Beet Chips with Sea Salt & Smoked Paprika

Beet, beets the magical fruit. Oh wait. But seriously, beets are emerging as the "new super food" right now in the nutrition world. I recently watched a talk at the Michigan Dietetics Association conference where a sports Dietitian (like for some big name teams) spent a good amount of time showing us the various beet products that they recommend to their athletes. I am talking beet chews (gummies), juices, and plain old beets. They basically built these into their diet plan as a main component. It was very interesting. From what I gathered, beets have a particular way that they release sugar into the body, so they make an excellent source of energy for athletic performance.

I am intrigued enough to give it a try, plus I love all things veggie chip. So here we go.


What you'll need:

1 Tbsp sea salt

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

4 medium beets, rinsed and trimmed

2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil

2. Combine sea salt and paprika
3, Cut the beets into very thin slices used a sharp knife or mandolin. Divide beets between pans. Drizzle each with olive oil and shake around in the pan. Sprinkle with sea salt mixture and shake again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy.

Spinach dip stuffed Mushroom Recipe

These look so tasty and like something I would totally make. I love stuffed mushrooms, but people always make them with ground sausage and I just don't do sausage, there are too many unpredictable textures. Anyway,  these are vegetarian but still so hearty. This recipe uses reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream, so they are trying. That's what counts, right?

What you'll need:
16 large fresh mushrooms. I recommend baby bellas
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3oz reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and set caps aside; discard stems or save for another use. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.
2. Combine spinach mixture with remaining ingredients. Spoon into mushroom caps. Place in a baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, until mushrooms are tender, 12-15 minutes.


Only 44 calories per shroom!

Twice Baked Potatoes- Healthy version

I get most of my cooking inspiration from Taste of Home, but it is rare that I follow their recipes 100% because they really aren't known for their "healthy" options. So when I stumbled upon this one I was really excited, and even more excited when I read the ingredients and actually felt like I didn't need to make many adjustments without the final taste suffering. So here it is (I would prob add less butter though for real).

The author of this recipe notes that red potatoes are naturally creamier than russet potatoes (classic choice) and therefore need less dairy to get the same effect. I most definitely agree with this and I only use red potatoes in general. I thought it was just because I preferred them, but now I realize that that is a big reason why, they are more creamy and smooth without needing much added. She also uses the fat free yogurt and just a sprinkle of cheese on the top in this recipe, which saves a ton of calories, fat and sodium.

What you'll need:
6 large red potatoes
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp garlic-herd seasoning blend
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese






1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrub potatoes; pierce several times with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high just until tender, 10-12 minutes, turning once.
2. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each lengthwise in half and scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4 inch thick shells. Mash pulp with all ingredients except cheese. Spoon into potato shells. Top with cheese.
3. Bake until heated through, 25-30 minutes until cheese is light golden brown.

Powered up pasta recipe

So ther other morning I woke up feeling great, ready to go for a run. You know sometimes I am just like "yea, I'm going to run 10 miles" even though I have NEVER ran more than 3 miles in my life.....but I was feeling motivated...there is nothing wrong with that. So I get about...1/2 mile down the road and I am DYING. It felt like I had a ten pound brick on my chest while I'm trying to get my run on. So eventually I gave up and attributed it to the fact that I had slept in so late I missed breakfast and lunch and my body needed some substance in it! So naturally I launched right into making food.

I was craving pasta. I knew I needed some protein. I had no meat. What now. COTTAGE CHEESE TO THE RESCUE!

Here is what I came up with.

What you'll need:
Whole grain pasta (I used penne)
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup or so shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup or so shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Tbsp fresh basil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup thawed frozen spinach
1/4 cup corn

1. Cook pasta according to package. This recipe makes enough sauce to cover about 2 servings of pasta.
2. While pasta is cooking in a small saucepan melt your butter over med heat with your minced garlic clove for about 1 minute. Add your flour and use a whisk to incorporate butter and flour to a paste. Keep stirring letting flour mixture cook for about 3 minutes. Turn burner down to low and slowly add milk to flour and whisk well until all clumps of flour are gone. This will begin to thicke
n and be the base for your cheese sauce. Now you can add your cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. I kind of did a pinch of the shredded cheeses, its up to you how cheesy you want your mac. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Add your basil to the cheese sauce. Thaw spinach and corn if they are fozen and add them to the cheese sauce also.
4. Once everything is incorporated into your sauce and your pasta is cooked stir the sauce into the pasta and top with some panko if you like a little crunch on top.

Thank goodness for cottage cheese...only 80 cals in that 1/2 cup serving and BOOM 14 grams protein. Who needs chicken in their pasta...

Roasted cabbage with chive-mustard vinaigrette

Cabbage is one of my more recent discoveries in the world. I guess it comes with dating a polish guy...but I am all about it! It is relatively flavorless until you figure out the right way to prepare it. When you get the right recipe cabbage can turn into something so flavorful that can really add to a meal. I really fell in love with this cabbage recipe I found in my Eating Well magazine because the cabbage is just the star and its such a simple preparation that shows off what you can do with a head of cabbage.

What you'll need:
1/2 medium green cabbage, outer leaves removed
olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp minced fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Prepare cabbage by cutting the cabbage half into 4 wedges and cut out the thick core, leaving the wedge as intact as possible. Drizzle cut sides with olive oil and and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place wedges on baking sheet.
3. Roast the cabbage for 12 minutes. Carefully flip over and roast for about 8 minutes longer, until both sides are browned.
4. Prepare vinaigrette by combining mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add chives and 2 tbsps of olive oil and stir well to combine.
5. Transfer wedge to plate and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Oh yea, these look good. I would serve this with maybe steak, so like a steak wedge salad. Yea, that sounds good!

Tofu stroganoff recipe

Thanks to my very best friend in the whole world I recharged with new recipes! For my birthday Carly got me a subscription to Eating Well magazine and I am more than excited to get trying out these new recipes. Even better, they are healthy!

The first recipe that caught my eye from my first magazine was this tofu stroganoff. I am really into this because Eric LOVES beef stroganoff and requests it for dinner all the time. He even made his mom give me her recipe because it is one of his favorite meals. So I was thinking this would be a fun new version to try.

What you'll need:
1 14oz package of extra-firm tofu
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
8 oz whole wheat egg noodles (6 cups dry)
3 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp dry sherry
10 oz baby bella or button mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
3 tbsp flour
2 cups mushroom or veggie broth
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1. Cut tofu into small strips (2 x 1/2 inches). Pat tofu dry with paper towel and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.
2. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook tofu in a single layer, gently stirring every few minutes until golden brown on all sides. Add 2 tbsp of sherry and cook stirring until evaporated. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
4. Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add onion, mushroom, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently until the mushrooms are cooked through. Sprinkle with flour stirring for 1 minute. Stir in broth and remaining 3 tbsp sherry, bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened (3-5 minutes). Stir in tofu. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
5. Serve over egg noodles.

Sounds good and easy, perfect! Now the question is will it stand up to mama Panlener's beef stoganoff....

Homemade Udon noodle recipe

If you recall a few months ago I had a little incident with an exercise injury so I had a lot of free time while I was unable to go to work. So something that I had been wanting to try was make my own pasta but I didn't have any eggs and I sure didn't want to go out to the store (I was permanently in my jammies that week). Then I found that Udon noodles don't contain eggs, also I have been dying to get more use out of my food processor so this recipe was a really exciting discovery.

After I made the noodles I did a quick stir fry with just some green beans, stir fry sauce, soy sauce and garlic. 

What you'll need:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1/2 tbsp salt

1. Put flour and salt into food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Remove feed tube and run the machine while you slowly add water. Once all the water has been added let the machine run for a few more seconds until the mixture is evenly combined. It will be very crumbly, not gathered into a ball. If you do not have a food processor put the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the middle for the water then slowly work the water in by hand.

2. Transfer your dough onto a work surface along with all the small bits and knead vigorously for 10-15 minutes until the dough is a very smooth texture (like an earlobe). Once the dough is finished seal it in a zip top bag and let rest for 2-6 hours on your counter. 

3. Once your dough is rested roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface so it is about 1/8 inch thick. Aim for a rectangular shape. Now to cut your noodles make very thin strips and then roll strips out and stretch them so they are thin and about twice as long (cut them to desired length after stretching).

4. Start a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt and add your noodles in batches. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the noodles float to the top and are chewy tender. Once the noodles float remove them from the pot and rinse with cold water. Once all of your noodles are cooked and rinsed they are ready to use!

This was pretty easy, except for the fact I had strict orders to not use my arms so kneading the dough was not a pretty sight. But other than that these were awesome. They were so thick and chewy, which was great in my little stir fry. I would definetly recommend this recipe if you are interested in making a handmade pasta but haven't tried it before. The key is to not freak out when it seems like you have WAY too much flour and not enough water. KEEP KNEADING and it will come together, I swear. 

Good luck! 

Orzo and veggie salad recipe

This was my attempt at making the fresh corn salsa recipe I found...but I got carried away at the grocery store and just ended up making this delicious creation instead! I ended up making a huge batch of this and let me tell you, I ate it for EVERY meal until it was gone. I couldn't get enough of it. I had it as a side dish with a steak dinner, I had it by itself for lunch and for dinner, and someday I will make it as a dish to pass I'm sure.

What you'll need:
2 Hungarian Wax peppers (1 hot, 1 sweet), or your favorite bell peppers
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup green beans, chopped and steamed
1 can cannellini beans
3 stalks celery, chopped
3/4 cup uncooked orzo
3/4 cups Italian dressing
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juice

1. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Chop all veggies so they are about the same size. Combine all veggies with orzo in a large bowl. Add cilantro, dressing and lime juice. Mix together and enjoy!


This was seriously phenomenal. I brought this for my first day as an intern lunch, I think everyone was impressed...I know I was while I was eating it!

Potato pierogi recipe

Just as I was deciding what recipe I wanted to add to my "on deck" list I stumbled upon this potato pierogi recipe and it looked so great. I said "Eric, what do you think about me making some pierogis?" He looked at me very skeptical....he said "I don't know, it is kind of my family tradition. Do you think you could make some that would stand up to theirs?" So of course, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

What you'll need:
2- 2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 cup water, lukewarm
3 potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 cup cottage cheese
1 onion, diced sauteed in butter

1. Make your dough by placing flour in a bowl and making a well in the center. Put the egg in the center and a little bit of the water. Start bringing the ingredients together, adding more water or flour as needed. Kneed the dough well for about 8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
2. While your dough is resting make your filling by chunking the potatoes and boiling them until tender then mash with the skin on adding the cottage cheese, onion and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
3. Roll your dough out on a floured work surface and cut into 2 inch rounds. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of the dough round, wet the edges with your finger and some water, fold over and pinch edges shut with a fork.
4. Start a large pot of boiling salted water. Once your pierogis are made drop them into the water. When they start to float let them cook for about 6 minutes longer (do not over crowd the pot, do them in batches). Remove them with a slotted spoon. If you would like them served steamed then they are ready after this step. If you would like them crispy and fried move on to step 5
5. Melt 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a skillet and fry your pierogis until brown and crispy on the outside.

These sound awesome and I love making homemade doughs. I think that my recipe would involve a lot less butter (no butter) and I think I would just go for a regular shredded cheese because that would be what I have on hand. But who knows, I do love cottage cheese so I wouldn't mind having some around the house!

Hopefully these stack up to the polish family traditions!

I made the down-home mac and cheese!

Well, my mom let me make Christmas dinner this year! It was so fun! We did some steak sandwiches, bruschetta, broccoli, and mac n cheese and it was all so great. The down-home mac was a hit! I did make some changes from original recipe but not many, it was straight forward and delish!

What you'll need:
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni noodles
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cup milk
1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions with a tbsp of oil in the boiling water and a tsp of salt.
2. In a large pot melt butter over medium heat then add flour and wisk together. You will have a clumpy flour mixture. Continue whisking for about 3 minutes to cook the flour then add the milk and whisk in the flour mixture until you have a smooth, thick sauce.
3. Now add in your Velveeta cheese and shredded cheddar and stir until the cheese are melted in. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and stir in pasta until it is all coated in the cheese sauce.
4. Put mac in a greased baking dish and crush up Ritz crackers in a thin layer over the top of the mac. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the mac is bubbly and the top begins to brown.

So I think the only changes I made were that I added cheddar cheese into the cheese sauce and omitted it from the topping. Super simple, really good. Perfect for a dish to pass and great for family dinners.

Wonton noodle soup recipe

I think I have offically found my favorite blog ever, besides mine I guess. Jaden is the author of Steamy Kitchen which features her own recipes, specializing in modern asian cuisine. I was browsing around her pages and I was just floored. Everything sounded so good and actually feasable for a home cook! This wonton noodle soup looks especially good today since its cold out and all I want is to be cuddled up in bed with a big bowl of hot soup. After you try this soup make sure you go to her website and try all her other recipes!

What you'll need:
1/2 lb ground pork
2 stalk scallion, finely minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 pound wonton wrappers, at room temp covered with damp towel
1 tbsp cornstarch+1/4 cup cool water (slurry)
2 quarts chicken broth
8 oz dried wonton noodles (or thin egg noodles)
1/2 lb bok choy, leaves separated and washed well

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, scallions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Mix well. Put a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper, brush cornstarch slurry on all edges. Fold over to form a triangle, press to secure edges, encasing the filling. Brush cornstarch slurry on one tip of the triangle, bring two corners together and press to secure. Place on clean, dry plate in one layer and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining.
2. In a large stockpot, add all but 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. The 2 cups of reserved broth should be room tempurature or just slightly chilled. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the wontons. Bring pot back to a gentle boil. When it reaches a boil, add 1 cup of the reserved broth. Bring back to a boil and again, add the remaning 1 cup of resrved broth, then bring back to a boil again. That is when you know your wontons are cooked.
3. keep the heat on the pot on while scooping out the wontons to distribute amongst your serving bowls. Cook the noodles in the pot according to instructions. Add the bok choy to the pot during last minute of cooking noodles, let simmer until cooked through. Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with a drop of sesame oil.

The only thing I would change here is that I would do a vegetarian wonton filling like I did with my pot stickers.

Garlic tomato basil pasta salad recipe

This pasta salad is not your ordinary pasta salad...this is the pasta salad to end all pasta salads. The way the garlic is cooked along with the tomatoes give you HUGE flavor. I have a confession about this dish from when I made it, it is shameful but I am going to tell anyway. We were going to go to a fish fry over the summer and I said I would bring some dishes to pass. Well I made this pasta salad...and then I sat and ate it all! I just ended up bringing dip. Ooops! So words of wisdom: make this pasta salad and do not taste test, just pack it up and get moving. One taste and you won't stop.






What you'll need:
Seashell pasta or whatever you prefer. Whole grain if you would like to make it a little healthier.
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
olive oil

1. Place halved tomatoes, about 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper into a pan on med-low heat until garlic becomes aromatic and tomatoes start to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and put into a bowl and let the tomatoes continue to marinate in the oil for about 20 minutes.
2. While tomatoes are resting cook pasta according to package.
3. Drain pasta and toss with  tomato mixture until coated. Top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Now that is what I'm talking about! You can serve this hot or cold, it is good both ways.

I made the potstickers!

Well I knew it wasn't going to be long before I made those chicken potstickers but as predicted I made LOTS of changes. These were such a hit only 6 of them even made it to our plates, 3 each. We ate almost all of them right out of the pan before we could even finish cooking the rest of the meal! That is when you know you got something good going on!

The original recipe I found called for ground chicken, a jalapeno, rice vinegar, and ginger. I used none of those ingredients. I took a vegetarian approach to these and I wouldn't have changed a thing.
What you'll need:
15 wanton wrappers
6 stalks of asparagus
1 large carrot
5-6 baby bella mushrooms
1/2 small onion
olive oil
soy sauce
sesame oil

1. Dice up all of your veggies very very fine and cook in a satuee pan over med-high heat with a spash of soy sauce, sesame oil and olive oil (about 1 tsp each). Once cooked down this should make you roughly 3/4 cup of the filling.
2. Place about 1 tsp of the filling in the middle of the wanton. This is where things got interesting...I have no idea how to make them look like a proper potsticker...so I just folded the corner over to meed the other corner and I ended up with a small triangle package. Dip your finger in water and run it along the edge of the wanton to make the edges stick together when you fold it over. Press the edges together to make sure they are sealed.
3. Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over med-high heat and put in your prepared potstickers. Crisp them up for about 3 minutes each side then pour in about 1/4 cup water and cover your potstickers and let them steam until all of the water has evaporated.

They didn't even need any Hanna sauce! They were perfect just the way they were. I was kind of annoyed at first that the wantons were only sold in a package of like...100. But now I am THRILLED because I know I can make more of these tasty morsels! I know the finished product doesn't look quite as appetizing as the original picture, but they were delicious and that is what really matters...right?

Enjoy!

Kale pesto pasta with Caprese eggplant

Get ready everyone! This dish is a Hanna original. My roommate used to say that she was going to buy me a bunch of random ingredients and have me do my own episode of Chopped because I used to make the craziest concoctions. I was a poor college student and I would have to make due with what I had in the fridge or pantry, and come the end of the month...that was usually quite a hodgepodge of ingredients. So one day I was hungry and looking around at what I had I came up with this...Kale pesto with Caprese eggplant. It was actually fabulous and in the off chance that I have this random mix of foods all at the same time I would certainly make it again!

Don't mind my weird picture, it was from a long time ago and it doesn't even have all the ingredients in it and I found it on my Intragram....gimme a break I was clearly going through a rough time haha. 

So you can easily make this into your typical pesto pasta if you have those ingredients, but I do encourage you to think outside the box here and try the kale. It was a good experience and I just LOVE kale.

What you'll need (what I used):

1 bushel of kale

1 small eggplant

Linguine noodles

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 small tomato

2 eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

toasted nuts (almonds or pine nuts)

garlic, minced

a few leaves of fresh basil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Prepare the kale pesto by wilting down the kale slightly with the minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the wilted kale to a food processor with the toasted nuts. Pulse while slowly streaming in olive oil until you have a thin paste like texture, this can take up to 1/2 cup olive oil.

2. Prepare the eggplant by slicing into 1/2 inch rounds. Toss slices in about 3 tbsp salt and place in a colander over a large bowl for about 30-40 minutes until eggplant releases about 1/4 cup liquid. This helps to get a crispy eggplant as well as reduces the bitterness eggplants can have once cooked. Once this is done give them a quick rinse and place on paper towel and pat dry. 

3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Set up your breading station for the eggplant. One shallow bowl with the 2 beaten eggs, one with the breadcrumbs and then have a greased baking sheet ready. First dip rounds in the egg then coat with the breadcrumbs then place onto the baking sheet. Bake these for about 30 minutes, flipping at about the 20 minute mark.

4. Start your water boiling and prepare the pasta according to package instructions.

5. Assemble the plate but tossing the cooked pasta with the kale pesto (add more salt and pepper here if desired). Place eggplant slice on top of pasta and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese, then a thin slice of tomato, then a basil leaf, and a drizzle of balsamic. 

And there you have it, a Hanna creation. I know it isn't a quick and easy one, but man was it worth it....and good thing because I didn't have any back-up plan!

Now go be resourceful and make your own creation out of all your kitchen odds and ends, maybe you will have a successful one like me!