New Blog

Check out my new blog at:

http://pinchanddashchef.blogspot.com/


read more

imageAfter apple picking a few weeks ago I am still on apple overload. I have made apple pancakes, apple banana bread, apple oatmeal and eaten about a million apple slices. I think my family may be getting sick of apple flavored everything. Here is my last attempt to use up the apples. This is also a healthy, non sugary snack for our 22 month old toddler. And I happen to make them gluten free as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple-Pecan Granola Bars

Adapted from http://www.brighteyedbaker.com/

Ingredients
4 ounces pecans (1 cups-I used chopped pecan pieces)
1 cup rolled oats (I used Gluten free)
3/4 cup pitted and halved dates
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 small or 1 large chopped apples (any kind)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment on the sides to use as “handles” for pulling out the
finished bars.
4. Place the nuts and oats in a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon, and salt.
Process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining. Add the
chopped apple and pulse in until there are no longer any large chunks left.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, using a wide, flat spatula to pat it down into a flat and
compact layer. It doesn’t have to fill the whole pan, just form into a square.
6. Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes, and then slice into
bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.


read more

 

IMG_1719

My first exploration with Paleo baking. As my son has become a much pickier eater in recent weeks, I have been struggling to get some healthy  fat into his diet. Since banana bread seems to be one of his favorite foods, I figure I would put a spin on in. With a little help from paleoaholic.com, I created this new favorite for my almost 2 year old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Apple Paleo Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease loaf pan
  2. Combine the baking powder, almond meal, apples, baking soda, cinnamon, bananas and eggs and mix well.
  3. Add chopped pecans, mix and pour into the loaf pan.
  4. Bake for 50 min or until toothpick comes out dry
  5. Let bread sit for 10 min and remove to completely cool
  6. Serve and Enjoy

Sorry for no pictures of baked bread, it gotten eaten too quickly before pictures could be taken 🙂

 

 


read more

Brussels Sprout Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A perfect starter or side dish to a fall meal.

Raw Brussels Sprout Salad

1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Finely chop brussels sprouts using a sharp knife, a mandoline, or a food processor with a slicing attachment.   Combine all ingredients. Make 30 minutes prior to eating to allow the brussels sprouts to soften.


read more

Click on link below…

Pinch and Dash April’12


read more

Baked Chicken Taquitos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Chicken Taquitos

For the chicken:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 can diced tomatoes

1 packet taco seasoning

Place chicken, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning in a heavy pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook approximately 1 hour until chicken can be easily shredded. Shred chicken using 2 forks and let cool.

To make Taquitos:

1 lb cooked chicken (see above), most of liquid removed

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese

salt and pepper to taste

12 fajita size flour tortillas

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cooked chicken with cream cheese, green onions, shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Using 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture place on one end of the tortilla and wrap ending with seam down. Once all the taquitos are wrapped spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy with salsa, guacamole or just plain. These also freeze very well and can be reheated in the oven (or microwave, but they will be a little soggy)


read more

Healthy Orange Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyday I get an e-mail from Hungry Girl and everyday I delete the e-mail without ever reading it. It is one of those things I should unsubscribe too and for some reason I find it easier to just delete the e-mail everyday. Well, this one day a few weeks ago the title of the e-mail must have caught my attention because I opened it and found what sounded like a delicious healthy swap for Chinese orange chicken, which happens to be one of my favorite Chinese dishes. So I thought why not lets try it, just because I never had luck with any Hungry Girl recipe in the past, this one might be different. So to my surprise with a few alterations, the dish was actually pretty tasty.  So below is the recipe that I used, the original is on the hungry girl website.

Healthy Orange Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless cut into 1 inch cubes

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp orange marmalade

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

2 scallions, sliced thin

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Place chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk together egg and water and pour on top of chicken. Place flour in a plate. Individually lift chicken from egg mixture allowing excess to drop off and coat in flour. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk broth with cornstarch until cornstarch has dissolved. Add marmalade, vinegar, soy sauce, and thoroughly whisk.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Cook and stir garlic and ginger until slightly softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth mixture and cook until well mixed and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once thickened add chicken and coat with sauce.  Top with scallions

Serves: 2


read more