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Archives for July 2019

KALE SALAD with LEMON VINAIGRETTE

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What is your go-to when you really don’t want to cook? Maybe I should back up a bit. What are the staples in your fridge or pantry? The items you know you can always make a meal out of in ten minutes or less? My staples include kale (don’t roll your eyes at me), chickpeas, tortillas and eggs. At my laziest, I will toss together a kale salad. The toppings vary as far as which cheese or seeds I might sprinkle on top but I always include chickpeas for protein. My other go-to quick meal option is a breakfast taco. I live in South Texas and down here, there is no room for not loving breakfast tacos.

I get it that there are plenty of people who don’t like kale. Heck, there are plenty to mock it and shout their hate for kale from the rooftops. However, I think those people either haven’t actually tried it OR it wasn’t prepared well for them. In raw form, it can be really tough and fibrous. If the stem isn’t removed, you’ll feel like you’re gnawing on a tree branch. HOWEVER, if prepared well, it is delicious and has lots of nutritional value. At the very least, it is worth trying. If you still don’t like it? Hey, more for me!

Tips

  • I created this recipe as a side salad. However, you can top it with chickpeas, a hard-boiled egg or even grilled chicken to turn it into a meal.
  • To make this recipe go even faster, you can use a store-bought vinaigrette instead of the one I created for this salad.
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Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

My go-to salad recipe – perfect as a side salad or turn it into your main dish.
Course: Salad

Ingredients

  • 5 large handfuls kale, destemmed and torn into pieces
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons roasted & salted pepita seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the Vinaigrette

  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Place kale, lemon zest and salt in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of water. Sauté 2-3 minutes or until kale is bright green and slightly tender. Remove from heat immediately and put kale in a medium bowl.
  • Toss kale with pepitas, parmesan and red pepper flakes until ingredients are evenly distributed.

For the vinaigrette

  • For the vinaigrette: whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad as desired.

BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE NO CHURN ICE CREAM

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I have lived in several states during my adult life – Kansas, Missouri, New York, Colorado, California, Texas. Most places I’ve lived were simply because I felt like moving and exploring a new city/state. However, my journey to Western New York is a little different. Deciding to pursue a degree in Audiology required me to look outside of my home state of Kansas. At the time, there were no doctoral programs in Kansas – that has changed since then. As I was filling out grad school applications, I was initially drawn to places with a nice climate or places where I already had friends. I had a huge stack of applications and most of them were not distinct from one another. However, I vividly recall grabbing the application to SUNY at Buffalo and thinking “Why would I want to live there?” as I tossed it into the garbage. I was getting burned out on completing applications and I had senioritis in a bad way. At some point, I realized that I should probably apply to just one more school – acceptance into specialty programs can be competitive and there are no guarantees. So, I browsed online and discovered SUNY at Buffalo had an incredibly easy online application. I filled it out and didn’t really think twice about it because I had full intention of attending one of the other schools on my list. I think we can all see where this is heading, right? Each school I applied to had a unique situation as to why I ended up not going there. I’ll spare you those details but yes, I ultimately ended up moving to Buffalo and completing my degree there.

I spent a total of six years in Buffalo and surrounding towns. There were ups and there were so many more downs. To be honest, I have a hard time looking back and seeing the high points but I know there were some good times had in the midst of it all. One thing that I do recall fondly, though, is the food. Buffalo wings, anyone?!?! But also, the pizza and sub sandwiches. And even better? Perry’s ice cream. Now living in Texas, Blue Bell is the go-to option in the stores. However, I’m convinced it is only because Perry’s is not available here. (Sorry, Blue Bell.) My all-time favorite flavor was blackberry cheesecake. It was only available occasionally, and only at the local ice cream stands. It was never available in the stores. But man, oh man, this was THE flavor for me! I haven’t found it in any other brand since then. Naturally, the next best thing was to create my own version. My friend, Nicolas, from Blogtastic Food challenged me to create a new no churn ice cream and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I truly hope this no churn blackberry cheesecake ice cream gives you the same joy I experienced when I had the original from Perry’s back in the day.

Tips:

  • Be sure to cool the berry mixture before adding it into the whipped cream mixture so that it doesn’t melt the whipped cream.
  • Don’t sub out the homemade whipped cream for the premade stuff. There is a difference in texture and sweetness.
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Blackberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream

No Churn ice cream is easy to make – no ice cream maker needed. This blackberry cheese cake ice cream is the new favorite in our house.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Blackberry, Blackberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream, Blackberry Ice Cream, Cheesecake, Cheesecake Ice Cream, Dessert, Easy Recipe, Ice Cream, No Churn, No Churn Ice Cream
Author: Sarah Baade

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fresh blackberries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 16 oz heavy cream
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 9" premade graham cracker pie crust

Instructions

  • Stir blackberries in a medium pan over low heat until berries start to break down.
  • Stir in vanilla extract and cream cheese until cream cheese is melted and mostly incorporated with berries.
  • Remove berry mixture from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  • In a large, chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form.
  • Mix sweetened condensed milk into heavy cream until fully incorporated.
  • Add berry mixture into cream mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
  • Gently stir in entire graham cracker crust – do not fully incorporate the crust – chunks are fine here.
  • Pour ice cream mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.

More No churn Ice Cream Recipes

This recipe was developed as part of a collaboration with several other talented food bloggers. I am including the links to their recipes for you to try out as well.

Bonus Recipe

You can also check out my own No Churn Chocolate Chunk Coffee Ice Cream here.

PATRIOTIC PARTY SNACKS

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I’m so glad I ended up taking this Friday off from work. I’ve been needing a four-day weekend and 4th of July is the perfect excuse for one! I’ve mentioned before that Texas holds some great childhood Independence Day memories for me. Since moving to San Antonio almost eight years ago, I’ve been making wonderful adulthood memories as well. This year, we will be celebrating our great nation with family. I can hardly wait to watch my daughter play with cousins she hasn’t seen since Christmas. We’ll be hanging out poolside for most of the weekend which means I’m all about the easiest snacks I can make happen while still pulling off a patriotic theme. I’ve put together a short list of what you can make to keep things simple, mostly healthy, and definitely delicious.

Watermelon Salad

Honestly, you can further simply this easy recipe by skipping the dressing. Sure, it adds a little extra something to the dish but if you’re in a hurry, just stick to the basic salad.

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Watermelon Salad

Fresh flavors that are perfect for summer snacking

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 8 cups watermelon, cut into 1" cubes
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients.
  • In a blender, liquefy the dressing ingredients.
  • Drizzle dressing over individual servings of salad, as desired.

Snack Tray

The key here is finding a variety of red and white snacks and adding in some blueberries. Use whatever snacks you like best. Here’s what I used: star fruit, blueberries, cherries, mini toast crackers, grape tomatoes, white cheddar cheese slices, yogurt covered pretzels, red bell peppers, white crackers, and pepperoni.

Fruit Bruschetta

Fruit Bruschetta One thing I love about this recipe is that you can change up the fruit toppings based on preference or what is seasonal. For 4th of July, I opted for blueberries and raspberries

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Fruit Bruschetta

A sweeter, summery take on bruschetta.
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Ingredients

  • 1 Ciabatta baguette
  • 8 oz goat cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • honey, for drizzling

Instructions

  • Set oven to broil.
  • Slice baguette diagonally into ½” thick slices. Lay out the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, flip each slice of bread over and place back in oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove cookie sheet from oven and let bread slices cool completely.
  • In a bowl, combine goat cheese and chopped mint leaves. Spread goat cheese onto bread slices (be generous, it’s delicious!). Top with fruit as desired then drizzle with honey.

Notes

You can change which fruits you use based on preference or what is in season.

Infused Water

The key to infused water is to prepare it a couple of hours ahead of time. Place sliced fruits in a large pitcher and add water. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For this one, I used star fruit, strawberries and blueberries.

Stir-N-Drop Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box and I love using it for holidays. You can change up the colored decorating sugars to adjust for the right color theme.

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Stir-N-Drop Sugar Cookies

Quick and easy cookies perfect for any holiday.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • additional colored sugars for decorating

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs with oil, vanilla, zest and sugar. 
  •  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 
  • Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
  • Drop dough by the tablespoon full onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 
  • Grease the bottom of a glass with butter or cooking spray. Dip glass into colored sugar then gently press on ball of dough until dough is ¼-inch thick. Repeat on each ball of dough.
  • Bake 5-6 minutes or until edges of cookies start to turn golden brown.

Chips & Pico de Gallo

Place a small white bowl of pico de gallo inside a larger white bowl. Fill remaining space in large bowl with blue corn chips.

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Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

  • 6 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, stemmed, cored and finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  • Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
  • Stir before serving with tortilla chips.

Flag Cake

This is about the decorations more than following a recipe. Grab a box of white cake mix and bake as instructed on package. Once cooled, cover with cream cheese frosting or cool whip. Top with blueberries and sliced strawberries in the shape of an American flag.