Baked Apple Holiday Nachos

Baked Apple Holiday Nachos 1

In the weeks between Thanksgiving and January 1st, most of us gain weight without even trying. We indulge in the nostalgic dishes of the season and fill our glasses with festive punches, ciders and spiked nog. It’s the holidays, a time of togetherness and joy. The clinking of glasses and celebrating the excitement of a new year. Until we come to a screeching halt on January 2nd and suddenly we are wearing a different size pants than we were back in October.

This year, go into the holidays with a festive dessert recipe that won’t pile on the pounds. This recipe for Baked Apple Nachos is a festive take on my traditional Apple Chips. These addictive crispy apples  get topped with a drizzle of melted butterscotch, dark chocolate, and toasted hazelnuts for a crowd pleasing dish that doesn’t scream “healthy!” This recipe is also a great snack idea for kids and makes the house smell absolutely incredible.

Don’t be afraid to indulge this season, but keep a few recipes like this in your back pocket to keep things balanced.

Print
Baked Apple Holiday Nachos

Baked Apple Holiday Nachos

Ingredients

  • 3 large apples
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 c butterscotch chips
  • 1/3 c dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 c roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Using a mandolin slicer or sharp knife, thinly slice apples and spread out on baking sheets. Remove any seeds.
  3. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake apples in oven 1 hour.
  4. Carefully flip apples. Bake 1 hour longer. Allow to cool in oven to room temperature. If you are going to do another batch, put that batch in the oven now.
  5. Toast hazelnuts in a small pan over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
  6. Coarsely chop hazelnuts.
  7. Melt butterscotch chips in microwave in a glass bowl working in 30 second intervals. Stir.
  8. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in a small glass bowl also in 30 second intervals. Stir.
  9. Arrange apple slices on serving platter. Drizzle with chocolate, butterscotch and chopped hazelnuts.
http://freshandfit.org/baked-apple-holiday-nachos/

Lemon Vegetable Orzo Soup

Lemon Vegetable Orzo Soup Recipe

Nothing comforts on a cold day like a big bowl of soup. This recipe is vegan and full of plant based nutrition. Delicate orzo pasta combines with plenty of veggies and white beans for a hearty soup that makes a great appetizer for holiday parties or anytime. A touch of lemon brightens the whole dish and adds a nice tang. Make this lemon vegetable orzo soup on a cool Sunday afternoon and save some leftovers to start your week.

Print
Lemon Vegetable Orzo Soup Recipe

Lemon Vegetable Orzo Soup Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 c orzo
  • 2 c carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 c white onion, chopped
  • 2 c kale, stems removed and chopped
  • 1 c cannellini beans, drained
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/3 c lemon juice
  • 2 32oz chicken stock or veg stock
  • cracked black pepper (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, carrots, onion and celery. Cover and sauté 10 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent. Stir occasionally.
  2. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil with lid off.
  3. Add herbs and stir in orzo. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until orzo is tender, about 7-10 minutes.
  4. Turn heat off. Stir in beans, kale and lemon juice.
  5. Remove sprig of Rosemary. Serve with black pepper.
http://freshandfit.org/lemon-vegetable-orzo-soup/

Herbed Fusilli Pasta with Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomato and Green Beans

Herbed Fusilli Pasta Fresh and Fit

As you can tell by scrolling through my blog, the majority of my recipes are plant-based. I try to eat a mostly plant-based with a sprinkling of animal protein throughout the week. I consider myself a part time vegetarian. If I do purchase meat, I make sure it was held to high standards and practices. My hat goes off to strict vegans and vegetarians. It is a very disciplined and aware way of life. I try to do the best I can giving the knowledge I continue to gain about the meat industry and animal welfare. I don’t try to push my beliefs on anyone, I simply believe in doing your best and maintaining your ethics the best you can. Now onto today’s recipe…
Give your pasta a nutritional boost with fresh veggies in this herbed fusilli pasta recipe. Hearty mushrooms take the place of meat for a filling plant-based dish perfect for chilly fall days.

Print
Herbed Fusilli Pasta with Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomato and Green Beans

Yield: 8 servings

Herbed Fusilli Pasta with Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomato and Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 16oz package of fusilli pasta
  • 1 8oz package of sliced baby portobello mushrooms
  • 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 cups green beans, sliced in half
  • 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese, organic preferred
  • 1 c heavy cream, organic preferred
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 4 tbsp basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp chili flakes

Instructions

  1. Begin by boiling water for pasta. In the meantime, sauté mushrooms in 2 tbsp of olive oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a separate pan. About 10 minutes.
  2. Add in green beans, 2 tablespoons of basil, oregano, chili flakes and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
  4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta.
  5. Return pasta to pot and pour in vegetable mixture. Stir to coat.
  6. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and basil.
http://freshandfit.org/herbed-fusilli-pasta-with-mushrooms-sun-dried-tomato-and-green-beans/

Oven Roasted Tomato and Ricotta Pita Pizza


Oven Roasted Tomato Pita Pizza

If you are like me and you live in an area of the country transitioning into fall and cooler weather, you may be looking for something to do with your final tomato harvest. This recipe is the perfect way to use the last of your tomatoes. You can ripen any green tomatoes in a paper bag for a about a week. That is exactly what I did with the rest of mine. Oven roasted tomatoes are an awesome way to condense all the great flavor of tomatoes and bring out the natural sugars by slow roasting them. Then you can freeze or can them and use them in pasta sauce or right on top of pizza like we are going to do today. Instead of using pizza sauce, we are going to top our tomato and ricotta pita pizzas with roasted balsamic tomatoes. So yummy!

Print
Oven Roasted Tomato and Ricotta Pita Pizza

Serving Size: 2 pita pizzas

Oven Roasted Tomato and Ricotta Pita Pizza

Ingredients

  • FOR TOMATOES
  • 4 large tomatoes of your liking, sliced in half lengthwise (I used the Polish variety from my garden)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp chopped basil
  • FOR RICOTTA TOPPING
  • 1 c whole milk ricotta
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp basil, chopped and divided
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
  • 2 large pita breads

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, sea salt balsamic vinegar and tomatoes. Use hands to coat tomatoes with the mixture.
  3. Set tomatoes on baking sheet cut side up. drizzle with any leftover oil and vinegar from the bowl.
  4. Top with basil. Place in oven. Cook 1.5 hours until tomatoes shrivel and begin to brown around the edges.
  5. While tomatoes cook, prepare the ricotta topping by combining ricotta cheese, oregano, lemon zest, chili flakes and sea salt. refrigerate until tomatoes are ready.
  6. Remove tomatoes from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  7. Spoon ricotta mixture onto pita bread.
  8. Top with tomatoes and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.
http://freshandfit.org/oven-roasted-tomato-and-ricotta-pita-pizza/