Monday

No fun title here, its just Monday. The start of a new week, a new adventure, a new chance to breathe again....How do you feel about Monday? For me each week changes, some times I love Monday and am so ready to run into life I just can't stand it and others not so much. This week filled up so fast by mid Sunday I had something to do each day of the week. I love that because there is not a dull moment to be found and everything needs to run on track and in the same respect it gives me this feeling of not being able to breathe. This is when it helps to have a meal plan for the week.
One of the meals I had set out to make was
Roasted Pepper Pasta ( We had Jeff's mom over for dinner on Sunday so this got moved into that spot. It was a new recipe from the Food Network Mag. I made some tweeks to it and loved how it come out.
You'll need:
Pasta ( I used Edie's Organic Veggie Bowties (1 whole bag)
2 Bell Peppers Roasted ( 1 Red and 1 yellow)
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Almonds ( Slivered)
1/3 Cup of oil (I used Sunflower you can use any really depending on your taste)
1 lemon
8 of fresh Mozzarella (cut or Bocconcini)
1 bunch of Basil (to taste)
S & P
Boil your Pasta, Roast your peppers & Garlic cloves, cool and cut peppers into thin strips, In a dry pan toast the almonds about 4-5 min, Squeeze garlic from the skin and mash with salt to form a paste. Mix Oil, Garlic, S & P and lemon zest in a bowl. Toss the pasta & Peppers, Add chopped Basil and Mozz, Toss with the dressing. Serve with a Good Ol' Ceaser and fresh crusty Bread.

I've been playing with making some of my standard recipes even healthier and vegan friendly. Not that we are going completely vegan but I want to be able to have more options and trim some extra fat out of our meals.
I love Brownies, a few years ago i came across a recipe from the Stolen Moments Blog that is called. Ditch the box and never go back . It has been my standard ever since. So I decided to play with that and trade the eggs in for Bananas.
(1/2 banana blended until smooth or mashed well= 1 egg.
Bananas work wonders as an egg replacer in baking, which is the reason many banana bread recipes don't require eggs. They hold the air bubbles well, make things nice and moist, and impart a nice flavor.)
I brought them to a friends house with out even trying them out (rare for me). The result was pretty yummy.

(The Original recipe from Stolen Moments)
Ditch The Box & Never Look Back Brownies

* 1 c. sugar (careful here, I used an Organic cane that did not melt as smooth as traditional white sugar would have and I felt they were slightly grainy, I was probably the only one to notice)
* 1/2 c. butter or margarine
* 2 c. chocolate chips
* 3 eggs (I used 1 & 1/2 Bananas)
* 1 1/2 c. flour
* 1 t. vanilla
* 1/4 t. baking soda (I typically go heavier on both Vanilla and BS)

I also used a smaller pan, I felt the Bananas did not make as thin of a batter as the eggs would have and I didn't want a thin Brownie

1. Heat sugar and butter in a medium pot over low heat until butter is completely melted, stirring often. Remove from heat, stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips until melted, and let cool to room temperature.

2. In a small bowl, briefly whisk the eggs. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate mixture to the eggs and stir to combine, just to temper the eggs. Then pour all of eggs into the pot with the melted chocolate. Stir to combine.

3. Stir in flour, vanilla and baking soda until well blended. Pour into a greased 13×9 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes.

4. When brownies are done and still hot, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top. Cool completely in the refrigerator before serving, if you can wait that long.

So Enjoy and Have fun in your kitchen today, there is a breeze so the oven can get turned on.
What's for dinner- Mexicali chop the recipe will be posted on Tuesday.

I am off to enjoy a coffee and book maybe even get in an extra wink or 2 while Sophia takes her NapNap (We have to say NapNap, just like NightNight).