Ultra Chocolate Muffins

Ultra Chocolate Muffins with NO milk, eggs or butter.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Organic semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you want)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir or whisk until well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and add the chocolate chips. Mix until blended, be careful not to overmix, it will make the muffins tougher.
5. Spoon batter into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375F for 18 minutes.

These muffins are ultra chocolaty and moist. I decided to make these muffins with no milk, eggs or butter, I wanted to add apple juice for an added flavor and the balsamic vinegar added helps to bring out the chocolate flavor. These muffins are rich and flavorful but also light and moist in texture. Enjoy!

*Camala*

Sweet Potato Vegetable Soup

This soup is colorful, packed with vitamins and very nutritious.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, celery, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes (with the juice), broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and garlic. Bring to a boil; for 1 minute.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

The sweet potatoes and carrots add a nice sweetness to this chunky, nutritious soup. This is a simple, flavorful soup packed full of vitamins from all the veggies, wonderful for a cold day or when you are sick and need a warm comforting soup.

*Camala*

Crustless Broccoli and Potato Quiche

Crustless Broccoli and Potato Quiche…Good for anytime of day!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 cup potato, diced
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 inch pie plate.
2. Put olive oil in a skillet and heat at medium heat. Add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add diced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and saute for 2 minutes; remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile, beat eggs and milk, add salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg to egg mixture and mix well.
4. Add egg mixture to broccoli mixture in skillet, then add cheese and combine well.
5. Pour into pie plate and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

I used a white cheddar in this quiche, typically quiches tend to have Swiss cheese in them, I like using cheddar, I personally like the taste better and the kids seem to like the taste better as well.  The broccoli adds a nice crisp texture to the soft eggs and potatoes. This quiche is super easy and is great for any mealtime, I typically tend to make this for dinner though:)

*Camala*

Red Quinoa with Green Beans

Red Quinoa with Green Beans- Looks pretty and tastes GREAT!

Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place 1 cup red quinoa and 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. When done, the grain appears soft and the red becomes translucent.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion in the skillet with the olive oil for about 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the green beans to the skillet and cook for 5 to 10 minutes depending on your desired crunchiness. Add the garlic the last minute and saute together.
3. Position the green bean mixture around the sides of the skillet making a well in the middle, add the beaten eggs to the middle of the skillet. Allow eggs to cook a bit before mixing all together.
4. Once the egg is cooked add the cooked quinoa to the skillet and mix all together. If dry, you can add a drizzle of olive oil to add a bit of moisture to the final product. Finally, add some salt and pepper to taste or desired seasonings. Enjoy!

This is a great dish that can be served as a meal or a side dish. I love the slightly added crunch of the green beans. This dish is flavorful and the colors look so pretty together!

*Camala*

Mexican Pie

This is a quick and easy meal, with very few ingredients and a quick preparation. This is a great recipes for vegetarians and by using soy or rice cheese can be made vegan.

Ingredients:
olive oil
3/4 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
5 (8 or 10 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.
2. In a pan, add some olive oil and saute the onions for 5 minutes or until soft, add the garlic the last minute.
3. Add the refried beans to the pan with the onions and garlic and warm on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes or until heated through.
4. Place one tortilla in the bottom of the greased pan. Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on top of the tortilla, follow with a tablespoon of salsa on top of the bean mixture, then top with a small handful of cheese. Then, place another tortilla on top creating layers, repeat layers, spreading the ingredients evenly over the tortillas. On the top layer, make sure to use lots of salsa and cheese!
5. Bake until the cheese is melted, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

I really like this dish. I used whole wheat tortillas and I have been wanting to make my own tortillas so next time I make this dish I really want to try my own homemade tortillas. I will hopefully include that recipe soon! I also used organic refried beans, salsa and cheese, so this is a pretty healthy meal as well.

*Camala*

Salad with Broccoli and Beets

Tonight I made myself a delicious and refreshing salad.

Ingredients I used:
Organic Baby Italian style mix
Organic Raw Broccoli Florets
Organic Broccoli Slaw which includes Broccoli, Carrots and Cabbage shredded
Sharp Cheddar Cheese that I cut into small cubes
1 baby beet, sliced
1 hard-boiled egg

I mixed all that into a bowl and drizzled on some flax seed oil and balsamic vinaigrette. The broccoli added a nice crunch while the beets were delectably sweet.

It was very good and my daughter was sitting on my lap eating the heck out of it, too. I love that she loves to eat all kinds of food, I hope that doesn’t change!

Well I guess this salad is pretty basic but I thought it was great and I wanted to share!

*Camala*