Nutmeg green beans and walnuts

I don't think this picture does justice to how delicious this side dish is.  My whole family likes it; I gave it to my 1.5 year-old and she totally dug in and chowed! Good girl :) And it is SOOO easy to make in a hurry:

2 Tbs. coconut oil

3 handfuls of frozen, organic green beans (yay for CostCo!)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1.5-2 tsps. nutmeg

Thaw green beans by putting them in a bowl of water.  Pat dry and place in pan.  Add coconut oil to pan and coat green beans well. Heat the mixture to desired warmth for serving. Turn heat down to low and add walnuts and nutmeg.  Stir everything well.

You may add some Real Salt if desired.

The Happy Meal is Back (Black Bean Veggie Burgers)

Spiced up with chili sauce, cumin, garlic and chili powder, these quick and easy black bean burgers will make you forget that big macs and whopper juniors ever even existed.  Sometimes I serve them in a paper bag from the "golden arches" just for the full effect.  It never disappoints. 

Black Bean Veggie Burger

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg or egg substitute
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon thai chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs


If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil.  If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.


In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. 


In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic.  Then stir into mashed beans.


In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.


Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans.  Mix in the bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together.  Divide mixture into 4 or 6 patties.


If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side.  If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.


You can wrap these in some nice green lettuce leaves or use a hamburger bun.  I'm ADDICTED  to those new whole wheat skinny buns.  I can't remember the name of them but I'll find out.


*When I'm in a good mood, I pull out the pickles, mustard, and ketchup, and let my kids have at it.  

Jenny's Pesto Pizza (Not big news - but a good recipe, at least!)

My family and I love this recipe...well, it's not technically a recipe because you can essentially put whatever you want on top of this crust that comes in a mix....but you know what I mean.

The crust is made from a gluten-free mix by Namaste Foods.  You can find it in the gluten-free aisle of any health store in your area.  I buy mine at Good Earth Natural Foods.  A couple of things about his crust: The mix used to be the kind where you roll out the dough and bake.  We adored that crust.  But, they've come up with a new way to make the crust ( It seems like the mix contains basically the same ingredients, but I can't remember how to make it the old way). This new crust is easier to make (you make it into a cake-like batter, and then spread it out on a baking sheet or something similar), but it is a little tempermental.  For example, after baking, if you put a sauce directly onto the crust, it will turn into a mushy, not-so-crispy crust....YUCK! So below I will explain how I make my pizza so it doesn't have a gooey, mushy crust.

Keep in mind I put whatever I have in the fridge onto my pizza.  This is just one type that I like:

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped (give or take)
1/2 head of broccoli, finely chopped
2 cups of spinach
Olive oil to drizzle on top (1-2 tbsp.)
Few tablespoons of dairy-free pesto (I use Sunridge Foods)


Garnish
Avocado chunks
Cilantro
Real Salt

After the crust is done baking, set oven at 300 degrees.  Add the mountain of veggies on top of the crust (bell peppers, onion, broccoli), spread a blanket of spinach over the veggies, and drizzle olive oil over the spinach. (I use olive oil in this case because the temp is low enough not to disturb the fatty acid chains.).  Put it in the oven until the veggies are warmed and spinach is slightly wilted.  Take out of the oven and drizzle some pesto over the entire pizza.  Since the pesto is on top, it won't soggy-up the crust! (I'm so smart, I know).   Then add your garnishes - the pizza won't taste nearly as good without the avocado, so don't forget!

Just looking at this picture makes me want some right now.  Mmmmm....