Posts by thefreshfridge:
- 1 9″ pie crust (try homemade pie crust or corn meal crust, or you can use store-bought)
- 12 oz. mixed berries (fresh or frozen – I will explain how to make both)
- 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon white sugar (for sprinkling on top)
- Prepare a 12-count muffin tin with non-stick spray and heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Prepare pie crust and roll out to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a 3″ round cookie cutter, cut out mini tart crusts and place into the prepared muffin tin – will make about 8 from one 9″ crust.
- In a small bowl, mix together corn starch (1 tbsp for fresh berries, 1 1/2 tbsp. for frozen berries), brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss berries in lemon juice, and then add cinnamon mixture and toss until evenly coated.
- If using fresh berries, transfer through a strainer to release any of the extra juices. If using frozen, be sure the berries are coated well since the extra juices will release while baking. Fill each pie crust with berries (about 2/3 filled), repeating for all 8 tarts, and sprinkle tops with white sugar.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until crust is slightly browned and fruit it bubbling (internal temp. should be at least 165 degrees). Tip: if you are using frozenberries – bake for 8 minutes, then place a foil hat over the tarts and continue baking another 6-8 minutes until berries are cooked through.
- 2/3 cups unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (we used a wheat blend)
- 1 1/3 cups cornmeal
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 9″ x 13″ baking pan (depth at least 2″) with some cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar, add honey and mix.
- In a small bowl, Whisk the eggs together and then mix with milk. Then in another bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly add in the egg mixture and the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixing bowl to make the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared 9″ x 13″ pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10-15 minutes,then cut into squares and serve warm. (These are delicious the next day too and really start to sweeten up after a few hours, so save a few for later!)
- 10 oz. crumbled turkey sausage (or shredded cooked turkey)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 (14 oz. can) diced tomatoes
- 3 (14 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hickory smoke powder or liquid smoke
- In a medium non-stick skillet, brown meat on medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain off extra grease.
- While meat is cooking, chop onion. Prepare large stock pot and add remaining ingredients. (adding onion and cooked meat when ready)
- Bring chili to a boil, stirring occasionally, then turn heat to simmer. Let simmer for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, uncovered. (The longer it simmers, the better fused the flavors will be)
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings (we used sharp cheddar shredded cheese, low-fat sour cream, and saltines). For leftovers, transfer chili to a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate (excellent the next day too!).
- Roasted Asparagus
- Baked Kale Chips
- Mediterranean Kale Soup
- White Peach, Tomato and Arugula Salsa
- Grilled Chili Sweet Potatoes
- Fresh Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Spinach & Asparagus Lentil Soup
- Slow Cooker Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Couscous with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and spinach (use quinoa instead of Couscous)
- Greek Style Zucchini and Squash
- Spinach and Baby Bella Scrambled Eggs
- Spicy Almond Chicken
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Spicy Chili Shooters
- Cranberry Feta Salad (use unsweetened dried cranberries)
- Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken
- Peanut Butter & Banana Porridge (try with almond or sunflower seed butter instead of PB)
- Sans Tortilla Soup
- Salmon Pesto over Lemon and Parmesan Pasta
- Italian Herb and Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cups gluten and grain free flour. I used:
- 1.5 cups almond meal
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 tbsp baking powder + 2 tbsp water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease pans for mini loaves
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together all wet ingredients (mix together the baking powder and water before adding to wet mix).
- In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients. Then add slowly to wet ingredients mixture until all well mixed. If the mixture seems too wet, add some more almond flour.
- Divide batter in standard sized muffin tin and then bake for 45 minutes. Done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool and then serve or wrap them up and save them for friends!
- 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon corn meal
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon warmed milk
- Proof yeast by heating up 1/2 cup of water to 110 degrees, add yeast and sugar. Give the mix stir and wait 10 minutes. If the yeast is active, the mixture should produce bubbles on top and rise.
- In a large food processor, add 2 cups flour and salt and pulse a few times to mix. (I used a dough attachment in my food processor for this step). Next add the proofed yeast, remaining 3 cups of flour, and pulse together. Slowly add in the remaining warm water until the dough forms a ball and starts to pull away. You may need more or less water, what you want to look for is a well-formed ball of dough – not too dry, not too gooey and wet (you can add a little flour or water depending on your dough to get the right consistency).
- Remove the dough from the food processor and transfer to a lightly floured surface and begin to knead the dough. Watch the time, you will want to knead for about 10 minutes getting a stiffer dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a greased (and lightly floured) large bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size (could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes). If you need to create a warm place – heat your oven to the keep warm setting – around 180 degrees and then shut it OFF, let it cool for about 10 minutes and then place your dough in and let it rise in the warm air.
- Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down and then divide the dough in half to make 2 separate balls. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a rectangle and then tightly roll up the dough using the long side of the rectangle. Moisten the edges with water and seal and taper the ends and seal.
- Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and lightly coat with the corn meal. Place the loaves seam side down onto the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut 3-4 diagonal cuts into the loaves. Lightly beat the egg white and warm milk together and brush the mixture over the loaves. Cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and then bake loaves for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture and then bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until bread tests done. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 package Italian salad dressing seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 small potatoes, quartered
- 1 cup chopped baby carrots
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- In a large skillet, heat oil to medium heat. Stir in cubed stew meat and cook until browned. Add in Italian Dressing seasoning and continue to cook beef until cooked through. (You can add the option of deglazing the pan at the end with a little red wine if that suits your taste – allowing to simmer a little before adding to stew pot)
- While the meat is cooking, I like to prepare the stew pot. In a large stew pot, add the following: water, beef bouillon cube, diced tomatoes, beef broth, tomato sauce, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and pepper. When meat is completed, add to the stew pot, give everything a quick stir and then bring the contents to a boil. Then cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
- At the hour mark – start to prepare your vegetables. Wash, pat dry, and cut them all and then throw them into the stew pot. Cover and continue to simmer for another 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Combine flour and cold water until smooth. Add into the stew and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes and stir until stew has thickened. Discard bay leaf and serve in soup bowls. Enjoy!
Mixed Berry Tartelettes
February 6th, 2012
Today my husband and I are celebrating our 2 year anniversary! One of the foods we have not had a chance to eat much of in the last few months is berries due to dietary restrictions post-stem cell transplant. Since it is winter-time anyways, we decided that we could go without for a few months, but as our anniversary approached we both decided we wanted to indulge a little. He is still on his special diet but his taste buds are coming back so, with a little baking and careful washing/cooking we were able to make a yummy berry treat to celebrate! Yum!
With restrictions and seasonality in mind, I wanted to come up with a way to make a delicious tart while using frozen berries. While, I will always agree that fresh tastes best, for those restricted by season or health reasons I wanted to offer up a way to make these with frozen fruit and show that it can be done and done well.
Needless to say, we loved eating these yummy Mixed Berry Tartelettles as part of our celebration. We were reminded of how blessed we are and are excited to enjoy another 200 years together. I love how easy they can be made and are cute for any anniversary, Valentine’s Day, shower, or fun celebration!
For fun, I also made my husband a virtual card for our anniversary – perhaps you can tell I am a food blogger?? We both agreed that I need to make some cake now in the very near future. 
Enjoy!
Mixed Berry Tartelettes
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
Method:
Homemade Honey-Butter Cornbread
February 4th, 2012
Super Bowl weekend is here and we have been getting into the spirit with all of our favorite foods for the big day. Chili, of course, is one of our Super Bowl Sunday staples and lately we have been making pots upon pots of chili! So, I thought it was only appropriate to supplement our supply with some of our favorite Homemade Honey-Butter Cornbread. The recipe is pretty easy and packs in the delicious cornbread texture and flavor you would expect from any restaurant offering.
When I looked into making a cornbread recipe, I came up with a lot of buttermilk and heavy options. I didn’t want to sacrifice the delicious cornbread flavor, but did want something a little lighter. We went ahead and used 2% milk in this recipe instead and it came out perfect – moist, light, and flavorful.
Enjoy!
Homemade Honey-Butter Cornbread
Ingredients:
Method:
Smoky Black Bean & Turkey Chili
January 27th, 2012
I have been making a lot of chili recipes lately. A combination of the weather, sports climate, and our enormous supply of canned beans has been providing us with all the excuses to make “chili night” quite the regular occurrence. Actually, I think in the last month I have made 5 separate recipes based on what I had on hand. What can I say…we really love chili around here! So, after all of those experiments, I think I found a new one I had to share with all of you.
We are usually beer chili eaters, but when I decided to make a batch on one of our super busy days it was either beer-less chili or a run to the store at 8 AM to pick up a 6-pack. Since I don’t even know where to find beer that early in the morning, I rummaged through our pantry, put on my thinking cap, and came up with this yummy tomato-based alternative.
By combining diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to make the base, we came up with a hearty thick chili consistency complemented with turkey, black beans, and hickory smoke flavoring. The spicy flavors were more of an undertone to our usual spicier chilis from a subtle combination of green chiles, chili powder, and cumin. Although we used ground turkey sausage in ours, I want to make this again with some shredded turkey next time. Yum!
Enjoy!
Smoky Black Bean & Turkey Chili
Serving(s): 8 regular bowls
Ingredients:
Method:
Healthy Recipe Round-Up
January 9th, 2012Happy New Year! One of my resolutions this year is to bring healthy and satisfying recipes to The Fresh Fridge. So, I am so excited to share this guest post with all of you from an expert on the subject! Gina from Soul.Body.Food. is a health coach who was awesome enough to go through some of the recipes right here on The Fresh Fridge and make her best recommendations for cooking healthy and ways to boost any recipe to make it even more nutritious. So, check out these great recipes and add them to your 2012 healthy recipe list…and for more healthy tips, head to Gina’s awesome health and wellness site Soul.Body.Food.!
As a health coach, I’m often asked what the secret is to healthy eating. Is it low-carb? Low-fat? Low sugar? Vegan? High-protein? After all, there has to be one correct answer, right?
Surprisingly, no. Some people feel their best on a plant-based, all vegan diet, while others feel better with some animal protein in the mix. Some people can eat low-fat all day every day, while others feel like they are always hungry without more fats in their diet. The key to healthy eating is knowing what works for you. So, when Megan asked me to write a post about the healthiest recipes on The Fresh Fridge, I knew I could do it, but each recipe is either “healthy” or “unhealthy” depending on your perspective. Other than the bacon cinnamon rolls. Delicious? Sure! Healthy? Not so much.
There are few overlapping rules in opposing dietary theories, but one rule most people can agree on is this: eat your vegetables.
With that in mind, I give you the healthiest recipes on The Fresh Fridge. These ten recipes – in no particular order — are all vegan friendly (using vegetable shortening, almond milk, or veggie broth as necessary and omitting the cheese), gluten-free, and nutrient dense.
If you’re looking for some healthy recipes that aren’t necessarily vegetarian or vegan, here are the top-ten for meat eaters.
So, what if you want to try another recipe on the Fresh Fridge not listed above, but you want to make it a little bit healthier?
It depends on what you mean by healthier.
For all the recipes, if you can sneak in a few more vegetables, you’re improving the nutrient profile of the food. For example, the Ground Turkey and Brown Rice Bowls would probably be just as delicious, but even more nutritious if you added whatever vegetables you have on hand. Shredded carrots, steamed broccoli, sauteed spinach or mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes would add both color and nutrition to the dish.
If you are making a dessert or a recipe that calls for sugar, try cutting down the sugar, or get rid of it all together. Replace it with a natural sweetener like maple syrup, molasses or honey if the recipe needs the sweetness, but otherwise, try to get rid of it all together.
Gluten intolerant? Any recipe that calls for flour, a pizza crust, pasta, tortillas can be made GF friendly by using Gluten Free substitutes. Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s both make GF baking mixes, and GF tortillas, breads, and pastas are becoming easier to find in everyday grocery stores.
Are you avoiding dairy? Simply substitute almond milk for milk, margerine or coconut oil for butter, and omit the cheese. Nutritional yeast is a good way to get the cheesy flavor in savory dishes without the cheese. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section at your health food store.
With a few substitutions and a little creativity, you can change any rec ipe to fit your dietary guidelines. For example, here is my “healthified” version of Pumpkin Gingerbread. This recipe is gluten and dairy free, vegan, and Paleo-friendly. Be warned, they come out very soft!
Super Moist Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Homemade French Bread
December 29th, 2011
Since we have come home from the hospital, every day I feel more and more able to tackle the recipes I have been saving to create over the year. At the beginning of 2011, one of my goals was to bake some yeast bread from scratch this year. My hope was to become a baking machine by Christmas, along with getting a nice baking stone, and make my way through a homemade recipe book for artisan breads. Obviously, some more important things came up early on this year and all of my time and energy were spent helping my husband through chemo and a stem cell transplant (He is still working hard and steadily getting better, he is my hero!). With a week left of this year to go, I thought “hey, we are home, we are hungry, and better late then never, right?”. So, I decided to go ahead and attempt the recipe that had caught my eye and my ambitions earlier this year: Homemade French Bread.
The smell of fresh baked bread in the oven is one of the many reasons I will continue to make this French Bread recipe. The crust is crisp and the bread inside is light, airy and soft…and absolutely delicious. We ate this bread alongside some Irish Stew I made and was great as a stand alone side and also as a dipping bread. And since we can’t eat an entire loaf of bread in one sitting, we used the leftovers for a homemade baked french toast that we could eat the next morning. Yum!
During the process, I decided to take a few shots with my iPhone to get a little bit of the process captured. Below you will find the steps I caught:
Enjoy!
Homemade French Bread
Ingredients:
Method:
Source: modified from Allrecipes.com’s recipe for French Bread.
Beef & Vegetable Stew
December 22nd, 2011
I look out our triple-pane deck window, in the distance I can faintly see the flash of headlights and flicker of blinkers in distant parking lots, no doubt last-minute holiday shoppers getting that final gift or ingredient for supper. As I let my gaze refocus, I see the all too familiar sight of branches that line the forefront of our backyard view – the monotonous brown hue that will grace our scenery for the next few months of Winter. The sky looks like it wants to snow, but is still holding out on us (to my delight, and quite a few family members disappointment). I am reminded of the week, month, year we have had and reflect. I have been doing that a lot this week, just spending time reflecting. Right now, I love the anticipation and comfort that this pre-Christmas week brings. Every single year I have tried to take the time to relish the sense of joy, the sense of comfort, and the sense of wonder that these few short days bring.
Just a few days ago, I was just another person lost in the crowds (or rather running about avoiding them at all costs) while I was finishing off my grocery list to stock us up for our holiday meals. I braved the bad weather we had and drudged through cold rain with one too many heavy bags under my arms and then somehow stumbled inside our apartment – wet, cold, and exhausted. That’s where this stew comes in. For dinner, I wanted comfort food, in the form of hearty stew meat and robust vegetables. Something I could cook easily and then melt into the couch.
The braised beef and stewed vegetables really shine in this stew. The flavors combine very well together in a harmony of succulent beef and bright vegetable tones of carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. We paired this stew with some freshly baked croissant rolls for dinner that were great additions to really get a full range of the flavors in this stew. What is especially enticing to me about this particular recipe is that it does not require 8 hours and a slow cooker. The prep is just as easy as a slow-cooked meal, but the time is much shorter – around 2 hours. For me, after the initial prep and first phase of cooking, I took the time in-between to finish out some cleaning and chores so that I could enjoy the rest of our night after dinner just relaxing. This one will definitely be on our permanent rotation list this winter as a great way to warm up after chilly days.
P.S. We got a new and shiny addition to our family a few days ago – A Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Camera! Needless to say, we have been happily snapping away since the day it arrived. Today’s post is our first attempts at playing with our new toy – yum, yum!
Enjoy!
Beef & Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
Method:
Source: slightlty modified from Allrecipes recipe for Savory Vegetable Beef Stew
