Blueberry Cardamom Cheesecake

I haven't tried this recipe, but these little guys look so cute I couldn't resist sharing for this week's Blueberry Tuesday recipe.  Another thing I like about this recipe from Green Chef Heather Pace, is that it is entirely made with healthy ingredients.  I'll be trying this one soon.  Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 cup walnuts
2/3 cup pitted, packed dates

For the Filling:
3 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
6 tablespoon melted cacao butter

Directions:
For the crust:
1. Grind both ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of water if the mixture is too crumbly.
3. Press the crust into pans of choice. I used mini silicone muffin cups. Set aside.

For the filling:
1. In a blender, combine all but the cacao butter, until completely smooth and creamy.
2. Add the butter and blend again to incorporate.
3. Pour the mixture over the crust(s)
4. Chill in the fridge or freezer until firm. Since the freezer means less chilling time, I prefer it.
5. Garnish with blueberries, edible flowers, or any other garnish of your choice.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Tried my hand at baked oatmeal this morning, and I came across this recipe after I mixed up my own recipe.  I think I will try this recipe next time.  It sounds very good, but I think I'll skip the cranberries.  If you have any left over, it reheats well in the microwave for busy weekday mornings.  Try replacing the cranberries, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice with chopped apple, applesauce, and allspice.


Ingredients:2 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats or 5-grain blend
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups plain soy milk (or dairy milk)
2 beaten eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Combine oats, sugar, dried fruits, spices, and salt in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in medium bowl, then add to large bowl and stir until well blended. Pour mixture, which will be very runny, into an 8×8 inch, glass baking dish. Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until center is set and firm. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

Greek Style Picnic Salad

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 cups bagged prewashed spinach (about 8 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 ounces) reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
10 lemon wedges (optional)


Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Cool to room temperature; set aside.
2. Combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine rice, tomatoes, spinach mixture, cheese, and next 5 ingredients (through chickpeas). Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with nuts; serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Grilled Veggie & Hummus Wraps

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices red onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 (12-ounce) eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) container plain hummus
4 (1.9-ounce) whole-grain flatbreads (such as Flatout Light)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad


Directions:

1. 1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush onion, bell pepper, and eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Remove from pan. Add eggplant to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Remove from pan; coarsely chop vegetables. Combine vegetables, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, and salt; toss to combine.
2. 2. Spread 1/4 cup hummus over each flatbread, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Divide vegetables over each flatbread; top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up wraps, and cut diagonally in half.

Black Bean Burrito

Recipe from Humane Society

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup cooked brown rice
12 6-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded leaf lettuce or spinach
1 tomato, diced




Directions:
Combine the black beans, salsa, and rice in a saucepan and simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.


In an ungreased skillet, heat a tortilla until warm and soft, then spread a line of the bean mixture down the center. Top with lettuce, tomato, and more salsa, if desired. Roll the tortilla around the filling, then repeat with the remaining tortillas.


Nutrition: All figures are per serving (assumes six servings).
Calories: 268, Fat: 6 grams, Fiber: 4 grams, Carbs: 50 grams, Protein: 7 grams

Pan Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Salsa

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
Salmon:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets 
Cooking spray


Salsa:
1 cup pre-chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped tomato 
2 tablespoons pre-chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt


Directions:

1. 1. To prepare salmon, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients; rub evenly over fillets. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
2. 2. While fish cooks, prepare salsa. Combine bell pepper and remaining ingredients. Serve salsa with fillets.

Strawberry Mango Salad

from Pillsbury

Ingredients:
Strawberry Dressing
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Greek Fat Free strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 teaspoon poppy seed
Salad
6 cups bite-size pieces mixed salad greens
1 1/2 cups halved or sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup mango chunks
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted


Directions:
In blender, place dressing ingredients. Cover; blend on high speed about 15 seconds or until smooth.


On 4 salad plates, arrange salad greens, strawberries, mango and red onion. Pour dressing over salads; sprinkle with pecans.



Tips & Tricks:
Need help cutting a mango? Score the skin lengthwise into fourths with a knife, and peel like a banana. Cut the peeled mango lengthwise close to both sides of the seed, then dice.  Use jarred mango if ripe mango is not available.


To toast pecans, sprinkle in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently until pecans begin to brown, then stirring constantly until light brown.

Frozen Blueberry Pops

These are perfect for your next spring or summer get-together.  The beauty of this easy recipe is you can choose how much or how little sugar you and your family are getting by choosing all natural or no sugar added juice.  The recipe was originally written with an Ocean Spray recommendation.  This would be a very easy recipe to alter.  I would love to use strawberry or pineapple too.






Ingredients:
2 cups Blueberry Juice
1 1/4 cups blueberries (about 120 blueberries or 12 per mold)
1/2 cup strained Greek Yogurt

Directions:

1. Fill a 10-pop freezer-pop maker halfway with 1 1/4 cups blueberry juice (about 2 1/2 tablespoons per mold); add 6 blueberries to each mold. Place tops on molds and insert sticks; freeze until completely solid, about 4 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup blueberry juice and yogurt until smooth.
3. Remove pops from freezer and carefully remove tops. Fill molds evenly with blueberry-yogurt mixture, leaving about a 3/4-inch space from top. Add 6 more blueberries to each mold; cover with tops. Freeze until completely frozen, about 4 hours.