Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers - a great make ahead recipe!

This recipe can be made with basically leftovers, if you happen to have leftover sweet potatoes (I do!) and quinoa (I do!), but you can also just start from scratch!  Seasonings and add-ins can really be pretty much whatever floats your boat but still allows it to stick together.  You could sub brown rice for quinoa, leave out the corn, use a different kind of beans (maybe pintos??)... It's a pretty forgiving recipe.

In some parts of the country, you can get Jersey gold sweet potatoes which is what I use (again... leftovers!).  But any kind will do.  I love the flavor of these burgers, but mostly I love that I can make them ahead and freeze them. They are a great quick meal when you've had a busy week!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

Ready to go in the oven!

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, cooled, and cubed
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup almond flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp organo
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
 (Also see notes below)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
Pour the drained and rinsed black beans into a small bowl and roughly mash (most should be mashed, some can be whole).
Add the black beans to the sweet potatoes.
Add remaining ingredients to the potato mixture and mix well.

Form mixture into burgers about 1/2" thick.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

NOTES: 

• Use canned (drained), frozen, or leftover corn from the cob.
• I often keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge.  You can substitute 1-1/2 tsp minced garlic for the crushed garlic, if you like.
• Quinoa is measured after it's cooked for this recipe. 
• I like to substitute 1 TBSP "Everything but the Elote" seasoning from Trader Joe's for the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne.
• To freeze ahead, place formed uncooked burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in freezer for an hour or so or until frozen solid.  Place in freezer container and freeze until ready to use. To cook frozen patties, just add some extra time (or thaw and then bake).

What are you eating today?  Whatever is it, Keep it Clean!

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart ... there will be bacon!  I love this recipe.  It's pretty simple to make and you can do it ahead if you want and refrigerate for later.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

2 cup almond flour
2 TBSP coconut flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

1/4 tsp salt
4 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP water
2 slice bacon, cooked and diced
8 ounces goat cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream (sub: milk, half-and-half, or non-dairy milk)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
5 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 325F.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, and salt.  Stir in melted butter and water thoroughly.  Continue whisking until it clumps together.

Press dough evenly onto bottom and sides of a large pie pan or tart pan.

Bake 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Increase oven to 350F.

Process goat cheese in food processor until crumbly.  Add eggs, cream, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

Pour filling into prepared crust.  Sprinkle with chopped bacon and slices of tomato.

Bake 30 minutes or until center is set.  Allow to cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Peach Cake #nosugar #nograins

Peaches are starting to come into season, so you need a new recipe, don't you?  My Favorite Husband makes a really amazing cobbler that is definitely not #nosugar #nograins, and sometimes I indulge.  But with keeping ourselves isolated I have probably been snacking just a little too much, so decided to make a more lifestyle-friendly dessert.

Peach Cake - #nosugar #nograins

3 medium peaches, peeled and diced

1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP Monk Fruit sweetener, divided

1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1-1/4 cup almond flour, divided

5 TBSP melted butter, divided

2 TBSP coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 8"x8" glass baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine peaches, 2 TBSP sweetener, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and xanthan gum.  Stir to fully combine.

In a separate small bowl, combine 6 TBSP almond flour, 2 TBSP sweetener, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1 TBSP melted butter.  Mix together with a fork.  It will be somewhat wet and lumpy. 

In a mixing bowl, combing 3/4 cup almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, 4 TBSP melted butter, 6 TBSP sweetener, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth with electric mixer.

Spread batter into bottom of prepared baking dish.

Spread peach mixture on top, spreading them to the edge.

Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. (You may have to break off bits and drop it on, just try to distribute somewhat evenly.)

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until top is golden.

NOTE: If you have fresh blueberries, throw in a big handful of those too!  It's winning combination!

Strawberry Shortcake - No Sugar No Grains!

I ran across this gorgeous keto strawberry shortcake recipe over at peaceloveandlowcarb.com, and I just happened to have just picked up from strawberries!  It's just the two of us, so rather than make the beautiful four-layer work of art you'll see at the link, I simplified it a bit.

I made a single layer of cake.  Once it was cooled, I cut it into eighths.  Then, as we are ready to use it, I split the triangle horizontally to make two layers.  The bottom layer goes in the bowl, followed by lots of fresh strawberries.  Then place the top layer of the cake and pour on a little milk, whipped cream, or ice cream!  The picture does not lie!   This is an outstanding cake!  AND it's made with no added sugars and no grains!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake - No Sugar No Grains

4 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener (or erythritol)
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 cup milk of choice (unsweetened vanilla almond milk works great!)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease an 8" round cake pan.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.  Add the monk fruit sweetener and continue to whisk about 3 minutes.
Add egg yolks and beat until thick and creamy.
Combine almond flour, coconut flour, and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add to the egg mixture, folding gently to combine.  Use care to now deflate the egg mixture.
Combine melted butter, milk, and vanilla into a separate bowl.  Add to the batter, folding gently until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Ensure it is distributed evenly and smoothed across the top.

Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely.

To serve, cut into eighths.  Cut each piece in half horizontally. Place the bottom half in a dish, top with berries, and then add the top half of the cake.  Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or milk.

Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo

I love making meals in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot.  Either way, it is usually just a dump it in and let it do its thing!  I don't normally eat grains but I made an exception for this recipe.  It adds to the heartiness of the meal.

Mediterranean chicken and green beans

Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo
for the instant pot!

6 chicken thighs (see notes)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup tomato sauce (or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup pitted olives (see notes)
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP lemon zest
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 cup whole wheat uncooked orzo pasta (optional)

Put all ingredients except orzo into Instant Pot.  Close pressure valve.  Set to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
Once done, quick release pressure.  Add in orzo and stir.  Replace cover and close valve.
Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.  Allow pressure to naturally release.

Notes:
Chicken - You can use skin on or skinless, bone in or boneless chicken.  The skin will not crisp up in an instant pot though, so you may want to remove it.
Olives - I like kalamata olives but you can use whatever you prefer (even a mixture of different ones!)
If you don't eat grains, you can skip the orzo.

What are you eating?  Whatever it is, keep it clean!

Ranch Chicken and Roasted Spring Onions

This was a delicious combination!  I chose to grill the chicken on a gas grill and roast the onions in the oven, but you could probably put the chicken in the oven for 25-30 minutes (in a separate dish from the onions) and cook them the last half (-ish) of the onions' cooking time.

Ranch Chicken and Roasted Spring Onions

Roasted Spring Onions

Ingredients
6 medium bulb spring onions 
4 TBSP butter, softened
1 tsp dried dill (or 1 TBSP fresh dill)
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F.  If necessary, trim the tops of the onions so they fit in a baking dish.  Cut the onion bulbs in half.
Blend the butter and dill together in a small bowl.  Rub the butter mixture evenly over all of the onions.
Place the onions in the dish, alternating directions so they fit.
Roast in the oven for about 50 minutes or until very soft and beginning to caramelize.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:  Smaller or larger onions can be used. Just adjust the time accordingly for smaller ones; and for the larger ones, cut them into quarters before roasting.

Ranch Chicken

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (sliced horizontally into two thin fillets each)
1 TBSP Ranch seasoning mix (see recipe below)
1 TBSP olive oil

Directions
Brush olive oil lightly all over chicken
Sprinkle Ranch mix all over chicken

Grill at 450F for about 12 minutes each side until done.  

Ranch Seasoning Mix
2 TBSP dried parsley1-1/2 tsp dried dill2 tsp garlic powder2 tsp onion powder2 tsp dried onion flakes1 tsp black pepper1 tsp chives1 tsp salt
Mix together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Pleated Mask Making Tutorial

Edited to add a link to this video on making bias tape without a tool.  If you want to make ties for your masks from the same or contrasting fabric, you can use this same method.  This will speed things up immensely and eliminate the burned fingers from trying to fold and press your strips of fabric into ties.

Now... onto the rest of the mask making instructions!

I know there are a lot of patterns and instructions out there for making pleated masks.  I have viewed a few but, as is my nature, I have a tendency to learn as I go.  So I took the basic idea and over time tweaked it to this super fast process.  If you can do it as a mini-production line, it will go even faster! That is, group your work so that you are completing only one or two steps at a time. When I sew the top and bottom seam for example, I don't even cut the thread but leave a few stitches and then bring in the next one.  When I'm all done sewing, I just clip the threads that are attaching them together.

I have made these using elastic (but I can't get any right now!), bias tape, and even made my own woven fabric ties.    This is a lot faster and allows for some stretch in the ties.  These can be tied around the head or each side can be tied together to make loops for over the ears.  With the softness of the knit, they are very comfortable!

Always use two different colors or prints of cotton or poly/cotton woven non-stretch material.  This allows the user to know which side they put toward their face.

For each mask, you will need:
Thread
Two 9" x 9" squares of fabric
2 each of 1" x 32" strips of jersey knit (for ties)


1. Cut two squares approximately 9" x 9" (a little less is okay too).  Place right sides together.

2. Stitch at the top and bottom.  Turn right side out and press.

3. Fold the square into thirds from top to bottom and press.

  

4.  Unfold and it will look like this:

5.  Next pinch the fold nearest the bottom.  The picture only shows one hand but use two hands, one at the left and one at the right.  Pinch and pull down slightly to make a pleat.  Move up to the next fold and repeat.  And repeat with the top fold.  

 

6.  Press really well!


7.  Stitch along the pleats to hold them in place.

8.  Find the center of your tie and place it on the edge of the fabric.  Stitch.  Fold it over the edge and stitch again.  (This step is for any kind of ties, whether the jersey knit or the fabric ties... here is a link to that video for fabric ties again!)

Finished!!