Category Archives: Sauce/ Dressing

Our Favorite Cookbooks Right Now

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As constant cookers (is that a word?  Quinn’s grandma says it, so let’s roll with it) we are constantly looking for new and fresh ideas.

Sometimes divine inspiration strikes when strolling through the grocery store or farmer’s markets, but sometimes we need to take it up a notch and seek it out at a stellar farm-to-table restaurant or in a kickass cookbook…

And our video below is all about the latter!  Watch to see our current faves for getting our “foodbrain” juices flowing and make sure to stay tuned until the end because we have a special announcement.

We created our own cookbook!

We are SO freaking excited to announce the arrival of our new baby, {Healthy} Cooking Camp’s {Healthy} Basics Cookbook!

It includes over 30 of our most tried and true recipes for mind-blowingly delicious, healthy food, and features some of our signature dishes that can only be found in this cookbook, like:

  • No-Bake Brownie
  • HCC Grab-n-Go Bar
  • Gorgeous Glazed Salmon
  • Mmm mmm Miso Pesto
  • Free Up Your Fridge Frittata

This is the perfect cookbook for someone who wants to start cooking healthier food but needs to know exactly where to begin. 

We totally break it down so you know exactly how many servings each recipe yields, how long it will take AND for each recipe we include 5 suggested “swaps” so you can play around with the ingredients and really make these recipes feel like your own.

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To purchase our brand new cookbook, click here!  

We hope you’ll add {Healthy} Cooking Camp’s: Healthy Basics Cookbook to your list of favorites too.

And a quick lil favor, we would reeeeeally appreciate if you could help us spread the word about our new cookbook so click here tell all your tweeps!  Think of all the recipes you and your friends can make together!  (And as we can tell you, together is oh so fun.)

We’d also love to know, what are your other favorite cookbooks for culinary inspiration?  Please share in the comments!

 

 

SUPER Food Quesadilla for your SUPER Bowl Fiesta

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This weekend is the super bowl and you are probably thinking that Sunday has to be an inevitable binge-fest, right?  Wrong.  It doesn’t have to be! We came up with this awesome quesadilla recipe that will fit right in at the super bowl party, yet it’s totally packed with Super Foods.Super Foods are “health speak” for anything that is mega loaded with nutrients.  Here’s a little rundown of what we’re looking at:

Kale: THE most nutrient dense food on earth.  This stuff has an alphabet of vitamins!

Avocado: An incredible source of healthy fats that your body actually uses as energy.  It’s great for your skin, your hair, and will keep you feeling satisfied so you won’t have to keep going back for serving after serving.

Black Beans: full of anti-oxidants, fiber and protein.  Skip the wings and fill up on these things.

 Feeling this recipe?  Let us know below!  Also, what’s on your super bowl party menu?

  

Super Food Quesadillas con Avocado Crema

Quesadilla Ingredients 

  • 2 cups diced butternut squash (can use pre-cut or prepared from scratch)
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup of fresh goat cheese
  • 6 corn tortillas
  • 1 cup of baby kale (or spinach)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Crema Ingredients 

  • 1 cup full fat greek yogurt
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
  • Juice of 1 lime (can swap for a lemon)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or tin foil

In a large bowl, season the cut squash with cumin, sea salt, black pepper and olive oil.  Spread the squash out on the baking sheet, making sure each piece has room and they are not piled up on each other.

Let the squash roast for 35-45 minutes or until fork tender (fork slips in and out easily)

Meanwhile, make the avocado crema, puree the yogurt and avocado in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Then add in the lime or lemon juice, and store in the fridge.

Take three  of your tortillas, lay ¼ cup each of goat cheese, black beans, roasted squash and baby kale. The top all three tortillas with an additional tortilla

In a large sauté pan, melt one tbsp. of extra virgin coconut oil. Add quesadillas to pan and proceed to cook over medium heat until golden brown. Flip quesadilla and repeat on other side

Cut quesadillas and serve with a dollop of Avocado Crema and garnish with a piece of cilantro

Rosemary Pear Compote

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Pears are often thought of as the red headed step child of the uber-adored apple.

But not in our kitchen!  We celebrate that funky shaped fruit and make it the main event in this sexy, sophisticated compote.  Yup, we just called a compote “sexy”.

Rosemary Pear Compote

Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes

  • 3 pears, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Prep your pears by peeling, coring and chopping them into very small chunks (the smaller you chop them the more quickly they will break down/ cook, and the easier it will be for the flavors to marry)

Put the pears in sauce pan on medium-high heat and mix with a wooden spoon.  As juices begin to release use a potato masher to mash the pears down.  Once they start to break down (5-7 minutes), add in the rest of your ingredients.  If the mixture seems like it is really dry or burning you can add some of the juice from the orange.

Mix again to combine everything.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the flavors to mingle for another 10 minutes or so.

Fish out the rosemary sprig and put the compote in jars.  Allow them to cool to room temp before putting them in the fridge.  This is excellent with crackers and cheese.  Also great with turkey or lamb.

Cranberry Citrus (Awesome) Sauce

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When it comes to this T-giving staple you should never, we repeat never, use that canned jellied excuse for a condiment.  Cranberries are one of the few berries in season this time of year so use the fresh ones and whip up an awesome sauce.  (hey, we just used “awesome sauce” in a sentence and it wasn’t ironic)
Cranberry Citrus (Awesome) Sauce
Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes
  • 2 (12-ounce) packages cranberries, fresh
  • 1 orange (or 2 tangerines), juice zest and segments
  • 1 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

Zest an orange (or 2 tangerines) and cut out the segments, set them aside.  Reserve all the juice and squeeze extra juice out of the rinds, this will go in the pot to cook the cranberries.

Put the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.

When it’s just about done, stir in the zest and the orange segments, then remove from heat.

Serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or cool and refrigerate.

Recipe: {Healthy} Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers

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Simple, savory and satisfying these chicken fingers are perfect for feeding the whole family.  You can make the marinade in the morning and let your chicken soak up all the flavorful goodness, then slice it up and throw it in a grill pan.  It’s just that simple.  Have left overs?  Makeover this meal by throwing the extra chicken on your salad!

What other finger foods would you like to see made in a healthy way? Let us know in the comments below…

{Healthy} Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers 

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
  • 4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • Juice of 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

Directions

Create your Honey Mustard marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, honey and mustard in a bowl and mixing well.

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the sauce for later.

Wash your chicken breasts and arrange them in a tray or ziplock bag and pour the Honey Mustard sauce over top.

Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

Slice the chicken length-wise into 1/2″ wide pieces.  Drizzle some olive oil over your grill pan and bring it to a medium-high heat.  Cook chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until done.

Pour extra Honey Mustard into small cups and dunk the chicken for an extra boost of flavor.