I’ve never turned away from an egg.  I could eat eggs for dinner, lunch, breakfast, and I do. Until recently I wouldn’t dream of eating egg whites all by their lonesome….  I wanted the yolk too.  A few weeks ago I was making a dessert that just called for the yolks, I didn’t really know what to do with the left over whites.  I had a few stalks of blanched asparagus in my fridge, and a knock on my door.  To my delight my weekly Melissa’s Produce delivery had arrived. I opened up the box and found many greens, and a head of broccoli.  I tore off a few bunches of broccoli, chopped up my asparagus, soon enough my egg whites had a purpose, and I had a new favorite egg dish.

Side note/Info:  Did you know that Melissa’s Produce has these new organic veggie boxes that can be delivered right to your door for as little as $25 dollars a week? That includes delivery if you live in Southern California…. It’s a serious deal. Click here if you want to order or find out more. I love it and order whenever I don’t have time to run out to the farmers market.

Ingredients for Asparagus Broccoli Egg White Scramble:

• 1 – teaspoon butter
• 1/2 – cup blanched Melissa’s Produce asparagus tips
• 1/2 – cup Melissa’s Produce broccoli heads
• 3 – egg whites
• 1/8 – cup parmesan cheese grated
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium frying pan over a medium flame add butter and allow to melt and heat slightly.
2. Add in asparagus and broccoli, and saute for 5 minutes. 
3. Add in egg whites by pouring them over the veggies, and mixing them into the veggies. Cook for about 3 minutes or until all eggs are completely cooked. 
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of scramble and mix. 
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

I’m always craving a good hearty empanada, something I could sink my teeth into and relish every minute between bites.  I have those moments where I stare into my empanada as I softly devour it, knowing the end is near.  BUT there is always another one waiting for me on the plate until they are all gone.  These potato empanadas unfold a new level of love before me all neatly wrapped in a pie crust dough.  Have them for dinner tonight or take them on your next picnic.  Either way, here is a simple way to make these tasty little gems using left over mashed potatoes.  Watch the video to see how.

Ingredients for Potato Empanadas:

• 1 – box store bought pie crust
• 1/2 – cup of cold left over mashed potatoes (made with Idaho Potatoes, butter, garlic, and onion)
• 1/4 – cup chile strips (I roasted and peeled anaheim chiles)
• 1/4 – cup grated pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 – cup grated cheddar cheese
• egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water mixed together)

Disclosure: This video/post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission (which I am very proud the be associated with). The recipe and opinions are my own. Thank you for watching.

It’s breakfast time again here at Presley’s Pantry.  I promise to stop with the breakfast posts for a little while after this one.  I use to dislike Oatmeal with a fierce passion.  I’ll just say it out loud… I LOVE OATMEAL now (click over to Babble for the whole story on my sudden love with oatmeal).  For my nearest and dearest who are snickering at that remark calling me a hypocrite through a whisper in their teeth, I have declared a change of heart.  Now when I open my eyes in the a.m. I can’t wait to get my hands on a bowl.  I’m still playing around with different combos of steel cut love, but here is one I have been quite pleased with lately.  Enjoy it!

Serves: 4

Ingredients for Cherry Hazelnut Farro Oatmeal:

• 5 – cups water
• 1 – Melissa’s Produce vanilla bean pod (split down the middle)
• 1 – cinnamon stick
• 1 – cup steel cut oatmeal
• 1/2 – cup Melissa’s Produce farro
• 1/3 – cup brown sugar
• 1/3 – cup Melissa’s Produce hazelnuts (chopped)
• 1/2 – cup Melissa’s Produce cherries (pitted and cut in half)
• 1 – cup milk or 1/2 & 1/2
• Cherry jam (optional)

1. In a pot over a medium flame add water, vanilla bean pod, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.
2. Add in oatmeal and farro, give it a good stir and bring to a boil.
3. Once oatmeal/farro are boiling, cover pot with a lid and lower the flame to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from flame and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with brown sugar, hazelnuts, cherries, and milk. Add cherry jam if you like things extra sweet.
6. Enjoy.

I made this recipe for the first time about 6 years ago. I found myself in a strange house a top the hill in Mount Washington. My Aunt Brilla was here in Los Angeles visiting, and had rented this beautiful home, it being my first time in this kitchen made cooking a little difficult since I had no idea where anything was. I searched the drawers and cabinets and could only find a baking dish, a sharp knife and a frying pan.  We had a house full of visitors who had come by to see my Aunt since she’s not in town that often and many of them were vegetarians. I thought fast on my feet and started frying up some cubed potatoes to make a vegetable stuffing for the pile of bell peppers a friend had brought over. Simple. Delicious. Easy to make. I stuffed the peppers popped them in the oven for 45 to an hour and by the time they were done so was the rest of the meal.

Ingredients for Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers:

• 3 – Idaho Potatoes (peeled, diced into cubes and fried til crisp and cooked through)
• 1/2 – cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
• 1/2 – cup pepper jack cheese (cubed)
• 1/2 – cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 3/4 – cup tomato (chopped into small cubes)
• 1 – onion (sliced)
• 8 – mushrooms (chopped into quarters)
• 2 – tablespoons butter
• 10 – fresh basil leaves (torn into pieces)
• 4 – slices of rosemary bread (toasted and cut into cubes)
• 1 – tablespoon garlic (minced)
• 1/2 – vegetable broth
• 10 – bell peppers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to   degrees Fahrenheit
2. Fry potatoes and once cooked remove from flame and set to the side.
3. Cut cheeses, and tomatoes and set to the side.
4. In a frying pan add butter and saute onion and mushrooms together for about 10 minutes or until onions are limp. Remove from heat and set to the side.
5. Toast Rosemary bread and cut into cubes. Set to the side.
6. In a large bowl add potatoes, cheeses, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms, basil leaf pieces, toast, and garlic. Mix well. Then pour broth over top and mix again. Set stuffing mixture to the side.
7. Wash and dry bell peppers. Then cut off tops of bell peppers (reserve tops to the side) and remove seeds and veins from the inside. Set to the side.
8. Place empty bell peppers in a baking dish, then once they are snug take a huge spoonful of stuffing mixture and fill to the top. Then top each pepper with the top. 
9. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Everyone is juicing these days, and I get it, it’s the new year and people are looking to be healthy and conscious of their vitamin consumption.  The other day after having a ginger- carrot-apple juice, I looked at the empty container and thought that these flavors would taste perfect in a cake.  Also, I could get my son to eat them and I could act like I’m thriving by eating a vitamin filled cake.  I added coconut and pecans to the equation and a “healthy” cake was born!

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Ginger Carrot Apple Cakes:

•  2 – cups sugar
• 3 – eggs
• 1 1/2 – cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 – cup carrot juice
• 1 – tablespoon ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla
• 3 – cups flour
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 – teaspoon salt
• 1 – tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 – cups apple (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 – cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/4 – cups grated carrot
• 1 – cup chopped pecans

Sauce:

• 1 – stick butter
• 1 1/4 – cups sugar
• 3/4 – cup buttermilk
• 3/4 – teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spray a 2 cup capacity each mini bundt pan with a non stick baking spray. Set to the side.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, carrot juice, ginger, and vanilla. Mix for 5 minutes until smooth.
4. Then add in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon mix well.
5. Fold apples, coconut, carrots and pecans into batter. Mix until combined.
6. Pour 1 1/2 cups of  batter into each prepared bundt pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.
7. About 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small pot, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
8. Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan as soon as you remove it from the oven. 
9. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
10. ENJOY!

A friend of mine said these cupcakes should be Illegal.  I made them last minute to take to a belated birthday dinner for a small group of people.  I put them on a blue plate since blue and brown are one of my favorite color combos, it reminds me of the Buster Brown shoe logo, kinda old fashioned.  My first bite in I waited for an over abundance of sugar, but was quickly excited that the brownie was just the right amount of sweet and the oreo balanced it out to perfection.

I realized these cupcakes were dangerous and luscious and I secretly hoped that everyone wouldn’t eat them up so I could have them all.  They did though….

CURSES!

Ingredients for Oreo Nutella Brownie Cupcakes:

• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 – cup sugar
• 3 – eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 – 13 ounce jar of Nutella
• 1 – cup flour
• 16 – oreo cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a mixer add butter and sugar and mix till creamy for about 5 minutes.

Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix till frothy.  About 4 minutes.

Add in Nutella and mix until smooth.

Add in flour and mix till smooth.  Now to start filling the cups.  Add one tablespoon of brownie mixture to the bottom of each cupcake liner.

Top with an Oreo cookie.

Top oreo cookie with another tablespoon of brownie mixture.  Push batter to the edge of cup so it could encase oreo cookie completely.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 cupcakes.

Welcome 2013!  I’m headed into this BRAND SPANKING NEW YEAR with an attitude adjustment. I’m going to change my diet a little by becoming a flexitarian. Which basically means I will lean towards eating more vegetables, grains and fruit as my main diet, and 2 to 3 days out of the week still enjoy my favorite meats.  Just a slight cut back here and there.  I learned about this way of eating at the Dole Healthy Lifestyle Blogger Summit I was invited to a few weeks ago, held at the California Health & Longevity Institute and The Dole Headquarters both  in Westlake Village, CA.

Let me tell you all about it.  The first day we arrived we started the trip with some friendly competition.  We were each teamed up against a fellow blogger, handed the same ingredients and asked to make a certain dish.  I was assigned salad.  I have never been one to enjoy timed cooking or to be judged by a panel of people tasting my food, but in this case it worked out.  I am proud to say I won best salad in my category.  The judges said my salad was perfectly spiced and I was the first person ever to use the grill when making a salad.  That was a good omen that the trip was going to be fantastic

The next day I learned many new facts about healthy substitutions in old recipes. We sampled recipes Dole has been publishing for the past half – century versus the new and improved healthy recipes to see if we could tell the difference and to test which we preferred.

In one of the food driven learning sessions we also learned some interesting tidbits about mushrooms and Vitamin D (known as the Sunshine Vitamin).  Did you know, if you place your mushrooms outside in the sun for 10 minutes before cooking them they will soak up 100% of the Vitamin D your body needs in a day? How cool is that? Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a number of chronic diseases – Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Type 1 Diabetes to name a few.  This is a serious problem worldwide due to lifestyle, geography, and weather, so we are rather fortunate that sometimes our Vitamin D needs can be met through diet.  You will now be able to purchase Vitamin D powder made from portobello mushrooms to sprinkle in your food or even bake with it.  Or you can do things the old fashioned way and just make yourself something laced with lots of mushrooms. That’s what I did today. Nothing like a nice big pot of mushroom soup to keep me and my family healthy. I want to share it with you… so you can keep your family healthy too.

Ingredients for Mushroom Soup:

• 6 – tablespoons of butter
• 1 – large onion sliced
• 1/2 – teaspoon dry basil
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 – teaspoon applewood smoked salt or sea salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s
• 2 – large dole portobello mushrooms (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 16 – ounces white mushrooms (quarter sliced)
• 4 – garlic cloves
• 4 – cups vegetable broth
• 2 – tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 – teaspoon (per bowl) premium olive oil for garnishing

Directions:

1. Place cleaned mushrooms out in the sun
2. In a large pot over a medium flame add butter and allow to melt. Then add in onion, basil, ground pepper, salt, and Lawry’s. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add in all mushrooms and garlic cloves. Saute for 10 to 15 minutes. Stirring every 3 minutes or so. 
4. Add in vegetable broth and let come to a boil. 
5. Once broth is boiling remove from flame and with a ladle scoop out all content from pot and add to a blender. 
6. Blend till smooth. Pour back into pot and add in sour cream. Mix till combined. Serve hot and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil. Pair with cheese toast or a piece of whole grain toasted pita. Enjoy!

Disclosure:  My travel expenses, and meals were all provided graciously by Dole. Thank you Dole, it was a great summit.  As always all opinions and recipe are my own.