Banana Maple Nut Steel Cut Oats

I wanted to put on a Steel Cut Oat breakfast so I started throwing things in the pot....I had a bunch of overripe bananas that had been stuck in the freezer so I built off of that. Everyone gobbled it up!!!







2 cups steel cut oats
4 cups water
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup 100%  maple syrup(if you dont have 100%, use brown sugar and increase milk 1/2 cup)
1 1/2- 2 cups mashed bananas, about 6 medium
1/4 cup ground flax
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup raisins *optional



Combine all ingredients in a lined slow cooker(seriously liners are WELL worth it, this is a pain to scrub out!), set to low and go to bed! (6-8 hours) Give it a good stir in the am and breakfast is ready.

Mango Tilapia Salad

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to put it on my dinner list. It seemed to take forever to get around to but I finally did.
I tweaked it for our personal preferences and it was DELICIOUS!!! Sorry no process pictures this time.







Tortilla Crusted Tilapia:

4 tilapia filets
4 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 TB lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 small red bell pepper, seeded

1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt(or to taste)

1 egg
2 TB sour cream


Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 400

In a blender combine chips, juice, cilantro, bell pepper, and seasonings and blend until it is coarse crumbs.

Pour into a wide dish.

Combine the egg and sour cream and beat well.

Dip each filet into the egg mixture, then into the tortilla mixture, pressing to make it adhere well.



Place on greased sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temp of 145.


While the fish is cooking make the Mango Mixture

1 cup mango, diced
1 cup  pineapple, diced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 cup pickled banana peppers(drained)
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 cup creamy poppy seed dressing(we used Marie's All Natural, but I included a homemade version at the bottom)
(if you want a kick, add in some minced jalapeno too!)

Combine all and allow to mingle for a few minutes.


Place a handful of greens of your choice on a plate. Place Tilapia Filet on that , then top with mango mixture and a sprinkle of oregano!


Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c non fat greek yogurt
2 TB canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1 TB minced onion
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 TB poppy seeds

Combine all and mix well, allow to mingle at least an hour.

Pumpkin Ale Turkey Burgers

We had some Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale that came in a variety pack that my husband didn't care for. I decided to put it to good use!
These are also fantastic with beef!
Serve with The Best Oven Fries!






1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1/3 cup pumpkin ale
1/4 cup onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste




combine all and mix well
(If you feel it is too loose, feel free to add a bit of bread crumbs to firm it back up, ground turkey can vary in its moisture content quite a bit....maybe even start adding the beer in smaller increments if needed)

Form into 6 patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes(this also helps them firm up a bit)












Throw them on the grill or under the broiler and cook until an internal temp of 165....(seriously , get a meat thermometer, you wont be disappointed!)
Be gentle! They are delicate burgers. Make sure it is cooked well on one side before you turn it and avoid playing with it as much as possible.

Toast some buns and top them as desired and dig in.....

The Best Oven Fries

I threw these together and they turned out SO fantastic! I have made many many oven fry recipes but I think this is the BEST!






3-4 medium russet potatoes(peeled or unpeeled is up to you)
cold water

1/4 cup canola oil
1 TB minced garlic
1 TB dried parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup bread crumbs(gluten free for those that need it)


Slice the potatoes 3 times, then turn and slice them 3 more times into fries. Put them in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak them  for at least 30 minutes(change the water 1/2 way through)

drain and pat dry

Preheat oven to 425





Add remaining ingredients except bread crumbs to a large zip lock bag.










Add fries and seal, shake well to coat.












Add bread crumbs and seal and shake again.










Pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown(turn once about 1/2 way through)

Cilantro Lime Shredded Beef Burritos or Tacos

I had a roast and wanted to make tacos so I started throwing things in the slow cooker! We ended up having a crazy day and when dinner rolled around I realized I never got the hard shells made...oops, luckily I had the tortillas so I just made it a burrito instead of a taco....( since I entirely enclosed the filling, it is now a burrito instead of a soft taco LOL.)






1 1/2-2 lb beef roast
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced(leave the seeds if you want more kick, omit the pepper for less)
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped(reserve 2 TB for a tasty sour cream topping*)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Taco Shells or Tortillas (gluten free if you like!)


Place beef roast in a slow cooker
Mix remaining ingredients











Pour over roast, set to low and cook 6-8 hours.











Remove from slow cooker and allow to cool slightly.











Then shred the beef with 2 forks.

Return to slow cooker and cook on low another hour or so.
Scoop into taco shells or burritos and top as desired! I used pepper jack, tomatoes, spring mix and some banana peppers with the sour cream topping recipe below







*Sour Cream Topping:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 TB cilantro
1 TB lime juice

Mix all and allow to mingle for at least an hour

Gluten Free Focaccia Bread

On occasion we just want to order a pizza. Domino's now offers a gluten free crust but the price is ridiculous. $10 for a SMALL 1 topping pizza is just not reasonable in my opinion. My son can eat "regular" Domino's crust with no issues but he doesn't like to and Papa Murphy's crust make him have major mood swings. The other day he asked me if I could just make some crusts for the freezer and he could make his own when ever I wanted a night off with delivery. I had always been tempted to do this but I never wanted him to feel singled out (so we rarely ordered) but now that HE suggested it I was on a mission to find a good crust. This focaccia bread is PERFECT!

This recipe will make 4-6 personal pizzas.(depending on how big an eater your have)

It is also a very versatile bread, it makes fantastic tuna melts, a tasty garlic bread and much more!




1 cup plus 6 TB warm water
2 TB ground flax
2 tsp sugar
1 egg
3 TB olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup fine cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 TB xanthan gum
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 TB dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt

In a bowl mix the 6 TB water with 2 TB flax, mix well and set aside








In a bowl combine remaining 1 cup water , sugar, egg , oil, yeast and vinegar. Mix until smooth with paddle attachment(or electric beaters).

Add flax mixture and  remaining ingredients. When all are incorporated beat for 2-3 minutes on medium speed.









Dough will be very soft and sticky.

On a greased baking sheet(or 2) divide into 4-6 sections, using damp hands (or even sprayed with cooking spray) pat out into a personal pizza size.













Allow to rise in a warm draft free location for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400.

Drizzle a little more olive oil over the dough, sprinkle with oregano and basil and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.






Bake 20 minutes until golden brown.










Cool completely and wrap individually and freeze.

Pull it out and allow to defrost for 30 minutes or you can microwave it for a 45 second, then top as desired. (I make a homemade pizza sauce and freeze it in ice cube trays, easy to defrost) Bake at 350 until heated through.

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Sausage Casserole

I found these DELICIOUS Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Chicken Sausages from Safeway's "Open Nature" line. It is so nice to find a tasty sausage that I can eat TWO of and not feel guilty. Well I has some leftover ones so I decided to make a spin of of our family favorite Smoked Sausage and Pasta Casserole.







2-4 Open Nature Roasted Red Pepper Sausages( I only had 2, next time I would add more, if you cant find these sausages just regular smoked chicken or turkey sausage would be good too)
10 oz Pasta(we like fusilli or penne for this recipe)

1 1/2 cups shredded smoked provolone cheese
1 recipe condensed roasted red pepper soup*
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cubed zucchini
1 1/2 cups french fried onions

* condensed roasted red pepper soup is my own creation, use the recipe in the link provided with the Roasted Red Pepper variation.

Preheat oven to 350

Make roasted red pepper soup recipe.











Slice and dice sausages and place them in a saute pan. Brown them over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. Stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse.






Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish place sausage, soup, milk, zucchini, half of the cheese and half of the french fried onions. Mix well and add pasta. Toss to combine. Cover with foil and place in hot oven, bake 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.








 Remove foil add remaining french fried onions and cheese.









Bake 15 minutes more until cheese is melted.