This zucchini bread is delicious and I love that my 3 year-old picky eater gets some veggie goodness without knowing it. The Greek yogurt I added to the recipe leaves this bread moist and adds a punch of protein. This is also great to have before a workout or after. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 cup chopped pecans
-2 cups all purpose flour
-½ tsp. baking powder
-½ tsp. baking soda
-½ tsp. salt
-½ tsp. cinnamon
-½ tsp. nutmeg
-1 cup granulated sugar
-2 large eggs
-½ cup canola oil
-½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
-1 cup coursley grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter and flour a 9×4 ½’ metal loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Using a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, and yogurt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the zucchini and pecans. Stir until the batter is evenly moistened.

Place the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until lighly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool on a metal rack while still in the loaf pan. Once cool, turn the pan upside down onto the rack. The loaf should come out easily. If not, run the knife around the bread. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups white cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400 degree F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

-Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

-Add the broth and cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

-Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with an immersion blender. Mix in the cheese, let it melt, and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the butter and milk and remove from heat.

I have been on a Buffalo chicken kick. One of my favorite recipes I’ve found is the Buffalo Chicken Soup, so good, and then I came across these soft tacos. These tacos are so filling and delicious. They knocked my socks off. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
-⅓ cup flour
-3 tablespoon cornstarch
-⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Buffalo Wing)
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings:
-Shredded lettuce
-Cilantro
-Chopped avocado
-Ranch dressing
-Green onions, sliced thinly

Directions:
-Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.

-In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture.

-Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, set it aside on a plate and let cool.

-Once cool, shred the chicken with your fingers. Mix the shredded chicken with the wing sauce. Set aside.

-Heat the corn tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side or until warm. Assemble the tacos and add optional toppings.

Tip: Set the chicken in the freezer of fridge, checking every five minutes until cool.

I’ve been seeing these recipes for kale chips and the first thought that comes to my mind is “ick”. I love spinach but could never eat kale. Then I found myself with nothing to do one afternoon and since Forrest Gump was the only thing on television and I’ve seen that movie 51,634 times, I decided to make something instead.

When I went to my computer, the kale chips are what stood out so I decided to give it a go. Honestly, these chips are good. Like eat the whole bowl good. So kale chips, I’m glad we’ve finally met. Now get into my belly!

Ingredients
-1 large bunch kale (10 to 12 leaves)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 lemon
-Sea salt to taste
-Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 275°F. Remove stalks and ribs from kale. Rinse and dry leaves. Toss leaves in a large bowl with olive oil. Sprinkle leaves with sea salt and ground pepper. Arrange leaves in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crisp. Transfer and let cool onto a wire rack or paper towels.

There’s no need to buy premade salad dressings if you have a little extra time. Why? Because they are easy to make at home, and you can control the amount of oil and salt added. Plus – I don’t think any salad needs high-fructose, polysorbate, or xanthan drizzled on top. The following recipe is traditionally a salad dressing, but works great as a marinade for chicken. I haven’t tried it on any other meat – but no one is stopping you!

Creamy Garlic-Poppy Seed Dressing

I was inspired by a dressing I tried at a cooking show a girlfriend held. I’m not naming company names here, but that particular dressing used orange juice, a touch of garlic, and mayonnaise. My version uses grapefruit – but oranges, and even tangerines work just fine. I also like the addition of herby dill and lemony poppy seeds to brighten the dressing up.

Ingredients:
-½ cup of Best Foods mayonnaise
-Zest of one large grapefruit
-One large clove of garlic, finely minced (I used three – you choose how garlicky you want it)
-2 tablespoons of finely minced red onion, or shallots
-1 teaspoon of dried dill
-1 teaspoon of poppy seeds
-½ teaspoon of salt
-¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper
-¼ – ½ cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (I used ½ a cup to make a thinner sauce, if you like it thicker, add only ¼ a cup)

Directions:

Measure out your ingredients and get a large bowl and whisk ready. The rest is simple – even a kid can do it. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl and whisk. If you started off with ¼ a cup of grapefruit juice, taste your sauce and see if you like the texture. If you want it thinner, add an additional ¼ cup of juice.

This dressing turns up the flavor drums in your mouth. I love it on basic salad – but my favorite way to use it is in coleslaw.

TIP: Try substituting this dressing for mayo in your favorite coleslaw recipe and let me know what you think. You can even use it as a marinade for chicken. The acids from the grapefruit will tenderize the meat and the fat in the mayo will give it a luscious texture.