Heart Healthy Pancakes with Blackberry Reduction

I love breakfast and all the yummy food associated with it.  Last week, I got a wild hair and decided I wanted pancakes but I wanted to make them as healthy as possible while still keeping them tasty. I've tried using several different types of flour to make pancakes healthy but this has been the best variation that I have tried.  The blackberry reduction is sweet and pairs perfectly with the pancakes.  Try it at home and let me know what you think.

Ingredients for pancakes:

1 cup HeartSmart Bisquick

2-3 TBSP flax seed meal

2/3 cup skim milk 

Ingredients for blackberry reduction:

1 small container of blackberries (6 oz container)

2 TBSP sugar

1 tsp corn starch

Directions for pancakes:

1. Heat up a griddle on low to medium heat and put a little butter on it.

2. Mix flour, milk, & flax meal.

3. Using a ladle, place some batter in the middle of the griddle and spread out batter in a circular manner.

4. Once the pancake is done, the batter will start to bubble around the edges; when this happens, flip the cake and cook on the other side.

5.  Repeat until all of the batter is used up.

Directions for reduction:

1.  Heat a small pot over medium heat.

2.  Put all of the blackberries in the pot until they start to release the juices.

3.  Add the sugar and mix.

4.  In a separate bowl, mix the corn starch with some water until it is smooth without any lumps.

5.  Add corn starch mixture to the berries.

6.  Cook until desired consistency. 

7.  Place on top of the pancakes and enjoy! 

Black Bean Soup

School has been so crazy the past week and I really need something quick, easy and yum! This is the perfect solution, I make a batch of this soup and take it with me when I'm on the go. The beans are full of protein, so it keeps me really full and it's got loads of great veggies too! I eat this with tortilla chips, or some toasted flatbread and it's so good! If you don't like smoked paprika, switch it for cayenne pepper and if you don't like it too spicy use regular rotel!

Ingredients

- 2- 16oz black bean cans

- 1 rotel can (with habanero)

- 1/3 cup cilantro

- 1 cup tomato sauce

- 1 cup petite diced tomato

- 2/3 cup water/vegetable stock

- 2/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper

- 1/2 cup finely diced celery

- 1/2 cup finely diced carrot

- 2 TBSP vegetable oil

- 3/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp ground cumin

- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Directions

- Blend black beans (reserve 1 cup beans, set aside), rotel, tomato sauce and cilantro. Set aside

- In a large pot heat vegetable oil and sauté vegetables until tender about 5-7 minutes.

- Add blended mixture and 1 cup reserved whole black beans to vegetables and mix until well incorporated on medium-high heat.

- Add salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika to soup along with water/stock. Mix.

- Bring soup to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.

- Garnish with cilantro, sour cream and a little cheddar cheese

- Enjoy!

Serving size

- Serves 4 people

Tostada Florentine

All week long, I was contemplating on what to make for lunch today since I knew we were going to have a nice, heavy meal as we were headed to a super bowl party.  I knew I wanted something light yet filling just enough to hold me over till kickoff time.  After thinking about it for a bit, I had just the right dish.  This recipe is one that my mom actually came up with and was inspired by an old favorite spot around town.  I hope you enjoy it as much we do in our house!

Ingredients:

1 pack of Azteca Salad Shells (found at the local grocery store in the refrigerated isle by the cheeses)

Spinach Artichoke Dip (click here for recipe)

Handful of mozzarella cheese

Diced tomatoes

Jalapeños

Directions:

1. In a pizza tray, bake shells for 7 minutes at 350 degrees.

2. Pull out shell, flip over and bake for another 2 minutes.

3. Once the shell is golden brown pull it out of the oven and let it cool completely (about 2 minutes)

4. Once the shell has cooled, spread spinach & artichoke dip on top.

5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños top.

6. Bake at 350 until the cheese has melted completely (this will be just a couple of minutes so just keep an eye on it).  

7. Pull it out of the oven again and let cool for a couple more minutes so that the shell can be crunchy and hard again.

8. Enjoy while it's hot.

Pesto Caprese Penne

So a little background, Caprese is a dish that originated from the area Campania in Italy, and consists of four main ingredients: Mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. These main ingredients are a perfect combo for any Italian dish; pizza, pasta, sandwiches and anything else you can think of! This is a really minimal recipe guys! It's one of my favorites because it takes no time at all, and there are so few ingredients, mostly which are in the pantry/fridge! I use fresh mozzarella for this recipe, it really makes a difference vs. using regular shredded, and if you don't have any pesto on hand no worries! Just use some fresh basil and olive oil instead!

Ingredients

- 3 cups cooked penne (or any pasta you like)

- 1 cup cherry/grape tomato's halved

- 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella. cubed

- 1/4 cup basil pesto or 1/4 cup fresh basil

- 2 TBSP EVOO

- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnishing.

Directions

- In a deep saute pan or pot, combine cooked penne pasta and EVOO until hot.

- Add basil pesto and stir until penne is coated thoroughly with the pesto.

- Once the pasta is heated through, add mozzarella and cherry tomato's and stir.

- Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with more chopped basil.

Serving size: 3-4

Serving suggestions

- Serve immediately right out of the pan while the mozzarella is still ooey gooey!

"Killa" Queso!

Before I begin listing out the ingredients for this recipe, I will put this disclosure out there...this is not a healthy recipe but it's so good, it is hard to resist it.  This recipe is one of the signature items that my husband makes so well that it is the most requested item at any given pot luck, football party, or just a regular old get together with friends.  Right in time for the Super Bowl, this recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser!!!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (or any beans of your choice)

2 cans rotel 

A couple of fresh serrano or jalapeño peppers (deseeded)

1 big block of velveeta cheese

1 tsp - TBSP cumin powder

A handful of cilantro (chopped)

Juice of 1/2 of a lime

1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

1. Cut the Velveeta in cubes that are about an inch big cubes.

2. Place the Velveeta cubes in a crockpot and turn it on low.

3. In the mean time, chop the cilantro and mix it with the black beans & add the lime juice. 

4. Place the black beans in a bowl and pour the rotel on top but do not mix everything together.

5. Once the cheese has been melting for about an hour, scoop the top of the mixture (mainly just the tomatoes) and mix them with the cheese.  

6.  After the cheese is completely melted, add the remaining of the bean mixture (this is what my husband calls the "killa").

7.  Add the milk and stir. 

7.  Serve warn with chips and/ or tortillas. 

Zesty Guacamole!

Y'all I have been in India for the past two weeks, and even though I have had some really good food here, I am missing Tex-Mex like crazy! I have been craving chips and dip every other day, so this post is dedicated to a Mexican staple- Guacamole. I love avacados, they're full of yummy goodness and this Guac is so easy and so tasty! I can't wait to come home and make some of this! The lime and the zest make this dip so good, I usually put 2 limes in, but just in case, put one in first and see if you need more zing!

Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1/3- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 2 TBSP finely chopped jalapeno
- 2 TBSP finely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 small limes. squeezed and zested
- 1/4 TSP ground cumin
- salt to taste
- 1/4 TSP freshly ground black pepper

Directions
- Cut avocado in half and scoop out filling into a bowl.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and using a fork mash and mix thoroughly until a chunky dip forms. Add salt as needed.
- If serving at a later time, leave pits in the dip and seran wrap directly onto the dip so the guacamole doesn't oxidize.

Fennel Tea

Last month, Both my husband and I had the worse cold, sore throat, sinus infection, and just gunk that we just couldn't seem to shake off.  In a matter of a week, we went through 3 boxes of kleenex between the two of us! =( But more than anything else, my itchy, scratchy, & sore throat was what bothered me the most.  After talking to a friend of mine about it, she suggested I make this tea to soothe my throat and help it get back to normal.  After just drinking 2 cups of this little mix, my throat was no longer sore  or scratchy & back to normal in no time.  Since this is the time of the year when so many people come down with the common cold, I thought it was the perfect time to share this recipe with y'all bc it is truly a Godsend!  The picture below shows what raw fennel seeds look like as well as the tea itself.

Ingredients:
8 oz hot water
1 TBSP raw fennel seeds
Honey to taste (I used about 2 tsp)

Directions:
1.  Heat up 8 oz of water in the microwave for about 2 minutes on high heat.
2.  Once the water is done heating up, pull it out of the microwave and add fennel seeds.
3.  Add honey and stir.
4.  Cover with a dish or saucer and let it steep for about 5 minutes.
5.  Strain the tea into a clean cup.
6.  Enjoy!

P.S. You can either eat the fennel seeds or toss them.  Personally, I like the taste of them so I tend to eat them.