Author Archives: rebekahbirch

Stir-Fry Pasta Recipe

Posted on by
Reply

I was inspired by a recipe that I found in the Better Homes & Gardens magazine.  While I have neither a home or a garden, I do love this magazine because it is cheap and elegant! This is a new favorite recipe of ours and it seriously hits the spot!

What I put in it:pasta ingredients

  • 6.5 oz whole grain spaghetti pasta
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • 12 oz asparagus cut into 2″ pieces
  • 3 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 cup mini heirloom tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 cup Kalamata olives roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 1/2 cup low fat/ fat free feta (optional)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

How I made it:

  • Boil large pot of water and cook pasta according to package instructions
  • Once water is boiling for the pasta, heat a large saute pan on High/Medium high.
  • Add 2 TB olive oil to the saute pan and once a few water droplets sizzle, add asparagus and cook for 2-3 min
  • Add tomatoes and garlic and saute for another minute
  • Add olives and basil and saute for 1-2 minutes or until pasta is cooked and drained
  • Place cooked & drained pasta back into the large pot with 1 TB olive oil and the saute pan contents, mix all the ingredients together and serve topped with feta cheese.pasta in bowl

This recipe is a great way to kick off Spring! Light and healthy!

Serves 4

About these ads

Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Posted on by
1

I love fries.  They are my guilty pleasure that I just can’t help it. Here is a pretty basic recipe for making a healthier alternative to the deep fried stuff.  I do not claim that these taste the same as those tossed into a deep fryer… but they are still pretty delicious!

What I put in it:

sweet potato fries

  • 4 small Sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into fry wedges
  • 2 TB Olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Cumin
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder

How I did it:

  • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fareheight
  • In a small bowl combine spices
  • In a large bowl mix the sweet potatoes in the olive oil, until lightly coated, then add spice mix and toss until evenly covered.sweet potato fries 2
  • Bake for 10 min, then open the oven to let the moister out.  5 minutes later, take out of the oven and turn them over and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked all the way through.

sweet potato fries 3These are best served fresh and hot!

Serves 2-4

Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe

Posted on by
Reply

We don’t eat a lot of creamy or cheesy sauces, but this simple mushroom cream sauce has been a big hit. It is best served hot over some tasty pasta with a fresh herb infused salad.  Think of this recipe as a healthier option to an alfredo sauce which uses much more cheese as well as heavy cream.

mushroom cream recipe 3

What I put in it:

  • 8 oz Mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 2 TB Butter or butter substitute
  • 1 1/3 cup Fat free milk
  • 1 TB flour (for thickening)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • Fresh ground pepper & salt to taste
  • Dash of nutmeg

How I made it:

  • In a medium size sauce pan melt butter, add mushrooms and garlic, cover and cook until mushrooms are cooked.
  • Slowly add milk, about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring continuously, bring mixture to a soft simmer, keep stirring!
  • When the milk starts to thicken add the flour and mix well. (I suggest sprinkling the flour in vs. just dumping it, it will help it incorporate with the milk easier)
  • When the sauce has thickened add the cheese, pepper and nutmeg, stir until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce.  If it seems too thick, you can add a little bit more milk.
  • Spoon onto cooked pasta and serve hot

mushroom cream recipe 2Yum!

Makes 4-6 servings depending on how much you put on your pasta.

Veggie Lasagna Recipe!

Posted on by
Reply

Every now and then I really want some great comfort food, lasagna is one of those tasty dinners that totally satisfies.  However, how to make it vegetarian and not 3000 calories a serving is the where the challenge is found.  My best effort was to use lower fat dairy products and cook the veggies in a non-stick pan, so no oil necessary!  It turned out so delicious that I didn’t even have time to take pictures!  When I make it again I’ll post some!

What I put in it:

  • 1/2 package No Boil Lasagna noodles (found them at Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 15 oz container fat free Ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup fat free Milk
  • 1 cup skim Mozzarella cheese shreds
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shreds
  • 1 24 oz jar Marinara sauce (I used a “classic & organic” jar)
  • 2 Zucchini squash sliced and cut in 1-2″ pieces
  • 2 Yellow squash sliced and cut in 1-2″ pieces
  • 4 oz Crimini mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cloves Garlic chopped
  • Fresh ground pepper

How I made it:

  • In a non-stick saute pan, toss together, zucchini and yellow squash with mushrooms and garlic until the veggies are all cooked.  You don’t want them to be too squishy, just not crunchy and raw anymore.
  • In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, milk, and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
  • Pre-heat oven for 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  • In a large baking dish spoon a thin layer of marinara sauce, place one layer of noodles, cover the noodles with a thin layer of the cheese mix, spoon veggies on top of the cheese and spread evenly.  Repeat! I had enough for 2 layers of veggies, but I added a third layer of noodles and covered them with the extra cheese and marinara sauce and topped the whole thing off with a mixture of the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shreds.
  • Let the dish sit for about 15 min then place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Serve hot!

DIY Christmas craft: Wall Decoration!

Posted on by
1

I’ve seen people making little Christmas trees out of driftwood sticks.  When I found some driftwood at a cool little crafty store in Portland, I knew I wanted to try something!

What you need:

  • Empty frame (I got mine for 50 cents from a thrift store)
  • Driftwood
  • Christmas ornaments (I got all 16 mini balls in the $1 section of Target)
  • Wire (available at any craft store)
  • S-hooks (available at any hardware store)
  • paint

What to do:

  • Put your s-hooks in the centers of the driftwood pieces and at the center top (I used a very small bit and a power drill to make little holes to screw them into)
  • Paint the frame and the hooks whatever color you want! I started with a light blue base coat and added some cream texture on top.
  • Using the wire attach the boards to each other and to the frame
  • Using wire create lines of ornaments in between the drift wood. (Or you could loop threat around each piece of wood to hang the ornaments from.
  • I ran out of wire and actually used a hot glue gun to attach the top two ornaments, but wire would have worked.
  • Hang up and enjoy! 

Homemade Applesauce

Posted on by
Reply

Applesauce is something that is just so classic and yummy you can’t help loving it. I use the slow cooker for apple sauce so that I can toss all the ingredients in before work, and come home to an apartment that smells like a fall candle has been burning all day!

Ingredients:

  • 6 apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 1-2 TB brown sugar
  • 2 TB homemade vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or you can just use cinnamon and nutmeg)

Directions:

  • Mix ingredients together, place in a slow cooker on Low for 6 hours.  My slow cooker automatically switches to “Warm” for another 4 hours after the timer has finished. I smash the apples up with a potato masher while they are still in the slow cooker and let them meld together for another 30 min to 1 hour on “warm.”

This recipe is so simple, and it makes a great healthy all natural apple sauce that is sure to please.

Maple Brussels Sprouts Recipe!

Posted on by
Reply

When I was a kid I refused to eat brussels sprouts.  I thought that the only thing grosser than eating cabbage was eating something that looked like a tiny cabbage.  I was also very afraid of different foods touching each other, but I’m trying to evolve my pallet.  I had some pretty yummy brussels sprouts at a tasty little eatery here in Portland, Tasty n Sons, so when I saw giant stalks of brussels sprouts at Trader Joe’s I thought, why not try making these tiny little taste good.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup wine (I’ve used red or white)
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
  • 2 TB real maple syrup
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • Brussels sprouts sliced in half

Directions:

  • Whisk together wine, oil, Sriracha, and maple syrup.
  • In a saute pan reduce the mixture over medium with the onions.
  • Add brussels sprouts sliced side down and cook for 15 minutes.  
  • Serve hot.

Makes a very satisfying leafy green side dish for any dinner! 

Fall 3: Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

Gallery

Posted on by
pumpkin risotto 1

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Typically risotto is cooked using a short grain or arborio rice.  The starch in the rice cooked slowly in broth gives it a very creamy texture.  So technically, this isn’t really a true by the Italian bible risotto, since I … Continue reading →

Fall 2: Mini Pumpkin Pies!

Posted on by
Reply

I couldn’t help myself, I just love pumpkin!  Nothing feels like Fall like pumpkin pie! I love making more manageable desserts like mini pies and cookies, I made mini apple pies last Fall almost every other week, so this fall I wanted to add an addition to my mini pie resume!

I was inspired by Bakerella’s mini pumpkin pie recipe, but I added a few twists to snaz it up a bit.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 rolled pie crusts
  • 1 can organic pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 TB brown sugar
  • 8oz low fat cream cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 TB melted butter

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Combine sugar, vanilla, spice, and cream cheese until smooth
  • Add ginger, egg, and pumpkin until smooth.
  • Cut out circles in the pie crust and press into a mini muffin tin, spoon in the filling. (This recipe makes about 32 mini pies.)
  • Cut out fun fall shapes like leaves and owls in the pie crust and place on top of your pies. I found some really cute mini cookie cutters at Costplus World Market.
  • Brush the tops of the pies and edges of crust with melted butter
  • Bake for 12-17 minutes.  Check your pies every few minutes after 12, you want them to be slightly brown and crispy on the top.  The main thing is you want the crust to be fully cooked.

Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream! These are great for a party or just for your family!  They keep really well in the refrigerator.

Fall 1: Give Thanks banner and Decor!

Posted on by
2

Decorating doesn’t have to be super expensive!  Use pumpkins and squashes that you can also use in cooking, like a pumpkin pie pumpkin and a butternut squash.  Add some flare with smaller pumpkins that are pretty and cheaper.  I also prefer to buy smaller candles that will just last one season, so that I can pick out a fun new scent the next year without having a huge candle graveyard! 

I’ve been seeing lots of DIY banners and decided to make my own out of fabric and recycled brown paper grocery bags!

What you need:

  • 2 brown paper grocery bags
  • Printer paper
  • A computer & printer (or alphabet stencil)
  • Several different colors of fabric (I used quilting fabric)
  • Scissors
  • String
  • A stick (or a fireplace mantle)
  • Thread

Step 1: print out or trace letters onto printer paper, cut out and pin onto fabric, cut out fabric into letter shapes, pin onto fabric rectangles.Step 2: gather some leaves from outside, trace them onto printer paper, pin the paper to fabric, cut out leaf shapes.Step 3: Sew the letters to their rectangle pieces. Cut out brown paper bags so that they are the same shape as your letter rectangles and leaves. Sew your leaves to the brown paper where they would naturally have a stem, and sew the letter rectangles to the brown paper on the top and bottom.

Step 4: Hang! Use string and thread to hang your banner and leaves in a fun creative way!  I used an old stick to support mine!