Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Happy Monday guys! Hope everyone had an amazing weekend! I can't believe we are in November already, time is flying! This weeks recipe is super simple and easy and can be eaten with any meal. I actually make this as a side for Thanksgiving dinner or it can even be eaten with breakfast or a healthy snack. It doesn't matter what herbs you have on hand, it always turns out great. I've tried it with cilantro, rosemary & thyme, parsley...the possibilities are endless! Try this out at your next brunch or dinner and it won't disappoint!

Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 TBSP freshly chopped herbs (whatever you have on hand)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a medium bowl, coat cherry tomatoes with olive oil and mix in herbs until evenly distributed.
- Place cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkly generously with salt and freshly ground black    pepper. Roast for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool completely before serving.

Serving size- 4-6 servings

Very Versatile Black Beans

Hello friends and Happy Sunday to you! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are enjoying the beautiful fall weather as much as I have.  Today's post is for a recipe that seems to have become a staple in my home as of late. It's based on an episode of 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray that I saw almost 10 years ago, which makes me think, geez, time flies by! Anyway, it's pretty tasty, healthy, quick, and easy to make, which is why I love it so much.  Without further adieu, here's the recipe for Spicy Black Beans.

Ingredients:
1 jalapeño, seeded & chopped or 1 pickled hot pepper of any kind
1 can (15 oz) black beans
2 tsp hot sauce
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Heat a small skillet over medium heat.
2.  Add EVOO, turn the pan quickly to spread the EVOO, & chopped jalapeño.
3.  After washing and draining the black beans,  add half of them to the pan, & mash with a fork or masher.
4.  Add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, cumin powder, salt & pepper to the beans and mix.
5.  Add the remaining beans to the mashed bean mixture and stir.  Stir in a bit of water if the mixture is too thick.
6.  Enjoy in tacos, Mexican pizza, nachos, or whatever your heart desires. =)

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Hello friends & Happy Tuesday to you! This past weekend was a very special one for us.  For those of you who may not know, Krishma, my other partner in crime, GOT MARRIED - whoo hooo! She made a lovely bride and the festivities lasted over 3 days with friends and family showering the beautiful bride with love & affection.  A special congrats to Krishma & Amrish, her hubby on their nuptials!!!

One of the highlights from this weekend, other than the wedding of course, was the weather.  I am simply LOVING the cooler temps we've been having around here.  Which leads to me to this week's recipe, which is perfect for the upcoming months...Pumpkin Spice Pancakes.  I make these all winter long and let me tell you, there has yet to be leftovers.  Make 'em at home soon and I promise, you will love them.

Ingredients:
2 cups heart healthy Bisquick
1 cup skim milk
1/4-1/2 cup quick cooking oats (depending on how much you want in there)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 - 1 tsp pumpkin spice powder (taste batter to see if you like the amount of pumpkin in there)

Directions:
1.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until everything is combined really well.
2.  Add additional milk until the batter is at desired consistency.
3.  Heat a skillet or griddle on medium to low heat & spray with a little pam or butter.
4.  Pour batter and cook until edges start to bubble.
5.  Flip pancake and cook on the other side for about 2-3 minutes.
6.  You will know pancakes are done when both sides are golden brown.
7.  Enjoy with pure Maple Syrup.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Y'all know one of my favorite things to do is baking and one of my go to recipes is old fashioned chocolate cake! This is a great base recipe for cake, cupcakes and even layered desserts. I use buttermilk to keep the cake moist and ground flax seed meal as a binding agent. Try this recipe at your next dinner or get together and it will definitely be a hit!

Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal mixed with 3 TBSP hot water
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 TSP baking powder
- 1 TSP baking soda

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Mix liquid ingredients in a bowl with flax seed mixture, white and brown sugar. Mix until sugar is almost dissolved.
- Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl and slowly combine liquid mixture. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth mixture forms.
- Pour cake batter into cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
- Frost with butter cream or fudge frosting.

Island Inspired Coffee

Happy Tuesday friends! I hope y'all are enjoying this switch over to the fall-ish weather as much as I am on this first day of autumn.  It's so nice not to hit 100 degrees but let's be honest, it is Texas so you know, it still gets pretty warm during the day; which is why today's recipe is perfect & hits the spot during the afternoon hours.

My husband and I recently went on a vacation to Hawaii & I have been feeling very island-y since.  Hawaii is known for various things but one of the things it is renowned for is Kona Coffee.  During our stay on the island of Oahu, my husband and I found this lovely coffee shop called Island Vintage Coffee, where I had THE best coconut & coffee blended drink. EVER.  Needless to say, because I didn't want my vacation to end, I decided to bring back as much of the islands as I could & purchased a Kona Coffee mix from there in an effort to recreate this heavenly drink.  Below is my rendition of this island treasure.  I hope you do try it at home and enjoy it as much as my husband (who is not a fan of coffee btw but requests this drink daily) and I do.  It is a MUST try at home & trust me, you will be glad you did!

Ingredients:
5 TBSP Kona Mocha Mix* (found here)
5 oz coconut milk
12 oz crushed ice
1-2 pumps coconut syrup (optional)
whipped cream (optional)
toasted coconut flakes (optional for garnish)

Directions:
1.  In a blender, place crushed ice, coconut milk, & Kona mix
2.  Blend on medium to high speed until everything has been thoroughly mixed and blended.
3.  Enjoy!

*Directions on the Kona coffee mix state to use 8 TBSP of powder, which you can, but you will quickly discover that the mix will disappear a lot sooner if you do.  I played around with the recipe and found that adding 5 TBSP of the mix in place of the 8 is equally as good.  You can also use a combination of an instant coffee/sugar mixture if you don't want to purchase the Mocha Mix.

Peanut Butter Energy Bites!

Things have been so hectic lately, and when that happens these little energy bites are the perfect snack to take with you! They are full of yummy goodness: peanut butter, cranberries, oats and walnuts! The protein keeps you full and gives you a boost of energy, the oats and walnuts give it a really nice texture also! Feel free to add or take out your favorite nuts or dried fruit and even add a handful of dark chocolate chips. If you have time you can shape them into balls or even just set them in a non stick tray and cut out small bars, whatever works for you!

Ingredients
1.25 cups oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup finely chopped or ground walnuts 
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins
2/3 cup shredded coconut - unsweetened 

Directions
- Mix together well. 5 minutes with the paddle attachment in the kitchenaid makes it easy
- Refrigerate 15 minutes
- The using a small cookie scooper scoop out, squeeze/condense in your hand and the roll into balls. This is the most time consuming step. Next time I may press the mix into a container it pan - chill and then cut little pieces or shape into 1" balls.
- Refrigerate

Serving size 3-4 bites (makes approximately 30 bites)

Thick & Chunky Marinara Sauce

Happy Thursday everyone! Hope every is having a fantastic week.  Today's recipe is one that I recently made on a whim to go along with some home made cheese sticks and let me just say, it ended up being a hit - yeay! This recipe is great with cheese bread, pizza, pasta, cheese sticks, and the list goes on and on.  Do try it at home and I hope it is enjoyed at your home as much as it is at mine.

Ingredients:
3-4 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 stalk celery
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP dried basil (or 2 TBSP fresh basil)
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can whole roma tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt (or more depending on taste)
fresh ground pepper

Directions:
1.  In a heavy-bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven, heat EVOO over medium to low heat.
2.  Add celery, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes.  Tip: when working with dried herbs, be sure to rub them in the palm of your hands before adding them to anything as it releases the flavors.
3.  Add in tomato paste and stir for about 3 minutes.
4.  Add in the roma tomatoes with the juice; and using an emerson blender, push down on tomatoes so that they are broken in chunks but not completely smooth.  If you don't have an emerson blender, you can use a fork to break up the tomatoes into big chunks.
5.  Add balsamic vinegar and simmer the sauce uncovered over low heat for 1-2 hours.
6.  Season with salt, pepper, and add sugar.
7.  Enjoy!

This sauce is best made a day ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to really meld.