Black Bean Burgers

I love me a good juicy meat burger, but if I’m in my vegetarian mood (which I have been lately) then I’m looking for a good fix to satisfy my “burger” craving.  There are a lot of pre-made vegetarian burgers in the stores, and let’s just say I don’t tend to seek them out.  This time I’m turning to my kitchen and going the homemade route.  Black beans are notorious in Mexican cuisine and since it’s Cinco de Mayo today, it only seems fitting to make my veggie burger out of those hearty beans. These black bean burgers are loaded …

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Light Banana Bread

I’ve been on this kick of baking lightened up versions to some of my favorite baked goodies.  I’ve tried Light Chocolate Chip Cookies, Light Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Light Fudgy Brownies.  There are a lot of ways to lighten up a recipe and if you are like me then you are wondering if those ways actually work.  The age old question… Can lighter recipes really deliver a healthier outcome that still tastes just as good as the real deal full fat one?  The answer is absolutely yes, if you have the right recipe.  Trial and error, my friends (hopefully less error). I’m adding …

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Homemade Coconut Milk

The other day, my husband randomly wanted to buy a fresh coconut.  Ooookaaay, but what the heck are we going to do with it?  Based on my research online, it seems that most people either make homemade toasted coconut or coconut milk.  I went with the coconut milk route because it’s a great excuse to use my handy dandy new blender. Here are some easy tips on how to make homemade coconut milk using only 2 ingredients. Homemade Coconut Milk Recipe (Makes 16 ounces) Ingredients: 2 cups water 1 cup fresh coconut meat, chopped (see directions) Directions: Figure out how to break …

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Tomato Basil Baked Gnocchi

When I was younger my parents required that the entire family be together at dinner time.  We talked about our day or chatted about whatever we wanted.  As a kid, I just saw it as family time, but now I realize how important that time was to connect with one another.  Now as a married woman, I’ve kept the same tradition going.  No matter how busy we may get, my husband and I always know that we have dinnertime to together and that makes us happy.  We may have deep philosophical conversations or talk about the weather or anything in between.  There’s something …

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Light Fudgy Brownies

Do you know how the brownie came about?  I’ve made a lot of brownies (who hasn’t?), but after making this latest batch, I was curious.  Go go Google.  Here’s some Food History 101.  For the Chicago (Illinois, USA) 1893 World Fair, a woman by the name of Bertha Palmer requested a dessert for the ladies in attendance of the Fair.  She wanted someting that was cake-like but smaller in size.  A chef at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel created what we all know now as a brownie. Since then a million bazillion brownie recipes have been invented.  (Yes, I counted.     😉 )  They can be fudgy or …

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