Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds

I'm seven months pregnant and I like snacks!   These are super-easy to make and yummy.  I also read that almonds are high in Folic Acid, good for pregnant woman, so I don't feel guilty having a little more than my share.   I found this recipe on Allrecipes and adjusted per the reviews.

 Ingredients:
1 Egg White
1 Tsp Vanilla
4 Cups Whole Almonds
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250.  Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.  Lightly beat the egg white; add vanilla and beat until frothy but not stiff.   Add the nuts and stir until well coated.  Mix the Sugars, Cinnamon, Salt, and sprinkle over the nuts.  Toss the coat and spread evenly on the pan.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.

Soy Sauce Substitute

Oh how I miss my beloved soy sauce... but this sauce makes up for it!!  It's sweeter and not as strong as soy sauce, but SO GOOD.  I gobbled it up with Turkey Cabbage Rolls and white rice.  Looking forward to trying it with some Stir-Fry recipes in the future.  I found it here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Molasses
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Clove Garlic, skin removed
1/5 of an onion (yep, just a small amount)
1 Tsp Salt

Directions:
Add all the ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to about half the liquid.  Remove the Garlic and Onion.  Store in Fridge.

Beef Kabobs with Spring Veggies

Delicious and colorful, these are always sure to please.  My Dad was a big Kabob fan and making these reminded me of him, a master griller.   Recipe found here with a few vegetable substitutions.   

Ingredients:
1 lb Cubed Beef
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Yellow Zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Vidalia Onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (if you can handle)

Marinade (I doubled this)-
4 tsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Water
1 clove of Garlic, minced
4 tsp organic Honey
2 tsp fresh Parsley

In a bowl combine all the marinade ingredients and stir well to combine and mingle the flavors.  Thread the Beef and Vegetables on skewers.   Soak in marinade for at least half an our (or even overnight if you are preparing dish ahead of time) in the fridge.  Remove from fridge and place over medium temperature grill.  Grill for about 10 minutes depending on how hot your grill is and how well done you prefer your steak to be; turn every 2 minutes until complete. 

Scalloped Potatoes

I just made these tonight with Steak Kabobs and I'm pretty sure its my favorite potato recipe ever!  Wow, wow, wow!    I got this recipe here and the only thing I added was the pepper and parsley.   Even my picky Mom raved about them.  Superb!

 Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
3 3/4 Cup Milk ( I used skim)
4 to 5 large White Potatoes
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Parsley  

Sauce:
In a large saucepan melt butter.  Remove from heat and stir in Flour.  Return to heat and add Salt, Pepper, Parsley.  Add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir til thick and bubbly.  Cook 2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat.  Cool 10 minutes.

Potatoes:
Peel potatoes and slice 1/8" thick.  Add to sauce mixture.  Stir and coat potatoes thoroughly.  Pour into greased casserol dish.  Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Remove lid and bake an additional 30 minutes.

(I halved the recipe and it served 3)

Spinach & Broccoli Salad with Homemade Croutons

The biggest challenge I had in making salads after diagnosed with IC was Salad Dressing and Croutons... the two best parts of a salad!!   I read a lot about using Cottage Cheese as a salad dressing on IC message boards, but admittedly had an unnatural fear of Cottage Cheese.  Something about the curds really freaked me out.   So the first time I made a salad dressing I took Cottage Cheese, Dill, Onion Powder and put it in the blender to smooth out the curds.   It was delicious!!  And now that I've been eating Cottage Cheese for a while, I have gotten over my fear of the curds and can eat it without blending first.

Making Homemade Croutons is so much easier than I thought and just as good.   I literally made these the same time I made my salad and then just stuck them in the freezer to cool them off for about a minute before adding them to my salad.

In making a salad, salad dressing, or croutons... the only thing that holds you back is your own imagination (or in my case,  fear!).  Play with vegetables and friendly spices to find something you like.   Here's one of my favorites.  Not many ingredients, but was all that I had in my refrigerator today.   And as I sit here now, my belly is smiling because it was quite tasty and I feel good knowing I had a healthy lunch!

Ingredients:
For Croutons-
1 slice of Bread (I use the heel), cubed
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley
For Salad-
2 Cups packed fresh Spinach
1 Cup Broccoli, chopped
1 Tsp Dill (more or less per your taste)
For Dressing-
1/4 Cup small curd low-fat Cottage Cheese

Directions:
For Croutons-
Preheat oven 475.  Pour Olive Oil, Garlic, and Parsley in a small bowl.  Mix Bread squares in the mixture.   Place on a cookie sheet and bake about 5 minutes.  
For Salad-
In a bowl, mix together spinach and chopped Broccoli.    Top with Cottage Cheese, Croutons, and sprinkle with Dill.

White Chocolate Buttery Cookies

COOKIES!!!  Who needs chocolate when you can have these dreamy white-chocolate cookies?  Heaven.   I found this recipe on the ICN Message boards.  The only thing I changed was adding 1 bag instead of 2 bags white chocolate chips.  

Ingredients:
2 Cups Butter
2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar (I used light brown)
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
5 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Bag White Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.   Beat together all ingredients except White Chocolate.   Add White chocolate and blend well.   Spoon cookie dough on a cookie sheet and bake approximately 10 minutes.

Yields about 3 dozen (trust me, you'll want this many!)

Sweet White Pizza

I've tried three different IC Friendly Pizza recipes and came up with this one that is a combination of my favorite parts of each.  It can be easily changed to adapt to your taste by adding and subtracting vegetables. However, I would suggest trying this recipe as-is because it is so good!

Ingredients:
Boboli Original Pizza Crust (I can handle this one w/ Prelief, but you can also make a simple crust from scratch which I have done before)
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Tsp Minced Garlic
3Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Cornstarch (to thicken sauce)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup Feta Cheese
1/4 Cup Fresh Spinach
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil
1/4 Cup sliced Black Olives
1 Small Onion chopped
1-2 Tsp Brown Sugar
Sprinkle dried Oregano

Directions:
To make the sauce, combine Cream, Garlic, 1Tbsp Butter, and Cornstarch.  Heat in pot until until thickened.  Add sauce to pizza crust.   Caramelize the onions by sauteing in 1 tbsp butter until golden.  Once Golden add another tablespoon butter and Brown Sugar.   Cook until all brown sugar has melted.   Add the onions, Black Olives, most of the Mozzarella, Spinach, Basil, the rest of the Mozzarella, Feta, and finally sprinkle with Oregano.   Bake at 450  for 8-10 minutes.