Orange-Citrus Vinaigrette

    1 Tbsp. lemon juice
    2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
    ½ tsp. salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    1-2 Tbsp. diced red onion
    ¼ cup orange juice

     Mix all together and serve on bed of lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers.

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries (by Mommypotamus)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into strips
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed up to liquify it
salt and pepper to taste

Line a cookie sheet or baking dish with aluminum foil and then place the sweet potato strips onto the foil.
Pour the liquid coconut oil over the sweet potatoes and use hands to mix it all evenly together.  Then sprinkle
salt and pepper and make sure all sweet potatoes are spread out in a single layer so that they can cook
evenly.  Place in oven on top rack for 30-40 minutes.  Done.

Variation:
Add cinnamon or chipotle pepper to spice it up!

Healthy Chocolate Cookie Dough (by Chocolate Covered Katie)

 1/4 cup cashews
2/3 cup pitted dates (no extra sugar added)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Grind it all up in your food processor or vitamix until it forms into a ball of dough.  Eat it as is by the spoonful or smear it onto crackers or bread. 

Tanya's Gyro Soup

2 lbs. of pork/chicken, cut into strips
3 tblsp. olive oil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 bell peppers (I prefer using different colored ones for better presentation), chopped
2 large onions, chopped
6 cups of water
8 tblsp. chili sauce
1 8 oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
5-6 tblsp. paprika
2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tblsp. pepper
1 tblsp. salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. oregano
2 pkg. onion soup mix

In a pan, saute 1 tblsp. of olive oil with meat, garlic cloves, and all the seasonings except the salt and pepper. When the meat is cooked all the way, add the whipping cream to it and set aside.

In a big pot, add the rest of the olive oil, chopped onions and chopped bell peppers. Add salt and pepper to it and saute on medium heat until onions and bell peppers are almost done. Add the 6 cups of water and the onion soup mix packages. Let boil for about 5-10 minutes before adding the chili sauce. Add the chicken and whipping cream mixture to the soup. At the end, add 1/2 the package of mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some kind of bread (French bread of baguette bread) and salad and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Apple Cobbler

I have never been a fan of pie crust, so I combined my mother in-laws apple crumb pie recipe (without the pie crust) with an apple cobbler recipe and the outcome was delicious!!!!!!

Filling:
6 Gala apples, peeled, cored and cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 tblsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar

Combine the above ingredients and place them in a pie pan.  Then combine the topping ingredients and pour them on top of the filling and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
6 tblsp. butter (not melted, mixed in with flour and sugar by using a pastry blender)
1/2 cup sugar

This recipe was fast to prepare and tastes best with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!  Enjoy!

Quinoa and Black Beans

I just made this dish last night and it was delicious!  I ate the leftovers for lunch today and added fresh avocados and it was even better.  I imagine you could also add some queso fresco for those of you who are cheese lovers!

Rated: Submitted By: 3LIONCUBS Photo By: Dianne Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 10

"Whether you're trying quinoa for the first time or just trying a new recipe for quinoa, this mixture of quinoa, black beans, corn, and spices will make this dish a new favorite."

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen corn kernels 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.	Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.	Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Olive Garden's Pumpkin Cheesecake

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Olive Garden's seasonal pumpkin cheesecake.  I never seem to get enough of it, so I found a recipe to make my life cheaper and so that I can eat it at my own convenience!  Hope you enjoy it.

• Author: CopyKat Recipes
• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Prep time:35 minutes
• Cook time:1 hour, 15 minutes
• Serves: 10

Rating - To add your rating simply click on the stars

Rating: 3.5/5 (4 votes cast)

You don't have to wait for the fall for this creamy pumpkin cheesecake to be served. You can make this one any time of year now.

Ingredients

• 
  
• Yield: 10 - 12 slices.

• Crust

• Use an 8-inch spring-form pan
• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup ginger snap cookies
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons melted butter

• Cheesecake Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 2/3 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• Sour Cream Layer

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg **freshly ground if available

• Whipped Cream

• 2 pints heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Additional toppings:
• Caramel sauce
• gingersnap crumbs

Instructions

Crust preparation

In a medium sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ginger snap crumbs, sugar, and butter; mix well. Press crust into a spring form pan. Press the crust about halfway up the side of the spring form pan. Refrigerate crust while you continue to prepare the cheesecake.

Filling preparation

Allow extra time for mixing up this filling. Remove the pure pumpkin puree from the can and place in a couple of large paper towels. Wrap the pumpkin puree with the paper towels; this will soak up the excess water in the pumpkin puree. Continue to remove excess water from the pumpkin puree for about 60 minutes before making cheesecake mixture. Bring the remaining ingredients for the filling to room temperature while the pumpkin puree is being drained. With a mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs one at a time and then combine all ingredients for the filling in a mixer. Blend until very smooth. For best results, allow all ingredients to reach room temperature before mixing the filling. Remove crust from refrigerator, and pour in filling.
Bake cheesecake at 350 for 30 minutes and then reduce temperature to 325 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. When you remove the cheesecake, it should be slightly jiggly in the center.The cheesecake will set up nicely as it cools.

Sour Cream Layer

When you remove the cheesecake from the oven, set aside and prepare the seasoned cream cheese layer. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, and spices. Blend well. Spread seasoned sour cream mixture over the baked cheesecake evenly. Place the cheesecake back into the 325 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the sour cream layer is set.

Whipped Cream

Allow the cheesecake to cool. When the cheesecake is completely cool, you can add the whipped cream. In a medium sized bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar; mix well with a blender or a stand mixer. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Remove ring from the spring-form pan and either pipe the whipped cream over the pumpkin cheesecake or spread with a knife.
When you are ready to serve the Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake, cut each slice, drizzle the top of the cheesecake with caramel sauce, and then sprinkle over ginger snap crumbs before serving.
Additional notes about cheesecake making:
I personally do not use a water bath. I do have a clay baking stone in my oven, and my cheesecakes come out very well. You may wish to use a water bath when you prepare your cheesecake.
Also, I would really urge you to let your ingredients reach room temperature before blending together the filling. This really makes a difference in getting a nice, smooth filling.
Update - I know some people felt like there were nuts in the crust, so I wrote to the Olive Garden and here was their response. †If you will note, they state there are no peanuts or nuts in their recipes. So I am going to assume this meant no nuts in the crust of this cheesecake as well.