Pasta with Tomatoes and Feta

Fantastic, easy, nutritious pasta & tomato dish!

I modified the following recipe with what I had on hand. The first bite reminded of the fresh pasta I made while we lived in Italy! Yes, my modifications were that good!

Original recipe by Chow: click here. 

I had on hand dried herbs - Italian dried herbs - rosemary, oregano, and basil. I also substituted the cheese called for in the recipe with feta and fresh Romano cheese. 

Everything else in the recipe I followed. If you like tomatoes, I think you'll like Chow's recipe or my rendition. Buon Appetito!! 

Photo Credit: Conveying Awareness

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Apple #Fig Muffins #recipe - complements of #AHO

Complements of Abundant Harvest Organics (AHO), I'm sharing their recipe for Apple Fig Muffins that my son and I made (modifications are annotated by an asterisk).

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup * coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup * organic vanilla yogurt 
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup melted butter 
1 1/2 cups of chopped figs 
2 cups of shredded (or thinly sliced) apples 

Topping:
1 T melted butter
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup * coconut sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine egg, yogurt, and butter in a small bowl. Beat together until all is moist. Stir in apples and figs. 

Spoon batter into baking cups using an ice cream scoop to fill. Combine the topping ingredients and spoon over muffins, pressing down in batter a bit.

It makes 18 regular sized muffins. 

Bake in 375 degree oven for 22-25 minutes depending on the size or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

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Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

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Choose, eat, and live well! =)

#Recipes compliments of #BuenaLomaGardens

Here is a quick way to make salsa and guacamole. And you'll see from the images, you don't need a fancy blender! I spent an afternoon with Elvie from Buena Loma Gardens where she showed me some quick recipes using whole foods!


For the salsa base: fresh squeezed lemon juice about 1/4 cup, 1/2 of a large white onion, 5 medium tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic and one pepper (choose your desired heat level). Blend but not 'til smooth. 

Pour into a bowl and add 1/2 cup fresh cilantro. Stir. Salsa is ready!




Guacamole: Prepare 6 avocados, pour 1/2 cup of salsa and mix. 

For another healthy, easy dish - roasted organic vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and zucchini). We grilled them with sea salt. Yep - that's it. No oils! 



We served the salsa and guacamole with organic blue corn chips and the roasted veggies with a side of basmati rice. Simple, nutritious, and delicious! 

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

Subscribe to my blog here to never miss a post. 
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Download my free eGuide when you subscribe to my monthly newsletters for free.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Cucumber Appetizer

As I previously mentioned, I would be creating a separate post on an 'appetizer' I sampled at Buena Loma Gardens. 

I call it an appetizer because it surely would be a great dish to serve at a dinner party or other event where finger foods are ideal.

Ingredients needed:
Asian cucumbers
Cream cheese
Tomato pesto
Baked kale

Slice cucumbers at an angle. Add a dollop of cream cheese and spread evenly on top of cucumbers. Add tomato pesto on top of cream cheese and then sprinkle baked kale. 

Buon Appetito!

How to make tomato pesto: Sun dry your tomatoes or dehydrate. Place the dehydrated tomatoes in a food processor (or vitamix), olive oil (the amount should be equal to the amount of tomatoes you used - not too soupy but not too thick), oregano and other Italian herbs, and garlic salt (or fresh minced garlic). Optional: add roasted peppers. Make a big batch and freeze extras.

Baked kale: Remove stems, add olive oil, salt, and garlic to the kale and bake at 275 degrees for 30-40 minutes. You can add the tomato pesto before baking or once it's already out. 

It is a superb dish. I hope you'll try it! 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)