Miso-Maple glazed Sweet Potato Tacos with Cilantro-lime sauce

My goodness gracious what a mouthful that was!  So, recently I was perusing Pinterest, and amazing place for people like me, or anyone really, they have everything there.  I was looking in my favorite section, the food section and I saw these tacos.  After exploring my pantry and fridge I found that I  had most the things that I needed to make them except for a few items I could easily pick up on my drive home from my classes.  This dish is full of favor and very low calorie. It is what I like to call a Mexiasian taco!  I urge you to try this in all of its deliciousness!  Seriously, it was tasted great enough my dad didn't even notice there was no meat!

When I made this there was enough to make nine tacos

What You Need

Corn Tortillas, estimate 2 to 3 tacos a person

The Glaze
2 TBS white Miso Paste
2 TBS Maple Syrup
2 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar
1 TBS red pepper flakes
5 Small Sweet potatoes, diced into one inch cubes
1 red onion sliced 1/4 inch thick
Olive Oil

The Sauce
1/2 bunch of Cilatro without the stems
3 scallions, chopped
1 lime ( the zest and half the juice)
3 small garlic cloves
1 tsp Siracha

Garnish (addition toppings) for Tacos 
Cilantro
Scallions, diced
pine nuts
Savory cabbage 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Wisk together miso paste, maple syrup, rice  vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
3. Place potatoes and onion in a shallow baking dish and gently drizzle olive oil over it. (I suggest two different dishes)
4. Brush glaze over potatoes and onions.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, keeping a close eye on onions. If they cook to fast take them out early.
6.  In a blender  add all the sauce ingredients and mix for five seconds

When potatoes are done I recommend heating tortillas on stove,  Then place potatoes and onion on tortilla, spoon on some on some sauce, and place the toppings (garnishes)  you desire on top. 

Quinoa stuffed bell peppers

My goodness, it feels like forever since I had had the chance to cook or bake anything new. With school, work, church, and preparing foe my move to the university I will be attending in the fall my time has been limited, but I suppose that was a blessing in disguise. With the limited time I discovered a new dish that is easy to make and delicious. The best part is it can be changed up in different ways with whatever you have in the house to make an entirely different flare for a meal.  I made this one with a southwestern feel.

This makes enough for three servings, but if you have a large appetite, I recommend either doubling the recipe, or using this as a side or appetizer.

What You Will Need
 
3 Bell Peppers (Any color will work really)
1/2 cup Quinoa
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS red pepper flakes
1 can black beans
1 4oz can jalapenos
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 TBS cooking oil of any kind
Pepper jack cheese, as much or as little as you like
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F

2.  Simmer the Quinoa in water for twenty minutes or until tender. Drain the remaining water out.

3. Stir chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes, and cumin to quinoa.

4.   Heat oil in a medium sized frying pan and saute onions and jalapenos, when the onions are tender add them and the jalapenos to the quinoa.

5. Drain and cook the black beans over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, then add to quinoa. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove seeds before filling each with the Quinoa mixture.

7. Fill a pan with one inch of water and place Bell peppers in standing up.

8. Cook for five minutes, add cheese and put back in oven until the cheese melts. 
 

I hope you try this dish and enjoy it as much as I did!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

So, when I initially started this blog I thought it would be full of all healthy  stuff, but that hasn't happened too often because I mainly bake and baking healthy is hard unless you use artificial sweeteners, which I am not a fan of, if you are, it is fine, but me, I don't like the after taste, but these are a step in the right direction, sort of.  These jalapeno poppers are baked rather than fried so that saves few hundred calories.  I made these for a new years party that I went to and everyone loved them . They have a kick to them, but how can they not when I make them? The heat, however, isn't too overpowering. I hope that you try them and love them.  They use wonton wrappers and before you go to four different stores like I did let me tell you wonton wrappers are not in the Asian food section! They are in the produce aisle near the tofu.

Oh and if you have friends like mine who are MAJOR spice wimps (Love you Sonya and Tobi)  I suggest switching the jalapenos for a half cup of bacon bits for bacon poppers!

Now here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy.

What you need.

1 package of wonton wrappers.
4oz  dice jalapenos (I used picked )
1  cup hot pepper blend shredded cheese.
8 oz cream cheese

How you make them.

1. preheat of to 375F
2. Combine jalapenos and cheeses. I recommend using a stand mixer or hand mixer to make it easier.
3.  Put a tablespoon of the mixture into the center of the wonton and wet the edges of the wonton  with a small amount of water and fold in half so it is in the shape of a triangle.
4. Bake 10-15 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

To start I have to say that pinterest is pretty awesome. I didn't do it for a while thinking it  as no different than any other of those media sites, but I checked it out after some urging from my amazing mother and I saw some pretty awesome stuff. I always like to look at the food stuff, and then I saw a picture of these apple cinnamon roll things, and I was drawn in! I tried making them and they turned out awesome! I highly recommend trying them! Oh and WARNING! THEY ARE STICKY!

Edit: I made these recently will bourbon soaked raisins and that made them even better!  So if you would like to do that add raisins that have been soaked in a third cup of bourbon for forty minutes.  Then have a cream cheese frosting with three tablespoon of reduced bourbon mixed in it.

What you need:

The Dough:

2 cups of milk (I used fat free)
1 packet active dry yeast.
2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
6 1/2 cups flour sifted (Plus a little more))
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter unsalted, at room temp.
Cooking Spray

The Filling:

2 cups peeled and thinly chopped apples. (I used granny smiths)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
 4 TBS cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter, unsalted
1/8 teaspoon salt

What You Do:

1. Preheat over to 350F 
2.  Start heating the milk  in a saucepan until it is 110 degrees
3.  Combine sugar and yeast and hot milk in a stand mixer
4.  Add salt and 2 1/2 cups flour to bowl  and mix for two minutes
5. Add eggs and 1/4 cup softened butter
6.  Add remaining flour half cup at a time. Wait until the previous  addition is fully incorporated before adding the next.
 7.  Remove from bowl or use dough hook and kneed for five minutes, or until it is smooth. Then put back and bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray, turn over dough once so it is thinly covered with the oil, ans cover with towel and leave to rise for 40+ minutes.

While it is rising!

8. Combines sugars and spices for filling and stir with apples
9. Roll out dough on flowered counter  top into a rectangle about 1/4 inch in thickness and brush with melted butter leave a 1/4 inch  boarder at the ends with no butter
10.  Add cinnamon apple mixture evenly over dough and roll up tight and cut into 24 even pieces and place in cupcake tin with liners.
11. Leave to rise 30 min and brush rest of butter over them
12. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until tops are golden

When they are done let them cool and then add glaze.  If you need a recipe try this one.

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs milk

1 Stir to combine.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Well not too long ago a friend of my moms gave her two massive zucchinis that he had grown, and we were not quite sure what to do with them. The first one we managed to use just by using in out sauteed veggies, but we wanted to get a little creative. After a little searching an a lot of pinterest we came up with the idea of a zucchini bread  with a lemon glaze. This thing went fast! It is great for breakfast or a late nigh snack. I hope you try it an like it as well.

What You Need:
The Bread
1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (I just used a cheese grater with the raw zucchini)
2 cups  flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tsp baking powder
1 eggs
 2 medium lemons
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup sugar

The Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon

What You Do:

The Bread
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. In a small bowl combine eggs and sugar, beat until combined
4. Add vegetable oil, buttermilk, the juice and zest of one lemon to the egg mixture and mix well.
5  Add the wet mixture to the dry  and mix together and then fold in zucchini.
6.  Pour in  to an 8x4 loaf pan and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife can be inserted in the middle and come out clean.
7. After bread cools pour on glaze.

The Glaze
 1. Combine juice of the lemon and powdered sugar and stir.
  
All that is left is to enjoy!


 

Baked Penne

A few days ago I went to a girl friend's of mine. At first I was only going to show her an idea I had for miniature chocolate cream pies, but then I thought, why not I will make dinner too!  So I did it! I made dinner for her, her husband, and their baby who is the most adorable, expressive baby, in the world!  Now this dish can be as nice or as complicated as you wish. You can make your own sauce or break out the prego, classico, or  your whatever favorite store bought spaghetti sauce is. I myself made my own and I have the concoction of spices I used below.  And just because I can I will dedicate this little recipe to the wonderful Sonya, Charley, and baby Arianna.

Oh and this serves 4 to six depending on how big a serving each person has. 

What You Need:

24 oz. spaghetti sauce (OR make the one I have below))
1 lb ground turkey (OR other meat))
3 cups penne pasta
1 cup cremini mushrooms sliced thin (opt.)
1 cup mozzarella (or more if you are a cheese lover)
2 TBS dried parsley ( 4 TBS fresh)

How to Make it

1. preheat over to 350F
2. Boil water in a large pot. Enough water so when past is added the water will be about an inch over the pasta while waiting for water to boil and pasta to be done add meat.
3. Cook meat in a ten inch pan until browned and then add the sauce to it.
4. combine Pasta and meat sauce.
5. Pour half pasta in a 9x9 dish.
6. layer the top with the mushrooms, and then cover with remaining pasta.
7. Top with Mozzarella and parsley and bake until cheese melts 

The Tomato sauce:

What you need


1 24 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 TBS Italian seasoning
2 TBS dried onions (You can use fresh if you want)
4 TBS Garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 black pepper
1 dash paprika
1 dash oregano
1 sash dried parsley
Oh and add about a TBS or two of water from the water the pasta boils in.

How to make it

1. Combine ingredients in sauce pan over medium heat and stir occasionally.  The longer you cook it the better the flavor of the sauce. I did mine about fifteen minutes because of how time went, but you can do your longer if you want.

Blubbering Blueberry Pie

Now why have I called this blubbering? I do not rightfully know....because you will cry it is so good maybe? I want to say yes, but really is because I just thought the name sounded cute.  Now I know this is two pies in a row, but when I found out my parents were going to my grandparents I decided I wanted to make my grandpa a pie. HE really likes pies, and at first I was going to make him a custard pie. The last time I made it he really liked it, but when I opened my fridge I found I had used the last of my eggs a couple days earlier when I made the banana cream pie.  So, I though a fruity pie, but then we had  only two apples, and no strawberries, but we did have a nice big bag of frozen blueberries! Now I would like to note you can use fresh berries in this pie. I just used frozen because it is what I had.

Here is what you will need:

The pastry for a two crust nine inch pie (NOT PREBAKED!)
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4  teaspoon  ground cinnimon
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
4 1/4 cup of blueberries (if frozen partially thawed )
1 TBS  butter(melted)

What you have to do:

1. Preheat oven to 425F and ling the bottom of your pie pan with half of the pastry.
2.  Combine sugar, flour, blueberries, cinnamon, lemon, and lemon zest.
3. Pour the berries into the prepared pie pan.
4: Lay the half of the pie pastry on top of the pie pan  and crimp the sides to the bottom and top pastries attach. C t slits into the top pastry.
5. Brush top of pie and corners with melted butter, then wrap edges in foil.
6. Bake  thirty minutes, then remove aluminum foil and bake  ten to fifteen minutes longer.

And here is the final product.