Spinach-Avocado-Chocolate shakeology smoothie

This an extremely easy recipe. I know that it sounds weird. My boyfriend and I were really goofing around when he added avocado. I expected it to be gross. It actually got rid of that bitter taste that I hate about dark chocolate and it made the smoothie creamier. It is amazingly delicious. Chocolate shakeology  is a protein powder that can be bought at stores like GNC.

Ingredients

• half an avocado
• 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk
• 1 scoop of chocolate shakeology
• 1 cup of spinach

Instructions

1. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor.
2. Process the mixture until it is creamy.

Butternut Squash Pasta

This pasta is like a butternut squash version of macaroni and cheese and it is insanely delicious. The squash sort of melts into the dish and becomes the sauce. The only downfall is that the dish takes approximately an hour to make, so you have to be slightly patient.

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen butternut squash
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• olive oil (for non-stick purposes)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small whole wheat bow-tie pasta

Instructions

1. Thaw and drain the frozen butternut squash. By the way, the squash should be pre-sliced.
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Pour a little olive oil into a frying pan (you will want this to be a large frying pan for later steps) and sautee the onion and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes.. Add the dried sage and sautee for another minute or so.
3. When done with step two, add the vegetable broth straight into the pan. Also add the dry white wine, whole wheat pasta, and butternut squash.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer covered for about thirty five to forty minutes. This dish is kind of liquidy at first, so it could take extra time to simmer.  Overtime, the liquid should reduce and the butternut should have semi-melted into a sauce.
5. Add Parmesan cheese to taste and enjoy.

Plum Pierogi

Them Polish ladies must be tough as nails and as brawny as body builders to make pierogi dough so often. I must admit that it takes a little muscle and slightly tuckers me out. Just so you know, pierogi is extremely delicious with plain yogurt (which is how it is commonly eaten in Europe). Sour cream is an okay substitute, but I suggest you use Greek yogurt because it is a healthier route. Pierogi can also be filled with other things: potato, cheese, sauerkraut. etc. You are not likely to find the plum version in the frozen section of the grocery store, but you might find potato or onion pierogi. This is a recipe that could be either dinner or dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 table spoons truvia
• 2 cups pitted prunes

Instructions

1. Mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Add the Greek yogurt and the canola oil. Knead the dough until it loses most of its stickiness.
2. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 to 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and, while waiting, chop the prunes finely. Add the truvia and the lemon juice to the water, then boil the prunes for about twelve minutes or until  tender.
4. Now, take the dough out of the fridge and flatten it. This is where the muscle comes in. We use a pasta maker and a nice rolling pin to flatten it. Just do your best to get it as thin as possible, about 1/8th inch. If the dough is cracking, then just dab your finger into some water and knead a chunk of the dough until it softens up without being sticky. Cut the thinned dough into circles with a really large cup or a Tupperware lid and a butter knife, they should be about 4 1/2 inches in diameter.
5. Now place a rationed amount of "plum" filling into the center of the dough circles and fold the dough over it. Tightly seal it (a fork may help).
6. Boil another large pot of water. Place the pierogi in the boiling water (three or four at a time) and boil them until they rise to the top.
7. Set them aside for cooling on a paper towel until done.

Fresh Whole Wheat Bread

Alright, first off! Kuddos! This is the first blog post. This blog is for my webmastering class, but I am also using it to push myself to take pictures our food for a cookbook that my boyfriend and I are making. He is health obsessed and I enjoy food, so I suppose it is a bonding activity for us. Anyways, I love this recipe. It is extremely simple and I make it on a weekly basis. I like to feel as though my bread is really part of my sandwiches rather than just being a holder for the rest of the ingredients. Making bread at home takes a small amount of patience, but not a significant amount of effort.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups of water

Instructions:

1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add one and a half cups of water and stir until blended. The dough should be firm, but wet. Add small amount of water if necessary. (Look! The dough is done already!)
3. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let it sit for twelve to twenty four hours. The dough should have small air bubbles when it is ready for the next step.
4. Oil a nine by five inch loaf pan.
5. Scoop the dough into the pan.
6. Use a brush or a rubber spatula to set the dough evenly and to brush or drizzle the top with olive oil.
7. Cover the dough with a towel and let (yet again) sit for one to two hours until the dough is at or close to the top of the pan. When it is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
8. Bake the bread until deeply brown: about forty five minutes. The internal temperature should be about 200 degrees farenheit and the center of the loaf.
9. After removing the loaf from the oven, turn the loaf out of the pan onto a wire rack and let cool without slicing.