Clean stuffed peppers

After spending the first day of the new year exploring the outskirts of the lovely city I call home with my husband and son, we came home to relax a little before heading out to see the Christmas lights downtown one last time. I decided that I wanted something easy, filling, but mostly…yummy…for dinner so I searched the fridge for motivation. About an hour later, we had these bad boys steaming in front of our drooling mouths.

*Note: my iPhone could not accurately capture the noms but I tried.

Here's what you'll need:

4 good sized peppers (we used orange and yellow today because…sunshine.)

1lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey..beef was on sale this week so beef for us.

1 small yellow onion (diced)

2 roma tomatoes (diced)

1 clove minced garlic

1tbs olive oil or coconut oil

salt, pepper, chili flakes - all to taste.

To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and dice up those onions. 

You want to sauté the onions in the olive oil or coconut oil for a few mins..just to soften them up a bit. Add your garlic, tomatoes, meat and seasonings to the pan and brown it up. Now, you don't have to pre cook your beef, but once we smell garlic and onion cooking in our house..dinner needs to be out FAST or we start losing our minds trying not to eat our own hands. Once your beef has browned up drain it and set it aside.

Now grab those pretty little peppers. You're going to want to cut the tops off and clean out all the seeds and stuff from the inside. Boil them in a pot of water for about 5 mins (they will get really vibrant and pretty) and it helps soften them up too. 

Drain the peppers and set them (hole side up) in a baking dish. Spoon your beef mixture into the peppers (our beef mixture filled all 4 to the top perfectly) and add about 1/4 inch of water into the bottom of your baking dish before popping them in the oven.

Let the peppers bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45mins (if beef was cooked prior to baking..uncooked time will be about 50-60mins.) 

These were SUPER yummy and filling and really perfect for the cool day we had today. Plus, who doesn't love a dinner where you can eat the "bowl?" We had these with steamed broccoli and carrots since it's what we had lying around but honestly, these would be good with just about anything..or even by themselves. 

Now back to my prepping for the upcoming farmers market I will be at for my Origami Owl booth. :) If you're in Riverside in the area of Tyler Mall this upcoming Sunday the 5th, come by and say hi!

Also, check out my Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TaraSellsLockets I'm having a Mystery Hostess giveaway ending January 17th. Are you feeling lucky? ;)

Yia Yia's Greek Green Beans (Clean Version)

There have been so many changes in my life since I lost my Yia Yia to Pancreatic Cancer. I've gotten married to a man she would have loved, and had a son who will never know exactly how amazing she was first hand. People say that time heals all wounds, but even all these years later, I find myself sobbing uncontrollably when I think about not having her here.

One thing that I could always count on was that when I went to Yia Yia's house, I was going to eat..and I was going to eat SO GOOD. A Southern Greek woman with kitchen skills that would put any Food Network Chef to shame. There are times when I am feeling a little down, or not feeling well at all and that's when I love to crack open my recipe book and make something that my Yia Yia would have made for me. It makes me feel like maybe she's not so far away..like she never really left at all.

Wasn't she beautiful?

For this cleaned up recipe you will need:

2 to 2.5 Lbs Fresh Green Beans (Cut to about 1 inch long)

1 Large Yellow Onion (Chopped)

1 Tbs. Minced Garlic

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

2-3 Large Tomatoes (Diced and crushed) - Yia Yia used 1 Can of Contadena Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 Tbs. Oregano

2 Bay Leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a medium to large pan, heat up the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the onions are more of a clear color and have softened up, add the green beans, oregano, salt and pepper and tomatoes. Mix the ingredients to blend them together and add your bay leaves to the pot. You're going to need to take them out before you eat later so I always try and keep them peeking out just a tad so they are easy to find later. Bring to a low boil then lower the heat to juuuuuust a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 mins. 

Now, I apologize for the terrible phone picture, but I have been having camera difficulties lately, thus the lag in posts. Things should be up and running again soon though. 

As for nutritional information, please note that this is just an estimate. The nutritional value of your pie will vary depending on the ingredients you choose & portions you add. It should be used as a guide and not a definite. Happy eating loves!

No Bake Vegan & Clean Eating Pumpkin Cheesecake

For some people, finding ways to eat clean is a chore. For me, it is something I love and couldn't imagine going back to filling my body with all the extra garbage it was being bombarded with before I made the change in my kitchen. Eating vegetables that were on the vine that morning, eating lean meats that were grass fed, and eating the freshest and most delectable fruits I've ever eaten makes me happier than I should admit, but as with any eating habits, I've had to be careful of the "little traps." Now, I don't mean traps as in I have to watch my step ever so carefully as to not set off some sort of net covered with leaves that will swoop me off my feet while I blindly eat a carrot. The "traps" I'm speaking of are the ones I struggle with as far as my eating habits go. The "But it's health food..I can eat more of it right?" or "Almonds are good for you..I'm just going to eat this almond butter out of the jar" type stuff. Yes, these foods are clean, and are indeed healthy, but too much of a good thing my dear...this isn't to say that you shouldn't indulge. Hell, live a little. Want some real deal PSL on your weekend? You deserve it! It's your brother's birthday? Save me a piece of cake! I indulge every now and again, but I have had to train myself to be mindful of my portion sizes and keep to my snack times as to not go "nuts", excuse the bad pun, when it comes to a handful of dark chocolate covered almonds. A few, sure! A bag? Stop it!

One of my brother's favorite desserts, if not all time numero uno, is pumpkin pie cheesecake. EEEVERY year this kid, I say kid and he's 25 this year ugh..I'm getting old, anyways..every year his birthday request is not a Spiderman cake or some sort of three tiered Cake Boss creation; Instead, he requests a pumpkin pie cheesecake. Anytime I see a pumpkin pie cheesecake, I instantly think of my less funny and far less attractive (Sorry Josh, my blog my rules.) not so much younger brother o-mine. This recipe is for you.

For this recipe you will need: 

PIE

3/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 Cup Almond Butter

1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pinch of Salt

3 Packets of Stevia in the Raw

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs Maple Syrup (Agave will work also)

Crust

1 Cup of Pitted Dates

3/4 Cup Walnuts & 1/4 Cup Set Aside for Topping

1 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

This recipe could not be any simpler I promise. First off, you are going to take all of the pie ingredients, yup every last one of them, and throw..no..pour them gently into a food processor. Turn that bad boy on and let it go for about a min. Take the top off and push the mix that has tried to escape up the sides down towards the bottom and turn it on again just until it incorporates also. Pour the mix into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Now you're going to take all of the crust ingredients & gently pour them into the food processor. Turn it on again until everything gets chopped up nicely. You're going to want to see pieces of date and coconut and walnut..You're not making a paste. I decided to put my crust into a spring form cheesecake pan, but you can put it in anything you like. Now...push the crust down flat so that it is even (you don't want one side to be all crust and one side to be all pie filling. Once you've mashed it down to an even layer, top the crust with the pumpkin pie filling and spread it evenly over the top. Cover it with some plastic wrap and let it sit in the freezer overnight. Transfer it to the fridge about an hour before serving and you're good to go. 

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the reveal...

As for nutritional information, please note that this is just an estimate. The nutritional value of your pie will vary depending on the ingredients you choose & portions you add. It should be used as a guide and not a definite. Happy eating loves!