The chocolate croissant pudding was accidentally invented by Chef Roger Freedman, when instead of using fresh bread for his bread pudding; he tried out some previous night’s leftover chocolate croissants, and up came this indulgent, chocolaty, buttery and flaky delight.

The stale chocolate croissants used in this dish gives it a more flaky texture, while the chocolate just oozes out and spreads through the entire dish and binds the croissants together giving it a smooth and buttery taste and texture. The dish is prepared in a variety of techniques, which include the inventor’s technique of folding the pastries in chocolate custard and adding in some chopped milk chocolate and baking everything in a big dish.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tsp. of salted butter
• 1 1/4 Cups of sugar plus two tablespoons
• Eggs – 4
• 1 Tsp.each of cinnamon and vanilla extract
• 1 Cup whole milk
• 5 Tsp.of unsalted butter melted
• 5 Cups of stale (3-4 days old) croissants (cut into small squares)
• 5 Cups moist chocolate cake (cut into small squares)
• 2 bananas sliced
• 1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 Cup chopped pecans
• 3 Cups half and half
• 1/2 Cup shredded sweetened coconut
• Coconut pineapple ice cream or any ice cream you like and candy sugar sprinkles for garnishing

Method

1. The oven has to be preheated at 300 degrees F. Take a 9×13 inch baking dish and grease it entirely by the salted butter. Take the square shaped chocolate cake and croissants and arrange 2 1/2 cups of each of them neatly in the dish to get your first layer of the pudding.
2. Take the sliced bananas, pecans, chocolate chips and shredded coconuts and lay them on top of the first layer.
3. Take the remaining croissant and cake cubes and place them over this layer, topped by the bananas, chocolate chips, pecans and coconut, thus forming alternate layers.
4. Beat 1 1/4 cups of sugar with the eggs for 6 min in an electric mixer. Add to it the half and half, vanilla and almond extracts, the unsalted butter and further beat for a minute.
5. Pour this mixture over the croissant layers and ladle carefully. Push down on the croissant and cake cubes to soak them completely with the egg/half and half mixture. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of this whole mixture.
6. Place a water bath (about 15×10 inch) and fill it up to one inch in height with water. Keep the 9×13 inch baking dish into the water bath and place it in the oven for one hour. Take out the pudding when it’s ready and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  The croissants used are stale since they are more absorbing than fresh bread. While using the water bath, be sure that it goes halfway up the baking dish. While serving, cut the pudding in square pieces and serve. If the pudding can be stored overnight in a refrigerator just before serving bake for 10 minutes and serve warm.

The Chocolate Croissant Pudding is an absolute delicacy with a unique flavor of stale croissants and chocolate cakes, topped by coconut and chocolate chips. This dish is suitable to be served on special occasions like big family get together and supper.

The unique blend of different kind of textures and flavors make this dish a very special dish to woo your guests.

 About the author: Ellen Spencer is a blogger and writer. She is a health freak and very environmentally aware. These days she is busy in writing an article on Vegan diet. Beside this she loves reading. These days she is reading a lot about Teen depression as her brother is suffering from this.

Ellen, thank you for a very informative and delicious post.  This is one I will definitely try in the Zesty house.  I hope everyone has a good Friday and a nice weekend.  I will be back on Monday with an announcement.  Stay tuned.

Take care

zesty

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Hi All Happy Monday!  Funny story as to why I picked this post.  I am a little tight on time as a last minute trip to Vancouver sprung on me Friday evening with a sudden retrun trip from Vancouver came right after on Saturday morning.  I arrive home Saturday night to pack for my conference in Philadelphia starting on Sunday.  We are at Blue Bell PA staying at Normandy Farm.  Ever been?  It is quite nice so far.

There are about 9 of us who traveled together and as I was sitting on the plane I could hear one of my colleagues behind me asking his seat buddy this… Hey ever spend any time in Philadelphia?  My other buddy says ” No but I hear they make one heck of a cream cheese”

I turned around with a smile and said…. this is going on Zesty!  So as I am a little pressed on time – I wanted to share this post with you to get your taste buds grooving for the week.

Hey Zesty Cook readers, it’s Jenny over at Picky Palate.  I am thrilled to be guest posting here at Zesty’s!  At Picky Palate, I create simple family friendly meals and desserts for even those picky little eaters, come on over for a visit sometime

I am sharing one of my all time favorite sinful desserts today that I think you will love!  Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars.  I was even lucky enough to be featured on Bettycrocker.com with these bad boys!

The best part of this recipe is that it’s a breeze to whip up, the kids can help and you can find all of the ingredients at any grocery store.  Hope you all enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal, ground in food processor
• 1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 21 oz can apple pie filling
• 1 -  5 oz package Nature Valley Oats N’ Honey Crunchy Granola Bars (2 count), crushed (I use a rolling pin to crush them right in the bag before opening)
• 9 -  5 oz Kraft Caramels
• 1/2 Cup half and half

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine melted butter and ground cereal into a large bowl; press into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.  Crumble half of the cookie dough over partially baked crust.
4. Place cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a mixer; beat until smooth.  Pour over crumbled cookie dough layer.
5. Bake for 25 minutes then remove from over.  Top with 3/4 of the apple pie filling (I chose to just add part, but you can add the whole can if desired).
6. Next top with remaining cookie dough, breaking off into little pieces evenly over top.
7. Sprinkle with crushed granola bars and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center.
8. Let cool completely then cut into squares.
9. Melt caramels and half and half according to package directions.
10. Drizzle over each bar.
11. ENJOY!

Take care

zesty

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I just have to rehash this post and let you know that I made these burgers last Tuesday night at the Campground and they were a HUGE hit. One of our friends is not into meat so we whipped up a batch of these…. all I can say is WOW. You truly need to try these burgers on your own time. Thanks again to Cat at WellSavannah.com for adding yet another barbecue recipe to my “favorites” list.

Hey Yall! My name is Catherine, most call me Cat, from WellSavannah.com. I am a nutritional coach and I write a wellness and nutrition blog for West Rehab and Sports Medicine, with eight clinics located in the lovely Savannah, Georgia and surrounding area.

I am so honored to be a guest blogger on ZestyCook.com! Zest is the most talented blog designer that I know and I was happy to share one of my all-time favorite recipes while he is away. This week marks the beginning of Lent, which means that many of us choose to abstain from meat and dairy until Easter.

This recipe is perfect for that because it is totally vegan, meaning zero animal products. One thing this recipe does include is a hefty source of balanced protein, fiber, and good fats.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Quinoa (red is prettier, but any kind will do)
• Vegetable stock
• Onions/Garlic/Carrot/Celery/Leek (all optional but will only enhance wonderfulness)
• Sea salt & cayenne
• 1 Tbsp. paprika (smoked is best to get that “meaty” flavor)
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. coriander
• *just a dash* cinnamon (secret ingredient)
• 1 Cup chopped pecans
• 1 Cup organic ketchup
• 1 Can black beans (rinsed)
• 1/2 Cup panko breadcrumbs (you could sub: gluten free cracker crumbs)

Method

1. First, cook quinoa according to package directions (but cook in vegetable stock instead of water).
2. You may saute half of an onion, a couple cloves of garlic, carrot, celery, or leeks in extra virgin olive oil. This step is totally optional; I’ve made it both ways, and it’s wonderful. Just use what you have on hand.
3. After the quinoa has fully absorbed the stock and the germ is exposed, it should look like this:



4. Next step: add quinoa to your food processor and add all spices.





5. Then add ketchup and pecans and pulse.



6. Meanwhile, rinse those black beans.



7. Add half of those fiber-filled babies to the mixture and pulse again a few times.
8. Add your panko. Let it rest for 5 minutes and then stir in (with a wooden spoon) the rest of the black beans.



9. Check the consistency and taste! You may want to adjust spices here to your liking.
10. When you have it tasting how you want, form into baseball-sized balls and flatten into patties. (Sorry my hands were too messy to capture this process.)
11. Use a silpat or parchment, or grease your pan well! They have no fat so they will stick!



12. Preheat oven to 400 F and cook for 12 minutes. Flip carefully at around 6-8 minutes. Watch them closely because they have pecans and will brown quickly.
13. Tada! Here’s your marathon burger. Now all I need is some cilantro lime creme fraiche!

Notice that bite....I was hungry!

I grilled the bread too...but got the bun bottom/top mixed up. Ha!

Zesty Tip: My quinoa black bean burgers can be frozen easily and baked up without thawing, just make sure there is no extra air left in the freezer bag, This will also prevent you from buying those “other” frozen burgers and provide you with a burger that will win over even the most discriminatory burger eater.

I hope you enjoy my QBB burger and share it with your family and friends. We love to feed people in the South, why not surprise your dinner guests at the next cookout, with a burger that will tingle your taste buds and keep your waistline slim, and its heart healthy to boot.

Take care now and let us know how much you love this one!

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Happy Wednesday!  Time is winding down before the holidays and I have a very special post to share with you today.  Not only is it a cool recipe but the story behind the recipe and the life change of Andrew is what really is inspiring.  So have a read through the story and by all means take some time to visit www.raw-food-health.net to get more ideas for keeping your food simple.

After years of suffering through a nasty case of colitis, a disorder that left me with bleeding intestines, pain, and all kinds of problems in the bathroom, I discovered that if I stuck to a diet of only raw fruits and vegetables it disappeared like it was never there. This amazing improvement lead me to start www.raw-food-health.net to share with others that renewed vitality and health are only a dietary change away.

Yep, you heard me right, I only eat raw fruits and vegetables – bit staid for a cooking blog, eh?  Well I eat LOTs, of fruits and vegetables, volumes that would probably stagger the mind of most people. My nightly salad usually consists of 1-3 heads of lettuce or some other leafy green with other vegetables for fixings.But prior to going raw I was a salad dressing fiend. I could never eat greens without drenching them with some oil-based dressing.

As I became aware of just how much diet affects us mentally and physically, I decided to stay clear of high fat, processed dressings. This forced me to figure out how to make delicious ones out of whole fruits, vegetables, and herbs, without any of the salt or toxins you’ll find in store-bought brands.After years of experimenting, I decided to share what I’d learned, and recently published my ebook, Savory Raw Dressings and Sauces. The idea is pretty straightforward – if you want to be healthy you’ve got to eat lots of raw vegetables, but you’ll sabotage your healthy meal by dousing them with health-damaging dressings. On the other hand, eating them plain isn’t too appetizing. I show you that there’s another, very tasty alternative.

In the book I not only show you how you can make low fat, healthy dressings on the fly using ingredients you probably have on hand or can get at any supermarket, but explain in detail why salt, oil, vinegar, and other ingredients found in many dressings are harmful. Although the book is about teaching you to come up with your own dressings, I give you eight of the best ones I’ve created myself. These eight are delicious and healthy, and have become staples of my raw food kitchen.

Cory was nice enough to invite me to share one of my recipes with you guys, and I’m happy to do so.  It’s called Corn Medley, and is one of my perennial favorites:

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 large tomato
• Cilantro (to taste)

Directions

1. Cut the corn from three ears and place that corn in the blender.
2. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Add cilantro to taste. Blend this until smooth.
3. Now slice up the tomato into smaller pieces and place it in the blender (on top of what’s already there) along with the corn cut from the last ear.
4. Blend this on low with the tamper until the tomato and corn have been rendered into small chunks.

A Note About Corn: Many people don’t know that corn ripens in reverse of the way most fruits and vegetables do. While most produce proceeds from predominantly starch to predominantly sugar as it ripens, corn has its highest sugar concentration when first picked and quickly starts to turn to starch. If you want high-quality corn, find a farmer or store that will sell you just-harvested ears and then quickly use that corn before it loses its flavor and easy digestibility.

You can learn more about Savory Raw Dressings and Sauces here.  Thanks again Andrew for opening my eyes to raw dressings.  I know I will be trying some of these in the very near future.

Have a super Wednesday and get shopping.

Take care

zesty

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Hello Zesty Cook readers! My name is Kate and I blog at Cooking During Stolen Moments. Huge thanks to Cory for letting me guest post here today.

My husband and I make every effort to avoid having picky eaters in our family. With 5 kids, this isn’t always an easy task. But one of the things we’ve found most helpful is to serve them a variety of foods from a young age. We make sure we don’t decide for them whether or not they’ll like a food. As a result, we have kids that love lentils, salmon, brie, and lots of other foods you won’t find on any children’s menu!

These Apricot & Rosemary Baked Brie Bites have a decidedly grown-up flavor, but they get gobbled up by everyone in our family. They are perfect for entertaining, especially during Christmastime.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cup flour
• 1 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4Cup cold water
• 1 round brie, rind trimmed if desired
• 1/2 Cup apricot preserves
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish, if desired

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until crumbly. Slow pour in the water, adding just as much as is needed for the dough to come together.
2. Roll out the pie crust dough and cut into circles with a 2 inch cookie cutter or glass. Press into mini muffin tins.
3. Cut brie into small cubes and place a cube in each mini muffin tin.



4. Finely dice the fresh rosemary.



5. Stir the rosemary into the apricot preserves.



6. Spoon some of the apricot and rosemary mixture on top of each brie cube.



7. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and pie crust is lightly golden brown. Garnish with additional sprigs of rosemary, if desired.

Kate Miller, a mom of 5, blogs at Cooking During Stolen Moments where she is having an affair with her kitchen. Kate uses stolen moments throughout the day to serve up scratch-made food to her family without experiencing any of those dinner hour crazies. Kate specializes in recipes that can be enjoyed by the average family who desires to eliminate stress in their kitchens and processed items from their pantries.

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Here I am cooking for you in a strange new kitchen. In the spotlight and on the spot! I say on the spot because I am standing in today for your beloved ZestyCook.

Now before go “ahhhh…” and CLICK away all disappointed. Give me a chance to explain myself. Because I understand your disappointment. I too am a fan of the Zest Man! In fact I used to lurk right here in this very kitchen, long before I ever had the guts to put my foodie-butt into the blogsphere. You see this site was an inspiration to me and one of the reasons I started Sippity Sup- Serious Fun Food.

So you see, I wanna do a good job. I wanna do a Zesty  good job.  But zesty is a complex adjective. It can mean spicy. I like spicy. But knowing what I know about Cory, I need something with a bit of soupçon, something with more subtlety than the slap in the face of straight, blazing heat. I am looking for a deeper, earthier more nuanced brand of spicy zest.  So I am choosing a recipe I’ll call Zesty Seared Salmon. To “spice” it I am turning to chili powder and cinnamon. Which may seem like an odd combination to you. But, not really when you consider an amusing little fact that I am hoping will amuse you! Cinnamon and chili powder are the two most common spices found in American households.

Plus the combination is not entirely unheard of especially in Indian cuisine. So those two facts tell me that I can make a good spice rub with just these two powders and a bit of salt.

I am going to rub this combination on some gorgeous Pacific salmon fillets. These babies and their deep red flesh are the real deal. The “pinker” Atlantic farm raised salmon (that is way too common in our groceries stores) is artificially colored with chemicals.  Not only is that disgusting to think about, but Seafood Watch rates farm raised Atlantic salmon as AVOID, partly due to the atrocious manner in which it is raised. It takes three pounds of feeder fish to raise every pound of salmon. How can that be sustained very much longer? Besides the Environmental Defense Fund has issued a health advisory against farmed salmon due to “high levels of PCBs” in its flesh. I am not trying to scare you– I just want you to live long enough to come visit me at Sippity Sup!

None of this means you shouldn’t eat salmon. But when you do eat it. Go for the very best. My salmon was wild caught. Seafood Watch rates it a BEST CHOICE because Pacific “salmon are among the most intensively managed species in the world, with excellent monitoring of both the fish populations and the fishery itself.” Besides, when it comes to the most important factor I need in choosing salmon, wild salmon wins hands down. It simply tastes better. Need Sup! say more?

Searing fish is really one of the easiest ways I know to cook it too. I realize that there are people out there who have a bit of fear when it comes to cooking fish. If that describes you then this is a good technique to master because it is very straightforward and even a bit intuitive if you watch and pay attention.

For this particular preparation choose salmon fillets with the skin on and start by washing and drying them. Drying them well is very important in achieving that super crunchy skin that is so delicious. Wet fillets just don’t crisp up as well.

Ingredients

• 1 Tsp. chili powder
• 1?2 Tsp. cinnamon
• 1?4 Tsp. kosher salt
• 1?4 Tsp. cracked black pepper
• 2 wild-caught salmon fillets with skin attached

Method

1. Wash and completely dry the salmon fillets.



2. In a small bowl mix 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2-teaspoon cinnamon, and a 1/4-teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Sprinkle this mixture on both sides of 4 salmon fillets.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 1 scant teaspoon of sesame oil in a large sauté pan. Choose a pan that is large enough to give each fillet plenty of room.
4. When the oil is very hot, almost smoking; add the salmon, skin side down. Cook it until the skin is very crisp, dark brown and releases easily from the pan. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.



5. Do not be tempted to check or move the fish around in the pan during this time. You will only succeed in making it stick to the pan or worse ruin your beautifully crisp skin.
6. You will notice that the fish gets lighter and more opaque. Do not let it cook more than about 1/4 of the way through at this point. You might be worried that the rest of the fish seems quite raw, but honestly this is a good thing. Once the skin has crisped flip the fish, and cook it an additional 2 (maybe 3) minutes more.
7. Do not let it cook all the way through. The fish will continue to cook after it leaves the pan. Your goal is a succulent flesh graduating from a rare center outwards to a crispy crackly skin.
8. Serve the fish warm or at room temperature.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I promise. Though there is no reason why you can’t use a non-stick pan. I just don’t trust Teflon for some irrational reason… it’s the conspiracy theorist in me!  Another thing about searing fish is the noticeable changes it goes through as it cooks. Fatty fish like salmon will actually visibly shrink as soon as it hits the pan. Watch for this. It is key in indicating that your pan is properly heated.

I am serving mine very simply, with arugula. I am going to put the arugula raw onto the plate and top it with very hot shitake mushrooms and shallots sautéed in a little canola oil. You can also add a tiny bit of sesame oil to the pan if you like.   I say “tiny bit” and “if you like” because I want you to keep in mind what wine you choose to pair with this meal. Fish need not always be paired with white wine. The flavors you choose to accompany it however will help you decide between red and white in this case.

My brother Grant has paired it with a Pinot Noir.

Too much of the sesame flavor won’t really help this pairing. But a tiny bit does not conflict with the wine and will really round out the palate on this meal and make this a complete experience!

Zesty Here

I want to send a special thank you to Greg for a great post.  make sure you check out Sippity Sup! if you have not done so already.  Great work Greg.  Have a great weekend everybody and I will see you all on Monday.

Take care

zesty

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Hi everyone! I’m Brandi from BranAppetit! First, I just want to thank Zesty for the chance to guest post – he has some amazing recipes and I’m a bit intimidated to post mine. Since the holidays are coming up, I keep thinking of possible breakfast items to have with family. Typically, the lunches and dinners are planned down to the smallest detail, but breakfast is often left out.  I don’t know about you, but breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!

I would rather have a big and satisfying breakfast than go through the day hungry, just waiting for that 10 course dinner. My family has some traditions for breakfasts, but mostly at Christmas. My mom and her best friend, Jill, always make their own breakfast casseroles – a mix of crescent rolls, sausage, cheese, and eggs – and we have that along with fruit, coffee, and juice when we’re opening presents together.

I’m not sure what will be on the breakfast table this holiday season as our schedule is changing, but I’ve been thinking of a few things I’ve made lately that would be perfect for a family breakfast or brunch.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

I actually found this recipe through Cooking Light and made a few changes by only using  ½ cup regular flour (the rest was whole wheat) and they turned out great! I had never made cinnamon rolls before, but this recipe really was easy to follow. I prepped them the night before so the only thing we had to do in the morning was bake them. Plus, they taste sinful and you can still feel good about eating them.

Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

This is so tasty and so easy. It encompasses all the great flavors of fall, and it’s a great thing to make for a large crowd, too. It doesn’t take any longer than regular French toast, so as long as you have the filling ingredients, you’ll have this made in no time.

Frittata

One of the easiest things to make, really. As long as you have eggs, some veggies and some cheese, you’re set! The best thing about frittatas is that you can use leftovers to make an awesome breakfast. Roasted veggies? Toss them in. Kale and scallions? Go ahead. I think everything tastes better with eggs and cheese.
Do you have any family breakfast traditions for the holidays?

Zesty Here…

Thanks Brandi (BranAppetit) for some great breakfast food.  Everything looks very good.  I would definitely love to be sinking my teeth into that breakfast.  However I am sinking my teeth into a Holiday Inn Express Breakfast nonetheless.  I hope you have a great day.

Take care

zesty

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Hi ZestyCook readers! I’m Mara from What’s For Dinner? I started my blog in October 2008 with the hope of sharing some of my simple and healthy recipes with the public. Little did I know that so many people would benefit from recipes that are both healthy and delicious.

Back in March, in a shopping trip to my local produce market, I found frozen small shrimp on sale. I live in the Chicago land area. This means that while fresh produce is available year-round, it’s so cold that all I want are baked sweet potatoes and turkey. With the find of these shrimp,  I perused the produce section (which is about ¾ of the store!) and grabbed the ingredients that looked the freshest and most “Spring-like”. (I get major Winter blues, and the minute it starts getting warmer, I crave produce!)

I also found, in the Asian foods section (two whole aisles, and I swear I’ll lay off the parenthesis) some wonton wrappers that were a calorie bargain. I had a thought.  Wonton wrappers don’t necessarily have to be wontons! I got home, rummaged in the cabinets a bit, and created this recipe. It’s a favorite around here, and I can’t wait to make it again!

Shrimp Salad in Wonton Bowls

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 lb. small cooked shrimp, shell-off, tail-off
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/3 head cabbage, cut into small strips
• 3 small scallions, chopped
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
• big handful of cilantro, chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 c. sugar free apricot preserves
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. sriracha or other hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Liberally spray a large-size muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Take pre-made wonton wrappers and press the center into every other muffin tin space.
3. Liberally spray each wrapper cup with spray, and bake at 350* until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
4. Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl.
5. Place the preserves in a small, microwave safe bowl.
6. Microwave until preserves have melted.
7. Stir other ingredients except S&P into the preserves, then pour it over the salad.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Allow to chill about 30 minutes before serving in wonton bowls.
10. ENJOY!

What’s the best part about this recipe? The presentation makes it look fancy and “gourmet” when, in reality, the recipe is really simple! Of course, the dressing and salad ingredients can be varied to suit your own tastes, and the same salad is excellent without the shrimp, or even with shredded chicken.

Thanks again, Zesty!

Zesty’s Commentary

Mara (What’s For Dinner), thanks so much for a great recipe.  I have never tried this before but it does look so fancy and tasty.  I will have to try these when I need to impress someone.  Day 2 in “The Golden State went well.  Lets hope for a good day 3.  I will talk to you tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

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My name is Jennifer Leal and I am the chief mom operator of Savor the Thyme.   I am a stay-at-home mom with two children, ages 3 and 5. I obtained a Master’s of Science in Immunology and worked for a large pharmaceutical company prior to starting my family.

This blog focuses on family-friendly healthy food and lifestyle. I believe in feeding your family in a healthy way and to me that means eating ‘real’ foods. These are foods that are free of artificial flavorings, preservatives and flavorings. This also means that yes, we use real butter and if we are going to have sugar, it is sugar. We also believe it using with fresh, seasonal, and sustainably grown foods. I believe in preparing meals and snacks for my family in a quick and affordable way. I would say that we have a healthy diet 85-90% of the time, and the rest, I roll with the punches. We try to incorporate organic foods when and where possible but always do our best to avoid the ‘fake stuff’.

I believe in a healthy lifestyle and family: To us that includes being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It includes great times with friends, life experiences and lots of hugging and laughing.

How did I come to believe in living this way? From the time I was a young girl, I witnessed the deaths of family members due to cancer, heart attacks, strokes and obesity related illness and even so much sadness from depression. Although, I cannot prove or say that many of the diseases/deaths in my family were caused by what they ate, it made me determined to raise myself and our children to respect their bodies through exercise and food. It also reminded me to enjoy the simple things in life and my children remind me of that every day.

Although I am not one to feel that I need to sneak foods into food, I do what I can to add extra nutrition to my meals and one way I do that is with my Quinoa Chili.  In fact, I made this recipe last week and this time, I tossed uncooked quinoa right into the pot with and added an extra cup of water.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 can organic dark red kidney beans, undrained
• 1 can organic black beans, undrained
• 1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
• 28 oz. can organic no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup of water
• Cilantro, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in Dutch oven/large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic and the next 4 ingredients and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Turn heat to high and add the remainder of the ingredients, allowing to come to a boil, stirring frequently.
5. Finally, lower the heat and simmer for the next 2-3 hours, continuing to stir and taste to adjust seasoning periodically.
6. If you do not want your chili a bit thinner, be sure to add more water as it simmers and is absorbed by the quinoa.



7. ENJOY!!

Thanks so much Jennifer for a great post and a great recipe.  I hope everything goes well today.  I made it to California and the weather is great!  Too bad I have to work.  Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

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Hello ZestyCookers!  I’m Lainie from Deliciously Fit, and I am thrilled to be doing a guest post for Zesty while he’s away!  I had a hard time deciding what to post about because, well, let’s face it:  all of Zesty’s recipes are AMAZING and pretty much impossible to compete with!  After much thought, I finally decided on eggplant parmesan because it’s an easy, tasty and impressive dish that just about anyone can whip up.

By the looks of that picture, you can tell this recipe is rich and decadent…what you can’t tell is that it makes 8 huge servings for under 300 calories each!  I paired this recipe with a simple salad, and even my meat-obsessed husband thought he had died and gone to heaven…

Ingredients

• 2  (1-pound) eggplants
• 1/4  cup  water
• 3  egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4  cups  Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4  cup  grated Parmesan cheese
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 2.5  cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta/marinara sauce

Directions

1. Slice eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch slices



2. Place eggplant slices in a large bowl and add water to cover.  Let stand 30 minutes.



3. Drain well, and blot eggplant dry with paper towels.
4. Combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites in a shallow bowl.
5. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese; stir well.
6. Dip eggplant in the egg white mixture, and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture.
7. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Broil 5 minutes on each side (or until browned).



8. Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13X9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
9. Arrange eggplant over sauce; top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.



10. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (or until bubbly).  Serves 8.

Next time you’re tempted to go out for Italian, try making this dish at home instead!  The average restaurant dishes up eggplant parmesan with a calorie count of 1270 and 69 grams of fat!  Ouch!  This version of the Italian staple clocks in at under 300 calories and 8.5 grams of fat – that’s a savings of almost 1000 calories!

(recipe adapted from www.cookinglight.com)

Thanks Lainie (Deliciously Fit) for a great post!  Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday with a huge house update.  Stay tuned.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty