Cowboy Caviar

Well I have been making this for years and I just called it Bean Salsa,,,but apparently it has a name,,,"Cowboy Caviar",,,,who knew!,,,This is a guilt-free snack I serve with Tostitos Multigrain Scoops,,,,,You can store this in the fridge for days,,,If it lasts that long!,,,,You use 3 cans of beans for this Black, Pinto and Cannellini,,,,but you can use what you like,,,garbanzo would be good in here also or Kidney or black eyed peas,,,I also used pimentos from the jar but you could also finely dice a red pepper.....you could also add diced tomatoes if you like and if you are eating quickly you can add avocado before serving,,,Have fun with it,,,here is what I did,,,Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Dressing

 

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

3/4 Cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Water

1/3 Cup Sugar 

 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon t salt

 

Bring these ingredients to boil then cool

 

INGRIDIENTS

 

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can white cannellini beans, kidney beans or black eyed peas (your choice)

1 can sweet corn drained

1 small jar diced pimentos

1 cup finely diced celery

1 small onion finely diced

 

 

 

Place all of the beans in a colander and rinse and drain

add to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients

Pour cooled dressing over it

Mix well

 

Cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate

Serve with chips and enjoy!

BELLA BUTTON COOKIES

These cookies were the ones I came up with while trying to make a cookie for my grandson who has some food allergies....All of the ingredients in this cookie are everything he can have....So when I first made them my family said they reminded them of a cookie I used to buy for them at our hometown bakery...They were called Belly Buttons and they were one of their favorites...although my cookies doesn't look exactly like them, they thought the flavor was pretty close....That was good enough for me!!....I call them Bella Buttons instead after our dog Bella....This is a flat crisp cookie with a little bit of chew to it....Here is how I make them...Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 Cup Ghee or soft butter

1/4 Cup Natural Cane Sugar

!/4 Cup Brown Sugar 

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 Cups Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Tapioca Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup semi sweet Chocolate Chips

1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Add ghee to mixing bowl and add sugars....mix til smooth then add eggs

Add flours to a bowl with salt and baking powder and whisk together

Then slowly add flour mixture to mixing bowl with the sugar mixture

Mix until smooth then fold in  the chocolate chips and walnuts

Preheat over to 350

Add cookie mixture by 2 Tablespoon scoop to silpat or parchment lined baking sheet...making sure to flatten give each cookie enough room to spread

Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on size and if you like them crispy or not

Enjoy!!

BELLA BUTTON COOKIES

Author: Natalie Buscemi-Hindman

Prep time: 25 MCook time: 10 MTotal time: 35 M

These are a recreation of one of our favorite Hometown bakery cookies...They may not look the same, but the taste is there...these are also gluten free

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Ghee or soft butter
• 1/4 Cup Natural Cane Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
• 1/2 Cup Tapioca Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup semi sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Instructions:

How to cook BELLA BUTTON COOKIES

1. Add Ghee to mixing bowl...add sugars and mix until smooth...add eggs and mix
2. Add salt and baking soda to almond and tapioca flour and whisk to incorporate
3. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture until smooth
4. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts
5. Preheat oven to 350
6. Add cookie dough by 2 Tablespoon scoops to silpat or parchment lined baking sheet flattening...leaving enough room between cookies...these will spread
7. Bake until golden or crispy...your choice checking after 8 minutes bake longerto your liking

Created using The Recipes Generator

Home Made Hummus

My family loves hummus! and I didn't realize until recently how easy it actually is to make. So now I am making it all the time....I never was a fan of the store bought kind, I just usually went to my favorite Mediterranean restaurant to buy it because it just tasted fresher...But you can't get fresher than home made!....So here is how I make mine.
I took half of my regular batch and added roasted red peppers to it,  because that is my hubby's favorite so you can do that if you like also.
I am also adding my YouTube video demonstrating how I make it....Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 can Garbanzo beans

2 Tablespoons Tahini paste

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1/2 Lemon (squeezed)

1/4 teaspoon Salt to taste

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1/4 Cup Water or more

Roasted red peppers (optional)

Olive oil and Paprika to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients in order to Food processor and Pulse until smooth or desired consistency.

Enjoy my video below on how I put this together!

Mexican Lasagna

One of my favorite and most popular Crock Pot recipes is my Lasagna...I was looking to do a Mexican version of it for a Taco party I was having, so I came up with this version and everyone loved it!...First was coming up with the sauce ..it couldn't be Italian tasting like my original lasagna so I decided to add Salsa and enchilada sauce along with tomato sauce the last time I made it I also added a can of Tri-Bean blend to it which was a good addition...I have also added green chiles which can be optional...You could even add corn to sauce if you like...You can make this spicier also by what salsa you want to use..A lot of Mexican lasagnas call for using flour tortillas as your layers but I like using regular lasagna pasta noodles, you also add them uncooked....I have also made this with gluten free lasagna noodles and it was amazing!...This took less than 4 hours to cook on low which I do to prevent burning on the bottom..Next time I am going to make my Mexican Pizzas along with it...It could be a MexItalian night!...Here is how I made this...Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

1 pound ground sirloin

1 small onion diced

1 Jar Salsa (I used Chi Chi's mild)

1 can enchilada sauce ( I used mild)

1 can tomato sauce or petite diced tomatoes

+ 1 can of water

1 can tri- bean blend 

1 small can green chiles (optional)

LAYERS

1 box lasagna noodles or Gluten free version

1 can re fried beans

Shredded Cheese ( you can use your choice, cheddar, fiesta cheese or a combination)

you may need 1-2 bags

SAUCE

1. Preheat Crock pot to low

2. Ladle sauce in bottom to cover

3. Add uncooked lasagna noodles to fit

4. Drizzle more sauce over noodles then spoon half the can of re fried beans on top

5. sprinkle cheese over beans then cover with a layer of sauce

6. add another layer of noodles then repeat with the rest of the re fried beans then cheese

drizzle more sauce on top

7. You will end with a layer of noodles covered with sauce making sure all noodles are covered

8. Cook for 3-4 hours on low then top with cheese

Serve with Sour Cream if you like

**If by chance you don't end up with enough sauce to cover you can always add more enchilada sauce on top..you also want to make sure top layer stays submerged in sauce while cooking so it doesn't dry out

This is what it looks like finished...you can slice then scoop portions out

Peanut Butter Cookies (flourless)

So, what do you when you have three  jars of peanut butter in the pantry.... You make peanut butter cookies of course!..... And when looking through some of my old recipes I did not want to use granulated sugar.... So I thought I would replace with confectioners sugar and brown sugar and they turned out great.... Here is what I did.... enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 beaten egg

3/4  cup  Confectioners Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients together

Scoop about a Tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball

Place on cookie sheet and flatten dough into a circle

Mark with a fork (I used a silicone fork worked great!)

Bake for 8-9 minutes until lighly golden

Lentil Crock-Pot chili

I always love to make a pot of chili in the Fall....And I usually have all of the ingredients on hand to make it....except for the beef sometimes... good part about making it with lentils is I would always have on hand to make this in a pinch.....Now if you like you could also add Quinoa along with the lentils....you could also add green or red pepper if you choose to....and feel free to season as you like if you have a favorite chili recipe....here is what I did.... Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 medium onion diced

3 carrots finely diced

2 cloves garlic minced

Green or red pepper diced(optional)

Salt and pepper

Saute the onion, carrot till soft...add garlic, salt and pepper

Add to preheated to high Crock-Pot

Then add the rest of the ingredients

1 can corn

1can black beans

2 cans kidney beans

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of lentils ( if you would like to add Quinoa add 1 cup lentils and 1/2 cup of Quinoa)

5 cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon of cumin

3  Tablespoons of chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 

Easy Taco Pie (gluten free)

I was just thinking about this recipe I used to make when my kids were little...( I used Bisquick for a lot of things back then).....It was this Taco Pie...now that my kids are grown I still have Taco Tuesday every week if they can make it....I was trying to think of other things I could make and thought of this recipe, now that Bisquick makes a gluten free version I thought I would try it again.....I am sure you could use other g- free mixes like Pamela's for this also.....Well this was a big hit, my son in-law loved it, so I am sure I will be making it again!....I didn't add the green chilies this time but may try next time to see how they like it...Well here is what I did...Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion (optional)

1 package g-free Taco seasoning

small can green chilies (optional)

2 Eggs

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Baking mix (Bisquick or Pamela's)

 

3/4 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 

*Top with*

 

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

sliced black olives

 

*Garnish with*

 

Sour cream

Salsa

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400

 

1. Spray 9 inch Pie Plate...Cook  beef and onion until browned...stir in seasoning (drain if needed)....Spoon into pie plate add chilies if using

 

 

2. In a small bowl whisk eggs, milk and baking mix until smooth

Pour into pie plate

 

Bake 25 minutes then top with cheese and continue baking until melted

 

let stand 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomatoes and olives

Garnish with salsa and or sour cream

 

Here are the mixes that can be used

 

 

 

Hearty Cabbage-Veggie Soup

I have posted a cabbage soup recipe before, but this one is a little different.....I pretty much included everything but the kitchen sink!....I made this a little heartier.... And in this recipe I made a massive amount because I was distributing to some ailing family members so you could definitely cut this in half if you don't need this much....or you could make this much and eat it all week or distribute to friends or family who would appreciate some!....I also used Swiss chard because I love it, but you could substitute with spinach if you like....Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

6 Carrots (diced)

6 Celery Ribs (diced)

2 Sweet Potatoes (diced)

1 large onion (diced)

1 head of Broccoli (small florets)

1 head Cauliflower (small pieces)

3 Zucchini (diced with skin on)

1 bunch Swiss Chard (chopped)

1 head Cabbage (chopped)

2 cans Petite diced tomatoes

2 cans Kidney beans

2 -32 oz. boxes Chicken Broth

1 Knorr  chicken bouillon cube + 2 cups water (I added for extra flavor, but not necessary)

2 - 32 oz. Jars Pasta Sauce (garden veggie or tomato basil)

salt and pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Add the carrots, onion , celery and sweet potatoes to pot with olive oil

Saute about 10 minutes and then add all of the rest of the ingredients

Bring to a boil and then simmer until veggies are tender

 

 

 

Low Carb Keto/Gluten Free Bagel's

I can't even remember the last time I ate a bagel with cream cheese.....It had always been one of my favorite things too.....so when I saw that you could actually make a bagel out of cheese and almond flour I had to give it a try!....I have to say I was kind of skeptical, but when the first batch I made turned out really good, (the next day it was good toasted with cream cheese on it) I made another batch the next day and decided to make them Everything bagels which I also loved...I could pretty much put that seasoning on a piece of cardboard and wouldn't mind eating it!...I also decide to try making some bagel stix out of some of the dough and I love the way those turned out too...so the choice is yours...with this recipe I made 4 of each. after baking you can keep in a container with a lid or a large Ziploc. For the next day you can slice and toast in the toaster or even pop in the microwave to reheat a few second to enjoy it warm again...Or how about even making a pizza bagel out of it....All I know is I think I will be making these a lot now....Other topping options could be whatever you want...like just toasted sesame or kosher salt or dried onion or garlic alone or just poppy seed!...Have fun with it and finally get to enjoy a guilt free bagel.....Here is what I did...Enjoy!!

 

 

BAGEL INGREDIENTS

 

1 1/2 Cups Almond Flour + extra for kneading

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Eggs (beaten)

1 Bag(2 cups) Shredded Mozzarella

3 ounces Cream Cheese

(melted butter for topping)

 

EVERYTHING SEASONING

 

1/2 Tablespoon Dried Minced Onion

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Tablespoon Dried Minced Garlic

2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon Crushed Black Pepper

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

 

In a bowl mix together the almond flour, baking powder and salt and set aside

In a another bowl beat the 2 eggs and set aside

 

Add the mozzarella and cream cheese to a large glass bowl

 

  Microwave for a total of 2 minutes...stirring after 1 minute

Stir until combined

Then add the flour mixture and the beaten eggs

Mix with hands until incorporated adding more almond flour if sticky

continue kneading until you have a nice dough ball that bounces back

Roll into a long even log and then divide into six pieces

Take a piece and roll into a log then form into a circle/bagel shape and pinch ends together

If making a bagel stick take a piece and divide into 2 and make a log shape

I made 4 bagels and 4 sticks out of my 6 pieces, your choice

 

Place bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with melted butter then press your seasoning/topping on

 

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden...mine took 12 minutes

 

Eat warm or slice, toast and top with cream cheese if you like

Store in a container with a lid or a Ziploc

You can also reheat the next day in the microwave for a few seconds to soften

ENJOY!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Power Cookies

When you have ripe bananas you have to do something with them, so I decided to try make some cookies, while also making them healthy!....I did add gluten free oats to these but if you wanted to make these Paleo you could omit the oats and replace with more Almond flour and use nut butter of your choice.....These cookies also have coconut, walnuts and I used Enjoy Life brand mini chocolate chips....I also decided at the last minute to add some flax meal to make them more fiber rich.....They turned out really good and would also make a great breakfast on the go snack....Here is the recipe I came up with....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

3 ripe bananas (mashed)

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons Honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons peanut butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups Almond flour

1/2 cup oats

2 Tablespoons Flax meal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup coconut flakes

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

 

Place bananas in mixing bowl and mash.

Add the eggs, honey, vanilla and peanut butter and mix well

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir

Add by rounded scoops onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes

When cool you can place in a tub and refrigerate to last longer

 

 

*****NOTE*****

Here are the chocolate chips I use

 

Avocado Tuna Salad

 I have added Avocado to a lot of my recipes, like my egg salad, it is one of my favorite things....So I thought I would try it in my tuna salad, and this may be one of my new favorites!...This was such a light and fresh lunch when I served it in a crunchy romaine leaf and I only used minimal olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon to dress it along with salt and pepper. I also sprinkled some dehydrated cilantro on top, you could also use fresh if you have it on hand......Here is what I did...Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 can Albacore Tuna

1 Avocado (diced)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon (juice)

1/4 teaspoon salt(I  use pink Himalayan)

pinch of pepper

 

cilantro (optional to garnish)

Romaine leaves

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Add all ingredients except cilantro to a bowl and gently toss to coat

Add to romaine leaf and sprinkle with cilantro

 

 

Creamy Citrus Vinaigrette

Every time I go to one my favorite restaurants in Florida, I always order the same thing...and I am not sick of it yet!.....This time after I came home I wanted to try and recreate the salad, which theirs has coconut shrimp, toasted sliced almonds ,mandarin oranges and sprinkles of coconut flakes....They also serve it with a citrus dressing.....This is what I came up with, I thought it turned out pretty close.....I made my salad with grilled shrimp along with the almonds, oranges and coconut flakes with chopped romaine lettuce,....But you can add whatever you like!
Here is how I made the vinaigrette.....Enjoy!

Vinaigrette Ingredients

 

1/2 Cup Orange Juice or more( I squeezed 2 mandarin oranges, mine were juicy, you may need more to get  a 1/2cup)

1 lime (juiced)

1/2 Cup Olive oil

3 Tablespoons Honey

1/4 Cup White Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

 

Add all ingredients to your Bullet or blender and blend until incorporated

 

NOTE**I added an extra orange that I squeezed so it was a little more than 1/2 cup

Garlic-Parmesan Kale Chips

When I am trying to eat healthy the hardest thing always is what to snack on....Plantain Chips are one of my favorites. But when I came across the Kale at the Market I decided to make Kale Chips out of them.....They are so simple to prepare, and for being so healthy for you they can be pretty tasty......You can add what you like to them to season them but for these I added garlic powder and parmesan cheese, along with pink Himalayan sea salt and boy were they good...I could have eaten the whole bowl....When my hubby came home from work and tried them he practically did eat the bowl!..Here are the basics of how I prepared them, You can try them with different seasonings in the future if you like...Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Kale Leaves

Olive oil

sea salt

garlic powder

parmesan cheese

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 300 - Bake for 15 - 20 minutes

 

Cut leaves away from middle stalk of Kale

Add leaves to a bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat and toss

Place leaves on a parchment lined baking sheet

Sprinkle leaves with salt, and garlic powder then sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Bake for 10 minutes then check and turn the leaves that are getting crispy

return to oven for 5 to 10 more minutes until  they are all crispy

Enjoy

This is what was left, but not for long!