cooking ala mel

Green Spinach Smoothie

April 11, 2011

I’ve been doing the Insanity workout regimen (minus the diet plan) for the past week or so, so I’ve been trying to include smoothies into my post workout meal to get some nutrition fast to refuel. It’s been really intense, so I just want something for my body immediately so I don’t end up passing out or anything. Last week, I attempted a smoothie with kale, frozen berries and cocoa powder; that was the worst idea I’ve ever had. It was way too much cocoa powder, and it was just disgusting. I couldn’t manage to finish it. Over the weekend, though, I found a recipe for a green smoothie with spinach that sounded absolutely fantastic. It was.

This smoothie is sweet, cool and tangy, and it has a nice little kick from the ginger. And it’s chock full of healthy ingredients! You can’t taste the spinach, so don’t worry about that! It gives it the prettiest color, though.

I made one batch and split it up for the next two days. It is extremely filling, so you don’t need too much to satisfy you.

Green Smoothie

adapted from Gimme Some Oven

1 granny smith apple, cored

1 orange, peeled

1 banana, peeled

1 cup frozen spinach (or 2 cups fresh, rinsed)

1/2 t ground ginger

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

It’s a bit thick, so a bit fruit juice or water might be a good idea if you want it to be thinned out.

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Frittata

April 6, 2011

We love roasted red peppers here. They’re so easy to make and SO so flavorful. So of course, when I saw a recipe for a roasted red pepper and sausage frittata, I put it in the back of my mind to make asap! Alex didn’t think it looked all that good, so I waited until he was off working on a project with one of his friends to start making it so he wouldn’t have much of a choice. I took my books with me to write up my lab report as I waited for the pepper to roast so I was still a bit productive in the process of making this. Kevin from Closet Cooking, where I got this recipe from, said this was the best frittata he’d ever had, and I have to agree with him – this is extremely flavorful; I’m sitting here with half of it left on my plate right now trying to eat it extremely slowly so I can savor every last bite.

The frittata is topped with some marinara and mozzarella; they really give it an extra boost of flavor. I can’t get enough of this, seriously!

I used the three cheese chicken sausages from Sam’s Club, which taste more like an Italian sausage. They are so yummy in this dish!

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Frittata

adapted from Closet Cooking

serves 4-6

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed (I used 2 precooked chicken&apple sausages, chopped into small pieces)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 large eggs

1 large roasted red pepper, diced

1 cup marinara sauce

3/4 cup mozzarella

salt, pepper, parmesan, to taste

parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Heat a thin layer of water in a small skillet over high heat and add your sausage pieces. Cook the sausages until the water is almost evaporated; lower the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until sausage is slightly browned and the onion is translucent.

Mix the eggs, sausage, onion, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper and parmesan in a baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until edges are golden brown and fork comes clean from center.

Pour the marinara over the frittata and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Put it under the broiler until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

April 6, 2011

It’s been a pretty hectic week so far. I had a test on Monday and a test today, so I told myself I wasn’t allowed to do any other extra cooking/baking other than for meals until the test today was over. I’ve been out of granola for the past couple of days, and I wanted to mix things up again with my breakfasts. Upon finding this recipe for Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies from Oh She Glows, I decided what I would be making today.

For as healthy of a cookie as these are, they sure are delicious! Not too sweet, subtly spiced..so perfect for breakfast! These cookies don’t spread out much, so I pulled them out half way through baking and squashed them down with a fork like you would for a peanut butter cookie. That makes them feel a little bit bigger (although they’re still very small!).

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
adapted from Oh She Glows
yields about 16 cookies
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 T ground flax seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used slightly less)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 t fresh ginger, grated
dash of cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla

Combine oats, flour, flax seeds, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the nuts, carrots, coconuts and raisins and stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla and ginger. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
Form the dough into little balls (tablespoon) and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Squish down with a fork, in a criss-cross manner. Bake for about 12 minutes at 350ºF. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.