Figs and Honey Cake {SRC}

 Spring is here!!

Spring time can bring on some of the best weather temperatures and the seasons most beautiful sprouting flowers, but it can also mean allergy season is in full effect. Only recently was I told by my doctor that I had seasonal allergies and was put on a daily nasal spray to help calm them, but this was a total bummer for me because I had snuck by pollen sensitivities for years. In learning about my new-found allergies, I also read that eating/consuming local honey can help you avoid or build up a small immunity to such pollen allergies due to the direct contact that you would have with flower pollen specific to your geographic area.

Whether this is true or not, I do not know.

Why share this small bit of odd information with you? Because it's SRC time again, and I found the most outstanding cake recipe on Enriching Your Kid, my secret blogger for the month. I was fascinated to read through her blog. 

As a Clinical Psychologist by profession, Shirley blogs mostly towards parent looking for ways to enrich their kids, strengthen immunity and facilitate growth. She hit a cord with me when she explains how she writes and cooks healthy foods for healthy living, I mean could there be a better match for me?

Anyways, when searching for this months perfect find to share with you all I was drooling over her beetroot cutlets and sweet potato biscuits but when I came across her figs and honey cake I knew that was the one.

The perfect combination of springs sweetest of treats blended in a tasty batter had me tickled with excitement. I haven't made sweets or a dessert in a while so this was my full advantage to heat up the oven and bake away.

This past weekend brought beautiful weather to New England. I was able to lay out back with the pups and read, do a few DIY projects and bake up a few treats for Sunday. Honey is one of my favorite sweeteners, some of the best stuff that mother nature provides us, and it did wonders for my sweet tooth. 

This cake was moist, honey-suckle sweet and delicious, and had the house reaching for a slice.

Spring is here, so soak it all up and enjoy.

Figs and Honey Cake
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup dried figs washed, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup honey (local is best)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Sift flour and baking powder three times. Cream the sugar and butter together. Then whisk the eggs and add the beaten eggs and flour alternately to the sugar and butter mixture. Roll the chopped figs in flour and add to the dough, add ground cinnamon and pour into a greased cake tin.

Bake in a pre-heated oven or microwave at 200 for 40 minutes. Then at 170 for 15 minutes. Leave to stand for 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and slide off the tin onto a wired rack.

Once cooled, drizzle the honey onto the cake slowly to cover the top. The honey will seep through till you see it no more. Then turn it over to the other side and drizzle the rest of the honey. 

Sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake just before serving.

Recipe adopted by Enriching Your Kid
Photos by A Healthy Jalapeño 

Zucchini Bacon Frittata

Breakfast is an essential part of our mornings, but there are times or, let's face it, days where breakfast could also suffice for just about any meal in the day. It's just that good.

We were always told growing up that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and only recently have I been noticing the benefits of that statement.

I have been building bigger and better breakfasts into my daily routine because it keeps me full through lunch, set's my metabolism and when I make big batches there is always leftovers on hand for a speedy lunch or I-don't-want-to-cook dinner. 

Who doesn't love delicious leftovers?

Another piece of my breakfast trend that is new, and you might have picked up on small hints in this past post or the new label on my sidebar, is that I have been testing out and playing with different Paleo and Primal diet recipes. Does this mean I have had a revelation and am changing my diet completely, absolutely not... but let's just say there have been very strong arguments made as to why this ancestral, real food lifestyle can benefit your health and your waist line and I am listening.

I mention this only because as you know from my mother's birthday brunch and this past Easter that my family and I decided to have all things brunch on the menu. Our brunch menu was filled with quiches, fruit salad, french toast bakes and green salads, all of which were delicious and a huge change from our traditional full 3-5 course meal. What we didn't have, however was a breakfast option that didn't have all processed carbs like traditional quiche crusts have.

What's a girl to do?
Crustless quiche or frittata!!! I whipped this breakfast frittata up almost immediately and even thought my intent was to have pre-made breakfast for the week, it was all eaten up that night for dinner. 

{Ergo breakfast makes an excellent dinner} 

 This frittata was light and fresh but maintained all the delicious flavored of the fresh veggies and salty bacon for a perfect breakfast.

Zucchini Bacon Frittata
Yields: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
8 organic eggs, whisked
1 small fresh zucchini, chopped
3/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (optional)

Preheat oven to bake at 350 degrees. Rinse and chop all veggies then, in an skillet, saute in 1/2 tbsp coconut oil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Remove veggies and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and then stir in cooked veggies and crumbled bacon. Coat quiche dish or oven dish with remaining coconut oil and pour egg mixture into the dish. 

Transfer frittata to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes. Slice and serve with shredded cheddar on top along with a dash of cracked pepper on top.

Recipe and photos by A Healthy Jalapeño 

Parmesan and Herb Cheese Straws

Bread and cheese... are there two better things in life then those?

Well, I have been slightly altering my diet even further these days towards the Paleolithic diet talked about here, and I think I am about to take the plunge into full blown Paleo. This means no more of these delicious, outrageously tasty ingredients for a little while. But only for a while.

I mean let be honest, I could say that I would just have 'one' but how many of us actually stick to the 'one and done' rule... not me thats for sure. If I was tempted by one, you can be sure there is two, three and maybe even four to follow, so I am testing this diet out.

I had made these crispy cheesy straws a few times before in the past and they keep coming back because they are so simple to make and the outcome is truly five star. 

With Easter around the corner, I thought this would be an excellent time to break out this recipe again and share it with you all, and of course snack down on them before my diet kicks into high gear.

The cheese straws have a fresh crunch when you bite into them and the flavors of the herbs and nutty parmesan cheese are delicious. These straws are a huge hit, work as excellent serving table decor and are easy enough to pack up in an air tight container for the next day if my change they dont all get eaten (good luck with that).

Share them at your Easter get together or make them for your cutie along with breakfast in bed. Either way you enjoy them, as long as you are trying this recipe I am a happy girl.

Parmesan and Herb Cheese Straws
Servings: 16-20 straws

Ingredients
1 large egg (or egg white), beaten
few dashes of hot sauce
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold.
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp minced fresh basil

1 tbsp minced fresh oregano
coarse ground black pepper

coarse sea salt

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll out just slightly. The puff pastry should measure about 10×12-inches.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, hot sauce, and a splash of water. Brush the egg wash over the surface of the puff pastry. Sprinkle pastry with cheese and herbs, coarse pepper, and a bit of salt. Use the rolling pin to gently roll and press the toppings into the puff pastry.

Using a floured knife or pizza cutter, cut pastry lengthwise into about 1/2-inch strips. Hold each end of the pastry and twist several times. place the twisted pastry on the prepared sheet, about 1-inch apart.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. You may want to take the baking cheese straws out halfway through baking to flip. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before placing in a large glass to serve.

Cheese straws will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days. They’re really best within a day of baking.

Recipe adopted by Joy The Baker

Photos by A Healthy Jalapeño 

Lemon Lime Basil Cookies {SRC}

I don't even know where March went, which in my particular situation actually this actually makes me a little happy. Having a husband deployed makes you wish hours, days and weeks fly by until they are safe home again, but March in particular was a very busy one for me.

 

This month for my {SRC} reveal I was introduced to a blogger that I knew I would have the sweets for. Ros over at The More Than Occasional Baker has been sharing rich, mouth-watering, topped with frosting desserts, sweets and treats for a couple of years now and I knew I would get lost searching around for the perfect treats that would fire up my sweet tooth.

Normally I am not all that big on sweets, not so much because of their sugary-stick-to-my-ass base but I am more of the salts kind of gal, like potato chips and salted fries. In fact, this past weekend I embarrassingly ate almost an entire bag of organic sea salt sweet potato chips. 

I said almost. I couldn't stop they were just so good. 

I want more. 

Anyways, I didn't know which baked treat I was going to fall for being that there are so many that Ros has to choose from, or my thought was leaning towards which one would be a perfect dessert for Easter.

When I saw the words lemon, lime and basil all in the same sentence my eyes widened and I was in love. I am particularly fond of the lemon/lime combination as it has such a fresh cleansing taste, but then you go and add basil and you just kicked me right in the taste buds. 

This HAD to be amazing.

The cookie dough was clearly taste tested before they were baked (always a must) and as expected, I did a little food dance to show just how excited I was for these refreshing and delicious cookies to finally bake up.

The look of these cookies is kinda fun too. The surprising green color that pops through is intriguing enough to have you reach for a bite and then you fall in love with the citrusy sweet sugar cookie. It's bliss.

This was such a great pick for this month and has me anticipating spring time and fresh fruits. Snow go away and bring on the warm weather, fresh delicious produce and soon enough my husby home to me.

Lemon Lime Basil Cookies

Yield: about 32 cookies

Ingredients 4 ounces butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
Zest from 1/2 lime
2 tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups organic bread flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat an oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the sugar and butter together until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, zests, lemon juice and basil and mix in well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined and everything is evenly distributed.

Spoon the dough onto the lined baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes. I baked mine for 10 (8 minutes will yield a very soft dougy cookie whereas 12 minutes will yield a crispier cookie).

Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from the baking sheet.

Note: If you wanted to freeze half of the cookie dough, you can simply roll the dough into a log and wrap tightly in cling wrap. This way you can "slice and bake" if you wanted when you are having that slight craving for some fresh cookies.

Recipe adopted by The More Than Occasional Baker
Photos by A Healthy Jalapeño

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 I hope you are all out celebrating and cheering to good food, better friends and memorable traditions. 

So, while I am out and about celebrating my Mc-heritage this weekend in Massachusetts, I wanted to share some of my favorite Irish recipes with you all that no St. Patrick's Day should go without.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Cream Latte Guinness Cupcakes

Homemade Irish Baileys

Spiked Shamrock Mintshakes

My Irish Toast To You

"My friends are the best friends

Loyal, willing and able.

Now let’s get to drinking!

All glasses off the table!"

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Easter is around the corner, so as we were planning my mother's 60th birthday brunch with the family I thought this would be a perfect time to test out a new spin on a deviled egg recipe that I have been craving for a while.

Easter is all about celebrations, getting together with family, eating delicious food, and of course lots and lots of eggs. 

Avocados are one of my favorite cooking ingredients. Their healthy omega 3's are so powerful in burning belly fat and the smooth creamy texture is delicious in salads, sandwiches and even ice cream, yup I said it, ice cream. 

This powerful fruit is also an excellent substitute for mayonnaise in deviled eggs to make them healthier and less fatty, and who doesn't love that especially when you don't lose any of the yummy flavor. 

 We ate these delicious and creamy deviled eggs up.

They were so festive, especially with the teasing 55 degree weather we had this past weekend, and made everyone eager and excited for Easter. We have decided that a holiday Brunch with a bellini bar would be a super exciting way to celebrate over the traditional sit-down dinner.

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
12 peeled hard boiled eggs
2 ripe avocado peeled and pit removed 

2 tsp whole grain dijon mustard
3-4 tbsp mayonnaise (or vegannaise) 

2 tsp fresh lime juice 
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut eggs lengthwise and gently remove yolks. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine egg yolks, avocado, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lime juice, parsley and mash using a potato masher or two forks until nice and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add mixture into egg white holes with a spoon or to jazz up your deviled eggs, use a pastry bag with decorative tip and garnish with a chopped parsley.


Tip: for an even lighter version of this recipe, you can use only half the eggs yolks.
Recipe adopted by Mother Thyme
Photos by A Healthy Jalapeño 

California Chicken Salad {SRC}

Don't you just love good surprises? 

I DO. 

Every month we are given a SRC foodie friend and this month I was given MY friend Nicole. Now there are a few reason I love Nicole and her blog, mostly because we've been bloggy friends for a while but we also have a lot in common... ready?

We both grew up in Connecticut. My best friends name is also Nicole, aka Nic, and sometimes for fun we call her "little Nicki" because she hates it. I too totally wish I lived down south. I drive a Jeep. I love beaches but never get to them enough, and I live on the shoreline, sad. We have 2 dogs. I FEAR swimming in open water. Salty snacks over sweets. And most of all, we love to cook and bake.

Did I mention her last post was about Girl Scout cookies... in a cocktail? WHAT? I think I am in love.

Needless to say I knew this was going to be a fun assignment. After drooling over apple pie squares, fun salads and waffle ice cream sandwiches, I came across this chicken salad recipe that I knew I had to try.

I am a sucker for chicken salad, so this sounded perfect. It's a lighter take on the famous Waldorf salad that you can serve as a sandwich or over a bed of greens. Healthy and delicious... the best of both worlds and you can have this salad for a brunch, lunch or even dinner.

The flavor combination is the closest to Stew Lenard's chicken salad (the best) I have ever come, to which I have tried to replicate so many time and failed. Over a bed of spring mix lettuce, this was an awesomely delicious and light dinner and lucky for me there were tons of left overs for lunch the next day.

Now I just need to order myself a box of Samoa Girl Scout cookies and whip up that delicious martini. Yum!

California Chicken Salad

Servings: 6-8 

Ingredients 
1 small roasted chicken
1 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup of celery, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
2 cups red grapes, halved
2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Once the chicken has completely cooled, remove the skin and set aside the pieces of meat (or if you are in a hurry you can buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store instead of cooking your own). Shred the whole chicken by hand into a large bowl.

Combine together the chopped walnuts, celery, onion and grapes. Lightly combine.

Add the mayo, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the mixture. Combine so the chicken salad is evenly coated.

Eat as a sandwich or with a salad. My favorite is with a spring salad.

Recipe adopted by I Am A Honey Bee

Photos by A Healthy Jalapeño 

Check out Nicoles blog, or follow her on pinterest and twitter.