Parmesan Roasted Asparagus and My Easter Dinner Table

The best side dish, ever. The recipe is below, but read on to see what else will be on my table this holiday.

Orange Baked Ham

photo via tragergrills.com Please note. This picture is not of the real ham I'm making. Click the link above for that. Food Network wouldn't let me use their image, so you get this one. Keeping it real since 1981.

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus- Recipe down below

Whole Wheat Biscuits with butter and honey

photo via Sarah's Cucina Bella

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

I use Smitten Kitchen's roasting technique (link above), but I'll brush mine with a little ginger syrup first, and use different spices. I like smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, Kosher salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, thyme, dry mustard, smokehouse maple or cajun seasoning, and cumin for starters. :) They are awesome.

Butter Leaf Lettuce with Chive Vinaigrette- Recipe coming soon!

Strawberry Shortcake

We cheat and use Bisquick, which if you know me, is somewhat shocking. But my husband loves the biscuit Bisquick makes and so we use it, which is also somewhat shocking.

If you are looking for a great asparagus side dish this Easter, try this roasted Parmesan style. I rarely make it any other way.

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Family Style by Ina Garten

serves 6

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use about 1/4 cup, if that)

2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. I usually give them a toss to ensure they coat every piece. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa Bowl

Happy Friday everyone! I'm just popping in to bring an oldie but goodie recipe back in the spotlight. You could say, I adore this meal. It's one of my favorites, and so easy!

Recipe Here: Rice, Black Bean and Mango Salsa Bowl

Now, I'm off to do all those things I've been avoiding all week before the weekend. Happy Easter!

Mason Jar (Make Ahead) Salads

It's Wednesday! Well, I'm actually writing this post on Tuesday night in preparation for tomorrow, so I guess you could say I'm a big fat liar. I'm also really honest, which is why I confessed. Ask my friends- I can't lie. I do weird facial contortions, my mind goes blank, I say stupid non-sensical crap and slap them together into sentences in attempt to fumble my way out. I find it best to just tell the truth. Sometimes I lie on accident. It's quite funny, because I'll usually realize the truth mid-sentence, and then I have a silent conversation in my head that goes something like this:

Should I backpedal now and explain the whole truth? Explain why I didn't realize it until now, and how it was all just a misunderstanding? Is it even important? Maybe it's just better if I don't say anything. Yeah, I won't say anything. But, I'm stumbling over my words as we speak because I'm trying to think and talk at the same time. Oh, there goes the facial contortions. Better fess up now. Shoot.

Phew- Now that we have that confession out of the way let's move on to the good newsflash I have for you. Mason Jar Salads.

I'm sure you have seen these floating around on Pinterest. These salads are make ahead concoctions for a quick lunch that packs well to the office, or that you can grab out of the fridge anytime. The salads are layered, which means dressing on the bottom, hearty vegetables or beans that can stand up to the dressing on top of that, followed by all your other ingredients, and ending with the lettuce so it stays crisp and fresh on top. Sounds fantastic right?

Here are the things I've found helpful in preparing your jars:

1) Pack ingredients in pretty well. You don't want a lot of extra space in the jar where condensation from wetter ingredients (mandarin oranges, etc) can build up, plus you want to fit as much lettuce in as you possibly can.

2) Pack common toppers like almond slices, blue cheese crumbles, sunflower seeds, and the like in a seperate to-go baggie. This might seem like a pain and you don't have to do it, but for the nuts to remain crunchy you need to add them in fresh, and blue cheese will stink your jar up. Still, these things should be fine after a day or two in your jars if only kept that long.

3) If you won't be at home when you eat your salad, make sure to pack a fork and a bowl or big tupperware container to toss your salad in before eating.

4) Plan to make your salads filling, or they won't take you till snack time.

I feel so accomplished after I've made these little beauties and have them waiting in our fridge for the upcoming week.

Although Mason Jar Salads can be made up of whatever your little heart desires, here are the three I tried and had great success with.

Asian Salad

Dressing: Annie's shiitake sesame vinaigrette

Shredded carrots

diced cucumbers

sprouts

red bell pepper, diced

mandarin oranges (patted dry)

edamame

mixed baby greens

sesame seeds

(If I had marinated super firm tofu like my local health food store makes, I'd add that too)

Field Berry Salad

Dressing: Red wine vinegar

shredded carrots

red onion, sliced thinly

blueberries

mandarin oranges

sliced almonds, roasted honey flavor

blue cheese (add on the very top)

arugula

The Salad Bar

Dressing: Chunky Blue Cheese or Italian

diced cucumber

sliced beets

sprouts

broccoli florets (best if used before day three)

kidney beans (dry off well, and best used before day three)

marinated artichoke hearts

sprinkle of salt and pepper

Romaine lettuce, chopped

sunflower seeds (bring along instead of putting in your jar, unless eating the next day)

Remember, Dressing on the bottom, lettuce on the top.

All the blog's I've read say these should last for five days in the fridge. I say more like three for optimal quality. Still, that's pretty cool. The lettuce really does stay crisp and fresh, even on day five, but the other ingredients start to go downhill after day three and four.

What combinations are you most excited to try? Any salad suggestions for me on my next go around?

Delicious Vegetable Juices and Tonics

We had a juicing party at Kel's house a few weeks ago. Straight up. It was unintended. She and I planned to get together to try out a couple different vegetable combinations in her juicer to see if we couldn't come up with some winners. Becca called right as we were getting started and happened to be out and about. The thought of juicing was all too tempting (seriously) so she came by. Next, Kel's cousin, Rachel, joined us and before you know it, we had ourselves a juicing party. And I'm not kidding, it was the most fun I'd had in a while.

We had a cornucopia of vegetables to choose from is it just me or can you not read the word "cornucopia" without thinking of The Hunger Games? That and "arena"...I digress. which gave the ability to make multiple juices. Behold:

I was so full of energy and giddy after drinking these juices, I might have shoved the camera into Kel's hand and demanded she take a picture of me, citing that I had to make an appearance of my blog once in a while. I mean, sheesh.

We drank and laughed and juiced for more than an hour. We laughed mostly from a story Becca told us about a girls trip to Austin, TX where she clogged the toilet in a Vietnamese nail salon and had to fess up to the owners, who all exploded in angry chatter in their native language about the incident, while plunging. Later that night while at an improv show, they asked the audience if anyone had a funny story to share so they could act it out. Becca's friend told the improv people the story, and they proceeded to act out the funniest skit revolving around the now infamous poop. And now - I just used the word "poop" in a food blog. I've failed you, haven't I? Let's move on. The story was much funnier in person. I'll save you the part where, when instructing Kel on how to wash the beet greens, I actually said "Kel, wash them more, you seriously have to douche them". She immediately crumbled in laughter over the sink shouting "did you really just use the word 'douche'?!?" I laughed so hard, and might have kept it up if I didn't have to leave the room to pee from all the juice I had ingested. See how I didn't actually spare you that story? And now we can take the potty talk count for the food post up to two. Epic fail.

These, my friends, were the winner combinations from our juicing party

Cucumber Lemon and Kale

serves 1

Taste: Refreshing and yummy despite it's dark green color. How else can you consume a whole head of kale and really love it. I'd drink this one all day long. It was my favorite.

1 whole head of kale, stems and all, washed throughly

2 cucumbers, un-peeled

1/2-1 lemon, skin and all (Becca and I like a whole lemon, but Kel preferred half)

Run all through a juicer and drink immediately

Beet Carrot Mint Juice

serves 1

Taste: Sweet and fresh. Add more lime or mint to taste but we think we hit the flavor combination on the head with this one. This is adapted from this post and I think this version is even better.

5 medium carrots

1 medium beet, peeled (Or not peeled. Depends on your preference)

1/2 bunch container of mint, stems and all (about 6-7 sprigs)

1/2 a lime, skin and all

1 green apple, skin and all

Run all through a juicer starting with the mint (so the other vegetables push every last drop of the juice out) and drink immediately.

Citrus Beet Juice

serves 1

Taste: mild and sweet with a beautiful color, not unlike and Arizona sunset. I liked this one better with ice.

1 green apple

2-3 large carrots

1/2 lime, skin and all

1 orange, skin and all

1 medium sized golden beet

Run all through a juicer and drink immediately.

Cucumber Tonic

serves 1

Taste: fresh. This is a lot thinner and more clear than the other juices and all thought we would ideally like to sit by the pool while sipping it. It reminds me of Summer. Becca recommends adding a pinch of sea salt to the finished product. It was good as long as you like cucumber.

2 cucumber

1 stalk celery

1/2 lemon, skin and all

4 sprigs of mint, stems and all

Run all through a juicer starting with the mint (so the other vegetables can help coax all the juice into your glass)

Beet Greens and Lemon Juice

serves 1

Taste: Considering we juiced two bunches of beet greens with beets, I'm surprised it tasted this good. The color is dirty and it doesn't have much "glass appeal" but I promise it tasted better than it looks. It was pretty lemony. Becca and I liked this one and were pleased to use the whole beet, since we bought beets with their greens still attached. Kel was on the fence about the taste. Again, adding a pinch of sea salt to your glass would be a good addition here. The kids actually really liked this one. Go figure!

2 bunches beet greens from the tops of beets (we used red and golden)

1/2 a lemon, skin and all

1/2 a celery stalk

Pinch of sea salt, if you are so inclined

Run all (except salt) through the juicer and drink immediately

See? I wasn't lying! The kids loved it.

You want to drink vegetable juices as soon as they are juiced or within a half hour or so for maximum benefits. It's not recommended to keep juices in the fridge to drink the next day. Make them each fresh. Also, I have talked about the importance of getting the whole fruit or vegetable into your body before, by preferring smoothies over juices so that you get all the roughage and fiber that help our bodies break down and store everything better. However, I like vegetable juicing because you can still get many of the antioxidant benefits from juice. I don't like juicing fruits (unless it's a small flavor enhancer) because you essentially strip all the fiber away and what you have left is sugar. I am comfortable with a little fruit to make the vegetables taste better if that's how you can get them down, which is why you'll see some in the recipes above. It's worth noting that green apples contain a lot less sugar that other varieties, which is why I favor them here.

Rainbow Snack Tray

Ready to rev up snacking?

step 1: Fill a muffin tin with assorted healthy snacks

step2: Challenge yourself (or your kids) to eat all of it through the day

This tip is a life changer. I do this for myself when I feel I'm in need of more fruits and veggies in my day. I do this for my kids regularly. Is it just me or are kids in general absolutely crazy for snacks these days? Put food out and kids that were enthusiastically playing whatever (that was previously so engaging that when you yelled their name to try and get their attention it was as if you were not there) come flocking to the table in hoards to eat a snack. I find it a little weird. Kids are weird. Snack time is a lot easier with this method becuase there is no "snack time"-they just graze all day whenever they want. And since I don't fill the tray with anything to terribly filling, they are still are hungry for meal times.

Try filing the cups with as many colors of the rainbow as you can (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink). Kids and even adults are drawn to colors. The more the better.

Some ideas:

red: strawberries, red bell pepper strips, radishes, cherries, apple slices, cherry tomatoes, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, kidney beans (um, yeah, my kids like plain beans sometimes-what?)

orange: mango, papaya, orange segments, cantaloupe, mini carrots, dried apricot, roasted sweet potato wedges or butternut squash

yellow: mango strips, golden raisins, yellow bell pepper strips, star fruit, pineapple, peaches, spaghetti squash

green: edamame, cucumber slices, sugar snap peas, pistachios, kiwi, honeydew, broccoli, peas, celery sticks

blue and purple: blueberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, purple cauliflower

pink: watermelon chunks, guava chunks, pink grapefruit

miscellaneous: mixed nuts and seeds, vegetable chips, whole grain pita chips with hummus for dipping, pickled vegetables, hard boiled egg halves, kale chips, olives, roasted and seasoned chick peas.

Be creative. Think outside the box. I once filled a tin with only mint leaves. They are yummy, refreshing and nutritious. And sometimes, I get crazy and freeze the fruit I put in my tins. I love frozen grapes and kiwi chunks.

I should say that I didn't come up with this. I totally stole it from some Juice Plus video I saw years ago.

Three Ingredient Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Ice cream from whipped cream, seven minutes, no ice cream maker required. That's my kind of trick. I have a history of failed ice cream attempts. I think I tried to make basic vanilla ten times last year, each batch worse than the last. I never knew you could screw up ice cream so badly given the ingredients. Thank goodness I found this version! If any of you have a great basic -or not- ice cream recipe, do share in the comments!

I have a love for fresh fruit ice cream. I made strawberry because the berries were ripe, on sale and looked great, but I am dying to try this with peaches. Peaches and cream? Come on!

I have to say how pleasantly pleased I am at how this ice cream turned out. Since you start with whipped cream as your base, you already have nice volume and air throughout, which is why you don't need to run it through an ice cream maker before freezing. Then, when you scoop it out once frozen, you get the same feathery effect you would get with real ice cream. It's pretty genius, I must say.

The sweetened condensed milk gives it the perfect amount of sweetness and the fresh fruit cuts the richness of the cream. I wouldn't necessarily recommend leaving the fruit out, like in case you wanted straight up vanilla ice cream. You could, in theory, add a vanilla bean and leave the fruit out and you would get vanilla ice cream. But, I think this base might be a tad too rich for that. Don't get me wrong, it would taste delicious, I just don't know how much you could eat in a sitting. To me, adding the fruit is key. Just make sure you cut it small enough for scooping. Fruit freezes, you know.

Three Ingredient Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

adapted from Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body

makes about 5 cups

1 pint heavy whipping cream (2 cups)

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped small (or another fruit of your choice) I used a bit more

Whip cream just until soft peaks stage (about 2 minutes). Add in the sweetened condensed milk, and continue to whip for another minute. Fold the chopped strawberries into the whipped cream, pour into containers with lids and freeze.

I had wanted to try this with coconut milk whipped cream in attempt to make this a little better for the body, but the brand of coconut milk I bought didn't separate in the refrigerator so I couldn't make whipped cream from it. If any of you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

A new family favorite has been born. I give you, the ingenious chickpea taco. My family is over the moon with this new dinner. The best way to describe is to explain how you make it. Imagine coating naked little chickpeas in a paste made from onion powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and fresh lime juice and then baking. In the process, the liquid evaporates and leaves with chickpeas coated in a zesty, limey, savory coating. Pair it with some warm, sauteed red bell pepper and onion, then top with cool, crunchy and creamy ingredients like cilantro, avocado, lettuce and non-fat greek yogurt, then wrap it all up in a soft tortilla with maybe a squirt more of lime and prepare to be amazed. The toppings are just as important as the chickpeas themselves, so make sure you get all of them for maximum enjoyment. This means don't skip steps or leave things out. Your work will be rewarded. We use Greek yogurt to substitute for sour cream, and it works much better in this recipe because it's less overpowering and compliments these flavors nicely.

Before baking:

After baking:

Aside from our chickpea taco utopia, we have been getting excited about moving into our new house! Well, we actually are a way off still (we are crossing our fingers for the end of April). But paint went in, trim and tile is done and were gearing up for cabinets so it feels close. A few weeks (um, now that I think about it, it might have been a few months) ago I walked through and wrote quite a few bible verses on the studs and framing. I picked specific verses for each room. More than a couple Psalms regarding "sound sleep" might have made their way into Olivia's room ;)

I promise to give you all a full tour once we move in.

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

serves 6

adapted from Keep Calm And Carry On

8 teaspoons chili powder, plus more for seasoning the onions and peppers

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

6 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more for seasoning the onions and peppers

4 teaspoons sea salt

4 tablespoon fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons water

4 (15 oz.) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 red bell peppers, diced

Toppings:Soft or hard taco shells (I used Ezekiel tortillas)

Diced tomatoes (optional)

Avocado slices

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Lettuce

Fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

To roast the chickpeas: preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or coated in oil, then pour the lime juice and spices paste over them, and toss to coat. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are slightly crispy. (Because I cooked so many chickpeas on my baking sheet, my peas never got crispy, but they were still warm and tender. If you really like them crispy, use two baking sheets and make sure your chickpeas are not crowded.)

While the chickpeas are roasting, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Season with a pinch of salt and a dusting of chili powder and cumin.

To serve, spoon roasted chickpeas and sauteed vegetable mixture evenly down the taco shell and garnish with lettuce, cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges, tomatoes (if using) and Greek yogurt. Serve!