Qunioa Roasted Veggie Protein Bowl

Oh, Yum.

I like this so much I seriously made a big batch of it on Sunday and I'm eating it EVERY SINGLE DAY this week for lunch.    Everything is ready, I just need to dice an avocado, fry the egg, plop it on and I'm good to go!

Do you have any idea how many things are better with an egg on top?

The recipe is here, but you don't even really need a recipe (except for the dressing).   You just layer quinoa, your favorite roasted veggies, fresh kale, avocado, cashew dressing, nuts and seeds, and then (and this is my spin), top with a fried, runny yolk egg!   Awe.some.

Whole Wheat Crusty Bread

I am not a bread baker. I'm not one of those super moms who bakes all her own bread all the time. I was, however, in a rare, bread making mood and wanted to make something that was more healthy than what we get at the store.

This recipe used whole wheat flour, only has five ingredients, and didn't require any kneading, which really appealed to me.   I made a half recipe, which yielded two small round loaves about 6 inches across.   Instead of dusting mine with flour, I opted for an egg wash, to give them a nice golden crust.

Hot out of the oven

Mmmm...

This was a perfect, fun size for us.   We ate one at home (everyone Really liked it!) and I took one to house church (along with a spinach artichoke quinoa bake that I forgot to take pictures of, but will have to make again and post on here).

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

So... this has been a thing for a while. I actually first heard about it from Barb, when she and Carol visited last summer! I was intrigued, but it sounded really labor intensive, and seriously, how good could a crust be that's made from cauliflower?? =)

Well, I finally decided to try it.    It seemed like an adventure, and healthier than traditional pizza crust, so it was worth a go...

I used this recipe and highly recommend it!

There are a few steps, but all very easy and no special skills are required =)

Here is my baked crust, ready for toppings!

One cauliflower makes one medium sized crust and I split it in half to use separately (since I wasn't sure if anyone else in my house was going to like it).

The first one had red onion, red peppers, sausage, spinach and mozzarella

...and the second one I made for breakfast and had peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms and an egg baked on top!

I think this is pretty amazing stuff and I only wish it had been my idea.  The crust holds together surprisingly well and has a fairly mild flavor.   Caleb tried some of mine and loved it and Philip had a piece and gave it a thumbs up.   Next time I'll make enough for the whole family.

Try. It!

I have since tried making this into a square and cutting it into four pieces of "bread" to be used for sandwiches and it is the Bomb!!

 Fancy grilled cheese with spinach, tomato, avocado and pickled onions

...or you can use one of the squares to make a little pizza

(This one has zucchini, goat cheese, pickled onions, yellow peppers, and mozzarella

Garlic Parmesan Biscuit Pull Apart Bread

Yes, this recipe uses Grands biscuits as well. I'm in a bit of a "bread phase" right now. =)

Garlic parmesan, roasty toasty, soft pull apart bread....

Perfect to share with your family around a big pot of soup, chili, or...anything really

Here is the recipe.  (It says to Not use the flaky layer biscuits, but I did and they were amazing!)

I would recommend using a little less butter in the pan, and instead melting it and mixing it in with the biscuit pieces along with the cheese and spices.

Bubble Up Breakfast Bake

I had some Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk (flaky layer) biscuits on hand, and knew that there were TONS of things you could make with these beauties!   I needed something to take to a lunch on Easter Sunday and when I came across this, it was an easy choice.   The recipe is here.  It's quite basic and Super easy.  I decided to add some extra stuff to mine.

You basically chop up the biscuits, drop them in a baking dish, add whatever toppings you want, pour eggs on top and bake!    When it's done, the biscuits have risen and "bubbled" up everywhere, making it a delicious and flavorful breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) bake that will be a big hit!

On top of my biscuits, I added red pepper, some chopped breakfast sausages, chopped pepperoni and green onions, along with garlic powder, salt and pepper (Oh, I also used cream in my eggs, instead of milk) =)

Fresh out of the oven

YUM.

Vegetable Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

There's something about portobello mushrooms that I just love.   When I saw this dish, I knew I had to make it.   It didn't disappoint. =)

Aren't they so beautiful and colorful?

These are so easy to make...and have so many good things in them!

The recipe is here.    Mushrooms, zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, bread crumbs, two kinds of cheese... Mmm....

  

EAT some.

Six Layer Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

If you want something a little different for a birthday, or just for fun, a layer cookie cake is it! =)

If you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, you could just use it, but I like this one.   I found it on my bottle of McCormick Vanilla!

In order to make each layer exactly the same size, I used a small (5 or 6 inch) round cake pan.   I cut a piece of parchment paper for the bottom and buttered the sides.   Then I measure exactly 2/3 of a cup of dough and pressed it into an even layer in the pan.  I baked each layer for 13 minutes at 350.   I wanted to make sure they weren't reaching "crunchy".
 After taking it out of the oven, I would loosen around the edges with a knife, and then invert it onto a potholder on my hand, and then onto a wire rack (by holding the rack up to the bottom of the cookie and gently putting it down).    After each layer had cooled, I put them in air tight containers until I was ready to put them together, to keep them from drying out.

The frosting is my mom's recipe, that you can find in this post.   I made 1.5 recipes of frosting and needed all of it.   After I made the frosting, I divided it into six equal "piles" on a plate, to make sure I'd have enough, and an equal amount for each layer.   (I actually made one pile slightly bigger, so I'd have enough to pipe a border on the top layer).   Put a dab of frosting on the plate, to secure your first layer before starting.   This will keep anything from sliding later!  After finishing the layers of frosting and cookie, I inserted a wooden skewer down the middle to keep the layers from moving at all.
I didn't frost the sides, just because I liked the look of being able to see every layer.  I do NOT recommend that you cover the whole thing in frosting as it will make it Painfully sweet!   As it was, this went down great with a glass of milk =)

Go make one! =)