Vegan Sweet-Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

Another great recipe from my stalking of Aurelia on Pinterest.  And since Steven now claims this is one of his favorite meals EV-ER I should probably figure out how to return the favor...So go visit her amazing blog (link on her name) and make comments about how awesome FRILLING she is! :)

 Recipe/Photo Credit

Sweet Treat

Still going organic and loving it.  

I took to the world wide web this past weekend in an effort to see how to save some moolah in our organic endeavor.  Tip #1 I found on all the websites...don't buy produce out of season, buy it dried or frozen.

So in the midst of the fabulousness that is Girl Scout Cookie season I bought some organic dried cranberries this week in hopes that I could hold off my cravings for thin mints until after dinner...

My waistbands are pleased with my very tasty work snack choice :)

Oh So Organic

Well Steven and I finally bit the bullet (what a strange saying...).  After a year of debating about whether we wanted to buy organic food, discussing the pros (our nutrition, health, the environment) and the cons (the COST), we finally went to Whole Foods on Saturday night and bought all of our groceries organic.

Our bank is saying "ouch" but just after 2 whole days my body is already screaming "Thank You!!"

I can hear it now..."really Katie?  After only 2 days?"  and friends I must be honest, I'm not even joking.  Now granted I think a lot of it has to do with the recipes I chose for this week, all from Wholefoods.com.  They are very bean and veggie heavy and only one has meat in it (that was by complete accident, I didn't even realize it until I got home).  So far we have tried two of the recipes Layered Vegetable Enchiladas and Three-Bean Salad with Quinoa.  Both were delicious, very satisfying, and unlike so many of my dinners didn't leave me feeling "weighed down" and bloated.

The cost was definitely the thing keeping us from going organic in the past.  I mean who wants to spend more money on food?  Definitely not a young married couple with one still in school for another year and one who just started a new job...(oh and plenty of grad school loans to pay off...).  But we realized there will probably never be a time we want to spend more money on groceries.  Once we pay off the debt we will probably have kids and they are certainly expensive etc. etc. etc.  So we decided if we were ever going to do this we just needed to do it asap.

To be honest we went a bit over our grocery budget for the week.  It seems like we will really have to cut back on how many "involved" meals we have every week (involved = meals with lots of ingredients).  I'm on the lookout for simple dinner options which will help us save some moo-lah, and lets be honest, probably make me want to cook more often since when I come home from internship the last thing I want to do is cook an involved meal.  (so basically it's a win - win)

Let me know your thoughts on Organic food.  If you buy organic fill me in on some simple recipe ideas!  If you are debating like Steven and I were until just a few days ago let me know that too!

I'll leave you with two pics (from Whole Foods) of our last two dinners.  Both were delicious and I would definitely recommend the recipes!

What being snowed in has taught me

Apparently I have no self control when it comes to snack-junk food (yes Mom...I'm finally admitting it :)

I was CRAVING Chex Muddy Buddies Mix yesterday (Also known as snow man poop, monkey munch etc.)  I am completely going to blame the Winter wonderland craziness that landed in Dallas this week thus leaving me shut in my apartment alone since Tuesday while Steven goes off to work every morning (apparently the stock markets don't close when Dallas has an ice storm...).  I was about to go insane yesterday until I realized I should make this snack which was obviously created by The Almighty.

A picture of Muddy Buddies from Betty Crocker

Only thing keeping me from making this delicious treat...I had no Chex cereal, and there was no way I was going to venture outside to go buy some from the grocery store...so I just used Honey Nut Cheerios.

I must say the substitution was perfectly acceptable in my book.  Then again you could add butter, chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar to a piece of cardboard and it would taste heavenly...

So what is the problem you ask?  I can't stop eating the stuff!  I swear it must be laced with crack or something.  I begged Steven to take the tub to work this morning, but he forgot...and I've had it all. day. long.  As in it is the only thing I have eaten today.  I mean I usually have Cheerios for breakfast so instead I just had some Cheerio Muddy Buddies.  And then for lunch I usually have a PB&J...so of course I just had some more Muddy Buddies since they already have peanut butter in them.  And then they are the perfect snack so I'll probably just have some more in about an hour...

I blame Steven...I really really do.

So while I don't buy junky snack food I apparently should not buy semi-sweet chocolate chips (for baking), peanut butter, cereal, or powdered sugar since I'm perfectly capable of creating my own junk...

...remember though, it really is Steven's fault...and the weather

What's been cooking

Hello from Dallas!  Sorry for the way overdue posting to let you all know that Steven and I are safe and sound and LOVING our new home in Dallas.  Sadly this post wont be filling you in on any specifics of our new digs, but instead will let you know some of the delicious recipes we've eaten in the past two weeks (so that I won't forget later).

p.s. remind me to fill you in on the grocery shopping ridiculousness that I must endure...let's just say I never realized having options for where to grocery shop would be so overwhelming.  The only option in Waco was HEB (which I love) or Walmart (which I avoid at all costs but that's another story).

Chicken Divan

from SkinnyTaste.com

(Click title for Link)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

From SkinnyTaste.com

click title for link

Baked Zucchini Sticks

from SkinnyTaste.com

click title for link

Mixed Baby Greens with Pomegranate Seeds, Gorgonzola and Pecans

From SkinnyTaste.com

click title for link

Vegan Dinner #1

Well our first purposefully vegan dinner was less than ideal...in fact I must be honest here and admit that after eating some forced bites Steven and I decided to go to Wendy's and get 99 cent frosty's...not exactly the most vegan treat : \

I tried to make a vegan "pot-pie" recipe that ended up tasting really bland even with all the amazing veggies inside.  I think the liquid filling is to blame...it was basically soymilk, cornstarch to add thickness and salt/pepper...probably should have added something to it but I'm still not sure what would have done the trick.

Steven was really sweet and said he liked it while forcing down spoonfuls.  I on the other hand took three bites and called it quits with Steven following suit about a minute later (ha!)

No worries though, we are still determined to find amazing Vegan recipes and I have very high hopes for tonight's endeavor!  Hopefully my next Vegan post will leave you drooling :)

Going vegan for dinner in november

Friends It's VEGANovember at the Murray's!

For the past few months Steven and I have been trying to do something "out of the ordinary" each month in an attempt to either save money, be healthier, or both.  

September: no eating out.  We weren't perfect at this, but we certainly gave it a go.

October: no coffee unless it is made at home.  aka: the birth of our own pumpkin spiced latte :)  we only broke this 2 times all month!

November: we are trying to go vegan for each dinner meal we make at home.  This does not include thanksgiving (duh) or eating out at restaurants.  No worries Amber and Ryan!  (our dear friends we get to see in Dallas this weekend!!!!!!)

Why this particular challenge?  Well Steven and I are trying to loose some weight/be healthier and all semester i've been reading up on healthy eating habits.  I'm not interested in going on a diet, but instead I want to make changes within my eating that will last further than when I finally decide I'm back to a desired/healthy weight.  I've been learning a lot about vegan eating and have heard great statistics on how it is a much healthier way to eat.  (for more info try out these links here, here, and here)

Basically the average American eats way more animal products than he/she needs to which can have harmful effects on their health.  Now don't get me wrong, I love my burger and steak, but Steven and I thought this would be a great way to try out some new recipes and limit the number of animal products we consume each week.  (Thanks Aurelia and Lyle for really introducing us to this idea!) 

So get ready for some new veggie-filled recipes coming to the blog!  I'm about to leave for the grocery store now...watch out produce aisle, and will attempt to find tofu for one of my recipes.  I'm not even sure if HEB has tofu, where I would find it if it does carry it, or if Steven and I will even like it...oh well, this month is all about experimenting!

Ode to Pumpkin Butter

I have a new love of my life and it is called pumpkin butter. (Not actually butter, but a spread) I have been putting it in everything recently and thought I should chronicle my experience.

Now usually I try to only add my own photos to this blog when I cook food (unless I forget to take some).  But recently both my point and shoot camera and my phone camera have not been giving me the best pictures and this is a very important post :)  So I will intersperse my pictures with the pictures from Skinny Taste where I got all these recipes from.  (don't worry, I'm pretty sure you will be able to tell whose pictures belong to who...whom?  eh you get the point.)

Pumpkin Butter.
The crowned jewel in this whole experiment.  The perfect staple for your fall-inspired recipes.  I'm drooling just typing about it.  You can mix it with greek yogurt and granola for a parfait...mix it with oatmeal for a pumpkin treat in the morning...put it on toast...or "pumpkin butter fingers" (inspired by Joey on FRIENDS...obviously)

Pumpkin Spiced Crepes with Pumpkin Butter

This was the first time Steven and I had ever had crepes.  I don't have a cast iron skillet, which I think would have helped them cook a little more evenly, but they were still delish!

 Steven posing with the crepe he made all. by. himself.

Skinny Pumpkin Spiced Latte
This recipe was crucial to Steven and my health.  We gave up coffee (that isn't made at our house) for the entire month...during fall...aka pumpkin spiced latte month...what was I thinking???  So when this recipe came up on Skinny Taste where I could use pumpkin butter to make my favorite fall coffee I almost cried.

I have yet to have a full cup myself (we just found the recipe last week) But Steven has already made it for himself twice.  I decided to show you his mad pumpkin spiced latte skills below.  

 I could lie and tell you he loved me taking those pictures and putting them on the blog, but alas the husband does not enjoy taking pictures.  Luckily I have a great pouty face and he obliged (after telling me I was being childish).  Marriage is all about give and take and picking your battles. 

What's been cooking

Time for another installment of what's been cooking in the Murray household.  (ps...I am on the lookout for a point and shoot camera for Christmas so hopefully one day the pictures will look good)

Broiled Tilapia Oreganata.  

This is a super quick recipe that uses stuff we almost always have in our pantry.  Sorry for all the parmesan cheese.  When I took the fish out it smelled strange so I was hesitant that it wasn't going to be good and sprinkled cheese all over it. It tasted great (sans cheese) and we later found out the weird smell was from our oven...oh well :)

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime. 

 A Paula Deen inspired recipe which the amazing woman at Skinny Taste lightened up.  

 Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes.  

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum (that's all)

 Asian Glazed Drumsticks  

Steven loved these and they were great as leftovers a few days later.  

Oven Fried Drumsticks.  

Amazing recipe if you like fried chicken but don't want it to actually be fried. The batter is actually crushed up bran flakes with seasoning! We had my brother over and he loved them as well.  (Picture from Skinny Taste)

What's been cooking

Ok I've decided on a new post (that I will hopefully repeat as necessary) where I will share my most recent cooking endeavors and provide recipes when I can.

So...

Lasagna Style Baked-Ziti from Real Simple except I used meat instead of spinach.  

Baked Chicken Chilies Rellenos from Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (BHG).  Steven and I both agreed this was the best thing I have ever made! (and it's low fat!)

Fish Tacos complete with mango salsa (BHG).  See this post to read about my previous attempt at fish tacos.

Caesar Salmon Pizza (BHG)...if I made this again I would make it as an appetizer instead of as the main course.  I forgot how "fishy" smoked Salmon tastes.  It was good though!

Three Bean Turkey Chili from Skinny Taste.  Delicious, healthy and easy recipe! 

Chicken Quesadillas with Mango Salsa from Skinny Taste.  Once again healthy and the mango salsa makes it sweet.  It was a nice change.  

Picture from Skinny Taste (did the quality give it away?)

Summer's best

Sorry for the overload of blogs in the past 24 hours.  This is due to two things mainly (1) it's the last week of summer and I have no job, no school, thus I have been BEYOND bored, (2) I've had diligently been taking pictures of my cooking endeavors and various excursions in order to make blog posts for the past month and now have time to post them (see #1).

I have decided to put two of my favorite meals I have made this summer.  Truly delicious so I will boast :)

Enchiladas!
These were delicious chicken enchiladas with green sauce...like the kind you take a bite of and then proceed to say "oh...my...gosh."  I think Steven loved me even more after this meal, and the best part is it was ridiculously easy and quick to make so everybody wins.

Cinnamon Rolls!!! 

Ok these were in no way easy to make but very therapeutic.  I made them with yeast so it was quite a long process and you have to make them the day before because you chill them in the fridge overnight before you cook them in the morning.  Most amazing cinnamon rolls I have ever had though and they kept really well so I had one for breakfast every morning for the next week :)

the rolls...the two weird ones on the left were the end pieces I cut off, thus they didn't have any filling.

Cream Cheese Icing.  A bit different taste than the icing in the pillsbury can (a staple growing up) but still delicious.  

One of these babies in the morning and you won't be hungry for lunch...perhaps I'm on to a new diet regimen?

As you can see there are no recipes this time...hopefully this will entice you all to come visit me or ask me to make you dinner.  It's my evil plan to fill you all up with cheesy mexican dinners and sugary yeast filled breakfast treats...(insert evil laugh here)

Cayenne Pepper = Dangerous...noted

So I've decided to finally buckle down and post some of the meals I made this past month of July.  The first will be familiar as it continues on my quest to figure out how many different Tilapia meals I can make...

Blackened Tilapia with Secret Hobo Spices  (from allrecipes.com of course)

I mean with a name like that who wouldn't try it? Little did i know that these "hobo spices" would cause Steven and I to almost die from the Cayenne Pepper swimming through the air for the next hour...any hints on how to fix this?  It was really delicious but I'm hesitant to make it again because we were coughing the entire evening...

Delicious Fillets

Our yummy meal

Ranch Breaded Tilapia Fillets

And the tilapia saga continues...

I'm quickly falling in love with fish.  It's so simple and quick to make, and the light taste is perfect for hot summer evenings.  It's at times like these I wish I had a patio Steven and I could go eat our dinner on surrounded by citronella candles...ah Texas summers.

I got the recipe for this dish off of Allrecipes...big surprise I know.  But let's be honest, it hasn't let me down yet!  Click here to see the recipe.

Sesame Tilapia

So we bought Tilapia on sale at HEB (8 fillets for $6!) Now I just have to find 4 recipes for Tilapia...

My first attempt can be seen here, which turned out quite mediocre.

Last night we tried for round two and made Sesame Tilapia and were very pleased!  I used Allrecipes.com to find the recipe.  This sight is amazing!  You can search by the ingredients you have and for each recipe you put in the number of servings you want and it will convert the original recipe for you.  Yay for not having to do math that makes your head hurt just so you can figure out how to make a recipe for 6 into a recipe for 2!

Click here to look at the recipe.

With a side of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice and Asparagus...delicious.

And now a youtube clip of what kept coming to mind as I was cooking...thanks Mom for the hours and hours of Sesame Street.  (I quote clips/songs from it more often than I'd like to admit)

Thou Shalt Not Covet...

...thy neighbor's house snack

1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup juice (i used orange)
1/2 cup of fruit (strawberry for me)
1 cup of Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt (I love food that has a title I am striving for...good motivation)
(Makes two glasses...but I wont judge if you have it all to yourself)

Fish Tacos

I love love love fish tacos for two reasons mostly.  First and foremost they are delicious, secondly I can order them at mexican restaurants (read tex mex) and not feel like I just ate my weight in cheese.  It's a win win really.

I attempted to make my beloved dish last night and let's just say there is room for improvement.  It was pretty bland, and Steven and I finally decided it was because this particular recipe didn't call for mango-salsa topping...a staple to say the least.  We definitely wont me making that mistake again.  

Tilapia, avocado with lime juice, and cole slaw with spicy chipotle thousand island

sided with margaritas and bush's baked beans...(because I forgot to buy charro... oh well) 

Steak Salad

Delicious, and even more amazing, a salad that Steven will eat as its own standing meal.  He didn't once ask "so what are we having with this?"...apparently miracles are possible ;)

I used (for 2 servings) 4 cups of spinach, 1 diced tomato, 1 shredded carrot, 1/2 diced red bell pepper, and 1/2 avocado diced for the "salady" part and then heated up a 3/4ish lb steak on a skillet (rubbed with cracked red pepper and Worchestershire first).  For the dressing I made (yes made) a red wine vinaigrette dressing.  I then topped the salad off with a light sprinkling of seasoned salt.

Red Wine Vinaigrette (this will make much more than 2 servings, so have a container ready to save the leftovers)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Steven approves

Banana Bread

I really wish there was a smell feature on posts because you guys are seriously missing out.

I l-o-v-e bananas, like I could eat them 5x a day...potassium overload much?  An important side note to my slight banana obsession is that I like them when they are green, any sign of squishy-ness or brown spots on the peel and it's a no-go.  Which perhaps explains my love for banana bread.  Instead of getting depressed that I allowed scrumptious bananas to go to waste I simply bake them into a delicious (and incredibly sweet) treat.

I follow the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook recipe and add the streusel-nut topping.  (yes I made something with the word streusel in it...I'm telling you this extra counter space is making me quite distinguished).  Just incase you don't own this great recipe I will post it below...is this legal?  I'll site it in MLA so it is

Better Homes and Gardens. New Cook Book: Celebrating the Promise Limited Edition. Des Moines:   Meredith Books, 2009ish.   (hopefully you just laughed...if you took that seriously you obviously don't know me very well and we need to hang out more)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I always add a little more cinnamon...another addiction of mine)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe (aka not Katie edible) bananas (I used 3 large bananas for this)
1 cup sugar (this just proves it's good)
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine (I figured with 1 cup of sugar there was no need to hold back and definitely used butter...aka I'm not making banana bread to help me loose weight)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Streusel-nut Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup walnuts

Directions:
-preheat oven to 350.  Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.  In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
-in a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir until just moistened.  Fold in walnuts.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  If desired sprinkle streusel-nut topping over batter in pan.
-(Streusel-nut Topping) in a small bowl combine brown sugar and all-purpose flour.  Using a pastry blender (had no clue what this was so i used a fork), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in walnuts.
-Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool on rack completely.

Love how something as nasty looking as this...

Turns into this

A look inside (love the Streusel-nut topping!)

This yummy goodness is in good company with a cup of joe and a take-home final

Pizza

For those of you who don't know, Steven and I spent almost our entire first year of marriage living in Collins Residence Hall at Baylor.  I was the resident chaplain, and while we loved having an apartment rent free (along with all the fun of living where you work) there were a few things our humble abode didn't have, counter space being one of them.

We moved last weekend and in one week I think I have made more meals than I did this entire past year combined.  Tonight I really went out on a limb and made homemade pizza dough with yeast and everything...yeah, I was impressed too.  But I figured I was up to the challenge and a little extra work especially since I could eat pizza every day for the rest of my life (seriously).

To be honest it didn't turn out exactly as I had expected but it was still yummy none the less.  The yeast didn't rise even though I kneaded it until I couldn't feel my hands and left the loaf un-bothered for 2 whole hours in our pantry...so for now I guess the count is Katie 0 - Yeast 1.

The dough pre failure to rise

The finished product*

Now don't let the picture fool you, this stuff was really good.  The dough was thin but soft and for toppings I used Ragu sauce (b/c I'm fancy like that), ground beef with seasoning, and mild cheddar and monterrey jack cheese...yummm.  I'll post the recipe for the dough on here if I can ever get it to rise.  And hopefully over the next few months I'll be able to make a pizza that better resembles a circle. 

(I must confess at one point I tried to be really fancy and throw the dough up in the air and all I ended up accomplishing was making the flour on the countertop fly all over the kitchen...classy)

*please ignore our ridiculously stained baking sheet.  What you see is the product of making 50 cookies a week for the past 9 months for the hugely popular "Cookies with Chappie"