12. Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy
13. Crock Pot Kid Friendly Chili
14. Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup
15. Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
16. Quinoa and Spinach Patties
17. Guacamole Deviled Eggs
18. Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
19. Superfood Triple Berry Chia Pudding
20. Crock Pot Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup
21. Slow Cooker Jerk Pork with Caribbean Salsa
22. Fiesta Bean Salad
23. Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joes
24. Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken
25. Butternut Squash Black Bean Enchiladas

And if you would like to see what recipes were most popular from the previous 3 years, here are the links:

Top 25 Skinnytaste Recipes 2012
Top 20 Skinnytaste Recipes 2011
Top 20 Skinnytaste Recipes 2010

As 2013 comes to an end I leave you with this: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Have a happy, safe, healthy new year!

Chocolate Chip Clouds

Light, airy and chewy with chocolate chips in every bite. These cookies are a must for Santa, we've been making them for years and everyone loves them. Made with egg whites, sugar and chocolate, they are very light, gluten free and just melt in your mouth.

The perfect chocolate treat, and when you make them the night before, they are chewier the next day, which is just how I like them. Hope you enjoy and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Easy Garlic Broccolini

Broccolini, also known as baby broccoli, makes a fantastic, quick side dish and compliments just about anything from beef roasts, lamb, fish, turkey, chicken, lasagna and more. 

It's actually not a younger version of broccoli, but rather a natural hybrid between regular broccoli and a plant called Chinese broccoli. My family prefers it to broccoli and since it takes less time to cook, I make this at least once a week. It has longer, thin stalks with small florets and only needs a few minutes to cook. I make this side dish at least once a week – even my toddler eats it with no complaints!

The best part, it's healthy and ready in under 10 minutes so if you're cooking for the holidays or just a meal for your family and need an easy side dish, this is it! You can double it or halve it as you need.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberries

Vanilla beans, strawberries and cream make this luscious dessert worthy of a standing O!

Panna cotta is one of my FAVORITE desserts when prepared properly. It’s such an easy dessert to make and it can easily be adapted with many different flavor profiles. Although it's usually made very rich with heavy cream, I've been able to play around with the ingredients through the years to give this dessert that same lusciousness, yet using much less cream.

If you need a dessert this Holiday season to impress your guests, I promise, this one is it! And since it needs at least four to five hours to set it's the perfect dessert to make a day or two ahead.

I've tried so many panna cotta recipes from blogs through the years that looked so beautiful, only to be disappointed. Perhaps I'm a bit of panna cotta snob, because I know what a good panna cotta should taste like. It shouldn't have the texture of jello, instead it should be creamy and smooth, almost pudding like in texture. I've tested this particular recipe FIVE times to get it perfect, so if you plan on trying this – don't change a thing!

For diabetics, yes, this will work with Splenda or other sweeteners, and of course cut back on even more calories. So go grab a spoon and savor each spoonful of this vanilla treat.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

To Die For Coconut Cookies

'Tis the season, so I thought I what a perfect time to revive some of my older Holiday recipes from the archives. If you like coconut macaroons you will love these cookies! Similar to a macaroon, but with the addition of cornflake crumbs, they are sweet and delicious and easily made gluten-free.

Coconut lovers... this is a must! With the holidays quickly approaching, I'm sure lots of you are busy baking so I am dedicating the rest of this week to skinny holiday sweets. 

This recipe was emailed to me a while ago by a woman who told me these were "to die for" hence the name. I held on to it for a while with intentions of trying it for the holidays and I was super pleased with the results–I think you will be too! For the cornflake crumbs, you can buy gluten-free crushed cornflakes in many supermarkets, but if you wish to make your own, just put them in the food processor and crush until very fine. If gluten free is an issue, check the labels on the cornflakes, not all are gf.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies

These delicious cookies are light, crisp and chewy, made with basic ingredients like oats, flour, butter, sugar and spices– then once baked they are sandwiched together with melted dark chocolate. If you're baking cookies for Holiday parties, or just to leave Santa, these are a must!

Holiday traditions in my family always included baking cookies with the kids. My Mom did it with my brother and I, and she still does it with my children. To ease some of the guilt, I try to include some lighter cookie recipes in the mix and these lace cookies are one of my favorites. Of course, I do practice restraint and tracking (and exercise) helps keep me in check this time of the year.

One thing to keep in mind when baking these cookies is the batter will spread once baked so don't put them too close together on the cookie sheet. Once baked they will keep well in an airtight container.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Banana Cranberry Bread

If you have ripe bananas lying around, today is the perfect day to make this wonderfully moist banana bread studded with tart ruby cranberries!

It's snowing here today – the kind of day I look for any excuse to turn on my oven so I can warm up my home with the scent of fresh baked goodness. With ripe bananas on my counter, and some cranberries left over from yesterday's pear-cranberry crumble, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

This bread turned out moist and wonderful, I love the contrast of the sweet bananas with the tart cranberries in each bite. Some other Skinnytaste banana bread recipes you may enjoy are Banana Nut Bread,  Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread, Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves, and Pumpkin Banana Bread.

Stay warm and enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Pear Cranberry Crumble

Just in time for the holidays! This warm baked fruit dessert is made with Royal Riviera pears and seasonal tart cranberries, then topping with a oat-nut crumble topping – delish!

Harry and David sent me a box of their finest pears to develop a recipe for their blog Field Notes. Royal Riviera pears grown in Southern Oregon are so sweet, juicy and tender, you can literally eat them with a spoon. Since these pears are so special, I wanted to create a dessert that would do them justice and since fruit crumbles are one of my favorite desserts, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

This recipe will serve 6 to 8 people depending on their appetites. If it's a special occasion and I want to splurge, I'll serve it warms with my favorite fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt from Stonyfield's and serve it a la mode.

Cranberry Pear Crumble
Servings: 8 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 pts (does not include yogurt)
Calories: 197 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 2 g • Carb: 37 g • Fiber: 5 g • Sugar: 25 g
Sodium: 75 mg • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Click here to see the full recipe on the Harry and David Blog.

Baked Salmon Cakes

Baked salmon cakes make the perfect Holiday appetizer, made with wild Alaskan salmon, diced peppers, capers and breadcrumbs. For dipping, I made my favorite Zesty avocado cilantro dressing which compliments the flavor of the salmon and makes these absolutely addicting!

Target has partnered with the Target Inner Circle crew to put together a Holiday Party 101 blog series. As a team we are sharing everything you need to plan the perfect holiday party from cocktails, music, decorating tips, invitations, and more!

I was put in charge of the appetizers which was a fun challenge for me, and I came up with the idea to lighten up a recipe I recently had at a friend's house after stumbling on Simply Balanced Wild Alaskan Salmon at Target. I also picked up some holiday plates, napkins and this simple white flat plane platter from their Threshold collection which I will be using for everything.

When purchasing fish, I always opt for wild rather than farm raised so I was happy to see wild Alaskan seafood in Target. I adapted the original recipe from Ina Garten with lighter ingredients, then baked the cakes rather than frying and they turned out wonderful. I love a good dipping sauce and knew that my avocado cilantro dressing would be the perfect fresh compliment!

If you are looking for a healthy appetizer idea this Holiday season, look no further. Wild salmon is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s and these salmon cakes are pretty easy to make. You can assemble them ahead of time, then put them in your oven when your guests arrive. Set them out on the table and watch them disappear!

To tune in to more holiday party-throwing tips, be sure to follow #mykindofholiday and #targetinnercircle on Pinterest. Target will be compiling all the posts for an article on A Bullseye View. Happy party-planning everyone!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Baked Mini Spinach and Sausage Arancini

These mini baked Italian rice balls are made with brown rice, chicken sausage, spinach and mozzarella cheese. Served with some warm marinara sauce, they make the perfect finger foods for the Holiday season or any time you want to serve appetizers.

The Holidays are right around the corner, so this week I am sharing Holiday recipes to get you in the spirit. I don't know about you, but I love Italian rice balls. They are often deep fried and high in calories so I typically stay away unless I'm making this Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole which turns rice balls into a meal!

I came across a recipe from the Baby&Toddler on the Go Cookbook (which btw is such a great book for feeding young kids) for mini baked brown rice aranci, and adapted them with adult palates in mind and more of the flavors I typically like in a rice ball. This recipe cuts a substantial amount of fat by baking instead of frying and replaces the white rice with brown – but you still get plenty of flavor from the sausage and Pecorino Romano cheese.

You can make the filling ahead of time, roll them into balls and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them. I would bread them just before baking.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Pumpkin Egg Nog Custard {Using Monk Fruit in the Raw}

“I received free samples from Cumberland Packing Corp., maker of Monk Fruit In The Raw. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsoredby Cumberland Packing Corp. and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

My sweet tooth is very snobby.  Any plain ol' cookie or cake just doesn't cut it. In fact, believe it or not, I could live quite happily without said cookies or cakes in my life, well, mostly. Which is why every single Christmas I go through a very serious internal battle with myself over the whole Holiday baking thing. Not only do I have a slightly snobby sweet tooth but I've never really liked to bake cookies, cakes or anything involving flour, measuring and decorating. There I said it. Please don't hate me. 

Really, I think that it is mostly because, IMHO baking goodies involves a lot of precision and dedication to the written recipe and I don't do well with exact measurements…... or following directions. Rather, I like to think of my kitchen as a laboratory where I can change up any recipe to my own liking, an experiment if you will. 

Creating a delicious dish that never existed before, all on your own is my idea of pure satisfaction.

This months Recipe Redux Challenge was to replace table sugar in a baked goodie with Monk Fruit in the Raw. Since cookies and cakes weren't in the cards for me I really had to think on this one. Finishing off a once a year Holiday meal with an individual serving of custard sounds about right to me. The pumpkin is not overwhelming in this custard nor is it too sweet thanks to the sugar replacement.


The flavors are all mild yet decadent and the thick, creamy bourbony custard sets on your tongue just long enough for you to relax and enjoy the moment.

Replacing Monk Fruit in the Raw for table sugar cuts the calories significantly. It's the best sugar substitute I've come across and has zero calories.

As I mentioned above, patience is not exactly one of my virtues. This part takes patience. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the cheesecloth lined sieve and strain over a deep bowl. The mixture is thick so it very slowly drains. I used a spatula to coax the mixture through. Don't smash the mixture though, that will defeat the purpose of straining it. You want the liquids to strain through, not the bulk. 

So, what is Monk Fruit in the Raw?  

It's an all natural sweetener made from vine-ripened monk fruit, also called luo han guo, it has zero-calories and tastes just like sugar. Originally harvested in the 13th century, it’s been making life more delicious for years now. You substitute Monk Fruit in the Raw equally for table sugar. 

Where can you find it? It's a very new product so unless you live on the East coast you will probably have to order it on line. If you do, please help support Simply Healthy Family by ordering it from our Amazon store here.






The flavors of egg nog where used in this custard, not actual egg nog since custards are already egg based. I used a bourbon, vanilla extract which I highly suggest you get your hands on some and thick and creamy condensed milk. Nutmeg and cinnamon make this custard a delicious Holiday treat.

• 
  
• PREP TIME    20 MINUTES      BAKE TIME    50-70 MINUTES      YIELDS    4
• 
  
• You will need:
• 
  
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup Monk Fruit in the Raw
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
• 4 large egg yolks 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 cup half-and-half 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk 
• Crushed ginger snap cookies for topping (which I of course forgot to picture.)

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. 2.  In the bowl of a mixer, place pumpkin, 1/3 cup Monk Fruit in the Raw and next 4 ingredients (through whole egg) On medium speed, beat until well blended. 
3. 3. Place half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (through milk) in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge, stirring occasionally. Add milk mixture to pumpkin mixture. Beat at low speed 1 minute. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Divide mixture evenly among 4 (4-ounce) ramekins. Place ramekins in a large roasting pan. Add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch; bake at 325° for 50-70 minutes or until center barely moves when pan is touched. Remove ramekins from pan; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Sprinkle crushed ginger snaps over top and dollop with whipped cream if desired.

Holliday Gift Set {Give Away} of Route 66 BBQ Sauces from Season's Harvest

image courtesy flikr

Are you looking for a great gift for the hard to shop for man in your life? Does your husband, dad or favorite uncle love BBQ chicken, steaks, wings, pulled pork or brats? Well have I got a last minute treat for you. Season's Harvest has a huge variety of amazing sauces and dips that will add zing and big flavor to your next grilling session.

Their gift sets come beautifully packaged and would make a very special and unique Christmas gift for any and all of the men (or women ;) on your list. Season's Harvest sent me a gift box of their Route 66 Legend BBQ sauces to trial. I am from the South West and so the spicy and smokey  flavors in these sauces were right up my alley.



Why I love Season's Harvest.

"Our products contain no preservatives, additives, High Fructose Corn Syrup, chemicals or extra water to fill the container and thus dilute flavor. You pay for only the natural ingredients in each recipe . . . just fabulous know how, fresh, natural ingredients in recipes learned and handed down from one generation to another."

We especially loved these two sauces. They were so thick and fresh tasting, nothing like the few other jarred varieties I've had. As soon as we popped open the lid on the jars our mouths were watering from the smell of the spices.

 Rich and Bold

Their newest barbecue sauce is an authentic Carolina mustard / vinegar sauce that is ideal for chicken and pork with just the right amount of zest. 

Excellent for pulled pork sandwiches served on a grilled or toasted bun. A wonderful marinade as well. While our High Country Barbecue Sauce is a great companion with pork, it can be used superbly with chicken.

 Deep South BBQ Sauce

Ideal for shellfish, poultry, pork, and even beef. Cajun flavors are captured in the backwater bayous of long-ago Louisana. Sultry, sizzling flavor spoken in a delightful Creole accent. 

While our Deep South sauce was prepared to be a tasty and just a bit spicy sauce indigenous of the heart of the South, its haunting flavor has come to be used in so many other ways. Its old- time flavors will spark the creativity of cooks at home. Currently Deep South is still the second most reordered sauce (and fat free using all natural ingredients).

So fire up the grill and put some spice in your life! It's been the coldest days of the year here in Phoenix so I could use some heat from Season Harvest's Spicy with Heat Sauce on some BBQ'd Chicken. 

image courtesy flikr

Please be sure to visit Season's Harvest online and check out all of their other products and gift sets like salsa's, olives and salad dressings. 

The give away is for 1 Route 66 Legend BBQ Sauces Gift Set a $49 value.

Don't want to wait? Season's Harvest is offering 50% off ALL Gift Sets right now! 

Support small business in your gift giving this year and remember, all of their products are all natural and don't contain HFC or additives!

Giveaway open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

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Ceviche in Cucumber Cups and My Tour of the CIA

This very popular Peruvian dish is made with fresh pieces of raw fish (or shellfish) marinated in lime juice, onions and cilantro which slowly causes the fish to "cook", in very much the same way that heating does. The results are bright and refreshing with an opaque appearance and firmed texture of cooked fish. This dish is also gluten-free, paleo friendly and low-carb.

A few weeks ago I went on a fun tour to one of the world’s best professional culinary colleges – the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. 

Pictured from left to right is me, Jennifer from Bake or Brake, Kita from Pass the Sushi and Russ from The Domestic Man. I loved the tour and meeting new food bloggers – the group was small which was perfect to watch the classes in progress without interfering too much.

Lucky for me, that day they happened to be making ceviche in their Americas cooking class and I got to eat it for lunch. I LOVE a good ceviche, and I order it any chance I get when I go out to eat, so I was excited that they shared this recipe with me.

The good news – this is really easy to make and it looks so impressive if you're having guests over. Their original recipe was made with scallops, but I opted for some fresh Striped Bass which I picked up at my local fish store. You can use any type of ocean fish or shellfish to make ceviche, the only rule of thumb is that it should be as fresh as possible, preferably caught the same day. This would make a wonderful appetizer for Christmas eve if your family likes to have fish. While you can prepare the cucumber cups and the vegetables for the ceviche a few hours ahead, ceviche tastes best when it marinates no more than an hour or two before you serve it.

Funny where life takes you, I went to art school and studied graphic design at Pratt in Manhattan which led me to become a graphic designer/digital photo-retoucher prior to Skinnytaste. I believe those experiences helped me and my love of food photography, but if I was to go back to school now, I would LOVE to attend the CIA or at least take some classes their. They are teaching our next generation of leaders – chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Duff Goldman, Micheal Simon, Cat Cora, just to name a few are all CIA graduates. I mean, doesn't this chef jacket and hat belong on me?

What's really cool about the school is that all students work in 3-week course rotations, the senior class works at one of three CIA’s restaurants – both the front and back ends. So during our first night there we were served by the graduating students, with meals that the students prepared. We ate at the new French Bocuse Restaurant, and the food was phenominal. The highlight of my meal was watching the students make ice cream in 30 seconds with a hand cranked mixer and dry ice – amazing!

If you're ever in the Hudson Valley, you can go on a group tour and dine at one of their three award winning student-staffed restaurants. And if you're thinking about pursuing a career in the the culinary arts, or have kids that are trying to decide their future, check out the CIA . A 4 year degree is completed in 3 years, they have new classes starting every 3 weeks and offer classes in culinary arts, baking, nutrition, and culinary science. What's more, they boast about their 99% job rate in leadership positions after graduating which is unheard of these days! 

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...