Yummy Yogurt!

Yes! We love frozen yogurt! 

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

A few weeks ago I went to lunch with my sister Summer. We ate at the Apple Cake Tea Room in Farragut. It’s one of our favorite places for “girl time”. My favorite dish there is the Tea Room Medley which includes delicious chicken salad with poppy seeds. I was inspired and started my recipe search for this type of chicken salad. I found a great recipe online. The only thing I changed was the mayo. I used egg-free and all natural Vegenaise ®. Rather than using regular bread, which I’m trying to avoid btw, I used Wasa Multigrain Crispbread. the golden raisins added the perfect sweetness. The salad turned out to be a delicious, healthier version of the inspired chicken salad; even the kids gobbled it down. Enjoy!

What You Need

~2 c. cooked chicken I shredded mine

~¼ c. Vegenaise

good squirt Dijon mustard

~1 Tbs. poppy seeds

~1/3 c. celery, small dice

~½ c.golden raisins

salt

black pepper

Directions

After you cook and shred the chicken combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and serve how you wish.

You can find the original recipe here at girlichef.com. <-----for some reason I can't get that link to go to the right page. Anyhow, search Chicken Salad w/ Poppyseeds & Yellow Raisins on the website girlichef.com.

ENJOY!

Shawna

My Favorite Pick-Me-Up Snack

My favorite summer time snack is an apple. I love Gala, Braeburn, and Sonya apples the best right now. I'm sure that if I stopped by a farmer's market that I could find a new favorite. My kids love apples too. I can rarely eat an apple to myself because the kids come over for their bites. And what can beat an apple with fresh homemade peanut butter. Apples with peanut butter remind me of those delicious peanut caramel apples I would get at the fair as a kid. Homemade peanut butter is one of the easiest things to make in the kitchen. I was really happy when my husband told me that my peanut butter is better than any store bought peanut butter.

Homemade Peanut Butter

2 1/2 cups of unsalted peanuts
4 tablespoons of peanut oil. You can use whatever type of oil you have on hand.
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
salt to taste

Directions
Place peanuts into a food processor. Turn on and let run until the peanuts are well ground. I leave mine with a little crunch. Pour in the oil. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and replace the lid. You will probably have to do that step several times With the food processor still on add the honey and brown sugar. Season with salt according to your taste.  Store the peanut butter in an airtight jar in the fridge.

One apple and about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is a great pick-me-up snack; especially between meals when I'm hungry.It gives me just the amount of energy I need.

Happy Summer! :-)

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

I've learned that I love to dabble in the kitchen when I have time. I'm a little obsessed with photography so photographing food is fun. I've been trying cook mostly fresh foods this summer, but I know that when school starts back it will be a challenge. Well, I searched high and low for a good veggie burger. I don't like the frozen ones that taste bland and heavy, and are filled with unnecessary  ingredients. I found a veggie burger recipe using sweet potatoes! I changed it up a bit and it turned out fabulous. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
makes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp of hummus or tahini
2 tsp honey
1 tsp of mequite seasoning or any kind of "burger" seasoning you have
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of black pepper
1/4 cup wheat flour

salt to taste if needed

plentiful bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
oil for pan- you can use whatever kind you prefer

Directions:

1. Bake or cook sweet potato in microwave. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to combine beans and potato together.
3. Add all te oter ingredients and blend until tey are mixed together well.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in breadcrumbs. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on a toasted English muffin.  I added Vegenaise®, fresh spinach, tomato slices, onions, and avocado. It was simply delicious...well 'simply' is probably not the best word to use because there are so many flavors going on with this sandwich.

This recipe is adapted from Healthy Happy Life.
You can bake this too. Bake at 375 until golden brown. I think you will need to flip it.

First bite! :-)

Honestly I didn't need or want anything else to go with this veggie burger. No sides. It was filling by itself.