Margaret Bruya's Cowboy Caviar

This recipe was shared with my by my friend Laura (Bruya) Wilson. It is her mom's famous recipe and has been a staple at their family gatherings for years. After you make it, you'll understand why! It's always a major hit!

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1 can of black eyed peas, drained

1 can of great northern beans, drained

3 avocados

3 chopped Roma toms

1 small white onion

1/2 jalapeno (optional)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

salt to taste

1 fresh squeezed lime

Serve with your choice of tortilla chips (I highly recommend Garden of Eatin's Red Hot Blues!)

This recipe does best if you make it a few hours before you plan on serving it. Put it in the fridge so that the flavors have a chance to meld. Delicious!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (sugar, oil, eggs, and flour-free!)

The Skinny:
Servings: 18 • Size: 1 Cookie • Calories: 99.3 • Fat: 5.1 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 2.9 g • Sugar: 4.4 g • Sodium: 91.1 mg

Ingredients:
2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts (I used dry unsalted peanuts.)
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices.  Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined.

Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

For a healthy cookie, these were actually pretty tasty! And they actually turned out just like the picture, which is always an added bonus! :)

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup corn frozen kernels
Juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Toppings: Sliced green onions, avocado slices, sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Or cook it in a rice cooker! Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and black beans. Add the sautéed vegetable/meat mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

5.Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with toppings, if desired. Serve warm. Freezes well!

Adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Mu Shu Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce (found in Asian section of grocery store)
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger (I used the pre-ground ginger found in produce section)
• 1 (14-ounce) package coleslaw (about 4 cups) 
• 4 c shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast***
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided
• 24 Bibb lettuce leaves (I used romaine)

1/2 cup chopped cashews 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients.
2. In a large saucepan, combine liquid with rotisserie chicken until heated through (add in 1/4 c of green onions)
3. In lettuce leaves, layer coleslaw mix and chicken.
4. Top with remaining green onions and chopped cashews.

It's not often that I give a recipe 5 stars, but this one is deserving.  It has great flavor, is healthy, fresh, and FAST!  You can have a meal ready to serve company in less than 10 minutes.  Are you kidding me?  My two year old devoured it, my 10 year old gave it 2 thumbs up, and my husband ate 2 platefuls. This recipe is a keeper!!!  ***Just a side note... if you use regular baked chicken breast instead of rotisserie chicken you may want to make more sauce as it generally absorbs more than the rotisserie chicken does. (I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light.  Photo from Cooking Light)

Banana Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 1 T golden flaxmeal (I didn't have any on hand, so left this out)
• 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 c coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/2 c dried blueberries
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (mashed in my Kitchen Aid, kept a bit lumpy)
• 1/4 c coconut oil, warm enough to be liquid
• 1 T agave nectar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, coconut, flaxmeal, salt, pecans, and blueberries. Stir in bananas, oil, agave nectar and vanilla until well combined.
2. Press 2 tablespoons of mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. You could also press into a round cookie cutter for a more uniform looking cookie. I just used my 2 T measuring scoop. Continue with remaining mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Cool on pan. Makes about 15 cookies.

These are delicious! The recipe came from www.kumkuatblog.com and either this or something like this was introduced to me by my sweet friend, Ali.  I HIGHLY recommend making a double batch as they keep well in the fridge and won't last long.  Easy to make and a repeater recipe for sure!

Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers

Makes 4 Stuffed Peppers
Time: 1 hr, 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground Italian turkey sausage
4 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed 
4 button mushrooms, diced
10 black olives, sliced
1/2 cup tomato or pizza sauce 
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Directions
Heat oven to 400 F
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Once oil is hot, add onions to pan and cook until translucent, stirring often (2 to 3 minutes)
Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, while continuing to stir
Add Italian sausage, peppers and mushrooms to pan, cook until meat is browned, about 10 minutes
Drain meat mixture and add to a large bowl along with olives, tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed red peppers, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Scoop the filling evenly into each of the four bell peppers and top with shredded cheese.

Place peppers standing up into a small glass baking dish.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until peppers are tender and filling is heated through.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash, about 2 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper
2-3 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash and cut into 1 inch pieces. Or for faster prep, you can buy the butternut squash pre-peeled and cut. 

2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. 

3. Add the carrot, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then add squash, jalapeno pepper, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender (check the carrots to determine readiness).

4. Remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Adjust the seasonings. 

This delicious recipe was shared with me by Ali Stitt.  I absolutely loved the kick and the preparation time was much lower than the roasted butternut squash recipe I had made before. This recipe originally came from Emeril Lagasse and was posted on the Food Network.  I substituted olive oil for peanut oil, and took out the heavy cream the original recipe calls for.  Depending on the size of your butternut squash, you may need to slightly adjust the amount of chicken stock.  This recipe makes a thick soup, just the way I like it!  I definitely used the already-prepped butternut squash from Costco which was 2 lbs. of cut squash (as opposed to the entire squash weighing 2 pounds), so I added about a half cup chicken broth.  I also increased the cooking time a bit, because in order to get the smooth texture, you have to be sure that the carrots are nice and tender.  As for spice factor, it's kid friendly at our house and really just adds a little kick.  You could easily add more if you like things on the spicier side. This soup is surprisingly filling and obviously very healthy.  Highly recommend it and am already excited to make it again!

Honey-Lime Quinoa Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled if desired and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5) oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Corn or flour tortillas
• Diced avocados 
• Feta cheese

Directions

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil then place sweet potatoes on foil. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle evenly with cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste then toss to evenly coat. Bake in preheated oven 15 - 20 minutes until tender, removing from oven and tossing once halfway through baking.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot add onion and saute until caramelized (golden brown on edges and tender), about 5 - 6 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sautéing. Reduce heat to medium-low, add in drained black beans, corn, honey and lime juice. Heat until warmed through. Toss in roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, and cilantro. Serve over warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Gluten-free Banana Protein Pancakes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 eggs
• 1 banana

Directions:

1. Put oats in blender for about 15 seconds to create oat flour.
2. Add in eggs and banana and continue blending for another 15-20 seconds
3. Cook on skillet as normal pancakes, flipping about half way through (these pancakes won't "bubble" the same way regular ones do, so don't wait too long to try to flip).
4. Serve warm topped with pure maple syrup, nut butter, honey, yogurt, berries... or whatever you like!

This idea was shared with my by my friend, Carla, and has been a favorite for our family!  The kids LOVE them and I can't get over how filling they are.  I use this batch to make 12 small pancakes, it could easily be cut in half or doubled depending on the number of folks you are feeding.  Enjoy!

J-LEGS (Jessi's Limited Edition Granola Squares) Gluten Free and Vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 c peanut or almond butter (or any nut butter you prefer)
• 2/3 c honey (you could certainly sub the honey and maple syrup for agave, rice syrup, etc.)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 2t vanilla
• 2 c puffed rice cereal
• 1 c rolled oats, ground (I used my blender for this)
• 1 c shredded coconut
• 5 c nuts, seeds and dried berries/fruit (I used about 3 1/2 c nuts/seeds, and 1 1/2 c dried fruit)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine wet ingredients.  In a seperate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine together and spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

My husband gave these bars their name and called them "limited edition" because I really have no idea what exactly I threw in to make these, only how much total. Since I won't be able to replicate these exact bars... the name was born.  I seriously emptied out a ton of random little bags that have just a bit of nuts and seeds left in them along with pecans, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins... some mixed nuts that were in a little baggy in my cupboard.  I really have no clue.  The good news is that you could add anything you like and it will be delicious. Thanks to Laurie for the recipe inspiration!

Super Easy All Natural Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c coconut oil (can substitute butter)
• 1/4 c pure maple syrup (can sub rice malt syrup, agave, honey, etc.)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 overly ripe bananas, mashed
• Optional: 1 c walnuts, blueberries, or chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Add in the rest of the wet ingredients (oil, syrup, vanilla, and mashed bananas) and stir. 
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Fold in optional nuts/berries/chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until it passes the skewer test.
7. Let cool before removing from pan.  Slice and enjoy!  Delicious served warm!

This recipe was passed along to me from my sweet friend, Carla, and originally comes from the blog The Natural Nutritionist.  It freezes really well.  I love the almond flour at Costco because it is extra fine as well as a great deal in comparison to buying it elsewhere.  One SUPER EASY modification I made was to make the whole thing in the blender - no bowls, no mess!  I started with the wet ingredients, blended, and then added the dry ingredients, folding in the optional berries at the end.  I cannot get over how easy it was!  I've made it several times, so it's definitely a keeper!

Spicy Thai Turkey Basil Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 4 t olive oil, divided
• 1/2 c minced shallots (you could use onions as well)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 4 t minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 2 t chili garlic paste (add more or less to taste)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 t fresh ground pepper
• 1 c fresh basil leaves (thai basil is the best!)
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 4 lime wedges
• Large lettuce leaves
• Optional: cooked rice

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Remove shallot mixture from pan.
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add turkey; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well. Return chicken to pan over medium heat. Add chile paste; cook 1 minute. Add shallot mixture to pan. Stir in fish sauce and next 3 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat; stir in basil and juice. Spoon turkey mixture into lettuce leaves.  You can also add rice to the lettuce leaves or leave out lettuce and serve over rice.  Also, good served in a tortilla as a wrap. Serve with lime wedges.

I quadrupled this recipe to serve to 3 families for dinner club.  My family, including kids, all loved this dish.  We will repeat for sure! The chile garlic paste and fish sauce are located in the asian section of the grocery store.  Fresh basil is a must and I highly recommend the Thai basil.  The 2 t of chili garlic paste makes this minimally spicy - kid friendly.  If it were just my husband and I eating it, we would definitely add more.  This recipe is inspired and adapted from Cooking Light, enjoy!

Fresh Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Salad

Source

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of Balsamic vinaigrette 
Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning
salt and pepper
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 1-inch thick rings
8 cups baby spinach /power greens mix
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
quarter of a red onion, thinly sliced
Pear & Gorgonzola vinaigrette

Directions:
1.  Marinate chicken breasts overnight in balsamic vinaigrette in a covered/sealed container in the refrigerator.
2.  Prepare pineapple for grilling.
3.  Slice red onion, wash and drain blueberries, and chop avocado.  Place onion, blueberries, avocado, and crumbled feta on top of spinach/power greens mixture.
4.  Place marinated chicken breasts on grill, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and South African Smoke seasoning.
5.  Grill chicken on medium for approximately 10 minutes per side.  Remove from grill to cool for 10 minutes.
6.  Grill pineapple slices approximately 5 minutes per side.  Cut into 1 inch chunks.
7.  Chop grilled chicken into bite-sized pieces.
8.  Top spinach salad mixture with chicken and pineapple.  Add your favorite amount of pear & Gorgonzola vinaigrette!  

Original recipe taken from Gimme Some Oven

Mexican Shrimp Cobb Salad with Baja Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

• For the shrimp:
• 16 oz. shrimp, cooked large
• chipotle chili powder to taste
• 1 T lime juice
• salt to taste
• For the salad:
• 6 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, or frozen are all good options)
• 1/2 c red onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 english cucumber diced
• 2 cups tomatoes, diced
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped
• 1 c shredded cheese
• For the Baja ranch dressing:
• Equal parts ranch dressing and salsa, mixed (for healthier version, you can just use salsa)

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, put about a T of olive oil and then cook onion, pepper, and corn stirring and waiting (a couple minutes) until the veggies are cooked and "blackened".  The key part of these directions are the "waiting" part.  That's how they get that roasted feel.
2. Remove from heat and stir in black beans.  When cooled off a bit, stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice.
3. Rinse shrimp and cut into large chunks (cutting is optional).  Toss with a little salt, chipotle chili pepper, and fresh lime juice.
4. In stripes over the bed of lettuce, lay down shrimp, shredded cheese, chopped tomato, chopped avocado, chopped cucumber, and bean/onion/pepper/corn mixture.
5. Serve with the baja ranch dressing.

This recipe was inspired by one I found on skinnytaste.com as well as my Baja fish taco bowl recipe.  It was fresh and delicious... hearty enough to be dinner!  I also served some tortilla chips on the side.  It was a big hit for the whole family! Definite repeater!

Skinny Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)

2 cups roasted broccoli florets

2 cups chopped yellow squash

8 ounces fettuccine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tbsp oregano

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper, and oregano. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan.

Add cooked chicken, broccoli, and squash to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan, if desired.

As a chicken fettucini lover, I give this recipe two thumbs up! I don't think I'll ever make it with butter and cream again!

Original recipe and picture from Celebrations

Southwest Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients
Large head of romaine
2 chicken breasts
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn 
5 green onions
cumin, salt, and pepper to tast
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing (Recipe below)

Directions
Season chicken breasts with cumin, salt, and pepper.
Grill chicken breasts and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Toss with desired dressing.

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing 
 Ingredients
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
*The original recipe calls for 1-2 garlic cloves, but I thought it was WAY too much garlic and it               completely overtook the dressing. Next time, I will omit it completely.

Directions
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Recipe and picture from The Garden Grazer

Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
juice from 2 limes
1/2 cup of cilantro
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 t dried onions
1/2 cup of water
shredded cheese
sour cream
salsa
chopped tomatoes

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients into crock-pot. Cook on low all day, or set crock-pot to high and cook for four(ish) hours. 
2. Shred, stir well.
3. Spoon into soft taco tortillas.
4. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and tomatoes.

Lemon Chicken Turkey Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon Moroccan or Greek seasoning blend**
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup diced tomato

**If you don't have Greek seasoning on hand, you can make it yourself. Here is the recipe I followed:

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation

• Combine first 6 ingredients; add 1 teaspoon rind, stirring well. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into 1/4-inch-thick oval patties.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes.
• Combine remaining 1 teaspoon rind, yogurt, and oregano, stirring well. Fill each pita half with 1 patty, 1 tablespoon yogurt mixture, 1/4 cup lettuce, and 1 tablespoon tomato.

These burgers are a fun escape from the "norm" and are bursting with flavor!

Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt - No flour, no sugar, vegan

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cans (15 oz ea.) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup all natural peanut butter
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup 
• 4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 1/4 c 
• sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a food processor or good blender (my Ninja rocked this without a problem), add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Add in 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. Have you seen the darker semi-sweet chocolate chips from Costco? Yum!
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle and lightly press 1/4 c chocolate chips on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are starting to brown. 
4. Cool for AT LEAST 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 32 blondies which ring in at roughly 120 calories each.

You could actually modify this recipe a bunch of different ways using different nut butters or different sweeteners like agave or honey.  I just wrote the recipe exactly how I made it.  I took some to my hubby at work to share with his team as well as to my mother in law.  I had 3 emails/texts by the end of the day asking if I was going to post the recipe to the blog.  So, I guess that means it's blog-worthy! Ha!  I will admit, I was *pleasantly* surprised by the sweet flavor and texture.  Definitely a good substitute for a fully-loaded treat.  Repeater recipe for sure! Photo credit (first photo) and recipe inspiration from ambitiouskitchen.com