Garden-Fresh Sloppy Joes

So one of the things that has been so amazing since we've moved to VA, is that many of our neighbors and friends from church have been sharing the harvests of their gardens with us! It's been amazing. I'm a Farmer's Market junkie as it is, because there's nothing quite like fresh fruits and veggies home-grown and hand-picked, ya know? So what's even better than buying fresh home-grown produce? Receiving FREE home-grown produce. Seriously, how awesome is that?!

Anyway, here's how this recipe happened. It was just one of those nights when I really had nothing planned for dinner and was feeling kinda lazy about cooking, so I wanted something simple and easy. I looked over to our big wooden bowl we keep on the counter for fruits and veggies that don't need to be in the fridge, and on this particular night, it was overflowing. I thought, hm, maybe I'll make a quick pasta primavera? But as I kept looking at the bowl, I noticed there were a LOT of tomatoes. So I thought, maybe a red sauce? And then the wheels kept turning... it was a ridiculously hot day and I thought, I don't really want a big heavy pasta dish tonight.

Then, the lightbulb went off. I was cutting veggies, throwing things in the pan, sauteing, and throwing some more things in the pan, and just a few minutes later, voila! I had made some insanely scrumptious sloppy joes! The hubster and I mnoshled (yes, I just made that up) into those bad boys like there was no tomorrow. The little kid inside me rejoiced and the adult inside me who actually cares about being healthy ALSO rejoiced. It was the best of times, it was ... the best of times.

The following recipe is not super precision, seeing as my method (described above) was pretty fly-by-the-seat. So I hope you don't mind the amazingly accurate measurements I'll be using. :)


Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1 small/medium chopped bell pepper
1 smallish chopped onion
1-2 cloved finely chopped garlic
2ish cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
A few tablespoons of light olive oil (feel free to substitute another oil of choice)
4-5 splashed of Worchestershire sauce
A small blob of kethcup
A small blob of spicy brown mustard
Salt&Pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat, and get your carrots sauteing first since they will take a bit longer to soften up. After a few minutes, add the rest of your veggies. Let those cook for a few minutes, and once the garlic becomes really fragrant to you, add the tomatoes and turn the heat down to low.
2. Once you start to see the tomatoes breaking down, add the ground meat and give it all a few good stirs.
3. Add your sauces and seasonings and stir.
4. Continue to cook until the meat is cooked all the way through.

Serve hot on a nice big whole wheat bun with marinated cucumbers, chips, cottage cheese, pickles, crackers or whatever you fancy!

*As a side note, I wanted to add that if you're planning on feeding this meal to kids who will likely turn their noses up at the sight of carrots and bell peppers in their sloppy joes, simply puree all the veggies, and you'll have an even sloppier texture, the kids will never know, it'll taste AMAZING, and it's still super healthy! :)

Corned Beef & Cabbage ... PIZZA!!!

Reemiiiiiiix!!! Who says corned beef and cabbage can only be served one way? And who says it can only be served on St. Patty's day? Well whoever they are, they are sorely mistaken! 

Alright, so here's the deal. We're a little bit obsessed with pizza over here at the Rhoades Casa. We'll put just about anything on a pizza. You name a meal, we'll make it a pizza. Steak fajitas? Easy. Shrimp stir-fry? No sweat. Macaroni and cheese? Why not. (Haven't actually done that one yet, but the future holds no bounds). So, when St. Patty's day week rolled around, we figured, heck, let's take the traditional CB&C, as we like to call it, and throw it all on a pizza! Well, let me just tell you. This pizza was ... in a word ... genius. Sheer culinary genius. And because it's so darn delicious and simple, there's nothing stopping us, and now you, dear reader, from making this meal any day of the year. Except, of course, Lenten Fridays. ;)

So here goes.

Pizza ingredients:
1 fresh pizza crust
1/2 cup diced cooked potatoes
1/2 cup fresh chopped green cabbage
1/4 cup sliced or diced onions
a few thick slices of corned beef from the deli, julienned
1/2 lb of swiss cheese (shredded or sliced)
1/2-3/4 cup Super Secret Special Sauce

Super Secret Special Sauce ingredients:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish (sub creamy horseradish sauce for less potent flavor)
1/2 mayo
2-3 tbs yellow mustard
1 tbs apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425. (If you just made your crust fresh, it should already be hot.)
Prepare your pizza ingredients and set aside. Mix all your sauce ingredients together and set aside. 
Once your crust is all ready to go, spread the majority of your sauce evenly over the crust. (You'll want to save some for the dippin later). Add a layer of cheese. Now add all your toppings. Bake on bottom rack for 7 minutes.
Pop the pizza out and add the rest of your cheese over the top. Bake for another 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly.
Enjoy!!

so good.

so very, very good.

Amazing Split-Pea Soup

Split-Pea soup has gotten most of its publicity from its notorious role in the classic 1973 horror film, The Exorcist. However, I am here to say that there is so much more to this soup than its ability to resemble discolored projectile spew. And really... unless that girl ATE some split pea soup, it's a wonder as to why her spew would be that color in the first place. Anyway, the point I'm (not very successfully) trying to make is that split pea soup is AWESOME. Delicious and nutritious, as they say.

The recipe I'm about to share with you all... could probably win awards. Could probably break records. Could possibly even cure cancer. That's how fantastic it is. The first time I made it, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, Rocky and I literally ate the entire pot. Granted, we had skipped lunch that day, and we continued to eat the soup over the course of about 3 hours... but still. That pot was empty. I think I even caught Rocky licking the sides. Basically, it's scrumptious and addictive, and yea, maybe I'm bragging a little bit, but I'm only trying to convince the general public that pea soup needs another chance. If you haven't tried it in awhile, or ever, or are for some reason convinced that you don't like it... I'm here to plead on behalf of this delicious soup. Give Peas a Chance!!!

Ingredients:
2 cups dried split peas, rinsed
1/2 dry barley (or brown rice)
7 1/2 cups water
1 ham hock or ham bone
3 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 potatoes, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ham (or bacon)
2 tbs olive oil/butter/bacon fat/etc.
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 bay leaf


Directions:
     Many crock pot recipes tell you to just throw everything into the pot together, walk away, and eat 8 hours later. This recipe isn't AS simple (still very easy though!) but produces a MUCH better textured, and much more flavorful outcome.
     1. So. First off, ignore the directions on the back of the package of peas. Turn the crock pot onto the 'high' setting and put your peas in, followed by 7 1/2 cups cold water and your ham hock/bone. Put the lid on and let it cook for a minimum of four hours. Don't add anything else. For four hours. Seriously. We want the peas to break down beautifully and soak in the hammy flavor! I usually stir it once or twice during this time.
     2. Once the peas are nearing the end of their initial cook time, heat up your oil in a skillet and add your onions, carrots, potatoes, and garlic, along with the seasoned salt, basil, thyme, and ground pepper. Cook until the onions are transparent and the carrots have softened up. Take skillet off heat.
     3. Check your peas. If they are disintegrating nicely, turn the crock pot to 'low' and add your cooked veggie mixture, sea salt, bay leaf, and barley. Stir it all together, replace lid, and cook for about 2 hours.
     4. Finally, once that time has gone by, heat your skillet back up, and add your ham to it, with a dash of oil. If you are using ham (I am almost always using leftover ham from a baked ham I made a day or two earlier), dice it up before cooking. If you're using bacon, you'll crush it later. Either way, get the meat nice and toasty in the skillet. Once it's ready (crispy, and diced or crushed), add it to your pot, stir together, and cook on low for one last hour.
     5. Ladle into bowls, top with some crunchy homemade croutons*, and enjoy! 

I wish I were eating this RIGHT NOW.

*Croutons: 

Diced bread, toasted in a skillet with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

Super easy, super tasty.

Fresh Pizza Crust

In our house, Friday night is pizza night. They just... go together, ya know? Like peanut butter and jelly. Or milk and cookies. Or mustard and pickles. Oh wait, that's just when I'm pregnant.
Anyway, for me, the key to a good pizza is the crust. And the key to a happy bank account is saving money. And the key to saving money is making things from scratch. And the key to making things from scratch is... okay, I'll stop now.
All tangents aside, I really love making homemade pizza crust because it is cheap and delicious. And really, once you get the hang of it, a lot easier than you might think! So. Here goes:

Ingredients:
2 or more cups flour (unbleached all-purpose or unbleached whole wheat or a combo of the both!)
1 package (1/4 oz) pizza yeast
1 cup very warm tap water
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
seasonings of your choice

 Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine yeast and sugar. Add warm water and stir thoroughly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. In a large bowl (if you're using a stand mixer, use that bowl here), combine 2 cups flour, salt, and a few dashes of your favorite dried seasonings. I usually add garlic powder, parsley, and basil for a standard crust. Add yeast mixture and oil.

2. Mix together until well blended. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook which makes life verrrrry easy, but if you don't have all that, I'd suggest using a wet wooden spoon. It will probably still be a bit too sticky at this point, so gradually add more flour until you have a nice, soft dough ball that is smooth and elastic. With the stand mixer, you'll know you're done when all the dough comes away from the walls and stays together in a ball. If you're not using the stand mixer, you will need to switch to kneading with your hands for a bit until you reach the right constancy. You're aiming for a dough ball that is just slightly sticky to the touch, but not so much that your fingers get stuck to it. If at any point, you added too much flour, just dash some water in to make up the difference.

3. Put the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, roll it around to cover it all with a bit of oil, then cover the bowl with a damp towel, and let it sit for 20-30 mins. This is a great time to preheat your oven to 400°F and start the prep on your toppings.

4. I've never in my life had much luck rolling out dough, or doing that cool toss into the air and catch with fists flippy thing... so I just use floured hands, and press the dough out to fill in a lightly greased pizza pan or stone. But if you're cooler than I am, and possess such rolling or flipping skills, then have a blast! Either way, once the dough is evenly lain onto the pizza pan/stone, let it rest for about 5 minutes. (Take this time to finish prepping whatever ingredients you'll be using).

5. Now, place the pan/stone into the oven on the bottom rack (no topping or sauce of any sort on it) for aboooout 8 minutes - keep an eye on it. I do this to give it just a bit of firmness and to start the baking process. It helps to not have such a well, doughy crust in the end. Take it out once it has firmed up just a bit, but is still pliable enough to make an indent into it with your finger.

And voila! You have an awesomely scrumptious pizza crust.

Firm, but pliable.

Ready for TOPPINGS!

Final steps:
Turn oven heat up to 425. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Cook on middle or bottom rack for 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown, and cheese is all melty and bubbly and mouth-wateringly awesome looking.
Enjoy!

Finished product!

Maple mustard sauce, mushrooms, sausage, and red peppers :)

Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta

This is one of those meals that just comes together so easily, and will really satisfy you. This particular recipe was intended to serve two, just my husband and I, but it was easier in the end to make a bigger amount, which can easily feed four. Needless to say, the leftovers tasted amazing for lunch the next day!
With Lent right around the corner, this is a great vegetarian dish to have on hand. It's simple, delicious, and filling!

Ingredients:
1 box box of whole grain pasta (12-14 ounces)
1 pint roasted grape tomatoes
1 six ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained - reserve liquid
1/2 cup olives (black or kalamata)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese
2-3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
1/2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp fresh chopped basil or basil paste
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, for seasoning
grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta (feel free to use whatever you like best - penne, linguini, rotini, etc.) until al dente. Drain, reserving about a cup of pasta water. Return pasta to pot, off the heat.
Meanwhile, start heating your oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once that is warm, work in the tomato paste. It will take a minute or so to come to life. Once you can smell the tomato scent pretty well, add the onion and saute until almost tender. Add the garlic. Once the garlic become fragrant to you, season with salt and pepper, and add the basil. Kick the heat up to medium-high and add marinating liquid from artichoke jar, and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Turn the heat off, and stir in the artichokes (chopped smaller if you desire), olives, and tomatoes. Stir in the pasta, working it all together. If it starts to become a bit stiff, slowly add only as much of your reserved pasta liquid as is necessary to loosen it up. The starch in the water will also help the ingredients stick to the pasta nicely. Stir in feta cheese and some more fresh ground pepper.
When you serve the pasta, top it off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!

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Roasted Garlic, Roasted Tomatoes

I use these ingredients fairly often, so I figured I'd make a quick instruction page for roasting these two beauties. Enjoy them again and again!

Roasted Garlic:
1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the tips of the garlic head, so that the cloves are exposed. Brush olive oil over the exposed cloves until well saturated. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic up in foil and roast for about 40-45 minutes. The cloves should be soft when pressed with a fork, but still moist.
Why roast garlic? More importantly, why NOT roast garlic?? It is creamy, mellow, sweet, nutty, and spreadable! You can use it in pasta dishes, spread it directly onto bread, or make some delicious compound butter, by mashing two or three heads of garlic into a stick of softened butter. Harden it back up in the fridge and use it to make garlic bread or stir into mashed potatoes. Amazing.

Roasted Tomatoes:
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper
ground thyme

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Put a layer of parchment paper or foil onto a baking sheet to prevent any juice that leaks from burning your pan. Lay tomatoes onto the baking sheet, pour the olive oil over them evenly. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Roast for about 20 minutes in the oven.
Roasting enhances the tomatoes' flavor, and gives them a fun texture. Rocky isn't a huge tomato fan, but he really enjoys roasted tomatoes - they taste great in tons of different recipes! Toss them into a pasta or pasta salad. Use these as the base for your salsa or bruschetta in place of fresh, for a nice twist. Put 'em on a pizza! Go crazy with them - they're delicious.

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Wine and Cheese Night

For a few months now, Rocky and I have been loving watching travel shows and documentaries. We especially love the France shows, mostly because we are fascinated by the food culture there. We have seen and read that, in general, when it comes to mealtime in France, there is noooo rush. Dinner can last for several hours! Not to say that they are gorging themselves for hours on end, but rather, slowly sampling what the table has to offer, focusing much more on conversation than food. Given the conversations and delicious wines, it's no wonder why they take so long!

Obviously, our culture is very different, because let's face it, we don't usually have time to sit around eating for hours and hours. But maybe you could at least enjoy yourselves and stretch dinner out to about an hour. So Rocky and I thought we'd give this a whirl. Then we thought, well we don't necessarily want to serve food that is meant to be eaten very warm because then you just can't eat for an hour, it'll get cold! Our solution was to enjoy some lovely wine and cheese. A very popular option in France, and now in the Rhoades house! 

Alright, now I can hardly call this a "recipe" but it is certainly one of our favorites, so I had to share. And there are enough comments to make on it that I can make it into a food post. SO. Here goes.

Ingredients:

3-4 different types of cheese, amount varying on how many people are eating

1-2 different meats

1 French baguette

1 bottle of wine

balsamic vinegar

oil

Diriections:

If you like, pop your baguette into a very low oven (250 is fine) directly onto the rack. You'll just warm it as you prepare the rest. If you don't mind room temp bread, that's fine too!

Take your cheeses and cut them into small slices or cubes. Do the same with your meats. Arrange these onto a plate or nice looking cutting board.

Pop open your wine, pour it and let it breathe.

Pour some oil (usually olive oil) into a dipping saucer and then pour the balsamic vinegar into that.

Take the bread out (should be warm by now), and slice it up.

Bring it all to the table and you're ready to feast! Enjoy!

This was smoked salmon night. DELICIOUS!

Variations:

This is the best part of this meal. You could do it every single week and it could be different every single week. Play around with the cheeses. Have some different tasting options. Have some soft cheeses, like brie and gruyere. Have some hard cheeses like smoked gouda or smoked provolone. Have some buttery cheese like havarti. Nutty cheeses like cheddar. Seriously people, the possibilities are endless!!

The meats. We began these nights with your classic cured meats, like pepperoni and various different salamis. Most recently, we served a spicy smoked salmon. To die for. 

The wine. It truly is needless to say the possibilities are endless here, because that's obvious. This is allll about preference. But don't be afraid to try something new too, you may surprise yourself! I'd recommend a red wine though, because of the nature of the meal to last for awhile, drinking a room temp wine makes it hassle-free. But if you are truly a lover of chilled wine, just pop the bottle into a bucket of ice and bring it to the table with you! One last thing I'll say is if you're drinking a wine you've had before, and therefore now how strong it is, try your best to match your cheeses to the level of strength. I'm by no means an expert in this area. 

All I know is we once had a very strong tasting wine - delicious but strong - and it overpowered our cheeses, as in, we could barely taste them because of the effect the wine had on our tongues. It would be like eating a jalapeno and then a bite of, I don't know, baked potato afterwards. I'm telling you, that potato would be flavorless after the jalapeno got done wreaking havoc on your taste buds. The point I'm trying to make is, just match the wine to the cheese to the best of your ability!

Also, you can vary the dipping oil for your bread. Some people won't want to dip at all, but for us dip-aholics, you can play around here. Roast some garlic, and put it into the bottom of the saucer, then pour some olive oil over that. Can't tell you how delicious that is! Try a raspberry vinaigrette in place of balsamic. As always, try different things... have fun!

Lastly, you can definitely mix it up with the bread as well, although we haven't. We usually just stick to the classic French baguette. Why? It's the one stable thing about the meal. Oh, and it's DELICIOUS! 

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Here too! Thank you :)

Black Bean Hummus

Ok, people. This hummus is to DIE FOR! I brought it over to a friend's house recently, and it was gone in 5 minutes. Now, I have made MANY a hummus in my day. The classic garbanzo bean varieties, other bean varieties, super spicy, super mild, etc. This recipe is a nice crowd-pleaser. I love the flavor of black beans, plus it's something different than what you see in the store.

I also really enjoy experimenting with hummus. Once I've got a good base to work with, I just start adding stuff, and coming up with new varieties! (This is why I'm a cook, not a baker. I cannot follow directions very well. I just use them as a loose guideline... which doesn't work very well with baking!)

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this recipe, and then make it your own! Once you make a good hummus or two from scratch, you can say goodbye to the days of the store-bought stuff!


Ingredients:
1 16oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbs tahini
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
turmeric to taste
chili powder to taste
crushed black pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine beans, tahini, garlic, salt, and half of your olive oil in a food processor. Pulse about ten times to get it going. Add your spices, as much as you like, and pulse another ten times. Add the rest of your olive oil (and you may need extra, so have it handy), and run the processor until you have a smooth puree.
Chill and serve with pita, crackers, and/or fresh veggies.

Notes:
With hummus, the ingredients have lots of shimmy room. The tahini is a sesame seed puree. If you like a nutty flavor, go a little heavy-handed, if not, one tablespoon will due. If you don't have tahini, or don't like it, you can always make an alternative nut puree ahead of time. Pine nuts are my favorite alternative.
The salt is a necessary ingredient (trust me, I've made hummus without it, and it really suffered for it), but again, you can go a little light or heavy-handed depending on your preference.
I do recommend finely chopping your garlic beforehand, that way you don't get anybody biting into a huge chunk that didn't get processed well. Remember, those beans really crowd the blades.
I like a spicy hummus (well, spicy anything, really), so I add lots of turmeric, chili powder, and black pepper, but again, this is your dish. Play around with flavors! Add different spices and see what you like.
Annnnnd, the olive oil. Gotta be careful here. If you use too little, you have a very stiff hummus, and if you use too much, it's runny and the olive oil flavor is too strong. I'd say start with about a quarter cup and work your way up until you reach the consistency that satisfies you. If you find your hummus to still be stiff, add some water! If you used canned beans, reserved starch water from the can works best. If not, regular water works fine too! Again, start slow and add as needed.
Most people prefer a chilled hummus, so pop it in the fridge for about an hour before serving. Or don't. I think it tastes great at room temp as well!

Salsa Chicken with Spicy Beans & Lentils

I love this recipe because there are so many ways to mix it up! I swear, we have some variation of this meal once a week. My original version of this meal is the Salsa Chicken over a bed of rice, smothered in cheddar cheese. IIIII know! Delicious. However, it being the new year and all, I decided to cut back on the cheese a bit. I also substituted lentils for the rice, because lentils are supposed to be a symbol of prosperity in the new year, and it's traditional to cook/eat lots of lentils in the month of January!

This recipe serves two. So. Here goes:


Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
3/4 cup salsa (your favorite store-bought or even better, homemade!!)
2 tbs shredded cheddar cheese
1 avocado
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup lentils
2 cups water
1/2 cup beans (kidney, black, pinto, you decide)
3ish tbs coconut oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
A few shakes of chili powder or cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
Start with the lentils right away. In a small pot, combine your water and lentils and bring to a rolling boil. Pop a lid on it, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. While that's a'boilin, dice up your onion and heat a cast iron skillet up on medium heat. Drop in a tablespoon of coconut oil. Once that's hot, toss in your onions and garlic, add a bit of S&P (salt and pepper) and saute them until just tender. Take them out of the skillet, and set aside. Turn your oven on and set to 350 degrees.

With your pan still hot, drop in about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Sprinkle one side of your chicken breasts with some S&P and place them into the pan seasoned side down once the oil is hot. Now season the other side with some S&P. (I also add a few dashes of chili powder at this point, but that's optional.) You'll want to let these sit for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until you get a nice golden color going on. Once they are golden on each side, put them into a lightly oiled baking pan, and transfer them into the oven to finish cooking all the way through, another 5-10 minutes depending on how thick they are.

At this point, your lentils should be ready. Drain any excess water. Add the sauteed garlic & onions from earlier, beans, 1/4 cup of salsa, and all your spices. Mix well. (It will smell AMAZING.) Put the lid back on, but keep the pot off the heat.

Slice up your avocado and shred up your cheese if it isn't already. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, take them out of the oven and turn it off. Then pour 1/2 cup of the salsa all over the top of them, and sprinkle the cheese on top of that. Pop them back into the warm oven for about a minute or so, just to melt the cheese.

And now we plate. Lay down a nice pile of the beans and lentils off to one side of the plate. Lay down your chicken on the other side of the plate, and top with avocado slices.

Sooooo good!

Notes:
The lentils. Check which kind you are getting. I use lentils that don't require pre-soaking, but many do! If those are the kind you have, you'll have to prep them ahead of time.

The skillet. You definitely don't need a cast iron one, I just like them. I think they cook food more evenly.

The chicken. If you can, fresh, local organic chicken is the way to go! If not, some nice fresh chicken from the butcher is good too. You can also use frozen chicken breasts, as long as they are completely thawed before you start this meal. You don't want them super cold either, that way they cook evenly all the way through.

The spices. You can really do what you want here. If you don't have turmeric, I would first suggest getting some. It. Is. So. Good. And so good for you! (Turmeric has been called one of nature’s most powerful healers. It has great anti-inflammatory properties which can address symptoms of arthritis. It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is said to be a digestive aid that will settle the stomach. Turmeric contains a rich source of antioxidants that help fight against free radicals. It also is said to have anti-platelet properties that help protect against strokes and heart attacks. Studies have also shown that it has a beneficial effect on the liver.) However, if you do not have it, just use some more cumin. As for the heat, I like my food super spicy, so I use a bunch of cayenne and chili powder. You know your palette best. Be modest at first, and just add what you like; know that you can always add more spice later.

The cheese. If you're lactose intolerant or cutting calories even more, just omit the cheese. With everything else going on in this dish, you really won't miss it.

The avocado. Make sure you pick up a nice, ripe avocado. The best way to test this is to hold the avocado in your hand and feel around the stem area with your thumb. If it's soft up there, it's good to go. (Not too soft though, otherwise it'll just turn into mush... which honestly will still taste amazing, just won't be as pretty).

So there you have it. This meal is nutritious, figure-friendly, and to-die-for delicious. Hope you enjoy it!

Delicious Homemade Peanut Butter

Wow. This is absolutely incredible! So cheap. So easy. So delicious.
Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
4 cups unsalted dry roasted peanuts
2 tbs coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
2-4 tsp honey
--have some extra oil on hand as well

Directions:
 Pour the peanuts and oil into your food processor. Start with a slow-speed blend and then work your way up to a liquefy/puree setting. Let it run until desired texture. Add extra oil as you need it, to yield a smoother texture. Lastly, add the salt and honey into the processor and give it a quick blend on a slow-speed setting (20-30 seconds should do it).
Transfer your peanut butter into an old container or other container with a tight lid. Should be refrigerated (due to the lack of preservatives) and will last about 2 weeks.

Notes:
You can buy the peanuts already roasted, or roast them yourselves. Be sure not to add any salt if you do roast them yourself.
Coconut oil is my preferred choice, but most oils will work - peanut oil, grapeseed oil, or a mild olive oil (NOT extra virgin- much too strong tasting) are good choices. If you do choose coconut oil, soften it up in the microwave first. Over time, and with many nut butters made in our house, we have found that if we want a smoother, more store-bought texture, we have to add more oil to the mixture. 
You may also use another type of sweetener if you desire. Agave nectar is another great option. Or, if you prefer, regular granulated sugar will do the trick as well.

Also, if you have a smaller food processor, like I do, you may only be able to fit 2 cups of peanuts in at a time. If so, simply half the recipe and repeat.