2013

Everything is going pretty well out here in CO. 68 and sunny two days ago (sorry midwesterners!). My 25th birthday was a week ago, we ate some awesome sushi in Denver and I got to see one of my best friends from back home (who is moving out here!). Also, as always, I've made some awesome food lately, I included two of my favorite quick ones.

My birthday presents from Fernando! Best husband ever award :)

Wedding planning is intense, 115 save the dates addressed, took forever.

I was so excited to see Lauren in Denver on my birthday!

First recipe is for another great baked oatmeal, this one I made up myself and I actually like it better than the apple cinnamon one in my last post! The second is an amazing black bean corn salsa that even my Mexican husband claimed was the best he's ever had!

Blueberry Peach Baked Oatmeal 

Take 1&1/2 cups whole wheat rolled oats (pretty inexpensive in grocery stores) mix with 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add in 1 cup diced peaches (I used canned), 1/2 cup dried blueberries (or fresh!), and 1/2 cup chopped peacans. Add 1 cup milk (I used almond milk to make it vegan & less calories) and mix well. Bake at 325 for 35mins

Black Bean Corn Salsa

 

9 oz frozen corn, thawed

1 tomato, chopped

1 small hass avocado, diced

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lime, juice of

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp cilantro

salt and fresh pepper

1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions: 

Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.

We served it with fish tacos, just grilled some tilapia filets with lemon juice, pepper, tejon seasoning, and garlic.

Food For Thought

As most of you know I cook a lot. I make most things from scratch because I've found that many preservatives used in processed food cause stomach issues for me (only took 23yrs to figure this out!). I usually share pictures of my creations (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) but I rarely share the recipes unless asked. So since we hiked at Garden of the Gods all day and I'm tired I've decided to do a food post, feel free to drool :) 

Garden of the Gods in Manitou Springs, Colorado

First up is possibly the BEST pizza I've ever had, and I've had some pretty good pizza! This recipe sounds complicated but it really isn't at all, and is definitely worth the work. One of our favorite recipes!

Pear Gorgonzola Grueyere Pizza with Crumbled Bacon and Pine Nuts!

This recipe was taken from a great healthy cooking blog titled The Realistic Nutritionist

My Photo

Photo from The Realistic Nutritionist

You'll Need:

1 8 inch whole wheat pizza crust (I used the premade dough from Whole Foods)

1 sliced (ripe!) Bosc pear

1 large medium onion chopped

2 pieces of maple bacon, crisped and crumbled (I used 4 pieces of Whole Foods think cut bacon from the deli)

3/4 cup of crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/2 cup of sliced grueyere cheese

1/4 cup  of chopped nuts (I used pine nuts but I would recommend slivered almonds)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper

cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly greese a pizza sheet with cooking spray

2. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until soft, brown and carmelized. In the same saucepan, cook bacon until crispy, set aside.

3. Spread onions over the crust, being sure to cover the entire crust

4. Spread 1/2 gorgonzola cheese mixture over the onions. Carefully slicing the pears, slice into thin pieces. Place the pears over the pie in a circular fashion. Place sliced greyere slices over the pears. Cover with rest of the gorgonzola, crumbled bacon bits, nuts and salt and pepper.

5. Toss a little bit more olive oil over the pie and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

6. Enjoy!

I go through breakfast phases where I eat the same thing everyday for weeks, sometimes even months. Oatmeal is almost always my winter phase, who doesn't love a nice warm bowl of baked oatmeal on a cold winter morning!? This recipe is super easy and cheap, also it keeps pretty well in the fridge for about two weeks! If you're in a dry, high altitude climate (like me) you may need to add a little extra milk/water. 

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

This recipe was taken from another great blog, Eat Yourself Skinny

My Photo

You'll Need: 

2 cups whole wheat rolled oats

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp chopped pecans

1/4 cup raisins

2 cups diced apples (I used Fuji)

3 eggs

2 cups fat-free milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend (I used 1/3 cup light brown sugar instead)

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Photo from Eat Yourself Skinny

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl filled with hot water, allow raisins to soak for about 5 minutes until nice and plump.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, baking powder and salt.  Stir in apples, pecans and raisins, then set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour over dry mixture and gently stir to combine.  Pour everything into greased dish and bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown.  Serve and enjoy!

Last is what I made for dinner last night, Mexican Lasagna! Now I take a risk anytime I make anything remotely Mexican, my husband is 100% Mexican, his parents are from Mexico and he is used to authentic food, but even he loved this! I strongly encourage you to make your own sauce, this homemade jalapeno chili sauce really makes this recipe.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe was created by me, originally derived from a vegetarian recipe

Not the best picture but I promise it tastes amazing!

You'll Need:

For Sauce: 

1 15oz can low sodium tomato sauce

2 (8oz) cans low sodium fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 white onion chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 jalapenos finely chopped with seeds removed

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

sea salt & ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

For Lasagna:

12 lasagna noodles cooked

1 package (15oz) ricotta cheese

2 cups pepper jack cheese

2 cups shredded pork (or chicken)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

Directions:

Sauce:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic, onion, and jalapenos until onions are tender, about 7 minutes.

Add remaining sauce ingredients, except salt, heat to boiling then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in salt.

Lasagna:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ricotta and pepper jack cheeses. Combine black and pinto beans. Spread 1.5 cups of the chili jalapeno sauce on bottom of a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan; top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spoon 1/3 of cheese mixture, bean mixture, and pork over noodles, top with 1 cup sauce. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with sauce on top.

Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. 

Serve and Enjoy!