Baked Egg and Bean Tortilla Cup

Looking for something different for breakfast? Or brunch?
This recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled or more.

2  6-inch tortillas
1 cup baked beans
1 tbsp steak sauce
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped red pepper
2 tbsps shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Prepare two small baking dishes with cooking spray and press a tortilla into each to form a cup.
Add the steak sauce to the baked beans and fill the cups.

You could use canned baked beans.
I used the homemade version.  If you're interested in that, here's the recipe
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/01/old-fashioned-baked-beans.html

Break an egg over each.
In a small frying pan heat olive oil and lightly fry the onion and red pepper and divide over each egg.

Add salt and pepper to taste and top with shredded cheese.

Pop in the oven at 400 F for 15 - 20 minutes.

If you want a runny egg, 15 minutes will do

Easy and Decadent Apple Walnut Bars

Yep, totally stole the idea for my apple picture from Apple Records. Couldn't resist.
Ok on with the recipe.

1 spice cake mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 egg

2 Granny Smith apples
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice

2/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup coconut
300 ml can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together the cake mix, egg and margarine.  It will be cookie dough consistency.
Line a 13 X 9 inch pan with parchment paper and spray that with cooking oil.  Press the dough into the pan.  I started off using this spreader

but found just using your fingers works better.
Once that's done, chop the apples and mix with the sugar, cinnamon and allspice.  Layer that on top of the dough.

Mix together the walnuts and coconut and that will be your third layer.

Finally drizzle the condensed milk over everything.  O.M.G.

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes.

They cut very well and are great as a handheld snack.

But why not go all in with vanilla frozen yogurt and caramel syrup.  You know you want to!

Adapted from http://www.thegunnysack.com

Pina Colada Smoothie

All good-for-you ingredients, except the optional rum : )

1  1/2 cups frozen, sliced banana
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut in chunks
1 scoop frozen vanilla yogurt
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup coconut water
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Rum optional

Whirl everything together in a blender and enjoy!

Makes 2  1/2 cups (2 servings)

Mason Jar Munchies

I received this gift for my birthday from my youngest daughter. She bought a box of Mason jar glasses and filled them with some of my (and her!) favourite munchies.  (She knows me well!)

Instead of putting jar lids on top, she covered the jars with plastic wrap so that when I opened the box I'd see all the yummy snacks. Good idea! You can fill them with all kinds of things.  Let your imagination go.

And we'll be using these glasses for summer drinks soon too.

Sautéed Arugula and Spinach

Lots of vitamin C here.

3 cups arugula, packed
1 cup spinach, packed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsps butter

Sautée garlic lightly in butter in a good sized pan. Then add the remaining ingredients, toss together and cook 1-2 minutes. 

Seen here with my Oven Baked Italian Meatballs
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2015/04/oven-baked-italian-meatballs.html

Oven Baked Italian Meatballs

I can't even tell you how good these meatballs are.  You'll just have to make them for yourself.

1 lb medium ground beef
2-3 tbsps fresh baguette, crumbled
1  1/2 tbsps red wine
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil

In a large bowl soak the baguette pieces in red wine.

Add the meat, dry breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, garlic and parmesan.

Stir in the eggs. Mix the milk and olive oil together and incorporate into the meat mixture.

Line a baking sheet with foil and prepare with cooking spray. Take large heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture and form balls.  Wet your hands if you find the meat sticking to them. Place on pan.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Makes 22 meatballs, served here with some orzo along with some Sautéed Arugula and Spinach 
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2015/04/sauteed-arugula-and-spinach_18.html

Spinach, Snow Peas and Ravioli

If you are only going to make one pasta dish this week, make it this one.  
With a light, fresh sauce that the ravioli isn't drowning in.

500g fresh ravioli
big handful spinach, roughly chopped
15 to 20 snowpeas
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps sundried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps lemon juice
few grinds of black pepper
sprinkle of sunflower seeds (optional)
parmesan to serve

Cook ravioli as directed on your package. I used spinach and cheese ravioli, 4 minutes was all it needed. Drain and reserve the ravioli in a bowl. You could toss with a bit of olive oil if you like.

In a large skillet heat butter and oil, and add the sundried tomatoes and snowpeas.

I sliced them lengthwise to see the little peas inside, but you could keep them whole. Stir fry about 3 minutes. Remove the peas and tomatoes from the pan to the ravioli bowl, leaving the oil/butter in the pan.

Stir the garlic into the hot oil and remove from heat almost immediately. Add the lemon juice. 
Return the ravioli etc to the skillet coating with sauce.
Finally add the spinach and parsley.

 A few grinds of fresh black pepper, some parmesan cheese and, if you are using them, sunflower seeds to top it off. Typically I think pine nuts would be used with this type of dish. But they're really expensive. Sunflower seeds added just the right bit of crunch.

Seriously yummy!

Serves 3-4